Stage presence and going to K-Pop concerts in 2023.

What is stage presence in K-Pop and why is it important?

Stage presence is defined as a combination of different things. But it leaves off the best impression that is unforgettable. It can be any entertainment whether be a comedian, Youtube video and their edits, or anything that catches your attention. When it comes to music, stage presence goes on in a variety of ways and different perspectives. There would be good stage presence on how good the band plays, how artistic the set is, how good the artist sings/engages with the audience, acting and how good artists dance. There can be multiple factors at once.

The K-Pop industry is different in expressing stage presence compared to other music industries. Idols need to be trained by a company beforehand in order to debut as a group. That undergoes intensive routines in eating, skin care, and perform great on the choreography. Through all of it, idols develop great stage presence for them to debut. After the debut they need to maintain a perfect image when doing live performances and music videos. K-Pop companies overall want to express K-Pop within the choreography engraved with the music. They go as far as to make groups lip sync, making the background music more heavier with pre-recorded singing. The reason being is that K-Pop companies want to make the dances more elaborate and more intense to the point it stresses more on the body. As a result, it is harder to sing and more tolerable. There are very talented idols that can manage such intense performances while being able to sing. The fandom will really recognize idols for this as it shows a lot of devotion through hard work. It is clear what choreography can do on a stage. It is maintaining a perfect image.

A good example of stage presence would be Taemin’s first solo concert in Nippon Budokan. He had to prepare certain days in advance before the concert. It was his first solo performance in his career. It meant significant importance to him. With such importance he made sure to practice so rigorously. On the day of the concert, the practicing was worth it for Taemin, as he made sure to deliver a good stage presence for the audience. He made a unique scenery for the fans more than half way through the concert which was creative. It was a success. However, with the success, there were certain points where he had to feel pain to the point of feeling vomiting. He persisted and really pushed through boundaries that he can deliver the best performance possible. He proved to the K-Pop industry that he can deliver promising performances to the fandom.

Why do we go to K-Pop concerts in 2023? And how does stage presence influence the overall concert experience?

There are many reasons why fans like to go to K-Pop concerts. Whether it be visiting our favorite group idols, liking the music and to have fun in general. Fans really love to meet their idols in person. However, fans can see their favorite idols perform on the screen and invite friends over. Why do we want to see them on the actual stage in person? The reason is not only is the idols and their spectacular stage presence, it is also the audience themselves that forms stage presence within the concert.

Fans meet other fans

The audience themselves are one of the reasons why people love to spend several hundreds of dollars to the concert. The fandom in one place creates a theme, an emotion and an interaction. Sometimes, a fan’s purpose to go to a concert is not only to visit the idols but also to meet other fans. That type of interaction allows the audience to create a unity within each other. Within that unity creates a theme of joy all over the place. As we go back to the definition of stage presence, “It leaves off an impression that is unforgettable” we can see how a stadium full of people can leave off a good stage presence. It's an amazing sight and feeling to be sharing the same interest to one another.

Props such as glow sticks

The other thing about the audience’s stage presence is props such as glow sticks. Sets and fashion also form part of stage presence. It leaves an impression on the type of art that the audience would like to see. One of the best examples is in Taemin’s first concert where the audience had green glow sticks. The stage previously was lit, until it had darkened leaving a green ominous look on the environment, really emphasizing what's about to come into the center stage. Not only does the green glow sticks create an aura, the entire audience already knows what to do with them. They move them either by chanting with them or to move it slowly which again creates a nice unison, like if it were to be a choreography move within the audience.

Screams chants and singing

One last thing about the audience’s stage presence would be the screams, chants and singing that the audience do. Another example in Taemin’s first concert, is when the stage gets dark and the fans scream their lungs out. There would be at some points into Taemin’s concert where the fans chant for Taemin when he is off stage. Sometimes in K-Pop concerts, people give out advice to wear concert headphones since the audience are the loudest in the spot. It shows so much devotion and love for the idols as the idols do for them to perform their best on stage. As for singing, it can depend on the country where the concert takes place. Idols, like NewJeans have expressed how amazed they are when people sing in their concerts. In the U.S, people really do sing all the lyrics whether be in korean or in english. It is like a recital.

Conclusion

The fandom and the idols overall have a parasocial relationship with one another. Each sharing a lot of love and devotion mostly through the media. What the concerts brought in is actual contact with the fandom to idol and the fandom to themselves. Stage presence allowed for both sides to leave an impression on one another. Both the fandom prepared so much for the event, whether it be a recital for a chant in the crowd and a recital for the performance stage on the idol. Setting the atmosphere by the audience with many glow sticks and setting the theme for the stage performance by the idol and the K-Pop industry. Showing lots of love and devotion by screaming to the point of deafening from the audience and showing lots of love to put in much effort on the choreography by the idol. Stage presence on both sides makes going to the concert be a huge sharing experience while being lost at the same time. Fans even could be considered as a performer for the idol. They see their fans showing that they are having a blast. It is like a communication. It is like you are at the center of the stage with your favorite idol all this time.

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