I have seen HyunA screaming at a chicken

[koganbot]

When HyunA did her first of a string of performances of "Just Follow," I wrote it up like so:

Live version of "Just Follow," with Zico in place of DOK2; HyunA's relative stillness makes her as steamy as ever, and Zico just kills. His rap in the middle is entirely new, and he improves on the original.

Rapping, and this slow tempo, suit HyunA well. She's digging in, sounding hard and wounded; meanwhile, her sensuousness operates on its own accord, drifts along with the music, a force field that saturates the room.

Watch on YouTube

Of course the restraint — that she's withholding something: warmth, involvement — seems to be a big hunk of the allure. It is a big hunk of the allure. But then, the very last time they perform the song, she deliberately breaks character in the end. She winks, she goes into a broad grin. Then she and Zico return to their chairs and put on their tough, haughty, disgusted faces again, for a moment. And then HyunA's back to the grin, pointing at her mouth and breaking into laughter. And this seems to be a big part of her allure as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M0BLtlwJBc

From the YouTube comments:

Hyuna's last face shows her cuteness and it clearly indicates that she actually has an ordinary girl style in her identities as well.

HyunA's a BAMF. She can hold her lady swag up against any guy, and she's actually adorable to boot.

As Mat said to me down in the comments, HyunA plays the two sides off each other, still and steamy in the musical performance, a goofball and brat on reality TV. It doesn't seem to hurt her aura one bit that we have seen her screaming at a chicken:

Watch on YouTube

Erving Goffman says in Presentation Of Self, "It is a widely held notion that restrictions placed upon contact, the maintenance of social distance, provide a way in which awe can be generated and sustained in the audience."¹ I wonder if awe in the age of reality TV works differently. That this accessible, frazzled nice girl can mount the stage and become simultaneously sultry and cool may be more awesome than if we had only seen her in awesome mode. And that she can hold this pose and then simply set it aside like a garment may be more awesome still, that she's warm and impish really but has swag and stillness in her repertoire. Or maybe she's just sexy in almost any mode, and is willing to try them all.

¹The Presentation Of Self In Everyday Life, Anchor Books edition, p. 67

Comments

[koganbot]

I wonder how much this can be generalized: getting to know a teacher well didn't necessarily reduce my respect for his or her authority either (authority in both meanings, one being in a position to make decisions about me, the other being knowledgeable and therefore able to speak with authority and to know how things are done). Maybe 'most any supervisor retains authority in my eyes just because supervisors do supervise, will take command, despite not all of them doing it wisely or competently. (But what I feel may not be typical, since I feel I lack a sense of command, even where by talent and what I have to offer I should be in command (and even though one could say that, e.g., in Why Music Sucks and even to some extent in my role at places like Rolling Teenpop* I do take a certain amount of command, no matter what I feel like inside).)

*By the way, I haven't been paying attention: what's happening with ilX? They've moved to the sandbox while the regular site is under some sort of maintenance; but I don't know what any of this means.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

Thoughts on Trouble Maker? She's back to being steamy hot, of course. I have a lot of thoughts but don't know where to start. It's an even bigger hit than Bubble Pop in Korea. There's the aforementioned push-and-pull with controversy and censorpship, with some unexpected twists even for Korea (label says: we'll adjust choreography after complaints. Does so for one performance, then goes back to the old routine, with Hyuna and her partner from BEAST getting even more intimate and comfortable than before (and increasingly so, still, as they're yet to end promotions).

It's also one of few successful co-ed sub-units, at least as one that's not a ballad singer + rapper.

Plus it's a great song and another hit for the Shinsadong Tiger.

Don't know if it's too big a subject to add on to my eventual k-pop 2012 top 50 list, where it will end up.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I wrote a bit about "Trouble Maker" here: http://minimoonstar.tumblr.com/post/14128568495/hyunseung-js-and-hyuna-4minute-trouble

I really like the first two songs on that single, to be honest. But I find the "sexy choreography" aspect of it sort of irritating.

[askbask.livejournal.com]

The choreography may be awkward - I liked the music video but see your point for lives - but their chemistry has definitely improved as the weeks go by. They seem to enjoy grinding up on each other now, even if there's clumsiness in the presentation.

[koganbot]

Was the live "Just Follow" and the first M! Countdown performance of "Mirror Mirror" that misted all the windows around here, and in those two she didn't touch another body. "Bubble Pop!" is more silly than sexy (but not silly in a bad way, and the silliness doesn't make her any less sexy, that we know she's got silliness in her arsenal, it just didn't feel very sexual in itself). Haven't paid a lot of attention to "Trouble Maker" yet; the music isn't quite the knockout that some of the others are. At least not yet, for me.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

HyunA's personal sexiness is not at all in doubt. XD (Did you see that thing where someone turned up a "natural" picture of her from junior high?) It's the chemistry in the live act that is odd! But I really like the song.

Thanks for the 4minutes recommendations in the round table post btw, I ttly agree those are the best songs. And I don't know what it says about my understanding of pop music that I had no idea the "every day I'm shufflin'" meme came from that LMFAO video (granted it is pretty funny, if you're seen the original movie).

[koganbot]

hyuna natural About 1,750,000 results (0.05 seconds)



For all we know the "every day I'm shufflin" meme long preceded LMFAO. Also, I have no idea what you mean by "the original movie." I don't know what that says about my understanding of modern culture.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

I mean 28 Days Later, which is a v. effective zombie movie from a few years back that LMFAO are parodying. XD

(I think I have found Patient Zero, btw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovdm2yX4MA)

[koganbot]

"I ttly agree those are the best songs"

I'd rate "Mirror Mirror" up there with the three I linked as "best." (I'd already linked the live "Mirror Mirror" earlier in my post, so didn't link it again.) My top five tracks that contain HyunA are:

1. 4minute "Hot Issue"
2. HyunA ft. Zico "Just Follow" (live webrip)
3. 4minute "Mirror Mirror"
4. 4minute "HuH"
5. 4minute "I My Me Mine"

Pretty good list; doesn't even include "Bubble Pop!" or "Trouble Maker."

[koganbot]