Pop

Pop music features a noticeable rhythmic element, catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure. The term is also sometimes used to refer to any piece of music that appears in popular record charts due to a high number of sales and/or airplay.

In opposition to music that requires education to appreciate, a defining characteristic of pop music is that anyone is able to enjoy it. Artistic concepts such as musical form and aesthetics are not a concern in the writing of pop songs; the primary objectives being audience enjoyment and commercial success. This of course does not imply that those goals are achieved by every song in this genre.

The term "pop music" was first used in 1926 in the sense of "having popular appeal", but since the 1950s, it has been used to designate a musical genre, originally characterized as a lighter alternative to rock and roll.

Around the world, J-pop refers to Japanese popular musicians, and was coined by the Japanese media in the 1980s to distinguish Japanese musicians from foreign musicians. K-pop refers to Korean popular music, specifically from South Korea. Cantopop, also referred to as HK-pop, is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop.

The international appeal of pop was evident in the new millennium, with artists from around the world influencing the genre and local variants merging with the mainstream.

Latin pop was successful with songs from Spain, "Hero" (late 2001/early 2002), "The Ketchup Song" (2002); and Colombia, "Whenever, Wherever" (2002) and "Hips Don't Lie" (2006). Russia made its breakthrough to the international charts with "All the Things She Said" (2002), which even topped the UK Singles Chart.

This description is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses materials from the Wikipedia article "Pop music".