Have you heard of the Korean invasion? No, not the kind that makes you worried about public safety – except if you’re one of the young starlets. We’re talking about the wave of K-pop that has seemed to flood over American preteens and teenagers in the last five years.

Korean-pop or K-pop is a general style and refers to groups and artists who aren’t necessarily Korean. It used to be a niche genre, only listened to by those who spoke the language. Now, however, with groups like BTS, f(x), and Amber Liu on the market, the fanbase is expanding every day.

Amber’s Journey from Group to Solo

K-pop groups are heavily curated. People are handpicked, trained, and then groomed for years before they’re (hopefully) placed in a group. Amber was one of those people. She was picked at an audition casting when she was just 16, in 2008. That selection meant she had to move to Korea and train without breaks for a year so that she could be part of the girl group, f(x). F(x) was together for seven years and released four albums. In 2018 the group took a break so the members could pursue their projects, Amber included.

Ready for the Ride

If any of Amber’s singles are well-titled, it’s this one. The song title shows that, while she didn’t know quite what would happen as a solo artist, she was ready to take the chance. As it turns out, so was the American agency Steel Wool. They picked her up after she left SM Entertainment, and helped her release two EP’s. And while those EP’s are very recent (2019 and 2020), Amber has quite the fan base. She’s back in America and ready to invest in herself even further.