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Soon after, additional photos of Suzy from the photo shoot were
released on online community sites. The netizen who posted the photos
wrote, “Caribbean Bay model Suzy displayed her masterpiece of a
figure.”
The waterpark was previously endorsed by Girls’
Generation members Yuri, YoonA, and Seohyun,
but this year, they decided to sign all of 2PM along with Suzy.
Fans who were captivated by Suzy’s summer figure remarked, “I
like this Suzy better“, “She’s dominating movies, dramas, and
now advertisements too“, and “Caribbean Bay definitely know
what they’re doing.”
May 2012 could go down as the one of most successful months for K-pop’s
advancement internationally. Google‘s YouTube
teamed up with South Korean Public broadcasting station MBC
for a worldwide streaming concert. That wasn’t all, another major music
publication (Rolling
Stone) wrote their first K-pop piece, and a sub-unit (TaeTiSeo)
racked up the highest ranking for a K-pop artist on the Billboard
200 album chart. Ideally, it should all lead to positive signs,
especially as June is preparing to be an extremely exciting month given
the large amount of comebacks. But… is it all positive?
It’s no secret that K-pop has been able to make strides in the West
due to the internet, thanks in part to YouTube. With the recent
partnership with MBC, it’s only appropriate that the video sharing site
would create a concert for the millions who flock to
watch the music videos and live performances. While simultaneously aired
on South Korean television, the show was streaming through the “YouTube
Presents” channel and at its peak had 115,000 viewers (during Girls’
Generation performances). A venue filling 115,000 is
nothing to gawk at, but when one considers 115,000 viewers watching
worldwide from most likely the comfort of their own home, the number
feels somewhat small. Especially considering that most of the online
viewership doesn’t really have a venue to watch their favorite Korean
music stars on television daily, this streaming concert would be
something they would be sure to watch live. It feels like fans were not
able to fully commit to this concert.
Also take a look at Rolling Stone‘s first foray
trying to understand the K-pop movement with a list of ten acts most likely to break America. As
the writer of the article who has read every comment on the page, I
couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the amount of arguing between fans
ripping each other apart between who should and shouldn’t have been on
the list. Rather than focus on the fact that Rolling Stone, a
well-respected music source, was giving a nod towards K-pop, it seems
some fans wanted to rather focus on bickering.
Still, if one wanted to look towards solid evidence that K-pop’s
presence is growing out West, they could look to TaeTiSeo’s
recent EP release. The sub-unit earned the highest Billboard 200 chart position for
K-pop ever. As reported on allkpop, the group gave
fans an incentive to buy their copies on iTunes and
posting proof, promising possible prizes through a contest. With all the
fans flocking to buy the EP that Saturday, it probably shouldn’t have
come as a surprise that the EP fell off the chart the following week.
There was no promotion to further push it, so perhaps we should not be
surprised. But if there was a proper full debut, would the efforts be
exciting for just a few days and then fans move on to the next big
thing?
For lack of a better word, K-pop is a very “instant” and “now”
genre. While most Americans are used to long, drawn out campaigns for a
single, premiering months before a full-length album, K-pop works very
differently. Typically teaser photos will kick off a comeback and it’s
not long before we have the song and EP/album with one or two singles
before things have wrapped. Maybe fans are simply acting in a similar
fashion to the way the industry works? But to music fans who are used to
the long album promotion cycles, there’s some risk involved on such a
fast moving environment.
I am an international pop music fan and find nothing more exciting
when I see my favorite overseas artists breaking through America
successfully. I’m currently over the moon that one of my favorite songs
from the summer of 2011, Gotye and Kimbra’s
“Somebody That I Used To Know”, is an unstoppable
force in America now. Perhaps K-pop fans, you feel different, but should
we not pull together positively so that our favorites have the
opportunity to tour Asia and beyond? If K-pop as a genre can make
further strides, if one succeeds, this means all acts will be in a
better position to break other countries. When I look at other great
Op-Ed pieces on the site, for example about the lack of Asian males in Hollywood, I think
we all on some fundamental level, feel the same and ultimately have the
same goals for this music we enjoy so much.
The longest running #1 hit in America
this year was released in Australia last year.
Moving forward to today, June 2012, this month may go down as one of
the most exciting in K-pop in recent memory. Comebacks from some of the
top groups mixed with these recent strides in the West means more eyes
than ever will be watching what South Korean artists are producing.
Groups getting big shoutouts on these lists including Wonder Girls,
Big Bang,
2NE1, AfterSchool,
and Ailee
are all making their comebacks this month. Even a smaller group like Dal Shabet’s
comeback or Girls’ Generations’ new Japanese single “Paparazzi”
will get more attention due to the exciting time in K-pop.
With the genre on a higher platform than ever, this month could be
crucial to gaining new fans and supporters. Sharing music and
performances that you enjoy and show the high quality of K-pop
(regardless if you’re a fan of that actual act) will only help further
strides for K-pop in your country and make it more likely for you to see
your favorites in concert or on your local iTunes. There’s always going
to be fights between fanbases of the artists, but it seems to make more
sense that the pop fans of Lady Gaga, Katy
Perry, and Beyonce fight each other when these
artists have conquered almost every territory. K-pop artists always
appear so civil and supportive of each other so why do the fans act
differently with these infamous “fan wars”?
Perhaps there are deeper problems in the genre. As fans, we cannot
deny feelings like certain groups were robbed of winning music programs.
But is there also a reason to bicker over it? At allkpop, I see the
readership as being in a very unique position to help break K-pop to
Western countries, in particular America with the largest music business
worldwide. I am inspired by the position allkpop finds itself in and am
excited by the prospect of bringing some of my viewpoints on this
platform.
What do you think? What were your thoughts on this past May for
K-pop? Are there deeper problems than just fans arguing? Does K-pop even
need to break into the West? Let’s discuss (and hopefully be civil) in
the comments.
About the author:
Jeff Benjamin is a Singer, Songwriter, DJ, Photographer and freelance
writer who has written works for Billboard, Rolling Stone and now
allkpop. Follow him on Twitter @Jeff__Benjamin
2NE1
and Intel Korea have released “Be Mine“,
revealing the final result of the Make Thumb Noise project votes.
2NE1
and producer Teddy Park partnered with Intel Korea for
the project to create a song for the Ultrabook. The
‘Make Thumb Noise’ project allowed fans to vote for their ideal song for
the laptop computer.
Fans voted in to choose their favorite instrumental for
the track in Round 1, and picked their favorite song title in Round 2.
Round 3 gave fans the chance to choose the song’s arrangement style, and
in the final round, they picked the bridge for the track.
Dal Shabet
announced their comeback with a fierce new MV.
The girls released their first formal album on June 6th as well as
the MV to their title song, “Mr. Bang Bang“.
The song has a bright and cheerful melody as well as a catchy
repetitive chorus that is sure to hook listeners immediately.
Dal Shabet’s agency Happy Face Entertainment
remarked, “The title song “Mr. Bang Bang” from Dal Shabet’s first
formal album was written by E-TRIBE, and a bright melody was created to
make it easy for anyone to sing along. You will be able to see a new
side of Dal Shabet that’s being introduced for the first time.”
The first teaser left fans in surprise as the girls were seen wearing
animal head masks over their heads. The photo raised much questions
about the concept for the comeback as it seems completely unrelated to
the title of their new mini album.
The second teaser photo seems a bit more on target with the title of
‘Electric Shock’ for it features Krystal in a bright blue, sequined
dress that accentuates her shocking, blue colored contacts.
Stay tuned for the release of more teasers to come!
Although the ladies of TaeTiseo
have officially ended their promotions, SM Entertainment
has given one last special treat to their fans.
SMTOWN‘s official YouTube has added
the music video for TaeTiSeo’s “OMG“. The video isn’t a
music video per se and more like a photo slideshow featuring various
pictures of the members.
Check out the MV below.
Top girl groups 2NE1,
Wonder Girls, and
f(x) have
each announced their respective June comebacks.
All three teams are the representative girl groups of the ‘Big 3′
agencies YG
Entertainment, JYP
Entertainment, and SM
Entertainment. The three teams have claimed numerous #1
victories on various music programs with each new release, and their
comebacks are expected to turn the K-Pop industry into a warzone.
“Like This” is a song written and composed by JYP Entertainment
founder J.Y. Park,
and contains an easy and upbeat hip hop rhythm with repetitive lyrics
that make it simple to sing along to. Fans are responding positively to
the girls’ new mature appearance and the exciting new song.
“Like This” was released the same day as Big Bang‘s
“Monster“,
and it has been a close fight between the two to maintain the #1 spot
on music charts. Wonder Girls’ subtracks have also ranked high on the
charts, captivating the ears of fans everywhere. Furthermore, the “Like
This” MV received over 1 million views on YouTube in
just a single day. Because the girls have until now received attention
for their fresh, catchy songs and infectious dances moves, anticipation
is rising for their broadcast promotions. Wonder Girls will be
officially kicking off their comeback activities with performances on
various music programs this week.
f(x) will also be making
their respective comeback.
SM Entertainment reported on June 5th, “f(x) will be releasing
their new mini-album ‘Electric Shock‘ all over the
world through Itunes and various music sites on June 10th.”
This is the first album to be released by f(x) in a year since the
group became one of the hottest girl groups after earning #1 wins with “Hot
Summer” and “Pinocchio” last summer.
With each new album release, f(x) has consistently been acknowledged
for their experimental and unique musical style, and expectations for
this new release continue to rise as each of the five girls are
determined to display their individuality, fresh new music, and upgraded
performances.
For five days starting on June 6th, f(x) will be releasing teaser
images of each of the members via their official homepage and Facebook
pages to reveal their new concept.
Finally, YG Entertainment has also announced 2NE1′s June comeback,
but not a lot of information regarding their return has been reported.
Like f(x), this is 2NE1′s first release in a year after dropping “I
Am The Best” last June.
2NE1 won the hearts and minds of their fans immediately after their
K-Pop debut, and the girls are causing their fans to go wild with news
of their comeback alone. In a
recent poll, 2NE1′s comeback was voted as the one fans are most
looking forward to, proving the girls’ influence.
YG Entertainment is choosing to remain silent on the form and concept
of 2NE1′s new album, as well as the exact date of their return. All
that’s known so far is that the girls have worked on this new album with
their exclusive producer Teddy Park, and that they are
deciding which track should be their title song.
2NE1′s exact comeback dates have not been reported, however, they are
expected to drop their new album towards the middle of June, which
means they will be directly competing head-on with Wonder Girls and
f(x).
2NE1, f(x), Wonder Girls… the sound of their names alone cause fans
hearts to flutter a mile a minute. All three teams have shown amazing
musical development and transformation with each new album, and the
industry is already excited to see how they will captivate their fans
this time around.
Which do you feel will come out on top? Toss us your thoughts below.
