Korean Music Awards: Snubbing Idols or Saving Music?
The Korean Music Awards’ 2010 nominees for Musician of the Year are, Drunken Tiger (song below), Seoul Electric Band, Yoon Sang, Lee Sora and Jang Ki Ha & the Faces. The last winner for a Daesang (musician of the year equivalent) at the Seoul Music Awards was So Nyeo Shi Dae. I think you can detect the difference in these two awards shows. The Seoul Music Awards is known for it’s lack of idol nominations. Last year, Newsen attended a press conference in which a rep stated that they weren’t snubbing idols but merely picking based solely on music, suggesting that other Korean music award shows do not do so.
At the Korean Music Awards rock, pop, dance, hip-hop/rap, R&B/Soul and–unlike M.Net or Golden Disk–Jazz are given their own categories in best album and song. The Korean Music Awards seem to be one of the few award shows that doesn’t pander to idols nor take under the table money to influence the results. M.Net caters to the idol craze because it fits with their demographic and image. At the MKMF they cater especially to all idols by giving awards for best female group, male group, male solo, female solo and so on and so forth, so that pretty much everyone gets one and fans are happy. That the Korean Music Awards doesn’t do this, I think, is extremely important.
Even if no one watches the ceremony, for lack of androgynous pretty boys and pseudo-virginal girls in kinky boots, it’s important to take the time and energy to recognize talent that may not be idol or mainstream. The overseas community of kpop fans may see it as a snub because the media we watch is saturated with Idol tomfoolery and you really don’t see artists like Rollercoaster, The Green Tea or Casker unless you seek them out. But isn’t the real snubbing occuring when musicians who master a craft and submit great work to the world are ignored in favor of factory-style produced music with a 3 month shelf-life? Isn’t it great that they are finally recognized by at least one award show?
But the Korean Music Awards doesn’t completely ignore idols. 2NE1 gained a nomination for Rookie of the year and Best R&B/Soul song. SNSD and Brown Eyed Girls were nominated in the Song of the Year and Best Electronic/Dance Song category with Gee and Abracadabra, respectively. SHINee was nominated for the atrocity that is Ring Ding Dong in the Best Pop Song category. Also in this category was Kara, Girl’s Generation and Baek Ji Young. These idols, however, are in the minority.
New rock band, The Black Skirts (music video above) has 4 nominations, including one for 201 in the Album of the Year category. Epik High & Planet Shiver snagged a nod for best electronic album, Remixing the Human Soul. Drunken Tiger has awards in, not only musician of the year, but also best hip-hop/rap album and song. Seoul Electric Band has three nominations and Lee Sora has 5 nods. Other nominees can be found here (Korean) and at the YGSecret21 forums here (English).
This will be an interesting award show but it won’t include any over-hyped performances, idol showdowns or easily-excitable fans…Admittedly though, aren’t award shows fun because of all the idol craziness? As much as I admire their dedication to artistry, because music is art, I’d rather wait for the results. (When MKMF comes around though, you can bet I’ll be watching every craptastic, overhyped idol performance and appearance. It’s just more, well, fun.)
Will you be tuning in for the Korean Music Awards?
Nia ur bac
cool…..im late arent I lol
but welcome bac neway
I’d rather like to see a show who give some award for some artist who make poor music but as the same time beautiful music (who touch my soul or who make me happy) than to see a show who give award only for inspirated band/true artist who ,in my eyes, make only boring music…And they don’t even choose W&Whale in the list of nominee..What a shame hehe !
wow and to think last year taeyang was the only nominated idol and the winner of R&b song/album of year last year at the KMA’s.
Hopefully Epik high takes home something the album was crack
I like the idea of it and I’ll try to watch…but it’s not gonna be as fun without my idols!
I actually find this relief that Korea still has respectable music shows. After so many award shows that seems like the Korean equivalent of the Teen Choice Awards it’s nice that the non-pop receives well-deserved recognition too.
agree since I own most of the nominated artists in the best album category (could never get into the faces business) i like that i will get to see performances by those other than idols. i love a good idol catchy tune, but i especially love good music idol or not.
I will def be watching this show even if there are no idl performances.
agreed! whew nice to know that korea recognizes music and music talent outside of the pop genre!
yeah so everyone enjoys dancing to Shinee and suju, but I’m sure korea enjoy listening to other music too. It’s like in America. Sure dancing and jamming to T-Pain’s club music is beyond awesome (you can’t really dance to Coldplay at bars and clubs), but when it comes down to just plain listening, people can enjoy from and be touched by music of several genres.
oh so they do actually know the meaning of fair.
lol the only music award show for actual musicians and music being awarded for its musical quality rather than who it’s by. (ie. any snsd song shooting straight to number 1 on day of release)
i’m not saying idols dont put in the work, but in terms of music quality it’s not very impressive most of the time.
totally agreed.
sadly, noone really cares about this awards show =(
tbh, i’ve had enough of SNSD, suju and 2PM winning “ARTIST OF THE YEAR” awards =/ it’s just… not right (call me an a** or whatever, i’m just stating my opinion)
haha idols winning “Artists of the Year” is total mind-fuck.
I didn’t think so back when BB did it. Putting out a majority of self written good music every couple of months since their debut. made me feel at least they earned it with the work the put in, since the majority of their songs then were pretty good stuffs (atleast to me)
@Alfred: you’re right… I thought BB was the only idol winner who deserved the artist of the year award because they were active and kept releasing good songs.
i will only be tuning in if SEOULBEATS covers it XD
2NE1’s going to be there so I will tune in. DT, DD, and the Black Skirts give me an incentive as well.
IMO,…….
I think “true” music quality and talent rests in Kpop music. Why ? … Bc Kpop music is for the people. How come ? … Bc the people wanna be entertained and have fun.
…..The common people don’t have time to evaluate every meaning in the lyrics and every nuances in the musical notes. We are busy people, with studies or jobs to do. We listen to music to relax, not to crack our brains analysing musical stuffs. Only rich and idle or “special” people can afford to do that.
I find all these supposedly talented musicians, who are favorites of KMA, are mostly self-absorbed and narcissistic people, in showing off their skill and knowledge in music. Eg jazz, opera and classical music.
…Music is a business based on demand and supply. KMA’s quality musicians are like hobbyists whose exclusive music can’t really sell to the masses.
…..It’s like Walmart vs Louis Vuitton.
It’s like, being very good in theory, but very bad when put into practice. Like college economists who could not foresee every recession that happened. Full of theories, but no people-friendliness or no heart for the common folks.
In conclusion, illdielaughingandbeingentertained.
“I think “true” music quality and talent rests in Kpop music.”
“I find all these supposedly talented musicians, who are favorites of KMA, are mostly self-absorbed and narcissistic people, in showing off their skill and knowledge in music.”
your comments (as always on this site) just proves how shallow and superficial u are. pls dont even start the debate on music quality when you so obviously dont have the taste or appreciation skills.
cause yes, pop music is for a good listen when u arent bothered to analyse lyrics and the deep stuff. but like with most pop industries, the artistes are manufactured, their images are manufactured, their songs manufactured.and almost 50% of the time, the lyrics arent that meaningful.
pop music, good listen, entertaining yes. but when you are looking for quality music, pop music doesnt give u that all the time. the other genres like jazz and whatever do. and it depends on tastes as well.
so dont discount other sorts of music. update ur shallow thinking first.
@ chaerin.
IMO,…….
I find most jazz music very boring, grating to the ears and unentertaining. Most classical music too.
Most people have shallow pockets, so they have “shallow” taste. Of course, some of those with shallow pockets desire to have deep pockets; so they try to have “deep” taste.
Only very few people have deep pockets and some of them have “deep” or expensive or high-class taste.
What does the amount of money, or what class you belong to have to do with your taste in music? There are plenty of classical musicians that come from impoverished backgrounds. Many RnB Soul artists have come from poor backgrounds. Many times people with less appreciate smaller things better. You can’t write off every person who has genuine interest in quality music made by TRUE talented musicians as being snobby, or the artists themeselves. Just because you have shallow tastes doesn’t mean everyone has to. Music at it’s core isn’t about business, image, or money. If you actually listened to most of the crap out there instead of paying attention to images, you’d realize how horrible many of these so called “artists” are. So take your BS groundless arguements somewhere else. Really everytime you make a comment on this site it makes no sense, it seems like you pull it out of your ass right before you type it.
…so as a person who prefers kpop music rather than jazz/classical/etc…. you imply that you yourself are poor and so with shallow taste? That only poor people like pop music, and only rich people can truly enjoy classical because they can afford to? I’m just confused by your response because it seems you are degrading yourself in the process of explaining yourself; aside from also representing a blatant classist opinion. Though you are entitled to have your own opinion, you just seem to be expressing it in a very odd way…
@ huh ?
Please spend some time(NOT money) to analyse BOTH my comments deeply, in order to get to the deepest core of what my writings meant.
Like you inferred, I may be shallow in my pockets, but I think I’m quite deep in my views and perceptions, and they are of the popular type.
I would prefer you to call me eccentric, rather than odd, in the way I express my opinions.
… : )
Have a nice and deep day… lol.
my apologies if you feel I misunderstood your intended message but I still consider your posts rather odd in general, especially after this particular post. You argue that as you are of the “common people” you “don’t have time to evaluate every meaning in the lyrics and every nuances in the musical notes.” That you are a person who is “busy with studies or jobs to do” who listens to music to relax, and not to crack your brain over as “Only rich and idle or “special” people can afford to do that.” Yet you make the time to read/respond so frequently on a blog with your deep insights and interpretations of other people’s posts. After your busy day of studies and work, you could be listening to some of your relaxing pop music that is lacking in deep concept and resting your brain. If you don’t mind taking the time to argue your deep thoughts on a blog, why is taking time to seek deep thought in your music such a burden?
my advice to you is to stop just reading but also learn to comprehend properly. Gahd!
ya know what, I really am sorry. I think I was just in a confrontational mood after shoveling 5 ft of snow. O.O You are entitled to your opinion and I apologize for trying to disprove your reasoning. After all, just because we are free to openly post/respond to each other doesn’t mean we can’t be civil. Everyone has their own opinion and we don’t have to get irritated or nasty about it. So I really do apologize.
What is considered “good” and “high quality” music is purely subjective. Some people say pop music is good, artistic, high quality music while others say Jazz and Classical is. It is ultimately up to the listener.
However the definition of having high quality “music” means that the melody and songs must stand out on their own; not because of a fantastic concept, cool dance moves, or a pretty face singing it. Good “music” is about having a song that either has superior lyrics, composition, melody or even arrangement. I agree with you that music is for people to enjoy. But “music” is not about visually entertaining someone, but entertainment through sounds and the emotions that a song can evoke.
I love what Korea can offer in terms of their Jazz, and Indie artists. I also love the pop idols, hip hop and rap music. I think it’s a great idea to give some spotlight to the lesser known artists in Korea. They rarely get any acknowledgment because people like you get “bored” by their lack of concept, average looks and lack of dance moves. Which is why kpop is pushing so many idols these days that seemingly are less vocally talented then the last. But still pretty with dance moves :P
And honestly, these indie/classical/jazz musicians are actually really humble when I do glimpse them on TV. They are happy for the air time they can get and make the most of it. They don’t whine, complain or coo to get more attention or cause scandals, but merely go on tv to show their craft and the fruit of their creative efforts.
And your analysis of the music industry is flawed. Popular music is about supply and demand and making the $$. People in it for the craft don’t care about how much they sell or how many shows they get on but about whether they can find others that like the song as much as they do.
You also killed your entire argument (which was very weak in the first place) by comparing pop music to Wal-Mart. There are so many jokes about how shoddy Wal-Mart quality is and how easy it is to manufacture.
And not only rich people can analyze music. I like classical and jazz music when I study because it’s very relaxing and helps me think :)
didn’t taeyang win a big award last year?
best r&b album or some shiz?
respect to him for doing that seeing as this is a REAL awards show
yea he took home 2 the R&b song and R&b album of the year
Taeyang’s solo album was also voted by music critics one of the best R&B albuns of that year. I think it’s a big feat for Taeyang to have his album well recieved even by music critics who normally dislike all music by idol groups. And also for Taeyang to have won an award on a cerimony that gives awards based on the music quality and not popularity.
I like watching the performances by idol groups on award cerimonies and I like many idol groups… But I also think it’s annoying how most of the cerimonies only give awards based on popularity and not music quality and they end only giving awards for idol groups instead of real musicians. I think Korea should promote artists and groups that aren’t idols too. There are so many good indie bands and artists in Korea, but they never recieve the same promotion and attention as the idol groups. In Japan real artists and musicians of all types of musical styles recieve the same attention as the idol groups, they both have the chance to be sucessful and both recieve attention. So why can’t Korea do the same thing?
I’m glad that there is at least one award that doesn’t care about the popularity of an idol group… A music award that cares about music quality and not popularity and good looks.
lol since when did people start replying to GEEzer?
All his comments are so full of shit i can’t believe people actually read them and take it seriously.
I only reply to his arguments just to practice my debate skills :)
@kiku8 lol
I think it’s a great idea to get indie/jazz/classical artists some face time. It’s not fair how idols are on every show and “win” every award when there are some people who put hours and hours just crafting a chorus to a song.
Epik High deserves an award, their album was really well made. I love Casker and The Green Tea! Winterplay is also full of awesome :D
I haven’t fully gotten into Jang Ki Ha and the Faces because I can’t find his music to fully sample :/
wow i’m so glad there is an article highlighting this award show. because i def wouldn’t have checked it out and i would still be listening to overplayed, overhyped kpop idols haha. so addictive yet kinda bad for you, the way sweets are lol. i’ll be watching this for sure! can’t wait to see what i’ve been missing.
its about time something other than kpop got some attention. As much as i love kpop music, too much of it is …just too much.
Also, i swear there is like award shows happening every other week.
shinee’s ring ding dong was an atrocity … i thought i was one of the few that thought that.
CASKER IS MY FAVOURITE KOREAN GROUP!!!
I LOVE THE COMMITTEE OF THIS AWARD SHOW ARGH ARGH *FAN FAN FAN*
To be honest. These styles of music comes before idol music for me. Real substance composed songs.
I don’t care what people say. Idol music is just lots of plagiarised auto tune-ness. There are exceptions but there are SOOOOOO much better musicians in Korea, you don’t even know. They don’t even get the time of day in popular culture apart from Jang Ki Ha and Drunken Tiger.
Omg I hope someone uploads it to nate or youtube so I can watch :) miso excited >_<
I am 2NE1 fan but I think Ali should have got best R n b song for 'crazy nights' :s
Nia, i missed seeing your alias here in Seoulbeats!!!!
i am so glad that you’re back and writing here again!!
=]
anyway, back to the post’s topic..i admit that i’m a k-pop fan (coz if not, i wouldn’t be commenting here right now) and the different k-pop entities, and i don’t really know a lot of other names in the korean music scene outside of k-pop; however, i have heard of some bands that are not really considered part of the k-pop realm, and i found myself really liking their music as well (i.e., Casker). so, i really like the idea that these bands are being recognized for their hardwork on their craft.
?: is Tearliner also considered one of those bands?
i want to watch it but don’t know where to watch it. anyone care to share?
Wow, I really like the Black Skirts. I have never heard of this award show, which is pretty sad. Has Nell ever been nominated for anything before? Humming Urban Stereo?
if i’m not wrong, i clicked this because i saw DBSK pictures..and it seems that i don’t see them on the article itself.
Korean Music Awards:Snubbing Idols or Saving Music? ……………………….
oh, right.hehe
This is called, “click hijack”,
which is being done by so many Somalian musical pirates… joke.
funny joke.:D