English lyrics = loss of mystery? KDH solidifies the English Kpop trend. But that got me wondering if at some point it swings the other way, where more Korean lyrics feel fresher. Kpop grew globally with Korean lyrics, like how Gangnam Style blew up. That was a lot more Korean, possibly with some English phrase for foreign fans to chant to. Freshness is what drew us to Kpop initially. But a lot of it is derivative and peak style little substance. This is both its appeal and drawback. Hence you hear more about AI in Kpop than other genres. It’s manufactured and synthetic, designed by the company to give us multi-sensory hits of dopamine. This is a skill: they have expertise in this that individual artists do not. SM’s “Culture Technology” is the “CT” in NCT. It’s the blueprint for Kpop, and it’s approach is kind of reverse engineering every detail of a group to maximize appeal. SM had the idea very early on of recruiting foreign idols to penetrate that market. I think now, everybody understands that Blackpink is a case study in the power of English Kpop, when you see the relative popularity of members besides Jisoo. Or the success of the English BTS songs. But maybe the predominance of English has reached a point of diminishing return. Where knowing the lyrics dilutes the freshness we used to feel. Yes, non Koreans can understand and sing along better. Theoretically, the addressable market is bigger. But it feels less exotic and fresh compared to other genres. When lyrics were more Korean, people didn’t expect lyrical quality. They still don’t, but English makes it harder to ignore shallow or ridiculous lyrics. The fixation on some random English word typical of Kpop, like klaxon, Armageddon, gnarly, supernova/supersonic, butter, dynamite. BTS was lucky to snag butter early on. Or some ‘trendy’ word becomes central to a whole song: drip, drama, savage. The attitude of that word pretty much dictates the song’s appeal and how it gets written. This kind of word focused, otherwise lyrically simplistic song is much less dominant in native English artists. This is why you hear people actually saying they like KDH songs over new Kpop. English language Kpop works better when you deliver meaningful lyrics. Not understanding what Korean lyrics meant gave it a kind of mystery. Most people didn’t care. Lyricism wasn’t a decisive factor in rise of the leading Kpop acts, Blackpink and BTS outside of Korea. When you have English lyrics and you do understand them, but they seem nonsensical and shallow, there’s a tradeoff. Streams are gained, perceived quality may be lost over time? It’s a kind of disillusionment, when you focus on the lyrics and it takes away from the magic of dance/sound that is the basic draw of Kpop. That flash has gone up: the precise explosive moves that used to just be in male choreo are common in female ones, and big budget MVs with movie level FX. Yet that still doesn’t make songs as compelling as KDH’s. Freshness: story + lyricism Even for existing fans, KDH does something we haven’t felt in a long time: it makes Kpop feel fresh. And it did something that never happens: critically acclaimed, yet globally popular Kpop. If you like it, the feel is like the first time you got into Kpop or Kdramas. It shows Kpop in a new, unexpected way. I seen even its animation get praised for being more original than Disney/Pixar etc. There’s story to it that originally came out of one person’s vision, Maggie Kang. There’s many others who worked on it and the music, but even with openly stated intent to mimic specific Kpop groups, it’s a distinct and original artistic vision. That’s a sense of satisfaction you don’t feel from Kpop. It’s unexpectedly tied to Korean history—just having the Saja Boys in hanboks and the traditional hats a creative twist that I’m surprised hasn’t been done in an MV. There’s a reason for it, since they’re hundreds of years old, and meaning Joseon era clothes could’ve been the norm for much of their lives. KDH is by default is an original concept compared to what any MV or group does. No idol group is driven by story beyond variety content, besides the polarizing story of NJZ. Story is what compels listeners of Taylor Swift, Drake, Kendrick. For those artists, people want to check the audio equivalent of the latest installment in a visual series. (A well-written TV show or peak MCU.) Even if they hire writers, it’s their underlying personal story—a level of authenticity missing in Kpop groups. That’s why I read about Drake’s album a few years ago not having any big hits, yet leading in streams; listeners were fans who were streaming the whole album all the way through. MVs are set in Korea, not utopia It’s not just ‘story,’ but the rooting the music in Korean culture through little callbacks. This is done from time to time in Kpop, like someone pointed out that A.C.E. had an MV with hanboks. Or Blackpink’s Pink Venom opening with that traditional Korean instrument. But Kpop doesn’t do these ties to the past that often. I’m not the biggest listener, but I can only find these two. You rarely get cultural reminders repeatedly, in such a short span, as is default in the movie with a 400 year old character. Even just in the MVs, there’s also the ramyeon scene in How It’s Done, and the historic buildings at the start of Free. That start simply taking place in Seoul is a connection to Korea that’s missing in the typical MV. The preferences is for sets and elaborate digital effects. Sometimes it feels like the location is the future. That’s the bias. Plug in to the future, or a digital fantasyland, rather than the past. Your idols live and perform in utopia, not Seoul. Your Idol hanboks The title and the hanbok look reference the BTS Idol live performance, one of the best examples of Kpop. They wore different colors, but most of them were darker, like in the movie. But KDH adds its own unique twist. The scene combines the hats for a more overtly demon fit, which actually makes the look feel masculine, and the historic clothes intimidating. The black look feels ‘vampire.’ Is that actually where the concept comes from, or is there some tie to Korean mythology? The silhouetted shot amplifies the dark color. There’s no embroidery, unlike what BTS wore. This reminds me of the Chinese changshan, historic equivalent of suits that men wore. Because it’s a long robe of more often a single color, sometimes dark. KDH transformed the colorful historic attire into something sleek and modern—as BTS did—but in a their own, more aggressive style. It’s never been done before with the hat too. In the movie, the outfit is more subdued, full hanbok, no flashy shirts underneath. Replacing BTS’s sneakers with black boots add to the intimidating feel. That black hat adds to the darkness and size of the look: and sense of mystery. The closest thing to this vibe would be historic fantasy dramas with some kind of male supervillain. They managed to make it feel cool, not old, even when the group is just standing rather doing clean dance moves like BTS. It’s ironic that MVs are making up non-existent supercars and hypermodern graphics instead of something tied to Korea. This is the first full male hanbok look, with hat, in an MV. I thought it could be dope for LV/other luxury brands to collab with a Korean company for a modern version. The hanboks are reinforced in What It Sounds Like MV. An intimidating, mysterious male concept itself seems new to Kpop. But this both straightforward and unimaginable boundary pushing is part of why the ‘MV’ works. Supervillains feel both cool and masculine. An original concept like this is an low cost way to stand out, instead of engaging in the arms and legs race of ever more challenging choreography, leading to injuries of various NCT members, for example (shin fracture, another herniated disc). Of course, it would be easy for such a concept to feel gimmicky without backstory inherent to KDH, like the aespa metaverse members. Mini plots in idol concepts? It’s low investment compared to current attempts to form international idol groups with limited success (CNBC, see Katseye cost for Hybe). When you already have such elaborate and ridiculously pointless special effects in MVs, why not complete those visuals by having some minimal plot to it? I’m surprised there’s never been any attempt to mix Kdrama and Kpop, other than idols becoming actors. Some idols are criticized for their acting, but Katseye’s Gabriela MV shows idols should be able to do the limited acting in an MV. Also, that could provide some minimal training in post-idol skills. Of course, dramas and MVs have vastly different attention demands. But YG has engaged in over a dozen unrelated businesses it bought and sold, totally unrelated to its core business. YG himself even wanted to buy Korea’s KFC 🍗. I think some attempt to add the appeal of Kdramas through mini-plots would be less far fetched. Having MVs be little installments. For relationships, you could bring in other idols and cross promote girl group/boy group. That’s a little obvious, yet never done, and it could be groundbreaking. It’s either risky, where fans can feel it ‘ruins’ the image of an idol’s ‘purity,’ the purpose of the no dating rules. Or a single company doesn’t have availability of two compatible groups. Finally, if a company combined no dating rules with a fictional relationship, that could be extremely uncomfortable where the idols feel like they’re in an arranged relationship on top of all their other restrictions. "Free” to make a boy group/girl group duet That’s exactly why Free might not feel Kpop. There are such duets, but they're not the big singles. The ones I think of are Jennie and Zico's Spot! and the one with JYP and Sunmi. Even Spot! is later in their Kpop careers. The constraints of Kpop limit this kind of crossover early on, yet it's such a basic pop format. It’s a kind of song that seems missing in Kpop, aside from mixed gender groups. It seems like there's unique potential Kpop to make this format more exciting. Both from the risky ‘rule breaking,’ and potential to get the shippers excited. Even if idol groups don’t have this freedom, you would expect solo idols to do this more. Imagine a few years ago, something like a Jungkook and Rose collab, or Jennie and V. Maybe some would be angry, but it seems like gigantic potential. Free is more like this, because it’s a big song in a big album, early in the ‘careers’ of both singers. That’s how the something like mini-plots could work. It’s a kind of opportunity that could be new and fresh in Kpop. It could take a few years. If there are real time constraints, it could mean cutting back on other promotions. But I feel like this would be more on the creatives figuring out the story than on the idols. If it works smoothly, it would be a new Kpop drug that could take a while for another company to copy. All the addictiveness of Kpop, plus the propulsive suspense of dramas. What’s the dogma here? Why wouldn’t a company that has a girl group and a boy group make some minimal attempt to bring them together? They’re afraid of disrupting their groups by having an idol stand out. I think people could be angry too. Is that right? I don’t follow this aspect closely enough, so let me know. But why would people get angry? That would show how much dogma there is, or how there’s a need to burst the parasocial fandom bubbles. KDH shows that doing Kpop outside the ‘rules’ can connect. It’s Free from entrenched fandoms and Kpop dogma. It feels pure, but in a different kind of way. There’s something fresher and more human about it. It’s ironic you need a full blown fantasyland to get that feeling, but it shouldn’t be impossible in the real world. Think when you first got into Kpop. A world full of new wonder, before you noticed these dogmas. Before you noticed them, you wouldn’t care if they were broken. Like how odd it is to ship a female and male in the movie. I think that part was intentional satirical. Mild trolling to shake us out of these rigid tropes. Fairness to idols? I’ve seen some express this view. Initially, I did feel that its success kind of detracts from idols who sacrificed in a way fictional characters or the film and soundtrack makers didn’t. The fluent ability of Ejae, Black Label to work in English is a kind of unfair advantage over the native Koreans. Not just in this one work, but in shifting the trend toward this direction; most directly with KDH follow ups. Yet other music succeeds on the basis of being fresh and high quality, not sacrifice. If sacrifice is the criteria, then a lot other nugu or forgotten 2nd gen acts are most deserving of success. For example, the artist in my username could be the most deserving in terms of both sacrifice and quality. Play With Ü by former Brave Girls Hyeran has the most complex lyricism and references, despite not being fluent and English; and she’s had an unlucky streak starting with an unfair time in Kpop 1. But I recognize the quality of KDH songs. They have strength as pop songs that’s missing in the usual Kpop formula. They work because the technique and expression of the hitmakers get a chance to shine without the typical constraints. No worrying about line distribution, imbalance from too much rapping, or the group format preventing a female/male duet. Ejae and Danny Chung finally get to sing or rap their own lyrics. This itself makes the lyrics more immediate, especially as fluent English speakers. Even when songs are in English, they’re usually written with the performers’ lack of fluency in mind. There’s also less constraint when it comes to simply bringing sincerity, rather than the default assigned drip. The kids' movie frees songwriters from a fear of being corny by being sincere. Some involved are former idols or trainees who didn’t make it, like Kevin Woo and Ejae. A lot of production, lyrics, and I think all the dance choreography came from The Black Label. These aren’t outsiders slapping the Kpop name on an unworthy imitation, even if some criticize similarity to existing songs. The Black Label and Ejae people have proven Kpop talent, but usually need idols as a vehicle to deliver their work. KDH taking the top of the charts might mean a moment of less market share for top acts with new releases. But the bump in attention for and easy conversion to Kpop should have longer term benefit for big groups. I also think the Kpop makers involved learned things they can apply to their future work for idols. Footnote on Hyeran's "unfair time in Kpop": Gaming while driving by a manager is why 3 of 5 original Brave Girls left. This explains their 3 year hiatius. So boss Brave Sound produced for AOA, Hello Venus. Hyeran was one of 2 who stayed. 3 years later replacements members are ready, but competition is strong, thanks boss. Needs to crowdfund less than a year after re-debut. You’ll only hear one member talk about the driving, once—she filmed it. In her video, Yejin was reluctant to even criticize the manager, blurring his face and making sure he no longer worked there, so she wouldn't jeopardize his job. Yejin is the same member who performed in a neck brace. It seems like she/others are scared or don't want to revisit those times. It's ashame that their dreams were ruined, while Brave Sound's reputation is intact. Presumably, no apology given by him. Nobody put it together because this was posted in 2019, when the group was forgotten, before Rollin. Those new members were lucky. The original ones were just forgotten. submitted by /u/hyeran_jainros_fc [link] [comments]
