Please keep in mind that I haven’t gotten into any boygroups yet so I can only use examples from what I know!
As someone who was a big fan of little mix and spice girls and a whole conglomeration of bands (mainly rock) a while back and later transitioned to KPOP, it really struck me that there is a big difference between what is considered talent in western music and in KPOP.
In fact, I think the difference is seen within the industry and outside of it because I haven’t seen this issue in other Korean music, outside of KPOP.
The first thing that I found strange is the way that idols don’t take part in the creative process. Some idols can got their entire career without writing a single lyric. There are some exceptions, of course. Soyeon from IDLE is the first that comes to mind.
I’m not trying to claim that idols never write music. Quite a few have some credits here and there, but it’s usually just a few songs, and not an important section of their discography.
It’s also rare to see idols make choreographies for their music. I say rare, because I’m sure it must’ve happened at some point, but I’ve only really seen it in nugu groups (that I know of, do correct me of I’m wrong).
Whenever I see groups that aren’t good performers, I have to say that I find myself wondering why they are KPOP idols, because most KPOP idols are performers more than anything else. If they don’t write music or make choreographies or dance well, what makes them as talented as their fans claim them to be? Their singing? There are plenty of idols who are good singers, but it’s very rare to see idols who stand out for singing outside of the KPOP industry. They’re good comparatively to their peers but if taken outside that sphere they would probably not be recognised for having a particular talent in singing the way they are in KPOP. Again, I’m not saying this is the case for ALL idols. To me it just seems to be the case more often than not.
I’m sure that the answer to some of these questions comes down to visuals. All the women in KPOP are ethereally gorgeous! But I think this also adds to the toxicity of the industry. They’re not recognised because of intrinsic talent but rather because they have average skills and are pretty at the same time. It makes me sad, and it makes me think of Yoon Minseo. She’s not ugly by any means, but she doesn’t seem to fit KBS in the way idols do and I think that is the main reason why she was eliminated. Her performance blew me away, she was incredible, her vocals, her actions. She was made to be on stage, but received no votes. I doubt I can be convinced that had anything to do with a lack of talent or star quality, because she lacked neither.
Of course, there are examples in western music as well. Rihanna seems like the best example for this. There is also Whitney Houston, but she is considered one of the best voices of all time. Britney Spears was also not heavily involved but her situation leaned towards abusive… which leads me to my next point.
I don’t think idols can be blamed for this. I won’t go into details now but I think we all know that this industry is particularly toxic, many idols don’t seem to be living a healthy lifestyle (mentally or physically) and I can’t imagine how difficult performing must be under those conditions.
But I do find it a little strange when idols whose skills don’t seem to be that good are overly praised by fans. I myself am a KPOP fans and really appreciate good performers: I love Jihyo (and TWICE as a whole but she stands out to me), I love ITZY, I love MAMAMOO, I love GIDLE. I just think if the industry saw enough repercussions there could be a change. Both in the levels of toxicity and in the ways in which idols are allowed to be a part of the creative process, because I know members of ITZY and LE SSERAFIM have expressed a want to do so, but it feels like the companies are deciding what and who they should be. Unlike other artists, many of their songs just feel impersonal, like they don’t necessarily fit the group, they just fit current trends.
I think KPOP would feel a lot less artificial if idols were more able to evolve as artists and not just as performers. I’d like to get to know them for who they are through their music, not just who their company thinks they should be to maximise revenue.
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