MBC STAR Auditions! – Do you want be a pop star in Korea?

The 3rd place finalist last season was a guy named Shayne Orok, and his only claim to being asian was that he was half-Filipino.

I don’t know if it’s unhealthy to appreciate music from other cultures regardless of the language it’s sung in.I also don’t know if it is true than anyone who does must have some sick fascination with the culture. If I weren’t absolutely sure that it would be a terrible idea for me to do so….I might go for it…and not because I have this unhealthy obsession with all things Korean or have some idealistic idea of fame and being an idol in Korea. I take into consideration these things:

1. It’s a singing contest with a chance to debut kind of like American idol show, and the resulting contract is no more or less a slave contract than what they make you sign in American idol. I’ve been there so it’s a lot of the same stuff contractually. On either side of the ocean I’d get screwed.
2. I sing + contest with chance for record deal + even if i don’t win it’s a chance to put myself out there = not a totally bad idea
3. I like the quality of the music put out by a lot of the groups. I like it better than most things put out in the States from a purely musical standpoint. So why not want to try and be a part of something you like and think you can contribute something interesting to.
4. We’re in a recession. Getting signed means getting paid to do what I love, singing. It’s not like it’s an everyday to find that something like this has made it’s way into the classifieds. However, I’d also probably weigh the pros/cons…work and pay vs. no life. Do I really need all that much life to myself?
5. Cultural assimilation and my capacity to do so with any sort of speed or facility. In my case I speak two languages already so I’d ask myself How well do I think I can learn another one plus customs and culturally specific norms of behavior. (PS. the answer is probably not…I also think it’s would be kind of disrespectful to go there demand a job with lots of exposure and not know how to string 3 words together in Korean. In that i agree with you. I get it, As a Hispanic person I know a lot of Hispanic people who hate the fact that we are asked to buy albums from non-Hispanic artists who decided they’d make a lovely buck singing in broken Spanish.)

Am i trying out? no…for many reasons…but i think it’s a little unfair to assume that any and every non Asian who would tryout is an ignorant rice queen interloper with stars in her eyes looking to get married to her Asian Prince Charming and live out her twisted racially biased fantasies. Do I think Asian men are pretty? Yes. Do I think they have cornered the market on pretty? No. I’m an equal opportunity lover of all things male, but I am a K-pop fan too. I think you’ll find there are more mentally balanced non Asian ones than not.