I must admit that I love Korean music, films and dramas. Not very long ago I used to scold my sister for watching every episode of Pops & Seoul (all about K-pop music) and Showbiz Extra (Korean entertainment show) in Arirang TV. Actually she was exclusively watching all programs aired in that channel. I bet she would give her arm and her leg to be in Korea any day and catch her favorite artists performing on stage. So in the process I also stumbled upon some of their movies and dramas, and got carried away like millions of Asians like me who have fallen under the spell of the "Korean Wave" spreading across the world. Slowly I also started liking their music, knowing some of the famous Idol groups and solo singers, appreciating the talents, and so on and so forth.As a big music fan myself it wasn't long before I started listening to K-pop. Anything that is melodious and catchy gets me hooked. Initially I started getting requests from my sister to download particular songs for her. In the process I used to listen to the downloads and liked a few of them. Before long I started 'googling' for "top k-pop songs" or "top songs by top k-pop artists". The rest is history. Haha. :-)
Elsewhere in the world, particularly in the US and the UK, pop bands are the thing of the past. Spice Girls, NSync, Boyzone, Blue, Westlife were very popular once. They are popular now as well but only by name, they are no longer active as a band. Either the members have taken a different career within the entertainment business or some of them have turned solo. Powerful solo singers garner much attention and recognition in the music industry nowadays as has been the case since time immemorial. Perhaps that's why the music industry no longer take the trouble to form a new Backstreet Boys kind of pop act.
In South Korea though, the pop-band trend is still a huge hit. In a year, on an average, five or six new girl bands or boy bands are formed and introduced. They don't even release a full album to begin with. The trend is to release a single, promote the single, attract fans and then only they follow up with mini albums (3-4 songs) or full albums. Those bands who have a huge fan following are known as Idol-groups. As the term "idol" suggests, these groups have thousands of loyal fans, with their very own official "fan-clubs" and fan-club websites. The "netizens" (yes they are the citizens of the net...lol) are hawk-eyed and follow both the professional career and personal life of their idols. Seriously the fans are too crazy for my liking. Waiting for hours in the air port terminal to catch a glimpse of their idol celebrities, screaming and crying seeing them, sending gifts and letters by the dozens to them, donating to charities in their name (of course the donation part is good), publishing "birthday wishes" in the advertisement pages of newspapers, the list is endless. Attention is good but too much of it is poisonous. I can imagine the burden on their young shoulders, there is no personal time. If I didn't hear it wrong, they cannot even date. Idols seldom date for real but of course those who are dating must be successful in doing so behind closed doors.
Plastic surgeries, I believe, is cheap and affordable in Korea. The fact that men and women are obsessed over good looks and bodies, have made it a "normal" thing to pursue if and when required. The same is true for celebrities. It is not strange to see a few celebrities becoming prettier or handsome or weirder sometimes. Netizens are famous at comparing pictures of their past and present, making sure to point out the differences in their features, if they exist. I believe that most of them naturally possess beautiful genes. :)
As with any talent group formation, the members are selected through auditions or strangely so, some are scouted in the streets (on what basis? that I am not sure of). To reach a bigger audience, the trend has been to include members who are multi-lingual. You won't be shocked to find Chinese, Thai, Japanese or naturalized American-Koreans in idol groups. Since the training period is at least two to three years long, it is not hard for members to learn the language in the time of their training in singing, dancing, and others. Only after vigorous training, and only if they are deemed fit, then members are selected and then groups are formed. Groups debut with a particular image and try to maintain that image throughout their career, albeit some changes in their music and outfits (obviously). If they are successful they hold fan meetings and concerts, not only in their home country, but also in other parts of the world. Also they try their luck by trying to make their debut in Japanese (Japan is said to be a bigger market for music) and Chinese markets, re-recording their hit songs in those languages and recording new songs. Few have gone international like the Wonder Girls who recently released their English EP album, releasing their title song in three languages (English, Chinese and Korean) with three music videos, that's some feat. It is still to be seen whether they can equal or surpass their success they have in their home country with this new venture to get a shot at International Stardom.
Not all groups make it to the top. Despite some acts not scaling the heights as expected, they manage to have a good number of followers to sustain their career. Their job is not limited to singing and dancing, they are required to create opportunities for themselves in other areas (commercials, acting stints, musicals, etc.) and fans can see them for what they are (true , normal avatar ) when they participate in variety or reality shows. That's where the fans get to know their Real idols.
Idol groups are bigger in popularity than actors and actresses. Beats me! Some of the biggest names right now are TVXQ (DBSK), Wonder Girls, SNSD (Girl's Generation), Super Junior, Shinee, Big Bang, 2 PM, to name a few. All rely on catchy tunes and attractive choreography to stay on top. I love few songs here and there from these groups, love their dance choreography and secretly wish that I could master their groovy moves. Their popularity have been spreading across Asia like wildfire. What they term the phenomenon as "Hallyu Wave" aka Korean Wave. Why do you think I am a fan? I got hit by it too. Haha. I am just a decent fan, not a crazy one. I am more of a fan of their songs and their talent. Appreciate their beauty but not obsessed by it, appreciate their talent but not blinded by it. If I meet them in the streets I will never scream and cry, I will guarantee that.
The idol groups give me songs with nice beats and addictive hooks, but my real love lies in Korean ballads sung by talented singers with powerful voices. Like Hindi songs, they are full of emotion backed by expressive lyrics and melodies. SG Wannabe, Eru, Sung Si Kyung, Baek Ji Young, Lyn, K Will, are some of the respected talents in K-pop ( K-soul ? ) industry.
What about the movies and dramas? Hmm, I am very selective. I have watched few that have been highly recommended by friends or people online. Firstly I like it that most of them are women oriented. Women characters (lead) are usually the strong-hold of the story. The Korean culture can be experienced through Korean cinema, and they are high on the "comedy" element as well. The recurrent theme is the Love triangle between the characters and the confusions related to it, loads of funny side-kicks and an occasional tear-jerking moments. Their movies and dramas makes for great entertainment so it is good to immerse in their worlds once in a while when one has the time to do so. [Rom-com Dramas that I recommend are Coffee Prince and My Name is Kim Sam Soon]
Music is universal, it is a universal language that unites all people. Language should not be a barrier. If you love music then it will not be difficult to like and appreciate music/songs from different parts of the world. The world is not short of talents and it is a good thing to come across different melodies, songs by different artists, from different countries. Thank god for the internet and television, if not for them, I would have missed out on this opportunity to listen to all great Music. After exploring English, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Spanish music, I am hungry for more. Our very own Bhutanese songs have blossomed over the past few years to my liking, that I have finally come to embrace and like them.
Now I must proudly proclaim that Music is a part of my life. ^-^
Elsewhere in the world, particularly in the US and the UK, pop bands are the thing of the past. Spice Girls, NSync, Boyzone, Blue, Westlife were very popular once. They are popular now as well but only by name, they are no longer active as a band. Either the members have taken a different career within the entertainment business or some of them have turned solo. Powerful solo singers garner much attention and recognition in the music industry nowadays as has been the case since time immemorial. Perhaps that's why the music industry no longer take the trouble to form a new Backstreet Boys kind of pop act.
In South Korea though, the pop-band trend is still a huge hit. In a year, on an average, five or six new girl bands or boy bands are formed and introduced. They don't even release a full album to begin with. The trend is to release a single, promote the single, attract fans and then only they follow up with mini albums (3-4 songs) or full albums. Those bands who have a huge fan following are known as Idol-groups. As the term "idol" suggests, these groups have thousands of loyal fans, with their very own official "fan-clubs" and fan-club websites. The "netizens" (yes they are the citizens of the net...lol) are hawk-eyed and follow both the professional career and personal life of their idols. Seriously the fans are too crazy for my liking. Waiting for hours in the air port terminal to catch a glimpse of their idol celebrities, screaming and crying seeing them, sending gifts and letters by the dozens to them, donating to charities in their name (of course the donation part is good), publishing "birthday wishes" in the advertisement pages of newspapers, the list is endless. Attention is good but too much of it is poisonous. I can imagine the burden on their young shoulders, there is no personal time. If I didn't hear it wrong, they cannot even date. Idols seldom date for real but of course those who are dating must be successful in doing so behind closed doors.Plastic surgeries, I believe, is cheap and affordable in Korea. The fact that men and women are obsessed over good looks and bodies, have made it a "normal" thing to pursue if and when required. The same is true for celebrities. It is not strange to see a few celebrities becoming prettier or handsome or weirder sometimes. Netizens are famous at comparing pictures of their past and present, making sure to point out the differences in their features, if they exist. I believe that most of them naturally possess beautiful genes. :)
As with any talent group formation, the members are selected through auditions or strangely so, some are scouted in the streets (on what basis? that I am not sure of). To reach a bigger audience, the trend has been to include members who are multi-lingual. You won't be shocked to find Chinese, Thai, Japanese or naturalized American-Koreans in idol groups. Since the training period is at least two to three years long, it is not hard for members to learn the language in the time of their training in singing, dancing, and others. Only after vigorous training, and only if they are deemed fit, then members are selected and then groups are formed. Groups debut with a particular image and try to maintain that image throughout their career, albeit some changes in their music and outfits (obviously). If they are successful they hold fan meetings and concerts, not only in their home country, but also in other parts of the world. Also they try their luck by trying to make their debut in Japanese (Japan is said to be a bigger market for music) and Chinese markets, re-recording their hit songs in those languages and recording new songs. Few have gone international like the Wonder Girls who recently released their English EP album, releasing their title song in three languages (English, Chinese and Korean) with three music videos, that's some feat. It is still to be seen whether they can equal or surpass their success they have in their home country with this new venture to get a shot at International Stardom.Not all groups make it to the top. Despite some acts not scaling the heights as expected, they manage to have a good number of followers to sustain their career. Their job is not limited to singing and dancing, they are required to create opportunities for themselves in other areas (commercials, acting stints, musicals, etc.) and fans can see them for what they are (true , normal avatar ) when they participate in variety or reality shows. That's where the fans get to know their Real idols.
Idol groups are bigger in popularity than actors and actresses. Beats me! Some of the biggest names right now are TVXQ (DBSK), Wonder Girls, SNSD (Girl's Generation), Super Junior, Shinee, Big Bang, 2 PM, to name a few. All rely on catchy tunes and attractive choreography to stay on top. I love few songs here and there from these groups, love their dance choreography and secretly wish that I could master their groovy moves. Their popularity have been spreading across Asia like wildfire. What they term the phenomenon as "Hallyu Wave" aka Korean Wave. Why do you think I am a fan? I got hit by it too. Haha. I am just a decent fan, not a crazy one. I am more of a fan of their songs and their talent. Appreciate their beauty but not obsessed by it, appreciate their talent but not blinded by it. If I meet them in the streets I will never scream and cry, I will guarantee that.
The idol groups give me songs with nice beats and addictive hooks, but my real love lies in Korean ballads sung by talented singers with powerful voices. Like Hindi songs, they are full of emotion backed by expressive lyrics and melodies. SG Wannabe, Eru, Sung Si Kyung, Baek Ji Young, Lyn, K Will, are some of the respected talents in K-pop ( K-soul ? ) industry.What about the movies and dramas? Hmm, I am very selective. I have watched few that have been highly recommended by friends or people online. Firstly I like it that most of them are women oriented. Women characters (lead) are usually the strong-hold of the story. The Korean culture can be experienced through Korean cinema, and they are high on the "comedy" element as well. The recurrent theme is the Love triangle between the characters and the confusions related to it, loads of funny side-kicks and an occasional tear-jerking moments. Their movies and dramas makes for great entertainment so it is good to immerse in their worlds once in a while when one has the time to do so. [Rom-com Dramas that I recommend are Coffee Prince and My Name is Kim Sam Soon]
Music is universal, it is a universal language that unites all people. Language should not be a barrier. If you love music then it will not be difficult to like and appreciate music/songs from different parts of the world. The world is not short of talents and it is a good thing to come across different melodies, songs by different artists, from different countries. Thank god for the internet and television, if not for them, I would have missed out on this opportunity to listen to all great Music. After exploring English, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Spanish music, I am hungry for more. Our very own Bhutanese songs have blossomed over the past few years to my liking, that I have finally come to embrace and like them.
Now I must proudly proclaim that Music is a part of my life. ^-^
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