To some, K-pop or Korean music in general began with BTS, Black Pink, EXO, GOT7, and the like. Others fell in love with the older generations like SHINEE, Super Junior, 2PM, and Jessi. But for the original OGs, we discovered K-pop by jamming to K-drama OSTs.

The concept of listening and falling in love with a genre of music written and recorded in a language I do not understand was not something I thought could ever happen. Learning how to fluently sing in my mother tongue (repping ibile) was already tasking enough but adding to my struggles was not something I ever thought of doing.

Don’t get me wrong, I listen to music from other countries, as long as it is written and performed in English. As a lass who grew up in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria to be exact, our exposure to music was quite limited to mostly local music and of course, European music which was always recorded in the English Language. Therefore, my musical tooth was quite selective and a little judgmental. It was Afrobeats or nothing else. Plus I think the pride every Nigerian has that our music is the best with the coolest vibes in the world may have had a hand in my anti-foreign music conundrum.

So, you should understand that the idea of falling in love with Asian music, not to talk of being able to identify Korean music from the Asian mix was not practical at all; like AT ALL. Our reality was all Asian countries were Chinese; therefore their music should sound the same.

Growing up with Snake in the Eagle Shadow, Kungfu Hustle, and everything Jackie Chan with a large sprinkle of Jet Li, developing interest in Asian music never really rang any bells, until K-Dramas came a-knocking with it several OSTs.

Like an unsuspecting target, I was attracted to the Korean scene by their amazing storylines, handsome oppas, Cinderella unnies, and of course evil mothers-in-law. Nigeria and Korea seem to have the evil mother-in-law persona in common.

While Girls Generation, BTS, Stray ,Kids and Black Pink were still alien to me and mostly several others, listening to K-drama OSTs was my only way to experience Korean music.

OSTs, also known as Original Soundtracks are original songs or pre-existing songs that are played during the film or were specifically recorded for the film. From the lovey-dovey to funny scenes, fight scenes and of course sad and depressing scenes, these songs set the mood perfectly.

Like it always hits, when the music slowly fades in when Cha Eun-Woo finally kisses Moon Ga-young. It's always an epic moment. OSTs give the best dramatic effect and a sort of lingering feeling every time they replay in my head.

K-dramas OSTs were my K-pop. I remember creating my own alphabet all in the name of writing lyrics and singing them with my friends in school. Well, not singing per se, more of speaking in tongues, but it’s the thought that counts right? It was Karaoke all day long. Of course, it came with weird stares from people, and I still get those stares even now.

My first favorite was Almost Paradise from Boys Before Flowers. Some of my favorites now are 'Love Maybe' from Business Proposal, 'In Silence' from Its Okay Not To Be Okay, 'Night Off' from Nevertheless, 'Stay With Me' from Goblin, 'Fly to the Moon' from Squid Game, and 'Very Slowly' from Twenty-Five Twenty-One to mention a few.

It’s 2024 and thanks to the Hallyu Wave, Korean music has gained more recognition and love across the world. K-pop is one of the biggest music genres in the world with several boy-girl groups, solo artists, and an increasing number of foreign collaborations.

K-drama OSTs are not left out either as it's becoming quite normal to have a K-pop idol or two on the dramas’ soundtrack. Although there are lots of new K-dramas every week, loaded with tons of OSTs, which is becoming quite hard to keep up with, they still remain a gift wrapped in a gift for us all.

Now, I'm curious. What's your favorite K-drama OST? Share with me in the comments below!