A not-so-angry post: Thai singer Lita debuts in the kpop scene! (BTW, what makes kpop “kpop”?)

Lita, 19, Thai, was said to have gotten herself a spot in the Korean entertainment biz under Ye Eum Entertainment back in 2009 when she was scouted out during a performance at her high school festival. While prepping for her debut she even got to perform on the same stages as Baby T, Drunken Tiger, and Leessang at their concerts. 

She’s young, and she’s got quite the resume under her belt. Vocals? Pretty killer. Check out this track, entitled “Be With Me”:

Produced by Y.K., the songs of her first album are quite impressive. They’re all uploaded on YouTube, so definitely go check her out when you have the chance.

She also just debuted on M Countdown. The performance of her title track, “Who Cares,” is below, though I personally think this particular song is not as good as the others on her album. But anyways.

Kpop seems to be really expanding its boundaries, and I don’t know if this is the first time that a non-Korean has entered the kpop scene as a solo act rather than as part of a group. I think this is super awesome, and hopefully this doesn’t stop here. 

I was just thinking though, what makes kpop kpop*? Is it because it’s sung in Korean? Is it because the performers are Korean? Or is it because the place of debut or promotions is in South Korea? What Lita represents is an interesting thing to think about — she is a Thai singer, yet she sings in Korean and debuted in Korea, which I guess can justify her music as kpop. But what if she were to sing in English? Is it still kpop, per se? Some friends and I were discussing this earlier, and one of them said that because Lita is currently promoting in Korea it classifies her as kpop. This sounds pretty legit, but what are some other opinions out there?

*”kpop” as in South Korean popular music; not necessarily that of the underground (hiphop, rock, indie, etc.) Or, I don’t know, how does everyone else define “kpop?”

And consider the case of Rania: if Teddy Riley were to make them debut in the American music scene, would it still be kpop? How about the Wondergirls? Are they American music, having debuted in the States, or are they still kpop?

I’m just throwing these questions out there, just as food for thought. Not sure if there’s a right answer though. Nevertheless, when it comes down to it, it’s music just the same, and categories or genres shouldn’t change anything about our enjoyment of it :] 

Anyways, be sure to keep an eye out for Lita - she seems quite promising! For more information on her, check out this Allkpop article.