All

2014

Starting this week we will be bringing you regular playlists with our pick of what we think are some of the best newly released songs of the past month. Regardless of the genre, artist or length of the song, if we like a song you may well see it right…

no comments

sasha

10/03/2014

K-pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution by Mark James Russell - Book Review

K-pop Now!: The Korean Music Revolution is a new book from Tuttle Publishing about the current state of Korea’s idol industry due to be released in April. It features a 20-or-so-page history and explanation of Korea’s idol industry, interviews Eat Your Kimchi, Brian Joo…

2 comments

lizzie

08/03/2014

BH Discuss: Korean variety shows you want to see again on your TV

It’s no secret that Korean variety programmes are successful around the world. Running Man, one of Korea’s top shows, is now sold in 9 territories in Asia outside of Korea and the recent explosive reception of the show’s cast in an airport in Sydney, Australia shows how…

no comments

lizzie

03/03/2014

When Korean entertainment takes on itself: Puer Kim's Manyo Maash

A couple of weeks ago we explored how IU’s The Red Shoes explored and criticised the problems surrounding the idol industry. This week we will be looking at Puer Kim’s Manyo Maash and how the song and video grapple with similar issues.

Unlike the symbolism in the…

no comments

lizzie

01/03/2014

Korean Hip Hop Interview: Jolly V

Chances are if you ask someone to list Korean rappers off the top of their head, the majority of the people listed are bound to be the usuals; Tiger JK, Dynamic Duo and Epik High. Few, besides Yoon Mirae, would be female. However, as with most things in life, Korean…

2 comments

sasha

25/02/2014

BH Discuss: SNSD’s Mr.Mr mess makes us wonder - How important are music videos?

Few things in K-pop can top the media circus that takes place every time Girls’ Generation make a Korean comeback. Usually the well-oiled SM publicity machine kicks in at full capacity with just the right amount of hype, anticipation and spectacle to push the new release up to…

3 comments

lizzie

24/02/2014

BH Playlist: 10 female rappers and where to find their music

*Reader and listener warning: Those who have come for the likes of CL and Hyuna please turn back. Unfortunately for you they will not be featured on this particular list.
Whilst the discussion of female rappers has increased the knowledge of said rappers and the ability to source their music…

2 comments

sasha

23/02/2014

Korean Indie Interview: Peterpan Complex

With their first UK performances coming up in less than a fortnight we felt it only right that we find out a little about about the group that all Korean indie fans are currently talking about, Peterpan Complex. Debuting in 2002 as a indie rock band the group you hear…

no comments

sasha

19/02/2014

Reading Between the Lines - Sexual Innuendo in K-Dramas

Much has been made of the extreme “chastity” in Korean Dramas. In a previous article, I’ve already covered the emphasis on female purity in dramas, where women’s storylines have more in common with June Cleaver than Detective Stella Gibson. Dehlia has also shown the connections between squeaky 60s…

5 comments

meagan

18/02/2014

spiralyte says:
Saying you like tall people or blonde people is quite different from saying you like Asian people. Anyone can be tall or blonde - not everyone can be Asian. They aren't interchangeable. No assumptions were made; I merely asked you to clarify. Again, you made a very general statement about Asians - that can mean anyone from Japan to Turkey. Regardless, saying you "find East Asian features really attractive" begets the question "What defines East Asian features?" Almond-shaped eyes, fair skin and delicate facial structures? Because not all East Asians look like that, and defining an entire race by specific features is devaluing the people in it. Placing interest value in a person's race and "features" is placing their worth as a person beneath their appearance. (And I believe you've made comments in the past about how beauty should not be a factor in determining people's self-worth, so you would understand this.) Again I ask you, if someone told you their reason for being attracted to you or having interest in you was primarily or even initially because of your race and "racial features," would you not question that person's logic? Because in that case, what differentiates you from any other person of your race who looks similarly to you? If you like someone in a specific race because of their features, what's to prevent you from dumping one for another who looks just the same? Certain features aren't specifically defined to a particular people; you can't always look at someone and determine where they come from. You'd be surprised to know that not everyone who possesses what most would call "East Asian features" is actually East Asian, or perhaps Asian at all. The point is, you can't define an entire people by their features, thus you shouldn't say you like that specific group of people. It's weird and hurtful to the people you wish to flatter with your feelings. This explains it in a really great way, although a bit crude and brash, but she was passionate. http://lightspeedsound.tumblr.com/post/28286812367/dear-non-asian-people-yes-fetishizing-asian-people Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not attacking you personally. Like you said, I don't know you. I'm only encouraging you to look at it from the other side, from the side of the people you're fetishizing. You don't owe me any apologies and I'm certainly not looking for any. Just polite discourse.
Euffie says:
i mean what i said. i like asian boys. maybe i should specify east asians, but even that doesnt really cover it. i like them in general and i find a wide variety of them attractive. of course im not going to find them all attractive. someone can say they like blondes, but obviously they dont like every blonde they see. or someone can like tall people, but not find every tall person to their liking. i dont like them because they are asian, but i do find east asian features really attractive. i made a general statement because its a very general attraction that doesnt have a lot of specifics. you dont know me so assuming that i didnt mean what i said is a little weird. i absolutely meant it and i still mean it. the point is that i wont apologize to you or anyone else for how i feel. i wont make excuses or try to rationalize it because its something i cant explain. just because you dont feel the same way or understand how i feel does not invalidate my feelings or make them wrong.
spiralyte says:
"Why not “I want to marry a Korean K-pop idol/celebrity” or “I want to date someone who looks like a Korean K-pop idol/celebrity”? If you want to be shallow, be proud of it , accept it and don’t try to disguise it" Thank you for writing this article. Shared on Twitter.
spiralyte says:
What do you mean by Asian though? Asian can be many things. The point Eileen is trying to get across is that if you mean "Koreans who look like K-Pop idols," then you don't mean Koreans, and you certainly don't mean Asians, so don't generalize an entire race when what you mean is actually something very specific. It's hurtful and unnecessary when all it takes is a change in diction. There's nothing wrong with being attracted to K-idols, and undoubtedly there are handsome men in every country, depending on your personal attractions. But claiming that "Asian guys are hot" is a hyperbole, because you are then saying that you find ALL or MOST Asian men to be attractive, and you undoubtedly do not. If you think what I'm saying is a bunch of crud, ask yourself if you find Kim Jongeun, the leader of North Korea attractive. He is Asian. You might say "Well, he's old." Well, do you find all young Asians in their teens/early 20s attractive? Not celebrities, but normal students/workers/individuals? No, you can't, it's highly unlikely. So you shouldn't make generalized statements when you really mean a specific group. It's not an attack against your preferences. It's how you choose to voice them. If someone told you "I like you because you're (insert race here)" wouldn't you feel undervalued (and creeped out)?
spiralyte says:
Yes! This is fetishization at its core. I'm Hispanic/Latina, and I would not want a man telling me he loves me or is attracted to me because I'm "exotic," thus assuming I will be exactly what my culture pre-dictates or what is shown on TV/magazines/heard on the radio. Everyone is different and it's wrong to assume that a person will behave a certain way because of the way they look or where they come from. How about you get to know the person before fitting them into a neat little box of idealizations?
burt reynolds says:
Eat Your Kimchi...... hmmm....
kpopalypse says:
Thanks for reviewing, I've been looking for material like this but I'll save my money in this case! The problem with any book about k-pop overall is that the genre is moving so quickly right now that as you correctly point out, whatever is printed will be out of date as soon as it leaves the printing press. The style is still in development. For the same reason that nobody could have written the definitive book about heavy metal or rap in 1986, we're probably going to have to wait at least another decade for really good books about k-pop to appear.