By Kim Ji-soo
Being on the culture desk makes it possible to meet various iconic figures in the showbiz industry through arranged interviews or attending on stage performances. We have been able to interview both established household K-pop names and rising ones, coming against the backdrop of the increasing global popularity of the genre. During such interviews with the likes of FT Island, CNBLUE, Infinite, and Super Junior, we have tried to get their views on current developments in the industry.
These are some very big names in K-pop, whose demand from stages in Japan and other parts of Asia is such that arranging an interview with them is a real Herculean task. I recall a comment made by a colleague during an interview with four members of Super Junior that included Si Won. My colleague in an apparent speculative manner was suggesting that the press in China would be very keen on interviewing Si Won judging by how popular the star is in China.
Rightly because the singer/actor has starred in hit movies like “Poseidon,” “Fall in Love With You Again,” and “If We Can Return to the Past”, all of which are popular in China.
Up close Si Won and his members, Lee Teuk, Eun Hyuk and Ye Sung were cordial and polished speakers who articulated their views on K-pop music and also demure about their fame.
FT Island is a rock band composed of five members still in their early 20s. They spoke at length about their latest songs as well as offering hints of what their fans should expect from them in the future. The rising seven stars of Infinite were all about pure eagerness to prove themselves, and willing to sacrifice certain things on the way to their goal.
Some stars like Super Junior and SHINEE were so busy that they only had time for backstage interviews. Other big names Girls’ Generation, Big Bang and the recent mega-sensation PSY remained elusive despite numerous attempts to contact them.
Through the several meetings I have had with these stars, my conclusion is that there is a common thread that runs through them all. They may have undergone years of rigorous training and feature a somewhat standardized electronic pop music under the guidance of their powerful talent agencies, but there was a passion for music that must have been part of the success fueling K-pop surge around the world. Of course, their stardom aside, these musicians are driven by artistic aspirations and freedom.
It may well be because of that freedom that artists — whether they be singers, painters, sculptors or writers — draw fans beyond languages and borders. When Lady Gaga started her “controversial” world tour in Seoul in April, authorities here were seriously concerned about the content of the concert, prompting them to restrict attendance to persons over 19 years.
I guess the measure was not without any justification, because I personally got the feeling that parts of the content of her performance that night was bound to hurt some public sensibilities.
Nonetheless when she performed her song “Hair” describing her teenage years, she was literally exuding this sense of freedom yearned by most people and it seemed the alphabets “f-r-e-e-d-o-m” were floating over the night skies of that chilly April.
“Pieta,” directed by Kim Ki-duk and winner of the Golden Lion, contains several violent scenes, with instances where human parts are being chopped off, but beneath all that is a director struggling to steadfastly hold onto his world and artistic view. Watching PSY, we realize it’s not only the B-grade humor but his freedom to be what he is.
It all sums up the feeling that after decades of economic chauvinism and a concomitant rigid political system, Korean people at least our artists are tapping into their inner freedoms and this is the resulting response that is reverberating at home and abroad.