They make young girls and boys swoon the world over, but behind K-pop bands lies a dark and secretive industry.
The world of Korean pop (K-pop) is notorious for the immense pressure its artists are put under. Singer SHINee, real name Kim Jong-hyun, committed suicide in 2017, saying that he felt “broken from inside.” Fellow K-pop star Sulli, real name Choi Jin-ri from the band f(x), also committed suicide in October 2019 after having spoken openly about suffering from cyberbullying.
Weighing in both morning and night, having no romantic attachments (let alone sexual relations), not taking drugs, spending hours in the gym and dancing with weights attached to their feet, undergoing plastic surgery, not eating candy or chips and having no time off: this is the kind of routine Korean pop idols are subjected to. It’s also the reality of apprentice idols, who attend “colleges” that train future pop stars.
MORE: The most hated stars in the music industry
As K-pop is an extremely lucrative industry, the contracts that artists enter into are not to be taken lightly. They’ve been called “slave contracts” because of their shocking clauses: if an artist wants to leave their record label, they have to repay the investment two or three times over. The same goes for the training schools: they have to be paid back once an act becomes famous. If an artist struggles to fill a venue, they have to pay the difference! All of this in addition to the threat of being replaced at any moment, and a career that expires the moment you turn 30.
Scandals
MORE: The best musical duets of all time
In 2019, the Korean pop industry was shaken by a scandal involving Seungri, a member of Big Bang. The singer was reported to have provided prostitution services for foreign investors and embezzled funds, as well as having posted videos of a sexual nature filmed by singer Jung Joon-young without the women’s knowledge on discussion forums. The scandal was nicknamed Burning Sun, after the club owned by Seungri.
Not only did Jung Joon-young film young women without their knowledge, but he was also found guilty of gang raping several drunk young women, along with singer Choi Jong-hoon (formerly a member of FT Island). He then posted the videos of these rapes on private forums.
Rigged charts and rigged votes
In South Korea, the manipulation of pop music charts has a name: sajaegi. By tweaking the algorithm, songs are played on a loop by streaming services to inflate statistics and keep songs at the number one spot. Even members of BTS, the world’s most popular Korean band, have called out this practice.
Winners of the TV show Produce X 101, the South Korean band X1 has disbanded amid allegations of rigged votes. The show’s director and producer have been charged with taking bribes worth tens of millions of Korean won to fix the public vote in favour of certain members.
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History’s most expensive music videos
Money appears to be no object for some artists as they strive to give their fans increasingly spectacular and audacious music videos. Find out which videos were the most expensive ever made in the history of music.
YouTube
Production cost: $7 million
“Scream,” by Michael and Janet Jackson, is considered the most expensive music video of all time, but may not actually deserve this top spot. Director Mark Romanek denies being a crazy perfectionist who spent $7 million on this video brimming with special effects. He claims that most of the budget went to paying for the numerous assistants hired by the two artists and accommodating restrictions caused by a tight shooting schedule.
YouTube
Production cost: $6.1 million
The music video for the theme song from the James Bond film Die Another Day made the second spot on this list. It features Madonna being subjected to a brutal interrogation in a South Korean prison and battling her double in a sword fight filled with special effects and stunts. Elements such as these explain why production costs rose to over $6 million.
YouTube
Production cost: $5 million
The queen of pop is an expert on extravagance. Inspired by the Fritz Lang film Metropolis, this $5-million music video, directed by David Fincher in 1989, was considered the most expensive ever produced at the time. “Express Yourself” made history for supporting the empowerment of women.
YouTube
Production cost: $5 million
Madonna went all out to promote her album Bedtime Stories. The evening on which the “Bedtime Story” music video was launched, the queen of pop had the bright idea of hosting a pyjama party at Webster Hall, one of New York’s hippest clubs. Today, this video, directed by Mark Romanek and considered the most expensive ever made at the time, is on permanent display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
IMDB
Production cost: $4 million
An oil tanker, dolphins, a sea search-and-rescue helicopter, scenes from an Olympic stadium concert… Guns N’ Roses broke the bank for its “Estranged” music video. The nearly 10-minute-long film cost no less than $4 million.
YouTube
Production cost: $4 million
Perpetually dogged by controversy, Michael Jackson only invited more following the broadcast of his “Black or White” music video. Within just one hour of its appearance on three American television networks, phone lines were flooded with calls from parents who were shocked by the video’s final four minutes (out of a total of 11), during which the King of Pop grabbed his crotch, played with the zipper on his pants, and smashed some car windows.
YouTube
Production cost: $4 million
With something like forty singers, eleven sets, and seven costume changes, this Gwen Stefani music video is a veritable wonder of technology. Filmed live during the broadcast of the 58th Grammy Awards ceremony, “Make Me Like You” went off without a hitch. At rehearsal, however, just minutes before the curtain went up, everything was nearly ruined when Stefani hit her head while roller-skating. According to Billboard, out of the $12 million spent on this large-scale project, $8 million went to buy airtime alone. The video itself ended up costing just $4 million.
YouTube
Production cost: $4 million
“Earth” is more than just a music video. It’s an animated film featuring vocals from stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg, Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, and even the Backstreet Boys and Leonardo DiCaprio. American rapper, actor, and environmental activist Lil Dicky sought to increase public awareness of the environment, the negative effects of pollution, and climate change. A portion of the profits from the music video were sent to charitable organizations.
IMDB
Production cost: $3.5 million
Three years after the global hit “Barbie Girl,” Aqua gave their fans “Cartoon Heroes.” While the song reached the top of the sales charts in Denmark, the same didn’t hold true outside of its country of origin. Observers are still wondering why this $3.5-million music video is one of history’s most expensive.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.7 million
“Victory” is the last song ever recorded by the late The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered the day after completing the studio recording with Puff Daddy and Busta Rhymes. The rapper appears posthumously in the music video using images from another video for “One More Chance.” Dennis Hopper and Danny DeVito also make brief appearances.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.5 million
This nearly 15-minute music video is a series of scenes each more absurd than the next, combined with cameos by celebrities of all types. While Jim Belushi opens the video, viewers can also catch glimpses of James Brown, Danny Glover, and Michael Jackson’s very famous glove. It’s wearer, however, is seen only from behind.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.5 million
The “Heartbreaker” music video cost that much money because there are two versions, one of which is animated. Mariah Carey ended up adding animated content to replace images of Jay-Z because he had been temporarily restricted from making video appearances due to obligations related to another production.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.5 million
You only have to watch the music video for “Doesn’t Really Matter,” the theme song from the movie Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, to understand how production costs could reach such heights. The special effects may not impress you, but they clearly show an advanced technical prowess for the 2000s, especially when Janet Jackson cuts loose on an interactive dance floor, and let’s not forget Eddie Murphy’s appearances alongside his co-star from the film.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.4 million
Janet Jackson is clearly a fan of special effects. In “What’s It Gonna Be?!,” the singer is dressed in an extremely sexy, futuristic outfit, while Busta Rhymes wears a sparkling, silvery costume. The video takes place in a fantasy tunnel worthy of the best Instagram stories.
IMDB
Production cost: $2.3 million
Shot in the Czech Republic, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” features Céline mourning the death of her lover in a sumptuous castle. In December 2019, the Quebec diva paid homage to this video, which cost nearly $2.3 million, by replacing the images of her dead lover with Instagram shopping sprees The new version racked up hundreds of thousands of views within 40 minutes of its online release.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.2 million
This 18-minute short film, directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, changed history. Largely influenced by the movie West Side Story, the “Bad” music video featured two rival gangs led by the King of Pop and a still unknown Wesley Snipes. Filming lasted six weeks in a Brooklyn subway station.
YouTube
Production cost: $2.1 million
Futuristic worlds were quite popular in the 2000s. The Backstreet Boys also adopted a fantastical theme for the “Larger than Life” music video, sporting robot costumes aboard a spaceship. The scene in which Brian Littrell does flips on a flying surfboard alone cost $90,000!
YouTube
Production cost: $2 million
There are several reasons why this “little” film, which lasts just over nine minutes and was shot in Los Angeles, racked up such high production costs. In addition to the exorbitantly priced sets, the salaries paid the other two stars—Magic Johnson and Eddie Murphy—probably cut into the budget quite severely. As a result, the non-union extras were paid at rates well below scale.
IMDB
Production cost: $2 million
This music video won Will Smith an MTV Video Music Award. While it was shot in Miami, the song was recorded in New York. You may not have noticed, but actress Eva Mendes, little known at the time, makes an appearance.
YouTube
Production cost: $2 million
Just when we were getting used to her colourful music video outfits, Missy Elliott adopts a more sombre style in “She’s a B****.” Note her rhinestone and leather cowboy costume.
YouTube
Production cost: $2 million
After the Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life” and Janet Jackson’s “Doesn’t Really Matter,” director Joseph Kahn created another futuristic world. In “Freeek!,” George Michael wears a costume that is so sexy that the music video was censored by several television channels.
YouTube
Production cost: $2 million
You’ve probably never heard of Ayumi Hamasaki, but this singer is Japan’s top-selling artist. It’s not surprising, then, to see her name on a list of the most expensive music videos. Would you like to know more about her? Simply browse her entire body of work on her YouTube channel.
YouTube
Production cost: $2 million
Shot in Hawaii, the music video for “Fairyland” was nominated for Best Pop Video at the MTV Asia Awards. The video features Ayumi Hamasaki dancing with friends on an idyllic beach before helplessly watching her house burn down.
YouTube
Production cost: $1.6 million
Ayumi Hamasaki sought to conquer Chinese audiences with her music video for “Green.” The story takes place in a 1930s Shanghai nightclub.
YouTube
Production cost: $1.6 million
T-Boz took inspiration from her childhood when writing “Unpretty.” Suffering from an illness that often confined her to a hospital, the singer describes frequently feeling fragile and bruised. In the music video, the three members of TLC denounce beauty standards using some strong images, including a few that had to be cut. The original version included a surgical procedure and scenes of violent bullying.
YouTube
