My First Ever Music Video Review

Hey, I'm back to blogging.  Took a break for a few days after the Jenny Hyun incident since it had upset me THAT much.  But, now I'm back and I'm alright.

A lot has been happening this past week, and most of the news was about Block B.  Of course, the media and the K netizens really pissed me off...and so did some of the Thai netizens who actually created a hate page on Facebook.  Anyway, this entry is not related to Block B, simply because I'm tired of the negativity and unfairness of their situation.  Instead, I decided to do a music video review, which is something I've never done before...like ever.

So, here's the video I chose to review:

The Song:
It's kind of hard to accept this as a real song.  In kpop, songs don't have to be the best to be loved.  Girls Generation "Oh" went viral, and there wasn't much musical genius behind that.  Yet, this song is just...horrible. It's a mess, really.  The good thing though is that some people will like this song since they're fans of the group anyway.

The Video:
Remember a few years ago when U-KISS released their Man Man Ha Ni music video?  Well, this sort of reminded me of that.  Except ManManHaNi was easier to listen to and the video was much more professional looking.  Honestly, I though SM was stingy when it came to Super Junior music videos, but they have absolutely nothing on Twilight.  The video editing was...let's just say that it looked like I did it (and I can't even work Windows Movie Maker).

The good thing is, the video isn't painfully horrible.  When I first watched the video, I was like, "This isn't it...this can't be it."  But I ended up laughing at the horribleness of it all.  Honestly, I've watched worse videos.

P.S. They did the Bingeul Bingeul dance thingy there too, did you see it?

Overall Rating: 1/10
They did what they were told to do, and the video does exist, so I guess that it deserves something right?  I'm hoping their next MV is much better.

Final Thoughts
I know this review may have seemed harsh, but it's my honest opinion. I'll do the next video review maybe next week.

K-pop Stylists

So, as kpop fans, we all have moments when we want to slap whoever it is that dresses the celebrities.  And then, there are moments when we want to hug them and shower them with all the love that we have.  This post is dedicated to those people who have the task of making our idol stars look even better than they naturally do. I'm going to give shout outs to my favorites and not so favorites on this post (yes, this may be lengthy).

Super Junior's Stylists

The first stylist team that I'm going to mention is that of Super Junior.  Let's face it, there's rarely a "Wtf are they wearing" moment with this group.  That alone is commendable since there are so many people in the group and they have to ensure that they all look good enough to eat.  

2ne1's Stylists

I have to give a shout out to the genius behind these girls.  Whoever it is, must really have a sense of humor and an "f u" attitude, because honestly, some of the outfits and concepts make everyone go O_O.  Still, thanks to their team (and their own neat tastes) the girls have become fashion icons.
   


B1A4's Stylists
Someone hand me a gun.

<--- This is complete and utter madness.  Yes, the fans will love them, regardless of what they wear on stage. They started off alright during the "O.K." promotions. However, upon the arrival of "Beautiful Target,  it's like they randomly dig in a barrel of clothes and find outfits that are similar in color and give it to them to wear. Unlike other groups, the stylists off day is when they actually look good. Although, there is a bit of consistency to this mess.  Jinyoung will always wear oversized shirts, Baro will always have a hat, CNU will always look semi masculine (his femine features and long hair make it kinda difficult to achieve a full masculinity look), Gongchang always has the animal hoodie and Sanduel's outfit rarely matches the group on the whole.  Still though, as a fan, I would like to see a bit more effort.

Kara's Stylists

These girls stylists do a great job.  The group almost always matches, not just in color co-ordination but also with the other members.  Their hairstyles are usually very pretty, and their make-up isn't over the top.  Cute, sexy, innocent - they've successfully created every female image (except maybe bad-ass, but 2NE1 can help them with that if they need it).







The Other Big 3 Stylists

Let's face it, the "big 3" have some of the best, and most reliable stylists.  Sometimes, they do a heap of foolishness (Like putting a huge flower on Seungri's greenish colored quarter sleeved, tight suit jacket), but they're still very consistent in delivering fashionable apparel that matches the image of the companies' artists.  SM's male artists always look as if they've stepped out of GQ magazine and their females...well, they change depending on the concept that they have at any given time.

YG stylists have managed to go where professional stylists have never gone before.  They manage to make the most affordable and available clothes look runway ready.  They are able to mesh hip-hop, rock, classical and regular casual clothes together in a way that other stylists are either afraid or simply unable to.  Even the most messed up styles from this company are inspiring and cool.

 JYP stylists also do a good job with their clients.  Seeing how each group has their own concept and image (i.e Wonder Girls are retro, 2PM are macho, 2AM are suave etc) the stylists have to continue to come up with different styles every so often and like a million variations for the billions of performances.  So yeah, congrats all JYP stylists...you do a good job.

Now...there are some more other amazing stylists, and not so amazing stylists, but I'm out of time, so I'll end this here. Next post will probably be about hair..lol the colors and the styles...Peace.

Yoochun's Scandals

This post was supposed to be about fashion in the kpop world, but something much more interesting popped up, so I'll discuss that first.  Yes, I'm speaking about none other than JYJ's Yoochun and his two scandals in two weeks. 

The last time I'd seen something this big was last year when it was discovered that Seo Taiji and Lee Ji Ah had been married secretly.  It seems as if Yoochun's anti fans are really trying to break him down though.  Here's a little recap of what happened over the past two weeks. 

Last week sometime, some chick threatened to release a sex tape, claiming that a famous idol star was the leading character.  Thanks to netizens awesome investigational skills, it was determined (unofficially) that the idol in the video was Park Yoochun (even though the photos released were blurry).  Things ended well though as the tapes were turned over to government officials.  Then earlier this week, videos surfaced with Yoochun slapping a fan while trying to enter their apartment building.  

Sooo, here's my quick two cents.  One, men should NEVER hit women.  There's really no excuse.  He was wrong.  However, I will be the first to stand behind Yoochun and support him (and dropkick a bitch too) if anyone dares to throw stones at him.  Because he's a public figure, the backlash of this event will be harder on him than on any other normal man.  Why?  Because he's a role model.  Even if the government and justice system doesn't punish him, the people that he needs to support him may not do so.  And that's understandable.  As a woman, I'm offended by his actions.  But as a person who likes to see the good in people, I can understand his situation. 

 Let's imagine a day in the life of a Korean celebrity.  Wake up before the sun comes up to get hair and make-up fixed (which is bad because they only just went to sleep at 3AM after a rehearsal to perfect their choreography).  Smile and nod respectfully at seniors and influential people that manipulate you because your career depends on how well you behave to them.  Spend an hour running through performance rehearsals, then spend six hours in a crowded waiting room for the actual performance.  Spend three and a half minutes actually performing.  Head back to practice room to review performance and to spend all night correcting mistakes that only you know you made.  

Sounds stressful right.  Now imagine, you finally get a half day off to rest, and you're trying to get to your apartment and there's a crowd of people following you.  When you arrive to your apartment, it takes you five minutes to get to the door, when it should only take you 30 seconds, because your "fans" refuse to let you through (pardon the exaggeration).  As you arrive to the door, you can't get through because one particular fan decides she's not going to move because she's so starstruck.  Anger surges through and you slap her without even thinking about it....

Not saying it's justified, but seeing it like that, it's more understandable.  Sort of like how stealing is always wrong, yet it's a bit more understandable if a poor kid steals than a rich kid.  

Second, leave the past in the past.  The ex girlfriend should not have brought her personal business out on the streets, even if she was desperate for money.  I'm sure she could have come up with a better strategy.  Did she not realize that she would ruin her own name by doing that?  And the slapping incident happened years ago.  If Yoochun has a conscience, then he felt the guilt from that a long time ago.  Why bring it up and re-open wounds?  If he doesn't, then either way it doesn't bother him, so all the people who released the tapes did was cause his fans to either hate him or hate them.  

One thing all k-pop fans would do well to remember is that the stars that we love are all still humans.  They're not perfect.  We make mistakes and do things we regret, they do too.  Instead of condemning them to hell because they do something wrong, embrace them.  As their fans, they do still need our support.  While it's okay to say we're disappointed and that they should not have acted in such a manner, it is not okay to spread hate.  They have feelings too, and I'm sure if you were in the same position, you'd want someone to stand beside you without casting judgement.  They probably know they did wrong and regret it already.  What they need is to know that they can be forgiven.  

That is all.

Song of 2011

2011 was a year of musical genius in South Korea.  Even Girls Generation didn't do that whole cutesy one word title song that was extremely annoying yet catchy.  The rookie groups were hot (for the most part) and there was an overflow of talent in just about every sub genre of kpop.

I decided to select my favorite song(s) of 2011 and share them with whoever is interested.

1) Dear TV - Tablo
 16 lines of lyrical genius created by the genius Tablo.  The entire song is in English, but I still ended up running to the dictionary, since I didn't understand half of the words he used.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, there were only a few words.  Still though, that was my first time listening to a rap song that didn't only make me think, but also taught me new words.

2) Shouting to Memories - Jang Woo Hyuk
I fell in love with the song for a variety of reasons.  One, I could relate to the lyrics.  Two, Jo Hyuna is a vocal beast. Three, the music video was quite entertaining.  This was one of those songs where the video was just a bonus, the song itself sells.  Jang Woo Hyuk's rapping skills are quite nice, I must say, and, as I said earlier, Jo Hyuna is an amazing vocalist.

3) I Remember - Bang Yong Guk ft. Yang YoSeob
Is it obvious that I'm a sucker for good rap music?  This song took mainstream kpop hip hop to a whole new level.  I mean, the song itself is still about the regular break up, but Yong Guk adds a bit of hardcore swag to it.  And Yoseob's voice compliments the song perfectly.  The video was just badass and I am still surprised that it took so long to be banned.

4)Be My Baby- Wonder Girls
Definitely one of the better songs by a girl group this year.  The girls vocals were alright and of course, Yubin's rapping was nice.  The video reminded me a bit of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" though.  Still, it's enjoyable. Even my dad liked the song and video.

5) Going Crazy - Song Ji Eun ft Bang Yong Guk

At first, I didn't even give the song a listen.  I thought it would be the same as every song sung by a female in kpop...either pronouncing how they don't need a man, how they're so pretty, or how they're so in love.  But this one turned out to be different.  For once, the guy was completely lovestruck and the girl was tired of being stalked, which is what it should be like.  I mean, have you actually paid attention to the words of alot of these kpop songs.  They're forever watching and following people around, which is essentially stalking.  Finally, someone spoke out on it. 

K Dramas

One of my greatest loves as a k-entertainment fan is the dramas.  Over the past year, I watched quite a few dramas.  Some of them I loved, others bored me to bits.  So, here's my view on the dramas.

First, there's always some sort of love triangle or square or pentagon.  It makes for an interesting plot of jealousy and fighting for the person you love, but there must be something else that happens in life, like something bigger than that.  I wonder what a drama would be like if there was no love triangle, just a few people, one couple and the rest friends who have to deal with a few life crisis's (lol I mean more than one crisis).  

Then, there's the annoying as hell lead female character who is either helpless, poor, naive or a pushover.  There have been a few exceptions to this (based only on the dramas that I've watched of course), but the majority of the characters are retarded and annoying.   Even though my heart goes out to the character, more often than not, I just want to reach out and smack them upside the head for being so stupid.  Especially when the character starts off with a good personality (smart, pretty, rich and strong headed) and then turns into a mute idiot when they need to speak up and defend themselves most. 

Those are my biggest issues with the dramas that I've watched.  Now, after saying all that, here's a short list of some of my favorite dramas.

1. Marry Me Mary/Mary Stayed Out All Night - both guys started off as jerks...so psssssssssh

2. You're Beautiful - although it was ridiculously predictable, there was a lot of humor

3.  Protect the Boss - One word: Jaejoong

4. My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox - the main male wasn't that much of a jerk, only a bit selfish, Shin Min Ah is a brilliant actress (Lee Seung Gi is a great actor too) and there was a mix of sci-fi and comedy with the romance and the regular boring plot.

6. Shining Inheritance - the lead femal character wasn't a push over or stupid...she was actually quite admirable.

My Favorite Girl Groups

Most girls don't really follow girl groups. They may listen to one group religiously and maybe a sprinkling of songs, but they don't really follow them as much as they follow boy groups.  I was like that not too long ago.  I was a hardcore Blackjack, and would listen to a handful of songs from other groups, but recently, I've found myself enjoying girl group music.  Here's a short list of my favorite girl groups and a bit of the reason why I like them so much.

1.  2NE1

My favorite girl group (currently) is none other than the queens of swag, 2NE1.  First off, their music matches more to my style. They are probably the only group who doesn't rely on their looks to sell their music.  Instead, they create music that empowers and encourages females.  They have this bad girl thing about them and they're sexy with it.  The first time I watched one of their MV's my mouth literally hit the floor because it was different from what I was used to K-pop girl groups putting out.  My favorite song from this group is "Go Away".





2. 4Minute


While their vocal ability doesn't wow me, I'm still infatuated with this group.  Why? Similar to 2NE1, their image is different from the cutesy one that dominates the industry.  They seem more normal, like me.  While 2NE1 is like the rebels of the industry, 4Minute is  the group of regular girls that don't fit in exactly, but don't really stand out.  My favorite song from this group is Bababa.

3.  Brown Eyed Girls

 Honestly, this group is (in my opinion) the BEST female idol group in the industry.  Their vocalists, Jea, Narsha and Ga-In, are amazing and their rapper, Miryo, in undisputedly the best female idol rapper.  Every member in this group is sexy and they have really cool personalities as well.  Their music, similar to 2NE1, goes beyond just fluff and has great appeal to anyone who wants to listen to something more mature.  And they have great stage presence. Favorite song: their latest hit Sixth Sense.

4. Secret

Lastly, I love this group. Not a hundred percent sure why, but I do.  Their voices aren't extremely light, instead they have rich vocals.  And their music is fun.  I guess that's all really. My favorite song from this here group is Madonna.

5 Overrated (Mainstream) Artists

This is Part 2 to my earlier post about underrated mainstream kpop artists.
1. Hyunah (4Minute)

Yeah, she's pretty.  And she's a decent dancer (as I will say for most artists since I can't dance better than any of them).  But really, why is she so famous?  She's not a very good singer (even though it's her job to sing), and while she does write some really decent lyrics, she doesn't have much flow either.  I mean, even her company realized that and doesn't have her rap in her own/her group's songs.  She does have a stage presence, though, so that may just be why her fans tend to exaggerate her greatness.  Also, she can be sexy, at times, but sometimes, the feeling that she's trying too hard can be felt (that's when she actually tries since she's sexier when she isn't trying).  Still though, can't hate her for it (lol yes, I'm a fan) since even she admitted that she feels she's overrated. 

2. Girls Generation

Okay, so this group is super famous - for being good looking.  They do have some really nice songs, but as a singing and dance group (and this is only MY opinion) they are given so much more attention than groups that put out better music.  Once again, can't blame them too much, since I remember reading somewhere that they have very little creative freedom.  But still, I mean.  Only two of the nine can really sing. The other seven are mediocre singers (can carry a tune and have a pretty voice).  No one in the group (that I've heard so far) can rap and only one member is a really good dancer.  I remember being disappointed when I watched one of their videos for the first time.  It's actually a song that I like (Run Devil Run), but I can distinctly recall asking why the girl groups were worse than the boy groups.  They do work hard, and should be respected for that alone, but all the hype that surrounds them is extremely misleading. 

3. Kim Hyun Joong

Yes, Kim Hyun Joong makes it onto the list.  And yes, it is killing me to put him here (well not really).  I really do believe that this very sexy young man who was my ultimate bias for a little more than a year (which is spectacular since I normally can't stick that long to any one person or thing) is overrated.  Why?  First, he's a singer, but he's a mediocre singer.  It was kind of baffling to see him win an award over his group mate,friend and the obvious better singer, Heo Youngsaeng.  He also acts.  Personally, I thought he was brilliant in both of the dramas he was in, but even though my bias for him makes me think he's the best at everything, the truth is that he's not that great of an actor either.  He's very good looking, but he's not that great of a model either (due to his extreme awkward personality in front of the camera).  Get my drift?

4. Super Junior

This group is highly debatable.  But I decided to put them on the list because all their title tracks, since Sorry Sorry, sounds the same.  Sorry, Sorry, Bonamana and Mr. Simple have almost no variations in the songs.  Even A-Cha sounds the same.  Despite this, they continuously top charts (with the same songs) which aren't exactly great.  Why? Because of their hundreds of thousands of fans that support them whether or not the song is actually worth supporting.  Still, this group always has at least three amazing songs on every album, even if it isn't the title track (which was why I had to really debate placing them on this list).

5.  Yoona (Girls Generation)

Even though I've already posted SNSD as a group on the list, I had to put Yoona as an individual.  Yoona's position in Girls Generation is visual.  Now, I don't have a problem with that (even though I think more than half of the group, including Yuri, is prettier than she is). After all, L is the visual for Infinite yet he's not in my top 5 best looking members of that group. What I do have a problem with is the fact that her fans make it seem like she's the most important member of the group.  I mean, yeah, she is pretty, but big deal.  There are 8 other girls that are just as attractive as she is.  Not only that, but when it comes to musical talent, Yoona has almost none.  It seems as if her fans forget that even though she does help with the beauty of the group, she doesn't really contribute much as a singer, dancer or rapper.  If anyone deserves the hype in SNSD, I'd say Taeyeon or Jessica or Hyoyeon, because they make the biggest contributions (performance wise) and they're all just as pretty (if not prettier).

While this list could be much longer, I had to find the criteria that would make it fair.  When I do a bit more research on other artists, I'll post up the rest of this list...or at least five more artists.

10 Most Underrated (Mainstream) Artists

Remember folks, this is in MY opinion.  Due to the fact that I can't really say who is more underrated than who on this list, the numbers are irrelevant, it's just to say there are 10 artists on the list.

1. Zico (Block B)

First person that comes to my mind as underrated is the "almost maknae" 19 year old swag king and leader of Block B. He is the younger brother of Taewoon  from Co-Ed School.  Formally an underground rapper and currently the leader and producer for a k-pop idol group, this young man has proven that he has incomparable talent.   His group isn't spectacularly popular, either, which is a bit disappointing seeing that they have better songs than quite a few of the more popular groups.

2. Daesung (Big Bang)

The second person that I think about when I hear the word underrated, is my honey bunny, Daesung.  The young star definitely has one of the richest, most powerful voices in the industry.  Not only that, but he also knows how to use it.  He is a member of super popular boyband, Big Bang, which may be the reason why he's so underrated.  Honestly, I feel as if he should be given more lines, or even a solo album.  I love Taeyang, but the dude sings the majority of the singing lines in most of the songs...Dae can definitely afford to get more shine time.  

3. Sungmin (Super Junior)

The talented Lee Sungmin is definetely an underrated celebrity.  He's an excellent actor, singer, dancer and can play several different instruments.  He should be well respected when it comes to him being an entertainer.  However, all of these qualities get overshadowed by the talents of his group mates in Super Junior.  With the more powerful voices of Yesung, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun in the same group, he doesn't get much shine in that department.  Dancing alongside Eunhyuk and Donghae can also prove to be a bit futile if looking to be recognized as a dancer (which he's not, but still...).  The acting department is completely dominated by Heechul, Siwon and Donghae, who have starred in numerous dramas.  And playing instruments is cool, only if you're in a dance group, it doesn't really fit in.

4. Seungho (MBLAQ)

Yang Seungho also falls on this list.  Why?  I bet you didn't know that he's the main vocalist for MBLAQ.  If you did, then you must be a fan (like myself).  He has a husky voice that almost sounds auto-toned even when it isn't, yet he still only sings approximately eight lines in the title tracks.  And those eight lines are really just two lines that get repeated four different times in the song.  Seungho can also play the piano and he's an excellent dancer.  

5. Dalmatian

Yes, a whole group made it onto the list.  Actually, there are quite a few groups that can make it here, but let's not get into that.  Dalmatian is an "idol" group.  However, they don't receive half the attention that they deserve.  Every song on their only mini album is exceptionally composed and recorded.  The boys had some of the most enjoyable and professional performances I've ever watched from a rookie group.  Yet, their popularity is almost non-existent. I'm not quite sure why since they have great music, fun MV's and performances and good looks.

6. SoYou (SISTAR)

Yes, she is underrated.  She's a member of girl group, SISTAR.  The fact that I didn't know this, even though I listen to the group's music and watch all their videos, proves it.  She has a decent voice (once again better than some of the more popular celebrities), but she get's overshadowed by the other members of her group.  

7. HITT

Rookie group HITT, I feel can be included on this list.  They debuted the same year as groups Block B and B1A4.  Thing is, their debut song wasn't all fresh and fun and bouncy as just about every other rookie group last year.  Instead, they debuted with a sad pop song. The rapping is on point, as are the vocals. Personally, I only had to listen to it once to fall in love with it, but even after attaining the digital single, I put it aside to listen to more catchy songs like "Beautiful Target" and "Boyfriend".   So yeah, I kind of helped to make this group underrated.

8. 4Men

This group has been around for quite some time, and their name is not a misnomer (lol unlike Se7en and 8eight).  There were originally four members, but now, there are three.  Anywho, this group contains three of the best vocalists I have ever heard...full stop.  They're a ballad group who's music reaches deep to the core of anyone who will take the time to listen to their songs.  However, not many people do because they're not "idols".

9.  JunHo

Yes, I am speaking of no other than Rain's long lost son (I'm joking if you didn't know), Lee Junho from 2PM.  The dude is hot: he's good looking, can sing, dance and rap.  Yet he is never truly acknowledged for his talent, skill and hard work.  Once again, he's overshadowed by a stronger vocalist (Junsu), a taller rapper (Taecyeon) and a more adorable dancer (Wooyoung).  

10.  Brown Eyed Girls

Definitely one of the most underrated girl groups there are is the Brown Eyed Girls.  Their rapper Miryo is just....words cannot express.  She is one of the best female rappers in the industry.  And Narsha as well as Jea both have amazing voices.  The maknae, who just happens to be popular due to her time on "We Got Married" with 2AM leader Jo Kwon, can belt notes like Mariah Carey, and has just as much sex appeal.  Their song, Abracadabra, was viral and kpop fans everywhere stop what they're doing and dance whenever they hear the beat (once again this can be credited to Jo Kwon).  Yet, these girls don't get half as much shine time as lesser groups.  

There are many more artists that are extremely underrated, but really, I don't want to drone on and on and on.  So we'll end it here for now.  But, I have one request.  Let's all try to appreciate the music for what it is, not for who sings it.  And let's give praise where it is due.  Not just the popular and goodlooking artists should be recognized for their hard work.  It's usually the ones behind the scenes, the ones that we overlook, who have the true talent and who work the hardest. 

The History of K-pop - Trot Music

So yeah, it's been a while since I've been on this here my special blog. I've been very busy since last year.  But now I have some time.  So, I'll start writing again.

Tonight, I'll be writing on the history of k-pop.  We all love our idol groups like Super Junior and the Wonder Girls, but do we know where it all originated from?  Probably not.  The history is actually quite interesting...to me...Anyway, here we go.

So, there was this guy right.  His name was Masao Gouga and he was Japanese-Korean (or Korean-Japanese if you're picky about stuff like that).  Anyway,  according to my sources, he decided to mix traditional Korean music and gospel music that was introduced to Asia by American evangelists to create what is known in Korea as Trot music, and in Japan as Enka.

In 1932, the a conflict broke out between the Korean and the Japanese (shocker!) in regards to the music.  Gouga's song, "Sakewa Namitaka Tameikika" was accused of being a rip off of "The Calm Jung Ahn" written by Korean composer, Jeon Su Lin.  This controversy brought to the forefront a slew of talented Korean composers.

After the Korean war, which lasted 3 years and resulted in the split of North and South Korea, American troopers remained in the South to help protect the country.  This opened the window for Western music to infiltrate Trot music, Korea's first form of "Pop" music, and transform it into what it is today.

Check out a sample of Trot music below:

Trot music is being revived however, especially with younger stars like Super Junior-T representing it fairly well.