Honestly, I am not much into music. I enjoy listening to both k-pop and American pop, but I am not really interested in history or symbolism they take. I just enjoy the sound and music has always been a means to relieve my soul rather than complicating it further by trying to take symbolism from it.
http://vigilantcitizen.com/musicbusiness/narsha-and-shinee-illuminati-infiltration-of-k-pop/
The writer of this article was worried about the messages that music and the music videos send are becoming increasingly homogeneous. He says it started from the American pop where large companies monopolize the creation of music. By making the taste of people similar all over the world, they are enabled to control the mass people more easily. Korean pop which always gets influence from the American pop is also showing this tendency. Before I read this article, I never realized that there were such intentions behind the creation of musics. I thought the musicians were only concerned with the quality of music involved with only the sound. As I read the article, I watched the music videos that the writer allege to have included some Illuminati messages. Those were music videos by Narsha and SHINee. Since those two are quite famous in Korea, I saw their videos before. At that time however I did not realize that there was such symbolism. I was surprised to realize the dance SHINee did was explicitly representing the figure of a devil. However, I believe that the majority of people would not be able to realize the symbolism put on the video.
However, there are people who are concerned. The people who realize the intentions behind the scene might be annoyed to let their children or family to be exposed to such overt symbolism. Moreover, as the music becomes homogeneous, many people might complain the monotony of music culture.
I do agree that if it were not for the fuss of the concerned few, very little people would have known about the symbolism that some music or dance can take - as in the example of Shinee. At the same time, however, I think that very fact is what makes Kpop problematic: that people unconsciously accept and follow lyrics and dance moves that may contain unobvious meanings.
ReplyDeleteBut some of the songs, actually quite many of the K-pop commercialize sex and violence, don't they? Such deterioration is noticeable even without concerning symbolism you mentioned, and the problem comes from such expansion of sex and violence in teen culture or whatever.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting and enjoyable writing, Young-il !! :)
ReplyDeleteI especially liked your inclusion of foreign article in your writing :D
Yet, there are two major points on which I donot concur with you.
First, as Seohyun mentioned, people accept the negative influence UNCONSCIOUSLY!! Especially teenagers - definitely in the age of forming their identities and thus very impressionable to external influences - sexual and violent lyrics certainly would "pollute" their mindsets.
Second, on your point that people will complain when musics become homogeneous in style does not stand. Simply looking at the status quo, top 30 songs in the Korean Billboard Chart are all K-pop songs. Other genres of songs are losing their stances in the Korean music industry - and yet, nobody seems to care.