Thursday, April 23, 2020

Revival of Trot Music Among the Young

Music is an important ingredient of the Korean culture; a college professor in a column of the Peace Weekly gives the readers some information on what is called 'Trot': usually a two-beat repetitive rhythm, with vocal inflections, Korean pop music.

Trot's popularity was exclusively strong among the middle-aged. Music contests featuring trot singers were always popular compared to similar musical programs but now the young have taken a liking to the music and are becoming fans.

Reasons for the change are the new elements added, new interpretations and arrangement of songs, the participation of young and handsome singers and a popular contestant format. This trend with new interpretations of the old gave birth to a new word: 'Newtro', a reinterpretation of old and familiar styles in fashion, interiors, food, etc. It is a version of the Korean hip culture distinctly Korean in origin and interpretation. The 'Trot' movement may be called the peak of the Newtro trend, Newtro is made up of 'New' and 'Retro'.

This is because everyone remembers the good old times and wants to return to the good feelings of childhood, where mom and dad were in control and life was simple and uncompetitive, most people remember those days, experienced with vague positive emotions. In particular, when you become an adult and placed in a psychological, economically difficult or stressful environment, it is a great comfort to return to the memories and feelings of those good old days.

Young people who were not familiar with 'Trot' would be experiencing something new. It's no longer old fashion music but now with young, great singers on a new stage, they have made it their music. Ironically, the publicity that revived 'Trot' is digital. The technologies that opened the digital age have solved the temporal and spatial limitations that are obstacles to disseminating and enjoying the old. Young people could access the experiences of their parents' generation through computers or smartphones, and over 7 million people from various generations could participate in popular digital platforms at the same time.

Utilizing the good old days, 'Newtro Trend' is a keyword that opens the wallet in the consumers' market. To take advantage of 'Newtro Trend', whether it's food, music or fashion, you have to remind yourself of positive emotions like love, friendship, faith, comfort, joy, stability, intimacy, protection, courage, frustration, and longing. Therefore, it is important for any group to find clues that remind them of their childhood and happy old days. It could be the sound of a bird or rain that awakened them from a nap as a child, the smell of soybean soup that mother boiled, or it could be the music of a game room or roller skating rink. Music, in particular, is a pointer to the good old days. A study that was made showed that in the case of middle-aged women who are big in shopping, the sales increase by 20% if they insert music they were familiar with in their 20s.

How does one add a new taste to the good old experiences and memories to fit our modern taste? Consumers miss the good old days, but not the discomfort and boredom behind the memories. We do not want to give up the convenience, promptness, and treatment we receive as customers. The 'Trot' craze is a result of success by allowing old and young memories to be enjoyed conveniently and elegantly in a new format. What is the next 'old' that will comfort us after the gloomy spring? What will it be after the "Corona Blue Trot"? What will be the new old to return life to our spirits?