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koganbotIn ChoColat's "I Like It," 14-year-old Melanie lets loose with a wail of "I want it all, all or nothing," that pierces steel, leaps rooftops, and calls across oceans. Back in their introduction vid last July she was at ease and charming in a normal-girl bubbly way. Seems like a winning combination: camera-ready everyday warmth and a voice that can launch rivers and wring us dry.
ChoColat aren't getting far commercially yet, unfortunately: "Same Thing To Her,"* entered the Gaon chart last week at 83 and immediately took a step back to 132; the previous two singles didn't do much better. Fingers crossed. Strong beats, passionate singing, hot melodies. Yet another set of songs that remind me of freestyle. I know I've been making that comparison so much recently that it's likely losing its impact and meaning. I'll need to give this a post of its own sometime soon, freestyle to K-pop, or at least provide links to try and demonstrate the connection. (For what it's worth, all but one of ChoColat's songs are composed by either Norwegians or Brits, though with some Korean and Korean American input but none from the American East Coast, which is where freestyle originated. By the way, there's a sad story about one of the Korean American songwriters which I'll mention in the comments.)
In the meantime, there's the issue of "race." I consider race a dubious concept; but obviously we can't ignore it, since people use it to make distinctions and decisions that have huge impacts on how people live and suffer. An unreferenced sentence in Wikipedia says ChoColat were "announced as the first mixed race girl group in South Korea," which of course depends on how you define "mixed race" and "girl group." Miss A have two Chinese and two Koreans; Amber of f(x) is of Chinese descent, Tasha Reid a.k.a. T a.k.a. Yoon Mi-rae, who's part African American, used to be in the hip-hop/r&b group Uptown, but her bandmates were male. Whereas (like Yoon Mi-rae, probably unlike any of the others) the three youngest members of ChoColat are "bi-racial" — in this instance, part Caucasion and part Korean, with Tia's dad being half Puerto Rican, which likely gives her some African heritage as well.
I couldn't tell you if the multi-racial thing has been a selling point or a barrier (likely both), though that word "announced" hints at the former. [UPDATE: Definitely used as part of their promotion. An early performance of "I Like It" was preceded by a brief clip that goes: "K-pop syndrome, biracial idol group Chocolat. The first mini-album I Like It! Cheerful! Fresh! The world. 2012, soon they will raise the second syndrome."] What grabs my attention in their introduction vid, though, is how American the speech patterns of the three part-Caucasion girls seem. Interestingly, from the none-too-clear bios provided by Wikip, it appears as if Juliane's the only one to have lived a significant time in the U.S. (five years, which, e.g., is less time than Park Bom of 2NE1 did), and "full-blooded" non-Anglo-sounding member Min Soa seems to have spent more time in Australia than Melanie or Tia spent in any English-speaking country. I'd guess that Tia and Melanie were acculturated in "international communities." Or maybe Wikip is simply wrong.
And that's all I have to say on the subject.
*Also called "One More Day."
ChoColat aren't getting far commercially yet, unfortunately: "Same Thing To Her,"* entered the Gaon chart last week at 83 and immediately took a step back to 132; the previous two singles didn't do much better. Fingers crossed. Strong beats, passionate singing, hot melodies. Yet another set of songs that remind me of freestyle. I know I've been making that comparison so much recently that it's likely losing its impact and meaning. I'll need to give this a post of its own sometime soon, freestyle to K-pop, or at least provide links to try and demonstrate the connection. (For what it's worth, all but one of ChoColat's songs are composed by either Norwegians or Brits, though with some Korean and Korean American input but none from the American East Coast, which is where freestyle originated. By the way, there's a sad story about one of the Korean American songwriters which I'll mention in the comments.)
In the meantime, there's the issue of "race." I consider race a dubious concept; but obviously we can't ignore it, since people use it to make distinctions and decisions that have huge impacts on how people live and suffer. An unreferenced sentence in Wikipedia says ChoColat were "announced as the first mixed race girl group in South Korea," which of course depends on how you define "mixed race" and "girl group." Miss A have two Chinese and two Koreans; Amber of f(x) is of Chinese descent, Tasha Reid a.k.a. T a.k.a. Yoon Mi-rae, who's part African American, used to be in the hip-hop/r&b group Uptown, but her bandmates were male. Whereas (like Yoon Mi-rae, probably unlike any of the others) the three youngest members of ChoColat are "bi-racial" — in this instance, part Caucasion and part Korean, with Tia's dad being half Puerto Rican, which likely gives her some African heritage as well.
I couldn't tell you if the multi-racial thing has been a selling point or a barrier (likely both), though that word "announced" hints at the former. [UPDATE: Definitely used as part of their promotion. An early performance of "I Like It" was preceded by a brief clip that goes: "K-pop syndrome, biracial idol group Chocolat. The first mini-album I Like It! Cheerful! Fresh! The world. 2012, soon they will raise the second syndrome."] What grabs my attention in their introduction vid, though, is how American the speech patterns of the three part-Caucasion girls seem. Interestingly, from the none-too-clear bios provided by Wikip, it appears as if Juliane's the only one to have lived a significant time in the U.S. (five years, which, e.g., is less time than Park Bom of 2NE1 did), and "full-blooded" non-Anglo-sounding member Min Soa seems to have spent more time in Australia than Melanie or Tia spent in any English-speaking country. I'd guess that Tia and Melanie were acculturated in "international communities." Or maybe Wikip is simply wrong.
And that's all I have to say on the subject.
*Also called "One More Day."
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Not hitting back
Date: 2012-03-02 06:20 pm (UTC)Most ChoColat songs have been written by the British writers/producers DWB (Paul Drew, Greig Watts, Pete Barringer), at least according to Wikipedia. For the current single, "Same Thing To Her" (also known as "One More Day," which seems to be the literal translation of the Korean title "하루만 더"), Wikip also lists — along with DWB — Jenny Hyun and Jean Na, and lyricist Kang Eun Kyung (presumably Korean; the Korea Music Copyright Association has a long list of credits for Kang). Jenny Hyun is a songwriter in Southern California; I believe I read somewhere that Jean Na is as well, though obviously I haven't checked that fact. The two also worked together on SNSD's "How Great Is Your Love."* In any event, when Jenny Hyun embedded "Same Thing To Her" on her blog, someone named Anna commented, "Hi Jenny! I have always though this was one of your best songs... it's great that it's been released by Chocolat!" And Jenny replied, "Thanks! I am so proud of what they did with the song, I can't stop listening to it! [Smiley Face]."
So the sad part: boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote a stupid but mild tweet deriding all the attention given Jeremy Lin; Jenny Hyun responded with a stream of tweets that were appallingly racist. I've linked a piece by Jussy91 at kpopseven.com that recounts the story and gives Webshots of all the tweets along with a subsequent apology of Jenny's, since taken down, where she shows no actual remorse. And this has appeared on her blog in its place: "Jenny Hyun has been admitted to a hospital today. She is a paranoid schizophrenic and has been battling mental illness, a debilitating disease, for many years. Friends and family of Jenny want to extend their sincere apology for any harmful statements made verbally or via the web that Jenny has made while she was in the height of a [psychotic] episode. We appreciate your understanding during this difficult time for her."
Dismayingly, none of the commenters at kpopseven.com seemed to understand the significance of schizophrenia, how devastating it is. Schizophrenia can be treated with varying success, and my courageous friend Freddy Bosco made a video about his own continual struggle and treatment. I urge you to watch it (not just for the info about mental illness, but because it's beautifully and powerfully done). But for some people the disease pretty much destroys them.
There are lots and lots of screwed-up things said and done on the Web (and not on the Web) every day. Even where psychosis isn't involved, there's an awful lot of suffering underneath. That doesn't mean we should take abuse, but we can pause for a second and wonder whether there's more to a story, rather than immediately reaching into our own pain and hitting back. I have to be reminded of this as much as anybody.
*This is what the Wikip page for the ChoColat EP says, and the Korea Copyright Association confirms this, listing Hyun under her alternate name Jenzye. Strangely, the Wikip page for The Boys credits only Jean Na as composer and Sooyoung as lyricist.
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Date: 2012-03-02 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-02 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-05 08:17 pm (UTC)I hadn't picked out who is singing which parts, but after realizing that it was Melanie singing the "I want it all" part, and after seeing her in the video, I definitely agree that she has a lot of star potential. According to Wikipedia, she is partly of German and Italian descent, and I definitely think she has a rather unique look. (It's worth pointing out that one of the things that makes her look unique is, to me, her nose, which is decidedly non-Asian according to my eyes.)
I'm really lost when it comes to interpreting how these things play out in Korea, but it does maybe seem that being multi-racial is not all that prized. I was reading some blog post about the G-Dragon and T.O.P. video that featured white women, and it discussed the kind of exotic appeal of white women in Korea, just like how some Americans fetishize Asians. But I'm not sure how being multi-racial fits in there. I mean, in America, I definitely think we prize multi-racial looks, male and female (perhaps more so the latter); but I wouldn't be surprised if Korea was far more indifferent.
And speaking of the "multi-racial look," ChoColat have been lately making me think of Amerie (Korean mother, African-American father). My favorite song from their new single album is "Get Up," which reminds me both of Amerie's "1 Thing" and of go-go music (I live in D.C., so anytime I hear something remotely resembling go-go, I get a little excited). Have you heard this one yet? I don't know if it's going to be officially released as a single, and if it did, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't chart all that high, but I think it sounds rather distinct within K-pop. Looking at the YouTube comments, it's clear that other people are reminded of Amerie too. Still, it does add a slight aegyo spin to "1 Thing" and in general sounds a lot less tied to a sample (it has a slight "live band" feel that strengthens the go-go connection). But those comments are kind of interesting because they remind us once again that this stuff is very territorial, and many people will look to criticize anything that remotely resembles Western pop.
Thinking about ChoColat some more, I almost feel like they are a little caught between youth and maturity. Their songs have a mature style, but they can't help but bring their youthfulness to their performances. But because it doesn't fit into one category neatly, I wonder if listeners get somewhat confused or put off. Like, it doesn't exactly seem as if 14-year-olds would "get" them, whereas older listeners might be put off because these girls are so young. But if they are young and talented, I'd say that not only is there a lot of promise there, but they probably have some time to improve and figure things out.
For some reason, I missed "Syndrome," but I really like that one, almost as much as "I Like It."
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Date: 2012-03-05 08:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-06 01:50 am (UTC)As for Korea's attitude towards "bi-racials," anything I have to say would be glib and uninformed. So here I'll go and be glib and uninformed:
The little reading I've done regarding the Japanese colonization of Korea says that Japan aspired to obliterate Korean culture, suppress the language, and incorporate Korea as a territory and people to be exploited. As to what happened day-to-day on the ground, that probably varied from person to person and situation to situation. I remember reading an excerpt from Younghill Kang's The Grass Roof describing where he was befriended by a kind Japanese shopkeeper's daughter, and Japan to him in some aspects represented modernity as well as repression; he wanted to be modern, so had an ambivalent attitude (eventually immigrated to the U.S.).
In any event, some national and racial chauvinism as a long-standing reaction to the occupation may not be admirable, but it is understandable.
You might want to take a look at this ABC report (incl. interview) on Hines Ward about his return to Korea after he won the Super Bowl MVP. His dad (now absent from his life) is a black American serviceman and his mom a Korean; when he was 2 his parents left Korea because of all the discrimination they faced, including from relatives. But when he visited years later, after the Super Bowl, there was a massive positive response, and some re-assessment by South Korea of its own attitudes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs8AqkYGF8w
My guess (emphasize guess), is that the cutting-edge issue won't be "mixed race" children (and grandchildren) of U.S. servicemen, but the impact and treatment of workers (and their children) in Korea from Southeast Asia, to what extent they get accepted as Korean, and how long this takes. K-pop could well be a bridge here: there's a huge market for it in Thailand, and just from seeing all the YouTube K-pop videos with Vietnamese subtitles, there's got a big potential market in Vietnam as well. Joy, of the K-pop girl group RaNia, is Thai, and I'm sure there will be more to come. The video for 2NE1's "Don't Stop The Music" was on behalf of the release of the Yamaha Fiore scooter in Thailand.
The discussion of the white women in "High High" made it to my lj, too. Search the word "white." You do get me and Mat calling bullshit on the idea that the white women in that video are somehow more sexualized than Korean women are in similar videos, or that they're reduced to trophies.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-07 08:11 pm (UTC)One is the legacy of colonialism, which certainly puts Koreans in a position more like, say, African-Americans than white Americans. Second, and probably more importantly, the reason why stuff like blackface matters in American history is because of the power relationships between blacks and whites. If we could imagine a completely equal society, crude, stereotypical depictions of certain groups of people might certainly be hurtful, but they'd hardly serve to perpetuate societal inequalities, as blackface has done in the United States. All of which makes the more important issue something like, as you've mentioned, the interaction between Koreans and Southeast Asian workers (an issue that is too complex and foreign for people on the internet to humorously and indignantly comment about).
By the way, if you're interested, I've done some recent K-pop-related writing:
--A review of that recent Girls' Generation album (more on that here)
--My favorite K-pop songs from January
--My favorite K-pop songs from February (trying to make this a monthly thing)
Do you have any thoughts on the new stuff from Big Bang or 2NE1? And by "new 2NE1," I mean their new Japanese single "Scream." I've only heard the snippet they put online yesterday, but it sounds really, really good. The full version is online today:
no subject
Date: 2012-03-08 07:13 am (UTC)Here's a Brazilian track from 2006, K-sis's "Beijos, Blues e Poesia," that has the forceful gentleness that Big Bang didn't quite capture.
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I've had impossible hopes for 2NE1 ever since "I Am The Best"; a couple of the people who reviewed "I Am The Best" on the Jukebox foolishly complained that it had no chorus. But similarly my feeling about "Scream" is that this time something is missing in the construction. There's a chorus all right, and Bom delivers it winningly, but the other sections of the track don't seem to flow into it or into each other. In any event, I'm not drawn into it, even though the personalities are surely on display and are as appealing as always. But remember that this is a first listening and it's in the context of the ridiculously high promise 2NE1 have shown.
By the way, 2NE1 also have a "featuring" out this week in Japan, on M-flo's "She's So (Outta Control)." Am very torn by the track. It's catchy, when CL shows up electricity jumps; but still, her voice is so electronically altered that this feels like a waste of her and them. Or maybe not. I'm flipping and flopping a lot.
Netizens will bitch about the video for days on end.
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Date: 2014-11-06 02:04 am (UTC)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TrRtXIkmC4
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Date: 2012-03-10 07:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-10 07:53 am (UTC)[Error: unknown template video]
no subject
Date: 2012-03-06 04:45 pm (UTC)Wikipedia has a very long article about "military brats", which explains all this.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-06 06:44 pm (UTC)(Most of the children at the Overseas School were American, some with parents on the embassy staff, some with parents in business, and so forth, all sorts of stuff; a friend of mine (Canadian) had a dad who worked with the World Health Organization; another friend was in Rome because his dad was an artist who felt like living in Rome. And there were some Brit kids and other non-Americans including a few Italians who decided (or their parents decided for them) to go to an English-language school. This was back in 1964. The teachers included a good share of Brits. My teacher was born in Glasgow, I think.)