January 31, 2013

Shorts: Music Shows and Languages

With Super Junior-M's recent stage on M! Countdown! in Chinese, I am starting to see the door opening (if ever so slightly) to mainstream performances in Chinese on Korean music shows.  While it has been done before (I believe there was a Japanese group who performed on a music show once) I'm starting to see this happen more frequently.  First with a few TimeZ and EXO-M stages in Chinese and now with Super Junior-M.  It certainly helps that Super Junior-M and EXO-M have SM backing them with the influence and power needed to get a group onto a music program.
I think maybe in the future we will see more groups performing in Chinese.  Who knows, this might open the door to frequent performances in English. :)

January 29, 2013

The Audition Process - the Job Interview Analogy

So the awesome Hara had an excellent question for me about auditions.  How many rounds are there?  There actually aren't any!  The audition process is more like a job interview.

In this senario, SM is the company, you are the candidate, and the job is that of being a trainee.

For those of you too young to have a job, a job interview usually consists of these stages:  the application, correspondence, a face-to-face interview, (sometimes) consideration [on the part of the company], and the job offer.  Some stages can be skipped, repeated, or prolonged at the company's discretion.  Also, the company sometimes alerts you when you get rejected in the early stages, but sometimes forgets completely and you never hear from them...

At any point the company offering the job can offer the candidate the job or reject them.
Also, like a regular job, the applicant must apply for only one position.  The employer has no obligation to actually select any applicant and can pick as few or as many candidates as they want/need.  Most importantly, there is no "winner."  You either get the job or you don't.  Whether your first place, second place, eighth place or whatnot, you won't know and maybe your employer doesn't even know.

Tips on Auditioning for SM Entertainment

NOTE:  A lot of my observations come from things I've seen off of "Survival Audition K-Pop Star".  I know it's a reality program and all, but the judges comments still are very useful and very very true.

What SM looks for:
BoA mentioned that she was looking for someone who was a "blank canvas."  This means SM is looking for someone that doesn't necessarily have a musical direction they want to go in and someone who they can "mold" or "paint" into what they want.

What YG looks for:
YG really focuses on personality or a unique characteristic.  G-Dragon's funky personality and style. Lee HI's lazy soulfulness, etc.

What JYP looks for:
JYP looks for someone who is hardworking and diligent and who has a solid foundation for their singing.  He also likes someone who will have staying power for the long run.

Now for the tips and advice:

Let's Learn Together: Slight Change of Format...

So seeing as Anatomy is epically kicking my butt and I have 8 unpublished songs I'm still trudging through, I'm changing the format ever so slightly.  I will be putting my translations of the songs but without the detail (I'll still do my thoughts and the 10 words).
When I get time, I'll go back and add in all the fine details!

January 1, 2013

Girls' Generation Releases "I Got A Boy"

Happy New Year y'all!

Today is the day Girls' Generation releases their 4th album, "I Got A Boy"!
Regardless of whether the music grows on me, I'm buying the album, much like I did with "Sexy, Free & Single".

I'm no "music expert" but here are my thoughts on their new album!

Upon hearing the title track I was confused...artists string a few songs together for a music video (like how Taetiseo used bits of "OMG" and "Hello, Goodbye" for their "Twinkle" MV) and that's what it sounded like.  Was I listening to two or three songs or just one?  I enjoy the middle part the most, but the track as a whole is a little too eclectic for me...but it is growing on me!  ^^
말해봐 (Say the Words) might sound familiar to some people as it is the official Korean version of "BOOMERANG" off their "Girls' Generation II~ Girls & Peace".  Fans also might recognize it from a leaked track in Korean by GG, "Boomerang".