Week 2 - K-Pop (August 9th)

[Taylor Bub]

In class we discussed some different K-Pop groups and the typical rules they have to follow during their time with their groups.  One rule that really surprised me, was the idea that they are not allowed to openly date anyone so that fans can picture them as single.  As I mentioned before watching the documentary about BlackPink, the group was talking at the end of the documentary about their futures both with the group and outside.  One of the girls mentioned that they might all be married by that time, and having children.  It hadn't dawned on me at all that I never see articles in the news or entertainment (at least not where I get mine I guess) about certain members of BTS or 2NE1 dating people like you would see about more western artists like Ariana Grande or Selena Gomez.

[GianellaSandy]

Great conversation tonight!  I could not believe have fast the time went by!  I am just thinking more about the BTS song that criticized the education system and parental expectations.  Was there any backlash from parents?  I am thinking the music company's most concerned with selling songs and making money.  Does it make the songs even more popular if there is backlash?

[Courtney Caldwell]

I agree that it's worrisome to think about the consequences of such "perfection" on the youth. During our discussion tonight, Dr. Jung-Kim was explaining how as a graduation present, many South Korean youth actually receive the gift of some sort of image altering surgery. It makes me wonder how much of this is on standards created by Korean Film & K-Pop, as well as the Korean Beauty industry. It's definitely not something isolated to Korea, however, it seems like something that happens quite a bit in South Korea. Furthermore, how does this contribute to overall mental health not only of those receiving these altering surgeries but also those who perhaps can't afford or don't WANT to adhere to these standards?

[Courtney Caldwell]

I agree with you that this was actually quite surprisingto me. We see here in the U.S. our celebrities have ZERO privacy, and I'm wondering if this actually helps these artists feel like they have SOMETHING to themselves that the public can't/won't know about. Also, to your bringing up the BlackPink documentary- for those who haven't seen it it's very interesting to see the inner workings of a K-Pop group and what they have to go through in order to maintain their roles as the total package entertainers. 

[Joanna Bourque]

I wanted to speak a bit about some of the topics brought up during our discussion related to idols' creative agency, their over-scheduled lives, their meticulously manicured appearances, and their carefully cultivated personas. Clay mentioned at one point that, in the past, you could watch a band play live on stage and know who each one of them was and what their unique role was in the band, yet, he sees a breakdown in that with k-pop where they don't play instruments and they are all singing. I am not informed well on past idol groups like Super Junior and Girls' Generation with a cadre of similar looking and similarly styled members; however, many idol groups consist of members with different looks, voices, and personalities (think Black Pink and Big Bang with each having four members with different roles and skills and unique styles of look and dress).

Companies may also assign members a persona that they adopt for their fans (e.g., the cute one, the funny one, the smart one, the rebel) and, in that way, each group has a member that can appeal to anyone and everyone. BTS, of course, is again a great example. The members come from different backgrounds and disciplines with different skillsets. There are seven members and each has a specific role within the vocal line, rap line, dance line, etc. At first listen, one might not be able to distinguish between each of the members, but after a closer listen, the four vocalists have very unique voices, tones, and skills and the three rappers have very unique voices, styles, and flows. There are four members of the dance line with JHope (a former street dancer) and Jimin (a contemporary dancer) as leads. Each member also sings a solo song suited to their skill and style on each of their albums. A BTS fan knows each member's name, has a specific bias, and can identify who is singing or rapping. BTS has always had an online presence, as well, and regularly engages with their fans through thier own variety show Run BTS, and v-logs on Vlive, allowing fans a glimpse into their personal lives, their personalities, and their relationships with eachother. Of course, this is all mediated through their company and much of it is contrived; however, it does allow fans to feel more connected to the group.

Lack of creative agency is a concerning aspect of idol culture. Idols and trainees all have different aspirations in becoming stars: to become a singer, or rapper, or dancer, or songwriter, or producer, or even just to become a famous celebrity. Suga, for example, was an underground rapper and went to Seoul to become a songwriter/producer and JK (Jeon Jung-kook) wanted to be a dancer before he was cast as the main vocalist in BTS. Depending on the company, there are idols who have been able to carve their own way in the industry through their own agency. Again, BTS is a great example, as they achieved some autonomy after their massive success. JHope (Jung Ho-seok) released a solo album in July after BTS went on hiatus. He performed songs from this album and from his 2018 mixtape at Lollapalooza two weekends ago. I was fortunate enough to be there. Not only JHope, but RM (Kim Nam-joon) and Suga/Agust D (Min Yoon-gi) are also songwriters and they self-produce solo work, which allows them actionable credibility that they otherwise lack by being in an idol group. Suga has recently produced songs for others like Suran's Wine, Halsey's Suga's Interlude, and Psy's recent hit That That. It is unfortunate that trainees are cast into roles that they do not aspire to; however, I believe that at this point, it is a well-known expectation in the industry. With the current scrutiny on the music industry in Korea, I am curious to see if there will be a shift in the idol culture and in the situation of trainees.

[Kara Schwartz]

Been working on a iMovie today to introduce the countries we are studying this year. My video opens with Zico's any song

I am now a big fan 

https://youtu.be/UdyjeUwPz_E

 

[Joanna Bourque]

Thank you for sharing! I feel like I have heard this song before. Do you know if it has been in a drama? It seems pretty chill and for everyday listening. For contrast, here is an example of a totally over the top k-pop song/video by a pretty popular group Big Bang: Bang Bang Bang. https://youtu.be/2ips2mM7Zqw

Daniel mentioned G-Dragon in our k-pop discussion, who is a member of Big Bang. This ties in perfectly, because he was actually trying to become a rapper since childhood. He joined his company expecting to become a solo artist, but his company put him in the four member group Big Bang. It wasn’t until after he completed his military service that he was allowed to produce music as a solo artist. There was also an huge sex scandal involving a member, Seungri, in 2019, which usually spells the end of an idol’s career; yet, Big Bang just recently came out with a new song. 

[Joanna Bourque]

All I can say is that BTS never needed to do a song in English to become popular, so I don’t buy it. They also don’t have a label in The States. They are part of Big Hit, a Korean company, now Hybe. Pre- Dynamite era, they grew their global fandom grassroots style for years through YouTube, Vlive, and their own variety show Run BTS because they got no air play in the US or elsewhere because they sing in Korean. Yet, amazingly, they have been performing to sold-out stadiums in the US, Europe, Asia, and South America since 2018 with Korean-only songs, with fans singing along in Korean. How crazy is that!? A group singing in Korean sells out every stadium seating 60k+ people without ever being played on the radio!? Singing in English has nothing to do with BTS’ success. I have posted a few other discussion topics related to BTS and this topic below, if you are interested. This is a quality fan made introduction to the seven members of BTS, which shows their backgrounds, skill sets, talent, perseverance, and goofy quirkiness (which is unusual to see from idol groups) —everything that made ARMY fall for them.

[Joanna Bourque]

DISCLAIMER: I am ARMY. I have an ARMY bomb. I also have a ring that is an ARMY bomb. I have seen BTS 5 times in concert, once in Seoul. JHope (one of the rappers) is my bias.

Clay suggested that I post the song that I mentioned to the forum, so I thought I would post a few more for those who are interested in knowing more about BTS' message and success. BTS stands for Bangtan Seoyandan, translated as bulletproof boy scouts, which signifies the group's desire "to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets." There is also a very intricate and complex progressing storyline running through BTS’’ songs, albums, and videos starting from their debut.

You should always put on the closed captions for the lyrics in English.

That BTS song criticising the educational system is N.O. (2013). This is way back when they were too hip-hop for their own good 😉 Unfortunately, there are no subtitles, but you can find English lyrics here.

The epic ballad Spring Day (2017), which, I believe, illustrates the Korean concept of han, is considered by many critics to be a turning point for the band showing a newfound maturity. If I'm not mistaken, the video was partly inspired by Snowpiercer.

Idol (2018) is about idol culture and loving yourself, and is one of their biggest hits. This live performance intro to Idol is a fascinating integration of contemporary music and technology with traditional Korean music, dance, theater, dress, and folklore.

Fake Love (2018) is about losing yourself and loving yourself, and is one of their biggest hits.

We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal (2020) is a song for ARMY for BTS' seven year anniversary and chronicles their seven years of struggles and success; seven being significant because there are seven members.

Interlude: Shadow (2020) is from their Map of the Soul: 7 album, which is the culmination of years of reflection and introspection that draws heavily from Jung's concept of The Self and includes songs such as Persona and Ego.

Rap line highlight: DDaeng (2018). Vocal line highlight: The Truth Untold (2018). Dance practice highlight: Mic Drop- MAMA Ver. (2018). Dance line highlight: 3Js Butter-Special Performance (2021). 

Agust D's (Suga's) solo production Daechwita (2020) highlights his rapping style and has a lot of traditional Korean cultural references. 

RM's solo production Seoul-prod. Honne (2018) highlights his personal style with a chill vibe.

JHope's recent Arson (2022) is markedly darker than what he has produced with BTS as he explores his own creative interests and aesthetic. I would lovingly call it ‘hip hop apocalypse.’ He speaks on his past success and struggles with fame and ambition while with BTS, as well as his fears for the future as a solo artist. At the same time, I would say that he somehow captures contemporary AND old school hip hop in this one song.

Bad Desicions (2022) is a brand new collaboration with Benny Blanco, BTS’ vocal line, and Snoop Dogg. Benny is a BTS fan and the video hilariously illustrates what it is like to be ARMY.

I have way too much to impart on the topic of BTS and I know I have already gone overboard, so I will stop here. 🙂

[KeaneJerrica]

This post is AMAZING ! Thank you for sharing all your recommendations. I teach social justice and one thing that we do to start class each day is play a song related to social justice. Students then do a short lyric analysis and it's a great warm-up activity. N.O. by BTS sounds like it would definitely fit! Do you have any other recommendations? It's important to me to have diverse music included so I love this! 

[Kara Schwartz]

The song is very good. I am not sure if it was in a drama, but it could be.

THanks for sharing BIg Bang

[JungYunhee]

Learning about Asia and Asian culture, I am impressed how it leads me right back at our universal values and emotion.

"MengJiangNu's Bitter Weeping" is heart-breaking love story but it reminds me the danger and harm of a bad leader and why we need a good leader. I wish I can understand more about what "Song of Wild Grass" is about. I tried to find out translated lyrics but couldn't. However, the melody and the feelings were surprisingly similar to Korean old songs!

[Author]

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