Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Korean Celebrities: The Wonder Girls.

Music has always been apart of my soul, but being able to mingle with a couple of Korean friends lately has made it possible for me to open the floodgates to a whole new level of music. It has become apparent to me that there are so many types of music genres, even more than those heard through the radio. I have learned that it is not only that the African Americans could rap, and it is not just the Americans who could come up with English songs. Songs composed these days have sustained countless metamorphosis to become what they are today. I am pretty certain that the contemporary teenagers would not appreciate the golden oldies and the same goes to the adults, who might not fancy or even comprehend the essence of the songs that top the charts today. Call it the generation gap, or let it be the “clash in the taste for music”, it is undeniable that music has been the most loyal companion for the most of us, and this could only be actualized thanks to all the talented musicians and celebrities out there.

So let’s get back to the gist – the Korean music and their performers. It may appear funny to certain people whenever they see their peers singing blindly and in a disoriented manner to these Korean songs without even knowing the meaning behind them. To them, it doesn’t matter at all as long as they are able to sing and dance along to the beat of these songs. The songs do not necessary have to be in the Korean language, as songs are considered to be “Korean” as long as they are chiefly comprised of the Korean language. In the Korean music industry of today, English has been widely used to vivificate and to put the songs into life.

Korean music, in my own perspective, can be classified into two separate categories, which is the original Korean music (music that are fudged together by bringing traditional instruments into play) and Kpop. This blog post will focus more on the latter, and the celebrities that had brought much fame to their country and fortune to themselves.

Out of all the Kpop artists, the one that I am more familiar with and is more exposed to is none other than the sensational South Korean girl group, the Wonder Girls. Not only are they famous in Korea, they are also as noted in Malaysia and in other countries as well, and this perfectly reflects the saying that goes, “Music knows no bounds”. Hence, being a huge fan of theirs, there was definitely no reason to miss their concert that was just held recently in the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach.


The Wonder Girls started off their performance with a rock version of their songs, I Wanna and Goodbye.


They proceeded to entertain the roaring crowd with their hit singles, Nobody, Tell Me, and So Hot.


Known by the name 원더걸스 by the Koreans, the Wonder Girls is the first Korean band to enter the American Billboard Hot 100 chart.



Here are the profiles of the members of this young and talented girl group. (From left to right based on the picture above)

So Hee (소희) was born on June 27, 1992. Her real name is Ahn So Hee (안소희) and she takes the positions of the vocalist and the lead dancer. Park Ye Eun (박예은) or Ye Eun (예은) was born on May 26, 1989. Also known as Yenny, she is the lead vocalist in the band. Third from the left is Yu Bin (유빈). Born on October 4, 1988, she is appointed as the main rapper among the girls. Next in line is Hye Lim (혜림) or her actual name, Woo Hye Rim (우혜림). She was born on September 1, 1992 and she takes the role of the sub vocalist. The last but not least is Sun Ye (선예) or Min Seon Ye (민선예). Born on August 12, 1989, she is the leader and the main vocalist.

As mentioned earlier, the contemporary music genres have been through numerous alteration to become what they are today. The Korean music is no exception. A century ago, one might expect to hear a pure Korean song that is put together using authentic and undiluted classical Korean sonata. The songs produced today though, by the very same country, are totally distinct. Let's take the Wonder Girls for example. They are Koreans and their songs are mostly in their mother tongue, yet their songs do contain the English language to a certain degree. Moreover, who would have ever thought that the Koreans would be able to rap?

The Koreans certainly aren't being left behind in time. The celebrities in Korea have more international fans than one could ever imagine and this sums up one thing - the Korean celebrities are as competitive and productive in the sense that they are able to compete with artists from other countries as well, like the US for example.

Well, just don't be surprised if you hear about the Kollywood one day.


References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Korea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-pop
http://www.koreancelebrities.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Girls
http://www.wondergirlsworld.com/


Written by: Grace Ng.

2 comments:

  1. Is it true that before entering the world of entreatment, the Koreans have to undergo a period of training? (learn to sing, act, etc...)

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  2. wonder girls.. i love their song...no body.. no body but you... and i love Korean drama too.

    ReplyDelete