Music / Idols
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Man, That’s Awkward — K-pop Awkward

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Written by On December 20, 2011

K-pop can be really, really awkward sometimes. These moments made me go from laughing out loud to full out face down in my hands. Let’s have a look shall we?

Case #1: HyunA’s vocal trainer, Go Yoon-hee

Recently on an episode of Y-Star‘s “Curious Things,” the vocal trainer of 4Minute’s HyunA caught me off guard with his compliments toward the singer. Trainer Yoon-hee said, “I first met HyunA when she was a fifth grader in elementary school. She has a sexiness that you’re just born with, and that itself caused a lot of problems.”  The trainer also added, “She would look too sexy even while wearing normal colored clothing so we had to dress her in colorful clothes meant for little children in order to cover some of that. Unfortunately, that must have made her look vulnerable, because some delinquent teenage girls stole her wallet at a subway station.”

So, you found HyunA sexy… since she was in the 5TH GRADE!? Not even going to lie. I’m a little disturbed. I didn’t know there was such a thing as sexy babies. I guess it’s true what they say. You find out something new every day. Granted the trainer didn’t straight out say she was sexy in the 5th grade, but the way the statement was put led me to believe that this idea was in the back of the trainers mind since that faithful moment.

Case # 2: CL’s BBC Interview

The awkward moment when CL was just plain awkward. My qualm is not on the fact that her English is not perfect, but that her pauses and answers made this interview borderline cringe worthy. The interviewer didn’t make this any better with his breaking-news- like-questions, but the pauses and short (almost abrupt) answers took it to another level. I know that news interviews always have those long transmit pauses but they seemed to take longer than usual for this interview. I’ve noticed in her English interviews (MTV Iggy & BBC) her answers are so short and abrupt they seem to take the interviewer off guard. Also, did my eyes just deceive me? Did I just see a cutesy CL come out? Between the giggling and the awkward ending, my brain needs time to process all this.

Case # 3: Shin Bong Sun’s Plastic Surgery Photoshop

That awkward moment when Shin Bong Sun turn’s into IU. Netizens need to leave this poor (not so much) woman alone. Photoshopped pictures have surfaced from an internet community website that shows the funny lady after undergoing numerous faux procedures. The post was titled, “Shin Bong Sun’s Virtual Plastic Surgery.” They keep telling her that if she gets plastic surgery she’ll look like IU. Maybe she doesn’t want to look like IU. What’s wrong with looking like herself? Why must people constantly bring this up? She’s doing fine being her. Maybe, just maybe she’s content with how she looks. Will changing her looks make her sing better or be funnier. No! So let the woman live in peace.

Case # 4: Nichkhun’s Wax Figure

That awkward moment when you know the rest of the 2PM members are boiling over in jealousy because Nichkhun has yet another thing to brag about. It was recently revealed that 2PM’s Nichkhun was made into a wax figure. Reports say that he is only the second Hallyu star (the first being Bae Yong Joon) to have a wax figure in the legendary Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. His figure, which has been on display since Nov. 30th, can be found at the Madame Tussauds Bangkok. As if the members didn’t have enough reminders of how much Asia loves this boy. Now if Nichkhun ever wanted to refuse pictures with the boys he could just point them towards his doppelganger at the museum. Oh how I can see Junho throwing the chicken down in anger now. Can’t wait to hear the story on Strong Heart. A la Rain: “I’m so essited!”

What’s your thoughts on these awkward moments? Have you spotted any lately?

(Nate, BBC, Soompi, Madame Tussauds)

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  • http://twitter.com/zamuz gonzalo muñoz ferrer

    In CL’s defense, the BBC interviewer was in Singapore and she was in Korea, so there was a delay every time a question was asked or answered. Also, CL is awesome.

    • Anonymous

      the lag time is understandable. But the responses she gave… not so much tbh.

      • thunderandsmoke

        agreed. she kept saying the same thing over and over, and looked like she didn’t have anything else to say/couldn’t think of anything else. i physically cringed, and I mean I love CL, but it was just bad all around…

  • Anonymous

    I really like your first example. It’s classic awkwardism in Kpop. It’s the same reason why I find the fact some parents parading their small children and having them mimick adult songs and dances so disturbing.

  • Heyy

    The reason why the vocal trainer mentioned HyunA’s sexiness is because he had nothing good to say about her vocals.

  • Hjsurhc

    Lol this article is amazing!! The creepiest would be leeteuk wanting to marry 12 yr old krystal or something like that. Or when he couldnt keep his eyes off fifth grader sunye… Guys a creep..

  • http://twitter.com/MonicaDBSK Monica

    Ok wait. So they had to dress hyuna? Stage costumes or clothes to wear on TV I can understand but also normal everyday clothing? I mean it must be casual clothes if she was at a subway station. Or was 4minute holding some kind of event at a subway station and some gutsy fan dared to steal her wallet?

  • Anonymous

    eh? nichkhun? o.o

    • lay

      huh? there’s madame tussauds in bangkok?

    • Anonymous

      I think it’s in Pattaya not Bangkok. :)

  • Sss

    LOL that teenager girls stole Hyuna’s wallet because she looked vulnerable x)

  • Naniyang

    Though I think the lag time contributed to the awkwardness but CL’s answers weren’t her best. As a fan, I expected better because I know she can do better than that. But I’ll still cut her some slack as English isn’t her first language so she was probably thinking in Korean and then translating to English. Also, I  think she keeps her answers short to prevent ramblings. I say YG should get them a speech teacher to prep them for interviews, because her “ums” and “you knows” were numerous for such a short interview. I believe with more prep she would have been able to articulate her thoughts in better sentences, since in her Korean interviews she gives very smart answers. From her body language during the interview, I thought she was nervous. All in all, I say kudos to her. I have done and seen worse :)

  • DeNote

    The most recent Kpop awkwardness is the Snoop Dogg remix of SNSD’s “The Boys.” When I hear it, I get the feeling like I missed a step going down the stairs. Cutting and pasting a sample of Snoop in the beginning of the track and speeding up the tempo is not a good remix. It’s more like audio scrapbooking.

    • http://twitter.com/alianessa Alia Nessa Utami

      I can’t even with the lyrics tbh. I wonder how much SME paid Snoop Dogg to write the lyrics.

    • http://twitter.com/Chouchou103 Michele

      I would go with the ‘The Boys A Cappella’ version… That was bad… and Tiffany’s ‘yeah’s and ‘you know’s and other sounds are just so much louder. I can’t believe they actually thought it was a good idea to put that on the single…

  • Anonymous

    cl’s english wasnt as bad as you made it out to be but yeah awkard. im really impressed with her american accent. definitely better then rain’s first english interview (love you rain but…)

    • Bobori

      ikr. and there’s wrong with the communication between her and the interviewer

    • Peyotl

      i really ‘love’ how native english speakers (american in particular) always complain about how non native english speakers have accents or rusty english, while there is no way to make any of them really fluent in a foreign language or make them lose their potato-in-the-mouth accent.

      for me, i’m just amazed when someone makes an effort and try to learn and speak italian (my language). no way, not even a megazamillion of years, i would make fun of them for not being able to make a perfect sentence…

      • Skye

        I know what you mean. Fortunately it’s not everyone, but I’ve been asked to have “perfect English” sometimes while these people talk other languages with accent and apparently there’s nothing wrong about it.

        For me, talking a language with accent isn’t bad. It just shows that you’ve been able to learn another language and express yourself using it, and what if there’s a bit of accent in the mix, it doesn’t take away the merit!

      • Anonymous

        Excuse me if I’m wrong, but I believe that the accent nit-picking is found in every culture. People do sometimes tend to make too much of a deal over poor pronounciation, but I think that’s also because K-pop artists’ English skills are always made such a big deal of, by fans and themselves. How often have I heard SNSD’s Tiffany brag in their English interviews that the group is bi-lingual? She managed to worm that bit of info into almost every American interview her group has had. But SNSD recently came under fire for their “The Boys” Japanese performance because they could not be understood at all by their Japanese viewers. Don’t brag about your linguistic skills if you don’t have much to speak of, my advice would be to people everywhere. 

        I see silly pronounciation nit-picking in every society, and mimicking of accents because they sound funny to native ears. I see it a lot on variety shows, where people will make fun of the pronounciation of foreign celebrities. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, but I guess people like to feel proud about their language and degrade other people for some reason. CL’s English sounds good to me; she doesn’t have a grating accent and her pronounciation is fine.

        You’re right, though: English-speaking people do tend to forget how they sound in other languages, especially if they don’t speak other languages or live in a foreign country where their accents would become noticeable. So it’s hypocritical.

        BTW, thank you. It’s nice to know that I sound as if I have a potato in my mouth.

      • Anonymous

        wasnt dissing. i love accents. my problem wasnt with rain’s accent but with his awkardness in the interview. at times it seemed like he didnt quite understand the questions and would stare blankly in total confusion. and there are plenty of americans who are fluent in other languages (sadly i am not one. though i can speak, write, read and understand korean my speaking is so bakhi.) again not putting down accents or rain or cl since i love them both. just telling the truth :)

        ________________________________
        From: Disqus
        To: serenityq2@yahoo.com
        Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:09 AM
        Subject: [seoulbeats] Re: Man, That’s Awkward — K-pop Awkward

        Disqus generic email template

        Peyotl (unregistered) wrote, in response to serenityq2:
        i really ‘love’ how native english speakers (american in particular) always complain about how non native english speakers have accents or rusty english, while there is no way to make any of them really fluent in a foreign language or make them lose their potato-in-the-mouth accent.

        for me, i’m just amazed when someone makes an effort and try to learn and speak italian (my language). no way, not even a megazamillion of years, i would make fun of them for not being able to make a perfect sentence…
        Link to comment

  • IZ M

    Hyuna’s trainer…ugh just disgusting.

  • lay

    hmmm … i think CL’s response to the question is humble and optimistic. thank God she didn’t go bragging about conquering the world blah blah blah like a certain someone.

  • Literati Tempo

    HyunAh likes her sexy image it’s not all Cube’s doing. even when she was in the WonderGirls she was trying to bring out the sexy. Some people just have a natural charisma and she’s one of them. Sure they dial it up to 50 but I think she has a more western view of sexuality which comes off as slutty in a county not accustomed to it. I’ve seen some middle school girls (don’t work with 5th graders) who walk and sway and look very suggestive without trying to do so. Sometimes it’s the way their bodies are developed sometimes it’s the sexual dancing they’ve imitated since young. If you’ve been chest poppinga nd practicing your sultry stare since young (since that’s when you decided you want to be a movie star) why are people surprised when you do it all the time.

  • http://twitter.com/Chouchou103 Michele

    Nichkhun’s wax figure sure has some legs…

  • Xenia

    About HyunAh – such things happen. Duh, Lolita, people. Or Britney. Some girls are sexier than others. Men see it, it’s impossible NOT to see it. Normal men with morals are not doing anything on the matter – because they know perfectly well that the girl is too young. Doesn’t mean that men who ignore sexy teens are blind – they are just civilized enough. Also, those men are somewhat interested in those girls because they are sexy and too mature for their age, and not because those girls have no boobs and look like 7-years-old kid (like pedophiles do). Much more normal in my eyes, really.

    • jess1

      Hold up! Sexy in 5th grade???! Are you sure? She must have been what, 12 or 13?
      And isn’t it a fact that Koreans (Asians) look younger than their Western counterparts?
      A fifth grader may look like a 3rd grader in Asia.
      Still, this person found her sexy?
      I’m not sure about that.

      • yuka5470

        5th grade in asia mean around 10-11 years old. imagine that.. *shudder*

        • Xenia

          Oh. 10 is a bit too much)))
          Still, I remember my sister in a tender age of 11 and while she surely didn’t look 18, she surely looked 14… who knows how it was for HyunAh. Maybe she just was a nymphet in a whole meaning of this word)))
          If men a few hundred yers ago were perfectly fine with falling in love with 9-12 old girls (like, say, Dante of real people or Romeo of fictional) then I would say that physical evolution couldn’t change the fact that men can find young enough girls sexual on some primal levels of their conscience. The evolution in minds, norms and morals is another thing, that is why if that teacher was smart enought he would have buried these thoughts deep and never mention them to anyone XDDDDDDDD 

          • Anonymous

            500 years ago (Shakespearean era, your example of Romeo),  the life expectancy was only around 40-50 years old, even less in some places, so it was necessary for men and women to get married at a young age, especially women.

            Women back then were also treated as pawns, as properties, as objects to be sold and bartered for wealth, power, and titles. So the moment they turn 14 and were able to bear children, they were sent off to a husband who may be 30 years older than them. It had nothing to do with love and men finding young women sexy. They probably didn’t even have concepts of what made a teenager a teen, or an adult a grown up, or what it meant to be sexy or young. 500 years ago, once you turn 12, you become an adult who must be able to help around the house. When you get your first period, that meant you have become a woman, you’ve become fertile and were able to give birth, therefore you were wife material. There was nothing “sexy” about young girls back then. They weren’t seen as children, but little adults. No fun toys, no cool clothes, no makeup. Young girls were seen by everyone as properties to be used for others’ own gains. Men in their 30-40s had the money and power to pay the girls’ fathers for marriage, so they were the ones who married young girls.

            It was necessary for men to keep very young wives in order to expand their bloodline. The younger the wife, the more years she has for childbearing, and the more chances there were for begetting male heirs. Again, men most likely didn’t see young girls as “sexy” or lusted after them. They saw their wives as helpers, mother of their children, keeper of their household. They got married because it was necessary, not because they lusted after the boyish bodies of young girls. 

            I doubt young girls 300-500 years ago even knew enough of their own bodies to think of themselves as sexy and desirable. I doubt they even knew what they looked like naked since they always bathe all covered up, or knew what names their body parts were called. They just did what was expected of them: bear children and manage the household and let their husbands visit their bed.

            By the 1800s, men weren’t marrying girls between 12-16. Girls were already seen as little girls at that point, and they were allowed to play and have fun before being sent to school or to work (if they were poor) until they reach the right age to get married. Literature from that time suggest that girls aged 15-17 years old were not seen as very desirable for a wife, as they were “just out of the school room” and men thought they were too young, immature, and inexperienced, not to mention their bodies hadn’t developed the curvy, voluptuous shape that had often been depicted in many paintings of women considered beautiful in their time and the “soft” body that many men of that time preferred. Many women aged 18-20 were considered marriageable instead. 

            The only ones who still preferred little girls, virginal and pubescent girls, were considered ill or depraved by other men, and were condemned; therefore they had to hide their practices from society by finding others who shared the same preferences, because being discovered lusting after 14-year old girls led to a ruined reputation and even jail time. 

            You know, just like today.

            I find if quite creepy and disturbing that you think nothing has changed in the “evolution” of men in between 500 years. 500 HUNDRED years. I don’t know if you even know what you’re talking about or you’re just pulling statements out of nowhere just to justify the idea that you approve of men finding young girls sexy as long as they don’t do anything about their fantasies. You sound grossly misinformed and the tone of your comment sounds you’re perfectly okay with grown men thinking of teenagers as sexy.

            You think it’s okay for grown men to lust after teen girls as long as they’re “civilized” enough? What if these same men are the ones who don’t act upon their fantasies, but visit child and teen porn sites instead? Is that okay, too, since they’re just jerking off on the internet watching children and teens get abused, and they’re not out stalking teen girls and harassing them?

          • Xenia

            And here I thought I wrote long comment XDDD
            Still.
            Those men who married young girls just for breeding, they were still able to get their penises up, right? So it was not a completely asexual act, like you try to say. And Romeo, whom I half jockingly mentioned, sure wanted to bang his beloved.
            I don’t say ALL men back and now are or were interested in teenage girls. I say: from the point of nature, when girl gets her first period, she becomes an animal old enough to breed. People came to a thought lately, that it’s probably still to early for little girls to have sex, menstruation or not. I think it’s a great idea, took milleniums to invent but I’m lucky as a girl to live in a time when it IS invented.
            But primal instincts do not change. If girl is sexy by nature – sway of hips, expression in her eyes, something that she maybe doesn’t even use intentionally – many men see it. They have eys and it can’t be helped. It’s just that now they try to not show it as their brain says “5th grade” while their other regions insist “what a pity”. 
            Oh, and if those men visit child porn sites, then they DO act upon their immoral desires. And they totally should not. I’m deadly serious here.
            Other example that probably can show better what I mean - to kill is one of the other primal human desires. if I lived 500 years ago, and if I had enough money I could just kill a person and pay for it to the state and live like nothing had happened. Now in XXI century it’s totally immoral thing to do. But I would lie if I tell I never wanted to kill a couple of my teachers, or my boss, or neighbor’s dog, or my husband (ESPECIALLY my husband, lol). Unfortunately, while my heart says “add glass powder in his soup”, my brain and morals tell “oh, dear, you shouldn’t do it or even think about it”. Civilisation, you see XDDD
            But, again, to think that some pitiful hundreds of years can change human instincts – is to think too high of humanity))))

  • jess1

    CL is good in English but she she isn’t as fluent yet as most fans make her out to be. She can answer questions and deliver English sentences but short ones. The stuttering and incoherency shows when she tries to answer in long sentences or when there have been a lot of questions answered already. Like she get drained or something. Normal and acceptable since she is still learning herself. I hope they would let Bom do these kinds of interviews, too, but then I think her English is not as “polished” now.

    I think CL was putting on the giggling and smiling touches to somehow minimize the awkward long pauses between her answers and the questions.

    And, I hope netizens would leave Shin Bong Sun alone.

  • whatthefrell

    I don’t believe the trainer meant anything by what she said. She was just stating an obvious truth — HyunAh has “it” and has had “it” probably since she was born.  Her adorable hotness does seem natural, something that cannot be helped, it just is.  We all have either grown up with, or have seen young people, even children, and have gone, “OMG, that kid is gonna be a real heartbreaker when they get older…”  I bet her parents even cried themselves to sleep on occasion, because they knew what was coming! Hyorin has “it” too, but leans a bit more to the demure side of things, therefore does not get called out like HyunAh. 

    HyunAh may indeed be too hot for K-pop.  But I also believe that HyunAh is above all else, simply a performer.  As long as people understand that and treat it as such that’s fine.  But when people start to project their on ideals onto her and disrespecting that fact, that’s when the trouble starts.  She treading unknown waters, pushing boundaries a little at time; and it’s not that she’s really doing anything insanely sexual.  This speaks volumes about culture, more than about how hot HyunAh is.

    I thought CL’s English was great, so good, that I thought she had spent some time here, or had perhaps even been born here.  I haven’t seen the BBC interview, but the MTV Iggy interview seemed fine.  What I thought was awkward, was that no one else spoke up, allowing time for that glazed look to come over Bom’s usually adorably animated self. 
    On the one hand, as leader, I understand why CL would be charged to speak,
    but the others can speak some seriously decent English too, Dara in particular.  Sure, they may have more of an accent than CL, but Americans love that stuff, right! 

  • Andi

    I couldn’t even get through 2 minutes of CL’s interview. I know English isn’t her first language, so I’m not judging her based on that because she actually speaks very well. However, you can tell that she’s not comfortable expressing herself in English. Not only are her answers in English interviews awkward, but they’re very shallow. Like when the MC at MTV Iggy asked her why she thought fans liked 2NE1 and she answered, “Our music and our clothes.” Um, okay ’cause I’m sure it’s not that they can relate to the empowering lyrics in your music or your personalities or something.

    The funny thing is, shouldn’t Bom be the one to do the English interviews? I know CL is the leader, but Bom actually lived in the US and can probably articulate herself better in English. Oh YG, sometimes you just can’t get it right.

    • whatthefrell

      They should all do English interviews. 
      Bom’s English is really good though, and she’s funny.
      Just don’t let her stand in one place for too long,
      especially when she’s really tired (lol).

      • Anon

        I though of Dara who knows english cause of living in the Philippine. But ofcourse this is YG always pushing CL to the front. 2NE1 has become all about CL lately and its just sad since they all have something contribute.

        • Japan_qaf

          Dara is never comfortable speaking english. She always reverts back to korean.

          • whatthefrell

            It may be my imagination, 
            but they seem to pick on Dara quite often, and she is just the sweetest thing. I feel they also owe her a debt of gratitude 
            because she seems to interact the most with their fans.
            Just wondering, because I think if they treated her with a little more respect, it might bolster her confidence a bit, and she would be less likely to revert back to Korean, thereby giving CL and Bom a run for their money.  But, Dara is a Scorpio, and when they’ve had enough, you’ll know.

            I am also surprised they don’t push Bom more to the forefront.
            What is CL’s history that makes her so much more special, 
            most especially since she is so much younger than both Dara and Bom.  What plans might they have in store for her, or are they just assuming as Leader, she needs to “lead” the push into the American market… 

            Just thinking out loud… 

          • thunderandsmoke

            I thought CL grew up in the states too? Am i just making this up?? I thought during on episode of their first season of 2NE1 tv she said she used to live there for a while?

        • http://twitter.com/LunarSkye Ivory A. Thomas

          “YG always pushing CL to the front.”

          Please tell me you’re joking? She’s not even one of the popular members and she hardly does any side projects unlike Dara and Bom.

  • Anonymous

    D: awkward…..
    oh and yeah leave Shin Bong Sun alone for pits sake. 

  • https://me.yahoo.com/a/zs7ITR93moWQEekTSwzTHR9j1u.Z2xEl0w--#542b8 LoL

    CL’s interview seemed fine to me. Yes, it was a bit awkward, but I didn’t think it was as bad as you guys are describing it to be. I thought she was able to express herself well. From that interview alone, I was able to see that she has big dreams for herself and for the group, and that she finds their current level of success so minimalistic.

    Speaking of cringe-worthy language skills, I suddenly remembered my Spanish class.

    “Unoh, dose, trays…….” And we think it’s fine to keep criticizing others’ English articulation.

    • whatthefrell

      Exactly, who are we to talk…

  • Anonymous

    i stopped the interview after 4 seconds haha 

  • Japan_qaf

    CL’s interview was not that bad. Tho, i wish i could hear bom speak english. And why isnt cl allowed to be cute? She is naturally cute, let her be.

    • http://twitter.com/LunarSkye Ivory A. Thomas

      “i wish i could hear bom speak english”

  • Anonymous

    Awkward moment: When BoA went over to the STATES to break America and…kinda failed.
    Awkward moment x Bajillion: Running Man in foreign countries. (this is good awkward because it’s entertaining)
    Awkward Moment: bae Yong joon’s face and when he’s being called handsome by your aunts and all you can think is ‘but he looks so girly’

  • asianromance

    I think the only really awkward thing was the thing the Hyuna’s trainer said about her sexyness.  Please let it be discovered that Hyuna had to repeat an earlier grade several times and that she was at least a teenager when he thought all that stuff about her.   

    CL’s interview wasn’t that bad.  Pretty much on par with almost every english interview in kpop. 

    • G.

      At least she didn’t fall asleep.

  • Anonymous

    about the hyuna issue, i understand what the trainer means. my mom always try to tone down the vibe i give when i was younger, she wouldn’t let me wear certain clothes though she would let my lil sis wear them. it was later i found out that the reason why she did that cause i give off that vibe at such a young age that she worried that some guys might try something.

    i remember when i went on school trip during my elementary days and older guy hit on me, when i told him that i am too young to go to the club, he ask me my age, and i told him, and he was so shock that he thought i was pulling his leg. i show him my school id that when he believe me.

    there is a lot of incidents like that but i am not going to write them all out though funny thing is, now that i am older, ppl think i am a lot younger even younger than my lil sis. its so weird cause i was so used to being told that i look older when i was underage but now that i am adult, now a lot ppl tell me that i look younger than my actual age. 

  • http://twitter.com/slowdanse V.I.U

    I didn’t find the wax figure of Nichkhun all that awkward. I think it would’ve been weird if he was at the Hollywood Wax Museum or something, but because it’s in Bangkok… it makes total sense to me. He is somewhat of a pride and joy to people of Thailand since he was able to break into the Korean entertainment industry. It’s rare for even Thai artists to be recognized in other countries, but he exceeded a lot of people’s expectations.

    LOL @ Hyuna story. 

  • G.

    Awkward moments in k-pop? The moment SM decided to release SNSD’s maxi single of “The Boys”. Seven different versions of one terrible song, each more terrible than the rest. Not even the name of Snoop could save their reputation in the US now.

    Not that it matters, since Lee Soo Man stated in an interview a couple months back that he wasn’t going to bother venturing into the US since the Hallyu Wave will soon be famous worldwide anyway. (LOL)

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513439726 Sharon Overlord

      yes!!! LMAO

  • http://twitter.com/XiahJunsubias Junsu Love

    Okay, is that picture of Nichkhun the wax figure or the real person…?

  • SS

    I think CL did fine. I think the awkwardness had more to do with the interviewer’s own awkwardness/questions and not necessarily because of CL’s English proficiency.

    She’s done fine with other interviews before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTuUMVTwIcQ

    Also,in my opinion, part of the reason why Bom answers less in English interviews is because she’s not very good at answering questions-even in Korean. She tends to space out or answer with run on sentences. And I say that as a huge Bom fan. 

    I actually think CL has been “trained” by her company to respond to questions with short simple answers (the less details the better). This is obvious even in Korean interviews. Fans know that 2ne1 is well known for their reluctance to mention other idols/artists or give information regarding their future projects. Hell, the girls are even reluctant to mention BigBang in their interviews.  It’s part of the reason why the girls never do variety shows. They’re just not very good at it. 

    I do agree, however, that CL and the rest of the girls need to work on their English if they expect to promote in the US.

    But in general, I’m pretty impressed with CL. I’ve seen her switch from English, to Korean, to Japanese all within a 2 minute interview. Give the girl some credit, she’s never lived in the US. All the English she’s learned has been from school and, I assume, listening to songs in English. Her accent is pretty flawless considering.