special week 21: in my zone
K-pop albums are expensive. Here's one worth buying.
👑 the “god” and the “queen”
I missed you guys! And I am so excited that life is less crazy so that I can write more consistently. Prepare to be sick of me! Now let’s chat.
Park Jihyo is could become one of the greatest soloists of the 3rd generation. How do I know this?
By now, we know what makes a female soloist successful. We have SISTAR’s Hyolyn, Wonder Girls’ Sunmi and SNSD’s Taeyeon to thank for this. And at the top, we have BoA.
I’m tempted to make a comparison between my favorite K-pop group member and one of the most accomplished Korean soloists of all time. I mean, Jihyo’s good. She IS the leader of the best-selling K-pop girl group TWICE (BlackPink is the most popular, not the best-selling). Much of TWICE’s success can be attributed to her diligence and her acting and singing training from childhood. But she’s not BoA … not yet.
BoA isn’t mentioned as much these days because she is part of the earliest generation of K-pop, but the industry hasn’t failed to recognize her achievements along the way.
Often referred to as the Korean Britney Spears, BoA earned her title by starting on the right foot. She was trained to be the bridge between Korean and Japanese fans, and recorded her first music video in Japan. TWICE has even covered her song “My Name,” which is so Britney it’s uncanny. Yet, I don’t find BoA to be a copy of anyone.
The paradox is this: Jihyo is similar to BoA in that she can’t really be compared to anyone. In a sea of nasally and predictable, their unique tones are unmistakable. They each have such a heavy hand in the writing and production of their solo music, they’re undeniably charismatic and they both have superlative nicknames.
BoA: The Queen of K-pop.
Jihyo: “God” Jihyo
My best K-pop friend Nisha will probably hate this comparison because she introduced me to BoA but is not interested in Jihyo as a singer. Though she respects Ms. Park for her talent and ability to carry 8 members on her back, to Nisha (and I’m paraphrasing) it doesn’t come to Jihyo effortlessly, like she’s pushing herself instead of performing naturally.
To me, Jihyo’s performances on her EP “ZONE” sit right in the middle of BoA’s conceptual world — Specifically the title track “Killin’ Me Good” with its dual meaning and cutting lyrics.
It would benefit Jihyo to relax a bit, and settle into her womanhood now that she doesn’t have to be a teenpop aegyo (cuteness) powerhouse. B-sides “Closer” and “Wishing on You” push her in the right direction — expertise, flow, charisma, focus.
In a recent reality show appearance where she allowed security cameras in her apartment to monitor her day, Jihyo proved to the public that she’s often the same on and off stage. Like many artists, the only time she’s relaxed is when she’s drinking. Otherwise, on her rare off days, she’s running around nonstop — pilates, laundry, home repairs, beauty treatments — until she meets with her favorite group member, Jeongyeon.
Without her 8 best friends, how will she fare? BoA has the benefit of starting her career as a soloist (later entering a supergroup with her younger label mates) and it shows in her music today after 23 years and 20 studio albums.
To be clear, TWICE is still together and promoting and I’m very happy about that. Jihyo without her members is a good start, and her EP is so different from TWICE’s music that I actually have hope she will finally settle down.
Anyway I spent $30 on the Barnes & Noble exclusive version of her album …
🏝️ aespa in Miami
I went to my second-ever K-pop concert and was (almost) not disappointed. I wonder what non-K-pop fans think a concert is like, or what they expect.
Usually quieter and more organized, Korean concert expectations are similar to a theatre performance. There are specific times to applaud and chant, and dancing is usually limited to waving hands or official lightsticks. For some reason, in the middle of one of Miami’s oldest venues for girl group aespa, I felt like a Korean concert attendee, watching the uniform movements of the fan lighsticks move in time with the music as the 5 girls sang …
Was I really at a concert if the artists didn’t sing the whole time? Though lip-syncing is common in TV show performances, it’s almost blasphemous to not sing a few songs live at a K-pop concert.
Okay, only 50% of the show was completely dubbed, but any of the show being lip-sung is a disappointment for me after seeing TWICE and BlackPink sing live for two hour world-tour sets PACKED with songs and some of the most difficult choreo in the industry. Though there were more flat notes than I would have liked, I watched to hear their real voices and that desire was satisfied.
Live performance is imperfect, as it should be. But whatever.
With aespa, a group of girls who surpass much of the industry vocally, I was hesitant to give them a break given that their Coachella 2022 set was full voice.
I had a great time, especially seeing solo stages so early in their careers, but for half of the show my mind was elsewhere. While the second half of the show was heartwarming and captivating, the first half featured an invisible wall between the audience and the artists that could only be removed by turning the mics on.
What is all the training for? Why make singing and dancing at the same time the hallmark of the genre and then go on tour and lip sync? As we continue the Korea to America crossover, groups who don’t sing live are going to look less and less impressive to new foreign fans.
🎤 playlist: in my zone
Listen to some of the best live singers in K-pop.