The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"!
Although the powers that be are transliterating the title, "어이," of the forthcoming Crayon Pop single as "Uh-ee," that's very wrong: first, in pronunciation it's "Aw-ee" not "Uh-ee" if you separate out each syllable as written; and second, Crayon Pop shout it out fast without separating the syllables, and clearly they're saying "Oy"!
The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"! We should circulate a petition.
May they do a trot version of "Hava Nagila" shortly.
David Frazer has taken to calling them Crayon Trot in the New Digs thread (which has become a thread about what he and I are digging, incl. not just the new Crayon Pop but also tracks by Tren-D, Vixx, PungDeng-E, LPG, and Dal★shabet; also contains the interesting information that Crayon Pop will open for Lady Gaga* for about a month of Gaga's North American tour this summer), the "Oy" rhythm definitely being trot. Crayon Pop are also deliberately crossing us up sartorially, donning elegant duds in the teaser (away with the cute speed racer helmets) and then crossing us up further with old-woman ajumma costumes in promo photos and onstage. [UPDATE: Turns out it's not them in the elegant duds, but rather upper-crust "clubgoers," audience members in the video whose elegant boredom is disrupted by Crayon Pop's ajumma act and are then won over.]
Had to look up "ajumma" in Wikip when David dropped the term on us; "is a Korean word meaning 'aunt' literally, however, it is used for calling name of 'married woman,' which is generally only used to refer to women who are middle-aged or older, and working-class." "The Lonely Planet guide to Seoul describes ajumma as a term of respect, but most other sources say it is mildly pejorative. An ajumma is often a restaurant worker, street vendor, or housewife. Ajumma has connotations of pushiness, with ajumma described as hard-working and aggressive people who 'push and shove their way through a crowd to find a seat in the bus or subway,' 'grab you by the arm and try to get you to eat at their place,' or 'push' friends and relatives to buy insurance."
I don't know where to locate Crayon Pop socially, in that they don't fit the social maps I'm used to. I'd originally identified Crayon Pop as bohemians, since I was hearing a bit of detachment in their way of doing pop, as if they were indie pop. This was wrong, and I'm not at all sure why I was hearing detachment; even while shifting their sounds and styles, they're actually totally committed, more so than most pop bands. But what maybe I was somehow intuiting is something I still feel now, which is, though Crayon Pop don't seem to be bohemians, and their fanatic fans don't seem to come from anywhere remotely "underground," Crayon Pop nonetheless seem very much to be into showbiz for the art of it and the fun of it (though I doubt that "art" is a term they'd use). Sure they'll take the money; and it isn't as if they're more inventive than their inspiration-group T-ara, who are wildly inventive; and costume changes every 10 seconds are standard in K-pop, as are dress-ups that go from flamboyant to goofy to flamboyantly goofy. But it's as if, with Crayon Pop, the styles (sound and look) are the fundamental point. This may well be what kept them going during the time of little recognition, without the usual pre-fame lineup shufflings and concept changes. Their changes take them beyond concept.
This interview with agency CEO Hwang Hyun Chang is indicative, though I'm not quite sure of what. E.g.:
• So after the first album's failure. Due to not being able to get on music shows, you began guerilla performances, produced a web comic, and even Crayon Pop TV, what were your thoughts as the producer?
» At that time, creativity wasn't the basis for those activities. It just matches our company's nature. To be more accurate, it matches the members' and my nature. Even now, we also say it this way, if the song after Bar Bar Bar is a flop, we will treat it as a wonderful journey, shake hands and say how we have enjoyed each other's company, and tear up the contract.
We will then carry on with our lives individually. We wouldn't begrudge anybody else. Because no matter what, we have had these memories, "Let's create happy memories together!" We only have such a wish. And such a nature can be seen on the stage. Regardless of what others say, we should do it without regrets.
Despite what he's literally saying, it sounds as if creativity is very much the basis for the activities - though I suppose people with a real "art" attitude, e.g., me, would push for the creativity even at the expense of fun and happy memories; so, as I say, Crayon Pop aren't quite locatable on any map I'm used to.
*Whom they expect to mash with, er, mesh with.
The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"! The title is "Oy"! We should circulate a petition.
May they do a trot version of "Hava Nagila" shortly.
Click to viewDavid Frazer has taken to calling them Crayon Trot in the New Digs thread (which has become a thread about what he and I are digging, incl. not just the new Crayon Pop but also tracks by Tren-D, Vixx, PungDeng-E, LPG, and Dal★shabet; also contains the interesting information that Crayon Pop will open for Lady Gaga* for about a month of Gaga's North American tour this summer), the "Oy" rhythm definitely being trot. Crayon Pop are also deliberately crossing us up sartorially, donning elegant duds in the teaser (away with the cute speed racer helmets) and then crossing us up further with old-woman ajumma costumes in promo photos and onstage. [UPDATE: Turns out it's not them in the elegant duds, but rather upper-crust "clubgoers," audience members in the video whose elegant boredom is disrupted by Crayon Pop's ajumma act and are then won over.]
Had to look up "ajumma" in Wikip when David dropped the term on us; "is a Korean word meaning 'aunt' literally, however, it is used for calling name of 'married woman,' which is generally only used to refer to women who are middle-aged or older, and working-class." "The Lonely Planet guide to Seoul describes ajumma as a term of respect, but most other sources say it is mildly pejorative. An ajumma is often a restaurant worker, street vendor, or housewife. Ajumma has connotations of pushiness, with ajumma described as hard-working and aggressive people who 'push and shove their way through a crowd to find a seat in the bus or subway,' 'grab you by the arm and try to get you to eat at their place,' or 'push' friends and relatives to buy insurance."
I don't know where to locate Crayon Pop socially, in that they don't fit the social maps I'm used to. I'd originally identified Crayon Pop as bohemians, since I was hearing a bit of detachment in their way of doing pop, as if they were indie pop. This was wrong, and I'm not at all sure why I was hearing detachment; even while shifting their sounds and styles, they're actually totally committed, more so than most pop bands. But what maybe I was somehow intuiting is something I still feel now, which is, though Crayon Pop don't seem to be bohemians, and their fanatic fans don't seem to come from anywhere remotely "underground," Crayon Pop nonetheless seem very much to be into showbiz for the art of it and the fun of it (though I doubt that "art" is a term they'd use). Sure they'll take the money; and it isn't as if they're more inventive than their inspiration-group T-ara, who are wildly inventive; and costume changes every 10 seconds are standard in K-pop, as are dress-ups that go from flamboyant to goofy to flamboyantly goofy. But it's as if, with Crayon Pop, the styles (sound and look) are the fundamental point. This may well be what kept them going during the time of little recognition, without the usual pre-fame lineup shufflings and concept changes. Their changes take them beyond concept.
This interview with agency CEO Hwang Hyun Chang is indicative, though I'm not quite sure of what. E.g.:
• So after the first album's failure. Due to not being able to get on music shows, you began guerilla performances, produced a web comic, and even Crayon Pop TV, what were your thoughts as the producer?
» At that time, creativity wasn't the basis for those activities. It just matches our company's nature. To be more accurate, it matches the members' and my nature. Even now, we also say it this way, if the song after Bar Bar Bar is a flop, we will treat it as a wonderful journey, shake hands and say how we have enjoyed each other's company, and tear up the contract.
We will then carry on with our lives individually. We wouldn't begrudge anybody else. Because no matter what, we have had these memories, "Let's create happy memories together!" We only have such a wish. And such a nature can be seen on the stage. Regardless of what others say, we should do it without regrets.
Despite what he's literally saying, it sounds as if creativity is very much the basis for the activities - though I suppose people with a real "art" attitude, e.g., me, would push for the creativity even at the expense of fun and happy memories; so, as I say, Crayon Pop aren't quite locatable on any map I'm used to.
*Whom they expect to mash with, er, mesh with.