Why don’t radio stations play non-British music ?

When you Google ‘Why don’t radio stations play foreign music?’ you get answers like: ‘’Despacito’ was played on the radio’ or ‘because listeners will tune out’. However, the two songs with the most weeks at #1 on Billboard’s ‘Digital Song Sales Chart’ are both by foreign language artists. The current record is held by K-pop band BTS with their first English song ‘Dynamite’. Before ‘Dynamite’, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber held the record with the Spanish-English remix of ‘Despacito’. Despite the success of many foreign language songs like ‘Despacito’ and Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ before it, they often end up in the ‘one-hit wonder’ category. Even though these artists might continue their careers in their home countries, globally they are forgotten. 

In a recent interview with BTS, Zane Lowe grandly announced that his son sings BTS songs to him in Korean, even though he can’t speak the language. Initially, I was annoyed with his emotional statement, because there really isn’t anything exceptional about it. Not least to any non-native English speakers like me who grew up singing Spice Girls phonetically. But I quickly realised how important this statement actually was, because it was the first time I’d heard someone in the music industry, let alone a radio host, admitting that a band that predominantly sings in a foreign language is changing the world.

It’s no overstatement to say that BTS are one of the biggest bands in the world. They’ve sold out stadium tours, boast the record for the most viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours (a record they’ll likely break again today with their new track ‘Butter’) and are the creators of 2020’s top two best-selling albums globally. 

Despite a Korean band holding the global single sales record, and a Latin song sitting in second, the western, mainstream music industry nevertheless continues to shun foreign music. This is despite there being successful foreign artists like Zara Larsson, Robyn, Enrique Iglesias and Christine and the Queens (whose French versions are sometimes played on Radio 6) with huge English hits played on all the mainstream radio stations across the world. However, BTS’ English song, written by western songwriters, is still considered too ‘exotic’ to make it to the A and B-playlists of western radio stations.

Part of the problem is the stigma around the genre. A few years ago, I would have rolled my eyes if someone told me they liked K-pop. Not because I disliked the music (even a year ago I had not listened to a single K-pop song) or because the men wear makeup (anyone who says a makeup wearing man can’t be masculine I dare you to Google BTS’ latest ‘Butter’ promo pictures!) but because I was ignorant enough to believe it was for the nerdy kids who loved Manga. It was only after I started listening to K-pop that I began to appreciate how misunderstood the genre is. In the end it’s the same serotonin boosting pop you hear every day, it’s just got a few more influences and genres intertwined throughout (K-pop groups often have at least one rapper).

Even though I was late to insert K-pop into my indie-led playlists, millions of people weren’t. If mainstream radio is based on maintaining an audience of Generation Z and Millennials, then playing BTS shouldn’t be a problem. After all, almost a tenth of BTS’ fanbase is based in the US and over 90% of them are either Millennials or Zoomers (Gen Z).

Like Zane Lowe’s son, clearly millions of fans across the world are embracing foreign language songs. With more and more native English speakers singing in Korean, the white middle-aged men in the industry can’t continue to ignore it. If we truly believe that music transcends culture and brings people together regardless of race, religion and language, then we shouldn’t be afraid of songs sung in different languages and artists from different cultures. Fans certainly aren’t, and if the industry sets aside their prejudice and embraces the richness of music, hopefully one day foreign music will be accepted into the mainstream.

Listen to BTS’ new single, ‘Butter’ on Spotify and Apple Music.

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