K-Pop Ranter

Why Talent Doesn't Matter [Much] In K-Pop Landia

Posted by : KPopRanter November 10, 2013

I find it funny when people try to prove their bias has talent by spamming you with videos of their subpar singing or dancing and expecting you to immediately fall in love when, let's face it, not everyone is talented in Korean pop. In fact, probably one out of three can actually carry a note or dance to the rhythm while the rest that can barely even stand correctly get labelled as rappers solely because of how good they look in a picture, and as hinted by rookie boy group Bangtan Boys in their song, We Are Bulletproof numerous untalented folk take that course.

But with the few people who can actually do something, it's rather sickening to me how their talent actually doesn't matter nor play even a key role in the group's outcome. Yes, I said it. Their inherited talent is as useless as about half the members in the group and well, the company nor the fans are sorry. It's business. It's marketting. It's how the entertainment world works. And why it's like that is actually fairly simple:
Beauty.

Hyoyeon is the worst at singing and the worst looking in Girls' Generation. The outcome? Among the worst sized fanbases. Yoona is the second worst at singing but the best looking in Girls' Generation. Outcome? Among the best sized fanbase. See the equation? In a group like Girls' Generation which targets looks more than anything else, it's not hard to expect that to happen. Nowadays, most groups target looks more than talent, therefore, placing members like the main or best vocalists on the backburner while others get the time to shine. More people care about a groups' overall looks, hence why SPICA is irrelevant while After School is and why main vocalists like Yesung are virtually unknown while pretty faces like Siwon are.
The music editor can edit your voice in songs

that can make you sound phenomenal... or at least good enough for your fans to cry and fight about... which is kind of what you want when being an idol: a lot of crazy fans.

And while most pacifists and goody-goodies'll argue that talent really does matter, let's be honest, if you ever see a main/very good as the most popular in the group, it's cause they have a fucktastic face, too such as Taeyeon, Suzy and Eunji. Most main/very good vocalists vocalists who aren't considered pretty like Yesung, Daehyun and Youngjae are kept in the back while others with better faces shine bright. Likewise, talent isn't just vocals as I've been pinpointing, Hyoyeon being a phenomenal dancer but getting less seconds than I can count on all ten of my fingers in videos, Min being an amazing dancer, too but as nugu status as the other three nugus in Miss A and Minzy being the best singer and dancer in 2NE1 and having the smallest fan base.

Therefore, to conclude, talent is something that should be a given but most of the time is forgotten. Most groups have talented members but unless they're pretty are as popular as dirt. Is it natural? Yes, K-Pop being a very image-centric genre and Korea being a very image-centric place. Is it right? You tell me: comment below!