Kazakhstan experienced the Korean Wave when South Korean dramas and movies started entering the country in the mid 2000s.[9] This phenomenon, assisted by the increasing accessibility of the internet, sparked more interest in South Korean pop culture among Kazakhstanis, which helped the popularization of the K-pop music genre in Kazakhstan.[10][11] K-pop is regarded as an attractive, less-restrictive and unique genre.[12] 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.[13] After the group debuted in 2015, it became instantly popular among youth, due to its high quality music and the use of Kazakh in its songs.[1][14]
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.[5][15][16] However, it has also faced criticism and rejection from the traditionalist element of society, especially toward its performers' on-stage appearance.[17][18][19] Since 2018, there has been an annual q-pop music festival called the Q-Fest, usually held during Autumn in Almaty.[20][21]
^ abSeptember 2016, Zhazira Dyussembekova in Culture on 28 (28 September 2016). "Kazakh Band Tops Turkish Music Chart". The Astana Times. Retrieved 9 October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^March 2016, Zhanna Shayakhmetova in Culture on 26 (26 March 2016). "Kazakh Pop Music Experiencing Heyday". The Astana Times. Retrieved 9 October 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Oryn, Dariya. "Between Kazakh Batyrs and Feminization of Masculinity: Korean Wave as Means of Transformation". Central European University: 40. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)