Entertainment · K-Culture & Anime · 27 mins ago
Unusual sounds help K-pop songs stand out in the short-video era
K-pop songs are increasingly using unexpected sounds and pronunciations to stand out from more familiar, easy-listening tracks.
Examples include a whistle in “I’m Gonna Arrest You,” a rough electronic sound in CORTIS’s “REDRED,” and altered pronunciations in ATEEZ’s “BAD” and A2O MAY’s “NEON.”
These distinctive moments are designed to make a song memorable, even from a short clip.
The trend is linked to short-form videos, where music may need to catch a listener’s attention in just one or two seconds.
The songs can also spread through dance challenges, jokes and online memes, as happened with different listeners hearing alternate words in “NEON.”
As of November 13, all four named songs were in Melon’s top 20.
A striking sound alone does not guarantee success; industry voices say it needs to fit the artist and the whole song.
K-pop songs are increasingly using unusual sounds and altered pronunciations to stand out in the short-video era.
Whistle effects and distinctive chorus phrases feature in songs including “I’m Going to Arrest You,” “BAD,” “NEON” and “REDRED.”
Music critic Lim Hee-yoon said short-form content makes it important for a song to make an impression within one or two seconds.
The four songs were all in Melon’s Top 100 top 20 as of the afternoon of November 13.
Industry voices said distinctive sounds need to fit the artist and the song, and do not guarantee success on their own.
- Who
- K-pop artists and producers are using distinctive sounds and vocal choices; a music critic and industry figures discuss the trend.
- What
- Unusual sounds and altered pronunciations are being used as memorable “killing parts” in K-pop songs.
- When
- The trend is described in an article published on November 14, 2026.
- Where
- In K-pop music and short-form platforms such as Reels.
- Why
- Short-form content encourages songs to make an impression quickly, while distinctive sounds can help them stand out and spread as memes or parodies.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
I’m Going to Arrest You” was released, featuring a whistle melody in its intro and chorus.
I’m Going to Arrest You,” “BAD,” “NEON” and “REDRED” were all in Melon’s Top 100 top 20.
Yonhap published its report on unusual sounds in K-pop.
- Melon chart
- All four songs were in the Top 100 top 20 on November 13
- I’m Going to Arrest You
- Uses whistle sounds in its intro and chorus
- BAD
- ATEEZ sings the chorus word “bad” with an altered pronunciation rendered as “bat
- NEON
- A2O LIGHT’s chorus phrase “Neon and beyond” became the subject of mondegreen memes
- REDRED
- CORTIS uses a repeated chorus phrase and rough electronic sounds
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What people are saying
As short-form content becomes increasingly popular, it has to stick in the mind within one or two seconds, so sound effects like whistles are being used.
In the K-pop market, which has become a race against time to survive in the short-form era, this is an effective device.
If K-pop production trends so far have focused on securing and implementing the latest genres in the pop market, now the key is finding music that is a perfect custom fit for the artist’s own identity.
There are already many good demo songs, so the first priority is selecting highly complete songs from among them.