How a KDrama Changed My Life

About 4 years ago, I lost both my Grandparents unexpectedly within weeks of each other.  One was of natural causes, but the other was not and to say that my world was in chaos would be an extreme understatement. During this time of grief, anger, sadness and confusion, my mind was often overwhelmed and in the evenings, when I would go home from work to the now empty home that I had shared with my Grandma, it could be a bit more than I could handle at times.  

One night during all this, I turned on Netflix and it recommended the Korean Drama (KDrama) "Boys Over Flowers." It had been recommended to me several times before, but I'd been uninterested in watching anything with subtitles.  However, this night, it occurred to me that I would have to focus on the subtitles to watch the show which would keep my mind occupied so I decided to give it a try.  I had no idea how pressing "play" would change my life.

As I watched the show, I was intrigued by the storytelling and the fact that there was so much happening in each episode. I also found it interesting that the soundtrack was repeated throughout the show.  Each character seemed to have their own song that would play in various parts of the story.  Plus, the drama was clean. Though Netflix often likes to add swear words that are not there, the reality is Kdramas are generally very clean and family friendly.  What a breath of fresh air to my weary wholesome entertainment parched soul.

From that drama, I branched out to other Asian Dramas and began to watch shows first from Japan and Taiwan then eventually including China, Thailand, and other countries. As I watched I became curious about Asian culture and wanted to know more. Because I am quite conservative, it was so cool to FINALLY be seeing my lifestyle and values reflected in the shows I was watching.  I had not seen that in American television in ages and it was so pleasant to see my world reflected in those shows.  

The soundtracks led me to Kpop which I love and now listen to all the time.  As a former music business major, I am intrigued not only by the phenomenal talent showcased by the groups, but also in the way it is marketed and promoted. When KPop got popular here in the USA all of the sudden, it was the first time I ever felt ahead of the cultural curve.  When young people mention their favorite artists they are usually shocked that I'm already quite familiar with that group and generally know more than they do about them.  LOL.  

A few weeks into my drama watching, it occurred to me that my church was going to have a massive convention before long and that there would be delegates who spoke Chinese, Korean, and Japanese there.  I thought it would be so cool if I could greet them in their own languages.  So, I downloaded beginner lessons audiobooks for all three languages.  I started with Chinese and the tonal aspect was too scary for me, so I set it aside. When I started the Korean lesson, one of the first things it said was that if you learn Korean, it would make learning Chinese and Japanese easier.  I am very much an audio learner when it comes to language, so since it seemed like there was more Korean language content available online to watch and listen to, I decided to focus there.  So my language learning journey began and continues to this day.  Now about 4 years later, I'm still not great since I rarely get to practice, but I do understand quite a bit and can speak more than people realize.  I'm taking one-on-one tutoring from time to time now and that is helping too.

As I continued to learn about the culture, study the language, and watch television from South Korea, there began to stir in me a desire to see the country for myself.  To see the places that I'd seen only in pictures and video and try the foods and activities I'd only heard about up to then.  After doing some research I discovered that though, it would take some time for me to be able to afford it, that a trip to South Korea was not terribly expensive and if I planned well, I'd be able to go in a few years.  However, another issue was my size.  I've had weight issues all my life and I knew that if I wanted to go overseas, I'd need to lose a lot of weight.  First so that I'd be able to comfortably sit in the plane seat for the trip and 2nd so that I could do all the things I wanted to do while I was there.  So, that began my weight loss journey.  

As I learned about the food in South Korea, I started changing my way of eating so that I'd be comfortable eating the foods I'd find there.  I've been a very picky eater most of my life, but I knew that would not work.  Korean food tends to be spicy and full of veggies...two things I'd always avoided.  I needed to get used to those things.  For about 2 years I worked on learning to like vegetables as well as increasing my spicy food tolerance.  Then in October of 2019, I joined Weight Watchers and continued my weight loss journey in earnest. I have recently also added more exercise in my life as well and that too is helping with the weight loss.  I'm now down around 83 pounds (with much more to go) and have lost 71 inches. I've lost 5ft 11 inches off my 5ft 7 inch frame, but I've got more to lose, so I press on.

One of my biggest goals for my trip to South Korea was to be able to hike Mt. Hallasan (pictured below).  I want to see the beautiful scenery in the photos for myself.  When I began my planning, that would not have been possible.  My size would not have allowed it.  Now, I am encouraged that I will be able to do it.  When I go and take a picture from the top...I may just burst into tears from excitement of finally reaching my goal...one more than 4 years in the making (by the time I go).

People often ask me, "Why are you learning Korean?" It feels so inadequate to say that I became interested through a drama, even though it's the truth.  With the exception of my Faith, nothing else has caused so much positive change in my life as pressing "play" on that Kdrama. I started learning a new language, am studying new cultures, changed my bad eating habits, and am on my way to a healthy weight and lifestyle...and the reality is, it all started with "Boys Over Flowers."  I'm so glad I watched it. 

Why Do You Like K-Pop?

So, full disclosure, I am not anywhere near the demographic that the K-Pop Music World is trying to appeal to. I am a 43 year old American woman living in the middle of farm country. But I LOVE K-Pop.  I listen to very little in English anymore of any genre.  This is a bit odd for me because I've always been a huge fan of most kinds of music.  I've enjoyed Country, Pop, Classical, Blues, Disco, Rock and more over the years.  I was a Music Business major in college so I've even studied the production/advertising/legal side of the industry.  But KPop, for me, is the most fascinating genre of music I've ever seen. (I'm putting screen shots from my iTunes library throughout this post so you can get a sense of a few of the groups I listen to regularly. I'm sorry I couldn't put them all in, but there are at least some.)


Why?  That is the question I get most often.  Not always in words.  Most of the time is comes in the form of raised eyebrows and a confused look on the face of the person I'm talking to.  If you're a kid or teenager, people just nod and think, "What a cute phase they are in." But when you're a grown adult, somehow now you need to be able to defend what you like when what you like is different from what those around you enjoy.  So, What makes it not a just a phase I'm going through?  Here are a few reasons that I find it so appealing. Maybe you feel the same way. Let's find out.



1) SO MUCH TALENT
     I was talking to a friend the other day and I told them, I don't think it's possible to find an untalented Kpop group.  It simply doesn't exist.  Before they debut most of these artists have trained for years in their craft.  On top of singing, dancing, and rapping (which is the mandatory talent needed within every group), it's not at all uncommon to find out that various members also act, choreograph, direct, write, compose, and/or play other instruments.  When they perform, the precision is incredible and the fact that they can sing and dance such complex choreographies LIVE...well that's just beyond my comprehension. They are just THAT good.



2) POSITIVITY
     Now, I can't say that every single Kpop song is this way, but the majority of the songs that I listen to and the groups that I follow are very positive upbeat songs.  They make you feel happy.  They lift your spirit and make your feet want to dance.  It's quite literally music that makes me smile.  Even when the messages are deeper, more thought provoking, of a powerful ballad, I am often left in a better mood than when I turned on the music.



3) GOOD ROLE MODELS
     There are bad apples everywhere and in fact, there are some incredibly upsetting scandals right now in the Kpop world.  BUT, by and large, the members of K-Pop groups are good role models. Now granted, these groups are very often contracted to be good influences.  As in, it seems that it is in their contract that they are to be people that others can look up to. That being said, as we are seeing through the scandals, for some it might be an act...but I appreciate that MOST of them seem to be genuinely good people. People who care about their fans and take seriously that others are watching them and want to be like them.  It's a heavy burden for them to carry, but they do it well.

     As someone who has worked with children for around 20 years, I would look for artists here in the States who could be held up as good examples for the kids and when I would find one, I'd be thrilled and do all I could to promote them...only to often have that same artist decide a little down the road that they didn't want to be a role model and actively choose to be someone or make choices that the children SHOULDN'T emulate. It was heartbreaking...and it happened more than once.


     I love that if I recommend a group to a teenager or child, that if they (or their parents) look up that group, they are generally going to find people that show respect to elders, take care of those younger than themselves, look out for the modesty of the people around them, show kindness to everyone and appreciate the celebrity that they have, but continue to be humble. It's such a breath of fresh air.


Finally, let me say that I know the world of     K-Pop is far from perfect.  There are industry issues, issues with how artists are treated...just all sorts of issues.  No one is saying that it is a perfect place.  There is room for improvement...lots of room.  But even so, it's a world that brings joy to so many of us and one that we are so glad others are beginning to notice as well.

   

The BBMA's, FORESTELLA & The New Podcast from Eric Nam

Hey Everyone!
I'm sorry that it has been forever since I posted anything.  Will try and do better from now on.  I promise!

There is so much going on that I want to talk about.  First up is the Billboard Music Awards. Let me start of by saying that I literally have not listened American pop music in ages, so I have had zero reason to pay attention to the award shows...UNTIL RECENTLY.  Since shows like the AMA's, BBMA's, and even the Grammy's are giving notice to the amazing talent that K-pop has to offer, I am so much more interested.  I even watch the red carpet shows now (which I never used to care about).  This year, what makes me most excited is the Top Social Artist Award.  There are 3 K-pop groups nominated.  GOT7, EXO, and BTS were nominated along with two other artists (Ariana Grande, Louis Tomlinson).  How fantastic is that?  The nominees for that category are literally a MAJORITY Korean.  That's huge for the USA.  As a whole, Non-English music is not always as popular here, but K-Pop is so addictive that we just can't get enough.  I'm so glad so many others are finding these groups and I hope EXO, GOT7 and many other K-pop groups get just as popular as BTS is here.

Side note:  I've never seen anything like the BTS phenomenon...and I was around when the insane popularity surrounding NSYNC was happening. This seems way bigger. Case in point:  I live in a very rural area.  In fact, though they are not the majority, there are tons of Amish people here. (Amish are a religious community that does not participate in many modern ways of life like electricity or motor vehicles...they travel mostly be foot, bicycle, or horse and buggy. They are known for their amazing wood craftsmanship, quilts, and incredible cooking among many other things). And yet even in this area, where it is as common to see a horse and buggy on the road as a semi truck, a high schooler told me that you could find BTS all over her school.  I was chatting with a teenager at a local hospital who turned out to be a BTS fan.  It's incredible how they seem to show up everywhere.  WOW!

Secondly, I recently came across a Crossover Group called FORESTELLA and they have changed my world.  Seriously...there are not words enough to express how incredible the voices are in this group.  There are four members, but somehow they blend as one.  I have heard a lot of quartets over the years (seriously...a lot), but I have never heard a blend like this.  It gives you goosebumps whether you understand the language or not.  And they are so versatile that they can sing an aria type song one minute and then turn around an do a version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" that would make Queen proud (and maybe a bit jealous?)   I scoured the internet looking for their music and since iTunes only carries one of their songs, I bought the physical copy of their album "Evolution" (see photo). To say that it's a great album would be a massive understatement. They sing songs in English, Italian and Korean throughout the CD.  If you have not heard them, check out this video and then look up their "Bohemian Rhapsody on YouTube.  You won't regret it!   I played this video for an elderly lady who does not speak Korean and she was so impressed, she said, "How can there be a group like this?"  I totally understand her feeling. 

And finally, my week was made when I discovered that the amazing Eric Nam has started his own podcast called "K-Pop Daebak With Eric Nam" (you can find it listed as @DaebakShow on Twitter). I love listening to podcasts and even with only three episodes currently out, I think this one is going to be one of my favorites.  Why? Well, full disclosure, I've been a fan for awhile. The pic to the right is a peek at my iTunes collection.  But also, because this podcast is real.  Eric Nam is an incredibly talented and popular artist in his own right and he brings his love and knowledge of music as well as insider thoughts and stories that no other podcast I've found can compete with.  He's funny and he banters with two other people who seem like they are sitting in the background so not really always on the mic, but you can still easily hear them.  One of them is consistently asked to make up jingles on the spot...which he does. Seems like it should be awkward, but it totally works.  I highly recommend it!  You can find the podcast on iTunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k-pop-daebak-with-eric-nam/id1458858435  or it's available in other places too like Spotify and SoundCloud.

That's it for now people! If you want to follow my daily thoughts about Kdrama and K-pop, follow me on Twitter at kdramakpoptalkfest. I hope you have an amazing week and I'll be back soon!