omonatheydid | K-POP HWAITING: A GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF 2NE1

Our 10 finalists span 5 continents and a glorious assortment of genres — folk, dubstep, hip hop, dance punk, ghazal-inflected rock, reggae, indiepop, and K-pop. Of all these sounds, the last is the most region specific (Korea, obviously) and perhaps the least understood by casual observers and non-fans.

Written by Edward Chun, a Korean-American who worked as a music director for Korean TV dramas, the report examined the role of the management companies,assessed the pros and cons of grooming stars, viewed theviability of the non-pop Korean music scene, and tackled the big question of the time: whether K-pop would ever cross over to the US mainstream.What lies beneath the effervescent energy and high-gloss shine? How did these eye-candy stars blast out into the universe? Back in 2009 MTV Iggy fed the curious with a special report: “K-Pop Uncovered.”

“We’re waiting for someone outside the industry who breaks big. It’s just like the U.S. was before Nirvana. You know, Nirvana didn’t create grunge or alt rock but they tipped the system over. They made the chemical reaction occur. They’ve been replicating the Seo Taiji formula for fifteen years, and right now, there’s so many people the music industry does not serve, that you’re kind of waiting for that bigger than life performer, that zeitgeist, that thing…” Mark Russell, author of Pop Goes Korea, said at the time.

Edward talked to K-pop idol groups U-Kiss and ShINee, former stars Isak N. Jiyeon and Insooni, and rapper Tablo of Epik High. The brutal competitiveness of the Korean music industry was a regular refrain. Singers don’t just sing — they must also dance, speak several languages, act, and MC as well, working 10-12 hour days, every day. And that’s before anyone ever sees them. Once a group debuts, winning fans and making a mark in a landscape flooded with other gorgeous and talented acts becomes a heroic achievement.

So props to Isak, who said two years ago: “I don’t think 2NE1 is the typical Korean pretty girl. I think they’re the most beautiful girls in the world because they don’t have double eyelids; because they don’t have noses that hit the ceiling; because they don’t have that ‘entertainer’ look that people have grown accustomed to.”

Isak “heaped a great deal of praise on 2NE1″ for challenging K-pop conventions. And her words could now appear prophetic

Is 2NE1 the K-pop equivalent of Nirvana? Will they make a “chemical reaction” occur? They emerged from within the system (YG Entertainment is one of the big 3 in K-pop), but they’ve stormed up charts and stomped down barriers, winning fans outside Korea from the Philippines to Canada while redefining what it means to be a female K-pop idol. They brought the genre to the MTV Iggy BNB program, right alongside more widely disseminated sounds like reggae and folk and rock.Isak “heaped a great deal of praise on 2NE1″ for challenging K-pop conventions. And her words could now appear prophetic.

Does this make them the best band in the world? We love all our finalists too much to judge, but with one day left, we’re about to find out if we’re living in the 2NE1st century.

As 2NE1 superfan Zorayda told us recently, ”2NE1 is beautiful because of their music; because of the message that they convey; and because of who they are and what they represent. To me, that is more important.”

Source: Samantha Edussuriya of MTV Iggy

~~Voting is now closed.~~ ~~Although the countdown's at 00:00 already, you can still vote directly HERE . I dunno if those votes will still be counted, tho. 2NE1 Hwaiting!!!~~

OMFG MY BBs WON CONGRATS 2NE1 THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION!!!!!!!