Korean Job Discussion Forums

[whiteshoes]

[cj1976]

When I was 11-14 before I developed any serious affection for music, I listened to some real crap. MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Snap, C & C Music Factory. Adults would tell me how it wasn't real music and it all sounded the same, and now here I am doing the same thing, haha.

[adzee1]

I hate it !! Its a complete joke and should not be classed as music.

What I hate even more is the twenty something westerners who come here and then suddenly become massive K-pop fans, acting like 12 year old girls just to try and "fit in ". I work with one of them and it annoys the hell out of me !!

[whiteshoes]

[simonandmartina]

1) Big difference between whether you personally like it or on whether it's becoming popular or "cool." Yes, Kpop is becoming quite popular, more popular than the music of other countries. You may have your reasons to dislike it. You can rip into it all you want. But it's huge now, a lot bigger than the music of lots of other countries.

2) Success in North America isn't dependent on whether some kid in Flin Flon Idaho knows who 2NE1 are. Nor does Kpop have to beat out Rihanna to be considered successful. I'll take the fact that it's getting a lot of media attention from various news outlets, as mentioned by the OP, along with Twitter being constantly overrun with Kpop related Trends, to suggest that Kpop is doing quite well for itself.

[adzee1]

[The Floating World]

[Steelrails]

I don't think a few write ups in various magazines make something "a global phenomenon". KPop is certainly a regional phenomenon that has growing international appeal (By growing I mean going from 0.0 to .5% awareness).

I like KPop, but I also like a whole bunch of other music. Mostly I like it if I'm going to go out and socialize. When I'm by myself or with certain crowds I like different music.

As to why KPop sounds the way it does, I have said this before and I must say it again- Music here is a much more social phenomenon. I mean one of the main social bonding activities is to go out and sing songs for a couple hours. This means the songs have to be enjoyed by many, and they have to be "singable".

Led Zeppelin smokes Kpop, but have you tried to sing Led Zeppelin at a Noraebang? Ever notice that there are a large number of "unsingable" English songs at the noraebang? Great songs, but only a few can sing them, and if you aren't one of those few, it sounds terrible. Look at Korean's taste in English songs- ones that are relatively easy to sing and known by all.

I should also emphasize that not everyone listens to music for the same reasons. One big reason is to experience the emotions and the mood it puts them in. More and more back home people are listening to music to identify with a group or to use it as some sort of "class" thing.

But yeah, I don't think KPop is as big as these news outlets occasionally make it out to be. It may be a good internet meme or something like that, but its not like "Reggae" or "Salsa" or even didgeriedoo music.

[cj1976]

Kpop isn't particularly inventive or creative, but at least the singers look pretty.

[itistime]

[jvalmer]

Kpop is popular alright, but not in North America.

[strange_brew]

It's complete tripe. But they have a formula, they stick to the formula, and it's making them a boatload of money. Personally, I have no idea how people listen to it, but I feel that way about most of the radio music back home too. Today, music is more commercialised than ever before, and it's sad. Remember when songs that actually had meaning and intelligent lyrics were popular? Not that all popular songs back in the day had meaning, but many, many, more than now. The commercialisation of music is just another cause and symptom of the commercialisation and corporationism of society in general.

Basically another way to get you to buy more shi te that you don't need is what it has become.

[Malislamusrex]

It's a manufactured brand, Kpop is supported by the government as a tariffed export, there was even an 'international' awards ceremony in Singapore that was exclusively for South Korean pop stars.

Basically the Korean music industry is taking th Kim Jong Il approac .

[madoka]

[Malislamusrex]

I don't know what it was called, my wife was watching it, but she told me it was all in Korean all the singers were Korean, and she told me it was strange, I was in the other room at the time, I just walked in and out a few times.