MBC UK Auditions - The Aftermath!

Yesterday was the MBC Auditions in London, and I have to say I can't remember the last time work was so much fun!

As a big K-Pop fan, I was delighted when I was asked to help out with the project. It's been a bit stressful at times; calling people around the UK and Europe making sure they're still attending, writing e-mails, not hearing back from people, trying to sort things out a.s.a.p, organise some filming... it's been one hell of a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed helping out with all the organising though - a massive thank you to Martin who trusted me enough with the job and gave me the chance. I hope I did you proud!

August 6th seemed so far away when I was asked to help but all of a sudden it seemed to come round in a heartbeat. Excited, I jumped on a London bound train and arrived at Westminster Central Hall at quarter to nine in the morning.

There was hardly anyone there and for a while I was the only English person around! More Korean workers came in after some time and Martin gave us a tour around the building...all in Korean I might add! After the tour he explained a couple more things in Korean while I just kind of stood there trying to stifle my giggles. I really had no idea what was going on! Eventually he went silent and looked around the room, so I assumed that the last thing he said was "Are there any questions?" so I sheepishly put my hand up and said "Can I have a translation in English please?" which made quite a few people laugh! Thankfully some of the Koreans knew English!

It was exciting watching all the cameras being set up, and looking around me I couldn't believe I was part of such a big production. Bit hard to believe I was working for a Korean TV channel and that all of this was going to be aired in another country! And the fact that I helped organise a few bits too. It was just really special to work behind the scenes and see it physically come together, and come together so well! 

Some of the crowd outside

My post was on the registration desk where I would sign in the English and European contestants. We had an excel sheet on our laptops that had a list of all the contestants who applied; we had to find their application, staple their consent form to it and then give them a number. I'd like to say it was easy,  except that we often had trouble with the application forms! Sometimes they weren't in a folder so we had to print it off instead, or sometimes their application wasn't on the system at all so they had to fill out a new one. I think a lot of pens mysteriously went missing...

Anyway, after a short while everyone was gathered onto the top balcony so they could film the contestants chanting in Korean. (Martin was great at getting everyone's attention -  considering he's so little it's surprising how much his voice can BOOM. Mind you, it was a bit echoey...anyway...!)
Shortly after they gathered everyone into the waiting room so they could watch Shayne and Hyung Woo-Cho perform a duet together. They were both contestants on the previous series; Shayne's from Canada and Hyung is from Korea, although he did live in Surrey, England for about 4 years if my memory serves me right, so his English was very good!
I watched some of the performance and a camera man clocked me. He said he knew who I was, which was very bizarre! Turns out he knew of the videos I took at Abbey Road Studios when SHINee came, and said he'd like to interview me! He gave me his business card so I need to get in touch with him at some point...very cool and very weird at the same time...In fact, I had a couple of Korean TV camera crew people saying they recognised me. I'm really not sure how! One said he thinks he saw me on TV...I did appear on Korean TV for like a split second once, but that was it! Very, very bizarre!!
After that the signing in commenced! It was a real buzz, really loved it. Everyone that was working on the desk was so lovely and friendly too which made the whole experience that much more awesome, so thanks everyone! It was fantastic to work with you all.

Spreadsheet!

Folders upon folders...

Contestants on balcony!

Contestants in waiting room watching Shayne and Woo-Cho sing

Shayne and Hyung Woo-Cho

Soon it began to die down as most of the contestants had gone into the waiting room. We decided it was time to grab some lunch so we went to the staff room (Shayne warned us that the vegetarian sandwiches were "horrible", haha! Thanks Shayne. Maybe next time you should try the non-vegetarian variety as you're not a vegetarian?! Funny boy! I personally thought the ham sandwiches were quite good...)
The MC - Sang-Jin Oh - was in the staff room at a table on his own playing his guitar (although I didn't know it was actually him until I saw the orange jeans. I was teasing and saying to the girls how he was just attention seeking because he was playing guitar - jokingly of course - and then I saw it was him and realised he understood English perfectly. I hope he didn't hear me and think I was being serious...!) Eventually Hyung came in and sat down with us to have a chat, and then the camera man who knew of my videos came in too and joined us. Turns out he actually got my videos from SM ENTERTAINMENT THEMSELVES?!? I think I nearly died!

After that it was more work time! More signing in...and after a while there wasn't really anything to do at all. Shayne came to reception and sat next to me, laughing at all the British expressions I kept coming out with and used a laptop on the desk to surf the internet!

I began to wander around to see if there was anything to do elsewhere. I found some co-workers in the waiting hall, where I also saw Hyung and Sang-Jin. The girls convinced me to have a picture taken with both men (I was shy - can you blame me?!) so I did! Sang-Jin put his arm around me and did the peace sign, and Hyung lent in and put his head close to mine as we posed for our photo. Many thanks to the girls that took the pictures for me!

Me and Hyung Woo-Cho

Me and Sang-Jin Oh

Major LOL at the Korean dudes behind us!

Soon after I got to chat with Sang-Jin for quite some time, about 15-20 minutes! He's a very nice, approachable man who loves his job - he's been to the UK about 4 times hence the good English skills! He said I should have auditioned...well, maybe I would have if I could sing in Korean!!

After more milling around, more banter with Shayne and more snooping at all the behind the scenes stuff, it was time to clear up!!

 

Hyung being being filmed with an auditionee

A massive thank you to all who attended, it was a very successful day! And it was great to finally put a face to a name too with some of you! Thank you to the team for all your hard work and enthusiasm, thank you to Martin for, well, everything!! And a massive thank you the Shayne, Hyung Woo-Cho and Sang-Jin for coming over; it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you all! I hope to see you again in the future and stay in touch!

Me and Shayne

Congratulations to those who got through, and for those who didn't...better luck next time!! ;-) Hopefully the MBC Auditions will come again next year!!

MBC AUDITIONS UK

Want to become a popstar in Korea?

Don't lie; we've all done it. From singing into our hairbrushes in the privacy of our bedrooms pretending you're singing in an arena, from singing karaoke pretending you're the next big thing, or even just singing whilst doing housework wondering when you're big break is gonna happen, we're all guilty. We've all been there.

This audition is slightly different though. Love K-Pop? Want to be a star there? Well you're on the right damn page! MBC are coming to London on the 6th of August 2011 and they want to hear from YOU!

That's right, it could be you competing with the likes of TVXQ, Big Bang, BoA, Super Junior, 2NE1 etc for the number 1 spot in the charts this time next year. But before you start getting excited, there are of course rules!

So, what are these rules? 

• You have to sing at least one song in Korean. (Half a song should be okay, then you can also sing English songs according to the official Facebook page).
• You cannot apply if you are already with an agency or working as a professional singer.
• You can sing on your own OR as a group.
• You must sing acapella or you can play an instrument whilst performing.
• You can dance if you wish or do other performances. You must provide a CD with the track you wish to use.
• You have to send off your application form by 3rd August 2011.
• You DON'T have to be British! Other people from other countries are welcome to come over and try their luck, too.

So, what are the details?

The auditions are happening on the 6th of August 2011, although the venue is currently unknown. If you are lucky enough to pass the London audition, you will be invited to Korea and join other contestants for the survival stages. The winner will be rewarded with a cash prize and a recording contract opportunity in Korea. MBC will provide flights and accomodations, so it won't cost you a penny!

Okay, I understand all of the details. Where can I sign up?!

In order to sign up, you can go to their Facebook page and download the application form, then send it to europe@mbc.co.kr.

Yes, it is THAT simple! So what are you waiting for? Make your dream a reality!

Best of luck to those who enter! 

SHINee @ Abbey Road Studios 19/6/2011

Okay so first I found out about SMTOWN coming to Paris. Major freak out moment. And then I discover SHINee are coming to the UK? HOLD THE PHONE. Are you serious?! Second major freak out moment of epic proportions!

SHINee are an all male quintet all the way from South Korea. Their music is labeled "contemporary" and are one of the hottest bands around at the moment, with huge hits under their belt like "Ring Ding Dong", "Lucifer" and "Hello".

They were about to make their debut in Japan, so to celebrate they decided to hold a mini gig at the Abbey Road Studios in London, where The Beatles recorded. So! Where can I get tickets? Sign me up!

...What do you mean it's only for Japanese fans?! Well, I suppose it makes sense considering they're making their Japanese debut, but one has to wonder...why did they come all the way to England to do it? What about the English fans?

I guess you could say we were pretty annoyed and frustrated, that's like dangling a bone in front of a dog but still keeping it out of reach. Still, despite our disappointment, we couldn't help but be excited either. SHINee were coming to England. They were not only going to be in the same continent, but in the same bloody country. Korean artists never venture here at all, so either way it was an absolute privilege they were here in the first place so what better way to celebrate by being there and showing them our support, and showing that they actually have a strong fanbase here?

I rocked up just after 9am after making some friends on the tube (I was wearing my customised SMTOWN T-Shirt from Paris so I guess this made me rather distinguishable), and there was already quite a few people there. Some arrived at 7 or 8am, and some people had even come as far as the Isle of Wight. This event was going to be a bit bigger than I thought.

The atmosphere was already buzzing; people were chanting SHINee's name, singing their songs...but you could tell there was apprehension in the air, too. I mean, how long would we have to wait until they arrived??

Our answer came quite soon; a silver van turned up between 10-10:30am. Naturally I got my video recorder out, but unfortunately an excitable fan next to me started jumping up and down, so even though I managed to capture SHINee (Onew, Minho, Taemin and Key) on camera, it was a bit shaky. Annoying, but at least I got a shot of them. We were concerned that Jonghyun didn't arrive with them...where was he? Why wasn't he there? Was he going to turn up at all?

As the time passed, plenty of SME staff members, Abbey Road staff members and Japanese and Korean TV crew came out to film and take pictures of the crowd, even interview us as well! Everyone in the crowd did chants like "We want SHINee", "SHINee saranghae!" (Trans: "SHINee I love you!") and "London SMTOWN". The crowd also sang along to some songs and plenty of people brought and made their own banners to show their love and support. Despite being cramped and squished into a tiny place (because let's face it, fan events = squishiness and people trying to push in) the whole atmosphere was electric and positive, there were no fights or arguments between fans or anything. In fact, most people behaved pretty well the entire time.

SIDENOTE: There was a MEGA MEGA CUTE Korean MBC reporter so if anyone knows his name, you must let me know. I am in love with him and wish to have his babies. Thank you.

By the time 2pm came around, Jonghyun finally arrived. The crowd screamed of course, but as we saw him go up the steps he didn't look very well at all and it left us very concerned. We hoped he was okay but he certainly didn't look like he was in any position to perform.

Fans for the gig also turned up. We knew the venue hall could only accomodate 130 people so I was expecting to see 130 fans. Wrong. There were only about 20 fans and not all of them were Japanese, which left the rest of the crowd very confused and, once again, slightly annoyed. How did these British people get tickets?! And why were there only around 20? Sure, the venue is probably also filled up with SMTWON staff and camera crew, but adding them altogether doesn't make 130 people so where were the rest?!

Anyway, despite the way I kind of felt about the event, I genuinely wished and hoped they had a very good time. Sincerely! I mean that. I mean, if I won tickets I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be booed, which is what some people did when they first arrived. Of course some of us told them not to because it wasn't fair or nice.

They went in round about 3pm and we knew the gig started at half past...but we had absolutely no idea what time it was going to end. Some people decided to leave - though not many - but I stuck around in the hopes of catching a good shot of SHINee before they leave England.

The gig was quite short - only 45 minutes! - But then again it wasn't exactly a proper concert so I suppose it made sense. Jonghyun left shortly after it finished but the rest of the members didn't come out until 5:15pm, roughly. Okay, this is where the crowd went nuts. I was suddenly shoved forwards and was practically merging myself into the girl in front, and because everyone was becoming excited they started to jump and shake themselves about, which meant my camera was wobbly again! I was unamused, I was tired, my legs and back were aching, I was bloody starving, and this behaviour was not helping my mood. Thankfully SHINee moved to the other end of the crowd first, which sent the crowd on my side into a frenzy as they gathered onto the other side to catch a glimpse. Me being the smart one (for a change), I knew they were going to come our way as well so I stayed where I was and I also had more room too, so I had a moment to breathe! SHINee came our way so naturally everyone came back, but I found myself in a slightly better position and managed to hold my camera much more steady this time, so I got a really good shot of the 4 of them facing us and waving. They turned their backs to us to do a bit of filming, and then we started to chant "SHINee saranghae!" The band members turned round pretty much as soon as we started chanting this, and waved at us again. They eventually retreated to their van and officially left Abbey Road Studios.

As I had been facing the studios the entire day, I finally got the chance to have a good, proper look at the crowd. Christ there was a lot of people! I hung around for a while as I wanted to wait until everyone or most people had left as I didn't want to be caught up in all the people-traffic, so I managed to talk to some competition winners who were actually Japanese! They really enjoyed the show, asked how I got into K-Pop, who my favourite member was etc. We must have been chatting for about 5-10 minutes before a security guard came over and told us we must leave the venue immediately.

As I left I clocked the super-duper cute Korean reporter guy, so I went up to him and said thank you for everything that they had done. He told me that the footage they took would only be shown on South Korean TV, so I'm hoping someone records it...? I kind of chickened out in telling him he was cute, I felt a bit silly, but he was definitely one to drool over.

ANYWAY...

Was it worth getting up at 5:45am? Was it worth standing up 9 hours straight with no food, water or toilet breaks? Was it worth being squished to an inch of my life? Was it worth having my leg bashed against the wall and receiving a nasty bump as a result (although that was entirely my fault)?
Was it all worth it, the possibility of being on Japanese and/or Korean TV, seeing SHINee in the flesh and up close, making new friends, being surrounded by people who understand what this is all about?

Would I do it all again?

In a bloody heartbeat.

Gomawo SHINee! Come back to us soon!






KBS VIDEO!! KOREAN TV. SHOT OF THE CROWD.

SMTOWN Concert in Paris 11/6/2011

Holy Christ. I really don't know where to begin with this one. I hear the beginning is a very good place to start (thank you for these wise words Julie Andrews) but even after 5 days I'm still sort of overwhelmed by the whole experience.

For those unaware (WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?) the Korean agency SMEntertainment held not one, but TWO concerts in Paris, France. Confirmed artists were f(x), Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee and TVXQ.

Needless to say when I discovered the lineup I almost peed myself from excitement. I mean flippin' heck, my favourite Korean artists were going to be in my continent! At the same time! Lord knows when or if they'll ever come to London, so I knew right then that I was going to go to Paris no matter how much it was going to cost. This is an opportunity far too good to miss! Tickets were bought (trust me, it was a nightmare. They sold out in 10 minutes), hotel was booked and so was the coach.

I only found out about this concert in May, so I only had to wait less than a month before the concert finally came round. Before I barely had time to blink, I was on my way to Paris with my sister, who kindly accompanied me despite the fact she never really knew who these people were!

One thing that greatly angered me was the touts; there were so many of them and they had so many tickets. Both dates were completely sold out so it annoyed me that there were a couple of empty seats due to the touts getting the tickets before genuine fans. It's a nasty business.

The Le Zenith venue has a capacity of 6000, although it didn't actually look that large inside. It's a great venue in my opinion - it didn't matter where you sat because you always had a great view. They had the normal stage, but then they attached a catwalk to it which then branched out in two ways so everyone got to see everyone! And although I was quite near the back, I was still able to see a lot so I was a happy bunny!

First on were f(x), the band I was least familiar with. I have googled them since and they are so young! The youngest member is only 16, but at the time I thought that they must have been in their early 20's like the other band members are. I have to say, despite their young age they were really good and energetic live, not to mention they got the crowd going! At first I wasn't sure if it was the type of music I'd listen to on a regular basis, but it was definitely good party/concert music. As the concert went on and even as the days have gone by I have discovered that their songs have been circulating my head, so I think I'm definitely a fan now!



Super Junior were exceptional live. They were so energetic, so much fun and above all, they looked so bloody happy to be there as well. They were also really good to their fans in the front row as they really interacted with them. When they weren't dancing they were running around the stage like little boys high on E Numbers! They were great fun to watch and such good entertainers; it really was a pleasure to see them live!



I don't consider this next song to be one of their more well known songs (well, it was my first time hearing it at the concert!) but I absolutely love it. So energetic and happy! I love how this video really showcases their personalities and enthusiasm - especially towards the end!



Girls' Generation were, of course, also just as good. The crowd went absolutely wild when their big hits "Run Devil Run", "Oh!", "Gee" and "Genie" came on. Everyone sang along at the top of their voices and really stuck their teeth into their performances. They performed perfectly and their timing was excellent - although the dances aren't the most technical they are very effective and you can make any dance look good if everyone moves as one, which is what Girls' Generation do. Check out their exceptional performance of Run Devil Run here:



Can't forget SHINee!! What an adorable bunch of lads!! Just like Super Junior, they were energetic and enthusiastic, really an absolute delight to watch. They have great chemistry on stage as well! Their songs were really popular - especially Ring Ding Dong and Lucifer! Onew sang a solo as well, singing "Nessun Dorma". Unfortunately his voice cracked at the end but otherwise did a very good job and his pronunciation was really good, too!





Last but not least...my absolute favourite...TVXQ. Oh em gee. This was the first Korean boyband I listened to back in 2008 and here I was in the same room as them, about to watch them perform. Utterly incredible. Of course it was sad that it was only 2 and not 5, but at least I got to see them! They didn't come on until very late which was a bit annoying, as I had absolutely no idea that the concert would be over 3 hours and my video camera battery ran out! So I had to use my picture camera to record instead which means I couldn't zoom in anywhere near as close and the sound quality wasn't as good either. But still...footage is footage!
They really brought a lot to the table. The crowd went nuts when they were announced on stage! It was like everyone had been waiting for them and they were the main act, and boy did they not disappoint! Their live vocals were perfection as was their dancing - sharp, masculine and powerful! They were very serious whilst performing - unlike Super Junior who were game for a laugh - but I quite liked that each group was different.
TVXQ sang new hits such as "Why (Keep Your Head Down)", "Before U Go" (which is a very steamy number, I'd like to add!) and "Maximum", but they also sung old hits like "Mirotic" and "Rising Sun"!!! I really could not believe my ears. Rising Sun was the first song I heard from them so it's really special to me. I never, ever thought I'd hear those songs live simply because it was way back when they were a 5-piece, so it was an absolute treat and a complete surprise!

Here's a video of Maximum, the last song to be recorded on my video camera. Sorry it's a bit shaky in places! The more I zoom in the more shaky the camera becomes, but it stops after a short while! Please enjoy.



If you wish to see anymore of my concert videos (I took over 20 and it took me 3 bloody days to upload...) my channel/playlist is right HERE.

So, was it worth it? Would I go again? Hell to the YES. It really was worth every penny, and considering it was over 3 hours long I really did get my money's worth. I feel absolutely privileged to have seen it with my own eyes and hope that, even though some of my readers may not have attended, you still feel a part of it by watching my videos. I know it's barely any consolation at all, but I do hope all the fans get to see them at some point. Good things come to those who wait!

Korean Music is taking over!

I'm not kidding. As much as I love Japanese music, I have to say that the Korean scene is doing pretty well. With Japan I tend to follow the female music scene more but with Korean it's all about these boybands. I'm not really sure why I prefer different genders when it comes to different countries, but that's just how it is. I've discovered the bands "Super Junior" and "SHINee" through friends, but "DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki" I discovered through Japanese music artist Koda Kumi. I've talked about DBSK before and I've even shown you two of their music videos in a previous post, so I'll give you another song that I was recently addicted to.

Of course, I have no idea what these guys are singing. I don't know a single word in Korean nor do I plan to learn it, but what I like about songs in foreign languages is that you get to concentrate on the actual music itself, the rhythm, pace and the effects they use. The Korean songs I've tended to like have been a mix of R'n'B and Dance which are usually genres I'm not that bothered about. However, these guys have got it going. They've got the looks (most of them, anyway), the style, the hot moves, and of course the voices. These guys are all talented and in it for the long run which is more than what I can say about other bands I've seen come and go in the English world. (DBSK have been around since 2003 and are currently on a hiatus due to a lawsuit, and Super Junior started in 2005)

The thing with DBSK's song "Mirotic", is that is was actually apparently banned in Korea for being too dirty, and the video would only be shown on TV passed 10pm. The video itself isn't dirty at all, and I've googled the translated lyrics and I've definitely read dirtier lyrics, but I guess that's Korea for you.

"In November 2008, the Korean Commission of Youth Protection ruled that Mirotic was detrimental to youths and declared that the lyrics were provocative and overly sexual. As a result, the album was labeled with stickers indicating that it was unsuitable for people under 19 years old and any performances of the song would have to be broadcast after 10 PM. In response to the ruling, SM Entertainment agreed to make a clean version but also had filed an injunction to overrule the commission's decision"

When I first heard this song I admit that I thought the tune and rhythm was annoying due to being repetitive, but when I heard it again a couple of years later and watched the entire video, I found myself wanting to learn the dance and not wanting the music to stop. So, for your entertainment (hopefully), here is...

DBSK MIROTIC


Next in line is a large group who call themselves "Super Junior". I discovered these very recently so I don't know much about them, but I do know that their super catchy song "Sorry, Sorry" and the album with the same name earned them a lot of awards, as said by "Wikipedia":

"Super Junior's third album, Sorry, Sorry, was released on March 12, 2009 with acclaimed reviews. The title single of the album, "Sorry, Sorry" was digitally released on March 9, 2009. In less than a week after preorders were announced, over 150,000 copies were pre-ordered. Sorry, Sorry was their first album to debut at #1 on the Hanteo Charts, and it sold over 29,000 copies the first day, defeating Seo Taiji's record of 25,000. Promotions for the album started March 13 with the performance of "Sorry, Sorry" and "Why I Like You" on Music Bank. Two weeks later, "Sorry, Sorry" became the number one song of the week on the same program. During the group's performance on music program Popular Songs on March 15, ratings went up to as high as 14%, the highest in recent years. From March to May, "Sorry, Sorry" collected a total of ten #1 awards with consecutive wins in Korea, having the single becoming a national and international success. After only a month of release, the album became South Korea's best-selling album of 2009. Sorry, Sorry was also a critically and commercially successful hit in other Asian countries, opting the group to become the only overseas representative for the second time at Taiwan's annual Golden Melody Awards. "Sorry, Sorry" was also #1 for a record-breaking 33 weeks in Taiwan.Sorry, Sorry was a best-selling Korean-language album in Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines, in which the latter listed the album to be the first K-pop album to reach #1 in music charts from the country. Super Junior won three awards in the 1st MNET Asian Music Awards - Overseas Viewers Award, Mobile Popularity Award and CGV Popularity Award despite not attending. Super Junior's Sorry, Sorry won Daesang at the 2009 Golden Disk Awards."

So, does this song live up to it's standards in your opinion? Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

SUPER JUNIOR SORRY, SORRY


This next group is my latest discovery. Out of the three, these have the youngest members (16, 18, 18, 20, 20) and they've only been around since 2008. This song I'm about to show you was released only last year and is insanely catchy. It took me a while to actually learn the "ring ding dong" bit and that's freakin' English. Hah! Here it is. Don't forget to put your dance shoes on.



If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to share! I'm an open book.

I Am A Japanophile

I have to thank my sister's boyfriend for lending me his Final Fantasy X game. I was already into Animé, but it was this game that introduced me to Japanese music because it came with a "making of" DVD (and I love seeing how things are made). The first ever Japanese song I heard was a very beautiful, soothing song called "Suteki da ne" ("Isn't it wonderful?") and it was the theme song for FFX.

I've always been quite open musically, and I fell in love with the song instantly. I googled the lyrics and printed them off, and began to learn. I mean, how cool is it to sing in a different language? Not everyone can and it's a skill I'm proud to say I possess.

This is the song.



It didn't matter to me that I had no idea what she was singing. I loved the classical melody and it was all about the emotion, and it really made me realise. It's not just words that make a story, it's the way you say it, it's the passion you feel within.
I was eager to learn more, and discovered the song "Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy 9, which is also sung in Japanese and English also.
The good thing about these songs is that they are quite slow, so for me it was a good starting point to learn the pronunciation and really get to grips with the language.

I learned these two songs in Japanese fluently and then Final Fantasy X-2 came out. There were two theme songs to this one - Real Emotion and 1000 Words - and both songs were sung by a very popular Japanese artist named Koda Kumi.
Real Emotion was the first fast-paced Japanese song I learned. A lot of people may well call me weird, but when I got home from school I just wanted to learn Japanese songs, rather than go hang out with schoolmates behind shops while they smoked (I was in a bit of a bizarre crowd, truth be told).



This was when I discovered YouTube, back in 2005. My friend Matthew is also a fan of "everything Japanese" and he introduced me to Japanese all girl pop group Morning Musume.

Thank goodness for YouTube because it's helped me stay in touch with my favourite Japanese artists, and I hated it when they were taking videos down due to copyright issues. I completely understand that of course, but at the same time these videos were allowing others to discover different things about different countries, and I was learning. Plus, it's exposure! Isn't that what every famous person wants, really? To be known? To be discovered? It's not like people were making money from uploading videos, let's face it. Or maybe I'm ignorant? As far as I'm aware, I couldn't see the harm.

The good thing about Japanese songs is that you get to learn some bits of the language from it, from where certain words pop up from time and time again.
I thank the site www.helloproject.com for their Japanese, Romaji and English translations for Morning Musume songs. And Cherryblossom-garden.com, too.

I soon became a Japanophile. (Please don't take that too literally, I just mean I became a bit addicted). I got so bored with the English music scene and Japanese music was a good distraction from it (until Mika came along, that is, but that's a different story).

I want to share some of my favourite Japanese music with you, and show you how different some of it is. I guess Koda Kumi is quite Americanised, but she writes a lot of her own songs, she's amazing live, has her own style...I do adore her quite a lot.
There are some Morning Musume songs that I like, and others not so much. It's difficult to describe this group, because the members keep changing. Members who want to leave graduate, and then they hold auditions for a new person, and everytime a new person (or persons) join, it becomes a new generation. The 4th generation was the "Golden Era".
Morning Musume are under this huge umbrella called "Hello! Project", and there are numerous groups next to MoMusu, like "Mini Moni" for example. They're a quartet aimed at the younger generation but I find them far too cute.
Gackt is mainly a rock guy, but he can sing pop too. I consider him the Japanese Mika in a way, especially in the live version of "Vanilla", because he's a guy who plays on his sexuality, and no-one actually even knows how old he really is. Not much is known about his personal life, as far as I'm aware.
Ayumi Hamasaki is another artist, but not one to get all her kit off. She's quite modest actually and has quite a strong voice. I don't like all of her songs, truth be told, but I adore her song "Voyage" and the video for it.

Anyway, I will stop waffling now and give you some videos to watch, if you are actually interested.

Here are some of my favourite live performances from Koda Kumi, because she's awesome. I want to see her live.

BUTTERFLY


ECSTASY (I love this song)


TABOO




These next videos contain some of Morning Musume's songs. You'll see the change in music, style, and member line-up.

LOVE MACHINE (3rd generation)


THE PEACE (4th generation)


SHABONDAMA (sixth generation)


ONNA NI SACHI ARE (8th generation)


This is the first song that includes two Chinese girls. Tsunku, the producer behind MoMusu, wanted to expand their popularity and so got "exchange students", if you like. This is currently the line up as of right now, but Kusumu Koharu is going to graduate soon. (The girl who is the first to sing in the above video)

And how about this: Koda Kumi auditioned to be in Morning Musume when she was 16, but she got rejected!

AYUMI HAMASAKI - Blue Bird


I would have shown you Voyage but there aren't any videos of it on YouTube, OR Imeem. It sucks, because it's really pretty. Anywho, moving on.

GACKT - Vanilla.
Now, I tore myself up over this song. Do I show you the official video where he looks like Cloud from a Final Fantasy game, or do I show you live footage of Gackt and his band performing very gay? I give you this video.


GACKT - Lu:Na...just to prove that he can be masculine. (Sort of).


The good thing about Japanese music is that you also learn about other foreign artists...like this male group DBSK who are Korean. They sang with Koda Kumi ("Last Angel") but I absolutely ADORE their song "Rising Sun" because it has various musical elements, plus I want to learn the dance.
DBSK are a very talented band, because they can sing pop, R'n'B, rock, and acapella. They're huge in Korea and rightly so.

RISING SUN


I would just like to boast that when I was watching the latest Final Destination film, I was sandwiched between two guys and the song "Rising Sun" was in the background in one of the scenes. I got mega excited but don't think my two friends were that interested and probably thought I was weird. "ExcitedOverForeignMusicAndGushedAboutItToColleagues Failed Attempt Number 2"

BALLOONS (you probably won't recognise them, they look completely different. I barely recognised them myself when I first saw this video! I love how geeky they are. If I did a music video, THIS WOULD BE IT.)


Okay, so that's my love for Asian music over and done with. Sorry it was long and possibly boring, but if you've become a fan of one of these artists simply because of this blog, then yay.

Until next time...

Sayonara!