Would Z-girls and Z-POP been received better by Kpop fans if these changes were made?

  • Z-pop Dream was a attempt of making Kpop globalized by using english lyrics, and giving some asian nationalities not usually getting recruited by Kpop agencies a chance. That seems to have failed since Zgirls and Zboys seems to be on indefinite hiatus and perhaps even quietly disbanded. But what if their lineup and debut songs was totally different? Despite not singing in korean and having korean members.


    This is the original lineup of Z-Girls and their debut song.

    NamasteHallyu_ZGirls-01.jpg


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    The song was generic and very outdated to be honest. It sounded like something made in early 2000's. The girls look fine, but many said they don't fit the korean beauty standard.


    But what if the lineup was this? I kept Carlyn(filippino), Mahiro(japanese)and Joanne(taiwanese)because I think they do fit Kpop standard.

    Zgirls alternative lineup.jpg

    And their debut song would have a sound like Loona's ''Star'' english version.

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    Do you think they would have been received better by fans, and not been banned from performing on korean music shows?

  • im about to sound fuckin stupid but here i go.


    i think what allows western world to accept kpop is that it's "foreign" so the standard they hold western artists/white people/black people to and the authenticity they can mentally work around it.


    i think pure english kpop can work, but it needs to be asian/asian america/latinos mixed in if you want, to hold a bit of that foreign concept


    so i think i agree with u

  • Uni909

    Changed the title of the thread from “Would Z-girls and Z-POP been been received better by Kpop fans if these changes were made?” to “Would Z-girls and Z-POP been received better by Kpop fans if these changes were made?”.
  • Rose recent solo debut was in english and WayV doesn't have one single korean member, but can perform in chinese on korean shows. I understand they are from big companies and have leverage over korean broadcasters. But I think a lineup of Zgirls that has beauty standard that matched with Kpop and a high-quality song, the korean shows wouldn't have been so hesitant to let them perform. Don't think all of them would open their arms, but Show Champion that has in the past invited foreign artists, THE SHOW since it's small, and Arirang Simple Kpop because of it's international profile would surely let the Zgirls perform.

  • No official statement has been released. But Zenith Media Contents got shut down last year, and they haven't been updating since last May. So things aren't looking bright. They're not even in Korea anymore.


    i just saw a video of them posted 2 monhs ago saying how they are preparing to resume activities when te situation will be better

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  • i just saw a video of them posted 2 monhs ago saying how they are preparing to resume activities when te situation will be better

    Yeah I just saw it too. But before that, they were dead quiet. I just lost faith they will ever come back. They're now stuck with a technology company in Singapore nobody knows a thing about. If Zenith was still around and despite them being a shitty company, they would still have that connection to Korea and Kpop. Without that connection, I think it's a lost cause.

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    Edited once, last by Uni909 ().

  • Why does this literally sounds like the JPop-group INTERSECTION to me?


    INTERSECTION is a 4 member boygroup formed by AVEX debuted in 2018 consisting of 4 member who are all only half Japanese. The original purpose was to be an international boygroup to open up JPop to the western world, but in 2020 the member begun to publish Japanese music as like for example the opening to an anime.


    Member:


    36d989baeee8aec347bd7b3b7fe91c16.jpg


    William Aoyama, 20 years old, half Japanese/ half US-American


    As William was 2 years old his family moved from California to Tokyo


    9iO5Nj4i_400x400.jpg


    Mika Hashizume, 22 years old, half Japanese / Half US-American


    He was born and raised on Hawaii and moved with his family to Japan as he was 16


    5372c87800481c99b656ec772e0d45269ee1ca64_5d1224a647748.jpg


    Kazuma Mitchel, 20 years old, Half Japanese / Half US-American


    He is from New York and since he also studies at Harvard he is travling a lot between both countries now


    f27c6062a3a870c069f61f9e70a2fd55.jpg


    Caelan Moriarty, 20 years old (since today the 12th of April), Half Japanese / Half Irish


    Caelan was born in Cuba and moved around the world with his family a lot so he lived in at least 5 different countries so far


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    If you look at them, you can clearly say that they are kinda popular in Japan



    ~ This is how a fully mixed international Asian boygroup looks like when they are sucessfull~

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  • Oh that's just sad. I have heard of them before since one of the members is from my country.

    Yes it is. Their ceo said this:
    ''In an interview with the Korean JoongAng Daily, producer Jun Kang, who founded the Z Pop Dream Project stated that the groups "really want to appear on Korean TV music programs, but the barriers for entry are too high". He continued to state: “I’ve been working in the industry for 30 years and have many connections, but music shows tell us that they want K-pop and Korean songs and that our groups don’t fit in.”


    Not to defend the koreans xenophobia, but they did have a point that the group didn't fit their shows. That's why I made my fictional lineup. I believe visuals that is close to the Kpop beauty standard and a better song, could convince the shows to allow them. Jun Kang, former ceo of Zenith has worked with SM and he does have connections. But since the group is too far off from Kpop, even he couldn't do anything about it. But again, it's his and the company's fault.

  • Interesting thoughts!


    But I think the change in looks for India, Indonesia and Vietnam wouldn't have helped. The problem was the language and the lack of Koreans.


    If they had sung in Korean and had a few Korean members, then it might have established them as a more acceptable KPOP act. Singing in English took them too far away as an Asian act never mind KPOP.


    WayV singing Chinese on Korean shows is an outlier because it is backed by a Big 3 in SM and the members came from a concept, NCT, that everyone knew would create subunits across Asia. If we are lucky enough to get a Vietnamese or Indonesian version of NCT, I guarantee you it would also get on Korean shows like WayV.


    I thought the Vietnamese ZGirl, Queen, looked fine. You shouldn't need to change her:nob:


    8CC15D05-887C-4F3E-96BD-F207E89E2D2A.jpeg

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    Why do I watch survival shows? This!

  • Not saying she is not pretty, but if you wanna impress Kpop fans and korean netizens, you have to have a lot stronger visual. Hien Anh, the vietnamese influencer I replaced Queen with looks a bit like Yiren Everglow and she is considered a top visual.

    Yeah I know coming from one of the big 3 or other popular companies gives them a leverage over korean shows. But I do feel despite not singing in korean and having a korean member, if the girls are as close as it can come to Kpop beauty standard, it could be a selling point. Also all though their debut song will be mainly in english, I would sneak a couple few korean lines in. Similar how SuperM is conducting their music.

    69408eb16f7410df4f22e8cbc0f20383.gif

    Edited once, last by Uni909 ().


  • But that is a different kind of mixing. Intersection are all ethnically mixed Japanese with Caucasian while Z-Boys/Girls are a mixture of Asian nationalities in one group (none of whom are actually mixed from an ethnic standpoint as far as I can tell.)


    Intersection is definitely making a big impression among Chinese fans at Chuang 2021 with their talent and visuals! But I don't how they can be a model for Z-Boys/Girls.

    Why do I watch survival shows? This!

  • Not saying she is not pretty, but if you wanna impress Kpop fans and korean netizens, you have to have a lot stronger visual. Hien Anh, the vietnamese influencer I replaced Queen with looks a bit like Yiren Everglow and she is considered a top visual.

    Yeah I know coming from one of the big 3 or other popular companies gives them a leverage over korean shows. But I do feel despite not singing in korean and having a korean member, if the girls are as close as it can come to Kpop beauty standard, it could be a selling point. Also all though their debut song will be mainly in english, I would sneak a couple few korean lines in. Similar how SuperM is conducting their music.


    Yes, I understand what you mean. But I don't think it would make much of an impact here because the concept is too extreme (a %100 foreign band singing in English.)


    Great visuals would work more for a foreign member in a Korean band. Nichkhun is a stunning visual that opened up Thais as a source for KPOP but if he were on a group that had no Korean and sung in English, he would have had no chance.

    Why do I watch survival shows? This!

  • I think if they had more songs in Korean to at least start off with, maybe there would have been more opportunities? I know WayV performs and Rose's solo is in English but they have members who established themselves in groups that have songs exclusively in Korean.

    ~ ω


  • I think if they had more songs in Korean to at least start off with, maybe there would have been more opportunities? I know WayV performs and Rose's solo is in English but they have members who established themselves in groups that have songs exclusively in Korean.

    Same. Even with the lineup we got, I always prefered Zgirls over Zboys. But I think with a even stronger visual and better produced song, english or korean, they would have gotten somewhere. They were under a korean company, so with two improved factors would have definately gotten them more oppertunities in Korea.

  • Yes, I understand what you mean. But I don't think it would make much of an impact here because the concept is too extreme (a %100 foreign band singing in English.)


    Great visuals would work more for a foreign member in a Korean band. Nichkhun is a stunning visual that opened up Thais as a source for KPOP but if he were on a group that had no Korean and sung in English, he would have had no chance.

    I agree. However, if they would have gone with lineup I made and debuted with a more stronger song despite singing in english, the impression of the group and their looks would be better received. Especially for Vietnam's part. Like knetizens and korean companies would have a second thought about vietnamese appearance. ''Oh she looks like a baby Irene'' for example. That could change koreans perceptions of vietnamese and maybe open the door for trainees. With Queen, I don't think so many were impressed. She is pretty, but average. Some say she looks like Joy, but that's just it.

    Hien Anh.jpg

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