The popularity of K-Pop continues on with Billboard recently featuring an article about a 22-year-old K-Pop fan who is trying to get the word out about Korean artists to radio listeners in the UK.  

Sam Ranns was lucky enough to win BBC's Radio 1's 'Access All Areas' contest; which allows him to broadcast a one hour show.  As a K-Pop fan, Ranns's playlist is comprised almost entirely of popular music from South Korea. 

Ranns is now sharing his love with other people in the UK who may have previously had little chance to hear Korean music. After his first broadcast, Ranns said, "Shock, fear, and amazement pretty much round up how I felt."

What first got Ranns into Korean Pop music was female group Girls' Generation.  He said, "I remember very vividly how I got into K-pop, and it was all because of Girls' Generation's 'Mr. Taxi' video." He further explained, "I watched it a couple of times and got hooked, which lead me to explore...they introduced me to a completely different world of music, and if it wasn't for them I wouldn't be doing some of the things I'm doing now."

Wonders How The UK Will React

Before kicking off his radio show, Ranns admits that he was nervous because playing Korean music is not the norm in the UK. Though he did add that he is optimistic K-Pop will get more popular due to the welcoming of other cultures to the country.  "In a busy city like London with a huge mixture of cultures, I could definitely see it becoming big. Just last month, [Asian-pop mashup artist] DJ MASA performed a set in a London night club and it seemed like everybody there was loving it."

Ranns has a good feeling that in the years to come, K-Pop will get more popular and that everyone will follow and listen to him when he is at the radio station playing Korean pop music for everyone to enjoy.

You can take a listen of his first radio broadcasting below:

K-Pop is Popular

K-Pop already has a footing in the United Kingdom because of the power of YouTube, with people able to access a huge variety of content from overseas. There is already a UK-based website that is devoted to keeping local fans updated on their favorite K-Pop idols, UnitedKpop.  

Photo Credit: What Culture