Yellow Fever/Yellow Immunity
You probably don't know who Yani Tseng is. But that's ok, because I don't even remember why I know who Yani Tseng is. She does, however, have a few things in common with SNSD: she's an '89er who's claimed a heaping chunk of #1s and just happens to be Asian. She's also the non-face face of the LGPA . . . at least in America
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This is actually really funny because recently I've been having conversations about the dance abilities of Asians in contexts completely unrelated to K-pop. These conversations go one of two ways: You either have Asians who are worse than the "white people can't dance" stereotype or you have the Asian who can dance at a ridiculous difficulty level stereotype. There seems to be very little in between.
This talk about WG actually has made me wonder about K-pop groups and how we view some as fortunate and some as unfortunate because of corporate decisions that lead them on one path or another. Which really made me wonder, you know, about appreciating having a job, the opportunity to perform, how, really, it seems it all came down to luck and timing and opportunity in terms of what group any idol artist ended up in. I mean, WG could have been made up of a completely different set of girls--and, as we know, there have been subtractions and additions--so it's interesting to think about these idols as . . . well, playing a crapshoot game because they have so little autonomy as a consequence of using the idol machine to realize their dreams. You talk about WG that should have something to do and opportunities to grow--but why. Why should they have any more opportunities than the group that fails or is overlooked because, say, a group like SNSD is dominating currently or the public is whimsical?
It's an interesting fan-entitlement issue. Like I think about independent artists--the other day I was listening to Fiona Apple again ♥--and in YT comments you'll often see people asking her to release another album. And such an appeal is a direct one to Fiona Apple: please write and record new music for us. But when we talk about an idol group in the same terms of wanting new material, we almost never appeal to, for example, SNSD themselves but to SM. And that appeal takes such a different shape about what "new material" means. It's definitely interesting.
I have no idea what this "exo" thing you speak of is. The only "exo" I know is Exosquad, which, omg, I have not thought about in probably over a decade.
but largely i fail at lyrics because often i just don't hear them!
This is mostly my deal with foreign music, but what happens to me is that as a consequence of not understanding lyrics, they tend to become part of the melodic machine: how do the elements fit together aurally and am I grooving to it? If no, I'm probably not going to listen to it.
Funny thing is, if I go to look for a song on YouTube, I almost never click the MV. I don't care. I just want to listen to it so I'll pick the "lyrics" videos over actual MVs, usually because MVs can sometimes introduce other elements outside of the song that I don't want to listen to, like acting or long ass intros.
But since SNSD is packaged as a performance group, I have to agree that their visuals can be just as damning or hooking. "Gee" definitely had all the elements that were just right for captivating an unprepared soul.
I have finally admitted that I actually groove to quite a bit of Rihanna's songs. In fact, I'm listening to "Te amo" right now. And I cannot stand Katy Perry on principle.
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totally. most idols enter the trainee game at such a young age, you have to wonder how much they understand about their likely shelf lives, keeping in mind the industry's rate of change. the cut-off used to be 5, maaaaybe 6 years, right? a group like big bang is a little anomalous in that they're still very popular, but once they'd attained that success they went experimental and sporadic.
with the WGs, i pick them out because they've also had that crazy level of popularity - that's the goal, right, to basically be guaranteed success no matter what you put out? which dbsk, i guess big bang, now snsd has. the interesting part comes after that - the industry doesn't have anywhere further for you to go - so where do you go? the WGs, it seems, go to america, and it's like a popped balloon. it's a career, and they haven't shown any signs of wanting to quit the game. so they're treading water. they're signed into mutual contracts - they've earned JYP a lot of money, therefore i think he should use his considerable influence to give them - idk, something.
all i know about fiona apple is her coloured personal history. ._. and i think i might've seen an MV where she was incredibly thin. poor thing... rec some of her music?
lmfao. you really are not paying attention to kpop, huh. sme's new venture. chinese and korean pair-groups who release the same song on the same day in their respective countries. sme's released a squillion teasers on their YT channel, and the majority have starred kai, so he's getting a lot of hate, sort-of yoona-esque except nobody seems to think he's talenteless or 'plain' so idgi. they've released their songs but haven't performed on the music shows, and i think they're debuting with a full album.
haha, fair enough. like t-ara's lovey dovey mv is what, 20 minutes? i really can't be bothered, even though i've probably spent more than that looping performances. but then instead of the mv i can get my visuals from perfs.
rihanna gets overplayed, omg that time last year/year before when she had what's my name and only girl in the world both out and they were both being played everywhere ,jgskjgdkaj but she's also got great songwriters and personal charisma - man down is THE GREATEST, shit i love her so much for doing that. and i could pass on the mv but we found love is super.
hahaha, what principle is that?
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I was, er, "gifted" with a link to watch the WG Nickelodeon movie. I have to say I was horrified after five minutes of it--but I bet you it would be awesome to watch with a group of snarky friends. Which is not a glowing compliment. XD But, maybe if I were tween age, the WG movie would totally fly . . . I did see Spice World in the theaters back in the day!
they've earned JYP a lot of money, therefore i think he should use his considerable influence to give them - idk, something.
Chicken or egg problem. He made them a group--trained them, branded their image, wrote them songs, provided them with a PR machine--and opened the avenues for their popularity. So, who owes whom here?
The Fiona Apple MV with her looking really thin is "Criminal"--a most excellent song, though. She pretty much admitted to having an eating disorder--and many other problems. Hoo boy. But her songs come from a personal place because of that. I particularly have been enjoying "Shadowboxer", "Sleep to Dream", "Fast as You Can", "Never is a Promise", "Not About Love". These are not happy songs. XD But, man, if you are angry, it feels pretty good to sing along. I hadn't listened to Fiona Apple in quite some time and so listening to them recently, I was struck by her lyrics. Man.
chinese and korean pair-groups who release the same song on the same day in their respective countries.
Whuh? Why not . . . why not just have one group?
the majority have starred kai, so he's getting a lot of hate, sort-of yoona-esque except nobody seems to think he's talenteless or 'plain' so idgi.
Automatic Face backlash, I see.
omg that time last year/year before when she had what's my name and only girl in the world both out and they were both being played everywhere
Yes, I do! But to her credit, despite being super annoyed at that time, I can still listen to . . . well, actually I can still listen to "Only Girl in the World" and still enjoy it! The sentiment makes me feel good! Maybe it's the way she shouts the chorus with such conviction, like: BOY, YOU BETTER MAKE ME FEEL LIKE THE ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD!!!! In fact, I'll listen to it right now. I really like "We Found Love," I have to say. It's the bittersweetness of the song: better to have loved and lost, despite the terrible circumstances that meant it was doomed? And I did like "Rude Boy"--but that's because I enjoy me a dirty song, it's true. /shameless
The sell-out principle. XD I don't know. While this should probably apply to most pop artists anyway, I get especially annoyed with Perry. Maybe because she wrote that awful "I Kissed a Girl" song. Or maybe because she couldn't get the revenue off her gospel albums in the same way that proclaiming she kissed girls and liked it would get her. Y'know.
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i get on ok with disney channel movies, and i think the only nick movie i've seen would be drake and josh's christmas one or something (♥) but even the trailer for the WGs' one was awful.
he opened the avenues for their popularity, and they were popular - and then he packed them off to america and left them to stagnate. it's not about owing, it's for both their benefits, obviously. i really get affected by the WGs stuff because of how much they were affected by it - enough for sunmi to be vocal about it and then to quit, and then for sunye to be working so hard while her father was dying, and after. they can't put any more in than they do, as JYP is damn well aware and has commented on.
fuuuuuck she has charisma, i almost feel like i don't want to look her in the eyes. she's extraordinary. omg not about love's mv, i don't think i took in a word of that, lmfao. i love the comment comparing her to lana del rey on one of the mvs; what do you think of her?
so they can make more money? ;\
yes, exactly, except that this started solely on the basis of teasers!!
aaaa, only girl in the world never did anything for me. even the sentiment, which theoretically i dig, it's like playing foils - automatically think of all the other girls in the world, hahaha. that's my psycho interpretation, anyway. >_> with we found love i'm totally riding the dystopia kick. :)))) i should really listen to that properly, but my lyric blackout's in action again; really don't remember anything other than the chorus line!
omg she did gospel??! but... she can't... really... sing.........
yno the first time i heard firework it was a live and she was all breathy and shit and i liked it?! and then i heard the studio version and a few rounds later it was - meh. i totally liked i kissed a girl when i first heard that one, too. the more ~controversial stuff on that album... ended up sounding so very gimmicky very quickly.
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Which points to an interesting point about SNSD's PR message, which is that they will always be SNSD and, in fact, prefer to be a group rather than individual solo artists. Mmm-hmmmmm. In some ways they are stifled by their huge number and varying levels and types of talents being bundled as a group package because they may have worked themselves into corners in which it wouldn't be possible for those who would like to release a solo single and/or album with full promotional activities while a part of the group to release one. BEG and several other groups have managed it but SNSD has twisted their image to the point that any such attempt now may go down badly with the fandom. . . . The Wank might be worth it.
drake and josh's christmas one or something
. . . What?
it's not about owing, it's for both their benefits, obviously.
What you see right now is a lose-lose situation for the parties involved, but it may not look that way from where they're standing. WG may feel like they've got the short end of the stick, but JYP is thinking bigger and further and beyond them. He needs a wedge and now he's committed WG into a kind of kamikaze spearhead attack to try to break open the market for future ventures. The question of any success--and the degree of that success--remains to be seen, but he's trying to get at a bigger picture, it seems. If WG must be sacrificed for what he thinks is a greater gain, I suppose the question is whether or not he has the "right" of it now. Of course, it could end up lose-lose in the end but that's a gamble he's taking to the all-in max.
I don't think I've had much exposure to Lana del Rey? Let's see. Nope, I don't think I've heard much of her music. Rec some if you have some favorites.
so they can make more money? ;\
I wonder how much extra it costs them to fund a second group that basically just has to record different audio over the same melody track. I wonder if all the promotional preparation is done in the same place or if each is done at a home base in the respective country. And I wonder how much a double group like that would just end up competing with itself; the Asian markets have enough crossover thanks to the Internet that a second group may be redundant or even counterproductive. Hrm.
Most of the time I don't remember much of a song beyond the chorus. Sometimes I realize a song isn't much more beyond its chorus. XD
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agreed. the acting thing's interesting, though. i'm most interested in seeing how soori do, really.
are you not up on your tween/teen channel history.
>:c i'm refusing to consider other viewpoints, work with me here buddy.
she's been the new big thing. i've given her album a go-round. her voice can go very sweet, but also distanced and pointed; i like it. off to the races is interesting. i haven't got any particular faves as yet, but her voice and lyrics intrigue!
i think they're still working it out, which is why after the MV release we're just getting more teasers. they've only made an appearance with the sm orchestra at gayo daejun, and that was just a few of them. they're very talented, though. ;3 the crossover thing is definitely something to consider. in taiwan, at least, i don't know if xiao zhu's kpop thing is particular to him or more widespread, but then sorry sorry was on top of some chart for like a year or something ridic like that... and i think kdramas are popular too. so maybe they're ready for it (or maybe they'll like the korean unit better!)
songs shouldn't require so much thinking. i was listening to some song, i can't remember what, and the melody was fun but i swear only about 5 words were intelligible in the whole thing - does that make sense!
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They'll be joining a lot of their peers; there are a ton of idols doing drama work right now.
My tween/teen years were quite some time ago. XD /creepy old man
>:c i'm refusing to consider other viewpoints, work with me here buddy.
Friend, you are in the wrong comm if that is your stance. XD
The only "new" thing I know about is Adele and I cannot listen to "Someone Like Youuuuuuuuuuuuu" anymore. >(
they're very talented, though. ;3
They're SM trainees.
xiao zhu's kpop thing
Who?
(or maybe they'll like the korean unit better!)
This is exactly what I'm wondering.
Actually, I like when songs will surprise me with unexpected or cleverly crafted lyrics. Since they came up on my shuffled playlist earlier, Emily Haines has a few songs like that (she performs and releases albums both as a solo artist and as part of Metric). "Police and the Private" has a part that goes "There's a place that ends here I know / When they close the gates I'll cry." And the way she sings it always makes me wonder what sentence construction she means: "There's a place that ends here. I know when they close the gates I'll cry"? or "There's a place that ends here, I know. When they close the gates I'll cry"?
And "Monster Hospital" goes "I fought the war / But the war won't stop for the love of God," but again the way she sings it is super clever. There's a later lyric that completes where that lyric is leading: "But the war won." So what you get from the way she sings it sounds like "I fought the war / But the war won't / STOP for the love of God." But that "won't" is so awesomely placed because it sounds so close to "won" and the "stop for the love of God" part sounds like a plea/entreaty/command.
And "Succexy" is fun because I love that sense of the love of words, the mashing of "success" and "sexy." There's poetical play in Haines that I like.
Metric was even getting radio play with "Help I'm Alive" ("Hard to be soft / Tough to be tender" --> so good) and "Gold Guns Girls", which I kind of love every time it pops up when I'm driving. It's a song to speed to.
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