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The American Media and K-pop: Pitchfork Edition

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Written by On November 4, 2011

This K-pop in America thing is having a minor explosion, isn’t it? SNSD may not necessarily have blown up the Itunes charts like Sones everywhere were hoping, but their English music video plus SM Town at Madison Square Garden got tongues wagging, even in the mainstream America media. From MTV to the New York Times, articles have been popping up discussing K-pop’s American ambitions.  And after all, wasn’t that the whole point of it? Perhaps chart-toppers and radio domination would have been far too much to ask for, but the companies were smart enough to know that if they played their cards right, they might get a little bit a media attention. And attention, surely they got.

Perhaps out of the scattering of media outlets chronicling K-pop’s toe-dipping into the waters of international promotion, the most surprising was Pitchfork. Yes, that Pitchfork. The Pitchfork read like the bible by hipsters nationwide, and reviled by even more hip hipsters nationwide. To be honest, I was kind of dreading actually clicking on it when I read the headlines. Pitchfork is well known for being snobbish, as a website that claims to be an arbiter of taste in the underground scene well should be, not to mention unecessarily elitist.  And let’s face it, K-pop provides ample material to snark at, even to the most ardent of fans. But suprisingly, the article was not only gentle, but on point.

It certainly sounds young–even if you ignore the fact that most K-pop groups are made up of teenagers, there’s a wild, enthusiastic spirit evident in the way their producers gobble up and spit out sounds like Britney/Gaga Eurotrance, Auto-tune, rapid-fire rap, swooning Final Fantasy strings, breakbeats, and industrial-strenth synths.

That’s the best sum-up of the odd analgram that is K-pop that I’ve read in a long while. It’s absurd, it’s derivative, it’s a mashup, and it’s glorious. And it’s also fascinating that an American media outlet, especially Pitchfork, can see that, and not the Bieber voices and the baby faces mooning at the camera.

HyunAPerhaps the most telling thing about the Pitchfork article, though, was the selection of groups and singers that writer James Brook offered up to make his point: GD&TOP, 2NE1, HyunA, and After School. What do all four have in common? A little more sex appeal than is common in K-pop. Of course, ninety-nine percent of K-pop groups have some measure of sex appeal. After all, that’s their main selling point. However, they tend to have sex appeal in a distinctly Korean/East Asian way: milky pale skin, enormous eyes, stick thin arms and legs. T.O.P, however, is the kind of sexy that can be appreciated in the West as well as the East. Just listen to that voice! 2NE1 as well, has the banging bodies and distinct fashion sense that doesn’t always fly in notoriously conservative South Korea, but would probably be appreciated a bit more out in the West. As for HyunA? Well, look no further than the “Bubble Pop” video. Sure, the song is quintessential K-pop, squeaky, cheery, and running on a hook chorus. But HyunA herself is tanned, long-legged, and not afraid to shake either her boobs or her butt. After School is along the same lines.

SM, JYP, YG, I hope that you’ve taken notes. This is what Pitchfork likes, so this is what a sizeable chunk of internet denizens and listeners in US is going to like. A quick summary of the implicit advice and conclusions that you can draw from the recent media attention, particularly over at Pitchfork: firstly, amp up the sex appeal. But amp it up in the right way. I didn’t see any mention of Orange Caramel, and that was probably for a good reason. Secondly, embrace a little controversy, a little danger. GD&TOP, along with the rest of Big Bang, always seems to be specially noted for their relative daring in the cloistered little world of the K-pop industry. Lastly, embrace the cheese, but try to embrace it in an epic way. The thing that Pitchfork claimed sets K-pop aside is its pretension and grandiosity, and that’s not necessarily something that should be lost. Plenty are saying that groups on the move should assimilate into the American industry, but if the media articles are anything to go off of, then it might be wiser to keep that little something that sets K-pop apart from American pop.

Do you think that being featured in respectable media outlets will lend K-pop some credibility in the States? What conclusion can you draw from the Pitchfork article?

(Pitchfork)

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  • http://evacuatewithstyle.org/blog Amy

    While I generally don’t subscribe to the whole “well, if someone recognizes K-pop in the west, it must be legitimate!” train of thought, Pitchfork is far from an institution you would ignore for music commentary. So just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean much.

  • Anonymous

    I think the writer of the Pitchfork article made a good point: Pop music is pop music. There may be regional variations of it, but at its core, pop music is fast-paced and energetic beats matched up with catchy and repetitive lyrics. That said, I don’t think the music is what’s keeping any k-pop artist from crossing over; it’s the cultural, language and business differences between the West and Korea.

    I don’t know if media coverage will give k-pop credibility, but it will, at the very least, draw more clicks and views on their YouTube videos.

    Side note: The reporter for Pitchfork listed most of the very groups I recommend to people who don’t know about k-pop. I think it’s interesting that it’s always the same groups that seem to be deemed “safe” for outsiders. In the New York Times article about the Madison Square Garden concert, the reporter included a link to “Ring Ding Dong” in the article. I couldn’t restrain my wince. (Same thing with the “Ayy, Girl” video in the Pitchfork article. Please don’t let strangers see that.)

    • tyounge1991

      Just because something is pop music doesn’t mean every pop fan is going  to take to it.
      ‘
      There is a reason JYP switched gears and decided to market Wonder girls to the disney crowd, they may appeal to older people in Asia with their ‘charms’ and such, but most older pop fans in America…around 40 and 50 maybe still prefer their older pop stars. Most teen ones like their taylor swift, justin bieber appeals to the YOUNGER disney aged crowds even though he doesn’t work for disney, selena gomez, alot of teenage girl fans, etc.

      Mariah Cary, Beyonce, Adele, Leona lewis type of pop stars in the US appeal to the bulk of Americans because they are talented.
      Rihanna to young adults, women and men, your typical pop fans, but still many many many little girls.

      The US has a wider variety of pop music, while Kpop does not. Idol pop music with the same recycled “concepts” dominate their industry at the moment. This is why their industry should just work on more quality music, stop relying on your pathetic ‘concepts’ and maybe your artist will sell half as much as your typical Jpop artist….nevermind America, you don’t get to debut here with music that was probably stolen from here, with some crappy idol group thinking you’re going to win every single age group over or something.. LOL

      Even SM ent. knows they cannot market anyone from their company HERE the way they do in Asia. SNSD will not mesmerize old American perverts by kicking their skirts up like they can do in Asia.

      • Gnattie

        You make a good point. Wonder Girls had to resort to target tweens & younger through Nickelodeon. Few people over the age of 14 listen to Disney & Nick stars. Bubble pop of that sort isn’t usually liked by people 17 & older.

      • Anonymous

        I don’t think every pop music fan will take to every type of pop music, but I do think that what some companies offer has the potential to be liked by American audiences. I do agree with you that SM is the weakest when it comes to a Western sound, but GD&TOP, 2NE1 and Tasha are just as talented as a lot of the pop groups in the states. SM recycles WAY too much and they make groups with too narrow of a target audience in mind (i.e. SNSD and the perverts you mentioned). Which goes back to my side note: I rarely show other people the S.M. stuff because it’s not as appealing to a random person in the States.

  • tyounge1991

    “This is what Pitchfork likes, so this is what a sizeable chunk of internet denizens and listeners in US is going to like.”

    LOL, yeah okay.

    Tell that to the classical music composers and performers that are playing on 8 million dollar violins, earning almost 20 million dollars per tour.

    The US is diverse, large, and has many many genres of musics that pull in amazing figures every single year. I don’t know what ‘pitchfork’ is, don’t care to even google it, but what a silly line that was.

    Do better and step up your “articles”.
    That is like me writing that since Korea has large prostitution industry, that is what a ‘sizeable chunk of Korean citizens must work as at some point’.

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  • Anonymous

    hmmmm…. i beg to differ.
    i swear hipsters are not into mainstream stuff that much. (this is me generalizing btw). You can tell by the four VERY different artists that they mentioned. The other’s will have to bring something new for them not to be overlooked. I really can’t picture hipsters here listening to kpop… well they are always surprising in many ways.Sex-appeal… that’s subjective. I hardly doubt “hipsters” are going to compare them to other out of reach kpop groups…oh and teenagers?  I thought they were mostly in their early 20s ._. i do agree what some of @google-ba2b7f8089b47b234cf55d50b309d568:disqus  says but in a less… harsher tone. I wouldn’t mind more Asians to catch a break in the states but i’m pretty sure kpop is not the outlet i want that to happen for the most part. I wonder how Asian American artists in the states will take to kpop (minus the exception of the oh so creative one’s – a la Big Bang, 2NE1, etc) AND I’M talking about pop people, not just Korean artists.Oh i’m blabbing here. I should just make a blog or smth.

  • Gnattie

    The article in the New York Times, titled “Korean Pop Machine, Running on Innocence and Hair Gel,” was more sarcastic than anything. SNSD’s interview with MTV Iggy isn’t anything special, as other Kpop artists have been interviewed on MTV Iggy. And I’ve never heard of Pitchfork before now. I don’t think Kpop will become popular in the US simply because Pitchfork deemed it worthy. It might get a few more honest views on YouTube (I say “honest” because Kpop fans tend to be very dishonest and purposely raise the views on YouTube). Though Kpop did receive some attention, it really wasn’t much and I don’t think it will really mean anything. SHINee, SNSD, and SuJu are three of thousands of international bands that have had some American media exposure. Do I make sense?

    I think it’s interesting how Westerners are more interested in Kpop groups that aren’t trying to promote in the West. Yes, every company is on the bandwagon for spreading the Hallyu Wave and dominating the world, but I see Westerners liking Brown Eyed Girls and Big Bang over SHINee and SNSD.

    • http://twitter.com/ovenfreshhhhh ovenfreshhhhh ☆

      LOL. Complete agreement with you about the NY Times article. A person would have to be a real idiot if they could not understand that America doesn’t particularly like groups of boys running around the stage wearing pastel-colored skinny jeans. And that same article called Amber the best rapper of the night.

      :x

    • anon

      The fact that you haven’t heard of pitchfork doesn’t really mean anything, It’s one of the most widely read music sites in the world.

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  • http://twitter.com/no1Salope Riley Davis

    TBH it might not be a great thing that Pitchfork wrote about K-pop so favourably. I only say this because the hipster generation generally latches onto something until it becomes mainstream, then they work hard to tear it down. Just google the artist Lana Del rey for an example of this. Either way, exposure is great and the tone of the article was nice. One thing I keep noticing is people getting upset when K-pop artists are compared to Bieber. At the crux of it, the purpose of these artists is to make money. Bieber and Taylor swift (esp how she writes her own songs) make millions and sell out huge stadiums even in this economic downturn. Let’s get serious, K-pop is fun, it was never intended to have some big agenda or artistic integrity. Most people love it because it’s pure escapism. Even in Korea the older people tend to prefer balladists and trot songs, Pop music will always appeal to the young people first.

    • http://twitter.com/ovenfreshhhhh ovenfreshhhhh ☆

      Hipsters are a self-hating people. The part you mentioned about hipsters “latching onto something ’til it becomes mainstream” is 100% true.

      • http://twitter.com/no1Salope Riley Davis

        I still don’t see the point of them doing that tbh. I’m the type to dig for obscure artists and then go out of my way to make them popular. I love to see an artist start off small and get bigger, because its great to see growth. Hipster haterism gets on my nerves. I’ve read shit like; ‘ugh they aren’t indie enough for me, they are on Sony now’ and I’m sitting here like, as long as the artist still puts out great stuff what is the problem? But back to k-pop, if hipsters do get into some artists and push them to the mainstream through blogs and trendy magazines then its just less legwork for us actual fans to do really. We can take over once the hipsters get bored and move onto the next new thing.

        • http://twitter.com/ovenfreshhhhh ovenfreshhhhh ☆

          I want Kpop to avoid the hipster crowd completely. Any interest that hipsters display towards Kpop would be just about as half-hearted as the Pitchfork article.

          • http://twitter.com/no1Salope Riley Davis

            Pretty much! Then again a lot could be said for the new fans of K-pop. I’m seeing a lot of stanning but the stanning isnt equating into cd/dvd sales etc. Yeah they sell tickets, but more people (including myself) need buy more of the music.

  • http://twitter.com/JAManzer Jeff Manzer

    Hoping that
    K-pop makes it in the US might be asking too much. The surest way
    of trying to break into the market is totally start in the US, and then you’d
    be very much a US pop act. To grow up in K-pop then cross over into the US
    market may be something like starting as a country act then crossing into pop.
    It maybe can be done, but it’s not like the whole industry can be shifted that
    way. In the end the act sort of loses a bit of the identity along the way, a
    K-pop act would have to most likely be forced to decide if it is K-pop or
    US-pop by the fans/industry.

    If K-pop
    should be more edgy to be more accepted in the US, I guess that is ok, if it
    seems like a natural outgrowth of what the group is. If it just going to make
    them be like any other US act, why not just stick with some US act?

    While it
    would be cool to have a major expansion of the K-pop market into a major niche
    in the US, what is going to have to happen is just to hope to have preferences
    change. When grunge became popular, it wasn’t exactly trying to appeal to
    popular tastes. It was out in the market though. That’s something the K-pop
    industry should try to do, take what it is doing and present itself. It may
    never gain a lot of appeal, but one day it may catch a little fire for a bit. It
    cannot lose itself just to be a darling in the US, if it does it’ll probably
    come crashing down where its main support is in Korea.

  • frou-frou

    Technically, the piece wasn’t written by Pitchfork staff, it was contributed by James Brooks who is part of Elite Gymnastics – an electropop duo that cites K-pop and J-pop as influences. So no, it’s not really PItchfork giving K-pop it’s elitist stamp of approval, more like just featuring some music writing from a band that it likes (and approves of).

    I have a love-hate relationship with Pitchfork; while I agree with some of the things they say, I can’t stand that snobby, “look at how much we know” vibe coming from their in-house writers; not to mention all the Kanye-worshipping that goes on over there. Still, any publicity is good publicity right?

     

  • Bstar5

    I think it would be hard for your run of the mill KPop idols to make it in the U.S. without taking the same route JYP is taking with the Wonder Girls. The U.S. has already had it’s bubblegum pop era and it’s pretty much what gave birth to KPop. The teen pop stars that are popular now almost all came through Disney. The U.S. has pretty much seen, heard and done it all so I think the only way any of these groups can make it here is with a hit song that can’t be denied, enough charisma to gain and hold peoples’ interest, and follow up tracks that will spare them from being the latest one-hit wonder. I think 2NE1 can make it. I wouldn’t put it past Will.i.am (or Jeremy Scott for that matter) appearing in their MV to get them instant recognition. Plus it’s just real easy to identify each member. Watched the Fire (Space) MV once and I could tell them apart. Big groups will be an issue. Pussycat Dolls had 6 members and have had hits and it stills seems like Nicole is the only one anybody knows.

  • http://tshidi.tumblr.com tshidi

    GD&TOP being mentioned in a positive light in Pitchfork is nice, especially since the review wasn’t negative, but rather, promotional . They have been in various articles lately, especially because of “Knock Out”. In BB’s case, “Tonight” seems to be song people are talking about. This will definitely come in handy for the fellas of BB, (when people look them up online), should they decide to debut abroad.

  • Music=Love

    I honestly think that Kpop just needs a little individualism to make it in America. Too much of Kpop all sounds the same. I love Kpop but only a few groups because to me once you’ve heard one group you kind of heard them all. I hope this doesn’t sound mean, but in America we get bored easily and if a bunch of kpop bands just start popping up and are all sound the same we will get bored of them quickly. They should try doing some genre bending just set themselves apart a bit because honestly I don’t think we need anymore pop stars.

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