If you were to ask me my thoughts on K-POP yesterday, I would have had nothing for you. Absolutely
N-O-T-H-I-N-G!
Don’t call me a hater, just call me ignorant. I just never stopped to listen. Korean pop just wasn’t on my radar. I was acutely aware of music coming out of the UK, Sweden and the States but Asia? Not even on my list. Why? Ignorance. Stereotypes. In other words…no good reason. Finally, after months and years of reading skipping over posts by fellow pop aficionado The Prophet, praising the genre of K-POP and it’s talent, I know why he’s been going crazy for it. Two words – GIRLS’ GENERATION!
Last night, Girls’ Generation made their network TV debut in the States with a flawless live performance on The Late Show with David Letterman and WOW, did these girls ever impress me. Most people would probably think that a nine-member girl pop group would be a hot mess of trashy outfits, big egos, clunky choreography and mediocre vocals. Well, I can tell you…after watching Girls’ Generation on Letterman, that assumption has been shot to hell. Not only did the girls bring energy to their performance, they also brought near-flawless LIVE vocals, kick-ass dance moves and plenty of sex appeal to boot. Was EVERYTHING about the performance perfect? No. There were a couple of nerves-related vocal issues but overall…F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S! Girls’ Generation has made a believe (in K-POP) out of me. Check out their performance of single “The Boys” on Letterman HERE. Here’s a tiny bit of background on the girls.
Girls’ Generation are a South Korean girl group made up of nine members: Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun. Formed in 2007 by an indie Korean record label, S.M. Entertainment, the girls have all been performing together since they were between the ages of 10-15, at least according to an interview on Live! with Kelly earlier this morning (following yet another flawless performance). To date, the girls have released three Korean albums, three Korean mini-albums, one Japanese album and a bunch of singles. Most recently, on January 17th, Girls’ Generation released Boys, the English language version their hit Korean album The Boys, which came out back in October of last year. Now signed to Interscope/Universal Music Group, the girls of Girls’ Generation are set to take the world by storm, one flawless live performance at a time.
Written, composed and arranged by Teddy Riley (Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga), hit single “The Boys” was released in both English as well as in Korean. Released internationally on October 18th, the single failed to make a dent on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart but it did creep into the iTunes Top 30. The Korean version of the track also managed to chart, this time on Billboard‘s K-Pop Hot 100 chart. Launched last August, the mere existence of a K-POP chart goes to show just how big a force this genre is today. Scope out the absolutely stunning music video for “The Boys” below and download the single on U.S. iTunes HERE, including some SICK-ASS remixes by Clinton Sparks & Disco Fries, David Anthony, Teddy Riley himself and more. Here’s hoping Girls’ Generation are here to stay.
Oh, and Prophet…never again will I skip over your incessant K-POP posts. Mark my words.