SB Comments of the Week (5/20-5/26)

Lucy on SB Chat Box #23: Magical Junsu, idol “artists”:

Well I do think writing/composing is an important part of being an artist just because the musician is putting out a piece of work that they have thoughts, ideas and opinions on. If not at least participation other than recording the song such as picking tracks and compiling an album together. The lack of interpretation of any kpop is quite appalling sometimes as in interviews the questions about the actual song groups are promoting last for seconds and are very scripted whereas they questions about the actual group members themselves dominate to an extreme extent.

For example I watched as Exo interview in China, in which they asked the members about the song itself and there was dead silence and no one could think of anything to say since they already explained the gimmicks of the powers and what not. The song was supposedly about the downfalls of technology etc… Yet I have yet to hear members truly give any opinion of it.
The fact that most kpop artists are like this does take away from the music aspect of it, at least to me.

I heard you mention that in Asia songwriting is not prevalent but I’d disagree and say its mainly just kpop. That being said, I don’t follow jpop, but as for cpop/tpop, the music industry is based on solo artists who for the most part write all of their music. For example Tanya Chau, Leehom Wang, Karen Mok, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Khalil Fong, David Tao… Mayday, Sodagreen… all huge names in the industry and still somewhat considered idols since they are mainstream but actually are artists/musicians…granted there are artists that don’t write their own songs like Amei, Jane Zang, Faye Wong yet I feel they are very connected to what they put out as there’s less of a dance/performance aspect to it.

Most of the fans of these artists focus so much on the music aspect and how its fresh innovative, touching, or beautiful vocals…and fans are inspired by the music and comment so on those videos. Yet when we look at the top kpop artists’ songs…. rarely are the comment section later on after the release is there any discussion on the song but instead about how cute or hot they look… This just shows how/what the kpop industry is about at least internationally… This is just a comparison on this aspect because the cpop industry is far from perfect for different reasons.

Most of the argument for artists is how much they are presenting themselves in their work. Although Katy Perry doesn’t write her own songs, I can buy into the message of the song as some of her own ideas whereas in kpop I feel the idols just simply are given songs and asked to dance to them. I’m sure they put on the proper expressions or charisma or what not to execute the song but sometimes I can’t take them seriously in that it is so packaged and manufactured since its obvious they sell their image sometimes even more than the song itself. Also many kpop artists that do compose seem to just be using midi and putting beats together and I feel don’t know about music enough in itself but maybe this is biased since kpop is so electro based and not a lot of real instruments and since  I hear lots of actual instruments in cpop and most people know how to play piano and guitar at the very least or in some cases like 10+ instruments. In kpop if you play an instrument… it gets professed to be a “talent” although they are not even very good at it.

Sorry for the run-ons… and really long comment

conanblue on Kim Jong-min and a Career Post-Enlistment:

The public definitely had unremarkably high standards for him. I believe he was called the genius of variety before military. That title is quite heavy and with more time, people’s expectations just built and built. Those expectations eventually became difficult to fulfill. Also by the time Kim Jong-min came back to 1N2D, that show has became what was your regular weekend show into this international phenomenon. People who haven’t watched his episodes heard he was this super witty guy but instead got this okay funny person. Of course they were unimpressed. I also think the pressure got to him, but I mean, who wouldn’t? Although lately he’s getting better and better with each episode, mostly because the 1N2D brothers are so encouraging. Now I see a brighter light at the end of his tunnel, especially since the current 1N2D cast are mostly inexperienced in the world of variety. Here he can hone his skills without being compared to his other hilarious brothers and perhaps later become what the first cast became after a few years together: a delightfully engaging group of brothers.

I personally think he’s rather weak in the voice department, so I wasn’t expecting too much from his music. I feel like he’s a physically talented person, though, in terms that he is one great athlete. In 1N2D he’s quite the athletic and he’s definitely a better dancer than he is a singer. If he were to succeed through music though, he’d have to come up with something that’s catchy with no difficult vocals and perhaps emphasize on the choreography because I think he has potential in making visually cool stages.

On the topic of military, it’s a double edged sword and unique to each person. Some may be like Kim Jong-min who is overburdened by expectations and failed to accomplish what people want him to do. It’s not to say it’s impossible to be successful. Gong Yoo left right after his hit Coffee Prince, but came back stronger than ever. It’s a tight rope, and you have to know how to balance it. On the other hand, military can also be like an eraser in which sins can be blown away. A few troubled celebrities take on military to gain apologies from the public. Joo Ji-hoon went straight to the army after getting busted doing drugs, and Super Junior‘s Kangin also drafted after his DUI. Two years later, the public have mostly forgiven these two. So I guess if you leave to the army at a high, be prepared to meet with impossible expectations. But if you leave at your low, you come back like a new born baby (almost) free of sins.