From the Jonas Brothers?
A bit grown up, but other than that, moms and daughters got a lively and very wholesome night of entertainment from these Jersey boys, not to mention Sparks, South Korean girl group Wonder Girls (for one song) and the harder-rocking quartet Honor Society.
One song? That's the only mention I found of them in the Pittsburgh media, and I found only one mention in the paper of their trip to Philly:
The Jonases even have their own farm team - the Jonas Group, which squeezes acts such as openers Honor Society into the Jonas mold, although the postcoital imagery of "See U in the Dark" doesn't exactly fit their mentors' squeaky-clean image. They also put the spotlight, briefly, on the South Asian girl group Wonder Girls, whose one-song performance failed to make much of an impression.
South Asian, South Korean, same-same. Well, they seem to really be hitting "Nobody" hard. From manager JYP's twitter page
Come learn the Nobody dance by the girls! Verizon Bus-Pittsburgh,Mellon Arena @ 4:30 C u there(No tickets required!might cancel if it rains)
. . .
11:27 AM Jul 25th from web Learn the Nobody dance by the Wonder Girls! Verizon Bus -Wachovia Center(Philadelphia)@4:30 (No tickets required!might cancel if it rains)
. . .
10:26 AM Jul 24th from web Come learn the Nobody dance by the Wonder Girls! Verizon Bus -Wachovia Center(Philadelphia) @ 4:30 C u all there!(no tickets required!)
One of those sessions was uploaded to Youtube.
21 comments:
-one song...before the jonas bros.
-seemingly thrown together promotion...in front of a bus.
-promotion give-away....one lousy t-shirt.
not exactly what i call an recipe for success in a competitive pop market. i'm sure those girls are doing a lot more than roadside dance lessons, but with no aggressive marketing campaign or musical tour to speak of these girls' success, well, might get canceled if it rains.
I wonder if American guys have the same predilection towards 14 yr old girls as Korean guys...
Sparks? Yeah, I remember those guys, one of whom had a Hitler mustache. A college girlfriend of mine was into them. They're still touring? With the Jonas Brothers?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhpokfEKfx8
Now, if I just knew who the Jonas Brothers are.
Wait, I found it: Sparks + Wonder Girl, one song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj50USbHyS8&feature=related
No, not Sparks, Jordin Sparks. She is a pop singer who was popular I guess a couple years ago.
I've never been to a concert like this, so somebody else can enlighten me, but are the opening acts always so short? I mean, I know at rock concerts the opening acts were always . . . well, excruciatingly long. Maybe they figured if they try to push it to two Korean songs nobody knew they might get booed off stage?
Up to now, I'd only read Korean media reports on the Wondergirls as an opening act and had no idea they were singing only one song. That explains why every video of them in the US shows them singing only "Nobody." Literally one-hit Wondergirls in America. Rather than establishing a fan base in the US, their participation in the tour seems to raising their status at home in Korea.
Brian, you'd heard of Sparks (the band) prior to my posts? I'm impressed. They were never big, nor were they around very long. I'd have missed them entirely if not for said girlfriend.
What's sad is that there could be a market for Korean music in the U.S. Japanese chick-rock bands like Shonen Knife and Puffy had (have?) decent followings; and so could groups like Cherry Filter or The Jadu. But they'd have to be treated seriously; and one-song sets (a la Prince in 'Purple Rain')now that Sonagi said it, probably are aimed at Korea, not Americans.
Nope, never heard of them. Just followed your links and wasn't sure if you were joking or being serious. Then I checked the excerpt I posted and saw they didn't include her first name.
The Jonas Bros. gig will be good exposure, though it remains to be seen what they do with it. If they're just doing literally the same song and dance across the US, they'll just be pigeon-holed as one-hit . . . wait for it . . . wonders.
I'm not sure a pop dance troupe like this will catch on. Yes, I know that N'Sync and Backstreet Boys were popular and they did essentially the same thing. But I think a group with some quirkiness and individually would catch on more organically.
I turn on Korean MTV and it's all ballad crap. Or bullshit like MC Mong. I turn on Channel J and I get to see ska, punk, rock, ballads, and hip-hop. You're not going to be big if you're just doing the Korean macarena.
But, sonagi makes a good point. Doing what they're doing puts them in American arenas, and lets fans back in Korea feel proud.
Just to let you know, the Wonder Girls started off by singing two songs and were only scheduled for 13 tour dates. However, they were then asked to join the entire tour 45 shows, so they have only been performing one song since then. I'm guessing it's just so they won't take up much time on the stage. However, Nobody is not the song they will be using for their American Debut. They are going to release an English album early fall.
"They are going to release an English album early fall.
Why why why oh why? The 외국인 who will be into their music will be into it precisely because of their exotically cute (and arguably hip) Koreanness. Re-making them into something they're not has worked how many times in the past and for whom? Has it ever worked? For anyone?
@WeikuBoy
I don't see how they are being "Americanized" yet. The girls haven't changed their style of music or performing since coming to America. However, if they do remain as they were in Korea they would not make it very far. JYP will have to change their style of music and image to a certain extent so they can get the attention of the American Audience. This doesn't mean that he has to over sex them or make them more hip. But he does have to set the appeal.
I respectfully disagree. That's like saying Korea's best dishes, 돼지국밥 and 김치지게 and 된장지게, have to be drained of their heat and foreignness (and god forbid, sweetened) to appeal to the U.S. market. At which point, even I turn into the Archaelogist.
It's just not going to happen. What on Earth do the Wonder Girls have to offer the U.S. market in English? The moment they switch to English they become just another group of lip-synching dancers without famous older sisters. Sorry but it's true.
Actually, i have a new respect for the group after seeing this video. They're starting out by paying their dues the way all other musicians do -- by playing crappy gigs and taking whatever they can get.
JYP realised how much exposure Wonder Girls can get when they were offered to open JB's concert so they're taking this chance.
They don't get much reaction from audience because most of them wonder who they are and a little confused because they're different from what they usually see. But again, that's exposure.
They know they won't be popular overnight, so all they're doing now is getting as much exposure as they can.
Whether they like it or not, now more people have heard of the Wonder Girls.
Hitting them with just one and only one catchy song help make people remember them and the song. With this, hopefully next time, when they release something else, people will get curious "hey, that's the girls who sing that 'nobody' song"
The girls have so much more personality and can be a lot more entertaining but they were only given three months to study english so there's a limitation of what they can do.
However, as anyone would when given such a chance, they're taking it, try all they can and hope for the best.
Everyone wants to grow and explore new things. So this is their new things and their room to grow. They can only try.
I'll give them credits for getting out of their comfort zone, start from rock bottom, and endure so many cultural changes at such a young age.
I wish them all the best, and I hope they'll succeed. I'll certainly be supporting them.
"Japanese chick-rock bands like Shonen Knife and Puffy had (have?) decent followings..."
I saw Shonen Knife back in SF around '93 or '94. They were never that big in the US but I think Kurt Cobain had said he liked them and that gave them massive indie cred. They also offered something unique and different -- the right combination of cute and punk that was hard to find elsewhere in the US at the time.
What do Wonder Girls offer that is unique and different for US music fans? The indie scene there will never embrace their insipid pop except for maybe a few super-ironic Korea-otaku hipsters.
They need to pull a Paris and do a sex tape if they really want to make it big in the US. When in Rome, right?
If anyone is interested:
Puffy - Planet Tokyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B16MI2NFBPw&NR=1
Shonen Knife - I Quaver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nmqw3H2ILs
Why why why oh why? The 외국인 who will be into their music will be into it precisely because of their exotically cute (and arguably hip) Koreanness. Re-making them into something they're not has worked how many times in the past and for whom? Has it ever worked? For anyone?
t.A.T.u. immediately springs to mind. The band's whole image is created on the notion of the singers being lesbians, despite the fact that they claim this is not the case. And I doubt many Americans bought their Russian-language albums before they started singing in English.
Nena (Of "99 Luftballons" fame), Ricky Martin, Shakira, and Hikaru Utada might also qualify, if you want to count non-native English singers who made a conscious effort to market themselves to an English-speaking audience. (i.e., coming out with English-language albums even after gaining success in their native language.)
Having said all that though, I do agree with your comment. While there are a lot of people who will buy an album if the hook from the single is catchy enough, there are also quite a few who want something different from what gets put on repeat at the Top 40 stations. The second category of listeners seems like it would be the one worth courting for long-term success (for a record label, or national brand marketing), but I'm no marketing exec. Guess part of it is which sales model one wants to pursue -- a quick charge up the pop charts, or a more underground approach through word-of-mouth.
Plus, it may be worth noting that I never really pay attention to lyrics -- to me the vocals are just another instrument. While this gives me greater options when it comes to picking music to suit my mood, it does sometimes leave me wondering about the message(s) in my non-English music. Other people make a much bigger deal out of comprehension, though. To each their own, I guess?
Out of curiosity, WeikuBoy, what's the first Korean album that you bought?
Samedi: Ricky Martin, Shakira. OK, good answer. Like you, I consider voice an instrument; and I prefer non-English vocals if they're the original vocals. The only Korean records I've purchased were SES with U and Cherry Filter with Flying Duck. Before coming here I watched a lot of mv shows on the International Channel and later Channel AZN.
Well, good luck to The Wonder Girls. I hope they become the next Shakira. Or t.A.T.u. Or whatever.
I genuinely like K-Pop, though I'd prefer to see more time given to organic bands like Cherry Filter.
For reference, I'm a Deadhead, and my favorite music is Blues. I take it your point is that I'm not exactly the target audience of The Wonder Girls. True. I guess I'm just sad that so many things still have to be Americanized to succeed in the U.S. market.
I take it your point is that I'm not exactly the target audience of The Wonder Girls. True. I guess I'm just sad that so many things still have to be Americanized to succeed in the U.S. market.
Oh no, that wasn't what I was going for at all. I was genuinely curious. My first experience with K-Pop was buying Lee Jung Hyun's third album in the United States on a whim, but I have no idea how anyone else gets into the genre -- thus the question.
Like you I would like to see organic bands (great term) making a greater impact on the music scene both here in Korea and abroad. Cherry Filter, Witches, Yozoh, and I'm sure a ton of others I'm not familiar with. As someone who enjoys music from all over - both in terms of genre and location - I would prefer to see more variety to what becomes popular in the United States without the Americanization that you brought up in your comment.
I'm very interested in seeing how BoA does in America over the long run. If she sees her success / sales continue to gradually grow over the next few years it could provide an alternate business model to the one pursued by Rain and the Wonder Girls. Not that she offers too much variety from contemporary pop, but it could be a start.
Epik High did a mini-tour in the United States last month as well, although I'm not sure who they played with on all their dates. The hip hop subculture often has a strong underground attitude, so that can't hurt their prospects -- and Epik High are definitely a group deserving of success.
Yeah, I see the wisdom of JYP now. To remain a novelty act, sing in Korean. To shoot for mainstream stardom, follow Shakira and Ricky Martin, et al.
I discovered K-Pop through the Int'l (cable TV) Channel. The first video I remember was the one where the girl lost her sight so her boyfriend gave her his eyes - a real tearjerker. It was corny, but it had heart. The first video I really liked was SES's "U". (The anti-American references seemed charming before I lived here.) I also liked Big Mama and Lee Jung Hyun, Baby Vox, Finkl, and Mina.
I liked Korean dramas, too. Korea seemed like the Next Big Thing, the place with the energy where things were happening; and I wanted to get in early. I see how girls from SE Asia get tricked into thinking they'll have great lives here. I would never invest or try to start a business here. Korea might become the place to be, especially if there is reunification; but I don't think it's ready for prime time now.
Note to Brian: the term "comeback" came up at summer camp yesterday. I made sure at least one group of students understands that before there can be a comeback, someone first has to go away!
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