omonatheydid | [OMG] NEW AMERICAN BOY BAND ‘HEART2HEART’ MODELED AFTER K-POP HIT THE SCENE

gunsandsmoke.livejournal.com posting in

I always knew that this day would come.

Following on from the recent launch of RedOne’s boy band Midnight Red, another new American boy band baring the effeminate name of Heart2Heart are preparing to hit the market, but this one comes with a difference — they’re modeled completely after K-Pop! They haven’t actually said that themselves, but the similarities are impossible to miss. I’ll even list them for you.

They’re debuting with a MINI-ALBUM, not an EP
Their mini-album has an intro
They released a teaser video for their debut single “Facebook Official”, which sounds nothing like the actual song
Their teaser video looks like 4minute’s "I My Me Mine" meets 2PM’s "Take Off"
Their band name has a number in it and is the same title as 4minute’s hit single “Heart to Heart”
All the members go by nicknames
They have a leader, rapper, lead vocalist, and sub vocalist
Their mini-album is being mastered by Tom Coyne, who does BIGBANG and 2NE1

They also reek of the same style as many of the turn of the millennium boy bands like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, which isn’t a surprise since they’re being mentored by Mr. Lance Bass himself (couldn’t ya tell?). The boys will officially debut early next month with the release of their 1st mini-album, which is currently available to preview in 30-second snippets on their official website. The songs are rather good, but in a very “Oh, I loved this tune when *NSYNC released it ten years ago” type of way. The clubby “International” is undoubtedly the strongest and most modern of the mini-album’s 4 tracks, but the lead single “Facebook Official” is charming in an old school Backstreet Boys-meets-O-Town kind of way.

Heart Attack (Intro) - Sample by Heart2Heart

International - (Sample) by Heart2Heart

But regardless of their music, this whole Heart2Heart project is fascinating from a marketing perspective. South Korea has always borrowed the best bits from Europop, J-Pop, and American pop, and mashed them all together to create what we now know as K-Pop, but it’s not until recently that we’ve started seeing elements of K-Pop internationally. Robyn’s recentBody Talk mini-albums screamed K-Pop with their short lifespans and sole single focus; Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, and Usher’s EP repackaged albums are also a K-Pop staple; and even Rihanna carries some K-Pop trademarks with her rapid-fire releases and highly-stylized concepts for each album era. You also can’t mention K-Pop without taking a look back at American pop’s turn-of-the millennium golden age; back then, pop acts were clearly manufactured, but for the most part, talented — *NSYNC and Britney could dance their asses off, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson were powerhouse vocalists, and Pink and Avril carried a singer-songwriter edge to their power pop. While Europe and Asia are still relatively happy with everyone knowing their pop acts are as fake as Beyonce’s songwriting credits, these days Americans need their stars sugar coated and marketed as being somewhat authentic, even though it’s all usually just smoke and mirrors set up by the label.

Heart2Heart don’t seem too concerned with hiding the fact that they’re no different to any other pop star — slick products — but they’ve tried to add a little artistry to their brand by listing leader Chad Future as both a creative director and music producer for the band, while cutie KX pulls double duties as both a sub-vocalist and group choreographer. That’s all well and good, but the real test will come when the boys start performing, so we can see if they really carry the K-Pop spirit as strong singers and dancers, or if they’re your typical Western pop stars who can barely sing and dance to save their lives.

I’m already a Heart2Heart stan — duh — but their boy band plan is far from perfect. Firstly, not even the cheesiest K-Pop act would give their members names like Chad Future and Pretty Boi Pete (-_-), and I don’t ever remember 98 Degrees calling one of their members the group’s official ‘Swag General’ (*_*). But I’m down for some fun with Heart2Heart and my new boyfriend KX. Plus, Midnight Red need some competition, right?

Check out Heart2Heart’s terrible/amazing “Facebook Official” teaser below. You can also find out everything you need to know on the group over at their official website or Facebook page.