Posts by frala19

I always have respect for idols who make huge improvements after debut, especially when they were already successful and didn't "need" to. A lot of people who talk shit about Giselle don't know she had the shortest trainee period for any female idol in SM. Coming from someone who learned how to dance late in life, it takes a very long time for anyone's body to get comfortable dancing, but especially learning as an adult.

Anyway, glad she's finally getting more love for her performance skills because you can tell just how much she's worked on them.

For men, definitely Xiaojun

For women it's a tossup between Ningning and Wheein

I have a distaste for commenting on talent in general, but I think the comparison is interesting.

Clearly aespa is winning the poll. I didn't have to look at it to know that, and I do think that individually, aespa members all stand out skills-wise. But that makes sense perfect sense. Both aespa and the artists formerly known as NewJeans accomplish their polar opposite concepts perfectly. Conceptually, aespa is supposed to be badasses from another world with superpowers and AI counterparts. You watch/listen them, and you are stimulated in a maximalist way.

But the NewJeans concept is minimal and clean, creating a vibe and an cohesive image with no member standing out. It would be inappropriate if they did. Of course, then, they have a different style of presentation and therefore training. People tend to focus too much on talent, when training and dedication have far greater of an impact.

Both accomplish their goal, and therefore I think both are equally impressive.

I understand how the word "talent" is used in the Kpop world, but it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Talent is irrelevent. We can't measure it, and all we see is the end result which came about as a result of a combination of talent, training, the resources and effort put in to improve skills.

However, if your asking for my opinion on skills, I believe NMIXX overall had more effective or just more in training in general which translates to better skills, at at least the ones that I value.

The comparison makes no sense. Gangnam Style was a massive global sensation in a time where Kpop was barely a blip on the global music market, not to mention when the era of streaming had barely started. I was in (an American) university when it came out, and everyone was talking about it. My a cappella group had a reference to it in one of our arrangements and the crowd went wild every time. I'll add that not a single one of our members listened to Kpop before, including myself. The only comparable songs I can think of off the top of my head in recent memory are Despacito and Baby Shark, as far as global multi-generational virality.

Quote from CaraFIMIE

Improved??

I don't think they were bad to begin with.

I don't think that was the implication. You can be great, the best even, and still improve.

Dead genre? Bro has never heard of Bruno Mars.

That's not even mentioning that like half of all Kpop groups in the 2010s have at least one song that could be considered New Jack Swing. Interesting, well-made video though.

As far as music I listen to recreationally, I probably listen to Kpop the most. But that's just at the moment (in the past 3-4 months or so). It fluctuates.

I'm primarily just listening to the music. There are some groups that I listen to regularly, where I'm only vaguely aware of how they look. Of course if I'm watching an MV or performance or whatnot, I'd much prefer to look at people who are good looking of course. That being said, at a baseline, I'd consider essentially every idol good looking. Sure some might be more attractive than others, but as it is, I've never been the kind of person who is particularly positively (or negatively, for that matter) blown away by someone's looks on a profound level.

Quote from Kataphract

As an american, being drunk on an electric scooter is more of a nuisance (i.e. public drunkenness) than a deadly crime (going 200 mph in a school zone while DUI)

I just wanted to point out that electric scooters are deadly. Literally a couple months ago in my LA neighborhood, a old man was hit by a woman not paying attention on an electric scooter going way too fast and he died. Was she drunk? No idea. It was a hit and run, and as far as I know, they never found her. Regardless, my point is that I really wish people wouldn't downplay how dangerous electric scooters are.

That being said. Nobody, let alone idols, deserve any of hate they receive. But also another reminder that Korean idols are idols. They are meant to be role models, and they are subject to much more scrutiny than popstars comparatively in the West are. Again, I don't condone it, but plenty of idols have their careers ended for less (Seunghan being a very recent example), so I don't think Suga's case is particularly uniquely harsh in its backlash.

Quote from MassiveKpopFan

For me, my favorite song of hers is The Road. Such a beautiful ballad.

Also my favorite of hers.

Yeah, I've seen your posts, and I usually just leave it alone, but this is the kind of shit that gives professional musicians a bad name. I don't go around talking about this because it literally does not matter and does not make my opinion inherently more valuable. I have a Master's degree in Music Theory and Composition, and am a full time working musician, so you could say I "know something about music".

I know nothing I say is going to change your mind or your behavior, so I'm directing this to anyone else who is reading. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that nobody seems to be buying this bullshit, but just in case. Don't let anyone tell you their opinion on art is more valuable because of some arbitrary criteria like their job title. Also, not all of us industry professionals are this insufferable. Carry on.

I'm not positive on how things work in South Korea, or how powerful their unions are, but in the US, they are required to be compensated the minimum union rates. But, to be fair, the pay rate is minimal, and virtually nothing to most of these celebrities.

Most do these appearances as self brand promotion, and/or as a "favor" to the industry.

Quote from Tru-Multistan

I thought mamamoo and momoland were the same group.

Before I knew about official fandom names I thought BTS fans just went around calling themselves the BTS ARMY.

I just found out like last week that ARMY is an acronym which really blew my mind.

I just found out from this post that ARMY is an acronym.

Theoretically, if the right situation presented itself, I suppose. Like if we met at some event and we talked, and the vibes were good, and they asked me out, then sure, why not. I don't think there are many idols period I would say no to in that case, let alone any of my biases, barring certain age considerations.

Lip syncing is something we just deal with period. It's not just Kpop. The difference is Kpop fans are given infinitely more televised content to dissect. And I guess western artists are just better at it. Yes, granted, it has gotten worse, but I'm actually not that bothered by it when it comes to Music Shows, which is I think where its the most glaringly obvious. As somene who works in the film industry, these shoots can be long and brutal, and from what I understand, the idols wake up super early, and film for hours over and over again. We're definitely not going to be getting their best vocals. Anything in the US that is filmed like that will be lip synced. I mean, 4 of the most world renowned classical musicians "lip (hand) synced" at one of Obama's inagurations, not to mention the Super Bowls.

I do think concerts is where I would call it unacceptable to not at least sing most of it live though, which to be fair, at least all the Kpop groups I follow do.

Hard disagree. I overall prefer their B-sides.

Nice. I enjoyed it.

It's interesting so many of the comments are Japanese. I didn't realize they had so many Japanese fans,.

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