Music / Idols
20110919_mrremoved

[MR Removed]: The best way to judge Kpop talent?

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Written by On September 19, 2011

(The above image reads “I am an MR singer.”)

What is Kpop? Heck, what is mainstream music supposed to be? For some artists, it’s their way of expressing their own struggles and experiences in life, such as Tasha Reid (Yoon Mirae) and Taylor Swift’s music. For others, they’re mainly pre-written, manufactured songs that are simply sold or created for the artist to “make it good”, such as BoA and Katy Perry. And at other times, it’s a way for artists to lash back at the media, exes, or people that’s angered them without pointing fingers, Britney’s “Piece of Me” comes to mind here.

Basically, there are a hundred different reasons why songs are written, recorded, danced to, MVs produced for, and promoted across the world. Yes, the primary reason is money. After all, it’s a business. Another good reason, however, is largely forgotten. Music as a whole is supposed to be inspiring, fun, and a way for you to relate to the artist or the music’s message. If an artist you love sings her heart out about dumping her cheating boyfriend and moving on, and you’re going through exactly that, it’s a way to relate to her and listening to the message helps you feel better (I know it’s helped me – thank you, Michelle Branch).

When you simply decide if the song’s worth listening to solely on the singer’s vocal talent, you’re taking away from the message. Music isn’t science – don’t break it down and treat it as such. Antis are notorious for doing this to the groups and solo acts they hate. Some of the perpetrators are fans who want to prove antis and the media wrong. In the end, it’s all just one big screwed up circle of believing they’re all judges on “Global Idol” and the singers are constantly on stage, seeking their approval and unquenchable thirst for perfection.

We’ve seen countless performances of the MR (background music) removed for live performances. As likable as Son Dambi is, her first live performance of “Queen” was definitely not her best. On the other hand, we’ve seen just as many artists “pass the test” and prove they can handle singing and dancing live on stage without running out of breath, forgetting their lines or going off-key. When a new artist or band proves their talent, they’re praised and revered for being real, dedicated and – let’s not mince words… absolutely perfect.

What annoys me are just how ignorant some of these self-proclaimed Simon Cowells are. When you’re on stage, ready to perform in front of thousands of people and cameras, you’ll probably get the jitters. Artists who go through their debut stage must endure an even tougher time. They want to give an A+ show, make sure there are no wardrobe malfunctions and hope the stage, lighting and band members or backup dancers don’t screw up. At the same time, they have to perform the choreography perfectly, belt out their most flawless performance vocally, and look comfortable, relaxed and excited while doing so. Let’s not forget how restricting or uncomfortable wearing the stylist’s chosen outfits and shoes can feel! While these artists were trained rigorously to handle all of this, it’s still not *easy*. It’s a challenge, and unless antis can prove that it’s just as simple as it looks, they need to shut up, sit down and ignore the show. (Fans of course, should enjoy it.)

Basically, it comes down to this. Removing the background music to judge a singer’s vocal talent and see if that makes him or her worthy of your ears isn’t the way to go. Stop making these antis feel they have to prove something. Antis should stop and just enjoy the music of who they like. Hating gets you nowhere, friends. Fans should stop trying to prove to antis that their favorite artist can sing. The media should also stop trying to find the next scandalous drama and expose these artists to said antis and fans, but that’s like telling a dog to stop licking itself.

What matters most is that these artists got out there to perform a show and entertain you, and you had fun watching them. Besides the obvious business angle, that’s the whole point of going live, of releasing another song, and why artists work as hard as they do.

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  • maldita

    Reminded me of what SHINee’s Key said on Strong Heart regarding the matter. He said almost the exact same thing, how it’s unfair that certain people judge artists solely on MR removed performances alone. Though SHINee has always been one of the best ones in terms of live performances, to have that pressure that the live performances are the end all and be all of everything must be crazy.

    Hey, even MR removed kings DBSK weren’t impeccable in their live performances when they first debuted. They got better in time. Nowadays, people are so eager to see rookie groups fail in their live performances. SMH.

  • Apricotvodka

    sure, let’s strive for the lowest common denominator.

  • JP

    I agree with everything you said and have never been able to put my feelings and thoughts as eloquently as you have.  I don’t discount the voice and the lyrics but to me its the music itself that I enjoy more than anything.  My theory and this is just my theory is that in general great music/background score paired with mediocre voice/singing will still result in a good song (may be not great but good nonetheless).  But opposite is rarely true i.e. bad/mediocre music score/composition cannot be compensated with great lyrics or voice.

    If one thinks about music in general, the sounds of past in all cultures (eg. western classical music) that are still heard today are mainly musical compositions…no lyrics, no voice nothing else but instruments and music.  I am probably wrong in my belief and at opposite end of the spectrum from many people but for me music i.e. actual composition always trumps everything else.  If I compared a song to a cake…the music part would be the actual cake (my fav part) and rest is icing/decoration/cherry etc

  • Anonymous

    I don’t agree with judging artists based on vocals only either, but when it comes to Kpop where the artists do not compose their own songs, nor arrange their dance step, much less design their performance stage,  only a few even play instruments for their own songs, all that’s left is how they perform and well, VOCAL. so yes, i do understand why MR removed is needed here. 

  • Sos

    Well even without MRs it’s quite obvious who the less than stellar singers are!  lol

  • Anonymous

    I agree it’s closed-minded to judge an artist based on vocal talent alone. If they are good performers, write their own songs, or play instruments, those are things to take into consideration.

    With that said, the rule can’t really be applied to K-pop idols.

    Can they work a crowd? Some of them can.
    Write their own songs? Eh…
    Play instruments? Only when they need to impress people.

  • Sakechan4ya

    I’m am one of those that judges a singer’s ability to sing…why because their singers they are suppose to sing! I don’t expect Mariah Carey singing but I expect decent vocals. I say this simply because it seems to me that everyone especially fans overlook their bias Idols and their flaws and if you train to be a singer please sing, I really don’t care if you can act, or copy Beyonce’s single ladies dance or that they perform well on some silly variety show you trained to be a singer so sing…which brings me to my other point the singers who are not idols hardly get any respect from fans and people seem to criticize them even more whenever they fail to perform perfectly, even through they spend their time perfecting their vocals and styles and write and compose their own songs they still don’t far as well as they idols in the business. My point is I don’t totally agree with MR videos but at the same time it does show you who can really sing and hold their own.  

  • noi

    i love, love, love beautiful vocals. and that’s the reason i’m stalking jaejoong, yoochun, and junsu. 
    but man, a stage isn’t only consist of mere vocals. and we’re talking about dance idol singers here, not ballad singers. even if they pull out nice tune, if they can’t even look comfortable and strong at stage, i don’t think i’m comfortable enough to watch them. 
    example, cassies don’t kill me, i never really liked yunho’s vocal no matter how hard i try, but he did make up with his dance and his strong presence on stage. and i know how most of 4minute girls sound crappy mr-removedly, but i doubt people will say they’re not supposed to be singers when those girls really know how to rule the stage. and do you really enjoy 2ne1 mr-removed? honestly, i don’t. bom’s vocal is amazing and the rest of them are surely talented, but without the right music, their vocals seems, well, somewhat disturbing to me… and dara is *coughcough*. thus they make up with their energetic stage and hey, dara always looked relaxed and enjoys her stage. on the other side, kyuhyun’s damn fine now and he always be my favorite sj member. however, way before his dance kyu era, his expression when singing live and his dance is too stiff that i can’t even endure to watch him though his vocal is perfect.

  • Anonymous

    People should listen to TVXQ and their acapellas. MR Removed videos are for dummies. Lol. It’s for groups lacking in talent and need a PR boost.

  • Literati Tempo

    I must say I wholeheartedly agree. Kpop isn’t really about vocal prowess or belting out the best song. the focus imo is how it makes you feel and the message that the lyrics are sending. MR isn’t how the song is intended to be sung. forgetting the fact that they are wearing crazy outfits and dancing like mad. I think that the best concerts should have horrible MRs because all that energy should be spent engaging the crowd with your awesome dance skills.

    Like TaeYangs concert I know what the songs sound like that’s why I brought the CD, now give me a show. However these should be a few acapella/ballad songs in there so you can showcase your skills as a planned part of a song.

  • Anonymous

    I agree with you. KPop industry asks for the “perfect stage” where you get bashed with missing a note or not being able to sing your part. Take for example Davichi’s MCountdown stage last week where one of them couldn’t sing because of confetti. She had to apologize for it when it wasn’t even her fault. 

    Even the best artist can’t always deliver perfection, but that’s what Koreans want. Sometimes, heavy backtracks are for safety measure, so the idols can focus on the choreography. Sometimes, backtracks are just too loud that it drowns the live vocals. Other times, an idol who’s under the weather can get “help” through the backtracks.

    I do agree that I’d like the idols to perform 100% live, but isn’t that what concerts are for? 

    Japan rarely rely on heavy backtracks as much as KPop, but at the same time, they don’t bash at artists who goes off pitch or aren’t picture perfect. Is Korea ready to do this? I don’t think so. But maybe International KPop fans can start by not following the trend of anti/bashing for every single mistake an idol does.

    Again, I agree that MR Removed videos should not be used as a judge of talent. I believe that majority of KPop idols can actually sing and dance well, but for the expectation of perfection, they end up relying on backtracks.

    [jrock vs kpop . com]

  • 34q232q3d2q3dq23dq23d

    Lol. Idols are idols. Someone you look up to. Not someone you trash. Sakechan4ya you’re someone who judges? I’m sure you do, and the rest of world are judges. No one gives a flying shit about people they don’t even know. Just having people like us watching them makes them happy. They’re getting the attention they want. And you’re wasting your life like you should. Singer? We only label them idols because we think so. You refer to idols as people who can truly sing. Well too bad. There are actors who can’t act and they still get called back on set. The world isn’t as pretty as it should be. All your idealistic crap drives people insane. People who work on vocals their whole life perfecting it? Are you one of those people? Give me a break. Everyone goes through shit. And you don’t care if someone can copy this or that? What about vocals? You can copy a style and be influenced as well. What’s so special? You think vocals is the only thing unique about IDOLS. Singers are singers, idols are idols. Much like normal people are normal, celebs are celebs. Don’t mix the two together. Models and average people. MR doesn’t mean shit. Go to a live performance, you probably can’t tell much of a difference. What do you pay attention to? The performance and the hard work put into creating a wonderful treat for your eyes. If you take away all that and criticize their vocals, I think you’re better off listening to studio recordings. And even with studio recordings, you have to record COUNTLESS times and then master and mix the vocals in. Do you not know anything about frequencies and how much artists stress to get the best sound? You think some few thousand dollar equipment for live performance will satisfy them? No. I’m talking because I’ve done modelling, I sing, I play piano, I play guitar, I dance, and I’ve been told I am idol material. I am short and don’t speak korean. That is my downside. Just as anyone, everyone lives a tough life. Don’t make it any tougher by speaking ignorantly.

    • http://twitter.com/uchix_francois uchix

      LOVE your post. people often forgot they’re idols, not singers. if someone want to enjoy vocal, go watch opera.lol. so basically folks, just shut up and dance XDDD  

  • Evilfreak16

    I agree with this article, some idols might not be vocally bless but sometimes their songs, live performances or just their personality appeal to you more than the powerhouses for example I just can’t really get into IU, she has an amazing voice and a nice personality but something about her doesn’t appeal to me but I love Hyori and Fat Cat because their style is more like mine.
    Hence the reason why they are so many singers to appeal to a wide range of audiences.