Could K-pop make it without the Western mix?

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

Over the years, as the Korean wave has touched the shores of Asian countries, several popular singers have tried to make it in the Asian market. Rain, Se7en and Yangpa have been among the notable flops, and BoA is currently releasing singles and videos in the United States. Now the group Wonder Girls is trying, with much fanfare, to make an impact. The group made its television debut on "The Wendy Williams Show" in July and is currently an opening act for the insanely popular Jonas Brothers.


The Korean media is, of course, uniformly excited, but the online community is more ambivalent. Regarding the performance on The Wendy Williams Show, 3gyupsal writes: "Three girls sang, and they lip-synched the chorus. One girl was obviously digitally assisted".

ROK Hound adds, "That was about as clear as I've ever heard them sing the English version of the song, and I still don't know what the hell they're saying for most of the song".

Reports in the local papers were bolstered by glowing reviews by Koreans and Korean-Americans, although others were less enthusiastic about the performance. Commenter 3gyupsal continues: "What the hell is JYP [Entertainment director Park Jin-young] thinking? The guy produced a song for OutKast, he has an office in New York, you would think that someone like him would know that you can't perform live and lip-sync. He is sabotaging their chances in America before they can get an honest shot at releasing a record. Nobody, nobody, but K-pop fans would buy their stuff".

Shortly after the television performance the Wonder Girls opened three Jonas Brothers shows in my home state, and one in my hometown, Pittsburgh. The few brief mentions of them in Pennsylvania said they performed one song, their first U.S. single "Nobody". The singers were also giving dance lessons to the song outside the stadiums before the shows.

Sonagi questions who the target audience of the group is. "Up to now, I'd only read Korean media reports on the Wonder Girls as an opening act and had no idea they were singing only one song. That explains why every video of them in the U.S. shows them singing only 'Nobody'. Literally one-hit Wonder Girls in America. Rather than establishing a fan base in the U.S., their participation in the tour seems to be raising their status at home in Korea".

John B appreciated the video of the band doing a dance lesson outside their bus in Philadelphia. "Actually, I have a new respect for the group after seeing this video. They're starting out by paying their dues the way all other musicians do - by playing crappy gigs and taking whatever they can get".

Fairy219 adds: "Hitting them with just one and only one catchy song helps make people remember them and the song. With this, hopefully next time, when they release something else, people will get curious [and say,] 'Hey, that's the girls who sing that Nobody song'."

People have speculated what it would take for a Korean singer to make it in the U.S. Writes 3gyupsal: "If JYP spends enough money and gets them enough exposure I think they can definitely become a one-hit wonder if they release a song with a catchy and stupid enough hook".

Samedi adds, "While there are a lot of people who will buy an album if the hook from the single is catchy enough, there are also quite a few who want something different from what gets put on repeat at the Top 40 stations".

King Baeksu says, "What do Wonder Girls offer that is unique and different for U.S. music fans?"

These stars have adapted their styles to suit what they believe is the American audience, but it's worth wondering whether young Americans - not just Korean-Americans - would appreciate more authentic Korean pop music, rather than knock-offs or English translations.

source

Comments

[leap4detonation.livejournal.com]

I agree. :/

Except for the Trot part; it's hard to listen to and reminds me of Enka. -_-;

[hp-groupie.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with parts of this. A lot of the music I like reminds me of songs I've heard here, or rapping I've heard here.

Trot is a guilty pleasure for me, but if Korea wanted to, they could make it happen. Like the Macarena did all those years ago, or Selena, who made me listen to Spanish songs like nobody's business when all I knew was the word, "hola."

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

Since the American music market is the biggest in the world (isn't that right?) it influences the rest of the world in popular music. Lots of people complain and say korean pop is too western but you can say that about a ton of countries. and ikr doesnt it feel sometimes like when you listen to kpop you are listening to something that is from like 1998?

[1849.livejournal.com]

They were in Pittsburgh? I had no idea.

[slaphappyfuck.livejournal.com]

ouch.

i still think they should have touched down with tell me. *shrug*


and sure k-pop can survive without western music. It's called trot. ..shit's been around since like forever.

[nudrive.livejournal.com]

and sure k-pop can survive without western music. It's called trot. ..shit's been around since like forever.

LOLOL

They wouldn't be able to live without Japan's influences though...jus saying

[alphaeuspawns.livejournal.com]

tl;dr

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

ty for your fascinating reply.

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

"What do Wonder Girls offer that is unique and different for U.S. music fans?"

I read that and my head sort of cocked to one side and I'm like thinking, what do the other artistes offer for their own people? The same old hiphop, if not emo, if not ~indie~. IDK, the Wonder Girls are pretty different if you ask me. And these skeptics are just really, being skeptics. They are not ready to accept ANY Asians as of yet. Go to ONTD and they slam any asian artiste immediately. A boyband, a girlgroup, would be something different to the US scene now. But they don't want it.

[nautisch.livejournal.com]

I don't check ONTD too religiously, but some of the racist comments on posts about Asian artists are just..disgusting. :| I'm not a big WG fan, but they are a different thing in American music for sure. And I like Nobody, it's cute.

[marochi-x.livejournal.com]

I can't really imagine K-pop without any US influence, honestly.
It'd probably just be trot and ballads mostly.

& Wth at this article hating so much on WG.
They're doing the best compared to other Korean artists trying to make it in the US.

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

Wonder Girls really can and deserve to make it big the in the US. Se7en too (although YG's current management of him sucks balls).

BoA is hardworking but she just can't make it. Seriously, her music is catchy but there's something so....backwards in her style and music videos. It's very 1999. I can't put my finger on it, but if I didn't know about her beforehand, her music would be like a guilty pleasure. I wouldn't want acknowledgment as being a fan of hers.

[omgcats.livejournal.com]

I really liked SE7EN's US single. I wish that YG hadn't forgotten about him over here. :(

[breathe-ai.livejournal.com]

ROK Hound adds, "That was about as clear as I've ever heard them sing the English version of the song, and I still don't know what the hell they're saying for most of the song".

That can be said of anything that Sean Paul releases imo. -__- their 'english' clarity shouldn't be such an issue.

As for everything else, while I do kind of agree that an 'Asian' artist would probably have to conform to the pentatonic scale/kimono/chopstick/sushi image that most Americans have of 'Asians', I'm glad that WGs haven't given up on what makes them them. I'd like to see them make it big without playing the 'ethnicity card'.

[missklutz16.livejournal.com]

SHIT SEAN PAUL SINGS IN ENGLISH?

i always assumed it was kind of like kpop - a foreign language with some english lines thrown it.

[xcherryblossomx.livejournal.com]

WTF the author or this article is obviously not a WG fan.

JYP KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING! he understands the changing taste of the American audience.

I remember seeing girls (JB fans) dancing to nobody after the concert.

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

i'm not much of a fan of WG but i honestly think they have the best shot at this than any of those before them... At first i was pretty skeptical about it, now i'm thinking that maybe they do have a chance... JYP is really doing a good job...

the thing with the American market is, they have this stereotype in their heads that Asians are lame, nerdy, and always fob-ish.. so even in music they bring that bias with them... they just don't think asian accent is cool unlike french or british...that's just how it is...

errrr... i hope that didnt sound bitter because im really not.. XDDDDDDDDDDDD

[freakative.livejournal.com]

some of the comments in this article are just... ugh! i think JYP's been doing a good job with the WG.

tbh, foreign artists will always have a hard time breaking into the american market, especially if they don't sing in english. the only exceptions of this are artists from Puerto Rico, Jamaica, etc. and i dont even know how long that took them to break through... and they still need a minimum of english lyrics in their songs

in general, americans (and im not talking about 1st/2nd generation immigrants) are not interested in music they "can not understand" which kinda sucks IMO. Growing up in France, my friends and i never minded listening to music that was not in French (and besides, we couldnt really understand american/british songs until we were in middle school). i guess Europe is a different story because there are so many different languages in that "small" area that that kind of exchange can not be helped.
i still wish people were more curious :\

[beauty0fparting.livejournal.com]

THIS SFM.

[uknows-lurve.livejournal.com]

Ah I hate how american society is today, epecially in the music scene!! I mean what the hell is wrong with Asian people wanting to be singer's and make it in the USA. I think the wondergirls are doing really great with their promoting. And i think out of all the groups that are trying to make it in the USA they are succeeding!

And honestly if we can have spanish rapper's and singer's like selena and pitbull who actually don't have to learn a fucking word in english if they wanted, why can't we have korean singers. T_T sorry for big rant this things always erks me.

[dreamerbri.livejournal.com]

there are a lot of spanish speakers in the us. it's like the unofficial second language here so it doesn't shock me that they're able to get on the charts. it's very unlikely for songs in other languages to succeed here.

[eurazngal.livejournal.com]

Personally, I think Kpop sounds better than American music. That's why I've come to love it so much. Even if I can't understand any of the lyrics, the beats Korean producers whip out are catchier than American pop songs in my opinion. I find that WG's songs are more fun to dance to and sing along with compared to American girl groups like PCD and Danity Kane even if they're not as vocally talented. I don't think I'm a biased fan lol. I will admit I think Nobody might turn out to be one of those annoying songs (if it gets played a lot on the radio) that everyone will get sick of. to be honest, the chorus repeats itself too much.
kay, I'm done xD

[onerainysunday.livejournal.com]

"One girl was obviously digitally assisted"

LOL.

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

We know who that was.

[necrobiopsy.livejournal.com]

If people who listen to subgenre X think that subgenre Y is total garbage and their music is supreme, and they're ethnocentric in the first place...

I don't know how these artists will get anywhere beyond "novelty act". Seriously, what I call "The Disco Sucks Effect" is completely what has stagnated music in the west. Now if anyone does something unique, interesting, or experimental (without artsy pretentiousness), suddenly it sucks. Korean music is just about all of that. Plus it's unacceptable to have female fans over here. Suddenly you're "gay", "scene", "emo", or "another one o' dem boybandz". Oh, and if female, you're "skanky and/or bubblegum garbage".

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

It's kind of amusing how impressed Koreans can be at someone entering the American music market even when they make no splash. I read an article the other day saying that the wonder girls had already conquered the American market and were moving on to dominate china. ror

[goku-the-saru.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't like WG, but I must say, I've heard about them more in the US media, then any of the other Kpop artists who've tried to get popular over here.
They must be doing something right.

[fairy219.livejournal.com]

wah, they quoted my random comment on some random blog o_O

[sehcee.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA WOLLY <3

[tigerlark.livejournal.com]

I'm SO freaking tired of how snobby some Americans are when it comes to music. I'm an American myself, and I LOVE foreign music. Some of my friends don't even give it a chance simply because it's not in English: "Is this one of them KOREAN songs?!" like music in other languages is some kind of infectious disease.

Whatever, I'm just ranting. And I really wish Americans would give foreign singers a chance.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

Wondergirls are different but they are not adding anything special to the American market right now. Different yes, by being Korean other than that nothing. They took to fast to the Disney world coz that's what Disney is about fast and coated. As much as all the publicity is good it sets them up to be a certain type of artist and they will become known by "being" everywhere without showing what they can do. New songs, singles, videos, small shows. I give them a head nod and say good for them but until they bring new stuff, they are just having summer fun.
I much rather have the others touch down first (rain/seven/utada), they have staying power but America doesn't know how to market artist with staying power.
Also a note the racist comments that are made re them is just those people who hide behind the internet. Don't think that Asians are being targeted alone...everyone that is not Nickelback and Paris Hilton gets racist remarks. Korea don't turn your nose up so much about that topic for the things kids learn in grade school would put those comments to shame.

[fuglyftw.livejournal.com]

tbh, i think the way that they're analyzing WG is a bit unfair. not all artists are perfect technically; not all of them can sing perfectly all the time.

it's all about the appeal/charisma that they have. and i think that WG has it.