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| I love how this poster include YMGA. classic |
K-Pop Uncovered: Making Bubblegum, Part 1
Detractors, and perhaps even some supporters, argue that many idol stars are not truly “musical artists,” since many can neither read nor write music. The term “entertainer” is often used to label these actors, dancers, MCs, and product spokespeople – who also happen to be able to sing. Although the amount of singing each K-pop star contributes is sometimes questionable. For example, Super Junior has thirteen members and Girls’ Generation has nine – I often wonder how much singing an individual member gets to do in a three-minute song. And being auto-tuned and quietly mixed into the chorus doesn’t count
Ten to 12-hour work days, seven days a week – that is the life of a K-pop star-in-training. Of course, the honor of even getting to this level is afforded only to a select few.
I asked the group to describe a typical day, and Kevin (a San Francisco native whose somewhat feminine features marked him as the band’s requisite “pretty boy”) filled me in: two hours of exercise in the morning, four hours of dance and choreography classes, two hours of vocal training, and two additional hours for review and language studies. This was their 24-7 schedule – and is in addition to busy days on the road touring, appearing on television programs, or recording music.
the band’s “tough guy” Eli added that, “[We] can’t go out whenever we want…[I]f you’re hanging out at night and you go out and someone sees you, or it could be someone from a different company, [they could ask] why’s he around playing like that and then it gets all…” Eli made a strangling sound, indicating that even innocent behavior could come back and cause a big headache for the company.
“Being an entertainer, to be honest, especially teenagers who think it’s a glamorous thing – it’s only on-stage or on television,” said Alexander. “Behind the scenes, we put in lot of effort. We are also worried and get stressed about how we can keep being popular, and how to keep our fame and be a successful star. We also have to think about what’s the next [step] in [our careers]
And what was that next step?
Alexander, on the other hand, gave a different answer:
“I’d like to continue my education. Seriously, it’s true that entertainers have to learn everything. You can’t only sing and dance, you have to act and MC [as well] because Korea’s so competitive. But I don’t think this can go long term.”
“You can be, like, the top, and all of a sudden, one little mistake, and you can be down here,” agreed Eli.
“Not even a mistake,” said Alexander softly. “As time goes by…”
Alexander’s voice trailed off, and I wondered what it must be like to know your dreams had an expiration date. I also wondered if sacrificing one’s youth – the only years of your life when being stupid and immature could create your most treasured memories – was worth a reward that may not even be attainable.
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The trend toward a more naturalistic and approachable depiction of idol stars, according to Isak (a former member of SM's unsuccessful duo, Isak N Jiyeon), is a positive one, and she heaped a great deal of praise on 2NE1, a four-member girl group represented by YG Entertainment:
“I don’t think 2NE1 is the typical Korean pretty girl,” said Isak. “I think they’re the most beautiful girls in the world because they don’t have double eyelids; because they don’t have noses that hit the ceiling; because they don’t have that “entertainer” look that people have grown accustomed to.”
“They [the management companies] promise before you debut, ‘we’re going to house you, we’re going to feed you, we’re going to give you all the lessons you need. Do your best’ and then we think that that’s all free,” remembered Isak. She soon learned, however, that all the expenses that went into her upkeep, including stylists, salon visits, manager fees, food, and clothing, were deducted from her pay.
Young Kim, host of the Arirang Radio program “K-pop Zone” and former rapper for such groups as S#arp and Uptown in the late 1990s, noted just how little money one could make, even as a member of relatively successful groups: “I made about three thousand dollars in the seven months that I was promoting the [S#arp] album.”
There are big risks at stake for those investing in idol groups. These risks did not go unnoticed by Isak who understood her previous lack of freedom, stating that, “[We] are products. I know it sounds very bad, but we are products, and that’s why our companies…sometimes treat us like products.”
However, for all the financial risks the companies bear, perhaps the biggest gambles are still those taken by the talent in sacrificing their youth to achieve national or even international stardom. As D-Lite (Daesung Kang) of Big Bang put it, sacrificing “common things in life that we liked – walking around the streets, time to hang out with old friends, etc…” was something he knew he’d have to do. Every idol star has gone into the K-pop game knowing the cost of fame. Behind the bright lights and their big smiles hides another truth, which D-Lite voiced in simple terms: “We all knew that we had to let it [their former lives] go when we decided to [join] Big Bang but, honestly, sometimes it’s tough on me.”
As I pondered the pressures of surviving in a shrinking Korean music market, I could only think, “It’s tough all around, kid.”source: MTV Iggy
