Team
I have been meaning to check this site out for a while, but have finally got around to doing it. Yesasia.com is a site dedicated to being the shopping mall for all things Japanese pop, Korean Pop and Chinese Pop. You can buy stuff here, buy sheet music, get digital stuff here, buy clothes online... You can do it all here !! its all at your fingertips ! So what are you waiting for ! GO HERE !!! DO IT !! NOW !!! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO !!!!
www.yesasia.com
Showing posts with label Korean Popular Culture.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Korean Popular Culture.. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
I am a Castaway on the moon !!!!!!
Well not in real life I am not, but this delightful little Korean movie might just make me seek to reconsider that !! I mean hey, what could indeed be better then living on the moon right ??? Hmmm definitely something to investigate I feel. Just need to raise the cash first hehehe.
You know what though team ? Its actually ironic that I wasn't on the ground when I saw this movie. I was most likely somewhere over the China/Taiwan region in a Malaysian airlines jet on route from Seoul, Korea; to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I guess its not quite the moon but its indeed as close as most of us will actually get in our lives lol.
I must say though that if a movie could actually take you to the moon, then this one would be it. I simply found this movie delightful, quirky, amusing, Kookie, simple, intellectually stimulating, and just a fun movie all round. Thats quite a pleasant recollection yes !!?? Good !! Lets find out why.
" Castaway on the moon " centres around the quirky adventures of the two main characters, Kim Seung-keun, ( played by Jeong Jae-Yeong ) and Kim Jeong-Yeon, ( played by Jeong Ryeo-Won ). These two characters really do a great job in carrying the movie forward, and really do keep the movie very simple and pleasing indeed.
Jae-Yeongs character sets the ball rolling on this quirky little number. Seung-keun starts as a young man in a crisis. He is not happy in life, he is despondent in his job, and well.. everything seems to be going wrong. Oh yes, debt, a common trigger for woe, also emerges as a huge problem for Seung-Keun, and this is the final straw for him. His residence in dark mental place in his life is confirmed when he recieves a phone call one day that says he has racked up a huuuuuuuuuge debt and sets him for the worst. It also directs him to a bridge crossing over the Han River in Seoul, which in his ideal plan and plot, is now the last bridge he will ever cross, stand on, and walk across ... ever. Period. Yep, suicide seems to be his way out, so he ...well... duly follows through with this ideal, with the end of it all in mind, jumping into the waters of the Han River........
..........and duly managing to get himself onto a deserted little Island in the middle of the Han River.
Seung-Keun is duly unamused by this situation. He feels that he can not live, yet is now compounded by the reality that death obviously doesn't want to come easily to him also. He truely is a clutz yes !!! He just simply can not seem to get things right lol. Ah the complexities of it all. Thankfully though for him, life actually gets quirky, amusing and simplier from here.
Especially with the introduction of Kim Jeong-Yeon.
To say that Seung-Keun and Jeong-Yeon are 2 vastly different characters is quite an understatement indeed. They are at vastly opposite ends of the scale. Seung-Keun, on the surface, has potential to succeed. He was working in a big company and well.... if he had his life together ... maybe could have gone on to bigger and better things. A real case of inner turmoil killing off outer potential you could indeed say. Jeong-Yeon, on the other hand, is a completely visible alternate and, in the eyes of society, a total and utter reclusive nut so to speak.
Yet it is not her outside look and appearance that sets her up in this movie. Her outer lack of conformity hides an inside that has a strong concern, care and curiousity about things. Yes, she ie reclusive and struggles with the outside world, but its the outside world that helps her develop an inate sense of curiousity about life. Particularly her life when Seung-Keun enters it. Even if it is unintentional, inadvertent and purely circumstantial.
Lets look at Jeong-Yeon a little more for the minute. Jeong-Yeon lives in clutter. Seriously. She basically hoards a lot, and one of those things hoarded is a telescope, which she regularly uses to look out of her room and gaze into the outside world. She is quite curious about the outside world and seems to show interest in many of the things in it.
As this is going on, Seung-Keun is gradually settling into his new life on the desserted little island. He is fending for himself, enjoying his freedom, and rediscovering a zest for life. Jeong-Yeon is spending much more time behind the computer, looking out of her binoculars more, and really getting curious about the world. Seung-keun is starting to wish to connect with others again. Jeong-Yeon is getting more curious about the world. Seung-Keun tries to communicate with the world through various means. Jeong-Yeon seeks something interesting in the world.
And then she finds Seung-Keun.
Seriously. Yep. Her telescope spent so much time looking for something and yes it found Seung-Keun. And so the connection between the two began.
Jeong-Yeon was completely intrigued by Seung-Keun, and so they begin communicating. Seriously. One in a cluttery bedroom. The other on a desserted island. Communicating via messages in the sand and in bottles. Establishing a very unlikely connection indeed.
Seung-Keun and his life on the island becomes an all consuming thought for Jeong-Yeon. She takes photos of him also. She puts him up in her room. Seung-Keun begins to really love a solitary life on the island, and this really does intrigue Jeong-Yeon. She is especially interested in how he cooks and gets food for himself. So much so that she if even sends him home delivery noodles !!!!!Seriously !!! She sends a little noodle delivery man on his scooter to the island to feed him !!!!
However, its here where things take a turn. The police are eventually alerted to Seung-Keuns presence on the island and they go there to remove him. Jeong-Yeon is alarmed by this and actually decides to leave her room and go looking for him. Meeting him now becomes inevitable.
And guess what team... I AINT GONNA TELL YA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT !!!!!!
You have to come and watch it !!!!
You can see it here with english subtitles..
www.DLAznMovies.com
You can also see the trailer here
Team, you really need to watch this movie. Its truely a delightful take on how two people from completely different backgrounds, and on completely different levels, can connect on such a high level with each other. Its a nice take on how communication takes place on not just a verbal level, but also a spiritual level also.
I loved it and you will too team. You owe it to yourself to see it.
You know what though team ? Its actually ironic that I wasn't on the ground when I saw this movie. I was most likely somewhere over the China/Taiwan region in a Malaysian airlines jet on route from Seoul, Korea; to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I guess its not quite the moon but its indeed as close as most of us will actually get in our lives lol.
I must say though that if a movie could actually take you to the moon, then this one would be it. I simply found this movie delightful, quirky, amusing, Kookie, simple, intellectually stimulating, and just a fun movie all round. Thats quite a pleasant recollection yes !!?? Good !! Lets find out why.
" Castaway on the moon " centres around the quirky adventures of the two main characters, Kim Seung-keun, ( played by Jeong Jae-Yeong ) and Kim Jeong-Yeon, ( played by Jeong Ryeo-Won ). These two characters really do a great job in carrying the movie forward, and really do keep the movie very simple and pleasing indeed.
Jae-Yeongs character sets the ball rolling on this quirky little number. Seung-keun starts as a young man in a crisis. He is not happy in life, he is despondent in his job, and well.. everything seems to be going wrong. Oh yes, debt, a common trigger for woe, also emerges as a huge problem for Seung-Keun, and this is the final straw for him. His residence in dark mental place in his life is confirmed when he recieves a phone call one day that says he has racked up a huuuuuuuuuge debt and sets him for the worst. It also directs him to a bridge crossing over the Han River in Seoul, which in his ideal plan and plot, is now the last bridge he will ever cross, stand on, and walk across ... ever. Period. Yep, suicide seems to be his way out, so he ...well... duly follows through with this ideal, with the end of it all in mind, jumping into the waters of the Han River........
..........and duly managing to get himself onto a deserted little Island in the middle of the Han River.
Seung-Keun is duly unamused by this situation. He feels that he can not live, yet is now compounded by the reality that death obviously doesn't want to come easily to him also. He truely is a clutz yes !!! He just simply can not seem to get things right lol. Ah the complexities of it all. Thankfully though for him, life actually gets quirky, amusing and simplier from here.
Especially with the introduction of Kim Jeong-Yeon.
To say that Seung-Keun and Jeong-Yeon are 2 vastly different characters is quite an understatement indeed. They are at vastly opposite ends of the scale. Seung-Keun, on the surface, has potential to succeed. He was working in a big company and well.... if he had his life together ... maybe could have gone on to bigger and better things. A real case of inner turmoil killing off outer potential you could indeed say. Jeong-Yeon, on the other hand, is a completely visible alternate and, in the eyes of society, a total and utter reclusive nut so to speak.
Yet it is not her outside look and appearance that sets her up in this movie. Her outer lack of conformity hides an inside that has a strong concern, care and curiousity about things. Yes, she ie reclusive and struggles with the outside world, but its the outside world that helps her develop an inate sense of curiousity about life. Particularly her life when Seung-Keun enters it. Even if it is unintentional, inadvertent and purely circumstantial.
Lets look at Jeong-Yeon a little more for the minute. Jeong-Yeon lives in clutter. Seriously. She basically hoards a lot, and one of those things hoarded is a telescope, which she regularly uses to look out of her room and gaze into the outside world. She is quite curious about the outside world and seems to show interest in many of the things in it.
As this is going on, Seung-Keun is gradually settling into his new life on the desserted little island. He is fending for himself, enjoying his freedom, and rediscovering a zest for life. Jeong-Yeon is spending much more time behind the computer, looking out of her binoculars more, and really getting curious about the world. Seung-keun is starting to wish to connect with others again. Jeong-Yeon is getting more curious about the world. Seung-Keun tries to communicate with the world through various means. Jeong-Yeon seeks something interesting in the world.
And then she finds Seung-Keun.
Seriously. Yep. Her telescope spent so much time looking for something and yes it found Seung-Keun. And so the connection between the two began.
Jeong-Yeon was completely intrigued by Seung-Keun, and so they begin communicating. Seriously. One in a cluttery bedroom. The other on a desserted island. Communicating via messages in the sand and in bottles. Establishing a very unlikely connection indeed.
Seung-Keun and his life on the island becomes an all consuming thought for Jeong-Yeon. She takes photos of him also. She puts him up in her room. Seung-Keun begins to really love a solitary life on the island, and this really does intrigue Jeong-Yeon. She is especially interested in how he cooks and gets food for himself. So much so that she if even sends him home delivery noodles !!!!!Seriously !!! She sends a little noodle delivery man on his scooter to the island to feed him !!!!
However, its here where things take a turn. The police are eventually alerted to Seung-Keuns presence on the island and they go there to remove him. Jeong-Yeon is alarmed by this and actually decides to leave her room and go looking for him. Meeting him now becomes inevitable.
And guess what team... I AINT GONNA TELL YA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT !!!!!!
You have to come and watch it !!!!
You can see it here with english subtitles..
www.DLAznMovies.com
You can also see the trailer here
Team, you really need to watch this movie. Its truely a delightful take on how two people from completely different backgrounds, and on completely different levels, can connect on such a high level with each other. Its a nice take on how communication takes place on not just a verbal level, but also a spiritual level also.
I loved it and you will too team. You owe it to yourself to see it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Korean Wave.
Welcome back team. Welcome to another weekly muse ! I figured that as I had already started up a little section on Korean Pop, I might as well make my weekly muse an introduction, a description, and/or a general overview of what has become a cultural phenomenon generally referred to as " the Korean Wave ".
For the longest og times now, Western Culture has had a strong fascination in things Asian. After all, we are forever loving the cute Geisha, the crazy gadgets, and the delightful sushi of Japan; the panda bears, the kung fu, and the lion dance of China; the beaches of Thailand, the " truely Asia " in Malaysia, Indian Curry, the humble nature of the Pinay ad Pinoy in the Phillipines, and of course the lovely Singapore Girl that serves us when we fly aboard Singapore Airlines.
Now that should almost cover it shouldn't it ? Yeh I think so. Aaaahhhh the delights of the Orient and its neighbours.....
But hey hang on. Oh dear. I think we have forgotten something here, haven't we. Hang on. I wonder what it is... Let me see...
Ah yes.. We didnt mention anything about the good things in Korea !!
How could we overlook such a thing ??? Well..... to be perfectly honest with you.....
Quite easily.
Its actually been only recently that Korean culture has started to gain some exposure in the world. Reports generally show that it has only really been since the year 2000 that Korean culture has generally started to expose itself to the world. This exposure has been given the name " The Korean Wave ".
I guess the next question to ask is ... well.... what exactly is the Korean Wave ?? Well, in a nutshell, the Korean Wave, or Korean Fever, refers to the new found interest that the rest of the world is placing on Korean Youth culture, TV, food, popular culture and generally all things Korean. From humble expansive beginnings in the Asian countries, interest in Korea culture is now also evident in the Middle East, Russia, India, Iran, Turkey, and Israel, and is also spreading as far a field now as North, Central and South America; the UK, Europe and Australia.
One of the initial instigators of the rise in popularity of Korean culture was its TV content. Korean TV shows, for the longest of times, were strongly regulated and censored by the Government, and only those shows that were of good character and good representation of Korean values were presented on TV, hence signalling the birth of the Korean Melodrama, a brand of show that is still very dominant on Korean TV screens today.
Globalization was able to carry that what is seen on Korean TV to other parts of Asia, therefore increasing the interest in Korean TV culture from it neighbours. Perhaps the most striking evidence of this came from a TV show named " Winter Sonata ", whose main male character is played by Korean Old Ladies heartthob Bae Yon Joon. Hehehe I say old ladies heartthrob because, well..... old ladies love him. Period. Young women dont like so much. Double Period. So there you go.
Korean TV content is only the start of the ball roll. Korean Popular Music has already been given much stronger global exposure now, as many Korean acts, once only glued to the Asian pop market, are now starting to expand their horizons, particularly under the guise of making forays into the US Popular Culture Scene.
Female singer BoA, All girl pop group The Wondergirls, and singer Jeong Ji-Hoon ( commonly known as RAIN ) have been at the forefront of this movement.
BoA is a young Korean entertainer who has been on the Asian scene now for a long time, and she made her her first official move into the US music industry in October 2008 with the release of her single EAT YOU UP. The song actually charted at #8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Charts, and along with this, was also released online to 31 other countries including the UK, Korea, Japan and countries in Europe in Oceania.
Wondergirls were soon following in BoA's steps, releasing their single " Nobody " onto the American Market, landing a place in the Billboard top 100. On the back of this, they also got a spot as a support act for the Jonas Brothers on one of their recent US tours.
Popular music and TV have not been the only mediums by which Koreans have been exposing themselves to the rest of the world.
Korean sports stars have also made positive impressions globally also.
Perhaps the 2 most notable of these are Manchester United Soccer Star Park Ji-sung, Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, a Korean-American, and Kim Yu-Na, who is currently the number one womens figure skater in the world.
South Korea's exceptional performance in the 2002 Soccer World Cup resulted in a much stronger interest in Korean soccer talent than had ever been seen previous. Scouts from around the world came over to look at Korean talent, and it was not long after that Park Ji-sung, Lee Yeong-Pyo, Seol ki-yeon and others were on the march abroad. Park is generally seen as the most successful of the Koreans to go abroad.
Park started his career abroad with Kyoto Purple Sanga in the Japan League. His next move, after being seen in the 2002 World Cup, was to follow the then Korean coach Guus Hiddink to PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie. It was his play in the Dutch League that brought him under the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and it was in the 2004-2005 English Premier League season that Park made the move to Old Trafford. Since this time, Park has earned the respect of many judges in the EPL, and has really become a strong staple in the Manchester United Line up.
Hines Ward has become one of the NFL's most prominent wide receivers. Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1976, he went on to become the first Korean to ever play in a Superbowl championship team when the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl back in 2006. He also went on to win another Superbowl with the Steelers in 2009, and amongst other things, has used his bi-racial background to become a strong advocate for social change by working with other Bi racial Korean and American Kids to cultivate political and social awareness to the various plights that many bi-racial kids do indeed face in life.
Perhaps the athlete on everyones lips in Korea at the moment is figure skater Kim Yu-Na. If there is one Korean athlete that presently has the weight of a nation on their shoulders, it is her. Kim is currently the #1 Womens figure skater in the world and Korea has very high hopes for her to take home the Gold Medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. On a less pressurable note, Kim Yu-Na has really stamped a very positive mark on Youth Culture in Korea. She is a leading exponent of Korean Youth Fashion, recreation, and youth culture, and is generally seen as the kind of youth with an image that Korea wished to expose to the world.
One other Korean sportsman to make it onto the world stage is the Korean K-1 fighter Choi Hong-Man. He is the lone Korean K-1 fighter and he has done quite well on the world stage. He is 7 ft 2 in height, and although a little slow on his feet, he is quite powerful. He has also made his mark in singing ( he likes hip hop ) and can be seen on some quite quirky advertisements on TV. He is pretty popular yes !!!!!
Korean products have also made favourable inroads on the world markets. Prominent Korean brands that are leading in the world stage include Samsung, LG, car giants Hyundai and Daewoo, Kumho tires, Hankook tires, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Cyworld, Daum, and Naver are continuing to expose Korean prowess to the world. Hehehe hmmm and I didnt even need to mention Kimchi and Taekwon-do here !!!!!!!!
As you can see team, Korea really does have a lot to show the world. I know that I really hope that Korea continues to keep working on showing itself to the world, as the world has now woken up to take notice of what Korea truely has to offer. Korea certainly looks like it wants to keep this avenue very much open, and I am sure the rest of the world would love this also.
For the longest og times now, Western Culture has had a strong fascination in things Asian. After all, we are forever loving the cute Geisha, the crazy gadgets, and the delightful sushi of Japan; the panda bears, the kung fu, and the lion dance of China; the beaches of Thailand, the " truely Asia " in Malaysia, Indian Curry, the humble nature of the Pinay ad Pinoy in the Phillipines, and of course the lovely Singapore Girl that serves us when we fly aboard Singapore Airlines.
Now that should almost cover it shouldn't it ? Yeh I think so. Aaaahhhh the delights of the Orient and its neighbours.....
But hey hang on. Oh dear. I think we have forgotten something here, haven't we. Hang on. I wonder what it is... Let me see...
Ah yes.. We didnt mention anything about the good things in Korea !!
How could we overlook such a thing ??? Well..... to be perfectly honest with you.....
Quite easily.
Its actually been only recently that Korean culture has started to gain some exposure in the world. Reports generally show that it has only really been since the year 2000 that Korean culture has generally started to expose itself to the world. This exposure has been given the name " The Korean Wave ".
I guess the next question to ask is ... well.... what exactly is the Korean Wave ?? Well, in a nutshell, the Korean Wave, or Korean Fever, refers to the new found interest that the rest of the world is placing on Korean Youth culture, TV, food, popular culture and generally all things Korean. From humble expansive beginnings in the Asian countries, interest in Korea culture is now also evident in the Middle East, Russia, India, Iran, Turkey, and Israel, and is also spreading as far a field now as North, Central and South America; the UK, Europe and Australia.
One of the initial instigators of the rise in popularity of Korean culture was its TV content. Korean TV shows, for the longest of times, were strongly regulated and censored by the Government, and only those shows that were of good character and good representation of Korean values were presented on TV, hence signalling the birth of the Korean Melodrama, a brand of show that is still very dominant on Korean TV screens today.
Globalization was able to carry that what is seen on Korean TV to other parts of Asia, therefore increasing the interest in Korean TV culture from it neighbours. Perhaps the most striking evidence of this came from a TV show named " Winter Sonata ", whose main male character is played by Korean Old Ladies heartthob Bae Yon Joon. Hehehe I say old ladies heartthrob because, well..... old ladies love him. Period. Young women dont like so much. Double Period. So there you go.
Korean TV content is only the start of the ball roll. Korean Popular Music has already been given much stronger global exposure now, as many Korean acts, once only glued to the Asian pop market, are now starting to expand their horizons, particularly under the guise of making forays into the US Popular Culture Scene.
Female singer BoA, All girl pop group The Wondergirls, and singer Jeong Ji-Hoon ( commonly known as RAIN ) have been at the forefront of this movement.
BoA is a young Korean entertainer who has been on the Asian scene now for a long time, and she made her her first official move into the US music industry in October 2008 with the release of her single EAT YOU UP. The song actually charted at #8 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Charts, and along with this, was also released online to 31 other countries including the UK, Korea, Japan and countries in Europe in Oceania.
Wondergirls were soon following in BoA's steps, releasing their single " Nobody " onto the American Market, landing a place in the Billboard top 100. On the back of this, they also got a spot as a support act for the Jonas Brothers on one of their recent US tours.
Popular music and TV have not been the only mediums by which Koreans have been exposing themselves to the rest of the world.
Korean sports stars have also made positive impressions globally also.
Perhaps the 2 most notable of these are Manchester United Soccer Star Park Ji-sung, Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, a Korean-American, and Kim Yu-Na, who is currently the number one womens figure skater in the world.
South Korea's exceptional performance in the 2002 Soccer World Cup resulted in a much stronger interest in Korean soccer talent than had ever been seen previous. Scouts from around the world came over to look at Korean talent, and it was not long after that Park Ji-sung, Lee Yeong-Pyo, Seol ki-yeon and others were on the march abroad. Park is generally seen as the most successful of the Koreans to go abroad.
Park started his career abroad with Kyoto Purple Sanga in the Japan League. His next move, after being seen in the 2002 World Cup, was to follow the then Korean coach Guus Hiddink to PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie. It was his play in the Dutch League that brought him under the eye of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and it was in the 2004-2005 English Premier League season that Park made the move to Old Trafford. Since this time, Park has earned the respect of many judges in the EPL, and has really become a strong staple in the Manchester United Line up.
Hines Ward has become one of the NFL's most prominent wide receivers. Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1976, he went on to become the first Korean to ever play in a Superbowl championship team when the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl back in 2006. He also went on to win another Superbowl with the Steelers in 2009, and amongst other things, has used his bi-racial background to become a strong advocate for social change by working with other Bi racial Korean and American Kids to cultivate political and social awareness to the various plights that many bi-racial kids do indeed face in life.
Perhaps the athlete on everyones lips in Korea at the moment is figure skater Kim Yu-Na. If there is one Korean athlete that presently has the weight of a nation on their shoulders, it is her. Kim is currently the #1 Womens figure skater in the world and Korea has very high hopes for her to take home the Gold Medal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. On a less pressurable note, Kim Yu-Na has really stamped a very positive mark on Youth Culture in Korea. She is a leading exponent of Korean Youth Fashion, recreation, and youth culture, and is generally seen as the kind of youth with an image that Korea wished to expose to the world.
One other Korean sportsman to make it onto the world stage is the Korean K-1 fighter Choi Hong-Man. He is the lone Korean K-1 fighter and he has done quite well on the world stage. He is 7 ft 2 in height, and although a little slow on his feet, he is quite powerful. He has also made his mark in singing ( he likes hip hop ) and can be seen on some quite quirky advertisements on TV. He is pretty popular yes !!!!!
Korean products have also made favourable inroads on the world markets. Prominent Korean brands that are leading in the world stage include Samsung, LG, car giants Hyundai and Daewoo, Kumho tires, Hankook tires, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Cyworld, Daum, and Naver are continuing to expose Korean prowess to the world. Hehehe hmmm and I didnt even need to mention Kimchi and Taekwon-do here !!!!!!!!
As you can see team, Korea really does have a lot to show the world. I know that I really hope that Korea continues to keep working on showing itself to the world, as the world has now woken up to take notice of what Korea truely has to offer. Korea certainly looks like it wants to keep this avenue very much open, and I am sure the rest of the world would love this also.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Pop Music - Korean Style !!!!
" I'm so sorry but I love you....." Ahhhhh !!!!! Big Bang .... WHAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!! " I've got youuuuu under my......." Whoa TVXQ !!!!!!! " Tell me, tell me ....T-TT-TT Tell me.... " Why you WONDERGIRLS !!! " Girl, Girl, hey you go girl !!!" Yes Lee Hyo Ri I know !!! " Rokkuguh Rokkuguh !!" Oh my God SUPER JUNIOR !!! " Your're the one ........................"
Yes ! Thankyou EPIK HIGH !! I know I am the one !!
Whoooosh !!! Wow. The Korean pop acts must be indeed playing with my head I think ... they are trying to spin me round and round so they are !! But I will be good team so don't worry......PHEW !!!!
Alright here we go..
So team, what do you think I am going to blog about here ??? Hmmmmm. I really do wonder ..... do you think it could be the start of a little section on Korean Pop culture, the Korean Wave and maybe even Korean pop music generally ? Hmmm.... I think you could indeed be quite right if you feel I am going to be blogging about it !!!! You smart-o yes !! Good .. I know you are ;)
Having already lived in Korea for 3 years, I know what I think about when I hear anything related to Korean Popular Music. I think of positive adjectives, warm fuzzy words, warm hearted feelings - AND LOTS OF THEM TOO !!! Korean Popular Music ( K-POP and indeed K-POPPU !!! ) is cute. Its soulful. It's crazy. It's comical. It's sexy. It's eclectic. It's amusing. Oh yeh .... it's also GOOOOOD !!!!!
My personal favorites include Whee Sung ( damn he does a good version of Craig Davids INSOMNIA !! ), Super Junior, Epik High ( Yes .... I'm the one !!! ), KARA, BoA, 2NE1 ( doo doo da doo-doo doo doo da doo-doo doo doo 21 !!! ) and the two I am going to tell you about tonight. I will go into stuff by these and other artists in the next couple of days or so.
Tonight though team, I want to introduce/talk about/reminisce about/bloginisce about/gloat about two Korean artists that really do put me in a very pleasant place when I listen to them.
Clazziquai is a group that really does it for me. They are eclectic, smooth, and they have a lot of polish and class about them. Clazziquai is made up of DJ Clazzi, Alex Chu, and Ho Ran, and I do believe they were formed in 2001, I think in Seoul. They started out as a " project " group that has gone on to release 4 albums that have done quite well. They also have a very tactical advantage in that they are all quite fluent in English, and they even sing alot of their stuff in both Korean and English. My favorite song of theirs is " Come to me ". Damn it is smooth !! You can check it out here.....
Man it is good. It flows so nicely indeed. I can't hear enough of it.
Another Korean song I can't hear enough of is " River flows to You " by the Korean pianist Yiruma. This simply is very lovely, soft, and relaxing. I do believe it is part of the Twilight soundtrack but I can't confirm that for sure. Not that it matters. It's a very simple yet haunting melody which gets right under your skin and moves you. Damn its so good and I really do love it. Here it is....
This is simply beautiful. Aaaahh it just puts me in the mood.
I tell ya what team. I am gonna sign off now. I will cover some more K pop artists in the near future. Until then, sit back, relax, and allow your soulful musical desires to be fully satisfied. You would be missing something if you didnt I can assure you.
Yes ! Thankyou EPIK HIGH !! I know I am the one !!
Whoooosh !!! Wow. The Korean pop acts must be indeed playing with my head I think ... they are trying to spin me round and round so they are !! But I will be good team so don't worry......PHEW !!!!
Alright here we go..
So team, what do you think I am going to blog about here ??? Hmmmmm. I really do wonder ..... do you think it could be the start of a little section on Korean Pop culture, the Korean Wave and maybe even Korean pop music generally ? Hmmm.... I think you could indeed be quite right if you feel I am going to be blogging about it !!!! You smart-o yes !! Good .. I know you are ;)
Having already lived in Korea for 3 years, I know what I think about when I hear anything related to Korean Popular Music. I think of positive adjectives, warm fuzzy words, warm hearted feelings - AND LOTS OF THEM TOO !!! Korean Popular Music ( K-POP and indeed K-POPPU !!! ) is cute. Its soulful. It's crazy. It's comical. It's sexy. It's eclectic. It's amusing. Oh yeh .... it's also GOOOOOD !!!!!
My personal favorites include Whee Sung ( damn he does a good version of Craig Davids INSOMNIA !! ), Super Junior, Epik High ( Yes .... I'm the one !!! ), KARA, BoA, 2NE1 ( doo doo da doo-doo doo doo da doo-doo doo doo 21 !!! ) and the two I am going to tell you about tonight. I will go into stuff by these and other artists in the next couple of days or so.
Tonight though team, I want to introduce/talk about/reminisce about/bloginisce about/gloat about two Korean artists that really do put me in a very pleasant place when I listen to them.
Clazziquai is a group that really does it for me. They are eclectic, smooth, and they have a lot of polish and class about them. Clazziquai is made up of DJ Clazzi, Alex Chu, and Ho Ran, and I do believe they were formed in 2001, I think in Seoul. They started out as a " project " group that has gone on to release 4 albums that have done quite well. They also have a very tactical advantage in that they are all quite fluent in English, and they even sing alot of their stuff in both Korean and English. My favorite song of theirs is " Come to me ". Damn it is smooth !! You can check it out here.....
Man it is good. It flows so nicely indeed. I can't hear enough of it.
Another Korean song I can't hear enough of is " River flows to You " by the Korean pianist Yiruma. This simply is very lovely, soft, and relaxing. I do believe it is part of the Twilight soundtrack but I can't confirm that for sure. Not that it matters. It's a very simple yet haunting melody which gets right under your skin and moves you. Damn its so good and I really do love it. Here it is....
This is simply beautiful. Aaaahh it just puts me in the mood.
I tell ya what team. I am gonna sign off now. I will cover some more K pop artists in the near future. Until then, sit back, relax, and allow your soulful musical desires to be fully satisfied. You would be missing something if you didnt I can assure you.
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