[theqoo] THE FALL OF K-POP IN WESTERN INDUSTRY AND THE RISE OF LOCAL SOUTH EACH ASIAN POP

K-pop and Western pop are declining on streaming charts across Southeast Asian countries. In their place, local pop genres from each country are on the rise.

Tracking the weekly genre composition of the Top 50 songs on Spotify’s daily charts in five countries (Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) since 2023 makes this shift clear. Using 2023 as a baseline, many countries show a consistent pattern: “domestic genres rising” while “K-pop and Western pop decline.” This isn’t a random fluctuation, but a clear and measurable transition.

[Thailand: the clearest zero-sum replacement]

Thailand shows the most dramatic change. The share of T-Pop (Thai-language pop) grew from about 65% in 2023 to around 78% in 2026, while K-pop dropped sharply from 27% to 11% over the same period. The correlation coefficient between the two genres is r = −0.931, indicating an almost one-to-one replacement on the charts.

At the same time, Thai hip-hop (Thai-language rap) has also risen, showing a positive correlation with T-Pop (r = +0.70), meaning they grew together. Thai-language genres are expanding in tandem.

A song symbolizing this shift is “Lover Boy” by Phum Viphurit. Its indie pop style, blending English and Thai, resonates with Gen Z in a distinctly local context different from K-pop, embodying the rise of Thai-language music. It has a light, breezy feel.

[Philippines: OPM surges as Western pop retreats]

In the Philippines, OPM (Original Pilipino Music) jumped from about 44% in 2023 to roughly 63% in 2026. Western pop declined correspondingly, dropping from 29% to 14%. The correlation between OPM and Western pop is r = −0.903, and it is also strongly negative with K-pop (r = −0.61).

A key example of this shift is the girl group BINI, which also stood out in Coachella 2026 analysis. Songs like “Pantropiko” and “Na Na Na” achieved massive streaming numbers domestically, showing that OPM is not just a revival of tradition but a modern choice for younger listeners. Interestingly, BINI (formed through a K-pop-style training system) is now growing into a presence that rivals K-pop on Philippine charts.

[Indonesia: Indo Pop dominates the charts]

In Indonesia, Indo Pop has consistently accounted for 60–80% of weekly chart share throughout the analysis period, rising from about 60% in 2023 to 78% in 2026. Meanwhile, K-pop dropped from 5% to around 1%. The correlation between Indo Pop and K-pop is r = −0.79.

However, in Indonesia, it’s less a “rise” and more that an already dominant genre has become even stronger, on a different scale from the other countries.

“Satu Bulan” by Bernadya is a defining track of this era, expressing delicate indie pop textures in Indonesian. It remained on domestic charts for an extended period.

[Malaysia: Indonesian music crosses borders]

In Malaysia, the “local genre” gaining traction is actually Indo Pop from Indonesia. Due to the linguistic similarity between Malay and Indonesian, songs by artists like Bernadya and Juicy Luicy (e.g., “Tampar”) have widely entered Malaysian charts.

Indo Pop’s share rose modestly from about 18% in 2023 to 22% in 2026, while K-pop declined from 18% to 13%. Correlation coefficients are weaker than in other countries (r = −0.17 to −0.31), but the direction is consistent. This reflects a cross-border reconfiguration of the regional music landscape.

[Singapore: coexistence of foreign genres]

Singapore presents a different pattern. Western pop still holds about 30–40% share, and K-pop remains around 30%. Among regional genres, Mandopop (Mandarin/Cantonese pop) rose gradually from 8% to 11%.

Interestingly, Mandopop and K-pop show a positive correlation (r = +0.35), meaning they increase together rather than replace each other. Unlike other countries where “local replaces K-pop,” Singapore shows a more complex dynamic where declines in Western pop are offset collectively by Mandopop, Indo Pop, and OPM.

Songs like “Mojito” by Jay Chou continue to appear steadily on Singapore charts years after release, suggesting Mandopop is not a temporary trend but a sustained presence.

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Overall, these changes are not temporary shifts driven by specific releases but a steady, underlying trend observed over three years. In Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, the correlations between domestic genres and K-pop/Western pop are all statistically significant (p < 0.0001), meaning there is less than a 0.01% probability that these changes occurred by chance.

Even in markets like Malaysia and Singapore, where reliance on foreign genres has traditionally been higher, a gradual rise in regional genres is evident.

This suggests that a “return to local” trend is emerging across Southeast Asia’s music charts as a whole.

A new wave is clearly blowing through Southeast Asia.

original post: here

1. Is that so~

2. It's just a matter of everyone liking their own local pop

3. In any country, domestic content is the mainstream and foreign content is just a sideline, so why make a big deal out of it

4. That’s only normal, really. It’s only natural that the influence of foreign culture diminishes when one’s own culture revives. In fact, the past was adnormal

5. Everything has trends and comes full circle, so if the market grows, it's good for everyone~

6. It is widely listened to because it is released as a localized imitation of pop, and it is all in English, not their own language

7. Most of the things released as "local pop" turned out to be K-pop knockoffs

8. Congratulations, and while you're at it, please graduate from making noise in K-pop and let's go our separate ways

9. The Filipino girl group that appeared on Coachella was pretty good. If they each develop their own local cultures, the K-pop obsession might subside a bit

10. If you look at K-pop itself, other places are just average, but Thailand, which used to be the leader of Southeast Asia, has completely collapsed

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