The little known girl group Blady made a recent comeback with a truly crazy song. While many of you may not be aware of them, they have in fact been around since 2011. With a slight possibility of making it big with this comeback, we decided to take a look back at their career in […]
As a DJ, producer, songwriter, and EDM artist, iDR (Denzil Remedios) may not be the most popular name in the music world, let alone South Korea, where his songs consistently top charts. But he is the mastermind behind many of K-pop’s biggest hits, including songs by Super Junior, EXO, Lee Hyori, U-KISS, and more. iDR […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/iDR-talks-to-KultScene.jpg13011296Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-06-29 17:26:432015-11-16 14:24:48Meet iDR, The Producer Behind Some Of K-Pop’s Biggest Hits [INTERVIEW PART 1]
The little known girl group Blady made a recent comeback with a truly crazy song. While many of you may not be aware of them, they have in fact been around since 2011. With a slight possibility of making it big with this comeback, we decided to take a look back at their career in […]
As a DJ, producer, songwriter, and EDM artist, iDR (Denzil Remedios) may not be the most popular name in the music world, let alone South Korea, where his songs consistently top charts. But he is the mastermind behind many of K-pop’s biggest hits, including songs by Super Junior, EXO, Lee Hyori, U-KISS, and more. iDR […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/iDR-talks-to-KultScene.jpg13011296Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-06-29 17:26:432015-11-16 14:24:48Meet iDR, The Producer Behind Some Of K-Pop’s Biggest Hits [INTERVIEW PART 1]
The little known girl group Blady made a recent comeback with a truly crazy song. While many of you may not be aware of them, they have in fact been around since 2011. With a slight possibility of making it big with this comeback, we decided to take a look back at their career in the hopes of discovering a hidden gem.
The K-pop industry has changed a lot in the last three to four years. Most notably, there have been a lot more groups debuting every week. This is positive in some ways, such as the fact that the three big companies no longer have complete control of the charts. We can now see rookie groups from smaller companies, like EXID and VIXX, competing and winning on music shows. But this also means that a lot more groups are being forgotten without making any sort of mark. Whether it is because of a lack of exposure or from having no good music, more groups are disbanding within a year of their debut than ever before. Some, however, keep plugging away despite no success at all.
Blady is one of these.
What sets Blady apart from all other struggling K-pop groups is a certain try hard charm. They’ve been around longer than most rookie groups who have tried and failed to make it big. Since 2011, they have had four major releases and have changed their lineup on three separate occasions. The concepts and quality of their songs have varied wildly yet they deliver each with an exuberance that is too endearing to ignore. From the sexy, Latin inspired ‘‘Come To Me’’ to the Hollywood directed music video for ‘‘Crazy Day,’’ there is a lot to take note of with Blady.
Finding the reason for Blady’s continued lack of success probably isn’t that hard once you listen to their debut single ‘‘Spark Spark’’. I always think that groups can never really recover from a terrible opener (I still think ‘Gossip Girl’ is the reason Rainbow has always struggled). ‘Spark Spark’ is a truly awful slice of what K-pop was like prior to Wonder Girls’ ‘‘Nobody’’. Blady’s company were obviously too poor to afford modern equipment so it sounds three years out of date and not in a hip, nostalgic way either. It contains grating synths covered with auto tuned vocals. I can’t tell if they’re attempting to make the voices ‘cuter’ or cover up poor vocals. Either way, it is incredibly annoying and brings back awful memories of K-pop’s auto-tune years. Also, it doesn’t even have a video.
Cut to July 2011, and Blady began teasing their blockbuster follow up, ‘‘Crazy Day’’. Blady were going global. To the ultra glamorous Maldives to be exact, where they would shoot their new music video with Hollywood director Kang Young Man in spectacular 3D! They even recruited choreographer Main Spirit, who has worked with Lee Hyori and Bada, for the dance moves. The hype was real.
Then this happened.
The dramatic acting! The paparazzi flash effects! The image overlays! The lack of 3D!
In all seriousness, it is actually a big step up from their debut. Even just for actually having a music video that can be found online. The song’s Europop production is an improvement. Structurally, it’s a mess, but that gives it some level of interest over ‘‘Spark Spark’’.
That’s being kind to a music video and song that are so embarrassingly bad and yet seemingly a lot of effort was put in that it becomes iconic rather than shameful. A 3D version was supposed to be released in August of that year but is nowhere to be found. Some of the shots in this one look like they were made for 3D though, so maybe this was it but they just didn’t shoot in 3D at all. The choreography too does not look like it was put together by anyone of note much less someone who worked with a great queen like Lee Hyori. At least they got a holiday out of it.
All of this did not seem to go noticed though, as Blady went under the radar for two years. They resurfaced in 2013 with a whole new look and lineup. All of the original members but one, Kangyoon, left and were replaced with four more girls. They came back armed with fresh talent to create a new day in Blady history. For the first time ever, they would release a good song.
Not just a good song, a great one. Released in November of 2013, ‘‘Blood Type B Girl’’ is an encapsulation of all that is K-pop. It contains three distinct genres and swaps out whole parts at a whim with some never getting another run. It seems a group with a track record like Blady’s could never pull this off but somehow they do. It’s pulled together with heavy hip-hop beats then moves onto shiny electro pop on the chorus before finishing on some dirty electro dance beats. On top of all this, there are tribal sounding 808 drums that come in at random points to liven things up. They go all out with the structure while never allowing the music get out of control. Each part is distinct yet cohesive as a whole. It also still felt like a Blady song. Sort of a mess but an endearing one that they now learned how to control.
The new Blady age had been ushered in. Their millions of adoring fans were surely around the corner.
Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found. Just like their previous singles ‘‘Blood Type B Girl’’ failed to chart. Shortly after, four more members left, including only surviving founding member Kangyoon. It seemed like their time was up. Not only had they lost the majority of their group, but without any original members, there was a possibility of the essence of the group being lost. Even with new members they probably couldn’t break into any sort of popularity. Surely this was the end.
This brings us up to March of this year, when Blady came back once again this time with a sexy, revamped lineup and the aptly titled mini album ‘‘Renovation’’. Taking on the sexy concept is something most girl groups do to gain any sort of following so I don’t really blame Blady for pandering. Also, the whole concept is geared towards sexy including the video, music and lyrics. A lot of the time we see only sexy visuals so it’s refreshing when groups commit to it.
Stunning lead single ‘‘Come To Me’’ is their most straightforward song to date. It fuses swing and Latin pop to great effect with the guitars and orchestra combining perfectly. It’s also Blady’s first song to sound like it was put together with a proper budget. How their company could afford is beyond me, but they did it and that’s what matters.
A part of me is disappointed that Blady are starting to work with trends in order to boost their profile. In the end though, it’s the quality of music that matter and in that respect they have not disappointed. They are continuing right now with insane ‘‘Renovation’’ b-side ‘‘Oochie Walla Walla’’.
So far they have only promoted it on weekly music shows so there is no music video. It would be a shame if one doesn’t turn up eventually since it’s such a great song. Going for the popular banging electro trap now Blady have taken cues from EXID, 4minute, and 2NE1 for their next attempt at stardom. “Oochie Walla Walla” bursts into life at a blistering pace leaving no time for you to settle down. It contains so many beat and tone shifts so even when it slows down it never gets boring. Where ‘‘Blood Type B Girl’’ worked because it took its time with changing elements, “Oochie Walla Walla” works because it does it so quick. That sounds like a contradiction but you have to listen to understand. It’s ridiculous, but it works.
Blady is an example of what a group can do if they refuse to quit. With their most recent comeback, they seem to have gotten a little more attention than usual (one variety show appearance). Whether it does bring them any success, we’ll have to wait and see. No matter what happens though, Blady has had an incredible career that deserves some attention. When so many groups come and go within a year it’s good to take notice of some of these smaller ones who never quit. This quality is what makes Baldy stand out for me. Despite some of the worst atrocities against music and music videos, they remained tenacious and enthusiastic. Whatever happens I feel like I can rely on Blady to remain true to themselves and keep on reaching for the stars.
What do you think of Blady? 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.
As a DJ, producer, songwriter, and EDM artist, iDR (Denzil Remedios) may not be the most popular name in the music world, let alone South Korea, where his songs consistently top charts. But he is the mastermind behind many of K-pop’s biggest hits, including songs by Super Junior, EXO, Lee Hyori, U-KISS, and more.
iDR began working with SM Entertainment and other Korean labels after joining up with the production company Marcen Entertainment in 2010. His first Korean hit was Super Junior’s “No Other,” and iDR hasn’t looked back since. iDR took the time to talk with KultScene about his career so far and what it’s like working with Korean artists and companies.
“You know, when I first heard K-pop I thought it was kind of random, I didn’t really enjoy it, I didn’t really like it the first time I heard it,” iDr said during our phone call. “But when I made that cut [Super Junior’s “No Other] and after I started going over there to work specifically with those artists and labels, then that’s when I started to appreciate it. I thought that I didn’t like [K-pop], but it wasn’t that. [K-pop] is a lot harder to digest and produce and write, because there’s a lot of variation going on it where in comparison, here it’s like you have the verse, you have the chorus, BOOM, you’re done, then it’s onto the next song type of thing. With K-pop stuff, there’s so much going on that sometimes, like with the last EXO song, I’ll work on that and nothing else.”
Working in South Korea, iDR is just one of many people to partake in the creative process for K-pop stars, with multiple players with their own role in the creation of a single K-pop song. “I go over there and we work first with the top liners, or the writers, as everyone knows them, and they work on top of the beats that I’ve created or the vibe that I’m looking for. That’s usually told to us by the label or the A&R people handling the artists who say ‘this is the direction we want to go with now,’ and while we’re there working either at SM or another label, then usually the artist will come in. We’ll try their vocals out and see if this is their range and go from there.”
Even though he’s one of many, the songs that iDR produces are very much his own, even after being handed over to some of K-pop’s biggest stars. “A lot of people don’t really realize this, but what any of these artists like EXO, SHINee, or Super Junior, what they are cutting to is exactly what I sang for them. So you know, they’re just following my notes, my rhythm. I’m kind of the original, as one of the co-writers.”
While iDR’s spent a lot of time producing for K-pop acts, he’s also worked with the likes of Soulja Boy, Nelly Furtado, Fifi Dobson, and much more. He’s currently collaborating on an upbeat Girls’ Generation song with SAARA, and his latest K-pop latest song is Melody Day’s “Love Me,” which is not remotely related to the EXO song of the similar title. “I didn’t plan that, it just happened; the tracks didn’t get written at the same time,” iDR explained the coincidence.
As the producer, iDR has a lot of say, but not the final call. But that doesn’t bother iDR, since it’s what is uniquely Korean about it that makes K-pop so special. “Looking at K-pop generally, it has the sound that was just there that’s embedded in Korean culture and language, and how they [Koreans] choose to express things in their language as opposed to how someone from America or Europe would phrase the same thing,” he explained, before emphasizing that the linguistic style mixed with foreign producers is one of his favorite things about K-pop, along with the influx of foreigners working in the industry. “I think that the bridge between European, American artists and producers working in the K-pop system is just bringing more interesting sounds. It’s our little monster that I’d like to see where it progresses to because I think it’ll be a never-ending story of how [K-pop] will progress.”
As a foreign producer in Korea, iDR’s experienced a lot. Since working with K-pop for over five years, he’s seen a lot of changes within the Korean music world, including the influx of EDM. Whereas electronic dance music used to hardly play a role in the majority of Korean songs, the past few years have seen a lot of dramatic changes as to what type of musical styles makes up the K-pop genre.
“I’m personally excited that the whole EDM scene out there is doing well,” said iDR. “I’ve had a chance to work with U-KISS and Dongho, one of their former members, is DJing now and that’s definitely EDM. It’s just cool to see the transition happen and see the presence that hit hard out there. It’s nice to see that go into the mix with everything else in K-pop, which I think is essentially what is so special about K-pop. It’s not one thing, and you can turn on quote unquote K-pop and it can be a person singing on a guitar or to be a hard hitting EDM piece and everything in between.”
Have there been difficulties working in Korea? iDR’s flown out to South Korea from his home in Toronto many times, and admits that he didn’t know what to expect originally. But now that he’s a pro at working in Seoul, iDR’s noticed the differences between working with K-pop artists than other artists from around the globe.
“One thing that I have to say is that it is really different than with artists from the rest of the world is that Koreans, well they can have a million followers, people stalking them all over the place, no privacy. They can be super superstars but when they meet you as an individual, it doesn’t matter who they are, they will bow to you. They show such respect, I think, that’s something that I found is really special about them and that’s something to admire. That ‘Hey, I can be on top of my pedestal but I can be knocked off at anytime’ attitude. They really show respect and admiration for writers and anyone they’re working with. They’re really cool with their fans, and that’s one of the biggest differences that I’ve seen. When I’ve been working with them, they’re never coming in with too much pride, or that whole artist vibe of ‘I know more, look at me.’ It’s more like ‘hey, you’re the producer, you’re the writer, let’s team up’ there’s no ego involved.”
And what’s next for iDR and his work? Along with Girls’ Generation’s upcoming music, iDR is working on some stuff for one of the most highly anticipated K-pop acts that has yet to debut. “I got a couple more with different artists at SM, a new rookie group that hasn’t even been named yet, that they all tell me will be as big as EXO, so I’m really excited about that too.”
Make sure to check out the second half of this interview, which will be published later this week.
Do you have something to say to iDR? 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/2015/06/iDR-talks-to-KultScene.jpg13011296Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-06-29 17:26:432015-11-16 14:24:48Meet iDR, The Producer Behind Some Of K-Pop’s Biggest Hits [INTERVIEW PART 1]
