ALL K-Pop Positions EXPLAINED (2021 UPDATE) | K-Pop University (KPU)

[@SYJOfficial]

N.ERGETICS! Welcome to the 1ST EPISODE OF K-POP UNIVERSITY'S REBIRTH! I hope this video helped you understand the many different positions a Kpop idol can have in their respective group! Can we PLEASE get this episode to 500 VIEWS & LIKES?!? Let's get this Season to outshine and outperform Season 1! If you guys want me to clarify anything or have any questions about what I said in the video, please go ahead and leave em in the Comments here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! It feels great to take on the mantle as your Kpop Professor once again and I hope you all enjoyed this first of many episodes to YOUR KPOP EDUCATION 😁

[@motherofdragonthiswagon2527]

Wow I wonder Taeyong of NCT must feel being the Leader, Main Rapper, Main Dancer, Sub Vocalist, Visual, Center of the group. Seems like a lot responsibilities.

[@SYJOfficial]

Ohhh man, I could only imagine. His roles are STACKED that man is a machine 😂

[@justanothermarvelgirl]

Hes not sub vocal hes regular vocal I think

[@zuzannabrzeszczak1578]

I feel like nowadays, K-pop groups consist of mostly all-rounder members. The differences between the respective positions are so blurry, for example in SKZ or Loona. 😂😂 Also, NCT with their crazy OT23 dynamic; its impossible to be focused only on one thing, because you'll get surprised no matter what. K-pop changed a lot, and companies search for prodigies, or preferably self producing groups.

[@SYJOfficial]

Right! Now with groups with INSANE roster sizes or POWERFUL SKILLSETS, Triple Threats are becoming more common and it's slowly becoming a thing of the past to say "I'm ONLY in charge of this one thing!"

[@seesaw3411]

Seonghwa: has the high notes in utopia Also seonghwa: "normal" vocalist I refuse to accept that roles make sense

[@matiasdesalas7301]

Correction: J hope is not the lead rapper, he is just a rapper RM: Main rapper Suga: Lead rapper J-hope: Rapper Jungkook: Sub-Rapper

[@gia42472]

J hope is sub rapper according to kprofile.

[@sarabeshwar1109]

Sub Rapper = rapper

[@LoveAgatsuma9]

Thank you so much it really makes sense now🥺 It's been over one and a half year since I got into KPOP and now I can differentiate between the positions all because of you 🥰 You earned yourself a new subscriber 💗💗

[@jungwoosmom6969]

I just want make sure i'm right, so: Main vocal is "highest" position, and sub is "lowest" lead is in middle

[@msfilipinamerican]

I don’t even listen to Kpop that much but here I am because your vids are so entertaining 😆😁👌🏼 Super informative nonetheless!

[@SYJOfficial]

THANK YOUUU!!! 😁 I'm glad my content can be entertaining to non-Kpop fans as well! It's what we aim for around here to help everyone regardless of music preference understand our little sliver of pop culture better! 😁

[@saml2048]

Thank you so much for this! I'm fairly new to K-pop and this cleared up so many of my confusions!

[@SYJOfficial]

You're very welcome! I'm glad this can be considered as one of people's first steps to understanding the genre a little better! :) And YES, STAYS UNITE 🤘🏽

[@FfF-rq6ph]

Jk is main vocalist Jimin is lead vocalist Jin and V are vocalist I said or wrote that cus that did say it live, Jin and V sometimes are got more line than jk and jimin like v at life goes on, butter, black swan , ptd, dynamite, come back home, not today , BS&T and so many songs Jin is like V too he got more lines like Butter, PTD, spring day , fire, Cristal snow, don’t leave me, let go ,go go , fake love , boy with luv , boy in luv, black swan, film out, I am fine , mic drop , home, idol and so many songs like V So that’s why they are only vocalist Jimin and jk don’t need to talk about them both

[@my_oddities234]

Ah, thank you so much! I love studying how things work, and k-pop is my newest fascination

[@SYJOfficial]

Of course! :) Aww man, you're in the right place! I hope through KPU, I'll be able to help people understand Kpop just a lil better!

[@gyuri9524]

Thanks a lot for this explanations , I am in k pop for many years but i was not able to understand the positions but now it's easy for me 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[@SYJOfficial]

My pleasure and you're VERY welcome!!! Comments like these tell me that this episode is successful! Although we haven't hit that View & Like goal, the fact that this video is helping viewers like you brings me much happiness and satisfaction 😁

[@SH-qx7py]

You are better than Math Class >:D Your lecture is better, and I got this very video on my recommendation unlike the people in the comments were complaining on getting the previous video on their recommendation. Btw, New subbie :D

[@SYJOfficial]

HAHA I am honored to know that I give better education than a math teacher 😂 Yeah, I don't understand why KZbin is STILL recommending the 2016 version over the 2021 version... I still get the same comments everyday of the mistakes in THAT video that were corrected in this one 🤷🏽‍♂️ But I'm glad you found this video in your Recommended! Welcome to the N.ergetic Nation!

[@SH-qx7py]

@@SYJOfficial Happy to have you as my teacher! And KZbin gets drunk lately, don't mind him. 😂

[@yasminmacam1933]

@@SYJOfficial Hi 👋 can you make a lesson about Grade 10. Make a content about it because you are very good at explaining things. Like this video you made. Thank you and God bless ❤️. If you are only interested to make educational content of videos.

[@candicebyrd514]

Your videos are the best source of information about kpop and how it all "works". I really appreciate what you do!

[@SYJOfficial]

Awwh thank you so much! I'm really happy that this series is helping people understand our genre and culture better! This tells me that what we're creating here is a success, so thank you very much from the bottom of my heart!!! I really appreciate it! 😁

[@starwberriez]

can you do an explanation/deep dive on the types of members for each group? like "the cute one, the sexy one, the masculine one, the smiley one" like those types. i think it would be interesting to learn more about it because i cant find anything directly related to those "positions" if thats what i should call it

[@chaetime2023]

When you said “vivi from loona” I JUST FELT THAT OOH LALA AH WAE AH WAE AH WAE meanwhile onda (shockingly) getting 3rd place in Adios

[@straykanade]

hi ! this will get lost in my watch later if i add it so please reply so its in my notifs to watch it in the morning xoxo

[@blacksnow9003]

Good morning xDD

[@straykanade]

@@blacksnow9003 good morning thank u !!

[@SYJOfficial]

HAHA will do! I hope you remembered to come back and watch! 😂

[@ReddFGC]

Sub vocalist and vocalist is the same position

[@xylophoneignition]

thank u you professor nathan 🤓

[@SYJOfficial]

You're welcome student xoelle 🤓

[@shauntellexoxo5577]

The way a lot has popped in my mind with my fave groups in each positions tackled LOL

[@anapaulabenitogomez4910]

I really like the way that you explain! it was easy for me to understand. P.S: My fav group is Stray kids too

[@SYJOfficial]

You've chosen wisely! 😁

[@injunnie6568]

I think sub-vocalist is not the weakest since joy from red velvet is the sub-vocalist while Irene and yeri is the vocalist but joy is the third member after Wendy and Seulgi who's vocally strong 1.main vocal 2.lead vocalist 3.sub-vocalist 4. vocalist

[@cclaraffg]

omg thank you so much

[@FfF-rq6ph]

Sub vocalist I gets short lines like ateez wooyoung and yeosang Am not sure about their name but yup like them

[@kalvincarld]

I feel like kpop positions have been a source of conflict among Kpop stans. A lot of them go by an oversimplified definition of "main" and "lead". "Main" meant best and "lead" meant second best. Oftentimes I hear one say "X deserves to be main vocal" or something like "Y should be a lead dancer". I mean, opinions are valid. But then I see comments saying "Why is Z the main vocal, they're not as good as X" and it's not even legitimate critiquing the member's vocals, but just plain hating on the member, and for what? And this is the reason I don't like fixed positions of mains and leads in kpop. I prefer flexibility in positions.

[@SYJOfficial]

I completely get where you're coming from! Labels like "main" and "lead" can absolutely cause arguments/debates on who's the better singer/dancer/rapper. Thankfully, current groups are increasingly straying from the norm where non-fixed positions are a thing like LOONA and NCT! If a member wants to step up to the plate and try a new role, they can! I also agree that it's not fair for people to compare X and Y members with each other because they're in charge of different things and have their own skillsets. It's ALMOST like comparing apples to oranges. I don't understand the hatred either, we're all Kpop fans supporting the groups we love; doesn't give us the right to hate on other members OF THE SAME GROUP. Thanks for sharing! I'm sure we're not alone in this stance :)

[@nathanmendieta9747]

The editing is fun😀... Entertaining and full of ideas

[@ishathakor]

slight correction: nct dream does have a leader (and did at the time this video was posted too) and it's mark. he was the leader until he "graduated" from the group in 2018 and resumed his leader position when he was added back in in 2020. they didn't formally have a leader for the time mark wasn't in the group.

[@SherryLacy]

thank you! keep doing it :D

[@SYJOfficial]

Ohh thank YOU! KPU is one of the flagship series of the channel so I PLAN on continuing it :)

[@mirianabongarzone8308]

Me: just finished to watch the first video, and take notes, (i'm a new sub!) Also me: open the channel, and find out that u do another video about this topic. Me: WHY ARE U DOING THIS TO MEEE? Only joking, it's a lot of fun listen to your lessons XD

[@SYJOfficial]

HAHA for some reason, the KZbin algorithm is STILL recommending people the outdated one over THIS ONE! IDK WHY 😭 And thank you very much! Im glad you enjoy them! Welcome to the N.ergetic nation! 😁

[@yoonglespringles5881]

Unrelated note the reason why I’m watching this is because my friends and I are forming a song and dance cover group called REVOLUTION and I am confused with some positions-

[@csupor1046]

11:35 WHO ARE THEY pls help And also 12:08 who is the lady in red?

[@elyxion125]

The lady in red is Soyeon from (G)I-DLE but i don’t know who is the band at 11:35 sorry

[@elyxion125]

I actually found it ! It’s The Boyz and the MV is « The Stealer »

[@oraxxplayz0444]

12:42 do you mean nct u

[@justanothermarvelgirl]

Yes, but nct dream was still rotational, partially cause of the graduation system, but even if its 7dream right now, and mark is the leader, they still had haechan going back and fourth with dream and 127, and mark too

[@opinionisopinion]

Sunny Jeongyeon Jisoo Are lead vocalist but why they have less lines? Can you explain it?

[@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1]

Jennie: Rap and vocals Lisa: Rap Rose : Main vocals (Gets most vocal lines) Jisoo: Vocals

[@opinionisopinion]

@@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1 this pretty acceptable Jennie is E/E+ stronger vocalist than Jisoo who is F+ but Sunny and Jeongyeon 😔

[@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1]

@@opinionisopinion No i didn’t mean that. Like Jennie is a rapper too and she does vocals that’s what I mean. And Jisoo she does vocals only but not main so that’s why she gets least

[@OMGitsHaerinBunny]

chaeyeon being lead vocal but gets treated as the worst vocalist in her group.

[@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1]

you forgot one: Sub Dancer

[@TiffaniFranklin]

I is a leader main vocalist main dancer visual center lead rapper face of the group

[@epicgaminggr8725]

when i searched the position of seongwha from ateez it said that he is the 2nd lead vocalist on ateez,is google wrong?

[@_Bellamii_]

LOVE THIS!!!!!

[@SYJOfficial]

AHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH WHITNEY!!! How does it feel seeing the series that you first saw my channel with come back to its current, up-to-date glory? 😁

[@_Bellamii_]

@@SYJOfficial I love it and I’m so excited and proud of you for bringing this back to help new fans and non-fans!!!

[@SYJOfficial]

@@_Bellamii_ Y'all are the inspiration for this series in the first place! I couldn't let Season 1 circulate and spread the wrong information, SO IT IS TIME TO REDEEM MYSELF AND THIS SERIES! All for the love of Kpop and the countless fandoms out there! 🧡

[@nathanmendieta9747]

He responds to every comment😀

[@SYJOfficial]

HAHA I TRY to, at least 😂 Nice name btw, you have good taste! 😉

[@nathanmendieta9747]

@@SYJOfficial We have the same name😀😀

[@onlypau_25]

So basically in Enhypen Heeseung: main vocalist Jungwon and Jake: lead vocalist Sunoo and Jay: vocalist (but I think Jay also can be a lead vocalist) Ni-Ki and Sunghoon: sub vocalist Because I noticed that most of the time Jake sings the Pre-Chorus, Bridge and Chorus... Jungwon sings the first chorus and 2nd in line distribution.... While Sunoo and Jay also sings the important part of the song... Sunoo sings the Pre-Chorus and bridge along with Jake... Jay also sings the chorus but he is lesser lines than Jungwon and Jake... While Sunghoon and Ni-Ki has lesser lines maybe because they are in rap line (I think with Jay)... Heeseung is obviously the Main Vocalist because he sings the Chorus, hardest parts, high notes and he has the most lines...

[@justanothermarvelgirl]

Sunoo is lead vocal and jake would be normal vocal probably

[@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1]

Idk the rap line Their main dancer is obv Niki Heeseung is the lead dancer Idk who’s their sub dancer

[@onlypau_25]

@@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1 there's no sub dancer because all of them are dancer it just that there are particular member who are more skilled when it comes to dancing that's why they have Lead or Main Dancer...

[@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1]

@@onlypau_25 oh……and anyways I do know that they r good at dancing

[@onlypau_25]

@@elizabethlll_blinkmonstiezne1 yes... All of them can be main or lead dancer in other groups... It just that all great dancer are in one group

[@nathanmendieta9747]

Whenever I see you I remember Jackson from Got7...I think its bc of the hair

[@SYJOfficial]

LOL I'm nowhere close J-flawless 😂

[@nathanmendieta9747]

@@SYJOfficial lel but I got to admit that your still handsome the way you are🥰 Specially with that hair style...its lit🤩😀

[@vaanyaagarwal5428]

I can see the miroh poster in the back... STRAY KIDS HOO! Another MIGHTY STAY HERE

[@SYJOfficial]

AHH YEEE 😁 Miroh is hands down one of my favorite SKZ comebacks of ALL TIME!!!

[@vaanyaagarwal5428]

@@SYJOfficial I agree full heartedly

[@skzstaybtsbulletprooftoget3693]

stray kids be like: ALL ROUNDERS IN THE BUILDING!!!!!!

[@SYJOfficial]

Han Jisung: "hold my mooyaho" 😂

[@shradhamathur7554]

Is face of the group a assigned position too and can there be more than one face of the group ?

[@SYJOfficial]

I'm glad you asked! Face-of-the-group is interesting because we don't know who WOULD be the most popular member until they're well into their debut; however, with Kpop groups being increasingly more well-known prior to their debut (i.e., through survival shows like Produce 101 or their company's respective show), it seems that Face-of-the-group is an assigned role! And I'm actually not too sure about that second question! I can't think of any group that has more than one Face... Most of my favorite groups don't even have a Face-of-the-group according to their member profiles. If anybody knows of a group that DOES have more than one Face, feel free to let us know! :)

[@shradhamathur7554]

@@SYJOfficial thank you for answering my questions.. I am new to k pop so I still get confused by lot of things.

[@ravensmallwood4258]

@@SYJOfficial where do you find the member profile? Is there an official site by people who work in the kpop industry?

[@Stanhyunjinlosers]

another good example of a Normal Vocalist is Skz Jisung

[@justanothermarvelgirl]

Technically he’s a lead vocalist I think but because JYP made skz’s position not have main or lead he would be normal

[@TiffaniFranklin]

🎉

[@ITZYRandomEdits]

Hi. I’m new to this channel & came accross this topic. How do you know all these things? I asked cuz you do kpop university. I’m just curious if you have knowledge about kpop industry process like these? Also I’ve been wondering how do kpop companies decides who to get those positions? Probably through training evaluations?

[@SYJOfficial]

Hi there! Simply put, I'm just a fan like you and everyone else watching this! Everything in Kpop University is based off of my years of experience in Kpop and my keen observations of the industry over the years. I'm no expert by any means, but I like sharing my perspective to help others understand Kpop just a little better! And to answer your second question, I would say yea! Companies would evaluate their trainees' strengths, weaknesses, and scope of their talent to decide what position(s) they get. I can't be sure as I've never seen the inner workings of a Kpop company, it would make the most sense that way!

[@sissid4426]

👏👏👏

[@SYJOfficial]

👏🏽🥰

[@yepimliberty]

So I have to ask if the Leader can also be the Center because Taeyong is the Leader of both of the units he is in (NCT-127 and NCT 2020); however, you named him as the Center of NCT

[@SYJOfficial]

Hello there! The Leader can absolutely be the center as well! Taeyong is one of the prime examples of Kpop idols with this mix of roles. We don't see this a whole lot bc Leaders tend to be put in the back seat to allow their fellow members to shine. However, for Taeyong's case, he's been at the forefront of promotions since predebut days and is like SM's current poster child. But TL;DR, Leaders CAN be Centers. A rare combination, but a possible one nonetheless. Hope this helps! :)

[@BiPhBiPhBiPhBiPh]

Jisun is not even a vocalist, she's Fromis9's Shuhua. Yes Shuhua should be consider a "position".

[@SuperTwink69]

Huh

[@elc9789]

I thought Seonghwa was a lead vocalist.... It would've been safer to put Wooyoung there T-T

[@glruiz4202]

In Blackpink Jisoo could be at least a sub-rapper

[@EngauNbung]

Vocalist and Sub Vocalist literally means the same bruda, your video doesn't make sense

[@GoodMorningDhia]

Its obvious that this guy is a BTS, Stray Kids and Loona stan, I CANNOT relate

[@TiffaniFranklin]

🎉