In the midst of studying, I’ve decided to take a break. So I’m going to be talking about some KPOP related news. So let’s get started, shall we? 😀
This will be my first post about So Nyuh Shi Dae (SNSD), better known as Girls’ Generation. The 9-person singing and dancing girl group was premiered in July 2007 by SM Entertainment, the same people who have spun out artists such as BoA, Super Junior, and Shinee.
The girls have been doing well for themselves on the KPOP charts, attaining many #1 hits. In the last two months they released a video called “Oh!” which was a big hit amongst the Korean crowd, as well as many KPOP fans around the world. With the girls donning cheerleading outfits and acting all cutesy, the girls won the hearts of many fans. Toward the end of the video however, the 9-member group gets confronted by a new, rival group decked out in black. And so we come to their newest music video (MV) release, Run Devil Run. What’s interesting here is that SNSD, who has for the most part been using their cute girly image to gain adoration has decided to move away from that concept and become more mature and sexy.
If you want to see the video, you can check it out above.
There has been a little controversy over the song lately, as it was found out that American artist Ke$ha had sang this song as a demo long before SNSD released it. But according to an article by AsiaKyungJae:
…Busbee(USA), Alex James(UK), Kalle Engstrom(Sweden), and other composers from around the world collaborated to create this song. There may be some confusion about the song due to American popstar, Ke$ha, recording a “guide version” of the song before her debut around August 2008. Since it was only used as a demo and was never released, the song’s official first release is by SNSD.
So it’s pretty interesting to hear this bit of news. I do believe that KPOP has always had American influences, and this pretty much confirms it. If you’re curious, you can hear Ke$ha’s version of the song here.
While the song has been officially released by SNSD, I do like the Ke$ha version too. They both have their strong points, and while it’s basically the same song, I know that SNSD fans (or Soshis as they are sometimes called) will support the 9-member troupe with anything they come up with. However, after watching the video for the first time I have to say that this MV’s concept isn’t totally original. Actually as a Wonder Girls fan, I noticed some striking similarities between the Wonder Girls’ remake of FIN.K.L’s “Now” MV which was released on April 9, 2009.
If you want to see FIN. K.L.’s video here’s the link.
The skinny black outfits? That suddenly turn to white outfits in the middle? If you think about it, KARA also followed this trend with their newest song LUPIN, which I posted about earlier. There seems to be a slight trend going on and I think it’s a little funny how things work out. I bet that when SNSD saw KARA’s new debut single they were probably like, “Oh fudge! They stole our idea!”
Also, I noticed that there’s a lot of running going on in KPOP these days. When I think of the trend of “running” in KPOP, songs like 2PM’s Again & Again, KARA’s Lupin (the “emergency exit dance”) and now SNSD’s Run Devil Run come to mind. Just something I thought I would share.
SNSD will most definitely be hitting the top parts of the charts now and you know what? They’re probably at the top of some charts as I speak. Girls’ Generation will always be a group that fans adore, but the question of originality still stands. But then again, no idol group in Korea is ever really original if you think about it. But I do think it is interesting to see the cycle of trends pass by within those groups every once in awhile.
Alright, so I better go back to studying. I hope you have enjoyed my little tidbit about Girls’ Generation. But do check out their new video Run Devil Run and tell me what you think about it! 😀
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