Korean Job Discussion Forums

[liveinkorea316]

I don't get to see too many singers live here. I have seen the GIRLS DAY group a coule of times at a Uni festival and a football match. Both times they danced, with fake microphones while a CD played their songs in the background.

When I have watched pop charts on TV recently, I noticed that NONE of them seemed to be singing their songs - just dancing. What crap!

I used to watch Top of the Pops from England sometimes and the singers on that always sang their songs. It sounds different but it is a unique experience obviously.

What is it about Koreans that they are willing to put up with people using fake mics and lip syncing all the time. It is shameful and pitiful. Don't get me wrong, I do like K-pop songs. Many are good. But Lip syncing is shameful.

Now I did hear about Brittany Spears being booed in Australia a few years back for lip syncing at her own concert, and rightly so, but that is not the same as a wholesale acceptance of it here.

[UknowsI]

If you heard them singing live you would wish they were lip syncing.

[2i2dk1ny2i3]

it depends on which Music Program your watching

the big Three for K-Pop:

SBS Inkigayo - most Ballad singers go live and some K-Pop as well

MBC Music Core - Most do sing "live" as well

Mnet Music Countdown - Almost all dance groups lip sync (this is the show you can tell they dance extra hard and show their full rountines vs. the other two shows)


as stated in another Thread, K-Pop Fans are A LOT more critical and the Antis are brutal

they even went so far as to remove the background song to see how much of the performance was live...sometimes they'll sing over their own record and some sound decent but few groups are talented enough to sing an entire song, dance, and hit the high notes


one group that comes to mind is Wonder Girls and esp. Soo Hee has always been weak or less strong live, i usually prefer to watch their Music Videos than live

[Greenman]

"I used to watch Top of the Pops from England sometimes and the singers on that always sang their songs"

Simply, simply NOT true. Seriously. You have no idea how wrong this statement is.

[Koreadays]

because most people can't sing!
they are there to sell a product! they are engineered , produced for money!
sexy, skimpy, slutty, with a dance number..

the ones who do sing live, are the ones who can actually sing, and 90% of them don't look like idols, and the older singers come from the 80's when looks didn't matter...

[jvalmer]

[Steelrails]

Depends on the song. I don't mind lip synching for a dance song, particularly if it involves highly strenuous dance moves through the song. Often in those I am looking for the "album" sound.

Now lip synching a ballad is just plain wrong and wrothy of being booed off the stage.

For "in between" songs I believe that they should sing live as well and go with minimal dancing.

My favorite group back in the day was Koyote because they were one of the first groups to emphasize singing live. Shinji could belt a note.

[NovaKart]

It could be they're worried about messing up and just want to make sure the performance goes smoothly. I've heard that in America at concerts they usually have an audio track going while the performer is singing and if the mic goes out or something they can tune it in without people noticing, well maybe they notice a little but it shouldn't be too obvious.

Also as others have said, it's difficult to sing when there's complicated choreography involved.

Another thing, a singer's voice sometimes goes out when they're on tour and they might not have another option.

Anyway none of this applies to a normal TV performance so I'm thinking maybe they just want to be sure there are no mistakes but yeah it is kind of lame.

[Koreadays]

[WadRUG'naDoo]

Don't watch it.

[Gorf]

This is the lead singer of Girl's Day. Yes, she can sing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RosMbRBYkE

[Greyjoy]

Wait a minute. You went to a K-pop concert for the music? Really?

There have been very few K-pop songs I liked enough to seek out a live version, and best case scenario you will find is prerecorded playback. Most K-pop concerts don't even bother with that.

They get away with it because the fans generally aren't in it to see live music. It feels like watching my niece lip syncing to the TV.

[liveinkorea316]

[isisaredead]

[Carbon]