Korean Job Discussion Forums

[World Traveler]

New English song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqe9nXEyG0o

Will this become popular in the United States?! @_@ What do you think? Will it chart higher than Nobody by the Wondergirls? Place your bets here! ($_$)

[brickabrack]

Good luck.

While most people in the world do listen to sh + music,
this asian pop thing has already happened in the western
world. I guess I can see a few teenie boppers and
horny adolescent boys watching the videos on youtube.

But, it is a rarity to see much of any musical talent
in kpop. Despite K record companies and promoters
throwing everything thing they have (resources wise)
at this particular market, I don't see anything but a big fail.
Pretty chicks, though. Pretty enough.

[Underwaterbob]

It will never happen. In order for a "musician" to be successful in the American market they have to have some kind of personality gimmick. I'm not sure the girls of Girl's Generation have personalities, and certainly not ones that are going to come across as interesting to Americans.

[kimchijigijig]

Korea has been promoting the 'Korean Wave' through K-Pop around the world. It has caught on in Japan and a number of South East Asian countries. In Japan, it is probably seen as being similar to J-Pop so it is easily transferrable.

For South East Asian countries, a place like Korea is seen as modern and sophisticated and something they would like to emulate.

In America (and most western countries) talent doesn't come into play in regard to Pop music (not saying that K-Pop performers have talent). What is sold is their personality and what scandalous activities they get up to. That's what sells CD's for these performers.

K-Pop groups don't play like that and are unlikely to do so.

The Korean Wave will probably grow in less developed countries but I can't see it making big in-roads into the western market through K-Pop.

[jvalmer]

Hmmmm, when was the last time you seen an all Asian girl group, who aren't even native english speakers, make it big in the US? Wait... never...

[happiness]

boring....too conservative, too much repetition, the hook is way weak. cmon, kpop has some good choruses. this isnt one. there are no dynamics in the song, no good changes. good lord.

you could have look at the pussycat dolls or the like, get a clue on what to do. oh well

GG selling appeal (as it was said) is other Asians see Korean girls as modern and "sexy" Japanese think GG has long sexy legs. Theyre cute to look at.

TEDDY RILEY DID THIS!?!? good lord, does anyone born after 1988 know who that is?!?

[eamo]

Any non-English-speaking group trying to crack the western market needs to look at the example of ABBA......Abba sang exclusively in English, which helped a lot........but, more importantly, they had one other secret weapon. Good songs.

I don't hold out much hope for Girls Generation. They're no ABBA......

[Unposter]

If a million or so Asian-Americans buy the record, it will be a smash hit.

[radcon]

I believe a big part of that genre is the dancing. Asian girls just don't have it. Look at Britney Spears in her prime, Beyonce, Pussycat Dolls; they got dance moves that the kPOP girls can never dream of.

[hwa jang shil]

As someone mentioned above it's a poor song, even by G.G standards let alone K-pop. I think they're wasting their time and money trying to break North America.
Most of these bands would be better off trying continental Europe, then the UK then the States.
European taste could take to the inane pop and dance routines, and of all the K-pop idols T-ara are the only ones with any real chance of making it.
If I was their manager I'd have them touring France, Italy and Spain just before next summer. But then they'll probably make more money in Asia so why bother.

[Dodge7]

WOW. LOL! Pathetic..They would get laughed off the stage, unfortunately, at an American concert.

[Stout]

What SM Entertainment and Korean people just don't seem to get is that the harder they try with moves and music copped from hip-hop, R n' B, etc, the sillier and more desperate they appear.

Americans basically view Korea as a backwater country that they sorted out and pounded into some semblance of respectability. Until Koreans come up with some music that stands on its own (ABBA's sound was very distinct and grounded in Swedish aesthetics, i.e. traditional Swedish riffs on the violin), no respect will be parceled out apart from hipster geeks.

[seoulsucker]

I've said this a million times. Strip 'em down, grease 'em up, and have them sexy dance all over the screen and MAYBE they'll get enough MTV (or whatever channel actually plays videos these days) exposure to sell a few songs on iTunes.

I think Korea needs to get over the idea of "making it" in the US and focus on the areas they can totally dominate. Maybe the rest of the world is yearning for something fresh, new, and not so heavily sexualized as American pop stars tend to be. It certainly seems to be working in Europe. Japan gets it too...I would focus on China and South America...forget about America.

[The Cosmic Hum]

[Unposter]

My point is that the American market is more than just white kids. The song, heck most K-Pop, is not exactly my cup of tea, but I am not who they are marketing, too. Even if they find 500,000 Asian-American kids (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese etc...) who will buy that record, they've got a pretty big hit on their hands.

Most people here are just thinking too narrowly when they think about the "American" market.