seoulbeats » Op-Ed

K-pop Voting Frenzy: Why, oh why?

Patricia — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00:34 +0000

This post isn’t a statement of opinion as much as it is a question. I’ve spent quite some time in K-pop, and while I admit that I’ve become rather jaded in regards to fanatical K-pop fandom as a whole, there’s still one thing that continues to puzzle me: voting. Or rather, why are polls so important to fans, and why are fans seemingly obsessed with doing whatever it takes to push their bias group to the top?

There’s a little bit of meta in this, as our own set of polls here at Seoulbeats seems to have attracted quite a bit of attention from the non-Seoulbeater fan constituency — that is, the part of the K-pop world who, as aforementioned, view these polls not necessarily as a measure of popular opinion, but rather as an opportunity to carve another victory notch into the reputation of their K-pop bias. The fervency with which fans have been voting for their choice of “Perfect Leader/Singer/Dancer/Rapper” is alarming, to say the least, and one has to wonder exactly how a fan plans on reveling in a victory that, empirically speaking, holds absolutely no real significance. But looking at the rest of the K-pop world, it’s easy to see that our Seoulbeats poll is one among many, all of which receive virtually the same exact treatment by K-pop fans everywhere.

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The Woes of T-ara

Nabeela — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:56 +0000

T-ara is one of those girl groups whom no one ever would have thought could make it this far. Back in the summer of 2009, they were just another rookie group reminiscent of the K-pop princesses SNSD, who were, at the time, basking in the glory of their phenomenal successes with Gee, and later, Genie. T-ara, on the other hand, was more like an afterthought. But it’s not like T-ara was anything special to look at the start either. When T-ara first began tackling debut stages with their singles Lies and Wanna Play, they received a lot of criticism from netizens for lip-syncing an entire performance. As a wave of bashing and hating crested, T-ara’s company, Core Contents Media, issued a formal apology, and stated that the girls would work harder and always perform live in the future.

As a fan of T-ara, looking back at this lame performance from T-ara’s days as rookies makes me both nostalgic and proud, especially considering how far T-ara has come in just two and a half years. The girls have worked hard to both promote themselves in an attempt to assert both the uniqueness of their image and the noteworthiness of their music — feats that are not so readily accomplished without earnest dedication to the sport of idoldom. But as someone who has always kept a weather on T-ara, I couldn’t help but notice that despite their booming successes with their recent album Black Eyes as well as the two part MV drama for Cry Cry and Lovey Dovey, success has been wrought at a heavy price.

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© Nabeela for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 42 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Boram, Core Contents Media, Eunjung, hyomin, Jiyeon, Soyeon, T-ara

K-pop and Asian America

Patricia — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:07 +0000

In many ways, the Hallyu phenomenon in America is deeply rooted in financial and economic matters. While the Hallyu effect throughout Asia has come to hold both economic and social implications, the spread of Korean culture in America is not magnanimous enough to affect American social values. Currently, K-pop’s biggest strides into the American market are largely focused on economics and business: the Wonder Girls are collabing with Nick Cannon, one of the biggest names in tween entertainment, and SNSD was signed onto Interscope Records, one of America’s largest music labels. Of course, many acknowledge that the idea of having Asian entertainers in an entertainment market saturated with non-Asians is interesting, at best. But largely speaking, it’s far from being a principal concern.

However, one cannot deny that there’s something quite staggering about the idea of Asian entertainers taking such a brazen approach to the American entertainment market. For years, Asian-American entertainers have struggled to break into an entertainment scene that has proven itself to be prejudiced towards racial minorities, particularly Asians. Currently, many Asian-American entertainers have taken to social media platforms such as Youtube to show off their craft. But despite the flood of Asian-American “celebs” on Youtube, racial imbalance and prejudice in American entertainment still make themselves known.

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© Patricia for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 82 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, SNSD, So Nyeo Shi Dae

Coming to America: SNSD vs. Wonder Girls

Dana — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:31 +0000

In his 1981 classic tribute to the American immigrant, singer-songwriter Neil Diamond wrote the words, “Got a dream to take them there / They’re coming to America.” While Mr. Diamond certainly didn’t have Lee Soo-man and JYP in mind when he penned these immortal lyrics, it’s become pretty clear by now that both SM Entertainment and JYP are dreaming of the potential buckets and buckets of money that await them — that is, should their agencies manage to find success — real, honest-to-goodness success — in the United States. 2012 may just see their attempts at expansion take on an (even greater) element of rivalry. This is, of course, in reference to SNSD and the Wonder Girls. Given the fact that Super Junior is essentially standing on its last perfectly-toned leg and no other groups in either company have hinted at or attempted to shower the US market with glitter and guyliner, it’s safe to assume for the moment that should we have a showdown in the (Wild) West, these gorgeous ladies will be at the fore.

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© Dana for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 127 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Girls' Generation, JYP, SM Entertainment, SNSD, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Wonder Girls

Counterpoint: K-pop In Japan: No Special Treatment

Patricia — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:45:05 +0000

Within the past few years, the word “Hallyu” has become a used and abused term, to the point where the word itself no longer has a standard definition, but has come to mean different things in different countries. At its most basic level, the Hallyu phenomenon represents the spread of Korean popular culture in countries other than Korea. From there on in, however, the specific definition of Hallyu changes depending on the country in question. In many East and Southeast Asian countries, Hallyu has become embedded within mainstream popular culture and music. On the other hand, Korean pop remains a niche interest in European and North American countries, with little widespread popularity to be seen.

The Hallyu effect in Japan, however, proves to be an interesting case. As evidenced by actors like Bae Yong-joon and Lee Byung-hun, as well as singers like BoA and DBSK — all who have become household names in Japan — it seems that Korean entertainment labels have always taken special care when promoting their artists in the Japanese market. While the Hallyu phenomenon was first identified in China and Taiwan in the late 90s (by Chinese scholars rather than Korean scholars, no less), it can be argued that Hallyu wasn’t a “big deal” to Korea until 2002, when Winter Sonata gained considerable popularity in Japan. From then on, it seemed as if Korean entertainment companies realized that they, too, had a shot at gaining a foothold in the prized Japanese market, but in order to do so, they had to proceed with caution.

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© Patricia for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 47 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bae Yong Joon, BoA, DBSK, Lee Byung Hun

The Western Perspective: Not Always a Bad Thing

Megan — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:00:05 +0000

To the K-pop initiate, fascination with South Korean Pop and fascination with South Korean culture often quickly become one and the same. After all, this is the intent of Hallyu Wave, is it not? To export South Korean culture, and by extension South Korea itself, in a safe, shiny, neatly-wrapped package. As a result of this, controversy can often arise within the international community when international fans encounter cultural differences hidden inside of that package of exported pop music that rub them the wrong way. The Western community in particular can cause a lot of grief when running headlong into cultural differences, as evidenced by relatively recent controversies over SNL Korea’s blackface incident and Choi Siwon‘s homophobic comments.

It’s a given that racism and homophobia are both issues that don’t have the same history and cultural context in South Korea that they would in Europe or the Americas. Therefore, whenever these issues crop up in the media, international K-pop fans tend to have understandably confused and impassioned reactions. These reactions are more often than not negative, and critical of South Korean society. The homophobia discussion sparked a great deal of analysis concerning South Korea’s traditionally Confucian ideology, and the blackface incident brought on a lot of criticism with regards to Korean insensitivy toward race issues and ethnocentrism. From a strictly Western perspective on multiculturalism and sexuality, South Korea lags behind in both the media and political world.

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Girls Bring the Boys Out: The Appeal of Boy Groups

Renie — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:54 +0000

The beginning of a new year has brought a new direction in K-pop. This doesn’t only mean the possible integration of dubstep in music, but also a shifted focus in the output of boy groups. In 2011 we saw a massive influx of idol groups, specifically girl groups, but this year promises to be its reciprocal. Included with the news of boy group debuts from the Big 3 is news that many of the smaller movers and shakers will be right up in the mix. Along with SME’s Exo Planet, YGE’s TBA group, and JYPE’s rumored group 2THE.O, news of other boy group debuts such as Pledis Boys, Chaos, B.A.P, etc. have brought anticipation to K-pop audiences. Whoever will come out the ultimate victor is still up for grabs, but one thing that’s got my mind buzzing is the probability that I will enjoy this year in K-pop music more so than the last.

From the first time I discovered K-pop, I have always had to tread carefully. This has been because of my slight allergy to super-sugary aegyo. Now, not all of K-pop is puke-worthy cuteness, but there is enough of it to make me itch. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve acquired somewhat of an immunity to aegyo’s sometimes gag worthy effects, but I can take it only in small doses. This is the same reason why Orange Caramel’s “Magic Girl” made me want to repeatedly bang my head into the wall, but their song “Bangkok City” had me bouncing across the floor. It was a completely opposite reaction on two songs from the same group, and though my acceptance has grown in regards to cuteness, I still prefer the opposite (fierceness) a whole lot more.

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© Renie for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 34 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2THE.O, B.A.P., Chaos, EXO Planet, JYPE, nicki minaj, Orange Caramel, Pledis Boys, Rainbow Pixie, Secret, SME, SNSD, TVXQ, YGE

Are Music Videos Getting Out Of Control?

Antonia — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:22:29 +0000

Until recently, I never thought of K-pop music videos being much more than extended photoshoots for the songs; probably because SM never let their artists see the light of day, preferring to keep them dancing in boxes. The formula of dance sequence/simple story line works fine, but it’s the MVs that break away from this mold that really caught my attention. I didn’t become a VIP because of the song Haru Haru (much), but because of the music video, and the possibilities it opened me up to. It showed me that good plot-based music videos do exist, and continue to. However, recently a new trend has arisen: the super-MV.(...)
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Counterpoint: “Kids React” and Cultural Ignorance in America

Patricia — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 13:01:25 +0000

Like most things K-poppy that somehow make an escape to the “outside world”, the recent “Kids React” video on K-pop has caused quite a stir within the K-pop community. While there were a decent amount of K-pop fans who laughed along with the video (because let’s face it: everything in that video was stuff that we already know and admit to being true but just don’t have the guts to say out loud), there was also the ever-persistent sect of ultra-defensive diehard K-pop fans who took immediate offense at the “insults” being hurled at their favorite K-pop idols, and responded by throwing insults of their own back at the kids themselves. Gil expounded on the ridiculousness of this behavior in her earlier reaction piece to the video. She made excellent points about how the K-pop videos shown were not representative of the entire K-pop industry, and that the video had a certain degree of truth in it that should serve as a warning to any K-pop group with ambitions in the American market. But most importantly, this video was another perspective on K-pop — a perspective that, in our occasional K-pop Kool-Aid induced stupors, is sometimes necessary.

But there’s another perspective in this video, and this perspective has been lightly considered by many K-pop fans who found themselves uneasy with this video because of the relatively narrow-minded comments made by the kids. These are comments that we’ve all heard before: “They all look the same!” and “I can’t understand them! Why aren’t they singing in English?” On the surface, these comments are rather obvious and seemingly superficial — questions that are so trivial that we usually shrug off when we ourselves encounter them in our own lives. These comments become all the more trivial when they’re asked by kids. Because kids don’t know any better, right? They’re just kids. They’re still learning. They’ll become more tactful once they grow up.

But there are two problems here. One, we don’t consider from where these kids learn their ignorance and from whom they will be taught how to flush out this ignorance. Granted, there’s almost never an appropriate situation for an adult to lash out at a child (to whom he/she is not a parent). But all too often does one hear a child say something inappropriate, and rather than being reprimanded by adults who know better, these adults chuckle at the child’s tenaciousness or tell themselves that “kids will be kids” and that “s/he’ll grow up eventually,” and leave the argument at that. And for some fortunate cases, some misbehaving children turn into well-rounded, open-minded adults who love and who love to learn about cultural diversity and exchange. But they are in the minority.

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All The Single Ladies: Return Of The Female Soloists

Antonia — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:04:26 +0000

For the last few years, K-pop has been strongly dominated by girl groups and boy groups, with almost nothing in-between. Unlike Western music, the solo artist was a relative novelty. If you wanted to hear a voice by itself, your best bet was seeing idol group members have a turn at the solo light, like Hyuna’s “Bubble Pop” or Taeyang’s ”Wedding Dress.” This method isn’t awful; it gave idols a chance to shine and it was a usual guarantee of good music. But it also prompts the question why there are so few going it alone, especially due to the popularity of soloists internationally. Going solo is twice as hard in the cutthroat K-pop industry, but in doing so, one is less restricted by band members, and avoids the risk of being overshadowed and underappreciated by the Yoonas of the group.

But, it seems like a new generation of female solo artists are emerging: girls who are fresh and exciting and ridiculously talented. Much as I hate to admit it, powerhouses like BoA and Son Dam Bi are on their last legs, and women like IU and ZIA are taking over the field. IU in particular has stormed back into the game with a breathtakingly good album, good in the way albums so rarely are: personal but relatable, and relying on music instead of gimmick.

Going solo also allows artists the freedom to sing about subjects that tread the line between typical lighthearted fodder and taboo subjects. For instance, recent songs have included:

Fat Cat makes a return with “Is Being Pretty Everything”, which deals with the illusion of beauty and how it seems to be more important than any other talent and ability; an issue very much at the forefront of Korean “music for the eyes” pop.
Tasha’s new single “Get It In” has an MV that doesn’t hold back on violence, including a scene where she is beaten up by a man but ultimately triumphs. The theme of the song is the ultimate female empowerment without the adorable “girl power” sheen.
NS Yoonji has gone all out on the dominatrix concept in “The Reason I Became A Witch” and she does it fearlessly. She is sexy but the sexiness she exudes is on her own terms.

Finally, there is Ali, who I didn’t even know existed until a few weeks ago, but a young woman whom I now truly look up to. In a world where a huge proportion of female entertainment promotes submission to men and the fetish-heavy sexualisation of women, she has opened the lid on one of the greatest taboos: rape. It’s a beautiful song and has raised awareness about something truly awful. Had Ali been part of a group, this song would probably never have come to light.

K-pop needs them, for it is them that can truly preserve the beauty of a single, perfect voice that sings about subjects that are probably far closer to heart for a lot of young girls. I hope these rising stars gain respect and popularity, while retaining that confidence which makes them such inspirations.

© Antonia for seoulbeats, 2012. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: ALi, BoA, fat cat, IU, NS Yoonji, Son Dambi, Tasha, Yoon Mi Rae, Yoon Mirae