Tablo interview on BBC

This week, Tablo from Epik High was interviewed by BBC News about the rise of K-Pop.

Tablo talks about how fans overseas are helping spread this craze through social networks. This is something I definitely have to agree with. YouTube is most likely the main source as to how K-Pop is spreading so quickly. In November of 2011, K-Pop videos became so popular that YouTube created its own channel for them. It also has been recently announced that PSY's "Gangnam Style" is currently the most viewed video of all time on YouTube at 1,239,333,913 views! (and still counting) I know at least for myself, when a new song or music video is released, I go straight to YouTube to check it out. You can easily get lost while on YouTube as you start clicking different videos and then all of a sudden you find yourself watching a K-Pop music video. This is how many K-Pop fans are born. And from there, these fans share the video with their friends on Facebook and other social networking sites. T-Pain was one of the first celebrities to spread PSY's video by using Twitter and I think that was when "Gangnam Style" became huge in America specifically.

From there, Tablo talks about how PSY and K-Pop have benefited from each other. K-Pop obviously has become more popular or well-known because of PSY. But, PSY had many other artists like Big Bang, 2NE1, Girl's Generation, and the Wonder Girls to pave way for him to be this big internet sensation. What most people don't know is that "Gangnam Style" is the single from PSY's sixth studio album. He isn't new to the business and has been around since 1999. It is just now though that the spread of K-Pop has given him this big hit.

And this is when we look at the fact that Tablo, one of the most popular artists in K-Pop, was interviewed by a widely watched news station. It's amazing to me to see stuff like this happen. I think we will continue to see the rise of K-Pop and how it might affect the world. What do you think will be next?

VLOG #1: Album Packaging

 

 

So, here is my first vlog and I decided to show you guys examples of how K-Pop albums are being packaged and what all you might find inside!

 

Looking at the four albums in the video, you can see that they aren't your average, everyday album. The quality of the packaging isn't a cheap material and is actually pretty heavy-duty. As you can see, these albums come with a bunch of extra material such as postcards, membership cards for fanclubs, photo books, lyric booklets, etc. I love this idea of adding extra materials to help sell the album. As a consumer, I feel like I am getting more for the price I pay, which is never too expensive. I'd have the say the most I've spent on an album was around $25-$30 and part of that price has the included import fee.  Some may think that price is too expensive, but once you see the packaging and what you get inside, I'm sure you would be sold. I've also noticed the trend of albums trying to outdo other albums. The content just keeps getting better and better. I have an album that came with buttons! Buttons. You just never know what they will come up with next.

 

Now, I have to ask myself the question, "What is actually selling the albums?" I still think that the music is what is selling these albums and that the extra material comes second. K-Pop fans are very passionate about supporting the artists and I have known some fans to buy multiple copies of an album just to support the artist. They also want that music and would rather buy the album instead of downloading because they get a high quality recording and they support the artist at the same time. But on the other hand, I've seen fans buy multiples of the same album just to collect those member cards I showed in the video. They want to get one of each member and will do so by buying more of the album. So, I guess the answer to that question can easily go both ways. But at least we know it's grabbing the attention of fans and albums continue to sell.

Diplo produces new song!

 

Twenty hours ago, popular American DJ and producer Diplo tweeted that he is working with G-Dragon (Tweet ID: IBGDRGN) again on a new track. Diplo previously produced GD & TOP's track "Knockout" that was released in 2010. Once I hear more information, I will update you guys!

Here is the track "Knockout" for those interested. Catch the samples from Cajmere's "It's Time For the Percolator"? 

 

Music Review: GD's "Crayon"

Time for a music review! I'll try to keep the review short and sweet. This is GD's "Crayon". I wanted to include the music video for this one, but I won't be going in depth with the video.

This song is for those that like electronic music and hip-hop. GD aka G-Dragon is a very well known rapper from one of the biggest groups in K-Pop right now called Big Bang. "Crayon" is from his second solo album called One of a Kind that was released on September 12, 2012.

To start with, let's look at the title of the song. "Crayon" has nothing to do with colored wax. The title "Crayon" is suppose to look like the phrase "cray-on". The term "cray" has taken on many definitions (originated by Jay-Z and Kanye), but for this song it is meant to refer to "crazy". The song is about letting go and just acting crazy without worrying about what others might say. In other words, just say "F*** them." and let loose. Just do you.

This catchy and upbeat song will have you dancing in your seat while singing along to the addictive hooks "Get your crayon" and "Why so serious?". I really liked the Batman/Joker reference too with "Why so serious?". It gives an American vibe to the song which could help it into the American market because it's familiar. The synthesized sounds work well together and get your attention. I also liked how the chorus builds up and really makes you want to dance. I am just not fully sold on how repetitive the chorus is. The chanting-like outro will make you want to sing along as well. It reminds me of being at a sporting event and singing along to a fight song.

The music video is colorful and out there, but that is something I am used to with this genre. Most of the time, K-Pop videos tend to be very strange, out there, and make you feel like saying "WTF?!". I'd like to simply call that a characteristic of K-Pop music videos. It's almost a competition of who can make their video the most insane as possible. But other than that, at least the craziness of this video makes sense with the crazy song.

Out of five stars possible, I'd give it a 4/5 overall based on my thoughts.

K-Pop 101

Hi there!
For my first post, I'd like to start with a quick K-Pop 101.

K-Pop isn't just pop music and artists dancing around in circles like *NSYNC in the late 90's, which is what people first think of. It takes genre fusion to a new level while combining elements of rock, pop, electronic music, hip-hop, and R&B. There is literally something for everyone to enjoy. With the recent success of PSY's "Gangnam Style" in the U.S., we can see that the Korean Wave is crashing down all over the world and not just Asia. It's recent record-breaking views on YouTube has opened doors for other K-Pop artists.  And there are many artists waiting to run through that door.

But, K-Pop is also a subculture and brings the concept of Hallyu a.k.a. the Korean Wave. The Korean Wave started in the 90's and is basically the growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture.  The "culture" of K-Pop brings fans together and gives K-Pop more value than looking at it as just another music genre. All tied up into K-Pop are different dramas, television shows, and movies. There are terms that a new listener of K-Pop might not understand at first and I can explain those in another post.  The interaction between fans, especially international fans, has helped bring K-Pop outside of Korea. All of this helps make up this subculture.

As K-Pop continues to grow, I will be following along and informing everyone of what's happening right here on this blog! So hold onto your seat, the ride is just beginning!