This page is dedicated to my love for the different faces and emotions that characterize the crazy world of Korean pop music and dramas... be it SYRUPY SWEET, DARK AND SEDUCTIVE, or RADICAL AND ZANY!
Yes... I am Filipino, and I love Korean dramas and music!
There's a reason that I don't really write about each and every Korean album that comes out. For one thing, I don't really think it's nice to say (or write) bad things about artists. Like I said in my other post, artists are meant to be loved.
My other reason --- well, I go for vocal talent and musicality than hype. A lot of the idols that come out of the woodwork are either a product of tweaking (music editing and auto-tuning galore), and lots of hype. Unfortunately, the bad apples tend to spoil the lot, and even the artists who actually have talent are unfairly judged as well.
This is the reason why I love watching the show "Immortal Song 2" from KBS. It showcases live performances from some of the top idol vocalists in the industry. They're there to prove that idols are artists too, and that they got the stuff to make people believe that true talent does exist in the industry.
It's been a week more or less since I've last posted since I've been preoccupied with a class that I've been handling since early April. Apart from that, it's Lent (if you're Catholic, you'd know that it's an important time of the year).
It's been an interesting time too for Kpop, considering that we've been bombarded with a whole lot of group debuts and comebacks. Lots of good music coming out of the woodwork... sadly, I don't have that much time on my hands to review every single thing that comes under my radar. There are days when I wish that someone could just pay me for blogging all the stuff that I'm into... hahaha! Wishful thinking, right?
To make up for the lack of content this past week, I've decided to do a coup... three reviews for two interesting groups that have recently earned my interest --- f(x), and B1A4. I'll be posting my review for f(x)'s new album "Pinocchio" first... I'll try my best to post my review for B1A4 before I go to work tomorrow!
~ D
The lovely ladies of f(x) --- Amber, Krystal, Sulli, Victoria and Luna
Although they've been around since 2009, these gals have been on hiatus for an entire year. I first encountered f(x) when I was watching one of my favorite reality shows - "We Got Married". Nickhun of 2PM is a personal fave of mine (who doesn't like him, right? hahaha!), and he was paired off with Victoria of f(x). That got me googling to check out who Nickhun was paired off with, and I found out about the five incredibly lush ladies that make up this group.
In an industry dominated by cheeky, sugary electro-pop cheese that Kpop songs are known for (which, trust me, isn't an entirely bad thing hahaha!), f(x) brings a refreshing take of Kpop fare that isn't overloaded with too much vomit-inducing "aegyo" (cuteness). Their first full-blown album, "Pinocchio", is a very good example of that.
I initially read about the new girl-idol group, Rania, by reading through my usual Kpop blogs. Apparently they stunned the Kpop world with their debut --- since nobody could really stop writing about them! What got me curious was that this group was being met with a whole lot of bad PR about them being too sexy.
It was pretty obvious that they were gunning for that image when I got to see their pictures online. 7 pretty Asian girls clad in pointy, black, leather two-piece mini's. That's pretty much a fantasy come true for most straight guys (hehehe!). Even for a gay guy, I have to admit they're hot.
The girls of Rania (not in any particular order): Semi, Riko, Jui, Di, Joy, T-ae, and Xia
So... ok... they've got the looks. They were able to sell themselves visually to me. Now I wanted to sample their music.
Their debut album's lead track is an electro-pop single titled "Dr. Feel Good". Sort of reminded me of another American album (which is funny, since one of their producers is Teddy Riley, who's a pretty bad-ass producer himself in the US), but I didn't want that to distract me.
When I listened to the song for the first time, two things caught my attention:
First --- THEIR ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION IS GREAT! Most Kpop artists would always insert some English phrase into their pop tunes to make it sound more impressive or current for some reason. Sadly enough, a lot of these efforts lack good execution and skill. But these girls knew how to speak the words rather fluently. I was impressed by that!
Second --- The song wasn't your usual Kpop tune. It was electro-pop (which is the rage right now in Korea), but the bass and the underbelly rhythm of the music had a strong pop-rock-slash-hip-hop feel to it. I guess that added to the dark sensuality of the music.
Now if they're so good, why all the darn flack?
I guess people got hung up on the fact that the girls are "too sexy". Ok... take a look at these lyrics from the first part of the song...
Doctor, doctor I felt it the first time I knew what you were thinking by looking at me Honestly, I didn't dislike the stares you gave me My body started shaking like I waited for it
I need a fi-fi-fi-fix Some type of d-d-d-drug The Doctor came close to me And his eyes suddenly changed You have a special interest in me You got me feelin f-f-f-feelin' feelin...
Doctor, Doctor Feel Good Come make me feel real good My hardened heart has started to melt Doctor, Doctor Feel Good Come make me feel real good Suddenly the frustration in my heart is gone I wanna feel real good I need to feel real good I wanna feel real good 'Cause I've been really bad bad
If that didn't spell out S-E-X on a silver platter, I don't know what will!
Now watch the video and the dance (with English subtitles, of course)...
Honestly, if you're used to American videos and music, you begin to tell yourself that this is just an absolutely well-made song. A song with great strong voices combined with a catchy rhythm is bound to make a splash anywhere it drops, right?
In South Korea, that line of thinking may not necessarily apply. I've seen the Korean concept of "sexy", and it's a bit less forward that what I've seen Rania do in their videos and TV appearances. Based on what I've been reading in the major Kpop blogs, major stations like KBS, SBS and music mogul MNET have asked the producers of Rania, DR Music (which apparently also produced the famous girl group BabyVOX back in the late 90's and the early part of the last decade), to tame both their costumes and choreography. Their reply was a black leather bolero on their shoulders. I wouldn't even be surprised if the networks also requested for a "clean" version of the song.
Rania basically pushed a button that most girl groups have been pushing for some time --- a little bit more "crazy, sexy, cool" in the Kpop biz. Many groups have done it --- SNSD, Kara, BEG, Secret, 4Minute --- name it, they're tried it! I guess Rania may have pounded on the button a little harder than others, but I guess it was bound to happen at some point. With the influx of Western media through the internet and its great influence over the tides of world music and pop culture, a group like Rania would basically exemplify the push and pull of pop and traditional values.
To say the least, Rania was a great risk for both DR Music and Teddy Riley. Time will only tell if the risk was well worth it.
For now, the song is playing in my Kpop favorites list. It's a cool, hot song... can't help it ^^,
