I like to post this clip on whatever platform I can just because it’s the Queen, y’all.
I’m always really in awe of the dancers in Kpop who have a wealth of stage experience and just have it in their bodies to be that good. And ironically–or not–they’re usually not the best singers. I’m talking about the idols in Kpop who are naturally gifted with movement, those who are dancers not because it’s been forced into them through training. (Hyoyeon and Hangeng come to mind.) But in the Kpop biz, things are so confined. Why does someone like Gahee who’s so good at dancing have to sing in order to “make it” into an idol group, aka have a shot of being nationally recognized? And then conversely, why do singers like Brian or Hwanhee have to add a dance number into their songs just so that they’re not a “traditional” ballad singer, who are pretty much economically irrelevant in the business?
It’s almost like there is no place for people who are just “dancers.” They don’t get to be “famous” in the way famous rolls in Korea, with the variety shows and the shiny CF offers. And while there is a bigger market for people who are just skilled singers, compared to the wealth that idol groups get to cash in for their companies, how much do people like Park Hyo Shin or post-G.O.D. Kim Tae Woo earn?? Take Baek Ji Young. I think she’s had a fairly decent ballad-singing career, but she got a huuuuge spike in popularity (and sales) over the summer because of her collaboration with Taecyeon — not only because he’s a bankable idol, but because the dance element made the song relevant to the mainstream.
My point is that it sucks to want to be a star in Kpop. You train to sing and dance and then you debut, and inevitably there are people who slam you for not having enough skill. But why do you have to possess that skill anyway? Why isn’t there a market to sell the thing that you are good at?
Dear two dudes who have the lofty and great profession of being YG’s only stylists,
Can we stop styling while tripping on acid? Is it just too hard to stop throwing all the shit you found at the bottom of your draw onto a piece of clothing? I get that it was really cool and refreshing when you first put dolls together into a circle formation and deemed it a “bracelet” and then let CL wear it on stage, but maybe we should stop at one toy-strung-bracelet.
I know that you guys (or one of you guys) went to Central Saint Martins for ~fashun~ and ~design~ but can we stop with this shit? Can we stop trying so hard?
I don’t know which aspect is more perfect — the fact that Bong Sun has a less annoying voice than Hyunah, Yoseob’s complete disinterest in the dance/simultaneous rigorous pelvis thrusting, Hyunseung’s sick body waves, Dongwoon’s amazing fascination with the whole thing, or Junhyung’s complete embarrassment.
I think I’m gonna run off to watch more of Beast’s documentary now…
(Other great performances at the dance battle [which is one of my favorite idol gatherings every year, heh]:
Posted on January 31, 2010, 6:20 pm, by Amy, under asian pop culture.
Because I am super jaded about Kpop, I really don’t think Jung Yong Hwa (and by extension, CN Blue) is going to have any lasting power in the Kpop mainstream. At the moment they can still coast on Yong Hwa’s stint on “You’re Beautiful,” but that’s not going to last long unless Yong Hwa picks up another role asap. But if he does that, he’s going to compromise the musical side of him, which kind of puts CN Blue in the back seat again. Look at Kim Joon from T-Max. What the hell happened to him? And T-Max? Two hit wonder with “Almost Paradise” and then “Fight the Bad Feeling.”
CN Blue definitely has a unique sound and they deserve more success and recognition, but their management is half-assing them. Their first official Korean debut mini-album consists of only five songs, and two of them are recycled from their Japanese debut. It’s all about pushing out the product while it’s still hot. Who cares about musical integrity and gravitas? In another three, four months, like so many others before them, Jung Yong Hwa and CN Blue will be tiny, diminishing blips on everybody’s radars.
SNSD’s concept makes it so hard to like SNSD as a Kpop project, regardless of how the girls are personally. Their concept has never really changed (with the exception of maybe “Genie”); it just adapts itself with each promotional period by tweaking hair, makeup, and accessories.
I think SNSD’s concept planners are a decade behind with the idea of girl groups, because I think that SNSD is the worst in Kpop when it comes to redefining what being a girl group means. People already make fun of SNSD as it is for being the 9 [insert your own derogatory adjective here] beauties, and their management isn’t keen at all about embracing individuality and promoting all of the girl’s potentials. Wearing identical outfits for every performance, with maybe a difference in jean color and shoe color (Gee), wearing the same outfits and same everything (Genie), wearing identical extensions and being fucking cheerleaders (Oh). Music concept-wise, SNSD is the ultimate example of embracing conformity. On the international music scene, girl groups don’t seem to have much cache left, but that doesn’t mean that Korea can’t keep putting them out and doing well with the girl group idea.
My ultimate grudge against SNSD is not against the girls themselves, but the kind of male management that’s behind them, because I am pretty much 100% sure that their images are decided by males, for males, to appeal to men’s wishes. It’s so tired, uncreative, sexist, and the worst is that they all have to act like they’re lapping this shit up by playing up the winking, head tilting, heart-making, nervous shaking. And I’m sure all that wasn’t for my benefit. It disgusts me and makes me disappointed because I want to see stronger girls in play.
I’d rather stick to watching them do dance covers forever if that’s the only thing I’ll get:
