Hyooga 10,307 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I got into K-Pop during BoA's time. (soloists era - BoA, Hyori, Rain, Se7en) Won't deny the gasoos back then were already manufactured - their image, the way they're presented and trained. But I feel current K-Pop is like that but in an overly way? There are times when these idols truly feel like they're actual products - from what they say to how they look to how they act. I really don't have anything against kids who want to be idols. But I kinda feel sorry how controlled they seem to be. Heck even a trip to the airport is like a marketing frenzy where their getup is meticulously coordinated and planned Interview answers are predictable but people still react as if they said some revelations lmao. Even choreo and songs are starting to rely too much on catchy choruses and point dances. Fashion aesthetics are things that have zero input from the idols themselves. Even the standards of beauty are too similar nowadays but back then I felt K-Pop appreciated different sorts of beauties. In a way it all feels so fake and over-manufactured? When I watch variety, only a handful of idols have variety skills that could be on par with the DB5K-SS501-Shinhwa-early Suju era but their fans act as if they've done the most groundbreaking stuff. A lot of it seem scripted and pretty controlled too...in an obvious way. Sometimes I even begin doubting when they cry and stuff. I mean if those on WGM cry how can I believe that all tears are real? But then, when a show like Radio Star is already deemed as ~scandalous~ then it's easy to understand how controlled things are. I'm not looking for wild celebrities. I'm not saying other countries entertainment industry are free of this too. It's just that with current K-Pop, this manufacturing factor has become so BLATANTLY OBVIOUS similar to how Disney stars are packaged. No wonder a lot of fans do outgrow it after some years. I hope to live to see the day where the Korean entertainment industry goes for a more pragmatic approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secre 1,557 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzs☕ 93 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I don't agree with everything, but I feel like they're just throwing tons of i-dols and wasting talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiirbii 4,760 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 It feels like the opposite to me, actually. Back when I got into kpop Twitter and Instagram and V Live weren't around, most of your content was from shows, which we all know are scripted to one degree or another. Now there are more avenues for idols to communicate with fans, and some of those avenues are a more casual approach, so it's easier to get a hold of their personality. (that is, the personality they want to the fans to see, it's always monitored to some degree or another, but there's less PD and script influence with live broadcasts and tweets and such) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarShapedGummy 11,380 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 at the end of the day, it's all about the bottom line. i guess execs saw the products you're referring to as being lucrative? i dunno. if they started losing money, you would know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M0VH 9,989 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 It's the entertainment industry. LIGHTS,CAMERA, ACTION! Everything is pre-prepared. You're acting as if you never knew or something. Even back then, it's scripted. Do you really think idols rolling on the floor laughing is real? Suju over reacts like crazy but it's entertaining to watch. Rather than it also being fake, they have to overreact as well. Nothing new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honeystan 10,291 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 I know some are acting in a way that got someone else popular in hopes of becoming popular too since the entertainment industry is so short-lived and there's always someone waiting to take your spot, you got to shoot to the top as quickly as you can, then you have to maintain what is felt as a desirable image so people will keep wanting to see you. I might lead to a manufactured feeling, but I'm not sure it can be helped since people who act 'differently' often get a bad light cast on them. I know that over-saturation is becoming a problem as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyooga 10,307 Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 (that is, the personality they want to the fans to see, it's always monitored to some degree or another, but there's less PD and script influence with live broadcasts and tweets and such) By pragmatic, I meant about idols showing actual personalities. Not spending 50 minutes saying "saranghaeyo" to user ____ or singing lines to user ______. This is exactly the reason why I felt the 'fakeness' is more pronounced. People just don't do that in real life, it's not relatable. This is the exact reason why I feel it's manufactured, the wish fulfillment factor is way magnified. At least back then, idols just chose to be mysterious and people can rely on fan accounts/their imagination. But seeing idols do some sort of aegyo on After School Club because a fan pleaded for it while getting a sense the actual idol isn't in the mood to actually do it (but can't refuse because he'll get hated) bothers me a lot. Like I want to have them do interviews with legit reflections, insights, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiirbii 4,760 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 By pragmatic, I meant about idols showing actual personalities. Not spending 50 minutes saying "saranghaeyo" to user ____ or singing lines to user ______. This is exactly the reason why I felt the 'fakeness' is more pronounced. People just don't do that in real life, it's not relatable. This is the exact reason why I feel it's manufactured, the wish fulfillment factor is way magnified. At least back then, idols just chose to be mysterious and people can rely on fan accounts/their imagination. But seeing idols do some sort of aegyo on After School Club because a fan pleaded for it while getting a sense the actual idol isn't in the mood to actually do it (but can't refuse because he'll get hated) bothers me a lot. Like I want to have them do interviews with legit reflections, insights, etc. Sadly, any kind of depth from idols isn't safe. All it takes is one scandal to bring down a mid-tier group, it takes even less for new groups to be thrown into the dumpster. A whole lot has to change with fans and how they react to things before idols are allowed to be more frank. But it's not all shallow. Got7 did a series where two members would sit down and talk to each other. Sometimes it was chill, sometimes it was more serious, but it wasn't just aegyo and fan pandering. Peniel from BtoB was able to talk about his hair loss on Hello Counselor and (some) idols have been able to show support for various causes through SNS. Those are just some examples that have been in my orbit. There's a lot you can gather in regards to your bias, it's not all sanitized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimchidiablo 6,189 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 pop music industry everywhere is manufactured by executives & agencies tbh. that's why a term 'indie' exists, which means it is indepently produced, or not being produce by executives, major labels & agencies, who are always targeting profit & popularity. btw, about the scripted variety shows you just talked about. i personally think that it is happened because South Korea is a very sensitive country, you know how knetz bashed Tiffany over a filter on snapchat and Goo Hara over a hrowing bottle act. so Kpop is not like a Western pop where 'bad publicity is still publicity.' Western artists may have many scandals but they can still sell out their products (concert, music, etc) meanwhile Kpop artists have to maintain a sleek clean image in order to sell their products imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
酒� 1,769 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 i honestly dont see any major difference with the manufacturing lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honeystan 10,291 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 i honestly dont see any major difference with the manufacturing lol Every time I see you make a comment, I feel like it's Gwang Soo saying it, but in a very serious tone because of how contemplative he looks in your profile picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4minute-s 889 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Well, even the diva queen Mariah Carey at one point of her career were 'manufactured' and 'controlled'. Lady Gaga, Beyonce, One Direction and the list continues... It's just the way pop music works. Especially in Korea where image in everything. However I have to disagree with you. They are same then as it is now. Idols are so manufactured and controlled that they cant even defend or talk about anything bad that happened to them which involves their companies(disbandment, discords etc). I am pretty sure there is a clause in their contract that prohibit them from doing so. Howbeit it is a good thing that some idols are given artistic freedom by their company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiaolei 406 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Even choreo and songs are starting to rely too much on catchy choruses and point dances. Fashion aesthetics are things that have zero input from the idols themselves. Even the standards of beauty are too similar nowadays but back then I felt K-Pop appreciated different sorts of beauties. K-pop got big off of catchy songs with fun, easy dances like "Gee" and "Sorry, Sorry" that, let's' be real, had no meaning at all. At least now some companies are realizing the value of letting their idols write their own music and choreos (Seventeen, Suga, SM solos). Idols haven't had any say of their clothes/styling/hair color since f(x) days at best. And I'm not sure what beauties they used to appreciate but I think Yoona/Suzy to Seolhyun to Tzuyu to Nana are all pretty diverse. I didn't get into Kpop as early as you (Golden Era), but the first half of what you said applies to the last seven years of the industry, at least? Airports have always been crowded events for sponsored clothes and fanservice. If it wasn't idols would have started using private exits from the beginning. As for the variety shows, I agree; they're stricter than the old ones (though no less scripted). I think SM started cracking down on SNSD's image after a while, and other companies followed suit to avoid scandals. But with more SNS platforms, individual activities which allow every member to shine, and direct communication with fans, idols do have avenues to be deeper, funnier, and more genuine than on variety, but you have to be a fan willing to look for that stuff. If you don't have time to follow every Snapchat, Vlive, etc, it gets old fast. Maybe it's not necessarily getting more manufactured, but simply manufactured in a different way now. Given that Korea's music industry isn't robust/lucrative enough to support as many artists as companies put, I'd venture that fostering delusional, hardcore, fanbases dedicated to buying anything their perfect idols touch (therefore bringing in CF deals and tours) is a pretty pragmatic way of making profits off of what would otherwise be a business of collecting pennies off of public streaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reiz 1,275 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Scripted interview is one that I dislike the most. Thats why, even for my fave, Im not that easily believing everything she said anymore. I will see if her actions really proves what she said. If she can do that then I can trust what she said. It needs some kind of process, for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
酒� 1,769 Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Every time I see you make a comment, I feel like it's Gwang Soo saying it, but in a very serious tone because of how contemplative he looks in your profile picture lol he is not like his rm persona in real life so you maybe imagine the right thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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