Early in July 2016, South Korea and the US agreed to deploy the US Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) to the Korean Peninsula as North Korea continues to test launch intermediate-range ballistic missiles. South Korea says it wants the system for protection against North Korean missiles, but China feels the system will […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Untitled-design-2-1.png7681024Joan Vos MacDonaldhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoan Vos MacDonald2016-08-17 15:43:362016-08-17 15:47:03How effective will China’s ban on K-dramas be?
It may seem like a strange to be writing about D.Holic given they are coming to the end of their promotions for “Colour Me Rad.” It was so hard to pin down exactly how they were promoting that I wasn’t fully aware when it was actually happening. Now that they’ve gone through their full swing […]
Early in July 2016, South Korea and the US agreed to deploy the US Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) to the Korean Peninsula as North Korea continues to test launch intermediate-range ballistic missiles. South Korea says it wants the system for protection against North Korean missiles, but China feels the system will […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Untitled-design-2-1.png7681024Joan Vos MacDonaldhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoan Vos MacDonald2016-08-17 15:43:362016-08-17 15:47:03How effective will China’s ban on K-dramas be?
It may seem like a strange to be writing about D.Holic given they are coming to the end of their promotions for “Colour Me Rad.” It was so hard to pin down exactly how they were promoting that I wasn’t fully aware when it was actually happening. Now that they’ve gone through their full swing […]
Early in July 2016, South Korea and the US agreed to deploy the US Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) to the Korean Peninsula as North Korea continues to test launch intermediate-range ballistic missiles. South Korea says it wants the system for protection against North Korean missiles, but China feels the system will be used to spy on strategic Chinese locations. To retaliate for South Korea’s defensive move, China has banned Korean entertainers from appearing in China and banned K-dramas altogether. Enforcing that ban and asking Chinese viewers to stop watching K-dramas may be a bit more complicated than that for a variety of reasons.
It’s hard to know how the Chinese people feel about this ban. China’s state news agency Xinhua said there’s support for the ban because the Chinese love their country more than they love K-drama, but Chinese viewers might find it hard to break up with this highly addictive form of entertainment. In some ways, the choice forced on viewers can be compared to that much loved K-drama trope: the love triangle. On one hand, there’s a government saying love of country comes first. On the other, there’s hyper-addictive entertainment with attractive stars that has won Chinese hearts. Who wins? China’s government may want to take note. In k-dramas the female lead usually chooses the more attractive and charismatic alternative.
The popularity of South Korean entertainment media in China has never pleased the Chinese government. Every new K-drama success prompted a warning from the government. When the recent drama Descendents of the Sun hit over 400 million views, the government issued a warning saying that “watching Korean dramas could be dangerous, and even lead to legal troubles.” While that particular statement did not explain what those “legal troubles” were, dramas reportedly caused a pregnant Chinese woman to almost miscarry after bingeing on the fried chicken consumed in the drama “My Love From The Star” and another young woman to develop glaucoma after binge-watching a drama.
The government has long decried the values K-dramas depict; values that are more in line with capitalist countries, such as the U.S., and cautioned citizens against their not-so-subtle influence. Following the recent political defense move by South Korea, the Chinese government decided to ban appearances by Korean drama and K-pop celebrities.
For starters, Chinese viewers have become used to Korean content. By 2006, Korean dramas already accounted for more of the programming on Chinese television than any other foreign programming and the demand continued to grow. This, in part, is why China’s political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC), held a meeting in 2014 to discuss the dangerous appeal. The focus? Why could the Chinese government not make comparable television dramas that appeal around the globe when China had long considered itself the standard bearer for Asian culture.
While the Chinese government and industry pondered the question a lot of money left China earmarked for Korean entertainment companies and the makers of the products promoted in them. As successive dramas aired, the price for episodes went up, funneling even more Chinese money to Korea. The YSL lipstick shade worn by Jun Ji Hyun, star of the 2014 drama You Who Came From The Stars, sold out almost immediately. Chinese imports of South Korean beauty products doubled in 2015. Moreover, increasing numbers of Chinese tourists traveled to Korea to visit drama sites, including “You Who Came From The Stars,” often outnumbering Korean tourists at the same sites.
Doing business in China was profitable for the Korean entertainment community, which increasingly catered to fandoms there. The variety show Running Manmade more money from the sale of copyright for the Chinese version than it did domestically. The casting of stars in K-drama or variety shows was influenced by their popularity in China. For example, Park Hae Jin was a smart casting choice in Cheese in the Trap not only because he was right for the part, but also due to his huge following in China.
During the last decade more Hallyu actors appeared in Chinese dramas and Chinese actors became more common in Korean dramas. Dramas such as Descendants of the Sun, starring Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki, and Saimdang: The Herstory, starring Lee Young Ae and Song Seung Heon, were filmed completely in advance, partly to make it easier for Chinese censors to screen out sensitive material that might offend Chinese audiences. Censorship is a must when dramas air in China. For example, Doctor Stranger had the North Korean segments removed before it could be shown in China, as the government supports the North Korean regime.
The Chinese government also wanted some of the K-drama revenue to stay in China, insisting that Chinese companies had to invest in or co-produce any dramas that could be shown there. As a result, Seoul and Beijing signed a Free Trade Agreement in June 2015, and Chinese investment in the entertainment industry surged to $86 million in 2016. That’s a considerable amount of Chinese money entangled in the future of K-dramas, especially considering that future may be uncertain.
After the Chinese government threatened to ban Korea’s pop stars and actors, China’s Morning Post newspaper quoted industry experts saying that they were told to postpone any plans for new programs that involve South Korean stars or copyright for South Korean shows. Additionally, appearances by Korean stars were immediately canceled, the first being events for Uncontrollably Fond stars Kim Woo Bin and Suzy Bae and Park Bo Gum of Reply 1988. Song Joong Ki, the star of Descendents of the Sun, has seen his ads removed from China’s smartphones. The smartphone company Vivo cited “unavoidable circumstances.”
So what does that mean for Korean-Chinese productions? According to the American entertainment publication Variety, Chinese-Korean co-productions and talent are to be restricted, but shows already being filmed and aired may be exempt. However, there are Korean stars appearing in Chinese productions. Ji Chang Wook and Yoo In Na are currently working in China. Actor Ji Chang Wook stars in the Chinese drama Whirlwind Girl 2. Rumors spread that it was taken off the air but on August 2, his agency Glorious Entertainment denied those rumors saying that the program still airs. Yoo In Na is currently filming a Chinese period fantasy drama titled Love Weaves Through A Millennium 2, a remake of her K-drama Queen In-Hyun’s Man. Production did stop briefly after the announcement, but Yoo In Na’s agency, YG Entertainment, cautioned jumping to a conclusion. There has been no announcement that the show will be cancelled.
As for films, The Korea Times reported that Lee Min Ho’s film The Bounty Hunter grossed $29 million since its Chinese release in July. Will Korean films face the same restrictions and will Chinese audiences be ready to skip the next drama of the megastar so many fans love? That remains to be seen.
One thing is sure, however. The ban will hurt the bottom line at Korea’s entertainment agencies. China is the biggest foreign buyer of Korean cultural content. No sooner was the ban announced than stock in Korean entertainment companies dropped, although since then some companies have recovered slightly.
South Korea is not likely to withdraw from THAAD, so China may find it difficult to rescind its ban. The government has drawn a line in the sand and it may be a line that some Chinese viewers are tempted to cross; a ban on the Hallyu could backfire by making K-dramas seem even more appealing. Will more Chinese drama lovers travel to Korea more often to see their favorite stars or possibly find new viewing sources to satisfy their drama fever? After all, K-dramas are a hard habit to break.
What’s your take on the Chinese ban? 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.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Untitled-design-2-1.png7681024Joan Vos MacDonaldhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngJoan Vos MacDonald2016-08-17 15:43:362016-08-17 15:47:03How effective will China’s ban on K-dramas be?
It may seem like a strange to be writing about D.Holic given they are coming to the end of their promotions for “Colour Me Rad.” It was so hard to pin down exactly how they were promoting that I wasn’t fully aware when it was actually happening. Now that they’ve gone through their full swing it feels natural to bring them back into the public eye, especially since they probably don’t have that long left to their career. Trying to pin down girl groups like D.Holic is usually hard anyway though, so I’m used to it by now. When I first stumbled upon the showcase performance for “Colour Me Rad,” I was at first shocked to see they had come back at all, and then spent a long time trying to find out everything about what they had in the works.
Working under an unknown label, experiencing member changes, and copying their successful peers are the hallmarks of most lesser known K-pop groups. D.Holic have done all of that and more. There is nothing obviously unique about D.Holic when compared to groups of a similar popularity as them, yet there is something about them that keeps drawing me back, wanting to know more. Let’s see if we can find out what that is.
D.Holic debuted in October of 2014 under H.Mate Entertainment. The name (one of the best ever) is still a mystery to me, but I bet the meaning behind is really stupid and fun. D.Holic started life as a five member group with an international slant thanks to Japanese member Rena and Chinese member Hami (Korean members Duri, Danbi, and Nine round them out). They debuted with single album “D.Holic Dark With Dignity” (amazing titles are a trend with these). Their single was called “I Don’t Know” and the public’s reaction to it was similarly ignorant.
That becomes even less of surprise once you hear the song. Produced by Quasimodo “I Don’t Know” is a weird track, a sort of loungy pop with its soft keyboards and sporadic horns. There’s a haunting echo to the girls’ voices that shifts the mood from simple slow jam into something a bit more sensual. There is some great work with vocal layers too, where you can actually hear different voices. This is all rounded out by that cheapness that accompanies many idol groups from less than mid-tier companies. The keys are flat and the horns don’t take enough of a front seat. This type of track needs quality production, without it we can’t get into the flow. It needs to strap us down with the bondage D.holic model in the video. The song doesn’t even try to hide Rena and Hami’s weak vocals, which show up painfully right before both the first choruses. Worst of alI it has a pointless feature from Chinese rapper and friend of Topp Dogg Andy.A47 and a useless ballad as a b-side.
After a weak start, D.Holic didn’t come back for another year. Creating your magnum opus takes time after all. Listening to their release from July of 2015, “Chewy” actually might make that statement true as they clearly played to their strengths more.
It also started their year long collaboration with producer team Urban Cla6ix. Park Junsu and Jung Yeonhun worked with D.Holic for this mini album and the preceding single album “Murphy and Sally.” On “Chewy” they seem to be taking cues from EXID, who were in the midst of their huge rise at the time of release. There is a case to be made that this might be their signature sound and it just happens to be similar to EXID. Although I couldn’t find anythig that predates “Chewy” or “Up and Down,” consider “Magical Show” a song the pair produced for Chinese star Li Yuchun.
“Chewy” is a volatile mix of whining synths and horn sections all over a booming hip-hop beat. Its synths bounce around during the verses, ready to take the song into territory bordering on messy. It’s held down by a more subdued chorus though and turns the song into something all their own. It includes a number of great flourishes too, the Indian style synth after the first chorus, the at-once enticing and terrifying refrain of “chewy chewy” and the fact that the song is about the girls’ hearts feeling chewy.
Best of all, they learned like EXID to distribute the vocal parts in a way that was best for the group. The previously anonymous Danbi now raps with a distinctive bite, Rena has a chorus part but her vocals are not pushed beyond their means. Curiously though in the video Hami raps the second verse but when performed live Danbi does it. It clearly sounds like Danbi so they must have just wanted Hami on screen for longer considering her good looks. Despite that it all comes together to make something that fits D.Holic in a way no one could have predicted. It’s one of the few cheap masterworks from an obscure girl group. It was also somewhat of a success for D.Holic, garnering 2 million views on Youtube compared to the 78,000 of “Murphy and Sally.” How those views translated into sales however, I do not know.
Urban Cla6ix’s work on this album’s ballad b-side “Miss You,” is worth noting for one thing as well. It sounds as if they took a stock ballad D.Holic had recorded and just added the synths from “Chewy.” It doesn’t make the song a weird classic like “Chewy” but it is something to behold.
In the four months it took D.Holic to return with “Murphy and Sally” lead vocalist Nine left and was replaced by Hwajung in a straight swap thanks to her own strong vocals. Their second collaboration with Urban Cla6ix is a peppier version of “Chewy.” It’s a song about one of those days where nothing seems to go your way but you keep pushing on anyway. Structurally it moves along with little concern for a listener to keep up as if the girls are ignoring their bad day. It opens with Hwajung’s simple verse which seems to set up a cheerleader type song with “oh oh oohs” when she finishes. It however, moves straight into a rap by Danbi which is powerful and surprisingly long and once that’s over into the chorus. Maybe it’s more a build up to the “never ever give up” chorus that was introduced at the start but it is comes unexpected again with its slower pace and bigger vocals.
This could have all worked towards a greater coherency if there was more time. Before the second chorus the songs moves as if it were one large thing rather than a series of parts. Omitting another rap in the second verse but it’s off track though. A sense of symmetry would have been really interesting. “Murphy and Sally” doesn’t come near the heights of “Chewy” yet retains D.Holic’s weird sense of structure. It’s a mess that should have been a b-side and allowed to shy away from pop standards.
Speaking of messes, D.Holic’s latest single and their promotions for it have been all over the place. The day before their first showcase for “Colour Me Rad” it was announced that Danbi and Duri had left the group and had been replaced by EJ. They would continue as a four member group with EJ taking up rapping duties. That in itself would have been enough of a difficulty to start with. The showcase where they performed “Colour Me Rad” for the first time was not publicized at all, the video wasn’t released for 23 days after, and their first TV performance was only a week before that. All this after Hwajung said they would disband if they didn’t sell over 1,500 copies of their album. Maybe their company want them to disband so they wouldn’t have to spend what little money they already were spending on them.
Their demise seemed imminent. Going for a mainstream EDM track seemed like they were given at least a bit of a chance to succeed. “Colour Me Rad” was written and produced by Park Seulgi (Super Junior’s “This is Love,” Luna’s “I Wish” & “My Medicine”), Lee Jinkyung (possible former member of JQT ), Geum Songsik, and Jo Soyeon. It’s a pretty straightforward Big Room EDM track, a successor to T-ara’s “Sugar Free.” It’s the best produced of D.Holic’s songs but their least idiosyncratic despite the use of cowbells, an instrument much ignored by K-pop.
It does have some great moments though with EJ especially adding much needed character. Her raps lead up to the chorus and inject an angry energy that is distinct amongst all K-pop. She is a curiosity herself with her hot pink hair and ever present face mask. The mask does seem to be a gimmick as in every photo of her (even on her Instagram) she has her face covered and judging by some photos there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her face. It’s a weird gimmick for D.Holic to deploy since you need to be known for something like it to take off. Pre-Muzik Jiyoon won’t be worried regardless.
Apparently “Colour Me Rad” has sold enough copies so we have not seen the last of D.Holic. Boy am I glad. No group has carved out such a style for themselves and continued to work quite like D.Holic. For each year they have been active their music has taken a different tack. Each one showed a confidence and growing boisterousness that D.Holic have performed with glee despite a lack of success. It’s this drive, actually declaring they have to sell a certain amount of records or else they’ll be over, is something that really attracts me to them. There’s an honest and great desire apparent that sometimes gets lost amongst the flash of K-pop. These girls want to be up on stage. Colour me mad but here’s hoping to another three years of them doing exactly that.
What do you think of D.Holic? Do you hope to see more of them in the future? 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.
