Korean baseball stadiums are also called “giant karaoke rooms.” Regardless of the genre, there are a variety of songs that come out continuously. Fans singing along with one voice has become a unique culture of the KBO League. Even foreign players who are not familiar with Korea are quite astute with K-pop. Some players are even trying to guess the idol industry’s influence in Korea. Six foreign players were asked what their favorite K-pop music was after their debut in the Korean pro baseball league this year.
Kia’s James Nail picked “Supernova” by idol group Aespa. He said that he likes Karina the most among the members. “I think I can see how much influence K-pop is having in Korea as I see so many idol singers coming as city players,” Nail said, going beyond simply enjoying K-pop.메이저사이트
“When TWICE Sana came from Jamsil, she greeted me,” he said. “I didn’t know TWICE well, and the other person probably didn’t know me well, but it was memorable because she said hello.”
Some players listen to K-pop at a baseball stadium on purpose. Detrick N.S. of LG said, “I listen to K-pop a lot these days. All the K-pop songs from baseball stadiums such as Psy, Blackpink, and New Jeans are so addictive that I keep hearing them.” His favorite song is called Sticky by the idol group Kiss of Life. “It’s an addictive song because it’s easy to remember the beat and rhythm,” N.S. said.
Some players are fascinated by the opponent’s song. Drew Anderson, a foreign pitcher of SSG, made his debut on May 10 against KIA in Gwangju, and he still remembered Park Chan-ho’s song. “I was so busy because it was my first appearance, but it sounded especially good,” Anderson said. “I was attracted to the melody because I usually like rock music.” Park’s appearance song is “Stoneball” sung by Ha Hyun-woo of the band Kookkasten.
Samsung’s Lewin Diaz is no stranger to K-pop thanks to his wife’s influence. “My wife is a K-pop fan. Since I came to Korea, I’ve heard a lot of K-pop songs at the baseball stadium and got used to them,” Diaz said. “There are so many good songs, and among them, I like Koo Ja-wook’s appearance the most.” The song was written by singer Woody, younger brother of KT Kim Sang-soo, as a gift to Koo Ja-wook, and is a favorite song not only by Samsung but also by fans of other clubs.
NC’s Kyle Hart chose “Welcome to the Show” by the band DAY6, which performed a celebratory performance at the 2024 KBO All-Star Game held in July. Hart said, “I often hear it at the ballpark, and I feel good every time I hear it.” Matt Davidson, who picked BTS’s Jungkook’s “Seven,” said, “The beat is interesting and the lyrics are fun. The song is just so good.”