I AM A KPOP GIRL

Why I Love Kpop

Hello everyone. 안녕하세요. 송주리 입니다.

I’m into Kpop world since 2007 and before that I only know about South Korea through K-drama. As a person who busy with books and class, I rarely have chance to watch k-drama continuously. Honestly, if there is a k-drama of 16 episodes and it’s airing every Monday-Tuesday every week, I only can watch 1 episode this week, and then another episode on the next week. If I want to watch what I’ve missed, I need to wait for the encore time or watch it in the internet (if I’m lucky enough!)

Kpop VS K-Drama

All I can have without any trouble and waiting is Kpop songs. I can listen to it whenever I want, wherever I want. Thanks to Youtube, I can continuously listen to my fav Kpop Idol latest song over and over. By the way, if I watch their music video repeatedly, I can increase their MV views in Youtube. Isn’t that a great contribution for my idol?

K-Drama also my favorite programme to watch, but the thing is, I spend my time more in front of the laptop rather than my TV. My friends told me there is internet TV that I can watch but I still think watching via TV program is still the best. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a purist girl. If the drama is owned by KBS, or TvN, or SBS, I will turn to that channel no matter what. I will never be like, the drama is on KBS, but let’s watch it in Youtube, you know what I mean?

English Pop VS Kpop

English Pop was dead around 2001.. Which is a very very very sad year for me. My list of favorite boyband is endless. I can tell you the boyband name from The Jackson 5 to ‘Nsync. English Pop is what I always listen to when I’m doing my school work or when I hang out with my girls. We love boyband like ‘Nsync, New Kids On The Block, Backstreet Boys, Westlife, Take That, etc etc. But after 2001, the entire English Pop world just disappears. Except for Miss Britney Spears, Beyonce, and few solo pop artist.

Let me tell you what happened on that year. US and UK Pop music industry is disappearing because the fans is fancying another music genre which is pop-rock and alternative music. They just have enough of 5 good looking boys, with smart clothes, and clean image who can sing and dance. They love pop-rock and alternative music such as Linkin Park, Blink 182, Simple Plan, No Doubt, Avril Lavigne, and My Chemical Romance. They want something new, something dark, lively without have to dance, and still have cutely and handsomely but dangerous look.

I don’t blame the US and UK pop industries for letting the pop go without a fight because they are just serving what the fans want to hear. Fans are the purpose why the singer and bands still exist. Fans got the power to change the music industry.

What I love about boyband, girlband and pop singers is I’m a girl who loves to sing and dance. Even I’m not dancing as perfect as the real artist, but that is something that I enjoy to do by myself. After 2001, I really don’t have any serious pop artist to idolize. FYI, I do listened to My Chemical Romance. But, that’s it, I just sing, not dance happily or watch any music videos in MTV channel like I used to.

The 1^st Kpop song that I heard maybe Lee HyoRi You Go Girl. In 2007, when I was watching the Youtube channel, I remember Rain’s hit drama Full House. And then after I search for it, I saw youtube’s MV recommendations, and one of it is Lee HyoRi’s. I hooked with the song immediately because I still love pop and dance music even after 6 years of pop loneliness. Alright, not that lonely because Justin Timberlake released Solo album, so with JC Chasez, but his solo single was not that popular, Miss Britney was dancing with bikini for her Gimme More in MTV awards, and some trying hard to be popular girl bands like The Pussycat Dolls, but I still missed the pure Pop that I used to enjoy.

I found a new hope and happiness in Kpop. I don’t even understand a single thing and at that time the Kpop MV were not English translated yet, but I enjoy it like I don’t care. I start to listen from Lee HyoRi, Rain, FinKl, GOD, and some Korean ballad song from Ryu SiWon. Now I can sing and dance again even I’m singing in a very strange language.

I don’t care how strange I’m going to sound like, and I decide to study about Korean language. In 2008, which was the year of Myspace and Facebook social media, I begin to chat with Korean friends, and thank God most of them are studying in the US. One of them is a boy, who studied and work in the US for some years but he got to serve military in his country. So he lived in South Korea after that and don’t return to US anymore.

He speaks English and Korean very well, which make me learn faster. I also was attending Korean Language Class to improve my reading and grammar. The result? I can read the lyric and sing like a Korean if you don’t know its me..!

My Korean friends keep asking why I want to study Korean so much. Is it because I have a Korean boyfriend, or I want to move to Korea, or I am a Korean that don’t know how to speak in Korean. My answer to those question are no, and my only true answer is I want to sing the Kpop song without feeling weird and I want to understand what I’m singing about.

My Favorite Boyband and Girlband

I’m a Kpop girl now. And the best part of being a Kpop girl is I can choose my favorite Idol again. Like I love Jordan Knight from the New Kids On The Block, and JC from ‘Nsync. Now, I can choose idol from my favorite Kpop group.

Thanks to KBS for airing their Music Bank K-Chart all over the world! Because of it, I can watch my favorite Kpop bands live. My early kpop favorites are SHINee, 2pm, Big Bang, T-Max, SS501, Kara and T-Ara. These Kpop bands are very good in singing and dancing. Even my roommate found me dancing in my room, I was dancing to Kara Mister. But she understands me, and I love her for that. She also heard me chat to my Korean friend in English and Korean, and she kinda enjoy it. She loves to watch Kdrama and has no idea about Kpop. We watched Boys Over Flowers, Coffee Prince, and other Korean drama back then together.

Back to my favorite Kpop group. Here is the list and who is my bias in it.

SHINee

Bias: Onew

I love this Kpop group because they sing and dance perfectly. They come with great concept everytime and you will never boring to listen to them. They also aren’t getting old. Their music is always lively and up to date. Like it is still them in 2008. Even I don’t see their music video or performance, I can recognize which voice is who. Because every single member in SHINee is individual, and when they all 5 together, SHINee is the perfect Kpop Boyband on the planet!

Kara

Bias: Goo Hara

I love this Kpop girl group because I love their cute image in Honey music video. I don’t know they were debuted long before that as a group of 4. I love their song Honey, Mister, Mamma Mia, until they got disbanded. It breaks my heart when I heard the news about the disbanding. But, I have been there before, in 2001.

Got 7

Bias: JinYoung JR

This young group is a bunch of crazy talented boys. Their song is a bit like 5^th Harmony and Justin Bieber in the US but I don’t care. I like their performance, happy smiles, and funny acts. Their dance routine is so JYP and their song is related from album to album. But, that is Got7 concept. They really fun to watch off and on camera.

Infinite

Bias: Nam Woohyun

I love their 1^st debut in Music Bank and before that they have promotion show called “I’m your oppa”. Their debut was huge and Inspirit chanting and screaming non-stop to cheer them up. I like them since that show. They are really talented, funny, good manners, and hardworking. No wonder SM Ent do a collaboration with them and SHINee by establishing TwoHearts. Their concept is Pop with a twist of classic tune in it. They use a lot of violin, electric guitar and drums, but it works only for them. No other band sounds like them yet.

Other than that, I also listen to plethora of k-singers and k-pop bands, such as WheeSung, Big Bang, Super Junior, SNSD, MBLAQ, 2ne1, SS501, After School, Brown Eyed Girls, Brave Girl, JQT, NineMuses, Rainbow, Teen Top, 4minute, Highlight, APink, MIssA, J, 2am, 2pm, Wonder Girls, T-Ara N4, Speed, Block B, BtoB, Ast1, Supernova, KWill, Kim JungKook, LeeSang, Delispice, HOT, Shinhwa, Spica, ChiChi, BoyFriend, IU, and more. Every singer and kpop bands that I mentioned here, there are some songs from them that I like.

My Wish For Kpop Industries

Please don’t let me feel the Pop Fallen Tragedy in 2001. I think what happened at that time was, UK/US pop was out of idea to produce another best pop act. Justin Bieber, One Direction, Ariana Grande and Megan Trainor are not exist yet at that time.

It worst than Take That disband announcement in the UK. I feel like when I can enjoy pop song again. Will ever pop song exist on earth anymore? I still love the group idol of 5 or more, with great image, good image, polite, dance well, sing well, act well in drama and movies, support charity, with no love gossip, but if they have 1 I will definitely congratulates them online.

Thank you South Korea for their effort in making Kpop wave come true and now the whole planet is looking at Kpop act. We love Kpop for different reason, and I just can’t love another music genre as much as I love Pop/Kpop. So my wish for you, please do not fading away, and keep the real Kpop alive.

Please avoid like what happened in 2001. The pop rock and alternative music was taking over the industry and Pop music just disappeared, fallen, and some ex-fan was ashamed to admit that they love Pop music before.

I’m happy that NKTOB and BSB trying to make a comeback recently, maybe they want to revive again Pop bands in the music scene like before, but the support from young fans are weak.  So Kpop, please maintain the momentum, support your new debut kpop rookie, and allow them to join variety shows and music concert, expose them all over the world along with the senior Kpop act.

Let the fans and their Kpop idol to communicate via TV shows, Twitter, and other social media page (and ‘m happy that is what happening now) so they can show their support endlessly. Don’t let our kpop idol to overworked and overbooked with CF, drama, and movies, because it will discourage the idol to work better. How can they work if they are tired with the tight schedule?

I suggest, let them to have vacation after done with their new album promotion, during the vacation, they still can do variety show and telling what are they doing during the vacation. Or they just update their activity via twitter for their fans. I really believe they need to balance between their jobs and life. If they happy with their life, of course they will be happy with their work.

I Am A Kpop Girl

To Kpop music, thank you for having me and I am a kpop girl forever as long as Kpop acts are still exist. I will support Kpop wherever I go, and thanks to you, I learn Korean Language.

I love the album that I bought, because I’m not only receiving CD and poster, but I have lyrics book, picture card, fan meeting invitation and more..! All of the albums will be in my collection safe and sound. Some of my friends want to borrow it, but I will say, haha.. you know what I’m gonna say.

To all kpop fans out there, let’s support Kpop and follow their career. It’s amazing to see how they develop and involved in many k-drama and CF. They are not just a singer, but also can act, can be an MC in music show, a TV presenter, songwriter, and much more talent.

I will always support them. No worries.

Chu~

Xoxoxoxo

Sabrina Song JooRi