Natasha On The K-Pop Scene

Politics in K-pop

Posted by January 4, 2013

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

WHEN you think of ushering in the new year in Tokyo, you would automatically think: parties, fireworks and endless crowds of people, right? This music addict? I ended up in front of my television screen at home watching Kohaku Uta Gassen, which can roughly be translated as “Red vs White Singing Contest”. This is an annual feature on Japan’s NHK TV station that divides music artistes into two competing teams, red and white, with the red team customarily comprising female artistes and the white team, male artistes.

Within the Japanese entertainment industry it is an incredible honour to be a part of this music programme, as only the most popular acts of the year receive invitations to perform. In fact, appearing on the show for the first time marks a significant point in a singer’s career due to Kohaku Uta Gassen’s popularity and high ratings year after year.

 

 

It wasn’t until 1988 that a South Korean singer appeared on the show. Kye Eun Sook, well-known at that time in Japan for her traditional Japanese ballads, appeared on the 39th broadcast of the show and was then followed by female artiste BoA who appeared from the 53rd till the 58th broadcast of the show.
Held on Dec 31, 2011, the 62nd annual Kohaku Uta Gassen show featured three South Korean artistes who have had the most success in Japan: Girl’s Generation, KARA and TVXQ.

Viewership ratings for the show released by Japanese media outlet Sponichi on Jan 5, 2012, had the Girls’ Generation’s performance raking in 39.9% points and KARA, 38.4%. This was seen as an amazing achievement as Japan’s most popular female group, AKB48, only managed 38.9%. And while Japanese boyband SMAP had the night’s most viewed performance with 42.6%, Korean boy group TVXQ came quite close. It was the third time that they had been invited on the show, showing beyond doubt their immense popularity in Japan.

With the K-pop scene growing larger than ever in Japan, we were naturally expecting to see more Korean artistes on Japanese TV in 2012 – but then rumours began to spread in the middle of the year that K-pop artistes may not be allowed on air due to the renewed territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan over the Liancourt Rocks (aka Dokdo Island in Korean and Takeshima Island in Japanese). The longstanding issue heated up when South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak visited the Liancourt Rocks on Aug 10, the first South Korean president to ever do so.

Amidst rumours and speculation, a representative of the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) released this statement: “Following the Dokdo incident, there have been more and more Hallyu stars that have begun stating that ‘Dokdo is ours’. Considering this, (Japanese) viewers might have ill feelings about K-pop stars appearing (on Kohaku Uta Gassen).”

Then came the announcement that the biggest year-end music festival in Japan would not be featuring any Korean artistes.

NHK also said that the territorial dispute had nothing to do with the selection of artistes and everything to do with the low popularity scores that Korean artistes had received in 2012, contradicting a statement it had issued prior to the announcement of the 2012 performers’ list.

This isn’t the first time that political differences have affected the K-pop scene. Famous Hallyu star Kim Tae-Hee was harshly criticised in Japan in 2011 after her political activities came to light. It seems that six years ago she had handed out CDs in Switzerland in support of Korean ownership of the Liancourt Rocks. This resulted in over 20,000 people signing a petition in 2011 demanding the cessation of the Japanese drama, 99 Days With A Star, in which Kim co-stars.

It is obvious that the South Korean entertainment industry is suffering in Japan due to the strained political relations between the two countries. Certainly, the fact that NHK decided not to invite any Korean artistes to participate in its year-end music programmes only underlines this. It has also left many people wondering whether or not politics should have anything at all to do with the entertainment industry.

It remains to be seen if politics will take a further toll on the K-pop industry in Japan beyond television. After all, KARA’s New Year’s concert at Japan’s biggest concert venue, the Tokyo Dome, went off without a hitch and it looks like the Girls’ Generation Japanese concert tour of 2013 is still on.

With the enormous popularity South Korean groups enjoy in Japan, it is hard to believe that a political dispute might create a total blackout. Still, with reduced appearances on Japanese television, only time will tell whether Korean artistes can maintain their level of fame and compete against their Japanese counterparts, who are free to promote themselves throughout Japan without any restrictions.

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The girls are back

Posted by December 7, 2012

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

To most K-pop fans, the end of the year means one of two things – watching and voting for your favourite artistes on the year-end music programmes and award shows.

But even though it’s a busy time for the K-pop scene, it’s always nice to take a look back at the year that was, and think about what to expect next year.

The beginning of 2012 was dominated by boy band debuts, compared to the deluge of female groups – 27, to be exact – that debuted in 2011.

Among these new boy bands were SM Entertainment’s EXO and TS Entertainment’s B.A.P., who both grew very popular as the year went on, even attending events outside of South Korea, something which used to be a distant dream for new groups.

The K-pop industry has definitely seen a lack of new female solo artistes since 2009, when new groups were all the rage. Compared to the likes of BoA and Lee Hyori in the past, there hasn’t been a new female solo act really making an impact on the K-pop charts in the last couple of years apart from IU.

But after the surge of boy bands at the beginning of the year, things started to change, and now the year is being coined as the “golden age” of female solo acts.

Rookies like Lee Hi, Ailee and Baek Ah-yeon have taken the industry by storm with their killer vocals and stunning performances.

American-born Ailee had a rather unconventional “debut”, on the 2011 MBC Chuseok Special Singers and Trainees, a competition where veteran and “trainee” artistes work together.

Ailee was paired as a trainee under R&B singer Wheesung, and she stole the show with an amazing rendition of Beyonce’s Halo. After the show, singer BMK said: “Wherever she goes, she has the potential to be a big star. She definitely has the voice.”

Just six months later, Ailee made her official debut with her first single Heaven. A month later, Ailee attended the Cyworld Music Awards, walking away with the “Song of the Month” and “Rookie of the Month” awards.

Following the release of Heaven, Ailee also was part of the soundtrack for KBS’s Dream High 2 alongside Sistar’s Hyorin and T-ARA’s Jiyeon.

Her latest single, I’ll Show You, featuring MBLAQ’s G.O., also marked the release of her first mini album, the six-track Invitation. Wheesung produced some of the tracks, which included collaborations with the likes of Verbal Jint, Swings and Simon D.

While the single failed to top the charts, it did manage to reach number two and three on the Korean Billboard and Gaon charts respectively.

In the middle of the year, FNC Music, the label that houses boy bands FT Island and CN Blue, introduced Juniel to the scene. The singer had already been performing in Japan and was relatively successful there prior to her Korean debut.

Juniel performed her first showcase in June, coinciding with the release of her first Korean single, illa illa.

The female soloist trend continued with the highly-anticipated debuts of the finalists of reality competition K-pop Star. Baek Ah-yeon and Lee Hi both fought their way through the competition, where participants have to perform in front of representatives from Korea’s “Big Three” labels – YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment.

The finalists were all guaranteed a debut contract with one of the big three, which has no doubt contributed to the astounding success of their debut singles.
Baek, who joined JYP Entertainment, released a ballad entitled Sad Song, which reached the number one spot on all the real-time charts. Lee on the other hand, joined YG Entertainment and made her debut with 1,2,3,4, which also topped the charts for weeks.

They were, however, backed by two of the strongest companies in the Korean music industry, and already had a strong fan base from their time on K-pop Star.
Nevertheless, both Baek and Lee have exceeded expectations so far.

The amazing reception to this slew of new female singers just shows how much fans are craving for a different generation of K-pop artistes.

Fans are now looking for acts that are not only unique, but also able to deliver the goods live on stage.

The girls who have made their debuts this year are not only talented, but they’re also the full package – charming and beautiful, like your typical K-pop star.

After the influx of group debuts over the past few years, perhaps this is the rejuvenation the K-pop industry needs to further itself within and beyond South Korea.

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Epik return

Posted by November 2, 2012

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

 

AFTER a four-year hiatus, South Korean group Epik High have made their return to the K-pop scene with their new album 99.

The album has been highly anticipated since news of its release broke last month. It is the first time the group has released an album under their new management company, YG Entertainment, which signed members Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz in July this year.

YG Entertainment is also home to huge artistes like PSY, 2NE1 and Big Bang, who were in Malaysia just last weekend as part of their Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour.

Epik High member Tablo had actually previously been signed to the company as well, releasing a solo album, Fever’s End, in November 2011.

The road to the release of their seventh studio album, however, has not been an easy one. The group, well known for their unique sound, has seen members enlisting in Korea’s mandatory two-year military service; while Tablo was caught up in a controversy over his studies as well (more on that later).

While most K-pop followers know the group pretty well now, they didn’t have the strongest of starts back when they made their debut in 2003. Their first album Map Of The Human Soul featured some of the biggest names in Korean hip-hop, including Drunken Tiger and CB Mass. But because hip-hop wasn’t popular in Korea at the time, the album failed to shine, and it wasn’t until their third album, Swan Songs, that the group started to become a force on the K-pop scene. Their fourth album was an even bigger success, selling 90,000 copies in the first month alone.

South Korean group Epik High.

In 2009, the group left Woollim Entertainment, going on to start their own independent music label, Map The Soul. The group released Map The Soul as a book-album with the help of other Korean hip-hop artistes.

In the same year, it was announced that DJ Tukutz was to enlist in the army, and he was followed by Mithra Jin in August 2010. It was during the absence of both his band members that Tablo made his solo debut with YG Entertainment, though he made it clear at the time that the group was not disbanded.

But 2010 was nevertheless a tough year for the group. Tablo’s graduation from Stanford University, majoring in English and English literature, was seen as highly suspicious. A group, going by the name “We Demand The Truth From Tablo”, claimed it was impossible for Tablo to have completed his studies there as quickly as he did.

The controversy made the front pages of Korean newspapers, which led Tablo to reveal his transcripts and other documents online; but many remained sceptical.

To put an end to the controversy, Tablo visited Stanford as part of a documentary to prove that his documents were not forged, and that finally put an end to the matter, with Stanford officials confirming Tablo’s graduation.

In October 2010, Korean police issued an arrest warrant domestically and with Interpol to arrest the leader of the “We Demand The Truth From Tablo” group, which was later revealed to be a 57-year-old Korean American currently living in the United States.

After that controversy, and the return of Mithra Jin, speculation was rife that Epik High would release a new album this year. On Oct 27, YG Entertainment officially announced that Epik High was to return to the music scene together with new artiste Lee Hayi.

Their new album, 99, includes collaborations with labelmates Park Bom (from 2NE1) and Lee Hayi. The track with Lee, It’s Cold, was an instant “all-kill”, topping all the major charts across Korea at the same time.

This year marks the ninth year since Epik High’s debut, and the group has promised to make it up to fans who have been patiently waiting for their comeback over the last three years.

They are even organising a special autograph session today with 250 lucky fans. Those who purchase the new album will get to be part of an online raffle to select the 250.

Considering the positive response to the album so far, it seems inevitable that the group will be big winners at the year-end music awards.

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Korean invasion

Posted by October 5, 2012

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

AS a die-hard Hallyu wave fan (loving anything and everything Korean), I had spent many nights pondering about how I would be able to “manage” myself once I move to Tokyo, Japan to further my studies.

I was worried about many things – my fluency (or lack thereof) in Japanese; living by myself without family or friends; falling ill or feeling lonely; or even whether I could cope with living a hectic student life in Japan.

However, the more crucial questions that came to my mind were:
Would I be able to purchase my favourite K-pop artistes’ CDs in stores? Will I get to buy Korean magazines and photobooks there? Or will I get to meet other K-pop fans in Tokyo?

But just over six months of staying in the city of my dreams, I am living proof that yes, even us Hallyu fans can survive here.

A few days after arriving in Tokyo, I was taken to Shin-Okubo – just one stop away from Tokyo’s famous Shinjuku train station – an area where as soon as you exit the station and turn right, you instantly get sucked into the Hallyu buzz.

You could hear the latest K-pop tunes blaring from the speakers there and see people from uniform-clad Japanese high school students to mothers squealing over pictures of their favourite Korean idols.

There, you could also find the recently renamed “Gangnam Style” store, which directly imports most of the latest beauty products from South Korea and two large Korean supermarkets which regularly stocks up everything from kimchi to ramyun (instant noodles).

After one too many afternoons spent walking down the alleyways of Shin-Okubo, I could easily proclaim that Tokyo’s Korea Town is no different than the streets of Dongdaemun in Seoul.

It is amusing to note that only two years back, over 2000 Japanese staged an anti-Hallyu protest in Tokyo in front of the Fuji Television headquarters. The protesters had demanded for the television station to give up their broadcasting rights as they wanted to “save Fuji Television from the hands of Hallyu.”

In 2010, Fuji Television had set up Korean Wave Alpha which broadcasts Korean dramas on almost a daily basis.

The protest happened after Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka’s contract with the station was terminated following his anti-Hallyu comment. The termination of their favourite actor further fuelled the Japan folks’ anti-Hallyu sentiment which had been spreading in the country at that time.

Two years later, it seems that Korean pop has indeed successfully penetrated the Japanese entertainment scene, with many K-pop groups trailing behind well-known Japanese artistes on the local music charts.

Nowadays, Korean artistes are even endorsing Japanese departmental stores, cosmetic companies and beverages and their advertisements are plastered across train stations and inside trains, making them almost impossible to miss.

In 2010, K-pop girl groups KARA and Girls’ Generation broke into the Japanese charts with Mister and Genie respectively and these songs were immense popular in Japan.

The songs, which were translated into Japanese, helped both groups to make a name for themselves in the country and the girls have since been actively promoting their work both in Japan and Korea.

The groups huge popularity was taken as a green signal for other rookie K-pop groups to set foot into Japan’s entertainment scene. And as predicted, many of them attempted to charm the hearts of their Japanese fans.

While I had never believed that Hallyu was ‘invading’ Japan or ‘conquering and destroying’ the Japanese entertainment industry before, I was proven wrong.

Recent headlines showed that Girls’ Generation had emerged stronger than most local artistes, having achieved a triple crown on the Japanese Oricon Weekly Charts on Tuesday.

This marked the first time that any female or foreign artiste had reached number one on three weekly charts (singles, DVD and Blu-Ray) in the same week – a feat that was only previously achieved by Japanese rock band Mr. Children.

This also marked the first time that Girls’ Generation, also known as Shoujo Jidai in Japan, had reached number one in the singles and Blu-Ray chart since their debut in September 2010.

They also received the first place on the DVD the chart for two consecutive weeks.

While that may not be enough proof to support the ‘Hallyu Invasion’ theory in Japan, it has proved that Korean artistes are strong enough to overtake Japanese artistes on the popular music charts without having to constantly be in Japan to promote their albums.

It is possible that we may soon be seeing more Korean artistes ranking higher and higher on local charts as well.

The Japanese music industry may be taking hits from the recent K-pop boom in Japan, but it is highly unlikely that we will see the entire J-pop culture dissipating any time soon with groups such as AKB48 and Mr.Children coming out as strong contenders on the music charts after having gathered large fanbases in their native country.

Like all phases – be it Hallyu or boy-band – nothing is certain and it only takes something new to distract and attract fans from one phase to another.

So while the Hallyu phase is still strong in Japan, I will join in the fun and enjoy the frequent visits from my favourite K-pop groups but, if and when it dies down, a flight across to the neighbouring country would not seem like such a bad idea to enjoy the Hallyu wave after all.

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T-ara trouble

Posted by August 3, 2012

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

THE much-anticipated return of girl group T-ara later this month has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding group member Hwayoung.Ahead of the group’s July concerts in Tokyo, Japan, it was announced that Hwayoung would not be able to fully participate in the shows due to a leg injury sustained while shooting a music programme, and would only be on stage for parts of the concert.

While the concert was a success, tweets from the other six T-ara members after the concert enraged certain groups of fans, as the tweets were interpreted to be veiled attacks on Hwayoung, implying that she did not show enough determination, and that she had caused the group a great inconvenience by not doing the full show.

The tweets cause a bit of a storm as fans began scrutinising the band’s shows and pointing out signs that not all was well among the girls.Three days after the controversy surfaced, Core Contents Media, the company managing T-ara, stated that it would be making a major announcement concerning T-ara on July 30.

Prior to the announcement made, more fuel was added to the fire when some fans started to un-follow Hwayoung on Twitter, and reports emerged claiming that Hwayoung was being bullied by the other T-ara girls.

Fans flocked bulletin boards, petitioning for band member Eunjung’s removal from the TV series We Got Married and Five Fingers, which she had been recently cast in.

A fan video containing various pictures and videos where T-ara member Hwayoung (far left) appears to be bullied or ignored by the rest of the group.

When the announcement finally came, it was concerning the dismissal of Hwayoung from the group – something which many fans had already predicted.

Core Contents Media (CCM) CEO Kim Kwang Soo made the announcement at a press conference, stating that the dismissal of Hwayoung was not related to the tweets by her bandmates or the alleged bullying within the group.

The official reason was that CCM had received complaints from 19 staff members – specifically five stylists, seven hair and makeup artists, five on-site managers and two team managers. Hwayoung’s contract was voided immediately after the announcement.

The full press release stated that the CEO had “mentioned during T-ara’s switch from seven to nine members that the possibility of member changes existed for those who did not work hard enough or inflicted damage upon other members”.

The reasons for Hwayoung’s departure were very vague, leaving netizens furious. In an interview after the announcement, Kim was equally vague on the subject, repeatedly stating that he did not want to reveal more in order to avoid worsening the situation.

However, another statement released shortly after the interview claimed that Hwayoung had been guilty of unacceptable behaviour in the past. Due to her injury, it was decided that she would perform a rap segment sitting on a chair.

Hwayoung rejected the idea, forcing Eunjung and Hyomin to learn the rap segment with very little time left. Hyomin ended up making a mistake on the rap.

The statement also said that after a music programme, Hwayoung had thrown down her crutches, sat on the floor in front of fans and reporters, and threatened to scream at her managers in public.

A witness, however, refuted the statement, saying that while it was true that she had thrown down her crutches, Hwayoung had also been seen crying outside the group’s waiting room, having been barred from entering.

Adding fuel to the fire, a producer from local broadcasting company SBS tweeted that he would no longer be casting T-ara in his programmes, seemingly a show of support for Hwayoung, the apparent victim.

As more evidence slowly comes to light, a website entitled “T-Jinyo” – an acronym in Korean which can be translated to “We Demand The Truth from T-ara” – was formed, and it has already amassed 160,000 members, all demanding for the truth about Hwayoung’s explusion from T-ara.

There is even now a petition calling for the disbandment of the group altogether. The petition states that a group which promotes bulling and refuses to take their jobs seriously do not deserve to be a part of the entertainment industry. The petition collected over 106,000 signatures in a matter of days.

The entire incident has been a huge set-back to the group’s comeback concert. All but 600 tickets to the concert have been returned since the start of the whole drama, and they have been dropped by a few of the companies they had been endorsing.

Fans have been bombarding these companies with calls stating that they will stop buying their products if T-ara continued promoting them.

Cosmetics company Tony Moly even publicly stated that they were in talks to sign a new contract with the girls, but would now be pulling out. Fans have reportedly been entering stores requesting that T-ara posters be taken down.

T-ara subsequently cancelled their appearance at the SBS K-pop Yeosu Expo Super Concert, which was to be their last official event before their comeback at the end of August. T-ara will also no longer be appearing on this week’s regular music programmes.

With the girls avoiding public events and music programs, only time will tell whether T-ara can overcome this obstacle and once again win the hearts of fans around the world.

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The K-Pop invasion

Posted by November 2, 2011

By NATASHA IMAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

 

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JUST a few years ago, if you had stopped any K-Pop fan in their tracks and asked where their favourite idol groups were, a simple reply of “Korea” or another Asian country was probably what you’d get.

But in more recent times, answers along the lines of the United States, Europe and Australia are not too uncommon as Korean entertainment companies have begun recognising just how powerful K-Pop culture is in the West.

From the advancement of girl groups like the Wonder Girls and Girls Generation into the US market and streams of Korean concerts pouring into Europe and beyond, it’s becoming more and more difficult to say that K-Pop is just a hype and that it will never sell beyond Asia.

Within the last year itself countless South Korean artistes have ventured out of the Asian entertainment scene, creating Western fans who fluently converse in Korean and claim “ramyun” to be their favourite late-night snack.

Feeding off the immense success of K-Pop overseas, more companies seem to be staging concerts outside of South Korea, emptying the pockets of fans worldwide who travel great distances to see their favourite artistes in person.

 

Paris rendezvous

Kicking the K-Pop invasion into full swing, South Korean entertainment company SM Entertainment held a two-day concert in Le Zenith de Paris in June as part of its SM Town Live World Tour ’11 (the company also held a similar show in New York last month).

European fans of groups such as Super Junior, Girls Generation, SHINee, f(x) and many others snapped up the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing their favourite stars perform. Tickets for the show were all snapped up mere 15 minutes after they went on sale.

Those who didn’t manage to get their hands on tickets staged a protest of sorts – by holding a flash mob at the doorsteps of the famed Louvre museum! These diehard fans finally got their way when the company caved and added one more concert date.

Language was definitely not a barrier as the European SMTown fans fluently chanted along prepared “fan chants” in Korean and holding up posters with the nicknames of their favourite artistes and slogans of support for the groups.

Frontwoman of girl group f(x), Victoria, however, did experience a slight language mishap when she attempted to understand a poster that a French fan had made for her.

The original sign that she held up throughout the concert spelt out “Fat Victoria” as the fan had made an error in the spelling of a Korean word!
Nevertheless, the concert concluded on a high note with fans pleading for the return of their favourite artistes in the future.

 

Concrete jungle

Elsewhere, Cube Entertainment brought the Korean spirit to New York City by presenting the United Cube Live in New York for their adoring American fans last month.

The concert, no different from the DiGi Kpop Live Party in Malaysia earlier this year, brought together South Korean groups B2ST, 4minute and solo artiste G.NA – these artistes are collectively known as the United Cube.

The artistes performed at MTV Channel’s famed Times Square studio in New York, to a group of audience who went crazy as soon as their idols took to the stage.

This marked the first time that the artistes had performed in the US.

The mini concert brought together many fans from all over the country who have since been demanding a full United Cube Live concert in the US.

As such, Cube Entertainment has confirmed that a concert will be held in London and has even shown interest in bringing their artistes to the Brazillian pop scene as well.

 

Fun Down Under

The first ever K-Pop concert in Australia was held earlier this year in conjunction with Australia’s 50th Diplomatic Anniversary with South Korea.

Among the performers who dropped by the event were SHINee, Shin Seung-Hun and Son Ho-Young.

This month, Sydney will host the 2011 K-Pop Fest at the ANZ Stadium. The concert, scheduled on Nov 12, will feature popular South Korean groups such as TVXQ, Girls Generation, SHINee and Kara.

With South Korean entertainment companies setting their sights on the West as a brand new market to conquer, it’s not surprising to see an increasing amount of pressure for concert organisers to host many “first ever” live concerts.

Hosting large-scale concerts puts a spotlight on the Korean pop music industry and increases the awareness of the K-Pop presence throughout the world.

Those who were not previously aware of the Korean music scene have at some point witnessed excited fan girls (and boys!) on TV welcoming their favourite artistes at the airport or tirelessly shouting “saranghaeyo” into video cameras before concerts.

From watching the passion of fans, many non-Kpoppers end up falling in love with the music, too, while still trying to figure out why people were so infatuated with K-Pop in the first place.

Soon enough, as the Korean music industry grows, we can only anticipate more adoring fans demanding concerts overseas, far and beyond South Korea.

*** Natasha wants everyone else to discover the joy K-Pop brings her, so once a month she will be writing about all things K-Pop!

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