Hooray!!! SHINee and SUPER JUNIOR are back!!!

 The last few weeks have brought some really fun comebacks and I'm loving it.  

First can I just say I was SO EXCITED to see SHINee back with a new album after them being on hiatus while Key, Onew, and Minho completed their military service.  Of course Taemin was busy and it was great to see him perform solo or with SuperM, but there is nothing as awesome as seeing them all back together.  When I first heard the new song "Don't Call Me" I wished so much that I still had ringback tones on my phone.  What a perfect song for that.  LOL.  I was so curious to know if anyone would actually hang up if they called and heard "Don't call me, Don't call me, Don't call me" being played in their ear.  LOL!!!  Makes me smile just to think about it.  

Along with the rest of the songs on the album, it's been a blast seeing SHINee on various variety shows and Youtube channels.  This particular video was just too adorable and I must admit that I watched it more than once.  :-) You can watch it here with English Subtitles: Kids Review K-Pop Star's Career (Feat. SHINee)  Plus Key seems to have started a new trend as the ending prince during the KPop Music shows.  If you don't know what that is, it's basically the final shot of a group after their performance and the camera does a close up on one member.  Key started doing these comical things when the cameras came to him and it seems to have caught on a bit with other groups too.  It's awesome. 

Next up was SUPER JUNIOR.  They are my favorite Kpop group and it's always fun to see them perform together or even individually.  The 9 members are active in tons of various types of programs both as guests and/or hosts, but it's extra special to see them together.  And the fact that HeeChul is actually performing on stage with them just warms my heart.  Though he was a part of the videos, he had stepped out of live performances because of a leg injury that never healed properly after a bad car accident, but it seems they've found a way for him to participate live and it's just amazing to see them all on stage together again in their live performances.  Though, it's not the title song, I feel I must bring attention to their performance of Burn the Floor.  This is may be the most unique performance I've seen in ages and I love it.  Sadly, it doesn't have English subs, but you can check it out here: Burn The Floor
Also, the same YouTube channel I mentioned above, also did a Kids Review of Super Junior that was a hoot.  

Seeing these groups who have been together so long (SUPER JUNIOR debuted in 2005, and SHINee debuted in 2008) and have stayed active and popular is a feat in itself.  I am proud to be a fan.  :-) 

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.

   

How I found K-Pop...

I quite literally came across K-Pop through watching K-Dramas.  I would hear these songs repeatedly during the dramas and wonder who the artists were.  So as I watched more Korean Drama and Variety Shows I continued to look up the artists that were interviewed or whom I heard on the soundtracks of the shows.  That being the case, I first came across groups like T-Max and SS501 whose songs were used A LOT in "Boys over Flowers."  Then I came across other artists through various variety show appearances and dramas like Henry, FT Island, EXO, Twice, Red Velvet and more.

It's really hard to choose favorites for me, but three groups I really enjoy are CNBlue, Got7, and Super Junior.  And when it comes to solo artists, my favorite right now would probably be Eric Nam.

CNBlue I like for several reasons, but first it is that since I have seen all of the members on various dramas and variety shows, it's easy to feel like you know them and therefore want to support them.  Anyone who knows me would probably find that an odd statement because I often tease my family members about being fans of sports figures that they have never met, but I think I can understand a little now how they feel.  Secondly, these guys have real talent and it shows in their music (and in their acting as well).  There are not a lot of full bands in the world of K-Pop (at least not that I have come across yet), so that makes this group stand out too. I like their song "Starting Over" a lot.  The video is so fun and the song is just cool!

Got7 is a perfect example of a group that I came across because of a drama.  They were in a mini-drama called Dream Knight which is where I first came across the group. The show was super cute and made me curious about the group.  When I started to look for their music I could quickly see why they were so popular.  They are very talented singers and dancers, plus they tend to make music that  is easy to remember.  Their song "Stop, Stop it" gets stuck in my head on a regular basis.  I love it!

Super Junior is also amazing for several reasons.  First, they were one of the first groups I came across that had so many members.  Currently there are only 7 active members (plus 2 who are serving in the military), but at one point there were 11 members.  That seems huge to me.  Even 9 seems big (when the two in the military come back).  When I was in choir, I'm pretty sure that many members would have made you an ensemble or choir, but these guys don't give off that feel at all.  They dance together with amazing precision that is hard to look away from and they have great voices as well.  It really is a powerhouse group.  They are not the only large group out there, in fact there are quite a few, but they were one of the first I came across and so will hold a special spot on my list. Also, I should point out that one of the members, Lee Dong Hae, was the lead in the drama Miss Panda and Mr. Hedgehog, that I talked about in my last post.  Several of the other members have been in dramas and on variety shows as well, and they are always fun to watch. Currently, I'm listening to "Black Suit" fairly regularly which is on their current album. 

When it comes to solo artists, I will admit that I am a bit bias when it comes to Eric Nam.  After all, he's from Georgia and as a Tennessee girl myself, you have to cheer on the southern guy!  But, it's not just where he's from.  He's has a great voice, and his talent goes farther than the music world.  He is also fun to watch when he is on variety shows or does interviews with people from across the entertainment industry.  His song "Good For You" is currently one of my all time favorite songs and never fails to put a smile on my face.

These are a few of the groups that I've come across and enjoy.  Who do you listen to?  How did you find them?  I'm always interested in finding more artists and groups to listen to.