New Obsession
On a whim I searched for Korean pop music and discovered the bands Girls' Generation and Big Bang. Now I'm obsessed with Big Bang's song "Bad Boy" and one of the band's rappers, T.O.P. also known as Choi Seung-hyun.
My taste in men has always been a bit...strange. I don't apologize. This 24 year old rapper, singer, rapper, and much more has a sexy, deep, raspy voice that I would never have expected from a guy in a boy band. Also, he dyes his hair blue, my favorite color. Nice touch. To top it all off, he (like the rest of the band) has great dance moves. Killer dance moves are a sure fire way to make me swoon. If you need proof, check out this live performance of "Bad Boy".
T.O.P. is not the best dancer of the group. I'd hand that award to Daesung (the blonde) or Taeyang (the guy with the mohawk), but part of his stage persona as one of the rappers of the band is to not follow the boy band image of a perfect dancer. Doing so makes his role as a rapper more believable because rappers in the US don't usually dance either, at least not the way choreographed boy bands do.
My current obsession with Big Bang stems from my love for boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC when I was younger. Big Bang reminds me of the whole set up of those bands and the many that followed such as 98 Degrees and 5ive. Each guy has his own stage persona and brings a certain flavor to the group. In Big Bang, T.O.P. and G-Dragon (the guy with the squeaky voice and frilly jacket) serve as the rappers of the group, but T.O.P. has a smooth, player manner while G-Dragon has this crazy edginess. Daesung is the pretty boy. Seungri is the suave, clean cut one. And Taeyang is the bad boy dancer. Congrats to YG Entertainment for putting together an explosive band that's gained an international audience.
What's intriguing about these guys is when you watch an interview or behind the scenes clip, they profess a dedication to their work. They're artists, but they don't identify with their art. They devote time to their public image and their performance, but unlike Lady Gaga, they see the music and the public image they manage as something separate from their true selves. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, always presents herself as Lady Gaga. That's her identity on and off stage.
Why it's popular in music to maintain the stage persona or identify with it, I don't understand. Actors don't do it (unless their method acting, but afterward they still have to drop it to take on a new role). They bring characters to life and then return to being themselves. Why can't music artists do the same? I wouldn't view their performances as any less genuine, and they'd be easier to relate to. Who wouldn't like to leave himself behind for a little while and pretend he's a sexy, confident, swaggerific rapper?
Since Lady Gaga's success, The trend now is to exaggerate and market an artist's quirks. Every artist has to proudly showcase the weirdness she can finally express but was formerly rejected for. Everyone at home can join in too! We're all weirdos. Let's celebrate! But let's be real. We're not all weirdos. Many of us worked hard to fit in growing up, and in adulthood, we still work hard at it certain areas. We assimilate into a new office culture at a new job. We marry and learn to get along with new family members. We change our appearance and manners to earn welcome into social circle. We like the weird musician because it makes us feel better about our imperfections, but not every imperfection is suitable material for a stage persona. But what do I know? Maybe you can gain a following with poor hygiene, a tendency to procrastinate, and bad acne.
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry sing songs about how it's okay to be yourself and wear crazy outfits. You interview them, and they're strange. They sell an idea that we all like: you're great just as you are. But they're tough to relate to. Adele, though, is easy to relate to. Her heart was broken. She doesn't wear crazy outfits or talk about being unique. She just sings about her experience with heartbreak. Her vocal performances overflow with emotion and honesty. Heartbreak isn't an idea we like, but we definitely understand it. We can better connect with her because we've experienced the same pain. But being unique? Sure, we can both be unique, but then what do we share other than confidence or self-acceptance? I don't connect with Lady Gaga on a personal level. Her strange persona creates distance between us. Adele, though, draws me closer by describing her lover leaving and acting like a normal person off stage.
My taste in men has always been a bit...strange. I don't apologize. This 24 year old rapper, singer, rapper, and much more has a sexy, deep, raspy voice that I would never have expected from a guy in a boy band. Also, he dyes his hair blue, my favorite color. Nice touch. To top it all off, he (like the rest of the band) has great dance moves. Killer dance moves are a sure fire way to make me swoon. If you need proof, check out this live performance of "Bad Boy".
Click to viewT.O.P. is not the best dancer of the group. I'd hand that award to Daesung (the blonde) or Taeyang (the guy with the mohawk), but part of his stage persona as one of the rappers of the band is to not follow the boy band image of a perfect dancer. Doing so makes his role as a rapper more believable because rappers in the US don't usually dance either, at least not the way choreographed boy bands do.
My current obsession with Big Bang stems from my love for boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC when I was younger. Big Bang reminds me of the whole set up of those bands and the many that followed such as 98 Degrees and 5ive. Each guy has his own stage persona and brings a certain flavor to the group. In Big Bang, T.O.P. and G-Dragon (the guy with the squeaky voice and frilly jacket) serve as the rappers of the group, but T.O.P. has a smooth, player manner while G-Dragon has this crazy edginess. Daesung is the pretty boy. Seungri is the suave, clean cut one. And Taeyang is the bad boy dancer. Congrats to YG Entertainment for putting together an explosive band that's gained an international audience.
What's intriguing about these guys is when you watch an interview or behind the scenes clip, they profess a dedication to their work. They're artists, but they don't identify with their art. They devote time to their public image and their performance, but unlike Lady Gaga, they see the music and the public image they manage as something separate from their true selves. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, always presents herself as Lady Gaga. That's her identity on and off stage.
Why it's popular in music to maintain the stage persona or identify with it, I don't understand. Actors don't do it (unless their method acting, but afterward they still have to drop it to take on a new role). They bring characters to life and then return to being themselves. Why can't music artists do the same? I wouldn't view their performances as any less genuine, and they'd be easier to relate to. Who wouldn't like to leave himself behind for a little while and pretend he's a sexy, confident, swaggerific rapper?
Since Lady Gaga's success, The trend now is to exaggerate and market an artist's quirks. Every artist has to proudly showcase the weirdness she can finally express but was formerly rejected for. Everyone at home can join in too! We're all weirdos. Let's celebrate! But let's be real. We're not all weirdos. Many of us worked hard to fit in growing up, and in adulthood, we still work hard at it certain areas. We assimilate into a new office culture at a new job. We marry and learn to get along with new family members. We change our appearance and manners to earn welcome into social circle. We like the weird musician because it makes us feel better about our imperfections, but not every imperfection is suitable material for a stage persona. But what do I know? Maybe you can gain a following with poor hygiene, a tendency to procrastinate, and bad acne.
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry sing songs about how it's okay to be yourself and wear crazy outfits. You interview them, and they're strange. They sell an idea that we all like: you're great just as you are. But they're tough to relate to. Adele, though, is easy to relate to. Her heart was broken. She doesn't wear crazy outfits or talk about being unique. She just sings about her experience with heartbreak. Her vocal performances overflow with emotion and honesty. Heartbreak isn't an idea we like, but we definitely understand it. We can better connect with her because we've experienced the same pain. But being unique? Sure, we can both be unique, but then what do we share other than confidence or self-acceptance? I don't connect with Lady Gaga on a personal level. Her strange persona creates distance between us. Adele, though, draws me closer by describing her lover leaving and acting like a normal person off stage.