Showing posts sorted by relevance for query future of idol groups. Sort by date Show all posts
The Future of Idol Groups: 2NE1 Edition
A few weeks ago, Girls' Generation's future was the topic at hand on this short and unconventional series "The Future of Idol Groups", me, predicting and explaining the possibility of fame after disbandment one-by-one and putting the 9 girls in order from least to greatest. Likewise, on this article of YG Entertainment's leading girl group, 2NE1, I will state my prediction of the possibility of fame after disbandment, ordered from least to greatest.
Falling in last place is 2NE1's maknae, Minzy. She can dance the best in the group, she can sing the best in the group... heck, she even has pretty amazing stage-presence... but I just don't know what she can exactly do after 2NE1 disbands. Dance? Similarly stated in the Girls' Generation edition for main dancer, Hyoyeon, I haven't seen people have famous careers in dance alone. Sing? She sings pretty well yet, has two obstacles standing in her way:
1. She's still has yet to hold their solo debut (she's actually the only member of 2NE1 who has left to do that!)
2. Let's be honest, Minzy isn't exactly matching Korean beauty standards... without that, is her singing talent that great to make up for her lack of visuals?
3. Lastly, even if she did have a solo debut, I would expect it to do the poorest out of all of 2NE1's solo debuts... for what reason? I don't know. It just seems like out of all of them, she has the least overall presence in the group regardless of the fact that she has the most talent.
In third place is the unnie who's not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good, CL. Having her solo debut with The Baddest Female only a few weeks ago and all-killing despite the overall deficit of the song, she proved that she could hold a music career without the other three 2NE1 girls at her side. Regardless of her placing in such a low spot, I think she has a much greater chance than fourth place's Minzy, her biggest tools being her large fan base and of course, her charisma.
After a pretty hard decision, 2NE1's visual, Sandara Park, placed in second place. She can sing pretty meh, she can dance pretty meh... but, she is pretty. Not to mention, she already had her 2NE1 solo debut which topped charts as well as prior to 2NE1's debut, she was a arguably successful actress in the Philippines, having two career paths she could choose from.
Lastly, my 2NE1 love Park Bom places first place. Even though she is my 2NE1 bias, I placed her in first because I actually do think she has an extremely large chance of becoming a solo singer after the disbandment of 2NE1. Her previous solo songs, You & I and Don't Cry (which both left me sniffling after watching the videos), both all-killed as well as the song she featured in, I Had an Affair. And although every time we see her she looks worse and worse, I have no doubt in my mind that she could definitely be the next Baek Ji Young.
In addition, I'd like to end with their future as a whole. With YG Entertainment's management hints as well as their video "Future 2NE1 (4 Years Later)", it seems somewhat evident that they're not planning to keep 2NE1 around for much longer. Debuting in 2009 with their unexpected song, Fire, which made them skyrocket to fame almost immediately, 2NE1 has been together for four years already, and this year in 2013, them, being proudly able to proclaim themselves as one of Korea's top girl groups. With my guess, 2NE1 will probably last 2 more years before fading out or going their own separate ways, mostly because:
a) As said in the Girls' Generation post, they are females. Of course, they're not females whom men tend to fetishize over due to their tough-girl concept, but they are females who may have future goals, dreams and aspirations towards the future... don't understand? you can look at b for further clarification.
b) Park Bom and Sandara Park are either 30 years old or are almost in their 30's... meaning, they'll either have thoughts of settling down soon or have thoughts of leaving the group and pursuing a solo career. Usually, girl group members who're near their 30's or have members in their 30's (for example: Brown Eyed Girls) aim towards a sexy and mature concept because it's appropriate for their age, but being that the 2NE1 girls are still mixing themselves with the cute, tough and basically juvenile/teenage image, they have to begin expunging themselves from that... the conflicting ages making it somewhat hard for them to follow through on that.
Furthermore, I expect at least 2 girls from 2NE1 to remain in the spotlight, the others, fading into the darkness.
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In addition, I'd like to end with their future as a whole. With YG Entertainment's management hints as well as their video "Future 2NE1 (4 Years Later)", it seems somewhat evident that they're not planning to keep 2NE1 around for much longer. Debuting in 2009 with their unexpected song, Fire, which made them skyrocket to fame almost immediately, 2NE1 has been together for four years already, and this year in 2013, them, being proudly able to proclaim themselves as one of Korea's top girl groups. With my guess, 2NE1 will probably last 2 more years before fading out or going their own separate ways, mostly because:
a) As said in the Girls' Generation post, they are females. Of course, they're not females whom men tend to fetishize over due to their tough-girl concept, but they are females who may have future goals, dreams and aspirations towards the future... don't understand? you can look at b for further clarification.
b) Park Bom and Sandara Park are either 30 years old or are almost in their 30's... meaning, they'll either have thoughts of settling down soon or have thoughts of leaving the group and pursuing a solo career. Usually, girl group members who're near their 30's or have members in their 30's (for example: Brown Eyed Girls) aim towards a sexy and mature concept because it's appropriate for their age, but being that the 2NE1 girls are still mixing themselves with the cute, tough and basically juvenile/teenage image, they have to begin expunging themselves from that... the conflicting ages making it somewhat hard for them to follow through on that.
Furthermore, I expect at least 2 girls from 2NE1 to remain in the spotlight, the others, fading into the darkness.
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Future of Idol Groups: Wonder Girls' Edition
It's basically official--Wonder Girls is done. With their American advancement which took them from their reigning throne back in 2009, Sunye's wedding in 2012, her following pregnancy in 2013 as well as the indefinite hiatus it threw the five girls into, it seems like JYP Entertainment has dug the girls in a hole in which they have no way of getting out of. With the past editions of the Future of Idol Groups, I decoded and estimated the reigning time of the groups Girls' Generation and 2NE1 before they faced disbandment--this edition hitting the previous nation's girl group, Wonder Girls, hard and will be placing the five current members including Sunmi in order from greatest to least chance of staying in the limelight after disbandment.
Sohee - The group's face and most popular member Sohee stands tall on the number one spot despite her short stature. She recently started up her acting career in the drama Rose Day... and it's actually kind of good. Although I wouldn't expect her to be a singer in the future, the probability of her dropping idoldom and picking up acting (the career she wanted all along, by the way. She said she joined JYP as an aspiring actress however, was coerced into being an idol) seems the highest out of all the Wonder Girls. Sunmi - Not exactly a Wonder Girl anymore, this dropout has once again became active in the industry... this time, as a soloist. Holding her solo debut with 24 Hours, Sunmi showed that despite her resigning from the group a few years back to pursue her "studies" (in a more recent interview revealed the real reason was the stress), she's still got 'it' in her... and that 'it' could be enough to let her be a successful soloist.
Yubin - Having some appearances in media while the indefinite hiatus is still going on, Yubin seems as if she could maybe stay in somewhat famous post-WG. I wouldn't see her as a singer, dancer... or even a rapper but, she could pull a Sohee and attempt acting. In fact, I feel as if she did actually try to act and proved, much like Sohee, that she was good at it or much less, even average, she could probably use that as a starting point while expanding and improving it bit by bit.
Yenny - I had a bit of a struggle with Yeeun and Hyerim... but I found more of a reason to put Yeeun before Hyerim due to the possessing skills. Let's be honest--Yeeun's not the best at singing, dancing, rapping... or even looking good... but she does make songs. She may or may not be the same type of celeb after Wonder Girls (performing type) however, with this skill, it seems like if she worked more and more with music production and behind-the-scenes work, she could be a producer for companies in the future.
Hyerim - Similar to Yenny, she's not the best at anything including visuals... however with her, she doesn't have, or at least I've never seen her demonstrate, huge skills that could maintain her fame even after disbandment. Not to mention, she's the newest member of Wonder Girls and has among the smallest fan base in the group... if anything, I'd see her emceeing but other than that, she's done for.
Sunye - Sunye, Sunye, Sunye. If she didn't get hitched so soon, she'd be among the top 3 wonder girls with the largest chance of success post-disbandment. She had a pretty decent singing voice, a pretty decent fan following and a pretty decent image as the benevolent harmless and caring leader which could've kept her relevant... and even after the marriage, Sunye still had a chance of fame after Wonder Girls but she blew it--being that she put a bun in her oven, chose to stay in the group of youngsters who still had life left in them and push them in an indefinite hiatus while saying she'll do more missionary work in Haiti after her pregnancy to make people hate her. Even if she did want to go back (she seems like she doesn't), us netizens never forget and will bring this to her grave--the uncanny amount of spite she managed to pick up unshakable.
As usual, I'd like to end with the group as a whole this time, not including ex-member Sunmi. These girls had a long run starting from their debut and their what-seems-to-be last track Like This. Rumored by supposed insiders, their contracts are set to expire sometime next year, and there's no telling what'll happen when the time comes, most of us preparing for the worst--they
What's your take on Wonder Girls' future? Share your thoughts and opinions below, prophet!
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The Future of Idol Groups: How Long Will the Hallyu Wave Last?
It should be a well-known fact that modern day K-Pop was at its peak during the year of 2012. PSY's revolutionary Gangnam Style was released, almost all top-tier idol groups came back with songs and albums that were decent at the very least, and of course, there were numerous unraveled scandals and American debuts that were beyond any of our wildest dreams. Now, in just one year, the Hallyu Wave has noticeably (or at least to me) began to either decline, slow growth or halt its growth, less and less people caring about K-Pop and more and more finding relief through other types of music, proving the Hallyu will probably end sooner than we all think.
•The Korean Pop music itself has been starting to suck, Korean Pop groups releasing basically garbage since their peak in 2012.
•Top-tier groups now are getting closer and closer to disbandment and (look at number 3)
•being that there's way too many groups debuting now, in which people are already starting to care less and less about, when the older groups retire, there won't be many if any at all to replace them because... they don't know them.
•Apparently, one of the main reasons why Hallyu is going down is because the content is extremely generic and typical.
•What K-Pop needs to keep them afloat is the international crowd (duh, the Hallyu Wave is the international appeal), especially from Japan which contributes most of the money that Korean Pop gets, today. However, now that Japan is becoming more and more anti-Hallyu by limiting Korean broadcast on shows and such, who knows what will happen between K-Pop in Japan in the future? Not to mention, Korean Pop hasn't gotten that amazingly far in other places like America or China that can support the music like Japan does... while even many Korean citizens and media themselves are caring less about Korean Pop and more about K-Indie groups like Busker Busker, all this adding up and making it seem likely that the only one who's truly going to be worrying about K-Pop Idols, their future and their money... are themselves.
however, there are precautions companies can take themselves to do so:
•Top-tier groups now are getting closer and closer to disbandment and (look at number 3)
•being that there's way too many groups debuting now, in which people are already starting to care less and less about, when the older groups retire, there won't be many if any at all to replace them because... they don't know them.
•Apparently, one of the main reasons why Hallyu is going down is because the content is extremely generic and typical.
•What K-Pop needs to keep them afloat is the international crowd (duh, the Hallyu Wave is the international appeal), especially from Japan which contributes most of the money that Korean Pop gets, today. However, now that Japan is becoming more and more anti-Hallyu by limiting Korean broadcast on shows and such, who knows what will happen between K-Pop in Japan in the future? Not to mention, Korean Pop hasn't gotten that amazingly far in other places like America or China that can support the music like Japan does... while even many Korean citizens and media themselves are caring less about Korean Pop and more about K-Indie groups like Busker Busker, all this adding up and making it seem likely that the only one who's truly going to be worrying about K-Pop Idols, their future and their money... are themselves.
How can it be stopped: There's nothing you and I can do alone to prolong the Hallyu,
however, there are precautions companies can take themselves to do so:
•Release audible songs. No more trash, please.
•Try harder with your newer groups. If you release trashier songs, more and more people won't think twice to disregarding them no matter which company you're from. Give them at least decent sounding songs and maybe try to make them... well, talented. Ever heard of that word?
•Since standardized content is supposedly a big issue, maybe try moving away from the norm. Songs about love, sex, empowerment where they sing and dance in boxes... all cliche ideas but if an entertainer was to release maybe... a song about societal issues with a bad ass music video, it could possibly get the attention it was looking for.
•Arguably, K-Pop could actually make it in places internationally and expand the Hallyu however, probably only if K-Pop companies tried hard enough--which is something they're not willing to do. With all those years of training, you would expect people to be Christina Aguilera's when it comes to singing, Michael Jackson's when it comes to dancing and U-Kiss Alexander's when it comes to languages however, they aren't. It's because companies just don't try to go passed the norm--they want to appeal to the Korean market and the anti-Hallyu Japanese market, yet, barely even attempt to understand how to appeal to non-typical markets like the American market or the European market and continue to use their shitty methods towards unresponsive industries that could give a rat's ass about them.
In a nutshell, the Hallyu Wave, no matter how much we try to deny it, is already starting to slow down. Although K-Pop itself won't completely disappear, there'll definitely be a turning of tables in a few years, whether it's with less groups debuting as there were in the years 2012 and 2013, or maybe, less production of K-Pop music, merchandise and many more goodies overall.
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The Future of Idol Groups: Girls Generation Edition
Yesterday, I've basically encountered two signs from the heavens to create this post, a friend asking me to write posts about idols in the future and me seeing a comment on netizenbuzz that basically just called to me to write an article about Girls Generation's in particular.
8. [+100, -23] It's a worry since all of the kids need to find a career path for themselves but everyone failed their drama attempts last year. It was only that unit with the kids who can sing that fared favorably ㅋㅋ Aside from Yoona and Taeyeon, I fear for all of their futures.So without further adieu, I present you with my prediction of Girls' Generation's individual and group future chances of staying in the spotlight ordered from least to greatest chance.
Hyoyeon has nothing going for her in her future. I feel bad because Hyoyeon is actually one of my biases in the group. She can dance the best in Girls Generation however, she's always placed in the back during music videos, given the least amount of lines and sometimes, not even getting a dance solo. And what's funny to be is how people always say that Hyoyeon should leave Girls' Generation and go solo, but I always think to myself, as what? A solo singer? She has the worst vocals in the group. A solo dancer? I haven't heard of one that actually stayed in the public eye. An actress? She still has left to debut in acting let alone prove that she can act well. And though there's a rumor going around that Hyoyeon is in a relationship as well as her saying that she wants to get married quickly and settle down, if she ever changed her mind and decided to pursue staying in the spotlight for longer, she's stuck at a dead end. I think the only thing that she can choose is the be a Korean gagwoman like Jung Juri.Sunny is stuck at a dead-end, too however, unlike Hyoyeon, she's not the best at anything.
She can sing, but someone can sing better. She can dance, but someone can dance better. I haven't seen her act before and to be honest, Sunny has a 'cute' concept tied down to her which will limit her from elongating her career. I mean, how long can she keep doing aegyo before either everyone gets tired of it or she gets too old and wrinkly for it to be cute anymore? 
she can use in the future however, isn't that great at it, calling the need for years and years to better her acting. Likewise, her singing is at most average and wouldn't enable her to pursue a singing career while her dancing is pretty good however, not actually considered an outstanding and notable solo career. |
| Tiffany singing Rolling in the Deep |
Taeyeon is next and after Jessica which may surprise most people. Taeyeon is undoubtedly the best vocalist in SNSD and has the largest fanbase however, there's two things that I really have to point out.
1. She has the possibly the second to least stage presence in the group next to Seohyun. In fact, sometimes when you watch her lives her facial expressions like in the Twinkle performance mentioned above, she looks like she's either acting but hardly trying or just uncomfortable. I mean, at least Seohyun tries to act like she's having fun but still looks awkward... Taeyeon just looks like she's not having fun and still looks awkward.
2. And without stage presence, is Taeyeon that great at singing to keep her singing career afloat? I mean, Lee Hyori's singing is average at most but she can kill the stage... Taeyeon's singing is okay but she can't prove that she can take on a stage single-handedly. Also, Taeyeon even admitted herself
What I can't do, the other members can so they complete it. I think I'm more cut out for a group than a solo.
Jessica is second to last after Taeyeon. Jessica is one of the best singers in Girls' Generation and, she actually isn't half-bad at dancing if you watch her older videos... but she doesn't try at all. Yes, SONEs. I said it. She has gotten lazy. When you compare the Into the New World days to the I Got a Boy performances, you can see it's undeniable. I mean, she could probably have charisma on stage if she tried but it looks like she just doesn't even want to. And I don't even think it's the "Ice Princess" image. Her best bet is probably acting.
In addition, I just wanted to add Girls Generation as a whole for kicks. Girls' Generation has been around for nearly long 7 years, starting back in 2007 with Into the New World, proving themselves with Gee in 2009 and now in 2013 being South Korea's top girl group. Though they're still going strong as of now, I don't think the strength will last for much longer (my guess is 2 years a most) because:
a) Look at all the long-lasting groups. SHINHWA lasted for 15 years. They're men. Super Junior lasted for 7 years. They're men. If you want to be die-hard-fangirl about it, TVXQ as 5? 9 years. They. are. men. The only groups I can think of that are females and lasted long were probably Jewelry (all of their original members were replaced and they're pretty unpopular now) and The Grace (locked up in SM Entertainment's dungeon. Haven't heard a comeback with all 4 of them in a while), The Grace being a powerful vocal group while Girls Generation on the other hand? Not really. If you still don't understand, look at b.
b) Even if they've been pushing a more mature look as seen in their previous comebacks, they're still fetishized by Korean men as the young, beautiful and perfect girl. Contradicting the young, what happens when the oldest member, Taeyeon is already in her mid-20's and the youngest member is now 22? For beautiful, as said before,what happens when members of the group like Tiffany are already starting to lose their girly sheen and beauty? And for perfect, what happens when girls like Hyoyeon, what happens when that perfect girl wants to settle down and start a family like Sunye did?
c) SM Entertainment. It's as if SM Entertainment is already turning them into the next Super Junior, letting them reach the peek of their careers (right now) and when they stop charting so well and doing as good, they'll let them shrivel into the dirt to fend for themselves. Although, SM Entertainment already knows SNSD has a large and strong fan base so they realize they can continue releasing songs that are just meh and people will just eat them up, they're already starting to see a downfall in results and open mouths after the release of I Got a Boy. Like, really, let's be realistic here... how long will the "Power of 9" last?
My Views: Sunye Getting Married
That's right, guys! Wonder Girls' vocalist, Sunye, is tying the knot! She released a letter translated by allkpop below.
“A letter I am sending on November 27, 2012…I’m not the type to get nervous on stage.. But right at this moment.. Honestly I’m a little nervous.. While there are times that I might post things for no special reason, today there is a rather special reason.”“Although I can’t always see you, as people who are close to me and I am truly thankful for, I would rather tell you myself than have you all hear this from other people. January 26, 2013 will be a very special day to me. I will be getting married, making two people one and beginning to walk the path of life together.”“Don’t be too sad! Like the way we’ve laughed and cried together throughout the years, I hope you can share my feelings from where you are on January 26th. And the Wonder Girls members who were there for me and believed in me throughout the decision-making process.. And the JYP employees and family.. Thank you all so much!” cr. allkpop
other largely used news/social networking website within the last few hours, one would be well-aware that Sunye is engaged with her boyfriend of at the least 1 year. Firstly, I would like to say that I am ecstatic for Sunye and her recent engagement, contributing to the new K-Pop trend of getting into relationships with a huge bang, and I'm hoping that this marriage last long.
Yet now, I still have to contemplate about the Wonder Girl's future. JYP already stated that Wonder Girl's Sunmi will not rejoin and Wonder Girl's Yenny already confirmed with a message that Sunye are receiving loads of hate for this huge decision. With Wonder Girls Sunye not ending her contract with JYP in Wonder Girls as of now, it can be inferred that the Wonder Girls as a whole are receiving loads of hate because of their now newly engaged member as well. Though, subtle, Sunye's large contribution to the 2012's relationships gives Wonder Girls no longer their Wonder Girl title and instead makes uncle fans who meditated to the thought that the Wonder Girls will never grow up flip tables angrily in shock and cause nothing but trouble to Sunye and the Wonder Girls as she marries her fiancee in January and they whole-heartedly support her. It can also be inferred that not only because of her engagement but also because Wonder Girls prolonged inactivity which resulted in their lost of number 1 girl group that Wonder Girls will disband or do something drastic within the next few years, the unbalance and instability of JYP's arguable whole-group breadwinner becoming near if not already too much to handle.
Furthermore, though I am dreading the effect of Sunye's recent engagment, I am also ecstatic that she has a person in which she can call her love.
Confessions of a Native-Korean: All Your Questions Answered (Hopefully)
It's a fact--every international fan has the same questions on their minds when they think about Korean Pop--how's K-Pop to national fans? Although the answer to some questions are already answered through a quick google search, the majority of the time, it's not even an actual native Korean speaking or answering and instead, a secondhand source who simply reiterates what they've seen. Nevertheless, today on K-Pop Ranter, we sought out to answer the unknown--through one of my best, native Korean friends whom I've known for years (since no one finds non-natives reliable anymore) that finally agreed to answer a few of the 'FAQ' of K-Pop. So without further ado, we're getting to the bottom of your curiosity.
Disclaimer: These are simply just answers from a native-Korean person so don't take offense if the opinions go against what you believe. The answerer of the questions wanted to keep her identity private, therefore, she'll go by 'K' (for Korean). The questions and answers were translated and don't reflect what EVERY SINGLE PERSON in South Korea believes. I simply asked questions gathered by the staff of K-Pop Ranter, if you have more questions, e-mail me and it'll probably be answered with a week or two (time zones are a bitch ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)).
안녕하세요 여러분
울산에서 살고있는 18살 여신입니다. (농담.) 지금 주셨던 답은 바로 사회가 알고있는 상식입니다, 나의 생각을 무러볼땐 말고.
내 말씀을 믿어주세요.
그리고.
k-pop을 좋아합니다.
외국인학교를 다녀습니다. 감사합니다! ^^
Hello everyone I live in Ulsan and I'm an 18 year old goddess. (I'm joking.) Most of these answers are what the public [South Korean] believes unless I was specifically asked my own opinion. Please believe what I say. And I like K-Pop. I attended international school before. Thanks! ^^
1. First and foremost, what do typical Koreans think of K-Pop and Idols?K - Typical Koreans are heavily influenced by K-Pop and idols. Kids basically worship them and even adults take interest in the industry. Why? Because looks appeal greatly to Koreans. K-pop plays everywhere... you should hear the ringtones.
People also make decisions on plastic surgery based on a certain idol's looks... for example, I met this one saleslady that really looked like a member of Girls' Generation... she even told me where she got her surgery done.
Tiffany - To add on (sorry for taking away, I'm not a native but I just want to add experiences with some native-Koreans), I was at one of my South Korean friend's house a few months ago (she moved to America around a year ago give-or-take, I'd say we're pretty good friends since I'm the only person who can communicate with her around here, anyway), and while we were all eating (fucktastic Korean food), her mother and I actually got into in-depth conversation about Korean culture then she asked me if I knew K-Pop. I answered, yes, but questioned why she asked me in the first place and she said something along the lines of 'K-Pop is very popular in foreign countries'.
Okay.
She named idol groups and acts so easily... Big Bang, Girls' Generation, Lee Hyori... It seems like most international fans have this idea that since netizens somewhat imply that they don't like idols, most Koreans hate them or even don't know them them, too, but really, that's not right. Look at it this way: If you live in America, you and your parents know Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry... and probably know a few songs by them, too... am I right? Maybe you don't like them for example, lots of people get on Taylor Swift for her bad singing but... there's really no big difference in the knowledge of famous figures between Korea and America, in my opinion.
2. What do Koreans think of international fans?
Koreans generally find [them] fascinating, to be honest... but they're pretty much judgmental.
I asked her a better explanation for 'fascinating but judgmental' and she gave an correlating example: "It's like you go to a zoo and you see a giraffe. 'Oh, it's pooping! Let me take pictures!'
(I take this as international fans are too into K-Pop?).
K - In Korea, in the public, international fans will get stared at a lot and possibly made fun of by Korean youth.
Tiffany - Again, adding in: Some Koreans seem a bit 'PO'ed' (in a sense) that most international fans only care about Korea because of their fascination for K-Pop and K-Dramas and think Korea is the same. I was talking to a male friend who lived here for around 3 years but now is back in Korea for his mandatory military service on Kakao and his exact words were:
Most foreigners defend it by thinking 'Oh, they should be happy that we're giving interest about Korea!' but honestly, if millions people had the belief that your country is a soap opera, West Side Story or a Miley Cyrus music video simply because of your music or what they watch on television, wouldn't you want to set it straight?
Koreans generally find [them] fascinating, to be honest... but they're pretty much judgmental.
I asked her a better explanation for 'fascinating but judgmental' and she gave an correlating example: "It's like you go to a zoo and you see a giraffe. 'Oh, it's pooping! Let me take pictures!'
(I take this as international fans are too into K-Pop?).
Tiffany - Again, adding in: Some Koreans seem a bit 'PO'ed' (in a sense) that most international fans only care about Korea because of their fascination for K-Pop and K-Dramas and think Korea is the same. I was talking to a male friend who lived here for around 3 years but now is back in Korea for his mandatory military service on Kakao and his exact words were:
It is so rare that foreigners speak Korean/ There are many people who like KPop or dramas/ but sometimes that's all
Most foreigners defend it by thinking 'Oh, they should be happy that we're giving interest about Korea!' but honestly, if millions people had the belief that your country is a soap opera, West Side Story or a Miley Cyrus music video simply because of your music or what they watch on television, wouldn't you want to set it straight?
3. Do Koreans feel the same way that the Japanese feel about "Otakus" (considered perverts and rude people) as self-proclaimed "Koreaboos"?
...no, though I'm not as familiar with 'otakus'.
...no, though I'm not as familiar with 'otakus'.
4. How about rookie groups? A lot of them are unpopular from what I see from netizens...?
Rookie groups are unpopular during their debut. They will remain unpopular until a hit song comes up. It doesn't matter how talented the rookie group is-- there are too many groups out in the scene now, leaving no attention for the newbies. eg; Bangtan Boys is perfect. I love them but compared to the reactions groups like B2ST get, they don't get much attention. Their 'No More Dream' music video has a small number of views. 헉~
5. Okay, who's most popular group in K-Pop right now?
SISTAR probably.
Because of misunderstanding through the initial question before I reworded it, she said that Taeyeon and Hyorin were the most popular vocalists in K-Pop.
SISTAR probably.
Because of misunderstanding through the initial question before I reworded it, she said that Taeyeon and Hyorin were the most popular vocalists in K-Pop.
6. What are the general opinions on top Kpop artists like 2ne1 and SNSD?
As for SNSD, everyone loves them. They have more fans than antis generally because their faces are appealing and their songs are dumb yet catchy. They love 2NE1, too, but are more intimidated [by them] because of their stages. They seem very 'bad-ass' and violent but when they come out in variety shows, which they haven't done much, they show a more friendly side. The Running Man had lots of good hits, honestly!
As for SNSD, everyone loves them. They have more fans than antis generally because their faces are appealing and their songs are dumb yet catchy. They love 2NE1, too, but are more intimidated [by them] because of their stages. They seem very 'bad-ass' and violent but when they come out in variety shows, which they haven't done much, they show a more friendly side. The Running Man had lots of good hits, honestly!
7. How often do you see K-Pop in Korea... I mean on billboards, commercials, etc.?
Everywhere (they are actors, singers, on commercials, shows, billboards and endorsements..etc.).
Everywhere (they are actors, singers, on commercials, shows, billboards and endorsements..etc.).
8. Name 5 idols most 'got on for' for plastic surgery?
K - Girls' Generation (mostly Hyoyeon and Jessica).
Tiffany - Park Bom?
K - Park Bom, yes! SHINee. HyunA, too. Sunhwa, definitely. Boram... I heard things about Park Minyoung. Anyone in SM Entertainment but maybe not f(x), though... they're very natural, I believe.
K - Girls' Generation (mostly Hyoyeon and Jessica).
Tiffany - Park Bom?
K - Park Bom, yes! SHINee. HyunA, too. Sunhwa, definitely. Boram... I heard things about Park Minyoung. Anyone in SM Entertainment but maybe not f(x), though... they're very natural, I believe.
9. What do Koreans generally think of Kpop scandals? Are they really such a big deal or is it something that only bothers netizens? Also, what did T-ara's scandal do for T-ara? Nickhun for 2PM? Daesung for Big Bang? GD for Big Bang? Seungri for Big Bang?
ㅎㅎㅎ T-ara is ruined. Nickhun's scandal brought 2PM's popularity down. But groups like Big Bang have a different image and keep their popularity despite the scandals.
(she never really answered the first question but you can guess that women are damaged worse than men and greatly popular groups hurt less than smaller groups).
10. Who's Korea's 'it-girl' nowadays?
K - Krystal maybe.
Tiffany - What about Suzy?
K - Wow, I forgot about her ㅠㅠ! How? She is so popular these days!
K - Krystal maybe.
Tiffany - What about Suzy?
K - Wow, I forgot about her ㅠㅠ! How? She is so popular these days!
11. A question for I-fans... would you say that a non-Asian can debut AND be successful in Korea in the near future?
Honestly, no... unless they have real talent. But there will always be racism towards them or they will just be invisible like Shannon (half-Korean, half-British girl). I wouldn't care unless they stood out to me but I honestly wouldn't see them [getting popular and successful].
Why is the group Busker Busker (not K-Pop but K-Indie) an exception (i.e. one member is 100% Caucasian)?
Perhaps it's the way they came to popularity? They have attention because they almost won Superstar K. They had a lot fame [prior to debut]!
Do you have any other specific questions for 'K'? Place them either in the comment section if you want to display them publicly or instead, for more private questions, e-mail kpoppertiffany@gmail.com with the subject 'Confessions of a Native-Korean' and we'll get them answered ASAP!
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Comment-ception: Bloody hell! The red sheets are coming! We have a prophet!
The red sheets are coming! The red sheets are coming!It's the time of the month, ladies, and of course, our old article asking what girl groups do on their periods was finally addressed by a representative of the Anti-Bloody Stages Crew, Ladies' Code's Sojung.
From allkpop, the hesitant idol who opened up a quite sensitive topic revealed this (kind of long):
"This is a sensitive topic but when you start a diet, women experience something once-a-month. But I didn't have my period for close to a year. At first, I thought it was comfortable. But since I didn't have it for close to a year, I started to get worried. So I went to the hospital and the doctors told me that my physical condition became like the body of a 5th grade student in elementary school. They told me that my hormone levels dropped to the floor. I asked them what that means and they told me that my hormones are on the level of a woman who is going through menopause. I asked them what should I do? They told me that if I don't increase my body fat by 5 kg, I might have to live like that forever. Right now, I only have 5 kg (~11 lbs.) of body fat throughout my whole body. When I heard that, I realized that this wasn't right."
To summarize the whole thing, this girl without a doubt said basically that she didn't have a period for a year during her harsh idol diet and fucked herself up for osteoporosis in the future [for people who don't know, if you don't have your period for a long amount of time (lots of times from severe weight loss or underweight-ness), lack of estrogen causes the deterioration of bones and of course, osteoporosis in the long run]. Though I was just kidding with my article, finding a curious commenter by chance around the web of splash dancing women, one commenter said this a few months ago and answered all questions asked with yet another question.
do they even have periods...? considering the fact that they weigh like -2 lbs...
So if she doesn't have a period, who's to say the rest of the idols like Sooyoung, HyunA, Hara, Dara and the rest have theirs?
Oh that's right, no one, but as a female (ooh, I'm a k-netizen nao. get my reference? no? okay.), I'd say that if she has missed her period from those conditions and isn't as thin as other beauties, beauties who weigh like -10 pounds probably don't even know what a period, comma and any other punctuation mark is.
End of the Era: Girls' Generation ft. Taeyeon & Baekhyun
Girls' Generation has gotten themselves into a whole bunch of dating rumors this year however, this one gave them their biggest blow yet. Despite all the little 'ranters' guessing that Jessica or Yuri will be the next one in Girls' Generation to come out with dating news, it was actually Girls' Generation's leader, Taeyeon, who we all thought would, if she did end up to be dating, come out with it gracefully... as she is the leader, after all. But alas! She did not! And as we all probably should know by now, her relationship with EXO-K boy, Baekhyun, gave both groups a painful blow, fans feeling betrayed (as usual) but also the general public being sickened by the lovebirds' actions, similar to INFINITE's Myungsoo casual but painful use of Twitter to communicate with his then girlfriend. Regardless, both groups are popular however, Taeyeon's group has been around for nearly a decade when Baekhyun's has been for only around three years yet with both sides getting the hate, I want to decode the reasons why people are viewing this one differently than the other Girls' Generation dating scandals.
1. This scandal busted Taeyeon's act
Remember the post I did a few months ago about how I was scared for Taeyeon's well being? She seemed like she was about to crack at any moment! On all kinds of Girls' Generation appearances, Taeyeon did not seem like her usual idol self... which is seemingly nothing different than the rest of Girls' Generation's recent behaviors as they are now starting to realize that no matter what they do, they have a group of fans who will be with them (read the article about how idols should not treat fans like crap for some reference) therefore, different from back in their debut days, they now give bored, gloomy and tiredsome faces. However, Taeyeon's was different, as she constantly complained about loneliness, making people sympathize the fact that idols were not supposed to date. But, just like Sooyoung how literally the day before her own dating news came out, she complained about how she was lonely in response to YoonA's dating news, fans felt kind of betrayed that they were fooled into thinking that she did not have a significant other and that she was getting depressed because she did not have a significant other. I mean, I actually feel a bit betrayed, too, because I usually don't even show empathy but I did for Taeyeon's case and I'm not even a Taeyeon fan!2. Taeyeon acted immaturely being the fact that she is the senior & Baekhyun betrayed his already betrayed group
Despite the first one being my own sentiments, this one seems to be more of the general public's feels as they believe that Taeyeon should have acted more 'maturely' for her age being that she's ten years into the music business while he's barely even touching his second. She should have taken into account that EXO is just rising in popularity and that they are still in the midst of a scandal in which people were sympathizing Baehyun for. ¿¡Why would Baekhyun, during the midst of the Krisis (Kris vs. SM Entertainment scandal), even think about doing stuff that is remotely human?! Why would Baekhyun go out and do the naughty with Taeyeon when he should be remorseful in his dorm as the public is sympathizing him and his other ten group mates and should take advantage of the situation to get more popularity and fans (this one is actually a serious question)? And why the hell make it so. damn. obvious? Taeyeon should have acted different instead of making it so obvious, different from the other girls, being that she's the leader and should be the most responsible. Taeyeon should have realized that Baekhyun's group is in a situation right now that should not have scandals towards the remaining members of the group and realize that Baekhyun is a rising star. Baekhyun should have realized that the lie about being '35 years old before dating' really hurt gullible fans being that he was the first in EXO to have such a scandal. No one was really expecting him to wait till 35 but he was the first so it put a bigger blow.3. They messed with their fans
Taking this all from Netizenbuzz, long story short, fans feel betrayed. Instagram, by Taeyeon's definition, was a way to communicate with fans. But instead, she fooled fans and communicated with Baekhyun in numerous posts as did Baekhyun. Fans dug out a lot of places where they communicated/made their relationship obvious (summarized from the same Netizenbuzz article. The astericked ones are ones that I'm somewhat iffy about correlating to dating):a) Baekhyun and Taeyeon's similar Instagram IDs.
Baekhyun had put on his Instagram, ExO, not EXO like the others. Why? E and O in English look like the first letters of the first syllables of Taeyeon's name ㅌ and ㅇ in Korean. Because he naughty, naughty.
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| "I like you. Can I like you?" |
She put that fugly doll in the picture as a distraction/excuse. She's asking if she can like him because she realizes they're both celebrities and this going to the public can ruin them both.
c) The trip for my dreams, Pikachu!
Long story short, after Kris left the group, fans made the slogan 'This is the beginning' to give the guys strength. He put the picture on Instagram of the slogan as well as, as translated by the same Netizenbuzz article, 'This is the beginning! For my dream! The trip for my dreams! Pikachu! This is the beginning!'. Fans were gullible into thinking this was starting a new and the guys found strength but in actuality, before, Taeyeon wrote 'This is my beginning now for my dream~ The trip for my dreams pikachu'. aka they dun fucked
d) Baekhyun posted 'Euri'.
Taeyeon later posted 'Very eurieurie shikye drink! Euri #Euri'. If you don't know, Euri doesn't mean shit in Korean but it must be an inside joke for the two.
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| You're eating sugary snacks?! You're betraying us! |
Okay, I don't really understand this one that much/correlate it with the scandal. Taeyeon received a special made Starbucks cup from her fans. For saying thanks, she said 'Taeng kyung very mang ching'. Everyone is blowing shit up since Taenggo is her nickname for fans and Baekyung is his therefore, she must be making a couple name.
f) The famous oreos*
Taeyeon posted, a day before the news, oreos. Baek means black and Hyun means white in Korean. Oreos for Baekhyun, by fans point of view... or maybe Taeyeon was just hungry for oreos.
g) Birthday se--flowers
On Baekhyun's birthday, Taeyeon posted birthday flowers as well as a heart.
h) They went to see Seohyun's musical.
Suho saw Seohyun's musical the day before, but apparently being that Taeyeon was going, Suho went again the next day with Taeyeon in clutch.
i) Taeyeon posted a picture of light.*
Taeyeon posted a picture of light when she went to the beauty salon on Instagram. We all know Baekhyun's power in EXO is light. MUST BE A CODE FOR BAEK DICK.
j) Kyahing
Kyahing means nothing, just a cute thing for Taeyeon to say to fans. However, Baekhyun was seen using Kyahing when talking to his fans on EXO's 2 year anniversary.
Though there are other more subtle reasons (fans just mad cause they're dating), these seem to be the most prominent. People are getting testy with the Taeyon and Baekhyun kissing picture (apparently, Hyori mentioned that when pictures go out to the public and the company admits to the dating, that means there are pictures far worse than revealed to the public. This has to be one of the most 'sexual' images for a idol dater to reveal... a kissing image... therefore, if they are kissing in a car and if Hyori's claim is true, who knows what more they could have done in that hot and steamy Benz?), people are feeling betrayed just because they don't like idols dating... all in all, a bunch of negativity for the two, people were also getting mad because with all the dating controversy in Girls' Generation, they felt like Taeyeon was the last source of singleness that they had left (since apparently, they don't want Seohyun, Yuri, Sunny or Jessica). And although I would be happy and all for the two dating, there's something inside me that actually understands were the betrayed people are coming from (probably because I feel a bit betrayed, too).
Likewise, I just want to bring light on my old articles that I wrote when Tiffany's dating scandal was revealed, asking if Girls' Generation is on decline as well as my hypothesis for Girls' Generation's future and how long it would take for them to disband/who would still be famous post-disbandment. Now that this scandal broke out what do you think? Is Girls' Generation on decline and how long do they have left? Comment below and don't forget to vote!
