Korea's Music Seoul

Korean Music + fans = ?

2011-04-20T11:38:00.000-04:00

On April 17, singer, Taeyeon from SNSD, or Girl's Generation was attacked by a man during a performance in the Angel Price Music Festival.

This may speak to lax security (I'm not really sure how he managed to get all the way up on stage...), but I wanted to bring up a different point- the fans. After something like this happens, kpop fans get very emotional and start clogging up blogging sites and other social networks. Each Korean music group, if they are big enough, have a fan base. Those fans have special names. For example, SNSD's offical fan club name is 소원, SoWon, which means "wish". It is stylized as S♡NE. Fans are called SONE, meaning "so one" as in, SNSD and the fans are one. Popular boy group Super Junior's fans are called E.L.F's, meaning everlasting friends- their fans will always be there fans and that they are more like friends to SuJu.

This labeling creates a sense of belonging and a community where people who love a group can interact with each other. For concerts, fans will put together chants to sing during a singer's performance. So in the lulls of a song, the whole stadium will be chanting a group/singer's name. Fans put so much effort into showing their love for a group...can you imagine how intense anti-fans are?

When these two groups clash, it's like an online war... comments are overwhelmed by the number each side defending or provoking the other. So why is this different than any fan in other countries? It's how much a Korean music fan is invested in a singer. Just go to a concert, or a blog, or just a youtube video comment section.... then you might get a slightly better understanding.

9th Korean Music Festival in LA

2011-04-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

So Korea is bring the music to LA on April 30th. It's the 9th Annual Korean Music Festival and the lineup is as follows:

Jay Park
U-Kiss
4minute
SECRET
SISTAR
K.Will
Baek Ji Young
G.NA
DJ D.O.C
Jeong Soo Ra
Sul Woon Do
Kim Jang Hoon
Jeon Young Rok
Song So Hee
Lee Eun Ha

There are many familiar names as well as not so familiar ones. Last year's festival can be seen on allkpop's site.

It's nice to see a concert in the US dedicated to Korean music. It gives everyone who cannot fly to asia to a concert to experience the kpop culture in person.

Allkpop even has a facebook page dedicated to the event.

Sigh.. wish I could go. Hope everyone who goes has a blast!!

Hallyu to America!

2011-04-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

Hallyu movement in America- more and more singers/rappers/etc. are pointing towards Korea with their music. will.i.am's Check It Out features a Korean man introducing him in Korean. Also, throughout the music video, there are Korean phrases thrown around the screen. Although this video/song is not something new, I just found it and thought that it was pretty cool.

Also Far East Movement went to Seoul to perform a last month. Here's a link to an interview about the group. The article mentions will.i.am's mv as well!

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about will.i.am's mv and his use of Korean... but I think its kinda awesome that American artists are starting to use the Korean language as well as collaborate with Korean artists and producers.

For me... "Turn it up" rather than "Turn it up to 11"

2011-03-28T10:42:00.029-04:00

After watching the documentary, Turn it up to 11, on a few notable Indie Rock bands in Korea, I conclude that I still prefer mainstream music. HOWEVER, this might be because the documentary shows more of how each band acted and what their success and failures were. I did not get to listen to their music as much as I saw bits and pieces of them on stage or getting ready. The energy is definitely there and obviously attracts crowds. Galaxy Express (above) in particular, has been doing well and even came to the US for a concert this past Friday. However, I would rather listen to TOP's Turn it Up (sub-titled in English):

Korean indie rock bands Fight Hunger in North Korea

2011-03-25T14:18:00.000-04:00

Someone I know put together a concert to Fight Hunger in North Korea.. and what do you know.... Galaxy Express, who was featured in the documentary from my last post, will be performing in New York tonight.

Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Venue: Soirée (199 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10002)
Ticket Price: $18 online; $25 at the door
Student Discount: $12 online; $15 at the door (with student ID)

http://hanconcert.blogspot.com/p/han-concert.html

Idiotape
Vidulgi ooYoo
Galaxy Express
Paper dolls

Korean Indie Bands... there are such things?

2011-03-22T16:14:00.001-04:00

As a Korean American, I only ever really heard about Kpop- the mainstream big hit artists... so I was excited when I heard about a documentary called Turn it Up to 11 on Korean Indie Bands.

You can watch it on Dramafever. Featured groups are hard rock band Galaxy Express, Tobacco Juice, and Apollo 18. I will be watching it and post my thoughts on it!

---edit---
The documentary has also been mentioned in US online journals.

Big Bang hallyu via UNIQLO

2011-03-02T20:17:00.054-05:00

So UNIQLO has only one store in the United States- the one in SoHo. aaannndd Big Bang came out with some stuff.... like some hoodies and t-shirts. UNIQLO retailed the Big Bang line in all 825 of their Japan stores on February 5, but within 15 minutes, every single Big Bang item was sold out. UNIQLO also started selling Big Bang items in the UK.

That they're selling in the UK and US is pretty crazy since they have never performed or promoted in the states of the UK. But they're doing really well- sold out pretty quickly and their album is even on the American billboards! They were also #9 on iTune's Pop Albums chart (hellokpop).

Big Bang is taking part in the hallyu movement with their album and clothing line! People on iTunes definitely love them.1550 Ratings and 5 stars. Everyone should check them out ;)

Big Bang is here Tonight

2011-02-23T23:09:00.023-05:00

Whoooo! Big Bang is bacccck! I wrote about G-Dragon and TOP's new album earlier. The long-waited comeback for BB culminated when they released their mini-album complete with 6 songs. One is a Korean version of one of their Japanese songs (yea they're in Japan too!) and the four are original tracks. All six are written completely by GD, who also took part in all six songs' composition.

This is their title song with English subtitles: Tonight

The album is as follows:

1. Intro

2. Hands Up

3. Tonight

4. Somebody to Love

5. What is Right

6. Cafe

Big Bang. just listen to them.

2011-02-21T18:15:00.048-05:00

Big Bang's album is coming out soon (and I adore that group)!! There will be a couple posts on them in general... just because :D

Some of Big Bang's big hits:

하루하루/Haru Haru/Day by day (In Korean, then romanized in English so non-Korean speakers can say it, and then the English translation)

The music video is reminiscent of a stereotypical Korean drama... but the song and the chorus is what really caught everyone's attention. Listen to the music... not what you would expect right?

Lies - Another huge hit for BB (the actual song starts around 00:25)

Even though the lyrics and music video don't really have much to do with each other.... the song is pretty nice- deviates from the normal "kpop" songs that were going around when Big Bang came out. Big Bang literally opened up an entirely new facet of music to Korea.

What does it mean to be a "Korean Idol?"

2011-02-20T12:42:00.055-05:00

The closest the US has come to Korea's "idols" or "idol groups" are the Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC. For Korean idol to be called so, they undergo years of training in singing, dancing, instruments, acting, and other talents. If or when they debut, they are subject to a lot of criticism: Are they naturally beautiful (beauty is almost a must to become an idol)? Did they do any sort of surgery? How tall are they? Where did they come from? Do they treat their family well? Are they well-liked by fellow group members? What personality do they have? How did they get into the business in the first place? ... Korea is a small country-- any little comment can set off a huge commotion in the community.

Korean idols are literally.... idols. They are what most people aspire to be- talented in multiple fields of their industry, successful, well-liked, tall (it's a Korean thing), and of course it doesn't hurt that they are drop-dead gorgeous 99% of the time.

The community falls so hard for Korean idols because they really show themselves to the public. It is Korean culture for idols to take part in many shows (talk shows, game shows, just regular shows, etc). This way, the community "gets to know" the idol and what they're like. It makes them that much more endearing and closer to regular people like ourselves.

Idols Jo Kwon and Ga-In on the show "We Got Married"

"We Got Married" is a hit show and after it aired, these two idol's popularity soared like no other. Just as anyone, they are everybody's favorite married couple (they're not really married, that's just the show). They are actually each a part of their own idol groups. Jo-Kwon from 2PM and Ga-In from Brown Eyed Girls.

The Korean king and queen of hip hop hitting up the world

2011-02-15T21:42:00.061-05:00

The Korean king and queen of hip hop, Tiger JK and T(asha), are coming out with a global project called SUNZOO. T's full name is Natasha Shanta Reid, and her Korean name is Yoon Mi-Rae/윤미래. Tiger JK's name is Seo Jung-kwon/서정권.The two are married with a son named Jordan, but that they are at the top of the hip hop world in Korea is no coincidence. They each have broken through many of Korea's cultural barriers with their music and will continue to do so worldwide with their global project.

They are joined by producer Illmind (worked with Eminem, LL Cool J, and 50 Cent), Rok Codero (directed mv's for John Legend, Rick Ross, WuTang, and Jay-Z), Roscoe Umali, Styliztik Jones, and more.
Illmind even tweeted about the project, giving his support. Read more about the people involved on their blog.

I can't wait to see how their project is going to do. They make some really great music, listen to one of the SUNZOO's songs below:

Speaking of hip hop, everyone should go check out Elvin's blog on hip hop and how it has been changing. Tiger JK was one of Korea's hip hop pioneers, and I hope that he can bring out the true hip hop in the world.

JYJ fans show just how strong the hallyu wave can be

2011-02-13T18:27:00.040-05:00

Last week I wrote about JYJ, how they have the largest official fan base in the world, and their contributions to the Hallyu movement. JYJ's fans put together a petition against unfair "restrictions in their music promotions and television appearances" in Korea (source allkpop) . Because SM Entertainment (the company they used to belong to) is one of the largest and most influential entertainment companies, there is no surprise that JYJ's media time decreased- whether it be that TV stations did not want to get on the wrong side of SM, or that the media giant took their own action.

The effects of the restrictions on JYJ manifested itself in multiple ways, but the one I want to highlight is the petition. The petition from the fans is not just any kind, but one that has been translated into 10 different languages (Korean is not one of them...). Though this may just be a testament to how intense the group's fans are, that this campaign has been translated into Turkish, Spanish, French among others ultimately shows how far JYJ has reached with the Hallyu movement.

Even their fans recognize the Hallyu movement and that they are a part of it. Under the Purpose of the Petition, the first sentence says, "We the international consumers of the Korean Wave [...]."

I think it's amazing that the petition was translated into so many languages. While it obviously shows that JYJ's fans are very dedicated, it's cool to think that Korean music has touched various other cultures.

International talent flowing to and from Korea

2011-02-09T21:05:00.132-05:00

Last year, the Korean group 2PM from JYP Entertainment caused quite a bit of noise with its Park Jaebom controversy. Because of a negative comment he made on his personal blog, Jae was subject to netizen's criticisms and disapproval, which in Korea's technologically sophisticated culture, has a lot of power. In this instance, their reaction caused Park Jaebom, who was the leader of 2PM, to leave the group and Korea. Read more about what happened here.

Jae was born and raised in the US, but found his way to Korea after he successfully auditioned for JYP in the states. Many Korean entertainment companies (JYPE, YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment, etc) do a great job in reaching out internationally to find new talents to bring into the Korean music scene. They are looking at a vast pool of talents and of course, it helps that countries are now looking to diversify and bring other cultures into their own.

Korea has very intricate ties with the US, including with the demilitarized zone across the 38th parallel, which just about created a sort of permanent relationship between the US and Korea. Just an example of the lasting impressions of America on Korea: Koreans are looking to study abroad in English speaking countries, learn English, listen to American music, and more. Instead of adding new words to the Korean language, Korea takes English words and spells them out in the Korean language. They are pronounced the same, but with a hint of an accent. Koreans are increasingly looking to the American culture, and knowing this, the Korean Entertainment industry goes abroad to bring back talents that will appeal to the current culture. This does not only apply to America; they go to China, Thailand, Japan, etc., in search of someone to capture the Korean audience.

Cultural differences or just a scandal like Park Jaebom's may cause an international artist to leave the Korean scene. However, there seems to be something about the Korean culture that also draws potential artists to the country. Although he left his group and company, Park Jaebom has been going back and forth from the states and Korea to work on various projects. Just looking at his online schedule shows that he has been very active in Korea and other countries outside the US since he left 2PM and JYPE in February 2010.

What is it that draws people to the Korean culture? What makes them leave?

2010 Top Kpop songs performed by... an orchestra?!

2011-02-07T10:31:00.001-05:00

So the hallyu movement seems to be going strong- so strong that someone composed a medley of some of the most popular Korean songs from 2010 into an orchestral piece.

The songs used are the following:
1. SHINee – Lucifer
2. SHINee – Ring Ding Dong
3. Super Junior – Bonamana
4. U-Kiss – Man Man Ha Ni
5. T-ara – I Go Crazy Because Of You
6. BEAST – Shock
7. Big Bang – Haru Haru
8. FT Island – I Hope
9. Wonder Girls – 2 Different Tears
10. BEAST – Mystery
11. 4Minute – HUH
12. T-ara – Bo Peep Bo Peep
13. KISS – Because I’m A Girl
14. 2AM – I Will Never Let You Go Even If I Die
15. DBSK – I Believe
16. SNSD – Gee

Even if you haven't heard half of these songs, it's pretty cool sounding... And it's even cooler to know that there are 16 different (Korean) songs in a 6.5 minute piece.. performed by the Nanyang Polytechnic Chinese Orchestra. They're even using some traditional Chinese instruments! Korean music seems to be popular in a lot of different ways these days! Hallyu movement is going strong :)

From unfair contracts to the Hallyu movement

2011-02-06T23:49:00.003-05:00

Something that has recently come up again and again is the controversy about Korean entertainment companies forcing their artists to sign unfair contracts. The most well-known would be the SM Entertainment and DBSK (Dong Bang Shin Ki or 동방신기) conflict. You can read about their unfair contract terms on Allkpop; however, the end result was that the group split. DBSK was internationally renowned and even has the largest official fan base in the world- making it into the Guinness World Record book. The group played an important part in the hallyu movement/the Korean wave, which is an increase of popularity South Korean culture throughout the world.

Recently, more artists, talents, actors, etc., have been taking part in the hallyu movement, going overseas to promote the Korean culture. I think that the hallyu movement is pretty cool and also very important for the Korean economy. It is also just amazing when people from other cultures (Irish, Indian, Lithuanian, etc.) come up to me and ask about a Korean artist. However, that such international artists like DBSK has split because of an unfair contract is not the way I want the world to see the Korean music industry. Granted, this issue caused a great deal of conflict, but what came after is also something worth noting.

The three who protested created a new group called JYJ and has actually come out with their first English album. In the spirit of their old group, they are continuing to expand their reach and contributing to the hallyu movement. They collaborated with Kanye West and Malik Yusef for their song Ayy Girl:

The other two, Yunho and Changmin stuck with SM Entertainment and has just come out with a new song. Here is one of their live performances:

Before they split, they came out with Mirotic, which was a huge hit in Korea, winning them album of the year.

GD&TOP shine with their skills in new album

2011-02-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, G-Dragon and T.O.P from the Korean group Big Bang has released a CD together. Big Bang is currently one of the hottest Korean idol groups, and the leader, G-Dragon (GD), and the main rapper, T.O.P have come out with some amazing tracks. The album really highlights both of their vocal and rapping talents. The two of them produced the album together and each wrote lyrics for the albums as well.

Their songs are more Americanized, taking from themes such as electronica and working with American DJ's such as Diplo. Diplo comments on working with the two rappers on his blog.These two are in the spotlight for their talent along with seamlessly integrating American themes and the English language into their songs. Their songs are catchy and unique- listen to see if you agree~

Here is one of their music videos - Baby Good Night