Last night, just before I went to sleep, a friend posted on FB that they had heard Gangnam Style on our local radio station. I was so jealous. Which is irrational, as I don't actually listen to local radio all that often anymore. Usually only in the car & only on short trips. I don't see the point of plugging in the iPod just for a run up the highway to the grocery store. Which makes my jealousy of her hearing it & not me, irrational. How can I hear it on the radio when I hardly listen to the radio? I think it was because she is not the only friend to have heard Psy Oppa on the radio recently, as you all know Gangnam Style has reached viral popularity, all across the US. Never to be left out of the fun I was determined to hear it too, while I was checking email & FB & getting some personal paperwork done (ie school stuff for the Monstrosities) this a.m., I turned on Kiss FM from Milwaukee on my computer to listen live. After only 45 minutes there it was. Omo!! I felt so satisfied to hear it on local radio. I felt like I was part of the cool group, finally! And if you know me in real life, then you know, I am one of the least cool people around. Just a big geek pretending or wishing I was cool.
But it got me to thinking. What is it about Psy's song that has all of America gaga? I honestly LOVE the song. It's fun, it's catchy, the MV is funnier than heck, it's full of energy & of course it's Psy so that is always a + in my book. I first started listening to Psy Oppa's music last winter after I watched the YG Family Strong Heart special Episodes.
I LOVED him the most on the show. He was so funny & they showed video from one of his concerts & the energy level was so high I had to check him out. What I found was sincere talent, energy, fun, humor & it was clinched the man rocks! If you haven't been a fan of Psy until Gangnam Style you have really missed out. He has his own Official YouTube Channel so check out his older stuff, you won't be disappointed, I promise.
Now one of my other friends today said she was kind of getting tired of Gangnam Style & I silently agreed with her but then we've been listening to it longer than most of the US. We've been on board & fans before rapper T Pain tweeted his admiration. And one of my other friends created a Meme for Pinterest that we all had to pin immediately...
Source: Uploaded by Bonstaceus onto Asian Music on Pinterest
Don't get me wrong I still love the song. I still love Psy! Two unchanging constants! I think Psy is a musical genius! And this has gotten a lot of K Pop lovers very excited that K Pop seems to have broken through to mainstream US music. Although, I don't think "broke through" is a sufficient enough term. I think a better way of putting it would be that Gangnam Style took that line between K Pop & US Pop & blew the dang thing to smithereens! Wasted it! Destroyed & annihilated it! Left nothing more than a scorch mark in it's wake!!
But do I think K Pop has truly made it's way into the US music scene? Eh.... I'm still waiting. Psy's song is fun & memorable, especially because of the video. But I can see Americans still looking at KPop w/ wary eyes. I think GS has definitely firmed the foundation for more KPop to trickle through. But do I think America has embraced it fully? If you judge by the fact that BigBang's 2 US concert dates sold out completely in less than an hour each, then yes. However, then you have to remember those 2 locations LA & New Jersey, have a much heavier concentration of Koreans & Korean Americans. I know that there are people coming from all over the US to those 2 concerts, because I am one of them. And I know that there are people coming from other countries, including South America, to see those 2 concerts as well. So I am in no means saying that no other races like K Pop or that a K Pop mix into the US music scene is impossible. I think if it's going to happen it's going to happen anytime from here on out. Because of previous attempts laying the ground work, SuJu, GG, WG, & now Psy. Even when Girls' Generation came to the US with their hit song, "The Boys", during their appearances on Live & David Letterman they sang it in English. Which is great but again, that was a change I thought they could have done without. That is not K Pop. That is a KPop group singing in English. I think, to date, Psy's break through has probably had the Most Power in its Punch.
KPop's popularity has reached global proportions. And I am so incredibly happy about it. But I want to make sure that K Pop stays K Pop. I LOVED the fact that Psy said he would not be doing an English version of GS. I was so proud of him! Stick to your roots Oppa! What makes K Pop so popular, so awesome, so distinct is that it is Korean. Not Korean American or American. If/When K Pop makes it here I want to know that it is in fact still K Pop. I don't want the US music industry to change it & I don't want the K Pop artists to change their style, their sound or soften their stance on what they are willing to do.
I think with more & more Americans like these two crazy ahjummas pitching K Pop & introducing it to people little by little they will open their ears & hearts to the K Pop Phenom. They are just so uncomfortable w/ things that are different. Change & differences make them nervous because it is so unknown. And while I would hope in today's world, we would finally be getting past that kind of prejudice this proves that fear is still there. So my fellow AddiKts it is up to us to kindly & lovingly educate the English world to understand that music is still music no matter language it is heard in. Music is mathematical after all. And mathematics are universal aren't they. So help spread the K Pop love. Don't be afraid to tell people you love K Pop. Don't be afraid of what they think. Do NOT let fear guide your choices or decisions. Embrace the difference & educate those around to understand that it is our differences that make us interesting & unique. IF the people in your life cannot love & accept you for all your idiosyncrasies then they are not your real friends. Real friends love you because of your differences not in spite of them. Unconditional love embraces all differences. Whether it be color, language, religion or music taste. :)
This is my KPop/KDrama message for my WWU this week. Again I apologize for being so late. I hope you come back next week for more of my viewpoints. No idea what I'm going to talk about yet. Mostly because I have no idea what weird path my brain will have gone down by then. I do know that dongsaeng & I have a couple of extra articles coming next week. We talk about Chuseok, which is September 30th this year, & we are going to do our first ever product review! Squuuueeeeee!!! That's right, a Korean based Cosmetics/Skin Care company contacted us & sent us free stuff so we could review it here on TCA!!! We are so excited to say we've been using the products a month & our review for the company & it's products will go up next week. In return they will advertise our blog on their website. How cool is that!?!?!?!
Well have a great week AddiKts! Sending you all lots of love & KPop...enjoy the MV below while you wait for the first of our DFR's to go up later tonight & tomorrow. It's the latest from Changmin & Yunho from TVXQ!!! Enjoy the eye candy & the hot beats & the awesome dancing & singing. Unnie Loves TVXQ.
{{AND YES!! I can AND DO like groups other than YG based groups & KHJ. Bunch of "Smart Alecs" notice my substitute of the other A word I wanted to use there. Hmmm-mmmm...}}
Saranghamnida,
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