Big-time females artists have been returning recently. It started off with the Madonna of Korea, Uhm JungHwa, then the Icon of Trend, Lee Hyori came back. And now “Ms. New Items” Seo Inyoung has released a new album as well. The music industry, at the moment, is practically dominated by sexy stars.
Recently, the sexy concept has been the most prominent among female artists. Last year, after the popularity of Ivy, female artists that are in their 20s have mostly decided to go with the sexy image.
Especially in July of this year, Korea’s most famous sexy female artists have returned, and the time period quickly became the “golden age,” so to speak, for sexy divas. However, things are completely different for female idol stars, who are mostly targetted at teenagers. They emphasize cuteness, partially thanks to their young age, to attract not only fellow teenaged fanboys but also “uncle fans” as well.
Not surprisingly, the cute concept has been a big part of the enormous popularity of female idol groups that has been growing since the end of last year. Wonder Girls, SNSD, and now KARA have all been decorating a genre of Korean music with their own unique cuteness.
♪ Lady artists, use the sexy image
With her 3rd album “It’s Hyorish,” Lee Hyori has been charming fans with both cuteness and sexiness simultaneously. She has been showing off her powerful dances and live singing skills as well as her signature eye smiles. Her title song “U Go Girl” has taken over as the number one song on various online music ranking sites, and the she sold 100,000 copies in just one week, once again proving that she is Korea’s top female star.
Uhm JungHwa also has been proving that she really is the Madonna of Korea by appealing to the fans with the fun and upbeat rhythm of of her new song “Disco” along with the rapping by Big Bang’s TOP. Uhm JungHwa has been making her performances simply enjoyable by her unique smile as if she had forgotten about her age.
Seo Inyoung, taking advantage of her popularity from TV shows, returned with her second solo album “Cinderella.” Her bubbly and sexy character has been attracting attention from many fans. Added to that is her wide range of friends among celebrities as well as fast-growing popularity.
♪ Teenaged Idol Groups, Cuteness is the Way to Go
The Wonder Girls, the creators of not only the “Tell Me” phenomenon, but also the “So Hot” phenomenon, has been attracting male fans with their “Sexy Cutie” concept. They’ve basically successfully blended the seemingly-ironic-and-awkward combination of sexiness and cuteness. Experts say that their charisma as well as captivatingly-powerful dancing are also contributing a lot to the popularity of Wonder Girls’ unique “sexy cuteness.”
SNSD, who are currently on break, have been going with the innocence and cuteness. The fact that their concepts are completely different to those of their rivals Wonder Girls is a big reason why SNSD is one of the best idol groups out there today. Basically, innocence, which Korean men have all wished for at least once in their lifetime, and the refreshing and bubbly characteristics of teenagers have shaped up SNSD’s image.
KARA, who just recently came back is gaining a lot of attention, set their new theme as liveliness, unlike their 1st album. The title song to their new album “Rock U” is another song that shows the ebullient jolliness of teenagers. Many experts are saying that KARA’s comeback was successful thanks to their own unique “bubbly and cute” image, which is different from SNSD and the Wonder Girls.
credits to newsen & daum
translations by [email protected]/forums
