Music / Idols
20120112_seoulbeats_djismine4

The DJ Is Underwhelming

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Written by On January 12, 2012

The Wonder Girls tore through their Korean promotions — dropping a sizzling album, and performing the heck out of their lead single on music shows. All doubts were set aside as both Wonderfuls and non-Wonderfuls alike banded together to cheer them on during their return. With such success in Korea, and JYP himself admitting in a round-about way that sending the Wonder Girls to the US was a mistake, we all blinked in surprise when JYP announced that the girls would be once again heading back to the US for promotions. Because — why would this man snatch the Wonder Girls’ from their home turf, where they’ve regained the title of superstars, and once again let them suffer in irrelevancy at the US?

Nonetheless, it happened. And the Wonder Girls’ released their new US single ‘The DJ is Mine’ ft School Gyrls:

First let me establish something — I want the Wonder Girls to succeed in the US. I want them to do better than any other K-Pop band that tries their luck on the market. Partly because I believe they have a likability and friendliness that can appeal to a large audience given the right circumstances, and partly because they worked hard for it. I say what I say not out of malice, but concern for the girls.

The Music Video

The video is horrible. I understand that this video and single was released in conjunction with their movie, which is a Nickelodeon production. So I’m not expecting a masterpiece with Oscar-worthy cinematography. But this video looks like it was shot and then imported into Sony Vegas, where they let a twelve year old play around with the contrast and glow effects. Honestly, I have seen AMVs better edited than this Music Video. Even for a Nickelodeon production this Music Video is near the bottom of the barrel. I’m beginning to think the Wonder Girls’ should have gone with the Disney route instead, at least Disney can help make decent music videos.

I somewhat understand the look JYP was trying to go for, but it completely backfired. The video was an eyesore, the slight blur was majorly unnecessary. And the lighting was poorly done. Usually with lighting like the one incorporated into this video, the area illuminated should be well… illuminated. Instead the lighting is half-assed and any salient image we’re meant to see melds into the background. I can not believe I’m saying this, but for a good example of how lighting like this is meant to be done, I direct you to Super Junior‘s ‘Bonamana‘. Cheap, but sexy and aesthetically appealing. For ‘The DJ is Mine’, half the music video was shrouded in darkness, and there was little aesthetic appeal to make up for… anything. It was as if I was watching this dark blur for three minutes.

Also, I’m in the minority who finds JYP’s constant self-promotion and troll-like ways super endearing, but that tacky JYP logo in the corner of the screen needs to go.

The Song

The song isn’t bad. The song isn’t remotely bad. In fact, considering Nickelodeon’s past endeavors it’s pretty good. I don’t want to tear into it too much, because there honestly isn’t much to tear into. But there isn’t much to hold in high esteem either. The lyrics are a less sassier version of ‘The Boy is Mine’, but that’s okay I guess. Because I can’t think of too many mainstream songs these days with profound lyrics. I do have one recommendation though, that they change the line ‘he only rocks to my music’ to ‘he only rocks to my rhythm’. Just putting that out there.

Honestly, the song is fine. It would make a good filler song if it was a track on ‘Wonder World’. But in the grand scheme of things, looking at all things American Pop, it falls short. There are so many great songs out there, the question is, what does ‘The DJ Is Mine’ have that would make people want to go out there and buy it? What does ‘The DJ Is Mine’ have that would shoot it up to the top ten? Dubstep? Please. It’s an okay song, but nothing that really sets them apart.

And now, the elephant in the room. Yes, The School Gyrls did do a better job with this song. I’m going to cut the Wonder Girls some slack, because they aren’t native English speakers, and The School Gyrls are — but I’d be lying if I said they weren’t outperformed. In particular, the girls who did Sohee and Lim‘s segments during the song were obviously better singers than the latter. It shows. Sohee sounds so weak, flimsy, and soft compared to the second verse, and Lim just comes off as really unsassy and plain. On a positive note however, Yubin’s rap break was pretty good all things considered, so I’ll give her props for that.

—

Whilst ‘The DJ Is Mine’ isn’t an atrocity, it is underwhelming. And I can only hope JYP wasn’t really planning on this single launching the Wonder Girls’ career anywhere. In a music industry as large as the North America’s, the most important part of success is to stand out — and apart from being Asian, the Wonder Girls don’t stand out at all. But what’s the point of being a negative nancy? I just hope their movie will be well-received by their demographic and that the Wonder Girls find a niche fan-base that do like them. To be honest, I’m thinking the Wonder Girls would have a better chance of success if they moved their promotional activities to another Western country. Like Britain, where girl groups aren’t completely outdated. But then again, I don’t want to give JYP anymore ideas.

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  • chelle

    I’m not a fan of the song, if this really is their song to launch in to the forays of the American Music Market I would say good luck with that since it won’t get them any attention. I think I read that the song/mv was just a way to promote the nick movie that was coming and not really a song that they will push (at least I hope that is the case). The only part I liked was Yoobin’s rap and wish ye eun and sun ye’s voices weren’t auto tuned. As for sohee and lim well I do not think it would be that hard to outshine them in terms of vocals and presence but they had to be showcased which I can’t say for the other members in School Gyrls who didn’t get any lines.
    JYP’s promotional push is still in the early stages so I won’t be making any informed decisions.

    Can I just say that Yoo Bin and Sun Ye looked FFOOIINNEEE!

  • irene

    I’m the biggest Wonder Girls fan, but I’m against all plans of them promoting in the US. I wish JYP would stop wasting his time because it’s not going to work. I was born and raised in the US, so I should understand my fellow Americans. They will be taken as a joke here– heck, all K-pop groups will. “who dem asian girlz and why they so skinny” The fact that they are aiming at children and teenagers is already a joke to half the US. They are so sweet, humble, mature, and kind and I think they deserve nothing but success. It’s sad because while they are trying to do the impossible, their fanclub back in Korea is diminishing rapidly. By the time they realized that they failed, they will have nothing to turn back to. I think they should just promote in Korea and Asian countries, and see where that takes them. I don’t want them to be made fun of by racists because it hurts to see my girls being put down. Bring them back to Korea, JYP, please. The US isn’t ready yet.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Christine-Laban-Holm/776642832 Christine Laban Holm

      “they wont have anything to return to” – Pardon me? 

      As a WF u should already knwo they have a steady fanbase that they CLEARLY already have proven with this comeback. 

      Not including the two weeks of 2DT promotion they were away from the Kpop scene for almost 3 YEARS + they lost a very POPULAR member. how many kpop idols  can comeback like that  and still do as well with a medicore song like “Be My Baby” . I mean im a HUGE WF but its not their best song.
      I think Wonder Girls have proven that dispite what happens in the US they will have their strong and loyal fanbase who will support them even if they fail in the US. So as a WF you should be happy they are pursuing their dream in the US for bad or for worse. They have grown so much for the past 3 years as artist. It wasnt a complete loss in my eyes. But hey .. thats just my opnion. 

  • http://twitter.com/Chouchou103 Michele

    I just want to say that while i like the concept of vinyl disks on their costumes, the one on Yenny’s dress is vrey badly placed. (And they could have given Sunye a slightly longer dress so the poor girl won’t have to pull it down while walking)

  • http://twitter.com/PhanTheHotness Jenny

    i didn’t like the song at all :(
    it seems like everytime a korean group goes over to USA, the come out with the most cheeziest song ever

    for example, the dj, the boys, eat you up, and don’t forget se7en ughhhh
    please come up with better songs. these sounds like something from teeny bobbers stars

    • VeryCuticle

      iawtc

      everytime i think about the cross over songs it makes it wanna cry this song is no diff.

      eat you up…wtf, the boys…double wtf and that thing YG wanted to call a song, when i saw it on BET hell i was embarassed for se7en

  • http://twitter.com/ssimpson205 Stephen Simpson

    As much as I like to disagree with the Debbie Downers at Seoulbeats, I have to say Ree is spot on this time. The video is just way too dark and blurry to let our girls shine properly.

    Also, I’m kind of nervous about this being the first relatively high profile US release for Wonder Girls. Why couldn’t they have just done an English version of Be My Baby? Instead, the Wonder Girls brand is diluted right off the bat by the confusing presence of the School Gyrls.

  • http://twitter.com/MonicaDBSK Monica

    I completely agree about sohee and lim’s parts. Before I knew the school gyrls were gonna sing, I let it go cuz hey’s it’s Sohee (and lim). And then when the other girls sang their parts in the second verse I was like whoa they sound so much better.

  • http://twitter.com/missyu8shi Yushi Wang

    I really hope that the wonder girls are successful. can someone explain to me why school gyrls had to be featured in the mv? I thought the movie was about the wondergirls so I don’t understand why they would choose to promote another group from america that’s so similar in the same mv

    • Severneelia

      Bc school gyrls is Nick Canon’s girl group. Whom he is also trying to launch. And I believe, though I could be wrong, nick is also involved in the production of the movie and works within teen nick ( the channel this will be shown on). Although I agree it was a bad idea to have another music girl group present in the mv. It’s hard for audiences to distinguish btw 5 girls in a group as is

    • Anonymous

      Go watch the teaser for their Teen Nick movie. The School Gyrls are just as equally, if not even more (if we take language into account) central characters in the movie, and this song was released as a promotion track for the movie.

    • Anonymous

      Go watch the teaser for their Teen Nick movie. The School Gyrls are just as equally, if not even more (if we take language into account) central characters in the movie, and this song was released as a promotion track for the movie.

  • Anonymous

    MTE. There is nothing bad about this song but nothing standoutable either. The girls sound great and look great but the music video is cheap and the song is forgettable. I’m thinking that many people who aren’t already Kpop fans will quickly bypass this song.

    Considering how WG and the School Gyrls get an equal amount of lines and screentime, I think it should’ve been Wonder Girls & School Gyrls, not Wonder Girls ft. School Gyrls. I do think the School Gyrls embodied and performed this song better but I also think the Wonder Girls were hotter, especially Yoobin. But it was really dark and I couldn’t see them clearly so maybe the girls are equally hot.

  • RR

    I want to like the WGs. I do. I really do. They seem like nice girls. And they’ve sacrificed a lot of time and popularity to be in the US. And Sohee’s face is so endearing…

    But this was a cheap looking mv. Even for Nickelodeon.

    And the song is alright but not something I would want to listen to more than once.

    And in all honesty the other group in the mv (although given less screen time) definitely outperformed the WGs. And I don’t think it entirely has to do with just Sohee and Lim’s obvious weaknesses. All of the WGs seem a little lackluster.

    And correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t this tv-movie being shown on Teen Nick and not Nickelodean, with Teen Nick being a sister channel on digital cable and thus a separate entity from Nickelodean.

  • Xenia

    To UK? To be compared to The Saturdays? WG should sit in SK, if Europe listens to girl groups it doesn’t mean that WG are on par with what they already have.

    • kc

      agreed, people tend to think that just because the UK has girl groups that they aren’t incredible, but if anything the UK has some of the BEST girl groups in history, that’s some tough competition right there

      • http://colourmesplendid.wordpress.com Ree

        No, I totally agree. I’m a fan of Britt girl groups. But that being said, the presence of girl groups will at least make the Wonder Girls’ existence more relevant. And people are less likely to brush them off simply on that grounds that ‘they’re a girl group’.

      • http://colourmesplendid.wordpress.com Ree

        No, I totally agree. I’m a fan of Britt girl groups. But that being said, the presence of girl groups will at least make the Wonder Girls’ existence more relevant. And people are less likely to brush them off simply on that grounds that ‘they’re a girl group’.

  • trulyyoursabby

    This is what i’m talking about, they should have not included School Gyrls in this song. They are definitely outperformed =_= Sorry to say Wonder Girls :((

    Even their dance steps are more sassy than WG. It has that “ohmp!” kind of feel especially with the hand movements and stuff, WG may dance better overall but School Gyrls’ moves made more impact for me with this song (or maybe it’s because the express the song better?). 

    Bad idea. Should be just Wonder Girls in the Music Video. They only gave some spotlight for the other group :

  • G.

    What the flying fuck is this.

    I don’t even know where to start: the song itself, the music video, the choreography, Sohee’s singing…

  • Anonymous

    Guess I’ll go out on a limb and admit that while I don’t keep up with the Wonder Girls, I really liked the song. I don’t think they look all that weak against The School Gryls. As a group, hell yeah The School Girls performed that song better but Yoobin, Yenny, and Sun Ye really held that song down for the Winder Girls. Maybe I never gave the group many credits vocally but hearing and watching those members performed, I had to give them props. I approved, one thing I really didn’t like tho, was the lighting in the video, it was a bit bad. 

  • Anonymous

    Again in case everyone forgot. WG and Nick are targeting the tween market where “underwhelming” songs thrive. Every article I see criticizing this song, it seems they all forgot that very important fact.
    Also read that samsung is putting this song in all their new devices? that should yield some decent exposure.

    • Anonymous

      That doesn’t justify them coming out with underwhelming music. People saw good work from the Wonder Girls in their new comeback album and were expecting more. Just because its a teen nick movie doesn’t justify them taking a step back  musically. 

      • Anonymous

        Personal opinion, clearly not everyone felt it was underwhelming judging by the difference in Likes > Dislikes in the video. I don’t see this as them taking a step back, just a step in a different direction. I do feel most kpop fans won’t like their new music however just for the simple fact that it’s in English and they can actually understand the lyrics.

        • Fresh Lemons

          Are you really going to use the stats of likes and dislikes on youtube videos because that doesnt mean anything especially when you are talking about kpop and how a fanbase will do anything for who they adore. What people are talking about is the fact that the song isnt bad, but it is nothing special or makes them different than any other artist here in the states which is terrible. Even if they are targeting a certain demographic, at the end of the day they want to eventually break out that and attract a wider audience and a song like this compare to their previous work does not help in either case.

          • Anonymous

            Yes I seriously feel the likes and dislikes means something especially with a group like the Wonder Girls who don’t have a fandom as big and dedicated as other top groups. As for the rest of your argument, let’s wait and see.

          • Fresh Lemons

            Likes and dislikes with kpop can never be looked at on the simple fact if you look at any kpop video on youtube, it will also be an outstanding ratio of likes to dislikes. Even if the song and MV are “Rebecca Black” bad, there will be a so many likes on the video that you even question if ppl are deaf or blind.

          • Anonymous

            Yes there will usually be a lot more likes to dislikes but there ratio is still different for every recent video. For the huge amounts of hate WG is receiving you’d think think it would rebecca black bad. Really tho, Friday shouldn’t be considered music. People only watch it to laugh at it, that explains the likes.Anyway, let’s  just stop here seeing as we’ll never agree.

          • Fresh Lemons

            Likes and dislikes with kpop can never be looked at on the simple fact if you look at any kpop video on youtube, it will also be an outstanding ratio of likes to dislikes. Even if the song and MV are “Rebecca Black” bad, there will be a so many likes on the video that you even question if ppl are deaf or blind.

          • Anonymous

            Yes I seriously feel the likes and dislikes means something especially with a group like the Wonder Girls who don’t have a fandom as big and dedicated as other top groups. As for the rest of your argument, let’s wait and see.

        • Fresh Lemons

          Are you really going to use the stats of likes and dislikes on youtube videos because that doesnt mean anything especially when you are talking about kpop and how a fanbase will do anything for who they adore. What people are talking about is the fact that the song isnt bad, but it is nothing special or makes them different than any other artist here in the states which is terrible. Even if they are targeting a certain demographic, at the end of the day they want to eventually break out that and attract a wider audience and a song like this compare to their previous work does not help in either case.

      • Anonymous

        Personal opinion, clearly not everyone felt it was underwhelming judging by the difference in Likes > Dislikes in the video. I don’t see this as them taking a step back, just a step in a different direction. I do feel most kpop fans won’t like their new music however just for the simple fact that it’s in English and they can actually understand the lyrics.

      • Sali

        I actually like the song. The MV was horrible but the song is good. Well better than the Boys. But then again, anything is better than the Boys.

  • Lara.D

    The song: Not bad, but not exactly great. In short, completely forgettable.
    MV: It’s clearly low budget and I don’t think they took any effort to hide that.

    I just need to state one thing. I have yet to understand why Kpop acts want to work with these big time producers. So far, none has taken any of them seriously. When I say seriously, I mean, none of them have created actual music. It’s as if they think of Kpop as a side act, where they can half ass a job and make some easy money along the way.

    This is where I get frustrated with these groups trying to enter into such a competitive market with so little knowledge. They’re divining in without experience. I would think they should really understand what works and what doesn’t in the U.S market, before even thinking about any success.

    Since JYP has spent a considerable amount of time in the U.S, I was hoping that by now he would have a gist of what is expected as “quality” music in the American market. He seems to know what he’s doing at certain points. For example, he seems to know that Wondergirls would have a good shot at attracting fans from a younger aged base. 

    But to go down that route they should have definitely chosen to go with Disney. It’s pretty much established, that Disney is where tween pop thrives. Just compare the amount of pop stars at Disney disposal with that of Nick’s. Aka, if Wondergirls want to get in on that route, they should have signed with Disney. Maybe they could have gained some success similar to the Cheetah girls. Who knows. 

  • Anonymous

    I was pleasantly surprised, actually. Considering their target audience, I think it’s pretty good. It’s definitely stuck in my head and it’s better than most other English songs other kpop acts have put out.

    I do agree that they were outperformed by the School Gyrls but I think that’s simply because the School Gyrls did Sohee and Lim’s verses and, obviously, they’re not that great vocally – especially Sohee. Yenny, Sunye, and Yubin were very good in it, though I think the second part of Yubin’s rap is a little awkward.

    The video does seem a bit low-budget, but I don’t think it’s horrible either. I’ve seen worse on Nick.

    I’m really impressed at how much personality the Wonder Girls were able to put into this video and song. Their English is almost spot on (save for Sohee and the ‘arr night’), but with Sohee it isn’t so much the pronounciation but the flow of how she sings it. It’s obvious she just memorized the sounds with syllables and things like that. It doesn’t sound natural.

    I think if other Kpop girl groups tried to pull off a video like this, they wouldn’t be able to. I think the girls’ years in the U.S. weren’t fruitless. They’re able to imbue their performances with more charisma and personality than most other groups. I mean, that’s what performers are SUPPOSE to do, but most kpop acts lack that.

    If any of the kpop acts aiming for US debuts, namely SNSD, 2NE1, and Wonder Girls, were to hit it big first, I’d be happy if it were the Wonder Girls since they’ve been going at it for so long.

    So, good luck to them. I wasn’t underwhelmed at all, but maybe that’s because my expectations weren’t all that high in the first place.

    • chelle

      I listened to the song without the School Gyrls and I think I liked Yoobin rapping the first part rather than the second part because the lyrics in the second part is just awkward to me. You are spot on about Sohee’s English, her enunciation isn’t smooth and the autoune actually saves her.

      For US promotions I really really wish JYP would give Sohee and Lim less lines. I like these girls but I think to capture attention Ye Eun and Sun Ye has to sing more than just the chorus lines. Also I can’t help but see the differences between 2YE/YB and Heelim in a visual sense. Yoobin, Ye Eun, and Sun Ye looks so womanly and sexy then the camera pans to Sohee and Lim, the feel is so different.

    • chelle

      I listened to the song without the School Gyrls and I think I liked Yoobin rapping the first part rather than the second part because the lyrics in the second part is just awkward to me. You are spot on about Sohee’s English, her enunciation isn’t smooth and the autoune actually saves her.

      For US promotions I really really wish JYP would give Sohee and Lim less lines. I like these girls but I think to capture attention Ye Eun and Sun Ye has to sing more than just the chorus lines. Also I can’t help but see the differences between 2YE/YB and Heelim in a visual sense. Yoobin, Ye Eun, and Sun Ye looks so womanly and sexy then the camera pans to Sohee and Lim, the feel is so different.

      • Anonymous

        I totally agree. I loved Yubin’s voice in the first part. The second part is just a little awkward. I kind of wish they let her rap the first part in the version with School Gyrls instead. She sounds so much better in it. And I agree about the whole womanly vs girl visuals too. :)

      • Anonymous

        I totally agree. I loved Yubin’s voice in the first part. The second part is just a little awkward. I kind of wish they let her rap the first part in the version with School Gyrls instead. She sounds so much better in it. And I agree about the whole womanly vs girl visuals too. :)

      • dragonscale

        I think some of what you mentioned is key to the Wonder Girls achieving success in the US. JYP needs to know that what works in Korea will not necessarily work in the US – and this is especially true about which members to market, and how to market them. Although Sohee is most popular in Korea, I’d place all my bets on Yoobin or Yenny being the popular ones here. The types of looks that American audiences go for are completely different than those Korean ones do.

        Another difference is that American listeners will care a LOT more about the voices of the singers. For female artists, auto-tune will automatically turn off listeners – Sohee’s verses were not good at all. They’ll need to switch things around and give Yenny and Sunye much more lines. 

        • http://twitter.com/denzelwynter アシュリ (Ashley)

          PREACH.

        • Anonymous

          Word!

      • Mija

        I was so mad when I heard Sohee singing the first verse, I thought ‘really JYP? Are you really going to promote her the most in the US too?’ We don’t care about her cuteness and small face over here, we want singers. The girl can’t sing so keep her in the back and let the strong singers do their thing.

        • http://twitter.com/denzelwynter アシュリ (Ashley)

          this is what is stopping all groups from progressing! NO1CURR ABOUT SOHEE IN THE US! THEY WANT TALENT_ NOT LOOKS.

  • kc

    all I have to say is that while the song truly is underwhelming, it’s much better then the retro crap JYP’s been handing to them, am I the only one that feels that the biggest reason WG didn’t succeed was because of that crap?
    America isn’t into that kind of music, while it’s probably well received when singers like Christina do it, a very much irrelevant WG in America didn’t stand a chance with their “ultra hip” retro theme -.-

    I think what JYP needs to do is give these girls a little more freedom, we’ve seen that Yeeun can write some descent lyrics, why not let her write for WG? I don’t necessarily mean to let them go off on their own, just let them add THEM into the music because everything the Wondergirls have thrown out has never felt like it truly fit them for me.

    here’s hoping their movies doesn’t do bad

  • kc

    all I have to say is that while the song truly is underwhelming, it’s much better then the retro crap JYP’s been handing to them, am I the only one that feels that the biggest reason WG didn’t succeed was because of that crap?
    America isn’t into that kind of music, while it’s probably well received when singers like Christina do it, a very much irrelevant WG in America didn’t stand a chance with their “ultra hip” retro theme -.-

    I think what JYP needs to do is give these girls a little more freedom, we’ve seen that Yeeun can write some descent lyrics, why not let her write for WG? I don’t necessarily mean to let them go off on their own, just let them add THEM into the music because everything the Wondergirls have thrown out has never felt like it truly fit them for me.

    here’s hoping their movies doesn’t do bad

  • Johnny

    Thats what happens when u rely on one man your entire career. Honestly how do JYP artists in general not get fed up with JYP’s antics. He needs to step away for second. Not every song has to be written or produced by him. Not every concept should go thru him. Hes running out of ideas all his songs are starting to sound the same.

  • Anonymous

    Trying to launch a music career through Nick is a bad idea. Nick has only produced successful comedians (I can only think of Amanda and Kenan Thompson as Nick successes). Even Miranda Cosgrove and Victoria Justice who are super popular with that crowd don’t sell as much or top the charts like Selena Gomez does or Miley Cyrus did. They all started really young with their companies, but as they get older ALL of them want to leave the teen idol persona behind and be taken seriously. Starting out targeting the tween/teen sphere as artists in your  early 20′s is not the way to go to ensure respect in the America music which to have a career is needed and to not just be a one hit wonder. If they were going to go that route…… then should’ve gone Disney all the way (they have tons of  musical flops too….. only the ones that gain popularity through their shows had decent music careers).

    Even the really good UK groups are having a hard time breaking into the US and they have just as catchy music, more swag and attitude/sex appeal, vocally stronger as a group then some/most of these kpop groups. The only two bigs names from the UK that are relevant right now are Adele and Natasha Bedingfield and they are phenomenal singers with soul. 

    I love kpop for what it is and hate that in order to “make it in America”, the groups would change what essentially makes them who they are in order to do well. If its about the music then stay in SK and make GOOD music and let the music speak for itself. If you want to sing in english tamper with Europe first, even N*sync and the Backstreet Boys  went to Europe before trying in the US. The whole breaking into the US music scene is just JYPs ambition getting the best of him and are the girls actually making any money? They haven’t been really doing too many things the past few years that generate as much revenue  as their counterparts have. The music is important, but at the end of the day these kids need to make a living and save up for the future.

    I think some of JYP’s artist have it the worst. Sending the Wonder Girls to America so young causing them to be in a country they didn’t know without family or friends and some of them even had to drop out of highschool. He could’ve just let them at least go to school while in the States to be fully immersed in the culture. Min got stuck in the states for awhile too with no sign of a future and straight up ran away for 8 months. He stuck Jo Kwon in a ballad group when you can tell all that he wants to dance sooooo bad (not so secretly, he probably would rather be in Wonder Girls or SNSD), but 2am is the only place he sorta fits in at JYP. Just let your kids do music like they want.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Christine-Laban-Holm/776642832 Christine Laban Holm

      Umm.. Teen Nick also has Degrassi and DRAKE does pretty well.. no matter what the biggest chance KPOP has in the US is with Wonder Girls or 2NE1 

  • Johnny

    May I also add this was like a cheap rip off of Brandy and Monica’s The Boy is Mine but done with groups. Whose bright idea was it to have another girl group on your debut US Single? Bad idea.

  • Johnny

    May I also add this was like a cheap rip off of Brandy and Monica’s The Boy is Mine but done with groups. Whose bright idea was it to have another girl group on your debut US Single? Bad idea.

  • Blurred Mongoose

    One thing I dislike about Kpop is how they keep promoting their group names into their songs, JYP is the worst of them all. It looks as though he is making use of his artists to make himself famous, it would be better if he just stay low profile behind the scene, concentrate on producing better quality music and give the wonder girls more credits that they deserved.

  • Blurred Mongoose

    One thing I dislike about Kpop is how they keep promoting their group names into their songs, JYP is the worst of them all. It looks as though he is making use of his artists to make himself famous, it would be better if he just stay low profile behind the scene, concentrate on producing better quality music and give the wonder girls more credits that they deserved.

  • Anonymous

    Find it somewhat entertaining that everyone seems to think they know all the ins and outs of the music industry. If only it was as easy as we think.

    • eh

      Music isn’t a fact.

  • Anonymous

    Find it somewhat entertaining that everyone seems to think they know all the ins and outs of the music industry. If only it was as easy as we think.

  • deasy ariyani

    In order the Caveman to evolved into Homo Sapiens, he need to step out from the cave and get away from there.
    In order for Kpop to go mainstream around the world, there must be someone or some group to go away from the cozy idol place called Korea and venture to other country.

    Altough i agree the country is not necessarily has to be US but they dont call it the land of opportunity for nothing.

    i wish for the best to them.

  • deasy ariyani

    In order the Caveman to evolved into Homo Sapiens, he need to step out from the cave and get away from there.
    In order for Kpop to go mainstream around the world, there must be someone or some group to go away from the cozy idol place called Korea and venture to other country.

    Altough i agree the country is not necessarily has to be US but they dont call it the land of opportunity for nothing.

    i wish for the best to them.

  • Capri08

    One thing about k-pop idols when they release a single into American music market, they under estimate the “largeness” of the American music market. They keep trying the same thing they do in Japan and other Asian music market. It’s not going to work that way, the U.S. is a big place and it has a music scene to match it in size. To get notice they way they do back in korea, they have to come it at “hard” and to know the right time and way to release a song. The U.S. doesn’t have all the music shows to constantly promote your songs.

  • Capri08

    One thing about k-pop idols when they release a single into American music market, they under estimate the “largeness” of the American music market. They keep trying the same thing they do in Japan and other Asian music market. It’s not going to work that way, the U.S. is a big place and it has a music scene to match it in size. To get notice they way they do back in korea, they have to come it at “hard” and to know the right time and way to release a song. The U.S. doesn’t have all the music shows to constantly promote your songs.

  • Fresh Lemons

    I just hope that this song does well enough where they can release and promote another song because this sounds like a album filler and not a flagship single. I see people are trying to defend on how the song fits for who JYP and the girls are targeting but it does not mean that it will reach outside of that demographic and become popular which is the goal at the end of the day. Even if they were going to be criticized bc of the PV, I would have taken a “Be My Baby” English promotion instead (Im assuming it may end up on the OST since there is an English of the song). I think the people who are defending this song do not realize the fact that this is their first original English song to be in the US, which means if someone who has never heard of them (someone who didnt hear “Nobody”) first listens to “The DJ is Mine”, there is more of a chance it won’t make much of an impact in the person remembering the song. In the end of this ramble, I am stating the song is not bad but just the wrong song to use to get new fans and trying to leave a stable footprint here in the US.

  • Fresh Lemons

    I just hope that this song does well enough where they can release and promote another song because this sounds like a album filler and not a flagship single. I see people are trying to defend on how the song fits for who JYP and the girls are targeting but it does not mean that it will reach outside of that demographic and become popular which is the goal at the end of the day. Even if they were going to be criticized bc of the PV, I would have taken a “Be My Baby” English promotion instead (Im assuming it may end up on the OST since there is an English of the song). I think the people who are defending this song do not realize the fact that this is their first original English song to be in the US, which means if someone who has never heard of them (someone who didnt hear “Nobody”) first listens to “The DJ is Mine”, there is more of a chance it won’t make much of an impact in the person remembering the song. In the end of this ramble, I am stating the song is not bad but just the wrong song to use to get new fans and trying to leave a stable footprint here in the US.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MPM7NKTCM7G2LYYOMMDMB5FI2I Nur Hazwani

    please JYP,release their US album and the title track as soon as possible..there is too many criticsm about this song and mv even it is just an OST..

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MPM7NKTCM7G2LYYOMMDMB5FI2I Nur Hazwani

    please JYP,release their US album and the title track as soon as possible..there is too many criticsm about this song and mv even it is just an OST..

  • Sali

    I thought this was just an OST and not the song they will actually promote.

  • Munkie

    Am I the only one that hated Lim’s outfit? The material clung to her breast in an unflattering way that I can only describe as making her look like a developing 11 year old.

    Didn’t love the song but it wasn’t bad either. I did cringe at sohees engrish. I do wonder if the girls wish they could stay in korea where they’re loved and just forget about trying to crack into the US. I just wish the best for them.

    • Anonymous

      If you’ve read their interviews since coming back to Korea in November, they said that their leaving Korea was no regret, and that the US venture was a learning curve for them to achieve some progress and development in their music.

      That is why I wish these girls much success: they don’t see any of this as a failure, but a stepping stone to greater things. Even if they don’t succeed, they’d still look at this experience as something valuable. It’s almost ridiculous to expect them to achieve recognition and stardom in America after this one song. Many American artists also have a difficult time trying to debut, so the struggles must be double/triple for foreign groups. So I have to applaud them for the effort they seem to be giving this US venture. They seem very determined to make it, and I hope they do. 

  • Anonymous

    even though my fav WG is Yubin i cant deny Yenny’s charisma outshines the other members.
    stunning.

    the outfits are awful, the song is ok, the MV is a bit dark
    the DJ is hot, though, who is he? ^:

  • Bua

    I dont’ have problems with the MV. I actually enjoyed it a lot but I
    have problems with the song, the vocal arrangement to be more specific.

    I HATE Sohee’s singing. She doesn’t have what it takes for the song at
    all. This song needs swag and sass. She doesn’t have any. Her voice is
    weak, monotone, plain that ends up super boring and it completely kills
    the song. She shouldn’t sing even 1 line. OK JYP if you want to give her
    lines, let her sing ‘my baby ma my baby’ during Sunye’s part. That line
    suits her dead singing best.

    The School Gyrls did really great and I think Sunye, Yeeun and Yubin did
    wonderful too. I don’t think three of them were outshined. The three
    girls have charisma, swag and sass but like I said Sohee kills the song.

    JYP is a great producer but I always hate his vocal arrangement. He
    always gave a lot of lines to those who can’t sing nor rap. It’s, I’m
    sorry, stupid.

    I really like the song. It would be awesome if they let the more capable
    singers take over the song but you know in the full WG version, Sohee
    gets to sing 3 long lines. *roll eyes* I love the song but I can’t stand
    listening to it because of Sohee’s singing so now I just put the
    feat.School Gyrls ver. on my repeat instead.

    • Hujanturunderassekali

      They’re not The Wonder Girls if Sohee didn’t sing. I think you have a lot of hates for Sohee. I don’t think she was that bad like you said. But yeah… She’s not the best if she compared with Sunye and Yenny. She’s behind from them in the term of vocals. But she was dance better than Yenny. I think it will be better if they give the second part of Sohee’s to Yenny.

      • Bua

        lol you guys are such big fans who can’t stand harsh criticism toward your idols.

        Just to clarify, I’m not Sohee’s hater and I don’t think she is that bad a singer but her vocal IS bad for this song cuz this song needs swag and sass but she has nothing for it. 

        I actually like her as a person and even like her singing in some song like Dear Boy even she sings the chorus like 3-4 times, I’m fine with it and I enjoy listening to her voice in that song.

        The thing is Sohee isn’t any great singer and she will do well only if you give her the right song/part. Now this is the problem of the producer cuz he didn’t give a right job to a right person.

        • Hujanturunderassekali

          Yes you should criticize the producer, because he/ she gave her that part. But really you sound like her haters. You said I’m a big fans and can’t stand critism? LOL I’m not her big fans too btw, I’m Yenny fans. I just think Sohee is not that bad like you said before. And I’m agree her voice not fit for this song.

    • Yoyo

      Well you seem to be an overall Sohee hater so your judging doesn’t seem to be fair. Sohee’s voice may have not fit her lines the best but I didn’t think she did bad either. You need to look at it in an optimistic point of view and stop judging on the negative to be able to enjoy the song.

  • Anonymous

    Um, who are the School Gyrls? I’ve never heard of them, but the song is, for lack of a better word unoriginal. Le sigh.

    Are the girls still taking lessons on accent and enunciation? They sound painfully foreign- something that never goes well unless it’s horrifically odd (like Sean Paul).

    • Anonymous

      Actually. I thought only Sohee had trouble with English. Sunye, Ye Eun, and Yubin sounded great. 

      Sunye and Ye Eun actually speak English very well. I saw them in concert here in Canada and they were very interactive with the audience and spoke good English.

      • Anonymous

        I think I meant more as in it’s not effortless, and hence sounds foreign.

        But good for them. If anyone deserves some recognition, it’s them; they’ve put in an awful lot of work for this. I do wonder though if it might be better for them to target an older audience like PCD since they seem a little old for Teennick.

  • Aurora2687

    JYP, should have tried Disney instead; he would have gotten a better deal – they seem better at mv and show production aswell as marketing to the target market (tweens) JYP is aiming for!

    But then I guess he’d be working for Disney & might lose creative control, whereas with Nick Cannon – I’m assuming it’s more of partnership.

    Or he tried and was rejected. It’s all very interesting the choices JYP has made, hope it pans out for the Wondergirls sake.

  • asianromance

    I would have called this a decent effort until I heard School Gyrlz sing and saw how natural their dancing is (though Yubin did a wonderful job with the dancing here too).  I think this songs should just have been performed by Ye Eun and Sun Ye.  Even Yubin sounds a bit awkward here.  The one who is really rocking the US promotions, imo, is Ye Eun -from voice to her unreserved attitude. 

  • Dreamerx33

    This is only their OST song. Looking at Korean drama OSTs, I don’t see any of the singers actually performing their tracks. I only see scenes from the drama. Not that it’s a bad thing, but I wanted to say that at least we get to see WG and the School Gyrls dancing along to the track as well as clips from the movie.

    I wonder how it looked in 3D… apparently, it wasn’t so dark then.  Well, this isn’t their debut track, and to put it simply, I’d addicted to this song. If just their OST song can have an effect such as making me replay the music video for 6 hours straight, then I wonder how their official album will sound!

  • http://twitter.com/simpledm xelo truo

    At least it better than 2DT. 

  • Skye

    The video is bad and, omg, I can’t really believe that I’m agreeing with the Bonamana comparison, lol. 

    I don’t get why Sohee sings so much, tho. If I were JYP, I’d give most of the lines to Sunye and Yeeun, who are obviously the best singers and should carry the group in America imo.

  • eh

    I assume this is a movie and the Wonder Girls are in a TeenNick film? Ok. Um. The only person that was good was Yoobin (I love her new hairdo). The other band were better, and not because they can speak English people; they just had a better performance in it.

    Honestly this is like reviewing the Cheetah Girls music and the films. Nothing needs be said. It is what it is. A movie for kids.

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

    The video is horrific, but I like the song. I often wonder what the thought process behind some of this stuff is. Like how these ideas get approved. Who watched this video, with all of its horrible lighting and RuPaul’s Drag Race level blur and thought “Yes, this is glorious. Good job everybody”?  I know it’s not the main product and this is just whatever it is, BUT it’s going out to the public. Shouldn’t they at least be able to SEE it. 

    On a positive note, my love, Yubin, continues being fabulous. 

  • Simning

    I miss Brandi & Monica “The Boy is Mine” :(

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1112091495 Annie Xiong

    As a teenager, I found this song VERY CATCHY. I’ve got the chorus repeating in my head. I’m terribly picky about my music too. This song isn’t ground breaking, but if I heard The Boys and this song, DJ is mine would win hands down. The Boys sounds so…blegh, fake, and conceited, really. It should have at least tried to sound like a trashy party anthem like Tik Tok. But back to the point, DJ was fun and catchy pop. Weird pronunciation on Sohee’s parts… 

  • Anonymous

    for me, i think why jyp want sohee and lim to sing more is that maybe, just maybe he want them to improve, to have more confidence in singing because they don’t really have any confidence in that area…because, they had more lines in the new album…(?)

  • http://tsukiki.wordpress.com/ Tsukiki

    I have to contradict you here.  Look at any given top 10 billboard songs.  Nothing makes them special.  America likes heavy beats that are catchy, and this is just that.  It’s America.  Besides Adele who defies the norm, every single one of the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart right now are dance songs, two even infused with dubstep, with meaningless lyrics just like this song.