Female Rapper Lexy is Coming Back

It has been reported that female rapper and singer Lexy will be making a comeback after a 4 year hiatus!

With the upcoming album in August, this will be her first album since ‘Lexy‘, which was released in March of 2008.

For those unfamiliar with the artist, Lexy first made her debut in 2003 under YG Entertainment. She was the first female solo rapper to debut under the agency and also featured in many songs for the label’s other acts at the time like Jinusean, 1TYM, Se7en, and Wheesung.

She later parted ways with the agency on good terms in 2007, and was set to debut in Japan in 2008. However, with various problems arising, plans fell through. Although she had attempted at resuming her activities in Korea, she was unable to find an agency she felt was right for her, and thus led to her long hiatus.
She finally signed with Red Line Entertainment earlier this year and is getting ready to reveal the album she has been working on since last year in August.
Welcome back, Lexy!

Creation and Maintenance of a Sound

As more and more groups debut each year, it’s becoming more important for groups to establish themselves in some unique way. They need to stand out or have some characteristic that distinguishes them from the rest of the pack. Aside from extraterrestrials traveling to Earth and eccentric marketing tactics, an aspect that that proves significant is the group’s sound. It’s the part of the music that tells the listener that it’s a certain band. It should be present in all the group’s works, even though there might be progression through different styles.

A large part of sound has to do with the voices of the group members. It makes sense: often voices will be used in the same manner if it provides the desired impact or is well suited for a certain part. For example, SHINee‘s Jonghyun often is the one holding the long notes or doing the ad-libs. Big Bang‘s Taeyang tends to sing the chorus because his voice best brings all the other voices together. Since it’s the same set of voices used to create music in groups, it should bring familiarity to the music anyways. But that isn’t always the case, especially as some members improve to acquire a larger skill-set. Sound also has much to do with the type of music the group progresses into and how they still integrate characteristics that are true to themselves. Unfortunately, in K-pop, it’s possible to hear several of a group’s songs and still not find out what their true concept is, especially since songs tend to be doled out by an entertainment company. Along that note, I’m still not sure what f(x)‘s concept is as a group. I liked “NU ABO” and some of their songs prior to that, but then “Danger” came out, changing their sound quite a bit. It was slightly off-putting to see such a huge change, but it seemed to work out for the better as “Danger” claimed multiple triple crowns on music shows.
Aside from establishing that sound, it’s important to keep changing it while keeping it–a confusing concept. A group needs to keep progressing and developing their sound, but keep it the same just enough to retain their identity. They have to be careful to not continue with the same sound, even if it was successful the first time around. Although it seems as if using a very similar sound the next round of promotions should not be a detriment, especially if the sound was well-received the first time around, it really should be avoided due to how the K-pop system works. Listeners are always looking for something new and development of groups as they progress their sound and adapt to the changing trends. Releasing similar content may work with groups that have strong fanbases, but for the rest, it’s merely a bore, even if it’s done well.
Three groups that I find to have found themselves in an unfortunate rut, sound-wise, are Infinite, 2AM, and Super Junior. While there most likely are other groups, these are my picks from the groups that I enjoy listening to.

First up is Infinite. This group made a strong debut in 2010 with “Come Back Again.” Though the majority of the vocals were from leader Sung-kyu, it was a unique, guitar-based entrance into K-pop that should have gotten more notice than it did. The next landmark in their music journey came from “Before the Dawn (BTD)” in early 2011, though it was more for their perfect execution of a physically demanding dance move than the strong music. Finally came “Be Mine” in mid-2011. A solid song, it became Infinite’s first win. Up to this point, Infinite had a steady progression of sounds. Within all their (title) songs, you could look forward to a hard edge mixed with dramatic electronic touches. Their sound was growing distinct. But then “The Chaser” came out. Don’t get me wrong: I like this song. But what I don’t like is how similar it is to “Be Mine.” The background music is lighter than “Be Mine,” but is still along the same vein as the previous, sounding like an ’80s rehash of the song. Even the subject matter is similar. Had the song been in Over the Top, it would have fit well as a supporting song. The rest of the new mini-album, Infinitize, has the same issue. It’s been heard before, making it snooze for anyone trying to find something new and exciting from the group, which has great potential.
2AM: Ballad group. The concept is thrilling because of the focus on music and vocal ability. However, I think it does the group a disservice as it limits what they can truly do. 2AM’s first win on a music show came with “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die.” The song had an impact and truly demonstrated that each member had true vocal ability. But then along came “I Was Wrong.” Lo and behold, there was a dance routine, faster tempo, and change in style while the slight melancholy overtones were still around, something to be expected with progression. But apparently some fans decided it didn’t fit the group; I thought they did just fine with the puppet movement. Thus, when they came back later, it was without any routine and with another strong ballad. But it was along the same lines of “Can’t Let You Go Even If I Die.” “I Wonder If You Hurt Like Me” is a spin on their previous hit: soulful, captivating, but oh-so-boring. While they are a ballad group, 2AM should be able to move past their mastery of sadness and pain and sing about brighter days. It would be nice to see those vocals turn joyful and upbeat.

Perhaps the kings of keeping the same sound are Super Junior. After their smash hit “Sorry, Sorry,” SM Entertainment and the founder of SMP style–SM Performance–Yoo Young-jin kept with the same vein of music to create “Bonamana.” I didn’t mind that similarity. “Bonamana” was “Sorry, Sorry”‘s darker and more sensual brother that worked just fine. But round three, “Mr. Simple,” pushed the extent of the use of the concept too much. It felt like a mash-up of “Sorry, Sorry” and “Bonamana,” a lame effort to put out an album just for the sake of putting another one out. The sound was chaotic, electronic, and used far too many sound effects. “Sorry, Sorry” was simple, “Bonamana” was darker, and “Mr. Simple” was just harsh to the ears, but the biggest downfall for Super Junior is that they all sounded too similar to be three different full-length albums. The three in combination made Super Junior’s sound become synonymous with copious amounts of processing and little talent when in actuality, the group has several talented members. As the group is coming out with their sixth album this year, it would be to their benefit to ditch the full force of SMP and instead focus on their vocal abilities, creating real music that hasn’t been hacked into pieces by editing software. They could go back to “Sorry, Sorry” and instead progress from that.

But enough of the unfortunate. While those are just of the groups that could do more exploration with their capabilities and likes, there are groups that have been fairly successful in creation of a sound and development of it to suit their selves. My picks are MBLAQ, B1A4, and the Brown Eyed Girls, though I’m sure you could pick out others.

I’ve always seen MBLAQ as an underdog. They’re successful, but not as successful as they have the potential to be. From their debut single, “Oh Yeah,” up until now, with “It’s War,” MBLAQ has this incredibly chic and polished sound that transitions well to different styles. Their music has been different from the others, from their returns to Spanish influences to the large orchestral impacts that seam well to make dramatic music. Another aspect that factors in more with MBLAQ than with other groups is their dance performance. Even though the discussion is about sound, MBLAQ’s dance performances do a splendid job of staying in your mind as something distinctly MBLAQ. There’s the guitar-playing from “Mona Lisa” and the upper body rolls from “It’s War.” When you hear that part of the song, you see those moves clearly, which is most certainly not the case with most songs from even the most popular artists. As a result, MBLAQ’s music becomes even more defined. That refinement in MBLAQ’s music brings it to a higher quality that can’t be replicated by other groups. And with every new release, they bring something new or revisit something old, but with a twist, which is how groups should progress.

Although B1A4 is still technically a rookie group, they have done fairly well in projecting their image through their title songs. “O.K.” and “Beautiful Target” were remarkably cute and got past my aegyo-barriers in an embarrassingly fast amount of time. Their abrupt progression to maturity in “Baby I’m Sorry” should have changed their sound, distorting it because cute does not fit mature, but instead, when I heard the sound, I just immediately accepted that it was the group. B1A4 tends to have similar beats in all their music, which works well to accommodate their vocal abilities. They also spread lines among their members in fairly predictable manners, with maknae Gong-chan usually getting the least. With all of this, it seems as if their music should have fallen into a rut. But instead, B1A4 has done pure exploration by trying to perform music from both ends of the spectrum. While they still have a lot of maturing to do, they have done the super cute music and the more mature music while keeping musical similarities through technical aspects and their voices. But everything else has melded into something more along what they like, especially as leader Jin-young is at the helm of their music production. It has allowed for greater incorporation of their styles, which most likely will remain similar through their years as a group.

My last pick is my one favorite girl group, the Brown Eyed Girls. Four ladies with sensational voices that are truly capable of a wide range of emotions and styles. Their popular dance song “Abracadabra” showed that these girls could be just as sexy as those much younger than they while still providing strong vocals. “Sixth Sense” and their entire album, Sixth Sense, only compounded on their strong image, but added in a rebellious touch. “Cleansing Cream” continued with that matured sound, adding a greater range of emotions and feminine delicacy. It’s fair to say that the Brown Eyed Girls have a distinctly womanly sound that is full of maturity and power, even when there is vulnerability. They have been able to carry that unique sound because it is theirs: they own it, and no other group could sing the same songs and have the same impact. It may be because their image is full of maturity, but that image couldn’t have been formed without the vocals to back it up. The background music that accompanies their music tends to be full, rich, and not overly complicated, complementing their voices instead of attempting to overwhelm them. The group’s music ends up being a wonderful delight to look forward to.

Timing Is Everything

K-pop has a strong and loyal fandom which includes both Korean and non-Korean listeners. By now, nearly every follower knows what the Hallyu wave represents. No matter how much we roll our eyes, one can’t deny that as a niche market, it holds an incontestable amount of power and popularity. What makes it so special though and why now? Catchy hooks and Western-influenced melodies? Kenyan contemporary music has them as well, but it’s far from being all that popular.

The fascination for South Korea is secondary to an overall interest for Asian countries. The last 50 years have made the Western world more aware of their Eastern counterparts. Take the Nobel Prize as an example. If the Eurocentric committee found Asians unworthy of such honor in the past (only three Asians won a Nobel award in the first half of the century), the last 50 years of the 20th century, about 30 other Asians won the award. Let’s play the devil’s advocate and say that maybe the increasing appreciation of Asian cultures doesn’t have that much to do with the civilizations per se. Nor is the expansion of K-pop based solely on music or genuine curiosity for South Korea.
There is a more important factor to take into account: economic progress. At the beginning of the 19th century, Asia held half of the world’s population and about half of the global product. The Western countries took the first place as producers once with the Industrial Revolution. The 21st century presents another change of ranks: China is the second largest-economy after the USA, boasting with a 10 percent growth rate; economists estimate that three billion Asians (a group of seven Southeast countries) have a very realistic possibility of living better than most of the developed countries’ population. The power center of the world is slowly shifting from the Atlantic Ocean area (Western Europe and the US) to the Pacific one (the US and Asian countries).
 Any kind of economic transition also implies a cultural one. The 17th and 18th century meant the time of the economic French dominance (disputed also by the British). For artists, the perfect place became France, with Paris being the Hollywood of painters or writers. The same thing happened with the US in the 20th century. The reason now it is the leading culture is that it also holds the financial power. Put simply, money is power. By having a stronger economy than the rest of the planet, it gives one the ability to impose its culture outside its borders. What does “it’s the 21st century” mean? The phrase is usually used to define democratic values like freedom of speech and equality, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and so on. Who exactly has them though? These are the ones you can find in Northern America and Western Europe. These are the people living in the 21st century. The rest of the world, despite holding onto them, does so to a different degree and still battles countless problems to reach the stage that the countries possess.
The same thing happens to K-pop. Despite Asian countries still having lots of issues to resolve, they began giving the world signals that they will get there. It won’t happen overnight for sure and it is indeed a slow process. While most of these countries have shown great improvement, it is barely enough. They learnt how to grow; now they have to learn how to work with what they earned. But still, they acquired a new status and the recognition their cultures get from other regions remains a convincing proof.
One may argue that the affinity for Asian cultures doesn’t restrict itself to the post World War II era. Some philosophical or religious ideologies have its main source in Asia: Buddhism, hedonism, the eulogy of meditation and contemplation. Van Gogh held a high respect for the Japanese art and some of his paintings received its influence. Still, it was never a trend embraced by the masses. Maybe all these isolated cultural clashes were just a premature start.
The Asian craze didn’t just burst in early 2000s. The audiences were already prepared by that time to accept the Eastern countries: a variety of products like cars and electronics fabricated there, Chinatown/Chinese restaurants, Asian-oriented organizations or the implementation of Asian language programs in universities. Then, more overtly, cultural acts began receiving the public’s positive response. The cinematography welcomed the Bollywood movies. Then, the Japan thing started. Soon, there were anime TV channels and a whole bunch of people knew who Ayumi Hamasaki, Kumi Koda or Gackt were. But these changes happened along with the modification of the global economical balance.
And today’s fad is K-pop. It didn’t stand on its own feet. Besides the appeal it has, the importance that Asian countries started to gain played a huge role. Think about how you got into K-pop. Was it at a first glance? Or did it grow on you? And if the second option is your answer, then it means it was possible for you to experience various types of Korean entertainment before practically enjoying it. K-dramas in your country, variety shows and even the ‘Most Viewed’ section on YouTube attenuated the cultural shock. There were other people on the same bandwagon, which normalized what you would have defined as weird.
Furthermore, it is a vicious circle. The financial situation that allowed K-entertainment to gain recognition is improving due to the export of K-pop acts. The money is then invested again, resulting in a profitable industry. Who doesn’t enjoy high-definition videos, complicated choreography and a myriad of group’ members to choose from? Plastic surgery, training campuses, studios and high-tech equipment, not to mention staff members denote the allocation of a high budget.
The association of K-pop with other Asian acts is not a bad thing at all. If Westerners get bored with it as predicted, its place on the Asian market will seclude also a position on the international one. Their breakthrough on the Western market wasn’t difficult just because of poor marketing strategies, but also because the already-established fans listen to them in a certain context. When the idols left the familiar background, their sound and appearance seemed misplaced and utterly different. However, there is no general remedy.
The evolution of the economy and cultures is unpredictable. The future can contradict or confirm the expectation.

HelloVenus Releases Debut Mini Album and MV!!

 

   Say ‘hello’ to the debut effort of Pledis Entertainment‘s rookie girl group, Hello Venus! Hello Venus’ teasers introduced a concept that sits at the intersection of cute and elegant. Sure, the girls are all smiles and charm, minus the clichéd “cute” duds like school uniforms and bloomers.  Groups like Girl’s Day and A Pink have the “little sister” thing on lockdown, so it’s refreshing to see “cute” done different and well, without having to put post-high-school-graduation ladies back into blazers and pleated skirts.
   And now that the mini-album and music video are out, will they live up to expectations?

  The MV for the title track “Venus” ran straight to Cute-ville with no local pit stops. The video is peppered with bright colors, young love and quite a few cameos from fellow Pledis artists. I will say, while I enjoyed watching it and couldn’t help smiling a few times at the onscreen antics, there were more aegyo expressions and gestures than I would ever want to play a drinking game to. This MV probably contains every idol selca (self-captured photo) pose you’ve ever seen – no joke. Anyway, the teaser photos prepared us for soft and pretty, and the music video delivered lively and fun. Check it out:

HELLO VENUS – “VENUS” MV

 

B.A.P Comeback! Yes Sir!

   I have gotten pretty excited about B.A.P’s comeback, even though it only seems a few days ago they were shooting Zelo and teaching us how to spell their name with “Warrior”. As one of the most talented rookie groups in recent years, B.A.P completely stole my heart and I may or may not have made a few small blood sacrifices in the hope their comeback would be equally gritty and bombastic. Hahaha!
   The teaser photos pretty much proved this wasn’t going to be anything near “Secret Love;” there is a distinct 80s Euro-disco flavor that retains much of the intensity and fierceness we fell in love with. The colors, the violence, powerful poses (Bang Yong Guk appears to be able to dislocate his entire jaw and Jong-up seems to be going for a backslap) and threatening stares were the reassurance I needed. Normally, a group doing a similar concept as that of their debut suggests lack of imagination and group growth, but without the teaser video, there is no way of knowing if this will be “Warrior” II. In terms of new hairstyles, Key(Shinee) has competition in the faux-mohawk department a la Youngjae. It’s sad but good to see the wall to wall blonde is gone, giving the boys a better chance of distinguishing themselves onstage. The future looked neon bright for their comeback. No more 'I like the blonde one' comments.
  

Oh My God!

Girl's Day(걸스데이) is back with their new song! Last year when they consecutively slayed many men three times over with “Twinkle Twinkle”, “Hug Me Once”, and “Don’t Let Your Eyes Wander”. Those songs can only be known as Three Punches of Aegyo, which firmly established Girl’s Day as the most adorably charming group in Hallyu.

    it’s been a very long time since Girl’s Day have been active. Their last digital single was in September, but it’s actually been 10 months since they actively promoted a song. After their break,  Girl's Day are finally back with a brand new mini album “Everyday II”, and a whole new sound to go with it.

K-Pop Diets

 

   Okay, so lately I've been reading A LOT about K-Pop diets and how some seem real simple and how some just seem interesting enough to try. 'Model Idol' group Nine Muses has an interesting diet plan. They use paper cups and fill each one with food. One with fruits, another with mixed grain rice or brown rice, and a third with side dishes. They use this method the whole day for three meals. You can eat different things but with the same restrictions which might help satisfy some. Yes it may seem hard at first, but they did it for four months and got their wonderful looking bodies.

 EATING

Boiled Eggs
    This is one of my staples. It's also an extremely popular part of any K-Pop idols diet! Personally, I don't like the yolk. Which is great, because the egg white is only 15 kcal but fills me up a lot when I have two!

Chicken Breast
     A cooked chicken breast without skin is really healthy and filling, and fulfills protein intake for the day. A lot of females don't get enough protein in their diet, while males take in too much. Idols like Uee, SNSD, and more swear by the chicken breast diet. Just make sure not to add extra oils (some olive oil or dressings like basil are fine though, in my opinion). Remember, a serving of meat is actually the size of a deck of cards! Lean meat is the key, and red meat should be a treat.
 
Sweet Potatoes
    Personally, I like these too much. These are really good for healthy carbs and are very filling. They're also very popular with idols; A Pink ate these a lot while training for debut.

An Idol's Life

  The word 'idol' first meant an inanimate object of worship, but it has evolved to include modern celebrities. On the Korean pop music scene, 'idol groups' are bands consisting of boys or girls in their teenage years or early 20s. And in recent years they've dominated the music industry. But  these stars aren't built in a day. To become a member of one of these bands, young children go through years of grueling training - all without any guarantee of success in the end. Being an idol usually calls for tough schedules and dance practices, but many have revealed what they’ve done to go the extra mile and get that distinguished ‘oomph’ in their figure. How far do these idols go to obtain and maintain their sexy and fit bodies? 

Actor Lee Jung Jea ate ginseng chicken soup 3 times day for 4 months to help achieve his amazing core

    

   Remember Kim Ah Joong from 200 Pounds of Beauty? She has the sexy, most desired body of the post-surgery Kang Hanna. She, along with Oh Yoon A and Cho Han Sun jump rope about 3,000 times everyday! I don’t even think I can count or think straight once I get that high.

   To train for Ninja Assassin, Rain hired trainers who trained the actors of “300.” He trained eight hours a day for eight months! As for diet, he only ate skinless chicken breast, raw fish, potatoes and salad. If he wanted spice, he would add some black pepper. Occasionally he treated himself to beef cooked in plain water. He cut his body fat from 12% to 5%!

    After Secret’s Zinger showed off her V-line, netizens began looking for the “Zinger Diet.” A supposed diet plan stated, “Morning 1 piece of toast with fat free milk, afternoon 1 sweet potato, evening 1 cucumber.” The menu varied from apples or chicken meat but most of the foods had very little calories and supplements to an insufficient full day meal. Fortunately, Zinger posted these wise words on her minihompy, “The diet plan that was revealed through media is not my daily meal plan. I definitely did not diet that way. You could ruin your health with that diet plan so please don’t follow it. Please lose weight slowly with constant exercise and food intake control. Through hard practice and diet, I will work to be Zinger who shows her good side.”

Well said, Zinger!

    The Wonder Girls , the girl group whose debut became the first by any Korean musicians to make it onto the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, lost a member to the stress of idol life. Sun-mi announced she was leaving to focus on her studies. The 19-year-old's decision came during the group's U.S. tour in 2009.
 "It was such a happy and precious experience for me to be on the tour of 50 U.S. cities and perform on the stage, but I came to wonder, can I go on living like this?' Sun-mi said in a statement later released by the group's management agency JYP Entertainment.
   Sun-mi's announcement not only jolted fans, but also stirred up controversy about the pressure on idol performers - either yet a trainee aspiring to be an idol star or already such a one - to maintain a schedule some say is too hard for a teenager to bear.

    Korean entertainment agencies look out to create idols, which they then also manage, maintain well-ordered training programs. Prospective talents in music or acting register with an agency, then, if accepted, undergo four to five years, on average, of training before their debuts. During that process, the company may require the aspiring star to live in a boarding house with colleagues (or rivals), go on a strict diet with regular weight checks and put in more than 10 hours of practice a day. The trainees under the entertainment label of their choice don't exactly know when they will debut,if that ever arrives

   Jo Kwon(2AM) and Min(Miss A) go way back as they had trained under JYP Entertainment for 8-10 years

 

Going Global

 As some of us have seen, there's this current wave going global. I'm talking about the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, to some. It has been taking the world by storm with every year. It has struck all over Asia - China, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia. It has struck Europe - The UK, France, Germany. South America - Brazil, Chile, Peru. It has been growing so much that it is now coming to North America as well. Although it is coming to America, it's not its first attempt. If some of you have been in touch with the Korean Wave for some time, you have seen Se7en, BoA, JYJ and more try to get into the American music market. Though it may not have been a huge success for them, they have paved the road for the current Idols trying to debut in the U.S.

Other artists such as Wonder Girls and Girls Generation have started their American debut in the past year. The Wonder Girls started out with an English version of their hit song Nobody in 2009. Being played on Radio Disney and other stations and even performing on The Wendy Willams show. They have also starred in their own movie, The Wonder Girls, on Teen Nick. They have also been nominated for Best Asian Act on Teen Choice Awards.
Girls Generation recently made their U.S debut and performed on The David Letterman Show on February 1st and on Live With Kelly the following morning. The girls performing on Letterman's show would make any fan proud as it's a show that can launch an artist's career.
Another group's American debut is highly anticipated. It is none another than 2NE1 who has been working with Will.I.am of The Black Eyed Peas. They've also been crowned Best New Band of 2011 on MTV Iggy without even debuting in the American market.

SM Entertainment - home of Girls Generation, Super Junior, TVXQ and more, has been going around the world with their SM Town concert. They've gone all over Asia, Europe, North and South America and every time, they are greeted by hundreds of fans at the airport. SM Town is loved so much that fans wanted more. SME agreed and sent their artists to North America for a second time.
Famous idol group Big Bang has also been spotted in NYC shooting their music video for Bad Boy.


The best way to listen to the varieties Korean music is The Korean Music Festival or Youtube. KMF is the most notable and annual event in Southern California. It's a program that brings only the most noted artists of Korea. Selling out to a full house of 18,000 each year, the Festival surpasses all expectations and records as it takes root as a Korean American tradition. The Korean Music Festival is held at the world-famous Hollywood Bowl and attracts people not only from Southern California, but also from the rest of the nation and the world. This festival all started in 2003 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Korean immigration to the United States and has since grown into one of the most anticipated annual events in California. Global artists such has BoA and Rain have graced the stage to be enjoyed by Koreans and non-Koreans alike. KMF is a 4 hour long concert that consists of 12-15 artist lineup of K-Pop Idol groups to famous 'Trot' singers of past years. At the end of the concert an amazing firework finale starts and all the artists come out thanking the fans and singing.

Since Korean music is now going global, we can see how much it is loved. Hopefully Hallyu will grow onto Americans and the world even more than it is now. So far is has grown on Ludacris who has worked with YG Entertainment to produce SOUL by Ludacris headphones in South Korea. Continue to support your favorite artists and we'll see a new world of music soon enough.