Q-pop


Q-pop or Qazaq pop is a music genre originating in Kazakhstan. It is a modern form of Kazakhstani popular music sung in Kazakh, incorporating elements of Western pop music, Kazakhstani Hip-Hop, EDM, R&B and Toi-pop, with heavy influences from K-pop of South Korea. The genre first surfaced in 2015 when the first Q-pop group, Ninety One debuted. Since then the genre experienced a growing popularity among Kazakhstani youths, with more Q-pop artists formed and debuted.

Background

Kazakhstan experienced the Korean Wave when Korean dramas and movies started entering the country in the mid 2000s. This phenomenon, assisted by the increasing accessibility of internet, sparked more interests in South Korean pop culture among Kazakhstanis, which helped the popularization of K-pop music genre in Kazakhstan. K-pop is regarded as an attractive, less-restrictive and unique genre. The high popularity of k-pop in Kazakhstan spurred the creation of the first Q-pop project in 2014, when JUZ Entertainment formed Ninety One. After the group debuted in 2015, they became instantly popular among youth, due to its high quality music and the use of Kazakh in its songs.

Current status

Q-pop is enjoying support from both the government and the people as a means to promote and popularize the use of Kazakh language and Latin script among youth. However it also faced criticism and rejection from the traditionalist element of the society, especially toward its performers' on-stage appearance. Since 2018, there is an annual q-pop music festival called the Q-Fest, usually held during Autumn in Almaty.

List of Q-pop performers

Boy bands

These artists also sing in genres beside Q-pop such as Hip-Hop, R&B.