[Hot Take] Why does it matter whether a kpop idol is considered a real artist/musician?

  • I feel like this insistance to categorise idols into real artists/musicians and not real ones is very pretentious. Aren't we all here to enjoy music and get entertained or emotional or feel understood or relatable with? All of these idols, regardless of what the offer, ARE offering something that makes someone out there happy and gives them joy so it is really disrespectful to dismiss the importance of their work because of some arbitrary hierarchy that puts more importance in one particular skill than another. Why are performing skills looked down upon and taken for granted? what would your favorite songs be without performers and singers giving life and emotion to them? you are not consuming the product straight out of the producer's files, you are consuming the performers' interpretation of that product and no one knows whether you'd like the same product as much if it was interpreted by a different performer? so why so pretentious?


    the way kpop fans obsess over self producing and self writing, you'd think an idols that pens 2 lines in a random filler bside and can barely sing live is more of an artist than someone like Park Hyo Shin who never writes or produces his music.

    flashnews: singing is an art and so are dancing and performing. these are deserving of respect and celebration as much as any other forum of art, as long as the consumers feel like it.

  • Whether or not you write or produce your own songs, you are a musician. You don't see people shooting Rihanna for not writing her own songs but apparently in KPOP it doesn't work the same. Whitney Houston don't write like 99% of her songs, are you going to call her "not a real musician"?


    I do appreciate though, the extra hard work and love singer songwriters do in writing and producing their own music like Mairah Carey sunbaenim.


    It's ok to love your faves for writing and producing their own music. What is not ok is shooting down other artists for not doing so, and using your faves' music (not even your on music) to shade other artists.


    It is EVEN MORE NOT OK, to downplay the hard work and success of other artists by calling them not "actual talented musicians" or that they are just "nice to look at"

  • This thread is embarrassing.

    Of course it's a big difference when someone put their blood, sweat and tears in their work or is singing a work from someone else.

    It's not only Kpop thing its a worldwide thing where people respect musicians who put their own experience and heart in their songs.

  • Whether or not you write or produce your own songs, you are a musician. You don't see people shooting Rihanna for not writing her own songs but apparently in KPOP it doesn't work the same


    It's ok to love your faves for writing and producing their own music. What is not ok is shooting down other artists for not doing so, and using your faves' music (not even your on music) to shade other artists.


    It is EVEN MORE NOT OK, to downplay the hard work and success of other artists by calling them not "actual talented musicians" or that they are just "nice to look at"

    exactly


    this narrative seems to be prevalent only in the kpop community. i Assure you that any korean citizen would laugh in your face if you told them Park Hyo Shin or Sohyang were not real artists or that they're lesser artists than an idol who once wrote a song alongside a bunch of other writers.

    i feel like the moment a fan puts importance on the identity of the producer, any form of objectivity jumps out the window.


    Besides, let's not forget that no matter how involved idols are in the production process, they are still controlled by a company to varying levels. what's the point of idols having an illusion of freedom of they still have to answer to a company's whims on what kind of songs they can and can't release? for example, iKON's BI once said that even though he produced all of their music, YG still got to decide what songs they were allowed to promote even against the members' own wills. how is that freedom?


    i stan Super Junior, who run their own label. Even though they don't produce most of their music, they still have more creative control and freedom than most of not all kpop groups. And yet, i never feel the need or desire to use this pretentious argument to put other artists down or shut their fans up.

  • This thread is embarrassing.

    Of course it's a big difference when someone put their blood, sweat and tears in their work or is singing a work from someone else.

    It's not only Kpop thing its a worldwide thing where people respect musicians who put their own experience and heart in their songs.

    surprise, idols put their hearts and emotions in their singing and dancing too.

  • this narrative seems to be prevalent only in the kpop community. i Assure you that any korean citizen would laugh in your face if you told them Park Hyo Shin or Sohyang were not real artists or that they're lesser artists than an idol who once wrote a song alongside a bunch of other writers.

    Oh god Sohyang the best singer in the country


    :pepe-sad::pepe-sad::pepe-sad::pepe-sad:

  • for example, iKON's BI once said that even though he produced all of their music, YG still got to decide what songs they were allowed to promote even against the members' own wills. how is that freedom?

    Day6 also face this. Like they write 20 - 30 songs, and the company chooses what to go on the album. I mean they are ok with it, they said they haven't really faced a situation whereby they desperately wanted a song to be on the album but the company said no.


    But yeah to some extent their freedom is still somewhat restricted. I do still appreciate how much space JYPE/StudioJ give them when it comes to making the music they love.

  • Rihanna has had full creative control over her career since her 3rd album in 2008. The comparison is mute. She fully carved her sound and image.


    She owns her masters and owns her own record label and she has co-written songs throughout her career.

  • Day6 also face this. Like they write 20 - 30 songs, and the company chooses what to go on the album. I mean they are ok with it, they said they haven't really faced a situation whereby they desperately wanted a song to be on the album but the company said no.


    But yeah to some extent their freedom is still somewhat restricted. I do still appreciate how much space JYPE/StudioJ give them when it comes to making the music they love.

    and it is the same for many other "self produced" groups


    first of all, "self produced" is such a misused expression. there are very few groups that are truly self produced. like M&D for example (Heechul and Jungmo) literally 100% of their lyrics were written by Heechul (alone) and 100% of their songs were composed, arranged and recorded by Jungmo. now THAT is self produced. However, working alongside other more experienced producers doesn't make you a self produced artist or group.


    then there is the fact the company still gets to decide on your concept and the songs that will represent you. so this is like working under comissions lol. of course any kind of controbution and creativity counts and deserve respect and celebration. but the claim that this is more personal is an illusion. this is personal under demand.

  • and it is the same for many other "self produced" groups


    first of all, "self produced" is such a misused expression. there are very few groups that are truly self produced. like M&D for example (Heechul and Jungmo) literally 100% of their lyrics were written by Heechul (alone) and 100% of their songs were composed, arranged and recorded by Jungmo. now THAT is self produced. However, working alongside other more experienced producers doesn't make you a self produced artist or group.


    then there is the fact the company still gets to decide on your concept and the songs that will represent you. so this is like working under comissions lol. of course any kind of controbution and creativity counts and deserve respect and celebration. but the claim that this is more personal is an illusion. this is personal under demand.

    That's why I don't really brag about the term "self produced" that much because I know people will come for me. I usually say they write and co-produce their music, since they mostly work with this 1 producer for all their music that followed them from debut till now, and occasionally 1 - 2 extras for specific songs.


    The company thing though it's not just KPOP, it happens in the west as well, where singer songwriters sometimes want to push a certain song they love, but the label deem it as "not public friendly" enough for the charts or something

  • i don't know why you insist to pretend this is something exclusive to KPop. Rock bands are notoriously more appreciated because they play their own instruments and write their own material etc.

  • I think that debate sometimes take away the possibility of really appreciating things. Sometimes self-producing and self-writing means there is no one else to do that for them. Also a lot of self-producing and self-writing would be better if it had never happened.

  • i don't know why you insist to pretend this is something exclusive to KPop. Rock bands are notoriously more appreciated because they play their own instruments and write their own material etc.

    i don't know why it didn't cross your imagination that maybe i am not pretending but describing things from my perspective and through my own experience. rock bands are not part of the culture where i live and i don't follow western music scene, that's why you don't see me mentioning them.


    besides, this is a kpop forum, so of course i am going to focus on kpop.

  • I-I just made a thread praising my faves :peperain: j/


    I have a very simple definition. A person is an artist If they work with art. Singing, dancing, rapping, writing, composing, arraging, playing instruments etc

    They are all art, imo.

    exactly this.

    all of these skills and talents are beautiful and deserve respect. there is no need to create an arbitrary hierarchy of artistry in pop music.

  • I-I just made a thread praising my faves :peperain: j/


    I have a very simple definition. A person is an artist If they work with art. Singing, dancing, rapping, writing, composing, arraging, playing instruments etc

    They are all art, imo.

    Best definition, imo.


    I'm not going to invalidate the hard work people put in their dancing practices, vocal classes, various instruments' lessons etc, just because they don't self-produce or write songs.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!