EthanKairos

(02/15/2014)

Became a part of the Pink Ocean in Macau. Best night of my life so far.

(01/31/2014)

Let's get one thing straight first: I normally avoid manufactured pop. I am a rocker/metalhead by heart, so pure musical skill and artistry are far more important to me than big choreography and flashy outfits. Radio-friendly tunes usually don't appeal to me, either.

If you want examples, here's one, from my favorite band of all time, Machinae Supremacy:

So if you managed to listen to the whole thing, you'll see that my taste in music is pretty far from super mainstream pop. Knowing this, you'd think I'd never get into a K-pop group like Girls' Generation. Even I thought this was the case.

Boy, was I dead wrong. When I first started listening to the girls' music seriously, I quickly realized that their brand of music is a far cry in terms of quality from the usual pop that I would never even touch. Their talent is undeniable, all the way from Taeyeon to Seohyun. Their songs are amazing, thanks to the great composers they have working with them. They are all drop-dead gorgeous, too, but like I said above, this is actually secondary to me. If they weren't very talented or if their music wasn't this good, I probably would've left them behind and returned to my usual genres. But here I am, a SONE through and through, and I think I'll be staying until the very end.

I am madly in love with their electropop sound (think Mr. Taxi, The Boys, Genie, etc), and I even thought at one point that they were responsible for making me discover a soft spot for the genre that I didn't even know I had.

However, their electropop sound isn't actually what sealed the deal when I became a SONE. When I first heard Way to Go!, that was the point when I knew I would stick with SNSD, because it really struck me as a rocker. Distorted guitars, a moderately fast beat, and an uplifting vocal performance from all nine girls captivated me on the first playthrough. You can probably guess that it is my favorite SNSD song, and with good reason.

That cute music video was the icing on the cake. I just love seeing them derping around and doing silly stuff--it shows that they're all still human, and it helps me kind of form a connection with them.

I have no regrets, except for the one that every new SONE has: not getting into them much earlier. It's been nearly seven years since they became Girls' Generation, and I'd be lying if I said I never kick myself for being so late to the party. The best I can do right now as a fan is to just love them as if I've known them since the very beginning. After all, I already feel like I've known them forever despite only becoming a serious fan a month ago.

For now, I guess I'll enjoy the ride until it comes to an eventual stop.

I love So Nyuh Shi Dae.

-EthanKairos