考研题源外刊 | 《经济学人》精读:K-pop正在“去韩化”?深度剖析全球文化输出的产业逻辑
The risky plan to take the “K” out of K-popFor a cool S$6,500 ($5,050), you can attend a professional course at SM Universe, a new K-pop training academy, opened in Singapore last year. SM Universe is the first facility in South-East Asia with backing from a major music label (SM Entertainment). Its goal is to train the next generation of hitmakers to follow in the choreographed footsteps of some of K-pop’s biggest stars. Students include aspiring performers from France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.只需整整6,500新加坡元（约5,050美元），你便可参加SM Universe开设的专业课程。这所K-pop培训学院去年在新加坡开业，是东南亚首个获得大型音乐公司（SM娱乐）支持的机构，旨在培养下一代热门音乐人，追随韩国顶尖明星精心编排的舞步。学员包括来自法国、德国、印度尼西亚、马来西亚和菲律宾的怀揣梦想的表演者。with backing from... 得到……的支持a major music label 大型音乐公司🌟 choreographed 精心编排的（多指舞蹈动作）🌟 follow in the footsteps of... 追随……的脚步，效仿The academy points to a change in the popular music genre: South Korean pop is becoming less Korean. With demand for K-pop more muted at home, labels are eyeing markets abroad. The musical acts need to reflect their adoring audiences. HYBE, another label, now runs training programmes in Los Angeles and Mumbai. (HYBE is behind BTS, one of the world’s biggest bands, which is reuniting in 2026 for a world tour. BTS’s seven male members had to trade their mics for fatigues and spent nearly four years completing South Korea’s required military service.)该培训学院反映出流行音乐类型的一种变化：韩国流行音乐正逐渐淡化其韩国特质。由于国内对K-pop的需求减弱，各大娱乐公司正瞄准海外市场。音乐表演者需要迎合其狂热粉丝的喜好。另一家娱乐公司HYBE如今已在洛杉矶和孟买开设培训项目（HYBE是世界上最受欢迎的乐队之一——防弹少年团（BTS）的经纪公司，该团体将于2026年重组并进行世界巡演。BTS的七名男性成员此前不得不放下话筒、穿上军装，花费近四年时间完成韩国规定的兵役）。考研常见搭配：literary genre 文学体裁🌟 required military service 义务兵役Going abroad “is a natural progression” for the K-pop industry, says Andy Lim of SM Universe. Artists hoping to widen their appeal already collaborate with American stars. For example, Blackpink, a girl group, has collaborated with artists such as Cardi B, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez. Many now sing in English rather than Korean. (One of the biggest hits of the past year was “Golden” by Huntrix, the fictional group in “KPop Demon Hunters”, the most popular film to ever stream on Netflix.) HYBE’s founder, Bang Si-hyuk, has said the company wants to “get the K out of K-pop”.SM Universe的Andy Lim表示，走向海外对K-pop产业来说是“一个自然的发展进程”。希望扩大吸引力的艺人已经与美国明星展开合作。例如，女子团体Blackpink就曾与Cardi B、Lady Gaga和Selena Gomez等艺人合作。现在许多团体更多地使用英语而非韩语演唱。（过去一年最热门的歌曲之一是由“KPOP Demon Hunters”中的虚构团体Huntrix演唱的《Golden》，该电影是Netflix有史以来播放量最高的影片。）HYBE的创始人方时赫曾表示，公司希望“将K从K-pop中移除”。But if K-pop is not pop music from Korea, is it just regular old pop music? Moa “Cazzi Opeia” Carlebecker, a Swedish songwriter who has written K-pop tunes, says the term no longer implies a country of origin or language but “a really fun music style”. It is ebullient, with catchy hooks and polished production. Melodies and transitions are written to be danced to, which is why academies treat choreography with the seriousness of army drills.但如果K-pop不是来自韩国的流行音乐，那它不就只是普通的流行音乐了吗？曾创作过多首K-pop歌曲的瑞典作曲人Moa “Cazzi Opeia” Carlebecker认为，这个词不再指代原产国或语言，而是指代“一种非常有趣的音乐风格”。它热情奔放，拥有抓耳的记忆点和精良的制作。旋律与段落过渡的编写都是为了便于舞蹈，这就是为什么培训机构会以军队操练般的严肃态度来对待编舞。🌟 choreography n. 编舞；舞蹈设计Each track includes a variety of sounds: K-pop songs often shift from ballad to rap or from pop to electronica. K-pop groups tend to have lots of members, so songs are often structured in a way that gives each a moment in the spotlight. That way, if a fan likes only one member of the band, there is still something for her (K-pop fans are overwhelmingly female).每首歌曲都包含多样的声音元素：K-pop歌曲常常从抒情慢歌转换到说唱，或是从流行乐转换到电子乐。K-pop团体往往成员众多，因此歌曲的结构常被设计成能让每位成员都有机会站上“C位”（成为焦点）。这样一来，即使粉丝只喜欢团体中的某一位成员，也仍然有能吸引她的部分（K-pop粉丝绝大多数为女性）。🌟 spotlight n. 聚光灯；公众注意的中心🌟 overwhelmingly 压倒性地；绝大多数地Labels are not only exporting that musical style, but also the specific system by which K-pop artists are coached. Training is long, demanding and tightly structured. Hopefuls can spend six to ten hours a day, for years, preparing for their big break. They are starting at ever younger ages—some have made their stage debuts at the age of 13—which some industry observers find concerning. “To be honest, it’s not really healthy,” says Yeonsoo Do, a former star. “But you have to understand how the industry works.”娱乐公司输出的不仅是那种音乐风格，还包括打造K-pop艺人所依赖的特定体系。培训过程漫长、严苛且结构严密。怀揣梦想的练习生们可能日复一日地每天训练六到十个小时，持续数年，只为等待一举成名的机会。他们的起步年龄越来越小——有些人在13岁就完成了舞台首秀——这让一些行业观察人士感到担忧。“老实说，这并不太健康，”前艺人Yeonsoo Do表示，“但你必须理解这个行业的运作方式。”🌟 tightly structured 结构严密的For Jason Jaesang Lee, the boss of HYBE, what a chart-topper does offstage is almost as important as what happens under the spotlights. Another crucial aspect of K-pop is “idol” culture and the intense devotion performers inspire in their admirers. Wannabes are judged not just on their voice or their dancing, but also on their discipline, teamwork and public presentation. K-pop training aims to develop talented kids into charismatic stars who “can connect deeply with their fans”, Mr Lee says. Students are taught the art of the selfie and how to win fans and influence them.对于HYBE的老板Jason Jaesang Lee来说，一位顶流艺人在台下的所作所为，几乎和他在台上的表现一样重要。K-pop另一个至关重要的方面是“偶像”文化，以及表演者在其崇拜者心中所激发的狂热。对这些渴望成名的练习生的评判，不仅基于其嗓音或舞技，还基于他们的自律性、团队合作和公众形象。Lee说，K-pop训练旨在将有天赋的年轻人培养成“能与粉丝深度联结”的充满魅力的明星。学员们会学习自拍的技巧，以及如何赢得粉丝并影响他们。反义词：under the spotlights 在聚光灯下/台上的考研高频同义替换词：critical, vital, essentialinspire devotion in sb. 激发某人的热爱🌟 charismatic 有魅力的，有领袖气质的Early attempts at casting a wider net for talent have been successful. Katseye—a girl group formed in 2023 that has accrued hundreds of millions of streams and has a new popular single, “Internet Girl”— includes American, Indian, Filipina and Swiss members. They trained in Los Angeles under HYBE x Geffen Records, a joint venture between the Korean label and Universal Music Group. Katseye was formed during a televised talent show that let fans watch the trainees compete and vote on who would make the final cut. Only one of the six winners is Korean.早期旨在更广泛网罗人才的尝试已经取得了成功。Katseye——一个于2023年成立、已累积数亿次播放量并拥有新热门单曲《Internet Girl》的女子团体——其成员包括美国人、印度人、菲律宾人和瑞士人。她们在洛杉矶的HYBE x Geffen Records（该韩国娱乐公司与环球音乐集团的合资公司）旗下受训。Katseye是通过一档电视选秀节目组成的，该节目让粉丝观看练习生竞争并投票决定谁能最终入选。六位优胜者中仅有一人是韩国籍。🌟 cast a wider net 撒更大的网；扩大范围（搜索、选拔）🌟accrue v. 积累，累积（尤指利益、数据）🌟 streams n.（音乐、视频的）流媒体播放量🌟 make the final cut 进入最终名单；成功入选🌟 attempts at doing sth. 做某事的尝试with backing from... 得到……的支持follow in the footsteps of... 追随……的脚步Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the text?[A]. K-pop training systems are being criticized for their demanding nature and impact on young trainees.[B]. K-pop is evolving into a globalized music genre by expanding training, diversifying content, and targeting international markets.[C]. The success of Katseye proves that televised talent shows are the most effective way to form popular K-pop groups.[D]. Korean entertainment companies are collaborating with Western labels to improve the production quality of K-pop music.
