We all know that Girls’ Generation is a lovable group of girls who happen to sing and dance. The reasons we all became fans of them are numerous, ranging from their catchy songs, to their beautiful looks, to their dorky personalities. It’s obvious why we are addicted to them. However, it’s not as clear to people who typically do not enjoy pop music, much less Korean pop music produced by a girl group.
I was recently talking to a couple of my friends, and I mentioned to them that I was a writer for Soshified. One friend, a Caucasian male my age whom I have known since primary school, replied, “Dude, a girl group? You know you’re a guy, right?” The other friend, an Asian female whom I went to college with, said, “I have lost all respect for you.” (I did not expect her to have any respect for me anyway, so that was not a particularly huge blow, but that’s beside the point.) Why does it matter that these two people don’t understand how someone like me can like Girls’ Generation? Because that’s the mindset of many music followers in the West, especially here in the United States.
Now Girls’ Generation could be just fine in their own little sphere where they are currently, dominating South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Asian countries. If they decide to stick with Asia and not ever venture out from there, that’s fine by me. They’ve already been more successful in three years than I have been in my whole life so far. But if Girls’ Generation really wants to conquer the worldwide music scene, they must gain a foothold in the United States first.
Why does America matter though? It is because the United States is home to the biggest entertainment industry and the biggest music industry in the world. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the United States routinely sells the most total units of music each year (singles, albums, DVDs, video tapes), which of course leads to the most spent on music sales each year. The United States is also home to three of the big four major corporate labels in recorded music: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, which are responsible for almost 60% of total unit sales worldwide, and the fourth company, EMI Group, is based in the United Kingdom, and takes up 15% of world music market sales shares.
Thus, if Girls’ Generation wants to be considered a worldwide phenomenon, it needs to make sure that it makes inroads into the United States. They have started with their appearances in SMTown and Korea Music Festival, their deal with Interscope Records, and their recent release of “The Boys” this past week. But how does Girls’ Generation grab more slices of the pie? Obviously, the girls have to cater to Western tastes in music and connect to their potential fans. The very first thing they need to do is to learn how to speak English and learn how to speak it fluently. It’s already hard enough for a native English speaker to make it in the music industry in the United States, much less a non-English speaker. You cannot promote your songs in a country if you cannot speak its dominant language, and obviously promotions are key to publicity and sales. The girls must sing their songs in English too. This should not be too big of a problem though, since the girls have historically done well with English covers. It would be best if their pieces were original rather than recreations like most of their Japanese songs as well, because lyrics in another language may not fit the original music, which would alienate both new and old fans alike.
This is especially important because the girls need English to connect with their potential fans in the Western world, where many people can understand English. Many Westerners, and people in the United States especially, have a tendency to only focus on what is familiar to them. They are content with what they know and finding concepts from other countries intriguing at best, and perhaps so weird that they do not care to look into or understand these new ideas. To be able to lessen this gap and make these potential fans feel comfortable, learning fluent English is all the more imperative for the girls.
Once the girls have learned how to speak English fluently, they must settle on an image. While America is known for having many highly sexualized starlets, the girls do not have to follow this case. Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Amanda Bynes, and many others have found success without selling their bodies. However, the cutesy image that Girls’ Generation has been known for will not work here. Their “Tell Me Your Wish” and “Run Devil Run” themes are a good starting point: cool, sleek, and sexy, without overdoing the sex. Their dances cannot be cutesy and wishy-washy either. They need to have bigger and more powerful moves to be able to make an impression.
Okay, so the girls have the language and the image down. Now what? They need to saturate the market with their product without overplayed. This is a very fine line we are drawing here, as it is very easy to step over this boundary. Whatever agency representing the girls will need to put time, money, and effort into making the girls known. This means booking appearances on national television shows, sending copies of their songs to relevant radio stations, putting out advertisements, and selling CDs everywhere music is sold. The girls cannot stay in their Korean or Asian comfort zone. They need to show that they can be relevant in people’s lives in America and around the world.
Of course, none of this means anything if the girls cannot produce decent music. If the girls kept their current musical style and merely transitioned into singing in English, the most success they can hope for is being a flash in the pan like other previously hot vocal groups, including Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Spice Girls, and Pussycat Dolls. They all have achieved millions in record sales, but they only stayed on top of the music scene for a few years at the most. Who are the best selling artists in history, you ask? The Beatles. Elvis. Michael Jackson. ABBA. Madonna. All of these people were pop artists, so pop can sell. But they also produced material that was complex yet enjoyable, and listeners could connect with the music and lyrics without feeling bored. The girls need to step it up a notch and show that their incredible talents in singing and dancing, especially through songs that can appeal to both the more sophisticated palate and the young, fun-loving preference.
Maybe just as important as the music they produce is the people the girls are. While this is one of the two most important elements in succeeding in the West, this point may be the easiest for the girls to achieve. You and I already know that the girls are real people. They do not act like spoiled stars that unfortunately populate the entertainment industry. They are all down –to-earth, caring, dorky, funny, smart, genuine young ladies. They do need to speak English more, again so that their American fans can connect with them. But it would be incredibly refreshing for young stars who are not known for controversies or negative stereotypes to be part of the scene. No sex tapes or DUIs or drug busts are necessary. They don’t just need publicity. They need to be liked as well, right? That can be easily arranged.
Now the aforementioned points are fairly common-sensical and only form the big picture. Many more details are necessary for the girls to be able to succeed in the West, such as hiring the right people to work with: choreographers, producers, writers, composers, agents, publicists, and so on. They need to commit a lot of time here in the United States; they cannot constantly jet back and forth like they do between South Korea and Japan. They may need to start small to prove their worth before moving up to the big stage and playing arenas and stadiums. And above all, they cannot give up just because success doesn’t come to them quickly. Nevertheless, they need to hit all the categories in the big picture to succeed, no matter how many good people they hire and how much time they spend in the country. They have a good start with their first English song of “The Boys” and their first worldwide album release. They do have a strong and smart company backing them up, they have us current SONEs, and they have each other, which form a great base to begin with. Sooner or later, by following this outline, I would not be surprised to see the girls dominate the entire world. And maybe I can finally regain my deserved respect.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are solely those of the author and are not representative of the Soshified community as a whole.
Sources: chart.apis.google.com, girlsgeneration-theboys.blogspot.com, [email protected]
Written by: [email protected]
Contributors: [email protected], [email protected]
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LOL … Mr. Lee Soo Man has talked about this. SM will not seriously venture to US (like JYP with Wonder Girls which…. being brutally honest here …… was not exactly very successful). I have to agree with Soshinoob. SM is a very savvy person and he had learned the mistake done in the past by JYP (even JYP gives up now lololol xD). He has concluded that it is not strategic to break into the US market (concerts at most). Instead, he perceived that the growth of entertainment industry in Asia will rival that of US (actually he said that the center of entertainment will shift to Asia O.o), therefore it removes the hassle of trying to break into the biggest market :)
Source: http://www.kpopmusic.com/news/lee-soo-man-success-future-plans.html
As my name implies, I am new to all of this. I found out about the girls from a random story linked on Fark.com about two weeks ago, and after watching the vid of the Korean version of Bring the Boys Out a few times found myself hooked. What I believe will be the major hurdle for them to overcome for success in the states is that there really is no MTV anymore. I am pretty much a typical American male, and I enjoy the music immensely, but without the visual I do not know if I would have been drawn to it like I was initially. But MTV doesn’t show many videos anymore. Also, there aren’t really any variety shows on American TV where the girls could get the exposure that they will need to succeed here. As far as image goes, I think the look and feel of the Bad Girls video (and live performances I have seen), and the MSG performances of Genie and Bring the Boys Out are sufficiently alluring without being slutty. You guys that have been following them since they were all teenagers have to remember that they have no history here in the states. The more “cutesy” (for lack of a better word) image is not going to make it here with anything other than young teen girls maybe. These girls are all now young women, and their image needs to reflect that.
One thing they do have going for them (well, other than their talent of course) is the management company. SM is extremely shrewd and smart, and they will not do this half-assed. I don’t think they would even attempt entry into the US market if they weren’t completely sure of success. These people are incredibly smart and business savvy, and they will not set themselves up for failure.
Whatever happens, at least the fans here in the US can look forward to the attempt. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the maxi-single, and hope to be able to see them live here in the states someday soon. Lets keep our fingers crossed!
Well Soshinoob, management can’t be to shrewd handing these delicate girls off to the likes of Teddy Riley, a man about to be indited for beating his own daughter… And again here we go with that same old approach to the US market, make a snappy record and drop it in from the sky and BAM it’s supposed to be a hit…
Probably not going to work any better this time than it has the last 200 times it’s been tried. Maybe Lee Soo-mans people will give us a shot at melding them into the US market? Na… probably not, we don’t beat, cheat or objectify women so we couldn’t be right about anything musical!!! or could we
Who on earth won the cover contests for the boys?
I have to disagree with the author of this article.
I like the way they are, dorky, funny, cute and elegant as many other Korean groups. It’s part of their Korean identity. If the way to “fit” in the American and Western market is leaving their identity, what remains? A foreigner group trying to imitate an American group? I don’t want to happen this to our girls.
I want the girls continue to improve with better songs and powerful choreographies (and sometimes a cute song) but as kpop girl group.
I am sorry but for that part, what I get is the author never gave an opinion that the girls have to change their identity.. It is true that the girls definitely don’t have to change their identity..
“They do not act like spoiled stars that unfortunately populate the entertainment industry. They are all down –to-earth, caring, dorky, funny, smart, genuine young ladies. They do need to speak English more, again so that their American fans can connect with them.”
I quote it from the article and I think the author is just describing how our girls are.. CMIIW..
for the author, I agree with your article but I think the reality is far more difficult than what it is written.. I mean the process will be hard and gambling but it still can be done.. In conclusion, I agree.. haha..
I agree with golan. If they conquer the world on their own merit, then great. But if they have to dumb themselves down and sing English songs with stupid lyrics then forgetaboutit.
It astounds me how ignorant people in america can be. It’s sad to say that some, if not, most people would not give the kpop industry a chance just because it’s not american, you know what I mean? For instance, a lot of people might bash on our lovely girls just because they don’t speak English (excluding Tiffany and Jessica), they don’t sound or look the same as American music idols, or have the same style. I love them because they can be cool, cute, and sexy without being too sexual or racy.
Apparently, sexual intercourse, drugs, alcohol, and partying is the foundation for most trashy american pop songs today. Not all, but most. It’s true. That’s actually why I dropped our own music and moved on to kpop, mandopop, and whatnot.
Kpop in general is one of those pleasant “don’t knock it ’til you try it” things. I can only hope that ignorant people in my country (USA) could give it a chance. If they give it a listen once or twice, I hope they can take care of our girls and other kpop idols and accept them the way they are trying to adapt to our culture.
That’s all.
I think you are a bit to bias at the part where you say American people are ignorant and not giving Kpop a chance. If an artist wants to become popular they need to slowly work there way up the ladder like dbsk in Japan for example. They just can’t go in and release a new song and expect the same reaction like in Korea. Most people probabaly don’t even know they exist, even if there song are on radio broadcasting you cant expect everyone to know it straight away. You realize how much new songs are played on the radio each day? Dont get me wrong here I’m a massive SONE it’s just everytime I tried to get my non Asian friends to listen to snsd ( I live in new Zealand ) they would think songs like gee sound crap even though to me it’s like heaven in my ears
I actually really doubt the their chance of succeeding in us ( look at wonder girls for example)
enjoying reading this!! I feel the same sometimes when my friends really look down on Girls Generation
BTW, this is really awesome and cool :D
I agree with you that Girls’ Generation has a great start to begin with. Jessica and Tiffany can already speak English fluently, and other members like Seohyun and Sooyoung are improving. The Boys is also a pretty decent “American-ish Song” and it actually went pretty high on iTunes, so their first English song is considered successful. Unfortunately, it would be really hard for Girls’ Generation to adapt to American cultural music. Their current style of music won’t probably appeal to many people in the U.S, which sucks. But I do want them to continue their style of music but as well as making new type of music that will have an influence in America. I definitely do not want Girls’ Generation to become those American Singers who uses inappropriate lyrics and unacceptable MVs! Regardless of whether they became successful in U.S or what, I’ll still be a Sone that loves them :)
You should definitely send this to the entertainment or whoever is in charge of organizing promotions etc.
This article really reflected what I was thinking the whole time. :)
SNSD FIGHTING ! <3
Phillipines is mentioned.. hell yeah.. BIRNG THE BOYS OUT!!!
ALL SONES SHOULD BUY THE ALBUM locally distributed in their country and not imports! That would really push it!
Most SONES just watch videos on YT or upload pictures! Just buy the Album released locally on your country!
Also, don’t download music illegally, get it from itunes and such…
Malaysia is mentioned I’m happy… XD I cant help but just nods at every single thing i read in here. Those who isnt SONE wont understand SONE at all. SNSD is DOMINATING the MUSIC INDUSTRY. RM79.90 (79900 won) for THE BOYS album in the classical cookie box is beyond my imagination. WHen i get my 1st paycheck, imma collect all SNSD albums and posters and whatever and attend their concerts when my schedule allows. XD THAT’s my plan as for now im js a student.
Interesting article! Particularly the point where Westerners would find it difficult to accept foreign speakers as a serious musical interest. Here in Australia we get the token “new macarena” every few years – a catchy pop tune from overseas, but it’s always considered a joke (not to mention it’s played to death on the radio so even its fans get sick of it quickly). I’d love to see SoShi taken seriously here, as well as a number of my other favourite foreign acts…unfortunately there are lots of “ifs” in that equation but I think that like you say, with the right people behind them, anything it possible.
Very well written article. For people saying that “Americans need to change their taste and need to adapt to kpop!…” Well this is reality, and the reality is that Americans will not change their taste. So the only way is Girls Generation changing their style to fit Americans. Honestly, they just need that one song, a song that will just blow up like how gee did. I feel that once people take the time to learn about snsd, they will grow to love them very quick. So once they have the “song”, they will have a pretty good fanbase in America but probably mostly females. This is just a brief summary of my opinion :D
I feel bad that I didn’t see the concert. But I do want to travel in Seoul to see the girls generation. But that doesn’t mean that I could have the songs from ituns. But I do love the songs the boys. And the song is the best song ever in my life. And I love the girls generation. And I hope that some day that I would go shopping in Seoul. That would be awesome for me. And if I could go to the South Korea in Seoul. I would have fun in Seoul. And I will love the girls generation. I wonder if girls generation can teach me the dance move the boys. That would be awesome for me and the girls generation. And girls generation you are the best of the world. And I love you girls generation. And Tiffany here is a special wink for you ;) I hope you love my wink ;)
[right now its girls generation]
I love you girls generation :)
I still think the girls have to stick to K pop. America has a different culture. Their initial debut image as cute and adorable group singing those catchy numbers made them famous in Korea and that kind of style easily catches on in Japan. When they debut they were very young and school girlish. Now they are more mature, SM have to sit down and figure out how to evolve this image and market the girls again with a new set of songs. No easy task.
great, well-written article..
it’s your personal thought though bout the girls to be more global..
but for me, i like their own style, no need to change..well maybe the western needs to change their taste for k-pop..the only thing that the girls need to improve is their english..music is universal language, but they need to communicate more with their fans all over the world..having 2 english speaker does not enough..all of them need to be able to speak english, so that they can be more close to their fans..
just my 2cents of thought
I want cuz they come in Timisoara (ROMANIA) [Europe] too!
mm, i will have to agree with some part of your article, and disagree with the other.. overall, what a great article u’ve come up with. i know in order for them to break through American they have to make some adaptations like language and songs.. but i love them because of them. i love kpop because of them. i dont understand any of the songs (except the eng parts,lolol) or whatever they speak, but i just love them. can i wish that they dont have to change their style, but the Americans should change their taste??!! (i know, what a lame hope..lolol) but i guess, i’m just being selfish.. for me, if americans cant accept their style or songs, the heck i care. they’re already popular without have to debut there.. afterall, the decision depends on their company.. as sone, i will just keep supporting them in whatever path they choose.. SoShi hwaiting!!!
i have a common issuess like yours.
by the way, great article..
maybe im still narrow-minded, but im still thinking music is universal language and need not to be translated, with it soul speaks to soul no fancy ..
what need to do is find the originality that will accepted by society and i think snsd have it ..
still it’ll take time but i think its not to long ..
Great article :)
I totally agree with SUNNIRICECAKEBUNNY here.
The girls need to maintain their style and not cater to any groups.
They are simply promoting kpop. It seems like idols tend to forget
their roots when trying to attain global fame/dominance..
I hope this move by them is simply to show US a glimpse what such
lethal combination (kpop + awesome girl group) can do to their
markets. True SONEs will still want them to do what they do best;
Sing of romance, show aegyo, show their dorkiness/fun-loving sides.
I SOME WHAT AGREE WITH BREEZY:
MORE POINTERS/OPINION FROM AMERICAN SONES:
SM you always make snsd wear uniforms an short shorts.. YOU SHOULD KEEP IT!! AMERICA IS ALL ABOUT LOOKS**THEN** TALENT.. i read alot of the comments on the boys lived perf from KPOP FOREIGNERS
an
1: they didnt like the style. KEEP THEM IN UNIFORM STYLE.SNSD MAKES A BIGGER IMPACT WHEN THEY WEAR UNIFORM STYLE ..IT CAN BE SHORTS IT CAN LONG PANTS LIKE (RUNDEVIL RUN) .. BUT YOU NEED THE UNIFORM STYLE!!!!… ITS MORE EYE CATCHING!!!!!!!
2: sooyoungis super skinny
3: ALOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TIFANY YET YOU BARELY GAVE HER LINES
4: IMPROVE SOOYOUNG & SEOHYUNS TAEYEON ONNIS ENGLISH
5: WE WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD KPOP NOT AMERICAN POP.. STICK WITH YOUR OLD KPOP..ALOT OF AMERICANS AN FOREIGNERS KEEP COMENTING ON HOW “THEBOYS IS TYPICAL AMERICAN MAIN STREAM MUSIC” PEOPLE SEE THESE GIRLS AN EXPECT KPOP SOMETHING DIFFERENT!! AN YOU ALWAYS GIVE IT! WHAT HAPPENED NOW?
6: GET RID OF TEDDY RILEY >:(
7: WE DONT WANT SNSD RAPPING!!!! >:(
CONCLUSION:
SONES AN THE GENERAL PUBLIC
WHAT SNSD TO SING KPOP .. AN NO WE DO NOT WANT SNSD TO ACT CUTE AN SING CUTE SONGS
WE WANT POWERFUL VOCALS AN FOR SM TO GIVE YURI YOON HYO DANCE BREAKS..
WE DONT WANT SNSD TO RAP THATS WHAT SETS THEM APART FROM OTHER GROUPS!!!! THEY DONT NEED RAPPERS THEY ARE ALL SINGERS AN WE LOVE THEM LIKE THAT..
I wouldn’t mind being able to get their album in regular stores like my other favorite artists, I’d like them to get all the love and respect they can get, they’ve worked so hard for what they have. But do they truly want to venture into the US market? There are so many SONEs but at the same time there are so very many Antis, while they could gain so much recognition they could also gain so much more hate.
*sigh* Either way I’ll support them and hope that they get mostly positive feedback if they do try.(Not that I believe they aren’t strong enough, I just feel ridiculously protective over them.)
Things I noticed about the boys:
Seohyun had surprisingly good English.
I could understand Tiffany.(Maybe I’m just plain biased.)
Jessica is like sprinkles, great and adds to the atmosphere but shouldnt be used in bulk, as much I love her voice it’s significantly higher pitched than the other girls, she should be used as a topping, on the climaxes of songs to build interest.
The song disappointed me slightly, it has that factor that’ll make me continue listening, but it doesn’t have that.. Heartiness and energy to it that made me first fall in love with them.
Though if someone from SM magically reads this I do think some things can be done:
Introducing the girls slowly, groups dont have very lasting popularity in America.
Taeyeon’s the lead singer, so first of all improve her engrish along with some of the others if you’re serious about this. (As incredibly endearing it is to me snsd needs to be taken seriously.)
While some things might have to be done, snsd has to stay snsd.
I have to disagree with the author here.
all though I would love to see soshi getting more recognition in US market, I don’t think its wise to just focus and spend too much time here.
Soshi is already a world class star and they get followings from all over the world.
Soshi needs to make sure that they spend their time well. they need to make sure that fans in korea, japan, china, and all other countries that they are getting huge followings are content.
in my opinion, Soshi does not need to follow the “other group”s foot step. they just need to focus on the markets that they are currently successful in and try to release more albums world wide.
time will come when Soshi is sitting close to top in billboard chart and US market will request Soshi’s presents. :) and by the way, I bet Soshi will be able to hold concert in major cities in US and will be able to fill the seats right now.
I would love Soshi to hold a concert in L.A…. I envy sone who are going to the New York concert.
I dont think that they will be able to host a concert right now in America. SM town was filled with many artistes including snsd and hosted in one of the most popular cities in the world but the concert still did not sell out. I dont really know the popularity of snsd right now in america after their single and smtown but i dont think its what they expected. I agree with you tho, that they dont need to solely focus on US. They dont want to be making the same mistake as wonder girls where they lost most of their fanbase to snsd while they were promotion in America
I think I’ve had it with this article and I see no reason to keep quiet, here’s my reaction
http://soshified.com/forums/topic/70561-rubbish-on-soshified-front-page/
Good sir, you fail to realise that this article is an editorial. In which the whole point of an editorial is for the author to express his opinions on the subject matter.
Whether you choose to agree or disagree with the author and have your own opinion is within your rights, however the author has the right to express his opinion as well.
I would suggest you take a look at your local newspaper publication and read the editorial section and understand what an editorial is about before raging on about not agreeing with what has been written.
-aces
aces no matter what you call it it should first meet some standards, this is not the guy’s blog.
And your point about everybody having rights to express their opinion, well it looks like it’s not like that either. This guy posts this here, again it’s blog material. And with no attempt to show any respect or regard for SNSD’s wellbeing whatsoever, but apparently that’s fine too. Then I post my question in the helpdesk forum, what’s this trash doing here, is this the type of fandom that Soshified stands for? And my topic gets deleted.
Shouldn’t be too hard to see that something’s wrong here.
Again I will reiterate, it is an editorial, an opinion piece where the author of the article is presenting his opinion on how Girl’s Generation can improve.
To suggest that this belongs to a blog, again I shall suggest you read through the whole article again, and compare it to the Opinions/Editorial page in your national newspaper. You will find uncanny resemblance between the two. An anecdote to open up to the topic? Discussing the topic itself? Presenting his opinions on how the topic can improve itself? By Jove, it must merely be an accidental coincidence.
With regards to respecting Girl’s Generation, may I ask how is he being disrespectful? The author does not mention that he/she hates them, or whether they will fail in the US, nor does he insult them outright. Instead he simply is presenting his opinion on how Girl’s Generation and their management can improve their chances of success both at home in Seoul and overseas.
As for your thread, it was I who reported it to be moderated making it disappear, not the staff of soshified so I would suggest you stop picking on Soshified as they do not agree to your opinion. Why did I report it? Upon seeing your reading your thread and seeing your comment, it was little about actual feedback, but your point presented seemed to be more along the lines of “I do not agree this opinion, so I choose to reject it and demand it be removed because I do not agree” rather than an actual complaint. The only thing that seems to be wrong is simply your attitude towards this article. With more civilised members, their attitude would not be one of contempt, but with that of mild disagreement, in the form of “I do not agree with this article because I feel that Girl’s Generation should be doing … instead of what the author has stated because…” which would be the whole point of the article, to stimulate discussion.
To conclude and sum up what I have said;
This is an opinion piece, you do not have to agree with it. It is meant to promote discussion on how Girl’s Generation can improve themselves.
It is not blog-like at all, have a look in the Editorial/Opinion sections in Newspapers.
There is no point in the article that the author is being disrespectful to anyone.
The author is simply stating based on his perception how the issue can be tackled.
Don’t jump the gun and start blaming people.
I had no idea about reporting and all that so I just assumed somebody deleted my thread. I was in error so thanks for clearing that up for me.
And about being disrespectful, what is for me might not be for you and the other way round. Less civilized people have their own uncivilized ways. I tried to show in my thread why for me it was disrespectful. And since you read it I’m not gonna repost it here, and I hope you said what you wanted to as well.