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SB Chat Box #12: Out with the old and in with the new

26
Written by On January 5, 2012

A new year is upon us, which means we make back-and-forth chitchat on some of the last items from 2011 and on the first couple of items of 2012.

Patricia and I focused on the three channel Gayo shows which transitioned us nicely into the things we’re anticipating with 2012.

  • End of year Gayo Daejun shows (1:20)
  • Propagating Hallyu sentiments (4:46)
  • More Gayo talk (11:28)
  • We Got Married, and Leeteuk‘s participation as well as his K-pop idoldom (31:33)
  • What we want to see in K-pop in 2012, including better work from f(x) and SHINee (42:08)

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Download the podcast here.

Yay to HaibaraChristie76 for getting all the songs correctly from last time. The songs shouldn’t be too bad this time, so give us your best guesses.

You can listen to our past Chat Boxes by visiting this tag. If there’s anything in particular you want us to chat about next, leave us a comment and let us know!

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  • SHINee52911

    Yea SHINee needs 2 sleep and relax for like a few months

  • Anonymous

    Infinite has surpassed MBLAQ is terms of popularity. Infinite has won awards on these award shows whereas MBLAQ has not. These award shows are based on popularity, and I feel that MBLAQ will not get as popular as Beast and, now, Infinite. In terms of quality of music, MBLAQ’s music is much better than, but better quality of music does not mean an “all kill” on the music charts.

    • Anima

      I agree. It also seems that Korean MBLAQ fans aren’t supporting them as much too! On Melon, MBLAQ’s christmas single and their latest digital single ‘scribble’ didn’t do well at all, they weren’t even promoted to HOT status :(  Compare that to BEAST who’s unpromoted digital followup single to ‘beautiful’ still did okay.

      Then there’s INFINITE who’s popularity literally just shot up out of nowhere after sesame player, be mine+paradise tbh, in december their fancafe gained 6,000+ followers and they weren’t even promoting anything. When they released their nonpromoted christmas digital single it did really well on all of the digital charts for some time surprisingly and even placed on music bank and inkigayo for a few weeks. Sweetune is a great producer though and I find their music to be unique and refreshing, it always sounds distinctly INFINITE.

      I feel bad for MBLAQ tbh and want them to do well, but… in the long run I can see their music having a LONGER lasting impression than beast’s though which also counts for something too because after the idol shelf life expires, the music is often what people will have to remember a group by.

      • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

        I agree with you, people don’t seem to take to mblaqs music that well in korea because their not all hit singles, but their music will last longer and I think with them it’s more of a case of slow and steady. Scribble was doing well on other charts though which is still good because I heard Melons like the really hard one to do well on, I have high hopes for their title track when the mv comes out anyway =)

  • gochu

    Gummy I’m sorry
    lollipop 2 big bang
    Boa touched
    Shinee juliette

    • gochu

      sry love like oxygen shinee

      • gochu

        ss501 love like this

  • martian

    I feel like U-Kiss got ripped of their first 30 seconds of a 3minute performance, way worse than what happened to MBLAQ cause at least MBLAQ got individ stages at the beginning. I guess at least MBLAQ had a concert stage… U-Kiss had a .. mini hall stage out in the lobby which was pretty sad and idk. 

  • cutiepie88

    Songs:
    Big Bang- Lolipop 2
    SHINee- Love Like Oxygen
    BoA- Touched
    SS501- Love Like This
    Gummy- I’m Sorry

  • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

    I feel like you guys focus on SM so much, at least definetly in this discussion, and a lot of it wasn’t new stuff, it’s the same thing that’s been covered in a lot of the articles, I feel like the part about f(x) and japan were like the only thing that you covered that hasn’t been mentioned before, I found it a real shame because your opinions on the other artists and other situations that you talked about are more interesting but you didn’t go in much depth about it?
    I really enjoy listening to these discussions, but I just felt like this time was so focused on SM and so much on this blog is already about SM and how they fail, I would love to hear more about your opinions on lesser known groups, etc =).
    Also, I’m not sure of your names but the girl who speaks slower never lets the other girl talk it’s kinda funny >_<

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1575728366 Nadifa Ibrahim Sheek Ahmed

    miss a took that asia dance group titler right from f[x] nose 
    miss a is so much better

  • Anonymous

    I really enjoyed the discussion on this so-called Hallyu phenomenon and completely agreed with your assessment. “Obnoxious” is a perfect indictment of this government propaganda. Then again, what propaganda isn’t obnoxious?

    I believe this whole Hallyu business is overblown by the South Korean government. I think it’s just the government’s telling the South Korean people how it’s doing right, including the boasting of Korean culture spreading around the world. In reality, it is most likely in the eye of the beholder and some quantitative data may present a better perspective. For instance, all the Korean news on Hallyu would have me believe that Kpop is completely dominating the Japanese market; however, the 2011 Oricon top 100 singles chart presents a different picture. There are no Kpop singles in the top 10 at all. The highest ranking single by a Kpop artist is TVXQ, but it’s a lot lower than I expected. Yes, there is a presence that perhaps was not there before, but it’s far from dominating.

    To me, this Hallyu business is going on a similar path of Japanese culture. It’s popular throughout pockets of the world, but far from becoming mainstream anytime soon, if ever. Japanese culture has been going oversea for a lot longer than Hallyu, but it’s still considered a subculture in places like the U.S. In the U.S., the majority of the fans following Japanese culture is Asian-American. The same demographic will follow Hallyu. I am not impressed by those flash mobs of Europeans/Westerners dancing to Sorry Sorry because I’ve seen the same thing in anime culture. To most people in Western countries, these flash mobs are “freaks.”

    In Western countries, there is certain cool factor in following a subculture and I believe that’s the reason why a lot of non-Asian fans follow Hallyu–to be in the know of something different and what most people don’t know about. It’s a dichotomy of wanting to see your interests become more popular, yet at the same time not really.

    And the fact it’s called the Korean wave somewhat foreshadows what will happen to it. What happens to a wave? It dies down.

  • Anonymous

    leeteuk and sora’s age gap is more or less the same age gap hwang bo and kim hyun joong and no one thought it was ‘eeeeeeeeeew creepy’

    i get you dont like leeteuk, you have your reasons, fair enough, but you girls are talking about him as he was a 80 years old man harassing a 12 year old kid while he has turned 28 last july ans she is 21….and WGM is just a scripted show

  • http://www.twitter.com/veiledheart VeiledHeart

    To be fair Beyonce’s wasn’t original either. An Italian artist had done it prior and Beyonce got called out for that.  Really, who even knows if the Italian singer was the originator. 

    I give Leeteuk the benefit of the doubt since everywhere he shows up someone’s doing the writing for him.  His scripted persona is not my cup of tea though. He’s more annoying than entertaining. 

    I LOVE MBLAQ’s music but I get the feeling it skews a little too RnB for Korea’s taste in idol music. I feel like they’re best when their doing a nice mid-tempo ballad, but that doesn’t generally give you the opportunity for some catchy dance routine or random remix. The quality and sound just doesn’t fit as easily into the current idol music landscape which is a shame.

    • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

      I don’t think it’s a shame that MBLAQ’s style doesn’t fit in with the current idol music, if anything that’s more of an advantage because they show something different from the norm and while that may not mean winning music shows left and right, they’re building up a steady fanbase and their time will come when they stand out for their own style. I think the groups that will last and go on for a long time are the ones who get their fame in a more slow and steady way.

  • felicia elasih

    Gummy – I’m Sorry
    Big Bang – Lollipop
    A song i cannot recognize 
    SS501 – Love Like This
    SHINee – Love Like Oxygen

    Really? I thought it was a good performance by the SM artists. o.o THEY WERE FAKED? O.O wow i thought it was live. no wonder there was no mistakes. but yeah. hallyu…… if korea is making such a big deal about it then it just gets annoying, in a way. Like ok I get that it’s big and all but don’t you always hate it when people are good and they know it? It just makes them sound so.. cocky. My friend made this point before, how Japan has a lot of manga and anime popularity but they aren’t making that big a deal about it like Korea is with their Hallyu. 

    You don’t like the Adam couple? really? They were hilarious though. Or at least Jokwon was. But I definitely agree with Patricia. Jokwon’s kkab image was so strong that I can’t get it out of my head. And the Adam couple’s image is comedy so why they got troublemaker was a bit of a ‘huh’ on my part. 

    I think Leeteuk is … SME is squeezing every bit of money he can from him before he leaves for the army. Leeteuk probably left later because he’s the leader and they maybe need another member to be like.. an intern leader and during his time he’s just… slowly inching out from that leadership role and just … working for sme like a slave before they get rid of him. I feel really bad for him :(

    On another note, would leeteuk feel like his enlistment is a vacation? because he’ll be off schedule and stuff. 

    That’s what I thought, too. About how if you want to send your group to Japan then you should at least have a decent fanbase in Korea that will support them in Japan even if just a tiny bit. And last time i heard F(x) doesn’t even have a fanclub name yet… so maybe they should settle that first. 

    • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

      I don’t think it’s completely SM thats making Leeteuk work, I read another point of view somewhere which I’m more inclined to believe, which is that it seems that he’s trying to cement his place in the entertainment industry in such a way that his position cannot be filled, that way when he comes back from his two year leave in the army, there’s still his spot waiting for him, or people that want him on their shows, basically he’s making himself irreplaceable. He’s gotten quite a lot older now so it’s uncertain what his position in the entertainment industry will be once he comes back; as much as people love SuJu, who knows if that will still be waiting for him when he gets out?

      Also, I see what you mean about f(x), but I feel like f(x) is a little bit like Rainbow, in that their style would fit the Japanese taste a little bit more, so perhaps going to Japan and building up more of a fanbase there will make their Korean audience more curious to follow the hype that will build once they make their debut in Japan. In a way it also seems as if these days debuting in Japan gives your group more validity in a way (I hope thats the word I’m looking for and this makes sense) so maybe giving f(x) that validation as an international group will give them more status and recognition in Korea, I think it could work that way, it seems like Rainbow was taking that tactic when they debuted in Japan too.

      • felicia elasih

        I never thought of it that way, the leeteuk one. And it does make sense, the fact that when he gets out of enlistment he’ll be.. over thirty and I don’t think there are any idols that are over thirty.. but since his contract with sme will still likely be in place… yeah it’ll be sad if he’s just floating around the industry after all that he is doing to secure himself in it. I’m sure there will still be fans who want to see him but maybe after military he’d want to build a family instead? The future is so unpredictable. But I get your point. I’m just one of those people who think that big companies are the bad ones most of the time. 

        The thing with f(x) though is that they have two chinese speaking members and I’m pretty sure they were created to target the chinese market.. and I havent been keeping tabs on them so I dont know how successful they are there. It is possible that they will be going to Japan though since SNSD is going to north america while exo is going to china. But again SM was half heartedly debuting shinee in japan and now they’re .. i suppose they should be preparing for exo’s debut so they have their hands quite full..wow I don’t even know what I am saying anymore but they’re probably going to still be on the shelf until .. maybe around mid 2012?

        • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

          Yeah, I mean if you think about it Leeteuk thrives in entertainment more than anything, and once he leaves for the army his place is free to be taken by Leeteuk-number two, so he’s making himself irreplaceable and I guess kind of making himself into something that can’t be replaced? I think he’s recording some kind of variety show every single day and he seems to love it, once he gets out of the military he might want to start a family but he still needs to an income, and also how do we know he has anybody that will be waiting for him when he comes out? I know many people think SM is being harsh by giving him such a full scedule but I think he’s one of the ones who actually likes the work. 
          I think f(x) is successfu enough, and tbh I don’t know how they could possibly rebrand themseves in korea, their concept thing works fine I guess but its just a matter of expanding their fanbase which they can do in japan and make a lot of money at the same time, maybe they’ll even grow more by the time they’re back and make better quality music too? I don’t think SM has forgotten them too much, f(x) is still their newest girl group, I think SM is just getting what they can out of snsd this promotion cycle and then they’ll turn their attention back to f(x).

          • felicia elasih

            I hope Leeteuk doesn’t get too depressed if by the time he comes out everybody has moved on. Or maybe he’ll have a place in strong heart like Boom is… like.. he’d just jump back up. Not to the point he is at now, but not completely nonexistent either. 

            I guess f(x) is still their babies, but does daddy care more than working sisters?

  • http://twitter.com/ErikinaDaisy Erika Ward

    Just a quick point: SuJu has actually gained A LOT of kpop fans since Mr. Simple. I am a HUGE SJ fan – to the point where I only support them and I don’t like ANY other group. I only found out about kpop in 2011 and I became an ELF in Oct 2011 – So yes, SuJu has A LOT of  new fans since 2010 and 2011 – but because we’ve new fans have seen a lot of videos we would gladly welcome him back :)

  • http://twitter.com/ErikinaDaisy Erika Ward

    Why does everyone on Seoul Beats seems to hate Super Junior so much O.o – I used to be a VIP but SuJu to me is way better – way more entertaining — can someone please tell me WHY YOU GUYS HATE THEM~?!?!?

  • http://twitter.com/ErikinaDaisy Erika Ward

    I like what Super Junior is doing.I feel like before Super Junior the life of an idol was fixed — they debut in their teens in a group with around 5 members — they make it big — after 5 years they either disband or go solo – they pop up around the industry here and there but are never as big as before – they leave for army – they come back and marry and does who knows what. I feel like Super Junior has changed A LOT of things in this industry for idols.  I mean not only are they the only group to have so many members, but they do a lot that other groups would never do in the past. I love the way they can make any situation enjoyable and funny. They really know how to have a good time and how to entertain, which is what they mainly are — entertainers. Plus, they were the first idol group to really merge with the variety show world and DJ and MC world – Also, most group reach their peak fame in their early 20s – SuJu did in their mid 20s. I think that as they get older they will get more and more popular which opens door for the younger generations. Because of groups like Super Junior idols won’t have to worry about the 5 year mark any more. FIGHTING~

  • Anonymous

    Shinee’s song is being made by Teddy Riley

  • http://twitter.com/ErikinaDaisy Erika Ward

    WHY DO YOU HATE LEETEUK~ I love him~ He’s my 2nd kpop bias~ Dude~ Teukies AMAZING~ and they are only 7 years apart — my parents are 12 years a part – Plus, there is A LOT to respect about him — The hard work he does and his leader qualities and MCing qualities it really is amazing~ Plus, I’m like 14 and I am in love with him~ I would gladly marry him.. Don’t just hate on him cuz you think he’s creepy – I think he’s the 2nd cutest Kpop person — much more cuter than all those rookies — Don’t be age-ist.. 

  • http://twitter.com/ErikinaDaisy Erika Ward

    SuJu’s has gained A LOT of fans just for Mr. Simple promotions.. Just saying — they’re gaining new fans everyday..