Not if the emulation is a failure.
Recently, solo singer “AB” has been gaining a lot of attention for having claimed that she is Korea’s Lady Gaga. KPOP has been criticized for adopting, and in some instances, even copying, the Western musical style, but I appreciated the fact that she was being honest–until I listened to her music.
As a Lady Gaga fan, I can say that this sounds essentially nothing like her. Both Lady Gaga and AB are working in the same genre but just because Kiss and Muse are both considered Rock doesn’t mean Muse is the modern version of Kiss and vise versa, does it? Lady Gaga also has an amazing voice and though I concede that this song doesn’t really give AB the opportunity to shine, she doesn’t have the voice Gaga does. The only thing that I can consider an attempt to emulate Mama Monster, is the controversial and shocking appeal of this video. But again, Lady Gaga doesn’t use controversy and shock in a sexual manner–her brand of eccentricity is beyond that.
However, there is a bigger problem here: instead of aiming to be a nationally, ethnically, or what have you answer to any artist, artists should seek to aim for originality. Originality is something that is difficult to come by these days and it’s instances like this that remind fans how bad it has become. Why would people listen to a Korean Justin Timberlake when they can listen to the original? Why would people listen to the Next Generation Dong Bang Shin Ki when they can pop in their All About Dong Bang Shin Ki DVD? She shouldn’t be emulating anyone in the first place; the fact that she failed in her emulation just provides insult to injury.
(Naver)
