The Vulgar Aesthetic of Son Dambi: Digital Perspectives in K-Pop

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In 2012 after the longest hiatus of her career, Son Dambi released the Brave Brothers produced “Dripping Tears.” It’s a signature Brave Brothers sound with piano melodies mixing with prominent synths. It was received somewhat favourably, yet most found it to be lacking in certain areas. Namely the cheapness of the electronic sounds, while common to Brave Brothers, they felt out of place in 2012. By that year K-pop, had begun its musical ascent to almost exclusively pristine productions. SM Entertainment did not fault with one release from EXO’s “MAMA” to Taetiseo’s “Twinkle.” Even seven months before “Dripping Tears” was released, Brave Brothers made a huge impact with Sistar’s “Alone.” So why did Dambi and Brave Brothers not move forward with the rest of the K-pop world? With the hindsight of being able to view her career as a whole through this lens, we can understand the true artistry of Dambi’s cheap music.

This means taking a look at Dambi through ideas we might not have used before. Something that runs throughout all her music is a sense of the digital. Most of us participate in the K-pop world through entirely digital means. Like me, it may have started when you read an online article praising its merits or stumbled upon an intriguing music video and were hooked from that moment on. We listen and watch videos through Youtube, communicate on social media sites like Twitter, and read exclusively online criticism. Apart from the odd concert (which play havoc on our bank accounts), K-pop and the physical world very rarely come together for international fans. The music is released and consumed through digital means, but what does this do the sound of the music itself?

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Discussing the idea of a digital music means taking a leap of faith as to what digital sounds like. Of course, we immediately think of electronic sounds like synthesizers, vocal effects, and processed drum beats. While these types of effects all started out as electronic amplifications, they have been assimilated into the digital side of music recording. This is the difficult thing about defining digital music, in all media it takes the pre-existing forms and makes them its own. What’s best then is to discover what it means with a single artist. That’s where we understand Dambi’s return to “Dripping Tears.”

Debuting in 2009 under Pledis Entertainment, Dambi entered the K-pop fray styled as the female Rain. Having trained dance in America, there was high hopes for her, not to mention being Pledis Entertainment’s first artist. At her height she lived up to these expectations, yet her legacy is small compared to her contemporaries. Having a musical career of six years that consists of only one number one means this isn’t exactly a surprise. Being a solo female artist was difficult at that time if you weren’t churning out ballads. It is Dambi’s commitment to her musical aesthetic that really separates her. She was born of a time when auto-tune was in fashion and all pop music sounded cheap in Korea. For Dambi, this was the sound. It was a sound that never left her, a sound that defined her. When we look back now, it is seen as tacky or vulgar. That does not do justice to a career completely reliant on these sounds. From shifting perspectives on femininity to abstract pieces embedded in advertising songs, Dambi used these digital sounds and looks to set herself apart.

Building a Digital Realm

 

The opening three years of Son Dambi’s career are her most straightforward musically. She was perfectly of her time, releasing music that didn’t push the boat or set the charts alight. What it did however, was set out what sort of artist she was going to be for the next six years. It all started on the 20th of June 2007 with “Cry Eye.”

Written by Brian Kim and produced by Jang Joon Ho, “Cry Eye” was Dambi and Pledis’ debut song. “Cry Eye” is inspired by Timbaland’s work with Justin Timberlake, particularly 2002’s “Cry Me A River.” The beatbox style beat and synths are very similar but are actually a sound K-pop has not done a lot of. Most of K-pop’s inspiration came from Europop or more straightforward American hip-pop. While the sound itself may not be indicative of Dambi’s work to come, the approach to it certainly is.

In bringing a song like this into the K-pop world back in 2007, the quality had to drop. The technology either didn’t exist there at the time due to lack of funds or producers were not skilled enough yet. So creating a more machine made sound, producers could cover up the obvious lack of money. For “Cry Eye” this meant making the synths more prominent and giving all of the acoustic sounds (the guitar and drums) a slightly rounded digital shape. It’s an inflection that will be heard throughout her career, especially on pianos. It’s a sound at once familiar but distant, we know what instrument it is but it doesn’t sound quite right. This is where opinion starts to turn. This is the sort of sound people lament when they say pop and dance music aren’t “real” music. Yet as we live more and more in a digital world, it is a sound that will begin to better reflect us. So instead of making it worse, the style has changed to accommodate the technology.

The video, like the music and lyrics, is generally formulaic aside from a few moments, which tell us a lot to do with the subject we are on. Small gestures towards the digital and away from reality show that Dambi was ready to enter the idol world wholly. At the beginning she opens a laptop which has the title of her video. She dances facing a speaker, not the boy she is singing about. For Dambi, she is the important one. She watches herself narcissistically or critically or both given both traits are incredibly important to an idol. Dancing with the speaker places emphasis on her music, it’s a sign on how to see her as an artist.

If “Cry Eye” is an uncertain beginning for Dambi as an unordinary artist, her follow up “Bad Boy” is a clear statement. The stark opening synths, the word ‘technology’ and the auto-tuned line of ‘you are my bad boy’ create a sonic landscape that moves closer to the digital realm. It is also a song perfectly reflective of her aesthetic. The synths have an uncomfortable fuzzy edge to them, the auto-tune (like most of the time) is plain bad. Unsurprisingly this is also Dambi’s first collaboration with Brave Brothers. This sort of sound was synonymous with Brave Brothers throughout these years. Not a stranger to defining sounds for groups, the production team would go on to work with Dambi four more times (including “Dripping Tears”) on pivotal tracks in her career.

These three tracks were also the most successful term of Dambi’s career. Along with “Bad Boy,” we look back at these tracks with a pinch of salt. They can be enjoyed on a nostalgic level, yet I fear they will be forgotten as K-pop continues to improve. While generally fun they do not hold up alongside more recent work. That is not their function though.The next Brave Brothers track “Crazy,” released in 2008, got her to number three on the charts and gave her an iconic chair dance. Following that, 2009’s “Saturday Night” brought to the top of the charts and she finally solidified herself as a top artist of the time. Both of these songs revive sounds from the ‘80s and ‘90s and are put through Dambi’s modern prism. They have the same rounded electronic sound as her previous work. Compared to throwbacks from today, like Wonder Girls’ “I Feel You,” they do not stack up as pure throwbacks or as a total modernization. They sit somewhere in between with tacky edges.

Advertising Gestures

 

Dambi’s third collaboration with Brave Brothers and first with After School as a group was “Amoled,” an advertising song for a new technology for phone displays. AMOLED stands for active matrix organic light emitting diode. It is essentially an upgrade of the LED but powered digitally, so the same basic technology just improved and changed slightly by digital means. Sound familiar?

In “Amoled,” Dambi and After School exist in a totally digital world. In the video they dance in AMOLED boxes in neo-Seoul fashion. All of the singing is rendered in auto-tune. Lyrically it brings the AMOLED metaphor for Dambi’s career into literal terms. It’s about realizing one’s beauty, “Your eyes might just be blinded by my intense clarity,” Dambi awkwardly croons through layers of auto-tune. Dambi is a singer of original qualities that only come to light within these confines, “I’m a girl who shines all on her own, just bling like silver & gold.” She’s comfortable in this digital realm, her voice isn’t being pushed and she can begin to shift the perspective on her music. The metaphors are obvious, the execution awkward, and the video with Dambi making cute faces and pushing a phone in our faces is even worse. Everything about the song is vulgar and cheap.

Previous to “Amoled” in 2008, Dambi released a song called “Change the World.” It was her first advertising song and was used as a promotion for online role-playing game Prisontale 2. It’s also the most orthodoxly beautiful moment in her career. A simple piano melody combines with a soprano backing vocal to create a classical feeling of true beauty. This sound is a rare gesture in Dambi’s discography but even stands out amongst all of K-pop. It allows her weak, slightly flat vocals to drift along not needing to shine. The lyrics help by being almost impressionistic. Short phrases with little explanation come one after the other creating a feeling rather than a clear story. “Unfamiliar cold, Into darkness,” “Love and tears, Even farewell, Do not be afraid.”

“Change the World” however, does not escape from Dambi’s digital home. Firstly, it’s an ad for a game that only exists online. Second, the techno drumbeat which replicates the cold digital repetition found in video games. It is a bridge between a regular pop artist and the artist that Dambi was to become. Favouring abstraction over clarity, Dambi continually takes what previously existed in an electronic or acoustic manner and runs the modern hand of digital over it. Applying an edge that did not and still does not exist in the pop world.

”Ladies, this is your story”

 

Up to 2010, Dambi has merely been setting up all of the ideas being talked about. Without the hindsight of “Dripping Tears,” it would be impossible to make these sort of interpretations. While “Dripping Tears” may be the catalyst in discovering Dambi’s vulgar aesthetic, “Queen” is her masterpiece where it all comes together.

Like most of her songs, “Queen” at first sounds cheap and awkward. The large amount of auto-tune, the rap break, and the cheap visuals make for something that doesn’t shout re-listen/re-watch. Yet I find it to be the most rewarding of all her songs. It slowly reveals its qualities to you as each new element is introduced. “Queen” is a new direction for Dambi vocally, but her dedication to thrash art continues.

“Queen” does a sort of bait and switch in its intro. The opening piano melody is sweet and straightforward. A second piano is then added that sounds altogether more powerful and yet with reverb effects to give it a more physical feeling. The first piano now sounds odd, a bit less real while the second reverberates unnaturally. The song has taken two normal seemingly acoustic sounds and put them together to create something totally different. By the time we hear Dambi’s autotune introduction, we know for sure we have re-entered her digital sonicscape.

In previous work Dambi’s airy vocals didn’t impress much, but here she has a confident talk/rap. Its cheeky a little bit sexy and a lot weird. From her it’s a surprising pitch up where she usually relied on huskier tones. The piano melodies pitch up as well from the intro in order to give her a boost. It goes on to show Dambi’s standard vocals at their best before hitting that chorus climax. It is Dambi’s most perfect chorus. The repetition of one phrase “Wake up” and the 8-bit synth swirls underneath her voice and piano all to create something so suited to her and the theme of this song. The video goes on a psychedelic trip, we see triple as Dambi repeats her phrase over and over.

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Right after it moves into the weirdest rap break in K-pop history. The man’s identity is still a mystery to me, my best guess would be producer Mordney. We barely see his face as he raps through the most effective autotune I have ever heard. His voice goes past even sounding like a robot but onto something more like a time travelling popstar from the future (the future as imagined by people in the 1980’s). His lyrics mostly don’t make sense but his final line proves what it is him and Dambi are doing, “This is the magic show, We’ll offer and make the show.” This is magic not just music. “Queen” never recovers from this rap. It is beautiful because of it.

The chorus only feels like it’s over once that rap finishes, but in its place is a similar verse from the beginning but turned up a notch. Gone is the piano melody, replaced by floating synths. The video also only starts to explicitly reference Alice in Wonderland after, as we see Dambi crawl around big houses in a childish dress with her hair down. In this adaptation, the rap is the rabbit hole (rappit hole if you will). We are seeing into Dambi’s world now. It’s colourful, trippy, and confusing. The difference between Alice in Wonderland and “Queen” is that once the fall starts in “Queen,” it never stops. The song only has two choruses but the second brings the song into its pure abstract form. It repeats the same phrase except this time with added autotune ad-libs and twirling synths. It repeats and repeats giving us time to understand it then starts again with even more new elements. This time with delays in “Wake up,” the song really feels like it’s falling apart; it is kaleidoscopic in sound and image.

“Queen” serves to tell a story of female confidence, but its lyrics don’t have much of a narrative by themselves. It is thanks to the music that our perspectives shift on the meaning. The traits Dambi sings about “much higher kill heel, my over denim looks” are not only female specific but are the type of thing women might be shamed for feeling confident in. The music works to take us out of our usual thought patterns. This is a zone created for women who want to express themselves in specific and maybe weird ways. The trace of man is destroyed by the having the male voice in the song taken out of any human context. Through the abstract deconstruction of her song, Dambi has placed herself in a totally original space. Her vulgar sounds and cheap videos are the primary works of art and are detailed attacks on the patriarchal idea of what is good art.

After “Queen,” Dambi took a break in to prepare for “Dripping Tears.” Her return as we have seen was met softly. It showed she wasn’t the idol she thought she was, especially compared to fellow veteran solo artist Lee Hyori’s decisive return a year later. It was to be her penultimate release and maybe it was always known. The lyrics are about a sincere farewell. “Can’t sleep every night, Can’t think anything, My heart is drenched with the farewell, Please dry my eyes,” she laments towards the end; a heartfelt goodbye to a misunderstood career. When people don’t notice your cheap wig falling off and clone alien backing dancers are a critique of the frail tether linking the reality and image of an idol, then maybe it’s okay to move on.

Not without leaving us a final flicker of beauty though.

Dambi’s final release, “Red Candle,” (a digital only single) came out in December of 2013. Written and produced by upcoming idol producer SHINee’s Jonghyun on only his second song for an artist other than SHINee (the other being another iconic solo female IU), “Red Candle” is a sensual Latin inspired slow jam. It strips away all the elements we have come to know Dambi. Acoustic guitars take the spotlight with sweet piano accompaniment and a variety of percussion in the background. Her voice is a husky whisper, she sounds almost resigned to the end.

“Red Candle” shows us a woman coming to terms with her loss of fame. It is something so delicate yet powerful, she warns at different times “Cover up because you’ll disappear at the slightest wind” and “You’re too hot to hold, like it’s gonna melt.” It’s hard to believe something so hot can be extinguished so quickly, but it’s all Dambi can see as she looks into her dressing room mirror. As she said herself in an interview, it recalls “something which is easily extinguished and melted, the melancholy and futility of actresses were born.” The flashing lights of photographers and adoring screams from fans at the beginning of the video are totally forgotten quickly after. Dambi lies on a bed frozen as she recalls these times when she was once loved.

A man and woman dance underneath a spotlight. The woman’s face is never shown clearly but it’s obvious that it is not Dambi. Whether or not it is supposed to be her, it represents the final break in her own link between the reality and our image of reality. Dambi has resigned herself to the dressing room of an actress, in being someone else not the Dambi we have come to know. In the most subdued moment of her career, Dambi says goodbye. Those girl next door eyes of hers shine bright again as the cameras flicker again, fans shout, she beams widely. We barely glimpse her as she walks through an avalanche of people until a freeze frame finish. This moment stops as Dambi is how she wants to be remembered. An icon of extraordinary originality.

With “Red Candle,” Dambi severed her ties with the digital world. It is a logical ending place despite her never officially confirming her musical retirement. Yet with the hindsight of this probably being her last song, we have gleaned much about her singular vulgar aesthetic. Dambi worked to re-imagine what the idea of good music can be. By moving onto her level the choices can be seen. From impressionist lyrics to abstract music through to psychedelic images, she created a palette of ideas few K-pop artists could claim to even come near. Now we know that perfection is not the only pop goal to strive for, pristine productions are not the only thing to listen to. By entering a digital realm, Dambi could take an outside look at the real world. She discovered new perspectives on femininity, pop music, and being an idol. Most of all, she discovered herself.

What do you think of Son Dambi and her music? Do you think any other K-pop artists do something similar? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Weekly K-Pop Faves May 29-June 4- Luna, EXID, Baby Kara

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Weekly K-Pop Faves May 29-June 4

Each week, our writer’s introduce some of their favorite songs out of Korea released during the past week. This week, KultScene writer’s liked songs by f(x)’s Luna, EXID, and former Baby Kara members, Chaewon of April and Yoon Chaekyung.

“Free Somebody” by Luna (May 30)

From the SM Entertainment stable, f(x)’s powerhouse vocalist Luna comes of age in spectacular fashion with her impressive solo debut, “Free Somebody.” The song is a sparkling, 1990s techno dance track featuring positive and inspiring lyrics that encourage listeners to embrace life in Technicolor and to chase one’s dreams in a bold and fearless way. This cheerfully optimistic message is successfully hammered home via a striking, 1960s pop art influenced music video, which inventively incorporates scenes of Luna and her male love interest as cartoon characters. “Free Somebody” boasts some stunning cinematography, coupled with unconventional filming techniques, as it documents Luna’s sensual awakening after meeting her ideal man in an elevator. She radiates an air of classy confidence and stylish sex appeal throughout the video, which appears effortless and believable. “Free Somebody” already has me looking forward excitedly to another solo release from Luna, of the same calibre.

–Eve

“Clock” by April’s Chaewon & Yoon Chaekyung (June 1)

The news of this mini-reunion by two of Baby Kara’s members delighted many fans of the reality competition and their release at the start of the month certainly did not disappoint. This track is a reflective ballad for the most part but ventures slightly into R&B territory towards the middle of the song with its jazzy rhythm, which certainly livened up the whole track. Personally, I was surprised by the improvement in the vocals of Chaekyung, who was on the recently concluded competition “Produce 101.” Her experiences on the show definitely helped her to grow as a singer and she has made remarkable progress from her time on “Kara Project.” Chaewon on the other hand has been blossoming increasingly with every new release from April, so I’m glad that both singers got a chance to show off their beautiful harmony through this song. Chaekyung needs her debut as soon as possible, and I’m definitely excited about the future of these DSP artists.


–Anna

EXID are the queens of making use of their member’s talents. Lines can be distributed to any member at any time in a song and they’ll make it work. Hyelin and Solji pack the choruses with power, Hani takes the verses with her just as good but sexier voice, and Junghwa and LE fit around them adding much needed character to a song. “L.I.E” is helped greatly by this as musically it doesn’t work quite as well. It has wonderful parts though especially the tropical verses. The video is great as well, with their usual extensive use of symbolism and references to The Grand Budapest Hotel.

–Joe
What song was your favorite of the week? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

K-Pop Reactioner MRJKPOP talks YouTube, Producing, & Analyzing Korean Music

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If, like this writer, you were unconsciously reading the YouTube account MRJKPOP as Mr. J K-pop, you may be surprised to hear that M.R.J stands for none other than the show’s forerunner, Michael R Johnson. Johnson began his YouTube channel three years ago and since then has become one of the most watched reactioners relating to Korean music. Through insightful analysis coming from  his professional background and his highlighting of even the smallest details in new songs from South Korea, MRJKPOP has become a go-to for many diehard K-pop fans who want to get a deeper look into the music.

We spoke to MRJKPOP about his YouTube channel, being viewed over 13 million times, and a lot more.

KultScene: How did you start off as MRJKPOP?
I initially wanted to share K-pop with my friends, who had never heard of it, and also discuss the songwriting, production, and marketing aspects of it with others. As a session musician and songwriter, I constantly break down and analyze the music I am listening to in my head — always trying to learn something, get ideas and inspiration, and figure out how it was created in the studio. While I wanted to help promote and share this awesome pop music I had discovered from the other side of the globe, I figured that only a very small handful of “music geeks” like myself would be interested in listening to what I had to say, especially since my videos ended up being quite long.

What makes you pick a certain music video to review?
I have my own sort of criteria for determining whether I will spend the time to make a song review — since they take at least 4-6 hours each to create — but the main things it comes down to is if I personally am interested in the song, writers/producers, or group, if I think it is significant in some way in the industry, if I think a lot can be learned from it through analysis, and finally, if I actually have the time to review it shortly after it is released.

You do a lot of reviews/reactions, but also have done several interviews. How did you go about transitioning from consumer to producer?
I don’t really see it as a transition from consumer to producer — my review videos are adding a lot more substance and analysis than me simply consuming music, so even those already contain a lot of “producing” or “product.” Actually, this YouTube channel has always been a side project; I run a music production/technology and marketing company as my main thing — reviewing K-pop music on YouTube is just something that is a natural extension of the other things I do, and also intersects with my personal interests (yes, I actually enjoy listening to K-pop in my personal life). Before I ever started MRJKPOP, I was already creating and producing both music and video content for YouTube and elsewhere, so it’s natural for me to add things like interviews, collaborations, or original music content to the MRJKPOP channel.

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Videos from your main YouTube channel have been viewed more than 13 million times. What do you think people enjoy watching you so much? Did you expect the success?
That’s a really big number — and it still always surprises me when I look at my analytics. Like I said before, when I started the MRJKPOP channel, and even for a long while after it was up and running, I still didn’t think more than a handful of music theory buffs, aspiring producers, and musicians would be willing to spend 15 minutes at a time listening to me talk. However, over the years of feedback via comments and messages from viewers, it seems that people really do like learning more about how the music they like is made — they want to see what is going on behind that curtain, and see what makes the “magic” happen. I have some knowledge, skills, and experience in that particular area, so I think that is why people enjoy watching me explain some of those things in a way that hopefully people with little knowledge of recording or music theory can still understand. At the same time, I hope that even experienced industry veterans and artists can also find value in my videos and analysis — and I have gotten positive feedback from many of those people who watch regularly. I also say exactly what I feel and what I think about the music I am analyzing, and don’t pretend, hold back, or try to sugar coat anything, and I think people appreciate that honesty as well.

Watching your videos, it’s clear that you know a lot about music. What’s your background like?
I was classically trained on the trumpet and music theory by an amazing ex-US NAVY Band, Washington D.C. 1st chair trumpet player from the time I was about 10-17. He was an extremely tough teacher, but I still use things he taught me to this day in my everyday work, and even when analyzing music on MRJKPOP. I played in various bands, wind ensembles, pit orchestras, jazz bands, and combos all through school, and attended a visual and performing arts high school for music and trumpet performance. When I was about 13, I began learning how to do remixes and record music myself, and started piecing together my own small studio. By 15, I was recording local artists and bands professionally, as well as writing and recording my own music. Sometime around then, I picked up electric guitar, and taught myself to play — using the knowledge of music and practice habits I had already acquired from the trumpet. I also taught myself how to build and repair electric guitars and audio equipment and amplifiers around that same timeframe.

After high school, I transitioned to playing guitar more frequently, formed my own rock band, and continued to record and collaborate with other artists, while constantly building up the equipment in my own studio. I also began getting hired as a studio session guitar player, and started uploading guitar covers and original music to the Internet (as well as the early days of YouTube). That lead to collaborations and session work for musicians all over the world, like former American Idol contestants and YouTube musicians like Roomie, and eventually I was picked up by a studio working on music for major label projects, where I was a session guitar player, songwriter, and co-producer. I also continued to write and co-write music, and produce for other artists as well through my own studio. After a move to a different state, I continued my session playing, producing, and songwriting work, but focused on doing it through my studio and company on projects I chose to work on, which is what I’m still doing to this day. More recently, I am finishing a Music Production degree from the Berklee College of Music.

Many of us know you through your YouTube channel, you also run a production company, MRJ Studios. Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re doing with that?
MRJ Studios, Inc., is the music production, technology, and marketing company that I’ve basically been running since around 2003. It has been operating professionally since about 2005 as my personal music business, but was recently incorporated, so I have everything in place to continue to expand it. I offer a lot of different services through my business — from music production, recording, songwriting, artist development, session playing, and mixing to the marketing end of things, like social media presence, international promotion (especially for K-pop artists looking to expand their fan base in the USA), advertising, and more. I also offer a lot of technical services like computer systems setup, recording studio equipment repair and setup, consulting, and answering questions about how to accomplish various tasks relating to music, electronics, and the Internet. Video production and music analysis/consulting (much like what I do on the MRJKPOP channel) is just one of the many things my company can do.

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You’re extremely prolific, so can you tell our readers a little bit about what your work ethic is like?
I don’t mind working hard, but I have had to learn to really manage my time carefully. For the past year and a half, I’ve been attending Berklee Online, which is full-time and year-round college, doing multiple videos and other behind the scenes work that you don’t see for MRJKPOP, and also running my business — all at the same time. Prior to that, I was in college for engineering and business instead of music production, so it has been much of the same schedule for the past 4-5 years. It’s a lot to keep track of, but I feel like it is worth it to keep at it and working as hard as I can.

You have a lot to say about the present of K-pop, so where do you think the future will take the genre, its artists, and its fans?
I really don’t know what will happen with K-pop, but I think it can certainly continue to grow globally, and appeal to more and more fans. I really do think that K-pop can become much more prevalent and desired in the US market, and that’s something I’m constantly working to help out in any small way that I can. And as always, I’m looking forward to seeing what new music comes out of K-pop next!

What video did you enjoy making the most?
The videos I enjoyed making the most are the interviews — although they are probably the most work by far — and the few skits I’ve done were really fun too. I do like making the more technical videos too, showing production techniques and really breaking down how to make sounds that are used in all of our favorite releases.

Also, congrats on being featured by the Korea Herald! Is there anything else in the works that KultScene’s readers can look forward to?
I actually wasn’t aware of that until you mentioned it and I just looked it up… I suppose that it’s nice that they mentioned me, but some of the information isn’t correct, and that type of thing happens rather often. Surprisingly, I am hardly ever contacted or asked when I am quoted, summarized, or referenced in news articles. You’d think journalists would want to get accurate information directly from me, and I make it rather easy to contact me in many different ways… So thank you for actually taking the time to contact me for this interview!

Anyway, I’ve got a ton of stuff in the works all of the time — I really enjoy bringing new content to anyone who is nice enough to take the time to view it! I am working on some more interviews with KPop artists and producers, and I’m also working on a membership program for people interested in getting additional exclusive MRJ content directly from me, with a lot of other cool features included. Finally, I’m working on writing more original music that will be released or maybe even picked up by other artists soon!

And, finally, what’s your favorite song of the moment?
My favorite song of the moment is definitely Good Luck by AOA. I’ve been replaying the song and music video constantly since it first came out.

Thank you for talking to us, MRJKPOP! If you like what you see, make sure to subscribe to MRJKPOP on his YouTube channel.

Do you enjoy MRJKPOP’s videos? What other sort of interviews would you like to see from KultScene? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Retro-Inspired Girl Group The Barberettes Makes Music in a K-Pop World [Interview]

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Barberettes NYC KultScene1

“This isn’t K-pop,” promised The Barberettes in their opening number at American Beauty in New York City on May 10th.

The doo-wop queens of South Korea were performing in the Big Apple for the first time, an intimate, cabaret-style show with about 50 audience goers. With retro-inspired outfits, poufs galore, and an altogether aura of yesteryear, Shinae, Sunnie, and Sohee took the crowd on a sonic road trip.

Unlike K-pop girl groups from South Korea, The Barberettes were backed by a live band while they sang and Shinae played the guitar. Switching off between English and Korean, singing oldies and more modern songs with a boogie-woogie twist, the trio opened the night with their original song “Little Gals,” then moved onto covers of songs like “Mr. Sandman” by the Chordettes. Incorporated into the 25 song set were an almost equal amount of Korean and Western songs, with The Barberettes drawing not only on swing, pop, jazz, and rock but also on trot and pansori, Korean musical genres.

Consummate musicians, the trio wowed the crowd the whole night, but one of the most unique moments was when they performed what appeared to be a cover of Lee Hi’s latest single, “Hold My Hand.” The joke was on the crowd though; not only was “Hold My Hand” written by Shinae and writing partner B.A. Wheeler, but during a press roundtable earlier in the night Shinae revealed that the song was originally meant for The Barberettes.

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“Epik High’s Tablo was a radio DJ for a while and he used to play a lot of Barberettes records on his show,” said Shinae, who was fluent in English and did much of the talking. “And then he was looking for musicians to work on Lee Hi’s album and then he contacted me so I wrote a bunch of songs. And then I actually wrote that song ‘Hold My Hand’ and I thought ‘gosh, I want this song for my band. Should I keep it or give it away to Lee Hi?’ Well, the song was taken and I didn’t know it was a title and then it became the title song. We’re singing that tonight in the original version. Please spread it out. It’s the Barberettes’.”

As the night went on, it was clear that the Barberettes were the musicians they had set out to be when they started down the path. Shinae had the idea of forming a retro-inspired girl group while listening to the music of past decades on the now-defunct streaming app Songza. After forming the Barberettes in 2012, the group gathered a large following. The Barberettes performed at this year’s Korea Times Festival, held at the Hollywood Bowl on May 7th, and expressed delight at the fact that they can play for thousands of people one night and a small concert venue another.

“SHINee on the left, Red Velvet on the right,” recalled Shinae, citing two of the popular young idol groups that also performed at the Korea Times Festival. “And it was actually like ‘Where are we?’ It’s really cool. So we can be that and at the same time we can play in clubs like this with our full band. You know, I think it’s really cool. I think it’s a huge advantage for us not to belong anywhere.”

And they don’t really. The Barberettes aren’t quite K-pop, even though they perform retro pop music and they’ve performed at major festivals like the Korea Times Festival and SXSW, and aren’t quite Korean indie, despite not being signed to a major label. Creating everything themselves is important to the group, who expressed amazement at how far their career has come.

“It’s all about us,” said Shinae while discussing how they were different than other popular Korean girl groups. When asking where they fit in the greater scheme of Korean music world, they laughed and responded “nowhere.”

 

Barberettes-KultScene-2

“We make our concepts. We plan our way and things. So, I’m thinking this is what we built with our hands. There are many people around the world doing that and it’s really hard to make it work but here we are playing in NYC and other places so I think this is, I don’t believe in God, but I think this is God’s gift. And we would never mess it up until reaching its maximum potential.”

While it may seem like The Barberettes have made it, the three women expressed interest in meeting fans in South America and Japan. But for now, they were in New York, enjoying Chipotle and Central Park.

Shinae, who had been to New York once before recalled how she ran into JYP Entertainment soul singer G.Soul, who directed her to live music venue Village Underground. “I went and it was actually open mic night. So I signed up and I went on stage and I sucked,” Shinae recalled, laughing at herself.

Photo courtesy of Samantha Lifson

Photo courtesy of Samantha Lifson

It’s hard to imagine any of the three women sucking. They compared themselves to the stars of the film “20 Feet From Stardom,” pointing out Sunnie’s past as a backup singer to internationally famous acts. Not only has she sung backup vocals at concerts for f(x), Big Bang, and Girls’ Generation, 25-year-old Sunnie is, according to her bandmates, “hilarious.” Full of laughter during the interview, the newest and youngest member of The Barberettes wowed the audience with her powerful vocals later in the night. She also expressed her love of the dramas “Descendants of the Sun” and “Cheese In The Trap,” and telling us “I love [actor] Park Seo Joon.”

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The quietest of the group during the interview, blonde Sohee described being part of the Barberettes as “a very precious experience in life” and thrilled the crowd with her rendition of “Meet The Spring,” a song from the ‘30s. Sohee’s tone matched the old-school style music popular in the first half of the 20th century, eliciting howls from the crowd. But her personal taste geared towards indie, with Sohee citing the Korean indie bands Life and Times and Sultan of the Disco as her recommendations to listeners trying to find new Korean music. Aside from the Barberettes, of course.

Barberettes-KultScene-Lifson

Photo courtesy of Samantha Lifson

Shinae suggested that any listener trying to get into Korean music outside of K-pop should visit the bar Samcheongro 146 in Seoul. Owned by a vibraphone player known as Mothervibes, The Barbarettes join indie musicians like Sunwoo Jungah, violinist Kang Lee Chae, and Mothervibes herself to perform and have their own estrogen-filled music show.

As for their future, The Barberettes hope that people will be captivated by their music.

“At the end of the day, if you work hard and you come back home from hard work, you lay down and want to put some music on.. We love our concept and what we do and our shows but we would like to be the music that people want to listen to when they actually want to listen to music.”

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What’s your favorite thing about the Barberettes? Make sure to subscribe to the site, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Girls’ Generation & The (So-Called) Copycat Generation

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Girls' Generation, GFRIEND, Twice, IOI

Nearly two and a half decades have passed since Seo Taiji and Boys’ “Nan Arayo” heralded in the beginning of the K-pop musical genre. Since then, there have been countless singers and idol groups who have made an impacts on K-pop as a whole and one of the most important trendsetters of the past nine years has been none other than Girls’ Generation. They have solidified their legacy with hit after hit and shown audiences one iconic concept after another. And, with such a career, Girls’ Generation is clearly a role model for newer acts. But as rookie groups GFriend, Twice, and the newly-debuted project group IOI have learned, there is a fine line between homage and copying.

It’s this differentiation that is coming to light as K-pop fans around the world criticize rookie girl groups who have clearly chosen to model themselves after one of the most successful acts of the generation. The K-pop industry is small enough that originality is always applauded, and there is plenty of that when it comes to Twice, IOI, and GFriend. But these new girl groups have taken a few lessons from older acts like Girls’ Generation and proved that there is much to be learned. Unfortunately, it sometimes leads to a “wait, was that plagiarized?” moment. There have been multiple head scratching and accusations towards groups who have a concept too similar to one of those of Girls’ Generation, but the question is worth asking: Are these girl groups copying or are they emulating?

GFriend

Over the past few months, GFriend has surpassed the expectations of many, with successive hits after one another. But while their refreshing image and their pristine performances have set them apart, GFriend’s debut concept had K-pop fans around the world crying “foul!” “Glass Bead,” the first in a trilogy that followed a youthful schoolgirl concept, was attacked for sounding altogether too similar to Girls’ Generation’s debut song “Into The New World.” With similar cadences and an energetic dance while also wearing athletic gear, GFriend was initially accused of trying to garner attention for imitating Girls’ Generation.

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Now, more than a year later, it’s clear that GFriend hasn’t just mimicked Girls’ Generation –they’ve imitated them as icons of a certain K-pop concept. Additionally, GFriend’s agency Source Music consists of former SM Entertainment staff members. While speculative, there’s no real question that GFriend’s production team took the example of Girls’ Generation’s debut concept and analyzed it to get the formula right. And, with two additional hit songs under their belt, it’s obvious that it worked.

Twice

While they’re down to eight members following the 2014 departure of Jessica Jung, Girls’ Generation was the first K-pop female megagroup. Girls’ Generation’s launch heralded in larger girl groups, but even now larger girl groups are far and few in between (AOA is the only other mainstream group with eight members) so Twice’s size was a tip off to the fact that JYP was going to market Twice as a group that has something to offer everybody. I was honestly surprised more people didn’t call out the Girls’ Generation comparison the minute JYP Entertainment (a main competitor of Girls’ Generation’s agency, SM Entertainment) announced that it would debut a nine-member girl group. When it comes to K-pop, size really does matter because it means there’s a higher likelihood that there will be a member to suit everybody’s taste. And Twice certainly has aimed to highlight the different sort of women in the group, with each of their music videos clearly defining individual charms and personas of the members.

But it was less their size and more the teasers for their latest song that got fans in a tizzy; the concept for “Cheer Up” at first glance looked a purple palette take on Girls’ Generation’s iconic pink cheerleading concept from “Oh!” While Girls’ Generation doesn’t own a concept, wearing crop tops, short shorts, knee highs, and letterman jackets while performing in a sports stadium harkens back to “Oh!” Once the music video for “Cheer Up” was released and it was clear that the two songs were stylistically different, the only thing that remained was the cheerleader concept. And, six years later, it’s inspiring to see a talented group put their own updated on an iconic K-pop concept that Girls’ Generation pioneered.

I.O.I

This week’s debut of I.O.I takes us back to “Into The New World” in a way that’s far more obvious than GFriend’s instance. While GFriend first song and music video were stylistically similar to Girls’ Generation’s debut, the concept and music video for I.O.I’s debut song “Dream Girl” harkens a bit close to home.

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Like in “Into The New World,” “Dream Girl” introduces the members of the new group through their own individual aspirations including being successful as dancers, athletes, and fashion designers. Watching the music video, it would be almost impossible to say that “Dream Girl” wasn’t based on “Into The New World” as scenes are set up similarly in ways that make it near impossible to be coincidences. I.O.I’s agency, YMC Entertainment, reportedly told local Korean outlets that the music video was designed with the song’s sound and lyrics in mind, but it truly seems like a 2016 update of “Into the New World” idea. For a group that debuted nearly a decade after Girls’ Generation, it seems natural for newer groups to want to resuscitate the style of an older music video.

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When it comes down to things, Girls’ Generation and their success is something that future girl groups can only hope to achieve. At the end of the day, none of these instances come across as plagiarism but instead appear to be this new generation of K-pop girl group’s imitation of a successful older act. And, as it’s said: Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

What do you think about Girls’ Generation’s legacy? Are the newer groups wrong in stylizing themselves after them? hare your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Spiritual K-Pop: Lovelyz & Berry Good Find Their Destinies

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Lovelyz & Berry Good
Destiny and fate are some of the most common themes in pop music. Songs about star crossed lovers are part of pop lore and continue to be evocative stories. One reason why I love K-pop is that it regularly breathes life into old concepts like this. Now that two songs have been released within a week of each other that incorporate these very ideas, I thought it would be a good time to examine how K-pop deals with such inevitable love.

Aesthetically Lovelyz and Berry Good are immediately similar. They represent what we expect from cute girl groups, predominantly white clothing and soft fabrics emphasising innocence and purity. They have had much different shots at success though. Lovelyz, coming from Woolim Entertainment the home of INFINITE, were expected to make it big not only due to backing but because their concept was tried and tested. Berry Good have gone unknown since their debut in 2014 under Asia Bridge Entertainment and, like many small groups, have lost a number of members. Both groups however, whether with the help of their company or some divine powers have arrived at the best songs of their careers.

Lovelyz “Destiny”

Since debuting Lovelyz haven’t dared leave their comfort zone. I’d usually be critical of groups like this but the quality of every one of their songs has defied that. Heavily influenced by J-pop, Lovelyz have proven themselves the best when it comes to innocent concepts by being youthful but never childish.

Harking back to their debut “Candy Jelly Love,” “Destiny” is driven by heavy synths that keep the song from ever feeling too serious. These combine wonderfully with a string section that gives the song a sense of fantasy. It’s in the chorus where these sounds all come to fruition as lighter synths twirl up and down while the strings and distorted synths drive the song along. Vocally it’s their best work too. Aside from the usual stronger vocalled members, the other girls are arranged to fit with each other, adding harmonies that were previously absent from Lovelyz songs. Yein and Jiae especially come together nicely with their fragile voices. Small ad libs of “oohs” in between add layers as well.

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“Destiny” is polished pop perfection. Each part balances so well. The verses have an added length to them that seems incongruous but is justified by the huge chorus. It is worth the wait. Big moments like this tie in well with the subject matter of the song. “Destiny” is something that is predicated on having a lot of blind faith. It’s something that one has to believe whole heartedly or not at all. Who else better for something like this than a group of young girls?

Lovelyz’ idea of destiny stays big by referring to the solar system. In “Destiny,” the girls are the moon and the boy they love is the earth. This is a destiny that can never be fulfilled though. Like the earth and the moon, these two people are inherently connected yet can never touch. “You’re my destiny, the gravity that pulls me,” sings Lovelyz. The moon spins around the earth in cycles totally focused on it while the earth remains preoccupied, “Why do you keep circling around her? When I revolve around you like the moon.” These are extremely clever lyrics that highlight a Romeo and Juliet style of destiny. It’s beautiful and exciting but this love will never prosper.

Circles are used a lot in the choreography and video to reinforce this idea. Constellations and solar patterns are seen in the video, the girls form rings while on stage, evoking ideas of infinity. Pairs are also used in interesting ways. When split into pairs the girls rarely look at each other, they always touch but seem distant. The same happens when they split 50/50 as a group too. The two halves, while aware of each other, maintain a spiritual distance.

“Destiny” is a decidedly melancholic look into the fates of love. It taps into youthful abandon. You fall madly in love with someone and claim it as destiny with no other way to express it. It’s inevitable and unavoidable even if you’re aware of it. “I can’t look away, You’re all I see,” the girls cry as the song comes to an end. They are destined to be stuck in a cycle of impossible love.

 

Berry Good “Angel”

That thing I said about big moments, Berry Good go all out in search of them.

With Lovelyz and Berry Good we can get a distinct image of the difference between groups with money and groups without it. Lovelyz are polished, their music is clean and focused, and their choreography tight and impressive. A rookie group ready to be the unnies right from the start. Berry Good are their little sisters, a bit messy but full of energy and passion, despite debuting first. They have to do more to be heard and they certainly try.

Like Lovelyz, Berry Good have had a clear J-pop influence on their music. In “Angel” it isn’t quite clear until the chorus though. The song starts off with a piano and string section before adding a guitar and drum rhythm section. The introduction of the guitar and drum is a bit stilted but nicely changes things up a bit. It also serves as a warning of what is to come; this slightly dissonant sound makes us sit up and listen. It primes us for a huge chorus of distorted synths and power vocals. The violins lift alongside soaring vocals taking us into heaven. After taking it easy again with an odd little whispered post chorus, “Angel” begins its ascent once again. It doesn’t let up and finally reaches a euphoric climax. Vocals let loose to unimaginable heights, synths, strings, and guitars crash together, and small harmonies add a kinetic energy. It’s an incredible last forty seconds or so.

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With such cathartic gusto in “Angel” you would think this is all about a great, impossible love. Berry Good are doing things differently though. This is a song about the most important kind of destiny, a personal faith. The lyrics regularly mention a ‘you’ as if the girls are singing to someone but looking closer, it can be seen as self-motivating. In the first verse member Sehyung sings “I’m so lonely, I need someone,” to which Seoyul replies “Have strength, You’re not alone.” The girls are speaking to each other, giving each other help in times of need. “I have a faith, By destiny,” “Angel” is a song about learning to trust your own destiny. “I’ll tell you in the mirror, You’re going to be fine,” Berry Good are singing directly to themselves, not worried about other people or boys. What else could they be so passionate about? They are the only people that deserve the incredibly strong emotions that come from this song.

The video plays up their distinctly feminine traits. A room covered in white veils, the girls dressed in clothes to match this. Time stands still in this room that traps a girl from taking a chance. She slowly starts to take the veils down. It isn’t until we reach the chorus that things start to change, in this case a single tear drop and confrontation of the mirror give the room colour. An outpour of emotion, even if internalized, can change a destiny. When the song begins its climax, the girl finally leaves the room, the bright sun is piercing but a comfort. She did this herself and it feels so much better because of it.

With the best songs of their respective careers so far, Lovelyz and Berry Good have also given us new ways of looking at old themes. They both used big emotions articulated by excellent vocals to breathe life into our ideas of destiny in pop music. Whether we see destiny as being between lovers, friends, or a personal faith, these two groups have shown us that it can be beautiful and terrible. This was all done with a youthful vigour that feels so right for themes like this too. Young girls are taking back these ideas and showing how it can hurt them but also how they can be used to heal them.

What do you think of these songs by Lovely and Berry Good? Would you like to see more concepts like this? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Madeleine Music CEO Dongsoo Lee Shares About His Hopes & Motivations [INTERVIEW]

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madeleine music ceo

In this ever-evolving K-pop industry, music of various styles such as EDM and hip-hop are released every day by up and coming groups. While the industry is expanding and becoming more globalized, there is a genre of music that is getting left behind. Korean folk music, an integral part of Korea’s traditional culture and heritage, is rarely found among K-pop releases nowadays. There is a company however, that is fully dedicated to producing soothing Korean music, folk and ballads included. Meet Madeleine Music and its CEO Dongsoo Lee, a man passionate about spreading the gift of music to the weary souls in the society. While it may still be a small and relatively unheard of start-up, artists like YouTuber Soyoungyi and Ian Jo are currently signed to their roster. We caught up with Lee and talked about how he ended up in the music industry along with his plans for the future.

Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Can you please introduce yourself and your company to the readers who may be hearing of you for the first time?

Hello everyone. My name is Dongsoo Lee and I’m a composer, chief producer, and CEO of Madeleine Music. Madeleine Music is a record label based in South Korea and our company was established in August, 2013. We are dedicated to making a better world with softer and sweeter music for everyone based on our philosophy of lyricism. The name of ‘Madeleine Music’ is derived from the well known ‘Madeleine’ which is a soft and sweet French cookie. We are working hard to make our music to satisfy everyone’s tastes just like the ‘Madeleine.’

What inspired you to set up Madeleine Music?

This might sound very weird but, honestly, I’ve never studied music. I majored in accounting and business and minored in economics in New York. Since I studied in the U.S. for almost 7 years, I felt lonely and homesick occasionally. Whenever I was in that mood I tried to make songs and record them. I think it was just like keeping a diary to me.

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After I came back to Korea, I worked for a few companies and mostly dealt with numbers all day long, sometimes even during the weekends. One day, I realized that the job I chose couldn’t make me happy for the rest of my life, and I also noticed that there are so many people who are worn out trying to maintain their jobs and lives.

I was reminded that music had helped me a lot when I was down so I just wanted to do music for the rest of my life, to comfort myself and people who were worn out. Finally, I quit my job and started Madeleine Music. I also found some great artists who can help me to achieve my goal.

What is the music production process like in Madeleine Music?

Actually, it is a very typical process similar to that of other labels work but each one of our artists has to make their own songs. They send me their demos and I discuss how to arrange the song, when to record, when to release it, etc. As a music producer, I spend my time and energy to communicate with our artists, instrument session players, sound engineers, and designers. And as a CEO, I spend my time and energy to communicate with other companies or people who can help us in the Korean music industry. This explains why these days I have no time left to work on my own music [laughs].

Korean Folk is a very interesting genre of music to be producing, especially in our current society. Is there a special reason why your company mainly releases these types of songs? What is your inspiration for your music?

I prefer acoustic instruments to digital instruments. Since the most important values of Madeleine Music are lyricism and simplicity, I think Korean Folk is a great genre for us to put these values in music. I love songs with beautiful lyrics and I am usually inspired by them. I always aspire to make songs that are like a poem or an impressive short novel. That is why I try to finish the lyrics of a song before composing its melody. I hope international fans of Korean Folk will try to understand and appreciate the meaning of the song lyrics along with the melody. The story of a song really matters to me, and once you understand it better it will totally change your musical impression of a song.

What are some challenges that you’ve faced while running this company?

Even though I started the company in 2013, Madeleine Music is still a newborn company. I spent almost two years learning and understanding how the music industry works because I’ve never been exposed to this area before. Since we are still a new player, we have the same problems and needs that any other start-ups can have. Everyone knows there are some independent record labels doing well in Korea, but I can’t deny that the expectancy of profitability of many other companies is not as decent since this industry has become more stream service based.

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Madeleine Music recently became part of the Record Label Industry Association of Korea (LIAK). How has this impacted/helped your company so far?

There are hundreds of active record labels in Korea, but only 20+ companies are in LIAK. They are all industry leaders with great career and name value, so I’m proud to be a member alongside them. It makes me feel that we are accepted as a good partner of Korean music industry and that is very meaningful to me. There is also a lot of information and benefits to share between members too.

Could you tell us more about the plans that you have for your company in the future?

I don’t want Madeleine Music to be just a small record company in Korea. I want Madeleine Music to become a comprehensive culture company or a name. I wish this company could be a rest place for those who are worn out and that it could also be a playground for musicians who have great talent, inspiration, and an attractive personality.

What do you think of Dongsoo Lee, Madeleine Music, and the state of Korean folk music? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Two Years Later Sewol Ferry Accident Still Resonates in K-Pop Memory

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Sewol Wendy Red Velvet

April 16 marks the second anniversary of the Sewol Ferry catastrophe that resulted in the death of 304 people and sparked introspection of South Korea’s socio-political society. While two years have passed since the sinking, the pain is still raw and many South Koreans continue to demand recognition for what is perceived as an avoidable accident that took the lives of hundreds, many of whom were students at Danwan High School. The effect of any tragedy on art is profound but it’s particularly striking that fans are looking towards K-pop, a musical style that is often perceived as artistically shallow, to find some connection to the youth who passed away during the Sewol ferry’s sinking.

Just as media often reflects current events, K-pop and the general Korean entertainment industry are also still recoiling from the haunting event. While K-pop took a break once to remember those lost, now many Korean songs are being interpreted as memorials dedicated to the Sewol Ferry victims. As K-pop continues to develop into a more mature brand, audiences seek to find a deeper meaning in the musical releases of Korean pop culture. Red Velvet, INFINITE’s Kim Sungkyu, and Block B’s Zico are just a few of the K-pop acts who have been connected to the sinking.

Back in 2014, the entire South Korean entertainment world came to a halt following the tragedy. South Korea’s confucian, communal heritage came to light internationally for the first time in several years during the situation as the entire country came together to commemorate the accident. For more than a month, the Korean pop culture world creeped along trying not to break the tense situation nationwide with what would be deemed inappropriate during a time of mourning. The industry came to a stand still, with few television stations running their normal programming and other forms of entertainment putting off plans; between Block B’s release of “Jackpot” on April 14 and EXO reawakening K-pop on May 7 with “Overdose,” there was no mainstream K-pop music put out because the industry had come to a halt out of respect to the victims and their mourners.

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After life returned to relative normality in South Korea and as the country demanded answers to difficult questions, Korean pop culture still retained its connection to the tragedy. As one of the most defining events in the past few years of South Korean history and an incident that particularly struck young adults, the Sewol accident appears to be rearing its head in a variety of places. While some instances of commemoration were intentional, other instances appear to be coincidences that were discovered by South Koreans still struggling with the horror of what happened on April 14, 2014 as they look for meaning in the art.

Red Velvet “One Of These Nights”

With recurrent water motifs, Red Velvet’s latest concept demands a further look. The song, ostensibly about lovers separation and longing, features a music video that shows the five members of Red Velvet in a variety of scenes that fans thought were meant to symbolize the Sewol Ferry’s sinking and the ones they left behind. Fans drew together a variety of ideas relating the music video concept to Sewol, beginning with the concept pictures which featured paper boats, similar to ones used to commemorate the deceased.

Throughout the music video, the members are seen in a variety of scenes surrounded by water; Joy is perceived as a survivor as she alone climbs away, up a ladder. Wendy, soaking wet, climbs under a table as a representation of the children stuck on the boat who crawled. There are also scenes filmed in a hallway that appears similar to that of those on boats, and a sign with the words “AIS on 15-16.” The AIS, or the Automatic Identification System that helps track ships, aboard the Sewol ferry is suspected of not having functioned properly on April 15 and 16.

To further the idea, Joy is the sole member who wears yellow, the color of the ribbons that memorialize the Sewol Ferry victims, while the other members wear white hooded outfits. In traditional Korean culture, white represents death. Joy sings the haunting line, “It’s okay if I see you in my dreams, so let’s meet again” as the rest of the members disappear into darkness.

Neither Red Velvet nor SM Entertainment, the group’s company, commented on the perceived connections, but the abundance of imagery (especially the AIS sign) makes it very plausible that “One of These Nights” was purposely a memorial to Sewol’s victims.

Sungkyu “Kontrol”

The plot of the music video for “Kontrol” features Sungkyu searching for his younger sister and remembering how they lived happily together while creating a home in an alleyway. Yellow ribbons and life jackets also appear in the short video, leading to fan speculation that that video was somehow related to those who who perished aboard the Sewol ferry.

Like “One of These Nights,” there is an ample amount of water imagery, but “Kontrol” also features the passing of first the girl and then Sungkyu followed by the two of them finding one another in heaven while she is soaking wet, alluding to drowning. Throughout the music video, Sungkyu remembers the pair’s happier times together while wandering alone before presumably walking in front of a car. At the end, Sungkyu gives his sister a small plastic house in a toy to symbolize the home that they, and the students aboard the ferry, once had no longer return to.

Some interpreted the song’s title as condemnation towards the crewmembers and adults who were in charge who took control improperly of the sinking, leading to unnecessary loss of life.

Although Red Velvet have remained quiet about the alleged connection, Sungkyu publicly revealed that the deeper meaning had not been intended but that there are different ways to interpret any sort of art.

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The Ark “The Light

Like the aforementioned songs, the debut song of (reportedly disbanded) The Ark was released only a few days before the first anniversary of the Sewol disaster. The heart wrenching music video features the loving relationship of a mother and a daughter, and the tragic moment when the mother discovers through a news report that her daughter died in an accident. Although the music video featured a bus accident as the cause of death, the timing of the video’s release and the depiction of a parent sending her daughter on a school trip draws on the emotions connected with Sewol.

Zico “Tough Cookie” & “Well Done” feat. Ja Mezz

Block B, the only K-pop group to release a song the day of the tragic event, has a particular connection to the sinking and Zico took the event and immortalized it with these songs. While the previous songs mentioned in this piece all require speculation to make a connection between Sewol and the music or music videos, Zico made it extremely clear that his songs “Well Done” and “Tough Cookie” were dedicated to Sewol’s victims. Both songs have run times of four minutes and 16 seconds, symbolizing April 16. Prior to the release of both, Zico tweeted about the time codes so that fans were aware of his song’s created as memorials.

Zico also commemorated a Block B fan lost at Sewol by attending her funeral and dedicating a rap to her at a concert she had planned to attend prior to her passing.

Are there any other references to the Sewol Ferry you know of? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

The Hallyu Attorney: Entertainment Lawyer David Kim Talks About New Media, K-Pop & More

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New media emerges so quickly that copyright and liability laws continue to be reframed to fit the evolving scene; it’s not easy to decide what’s considered fair use and what’s copyright infringement in media that didn’t exist 10 years or even 10 weeks ago. The question is always out there and the landscape of entertainment law that is here today may be changed tomorrow. When we think about transnational media laws, particularly in regards to K-pop and other pop culture exports that surpass national boundaries, there’s a bit of a juggling act going on. Luckily, that’s what people like David Kim are for.

Los Angeles based entertainment attorney, actor, and musician David Yung Ho Kim is often asked for his advice on the evolving legal ramifications of new media. It’s a large part of what he does for legal practice, The Hollywood Lawyer, which focuses on film, television, music, licensing, new media, and talent representation.

Yet Kim might never have been a lawyer had his father not insisted. “He sat my brother and me down,” said Kim over the phone. “He told my brother, you be a doctor. Then he said, You be a lawyer.” At the time Kim was more interested in politics and entertainment, so he hoped for a way to combine law with his interests. However, he knew he did not want to work in Washington, D.C., where the world of politics would take him.

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After graduating from University of California, Berkeley, with cum laude honors, he studied law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. Then he practiced law in a variety of capacities, including serving at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, working at JYP USA, and in the Business and Legal Affairs Division of CJ Entertainment America. After serving as in-house legal counsel for an LA-based talent management and film production company, Kim launched The Hollywood Lawyer.

“I thought, I could do this on my own, so I started my own entertainment practice,” he said. Established less than two years ago, the practice currently employs two other attorneys and two support staff. “The entertainment part happened because I already had friends in the Korean entertainment industry, singers, and actors,” said Kim. “I ended up doing their legal work as well. Everything aligned and in a way I became the go-to-guy for Korean entertainment stuff in LA.”

Kim was prepared for the legal challenges posed by new media. After working as a research assistant to Professor Robert Brauneis, a scholar in the area of copyright and trademark law, Kim was well versed in intellectual property rights. He also had friends working in digital media. “They would occasionally ask me questions about their entertainment contracts and other legal issues related to their careers and I thought this could be another practice,” said Kim.

Copyright law is not only about major entertainment companies cracking down on singers making cover songs on YouTube. It’s also about protecting independent artists from having their rights infringed in a variety of media. “If you’re not a big studio and not a big production company, independent creatives get their stuff ripped off. There’s so much content out there now. It’s hard to keep tabs on each and every piece. We are in an age of content explosion. It’s hard to monitor what’s being infringed on and what’s original.”

But as many copyright questions as digital technology raises, Kim agrees that it helped make the Hallyu an international phenomenon. “It definitely worked to K-pop’s advantage,” he said. “When the Wonder Girls went on Youtube [in 2009], it was on its ascent. You might visit any random Asian country and everyone would know who the Wonder Girls were. Technology solidified K-pop’s presence in Asia.”

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Timing also has something to do with the promotion of Hallyu. “Any other country could have done it but I feel like the timing was perfect,” said Kim. “K-pop found its niche. Other countries in Asia were not producing so much of their own content so Korean content exploded in popularity. They wanted the music and the dramas. At the same time there was a digital explosion as well in the U.S. but because there was already so much content being produced in the U.S., Korean content did not enter the market as strongly here as it did in Asia.”

But the time for the Hallyu to conquer the U.S. may soon be approaching. “It’s all in the timing,” said Kim. “Psy may have been a flash in the pan, but recently America has slowly become aware of the fact that its content is a little too homogeneous. Consumers are looking for something different, something that is new and hip. Yes, Girls’ Generation appeared on David Letterman [in 2012]. Yes, Stephen Colbert did his “Rain!!!!” thing [in 2007] and yeah, that was funny, but the timing wasn’t right. Now is the perfect time. America is ready to connect with the Hallyu as long as the Hallyu can connect with American culture.”

The same weekend that this interview took place, American late night talk show host Conan O’Brien and Korean-American actor Steven Yeun took part in a k-pop video with J.Y. Park. Within three days that video received over one million hits.

Kim is a K-pop fan, citing Red Velvet as one of his favorite new groups although he says he tends to prefer iconic kpop acts such as SS501. And although he started watching dramas with his family at the age of six, these days he rarely has time to indulge in a marathon. Every now and then someone tells him he must watch a drama and he gives in. The last one he saw was “You Who Came From The Stars” and before that it was “My Lovely Kim Sam Soon.” “They’re very addictive,” he said.

Although the past few years have seen several K-dramas optioned for U.S. adaptation, Kim suggests that they may require significant alteration to appeal to a wider U.S. audience. “Korean variety shows have a better chance being adapted for over here,” he said. “Even among my clients, some players in the industry are carefully watching the Korean entertainment industry now and have variety shows in development. Dramas and sitcoms do have cultural elements embedded in them and it would be a little harder for U.S. audiences to connect with them, but who knows?”

Besides his busy law practice, Kim is also an actor and a musician. He’s landed a few acting gigs, some commercials, but he’s still a Hollywood hopeful. “I’m waiting to snag a regular role,” said Kim. Fortunately, he won’t have to wait tables while going on auditions.

What do you think about the complexities of international law and K-pop? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

K-Dramas Continue to Explore LGBT Themes With Coy Devices

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[Disclaimer: This article contains some spoilers.]

In an episode of “Please Come Back Mister,” Lee Ha Nui’s movie star character is talking to her female manager, played by Oh Yeon Seo. The audience knows that Oh Yeon Seo is a temporary reincarnation of a man who died but came back solely to protect Lee. For a minute it seems as if Lee recognizes that the woman is a reincarnation of her beloved friend. But her words of affection are just part of scene she’s rehearsing. The women have obvious chemistry. Lee Ha Nui stops in the middle of rehearsing the romantic scene, saying it’s impossible to get in the mood with a woman. But the audience knows that the other woman is really the man she loved. And they can taste the chemistry.

As illogical as sex-switching reincarnation might seem, it is easier to fit that possibility into a K-drama plot than the idea of two women falling for each other. That scene is one of several ways that K-dramas circumvent the subject of homosexuality.

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Honey Lee and Oh Yeon Seo in “Please Come Back Mister.”

U.S. Audiences Have LGBT role models

In the U.S., audiences have had decades to warm to openly gay characters. “All in the Family” was probably the first TV program that brought a gay character into the nation’s living room, and the number has dramatically increased since then. Willow and Tara were a couple on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” Grace was in unrequited love with her best friend Will on “Will and Grace.” Kurt danced to “Single Ladies” on “Glee” and his dad accepted him for who he was. “Orange is the New Black” has a main character that is bisexual. “Transparent” features a trans woman, making his family to come to terms with it. While these characters initially had some issues coming out, once they did, they served as role models for acceptance.

That’s not to say real LGBT Americans don’t suffer because of who they choose to love. But American television has provided some “out and proud” fictional role models. Media has the power to change minds in the U.S. and Korea.

Coming Out In Korea

K-dramas don’t have openly gay characters. Although the rights of LGBT Koreans are protected by the nation’s constitution, living as an openly gay person or even contemplating marriage may not be easy in Korean society. Even if they can marry elsewhere, gay couples might not feel comfortable telling their families they are a couple.

In a 2015 CNN article, Korean Micky Kim discussed his California marriage to Tony Ruse: “People who I don’t know are congratulating our marriage. But in (South) Korea, no-one even knows my marriage and I couldn’t even tell my family.” His family thinks Ruse is his business partner and Kim pretends to have a girlfriend. His family is not unusual. According to a 2013 Pew Research study, 59 percent of Koreans found homosexuality unacceptable. To put that in context, 60 percent of the U.S. found homosexuality acceptable. Furthermore, a Gallup poll showed only 43 percent of Americans felt that way in 1977.

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Coming Back From Coming Out

In the last decade, as national opinion has slowly begun to change, the entertainment industry has become more accepting of other orientations. In 2000, when actor Hong Suk Chan told a TV audience he was gay, he was banished from TV networks. He chose to stay in Korea, even though he could not act on TV. He started a restaurant and eventually owned nine. After a few years he returned to variety shows and dramas. He mostly does cameos or small roles, his most recent cameo being in “The Time We Were Not In Love.” Coincidentally, he also had a role in “Please Come Back Mister” as a flamboyant fashion designer. A stereotypical one at that, but acceptance is a slow process and K-dramas are finding clever ways to encourage it.

Gender Swaps & Mistaken Identity

Some of the ways K-dramas subtly promote acceptance is through gender swap dramas, bromance scenes, and cases of mistaken identity. Gender swaps might be the most common way to tempt audience into having a gender “what if” moment. In “You’re Beautiful,” Park Shin Hye pretends to be the brother of a member of a top group replacing him. She lives with the three other members of the group in a male-only dorm and it takes some of them a remarkably long time to discover her gender. All three of the other members fall for her, and while two knew she was a girl, one of them, Jeremy (played by Lee Hong Ki) is disturbed to think he is falling for a boy. The fact that he does not recognize that she is a girl is less unbelievable than the idea he might fall for a totally charming, attractive, and musically talented boy.

“Coffee Prince” is a classic gender swap drama in which Yoon Eun Hye pretends to be a boy so she can work in Gong Yoo’s coffee shop. He starts to fall for her and tries to talk himself out of it, only to decide that he loves this person no matter what gender they are. It’s a touching romantic moment, but not quite pivotal enough because he is saved from the repercussions of dating someone of his own sex when he finds out she is a woman. Would the Yoon-Gong same-sex couple have been able to survive the odds? K-dramas need a happy ending.

Bromance Is A Boy’s Best Friend

Bromantic K-dramas get around the topic by either focusing the drama on a very close friendship or giving the first and second male leads plenty of quality time and opportunities for fan service together.

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Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin in “School 2013.”

“School 2013” is a classic example as it shows the evolving friendship between Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin. They hate each other. They love each other. They are best friends. And they had so much chemistry that people assumed they were dating in real life. Lending fuel to the fire was the fact that Lee Jong Suk played a young man who openly confessed to liking Yoon Sang Hyun in “Secret Garden.” Yoon Sang Hyun does not make much of his confession and does not seem to be scared but continues to want to represent him.

Lee Jong Suk confronts Yoon Sang Hyun in "Secret Garden."

Lee Jong Suk confronts Yoon Sang Hyun in “Secret Garden.”

Or bros can be enemies. Park Ki Woong and Joo Won won DramaFever Best Bromance Award in 2013 for playing friends who fate forced to be enemies. When they were close, they were close. When they became enemies, it was still somehow sexy.

And in 2015, Park Seo Joon and Ji Sung won a Best Couple Award from MBC. Park played an author. Ji Sung played a man with multiple personalities, one of whom was female and had a crush on Park. Ji Sung was not a man attracted to Park. One of his personalities made him do it. Again, highly unlikely but audiences got to see Ji Sung and Park Seo Joon kissing.

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Mistaken Identity Could Start Something With The Wrong Someone

“Personal Taste” is one of the few K-dramas that actually has a gay character that openly expresses his attraction. This drama shows a lot of the negative reaction that Koreans might face when coming out. Lee Min Ho is pretending to be gay so he can room in a house owned by Son Ye Jin. But his declarations place him in an awkward situation when a man he’s trying to win a design bid from assumes that they have the potential for a relationship. The news is not well received by his mother. The other man, played by Ryu Seung Ryong, is a very dignified and sympathetic character who discusses the humiliation his preferences have caused in his life.

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Im Seul Ong results in Lee Min Ho being mistaken for gay in “Personal Taste.”

Making a love confession to a man also comes up in the Reply series. In “Reply 1997,” a painful heartfelt confession is treated with respect. In “Ho Gu’s Love,” Im Seul Ong’s character thinks he is in love with Choi Woo Sik, but he’s really in love with Choi’s sister, played by Lee Sung Kyung. He’s mortified at the idea that he might be gay, but when he comes to accept it, he sympathizes with a gay witness he might previously have been cruel to. He realizes that love has no gender. But in the end he too is saved from all the repercussions of being gay in Korean society. His crush turns out to be a woman and she was responsible for the kiss he cannot forget.

More gay characters, or characters who merely think they are gay, will likely help change attitudes. “The Lover” plays homage to Shonen ai manga by featuring the changing relationship between two roommates. Introverted Lee Joon Jae, played by Lee Jae Joon, advertised for a roommate who can’t speak Korean very well so he won’t have to talk to him. His Japanese roommate Takuya, played by Takuya Terada, tried to bring him out of his shell. The show teases the audience with manga cliches, while at the same time giving equal credence to the relationship problems of straight and gay couples.

But for now, descriptions of K-drama gender-confusion tend to be coy and show some similarity to the kind of salacious innuendo found in pre-Hays Code Hollywood films.

There may be a reason for K-dramas moving so slowly and coyly toward acceptance. There may be some psychological value to a character falling in love with a boy, only to discover that everyone will ultimately approve of their union, because she turns out to be a girl. Perhaps K-drama gender-swap and mixed identity scenarios allow audiences to explore the idea of falling in love with someone, regardless of gender, without having to face any of the very real societal consequences down the line. It will be interesting to see how long it takes K-dramas to move past coy and into “out and proud.”

What’s your stance on LGBT visibility and how the community is portrayed in K-dramas? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.