Armies out there all over the world have been going crazy with BTS heading over to the US for the past week and with the worldwide popular shows which they had and will be attending, it is to no surprise that the US media are covering them heavily.
As a fan myself, I'm glad that they are receiving so much attention and love from people which they are working with. Yet, one of the main concerns which is also the reason why I have decided to write this post is because of the requests which some fans/media personalities have been making.
First of all, I believe that no one should ever pressure anyone to do something which they are not comfortable with. They were a lot of questions asking the group if they had ever thought of releasing songs in English and most of the time RM was saying perhaps in the near future. He mentioned in a recent interviews that they do have plans to release some of their title tracks in English. I mean yes, given the benefit of the doubt, I think besides the remix version of Mic Drop, I don't think they are going to release any other of their songs in English.
Why? Because I feel like remaking the lyrics will not convey the messages which they did in Korean lyrics. Language is a pretty big part of culture and I think that unless you have fully immerse in a certain culture, it is very hard to actually express your feelings through that particular new language. After all, Kpop is called kpop for a reason. I'm not sure if people are just purely curious about the plans they had in the future or do they just think that Kpop are that easy.
Another point I want to point out its I think that kpop songs should just remain in Korean. Looking back at the groups or singers which had debuted in the US, did they actually make it that big? There's WG which were pretty big but JYP ended closing up their US branch because it didn't work out well eventually. And for BoA who debuted years ago in US, she did way better in Japan as she did in US. Perhaps it was because of the fact that she knew Japanese better than English. I don't think. This are just my assumptions. And then let's take a look again at Psy. Did he have any English songs? No. Gangnam style did amazing without having it in English and it was one of the top moments Kpop could have ever achieved. You got to give credits to Psy too.
So what I'm trying to say is that I don't think Kpop singers should give pressure to themselves and remake the songs which they already did great with into English. Imagine BTS releasing 'Dope' in English. I'm still pretty sure armies are going to sing and follow the original version. Bite me if I'm wrong.
Same goes for making songs. Singers out there, anyone out there, are free and have the rights to make whatever songs they want. It's their choice to do. I just hope that BTS would not be too affected by this trip in US. Hopefully their performance in AMAs would be an awesome memory for them but honestly I can't help but worry for them too. The difference between US and Korea media is huge and I can tell that I think the boys are getting overwhelmed too.
I just hope the US media will not put too much burden on the boys and let them enjoy the stay as stressful as possible.
Cheers.
alexander lee eusebio
Three simple steps to achieve the Kpop idol flawless skin
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Beyond that glamorous makeup and perfect
hairdo, Kpop celebrities especially idols have been gaining attention worldwide
for their flawless skin and timeless beauty. Fans from all over the world have
always wondered how it was possible to maintain and have such beautiful skin
despite their busy schedules.
Alexander Lee Eusebio, an ex-member of
boy group UKISS, gladly shared some of his beauty tips of how he was able to
have such smooth and porcelain like skin.
1. Anti-aging
prevention
The very first item which he strongly
suggested to use on a daily basis is sunblock. Alexander mentioned how it was “a must for anti-aging and prevention from
tanning”. Every day we are exposed to millions of UV rays and although the
sky might seem gloomy or dark, sunblock should still be applied for ultimate
protection.
2. Cleansing
After a long day at work, the most
important step for skin maintenance is cleansing. He recommended using micellar
water before washing again with a normal cleansing foam according to your skin
type. Some people may or may not have heard of micellar water but it works
miracle when it comes to removing stubborn dirt and make-up residues on the
skin. When asked which brand he used, he recommended Bioderma as it was
inexpensive and effective.
3. Natural
is beauty
Other than the basics anti-aging
prevention and cleansing, Alexander also mentioned how going natural is another
key factor of having good skin. Having a proper and healthy diet is important
as the nutrition from the food which we eat will affect the condition of our
skin. Another tip is to avoid having thick make-up on the skin. On normal
occasions, he would recommend using CC cream just to even out his skin tone and
shade.
Besides these 3 simple steps, he told us
that one’s daily lifestyle and diet also played a huge role. After all, having
a disciplined and well-balance lifestyle would be the key to having healthy and
dewy skin. It is never too late to start now and rejuvenate the youth in your
skin!
Seeing the success of national-created
idol groups such as ‘IOI’ and ‘Wanna One’, many entertainment companies began
to see the market value of survival programs such as Produce 101. Since 2013, there have been at least ten of such
survival programs, starting with WIN: Who
Is Next? in 2013, Kara Project in
2014, Sixteen in 2015 and many more.
The catch for such survival programs is
exposing trainees to the reality of survival shows and training them to undergo
the stress and hardship before debuting as an idol. On another aspect, it also
allows trainees to gain recognition and popularity before their actual debut. With
such fame, they would be recognized much more easily than rookies who might
have just debuted normally from an entertainment company. Although making to
the final round of the survival program does play a huge role, most of the time
as long as that particular trainee received positive limelight from the
audience, it would aid them in their future career even though they might not
be the final survivors.
Examples such as Jung Se Yoon from Produce 101 Season 2, debuted as a solo
singer with great success and recognition. His debut track, ‘Just U’, reached
the second place position on Gaon Chart when it was first released in
September. Such examples allow other entertainment companies to see the
potential success of their trainees. Furthermore, Kpop idol hopefuls were also
encouraged even though they might not have made it to the final round of such
survival shows.
On the downside of such survival
programs, it was brought to the attention of the harsh reality of entertainment
industry. The recent idol rebooting survival program by KBS The Unit specializes in giving idols who
had already debuted a second chance in their shot in fame. Through such
program, people found out that despite debuting for years, many of them did not
succeed as idols. To further elaborate, many had to do odd jobs in order to
make a living. There were also several controversies revolving around bullying
and sexual harassment scandals of trainees in the past.
Through media framing and strategic
marketing, there are a few significant reasons which allowed these programs to
succeed with high viewer ratings. A particular aspect of Produce 101 was the interaction the show had with the audience by asking
them to choose their favorite trainee by voting for their ‘One-Pick’. They were
considered to be the ‘producers’ in charged of creating the nation’s idol
group. Viewers enjoyed such survival programs as it had the elements of drama
and competition, stirring the interest for their entertainment.
With the increase of such Kpop survival
programs, it is no surprise that a saturation point would be reached in no
time. Currently, The Unit and Mixnine are being broadcasted on KBS and
JTBC respectively and already had received mix responses from the online
community. The repetition of similar programs with a few tweaks here and there
may seem interesting to viewers but it is unlikely that it would work in the
long run. Unless there is a turning point for such survival shows and the
capacity to accommodate such large amount of trainees and idols, the
competition for ultimate success and fame would be more competitive than
before.
_
This is my article which I submitted for a job application. I feel like this blog would soon become a platform for some of the articles which I have written. ^^