You Reap What You Sow

Music blaring, adrenaline surging and clothes completely soaking through with sweat; these are some the elements of a zealous passion-filled performance. No matter what kind of performer or genre of music a musician performs, the most important thing is to make a connection with the fans, make them feel important and make any event an experience that fans can’t forget.

In order to accomplish this, it means artist/artists must invest their time, energy and creativity. When these three qualities are equally invested, it creates a recipe for the perfect performance. The problem is performers who follow this recipe are a dying breed.
It is more likely that we will find stories about our favorite artist venturing out to the clubs with his/her latest fling, throwing a party for whatever holiday is closest or being captured in the middle of his/her latest scandal, plastered across the tabloids or sliding across our news feeds. And while our loyalty may belong to our favorite musician/ group, the effort that they’re willing to invest into practice, fan events and performances the stronger our loyalty will remain.

Unlike most Western musicians, the likelihood of finding a slanderous scandal about a Kpop idol is a lot less likely to be found in the latest news. Although scandal in the world of Korean entertainment isn’t impossible and does occasionally happen it is very rare that it makes it to the public. Kpop idols may occasionally be seen at clubs, but the chances of anyone finding them in a club under improper or disreputable circumstances are about as likely as seeing a real-life unicorn trotting across your bedroom in the next five minutes. They are called Idols for a reason.

Idols are expected to have the most respectable and professional behavior while in public while working and while speaking to fans; in fact, often times cameras may capture members of a group reminding each other not to curse because they care being recorded live. The companies that sign these idols expect not only for them to maintain spotless reputations, they expect strong vocals, flawless choreography, and well-rounded entertainment skills. That is what sets Kpop idols apart from Western musician.

*Kpop copyright composer, songwriter, and arranger master-list*

 

 

For Sister Whitlock: what-I’ve-learned-about-blogging

December 10, 2016August 14, 2017 by worldkpopculture Categories: Blog post, UncategorizedTags: behavior, companies, contracts, culture, dancing, difference, entertainment, expectations, foreign, global, idols, Korea, Kpop, Languages, Music, music industry, musicians, perfection, Records, reflection, respect, scandal, schedules, singing, skills, South Korea, training, You Reap What You Sow Leave a comment

WINGS is Soaring to the Top of Charts.

1.Begin 2.Lie 3.Stigma 4.First Love 5.Reflection 6.Mama 7.Awake. To the unknowing public these just seem like words that have nothing to do with each other, but for those who thrive on the life source that is Kpop, these seven subjects are titles to seven solo tracks whose messages plagued the minds of all who watched them with innumerable questions. These seven solo tracks come from an album that has taken not just Korea but the world by storm.

Bangtan Sonyeodan (BTS) has been capturing the attention of music lovers around the world with the release of their newest album WINGS on Sunday, October 10, 2016.With the release of WINGS, came a series of record-breaking feats. After dropping the album and music video for their title track, “Blood Sweat & Tears,” on, Sunday. BTS’ record-breaking streak was officially sparked.

 

The title track,  “Blood Sweat & Tears”, was written with reggae, moombahton, and trap influences but still, manages to capture BTS’ signature style. Within hours of its music video release, “Blood Sweat and Tears” broke the YouTube video view record for most viewed video in the first 24 hours with 6.34 million views. And,  BTS only continued to claim record after record. They were the second Kpop performers, after PSY, to break 10 million views.  Today the “Blood, Sweat, & Tears” music video already has over 83 million views.  The WINGS album also managed to sweep music charts across the globe from South Korea to South America.

 What is the meaning behind such a successful album? BTS’ leader Kim Namjoon (Rap Monster) explained the concept of the album as the temptations of growing up, “the harder a temptation is to resist, the more you think about it and vacillate. That uncertainty is part of the process of growing. [Blood Sweat & Tears] is a song that shows how one thinks, chooses, and grows.” Lead Rapper and assistant composer/producer Min Yoongi (Suga) added, “the wings pictured in the music video are one of the symbols of growth, the song relays an optimistic determination to use our wings to go far, even if we are met with temptations in life.”

Not only did BTS break YouTube music records, WINGS broke Kpop history by ranking 1st place on the iTunes Top Album Chart immediately after it was released, setting the record as the first Kpop artists to ever place 1st with a full-length album on the Top Album Chart. And for the first time in history, all fifteen tracks from the album  place spots, 1st through 15th on the iTunes K-Pop Chart,  deeming the event in history as “Lining Up.”  BTS set records all over the globe on charts in American, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, Sweden and more for a total of 27 countries. 

Several world-famous music channels, such as FuseTV, I Heart Radio and more all sent out praise for the group. The very next day after the album’s release, Billboard wrote an article with the title “BTS Soars to New Heights With ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’”. The article claimed “2016 has been a big year for BTS”, and described how each member has grown as musicians through their 2nd full-length album. Billboard cited the group as a key player in spreading K-Pop all throughout the world

Watch “Blood Sweat and Tears ” MV

Whether people’s attention is held hostage by story behind BTS’ album/songs, the extraordinary video quality,  the  difficult choreography that’s made to look simple, captivating vocals, the hypnosis of how strange the whole Kpop thing is or any number of other things, BTS has made it clear that they are not here to be just any other idols. There’s a saying when it rains, it pours; BTS are proving themselves to just be the first raindrop in a flood of Noah proportions.

Extras:

• Album lists
• WINGS Gallery
• acoustic videos

November 5, 2016August 14, 2017 by worldkpopculture Categories: Blog post, Kpop, South Korea, UncategorizedTags: All kill, Army, awake, Bangtan, begin, Billboad, Blood Sweat and Tears, breaking reacords, BTS, captivating, choreography, culture, dancing, entertainment, Extras, first love, Hardwork, idols, itunes, Korea, Kpop, lie, Lining Up, mama, Music, music industry, perfection, Record breaking, Records, reflection, singing, skills, stigma, video links, video quality, WINGS, YouTube video view record Leave a comment