but there are also people (Koreans) who think you can and would LOVE to see you as K-pop idols.
But still even though there are people who say YES or NO we don't REALLY know right? Because its never been done before. No K-pop company has accepted ANY Indians as trainees or debuted them as idols.....at least until now!
Meet Z-Girls!!!! They are an up-and-coming K-pop girl group that will debut this year! But the special thing about this group is that they have an INDIAN MEMBER!!!!!
Meet Priyanka!
She is the FIRST Indian female K-pop Idol!!!!
There isn't much about her or any of the members yet but I did some digging and apparently she was on the Changwon 2016 K-pop Festival. She had to win some many rounds and surpass a lot a people to get that spot so she is definitely talented!
Here is a video of her at the festival.
Like I said there isn't that much about her or her group but the girls will be debuting soon! I heard that they will debut at the end of February. I think on the 23rd? I'm not sure though. But IF you want to follow them I will leave links to their Youtube channel the end of the post.
This is a fancam of the girls performing and they look legit! Priyanka is wearing the sparkly sequin black dress and is it too early to say that she is ALREADY my favorite lol xD. I love her attitude and she seems cool and chic kinda like Jennie of BLACKPINK or Yeeun of CLC.
The company they are signed under is, Z-POP DREAM. The goal of the company is, and I quote, "to replicate the success of K-POP and create global music stars from multiple countries by bringing together the KPOP professionals and voting power of fans!
The Project's business model has star creation business and global online monetisation platform. On one side, the proceeds from the ITO will be used to accelerate creating infrastructure for this star creation business, and on the other hand it will create global online monetisation platform, which will tokenize the revenue opportunities generated by the star creation business, including concert tickets, merchandise, online content and admission to exclusive events".
"According to a press release, Z-pop Dream also aims to create its own form of cryptocurrency (like bitcoin) called the ZPOP Coin as the method of payment for music, online content, merchandise and concert tickets. One ZPOP coin will be worth USD 0.08 and will be the main form of transaction for content from the idols under Z-pop Dream. The company promises to use a blockchain to maintain transparency and states, “Hundreds of millions of music fans spread across the world will power [the project] to discover talent and join star creation process with decisive voting power granted through Z-POP Online. Z-POP DREAM Project will return on society by giving a realistic chance to youngsters and decentralize star creation by blockchain based voting.”
The company is hoping to create "an intriguing new global idol group project is under way with the title, 'Z-Pop Dream', launched by Zenith Media Contents".
This is an introduction video to the company and their goals.
It's pretty exciting
BUT
what's even more exciting is that they don't just have a girl group....THEY HAVE A BOY GROUP TOO!!!!!!!!!
Meet Z-BOYS!!!!!
Z-BOYS is an up-and-coming boy group also signed to Z-POP DREAM and just like Z-GIRLS they also have an INDIAN MEMBER!!!!
Meet SID!!!!
He is the FIRST Indian male K-pop idol!!!!
Here is a video with the rest of his members of Z-BOYS!
Again their isn't much information about he boys individually yet but the boys do have their own variety show that is hosted by their company on the company's YouTube page.
On the show is centered around the boys introducing themselves to the audience, exploring Korea and learning about Korean culture through fun challenges and games. They have also gotten the opportunity to meet other K-pop idols like VAV, Chung-ha and ATEEZ.
Both of the groups are supposedly going to debut on the Feb.23rd this month at a live concert Z-POP is hosting in Seoul called, Z-POP DREAM LIVE in Seoul. If you are in the area I will the line below. The tickets are free so if you are in Seoul and have nothing to do than you head on over to the concert ^_^
SO....If you ask me "can Indians become K-pop idols?" I will tell you, "YES!" This is why you need to keep trying...THIS IS WHY you shouldn't listen to people on the internet spreading negativity and telling you what you can and can't do. You can do ANYTHING you set your mind to it's all in the matter of are you going to do it. Like I said before what you have right now is enough ...it's enough to start with all you have to do is get started.
Regardless of whether you are Indian, Indonesian, Hispanic, Black/African-American, White, Native American, etc... and you want to be a K-pop star I hope you found this blogpost encouraging, informative, enlightening....some of you might find it infuriating lol but regardless I hope if gives you something to think about, discuss and consider.
Hii Guys! This is Charlese! And I'm back at it again with another post!
This post is based on a comment I got in one of my videos asking me, and I quote,
"How people feel about you at auditions? I mean did someone stares at you in a different way (or laugh etc.) because your not Asian or any racism thing happen?" - neltasticvids I did a video answering the question here
and I thought it would be a good idea to make a blog post about it as well! The commenter is basically asking, do I experience racism or discrimination, as a Black/African American girl, at K-pop auditions? The short answer to this question is.....(drum roll)...............No! BUT I know you guys want the long answer lol xD So for the long answer, I'm not going to lie when I first started auditioning for Korean entertainment companies I did experience some awkwardness and feeling like I was out of place like I didn't belong there; kind of like semi impostor syndrome. But those feelings of not belonging and not "fitting in" were products of my own insecurities and lack of confidence in myself no one else EVER made me feel that way. If anything, everyone has ALWAYS been kind, respectful and welcoming towards me. No one ever really stares at me and when they do it's not mean or unwelcoming stares. Because I live in Korea now and I'm usually the ONLY NON-ASIAN in the WHOLE room of course I will get some stares [from the Korean applicants] but it's never unfriendly or rude.. When they [the Korean applicants] stare at me it's out of admiration or genuine interest! They think it's cool that I'm auditioning for the same things they are. They even go so far as helping me fill out my application form and showing me where to go, etc....
I have a cute experience to share ^_^
Every time I have gone to a JYP audition some random cute Korean guy is ALWAYS trying to help me! I'm SO SERIOUS!!! I don't know what it is but EVERY TIME I went to a JYP audition [here in Korea] there was always a Korean guy, who was also auditioning for JYP, that would help me. BTW these guys were REALLY good looking! All of the people that audition are all REALLY GOOD LOOKING so....it made my heart flutter all these good looking guys paying attention to me I felt special lol xD hahaha
Also the staff is REALLY nice and welcoming! They NEVER made me feel like I didn't belong there; they treated me with just as much respect and kindness like they did with the other Korean applicants. I was never made to feel out of place at ANY audition I've gone to. They assisted me to the best of their abilities and made me feel comfortable being there which leads me to the main point of this post.
Being a Non-Asian K-pop fan is hard ENOUGH as it is but being an Aspiring Non-Asian K-pop Idol is seen as you asking to get laughed at, mocked and publicly shamed. For YEARS and until this day I still get comments of people saying that I shouldn't audition [to become a K-pop idol] because Koreans are RACIST and they will be racist towards you so I shouldn't even try and that I would have a better chance in my own country as a singer blah blah blah yeah....okay -.-
Well I'm here to tell you that those opinions are exactly what they are....OPINIONS! they are completely FALSE! and therefore, they don't matter! ^_^
And you can take my word for it! As a Black/African American girl who goes to K-pop auditions and has been for the past decade! I can surely say that these people don't know what they are talking about because I have NEVER experienced ANY RACISM or DISCRIMINATION at ANY of the K-pop auditions I went to! And I have been to K-pop auditions in the USA, China and South Korea!
And like I said...I'm a Black/African American girl with an Afro! okay...I look NOTHING like the average Korean applicant. I don't have pale skin, I don't have long straight hair, I am not 43kgs! But despite ALL of that I still go to the auditions and I NEVER have any problems!
Basically what I'm trying to say is don't let someone else's opinion dictate how you should live your life. Because if you do that you're giving that person power to rule over you and persuade you and to make you believe that you aren't good enough when in all actual reality what you have right now IS good enough! You just need to take the first steps! Start where you are! Use what you have! and be consistent! and I promise everything will fall in place.
So...if you I want to audition for a Korean entertainment company my advice to you is to DO IT! JUST DO IT! What's a fail without a try? 2019 is year of DOING NOT SECOND-GUESSING!!! and no more of letting others opinions rule us anymore!
Before we start I just want to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! HELLO 2019!!!
I have A TON planned for this year and I'm super excited and pumped about what I want to do this year.
Last year, I had just moved to South Korea as an English teacher and I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult adjusting to my new life here. I faced and went through many obstacles and challenges. But I just had my triumphs and some mini victories regarding my journey to becoming a K-pop idol!
This post is just gonna be a recap of all the things I did working towards my goal last year.
I attended SEVERAL auditions for Korean entertainment companies such as; SM, JYP and Pledis entertainment
SM entertainment Audition
Pledis Entertainment Audition
JYP Entertainment Audition
I reached over a HUNDRED subscribers on my YouTube channel ^_^
I enrolled at YGX Academy and have been taking classes there
I met EXP Edition
I lost over 30lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then
Now
The year was pretty good for me! but now that it's a NEW YEAR it's a NEW ME lol xD
But in all seriousness, a good friend of mine said this to me and it will stick with me this entire year. "Last year was the year of adjusting but THIS YEAR is the year of DOING!!!"
So with that being said there is a LOT I want to do!!! and I am going to DO IT!!! No more holding back I'm gonna stay consistent and focused!!! This year is going to be my year!!!
I also encourage ANYONE & EVERYONE to let this be their year of DOING!!! What is it that you have ALWAYS wanted to do??? And ask yourself, "Are you doing it?" If not, why? Believe in yourself, trust yourself, you have everything you need to start all you have to do now is...just start.
Hello Everyone! I'm back with another blog post for you guys. I'm really passionate about this topic I'm going to discuss simply because the arguments that surround this group correspond with the topics I have been discussing on this blog for a while now.
EXP EDITION
EXP EDITION have recently made a comeback this January with their title song, Stress, off of their first mini album, FIRST EDITION.
I think the song is amazing! If you haven’t, go check it out. You should also go listen to their album; it has a really good collection of songs and just an all-around great album.
Now, I’m pretty sure everyone knows about EXP EDITION and if you don’t I am glad that you are learning about them here.Ever since word hit the surface about them back in 2015, now more recently 2017 with their debut title track, Feel Like This, they have definitely caused an uproar within the K-pop community. Just their overall EXISTENCE has rubbed people the wrong way but for what reasons? I wanted to make a post about them a while ago when they debuted in 2017 but I wanted to wait until their comeback to see how people would react to them and everything would start to unfold. BUT now the group have returned with their comeback title track, STRESS, along with their first mini album, FIRST EDITION. I have seen the overall reactions and NOW I feel like I can fully dive into this group.
EXP EDITION forces the K-pop community to discuss so many topics that I will be breaking this up into a part series. This first blog post will explain the deep history of EXP EDITION. I always think it's a good idea to do heavy research and find out about the history that way you are informed and can place better arguments. Plus, I want to make sure that we are all on the same page and everything is clear because I see that a bunch a people don't really know the history of EXP EDITION so I wanted to take some time and cover it here so we can fully understand the creation of the group, their motives, their current situation and any arguments that will be presented in this blog post.
THE HISTORY
OF EXP EDITION
BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Group Name: EXP EDITION
Official Debut Date: April 17, 2017
Official Debut song: “Feel Like
This”
Members: [from left to right] Hunter, Frankie, Sime, Koki
Label: IMMABB Slogan: borninNYmadeinSEOUL
Fanclub Name: BB
Fun Facts:
·EXP EDITION is the first and only non-Korean
K-pop group.
·EXP EDITION is the first K-pop band made by
three Korean women.
·EXP EDITION started out as an EXP experimental
project of a Columbia University graduate student.
·Before EXP EDITION, the members were
professional actors, dancers, modeling and musical theater performers in New
York.
·Write their own lyrics for their songs.
A lot people think that this is the very beginning of EXP EDITION but people don't know that the EXP EDITION we see today is actually not how they
started. BORA KIM AND THE IDEA OF EXP
The idea of EXP EDITION came about in 2012 when international mega superstar, PSY, took theworld by storm and became a worldwide phenomenon with his viral
hit, “Gangnam Style”. PSY seemed to have become an overnight success and this took the
interest of three Korean university women, Bora Kim, Karin Kuroda and Samantha
Shao. Kim Bora is a Korean student in
interdisciplinary studies and sociology, and has based her thesis on in-depth
cultural research “around the spectacle and performance of Asian femininity,
particularly in the context of global media.” She teamed up with Karin ]Kuroda, who studies
post-colonial theory and pop culture (photography, sculpture, fashion, and art
criticism), and Samantha Shao, who studied Arts Administration at Maastricht
University, in Netherlands.3 The
journey of Bora Kim, Karin Kuroda and Samantha Shao began last October, when
they first sat down and talked about how gender is performed in pop culture,
and how it relates to many other issues in our globalized society. In addition
to being participants of the fine art world (artists, researchers, creatives),
they are also huge fans of K-pop music. And so, the question arose, “How do
these two spheres of interest, mirror one another?” 4
Bora Kim’s Statement:
“I
was interested in researching the phenomenon of the Korean Wave, and the
commercial success of K-pop especially, on a global scale. It was almost an
overnight explosion with PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style,’ and the way that the Korean
press and public dealt with this phenomenon intrigued me. I thought it was very
important and poignant that, as a post-colonial country, Korea had successfully
managed to export cultural goods to other Asian countries and soon after, ‘the
West’…
[She continued to explain the
double standard that comes with K-pop as well. Though the music genre has
proven popular overseas with K-pop proudly becoming part of South Korea’s
national identity, K-pop idols continue to receive endless criticism from the
Korean public.]
And so, she continued, “I was interested in K-pop and Idol Groups
on this level initially as I was thinking about cultural flow, or the
relationship of dominant culture and peripheral culture, and how that is
interwoven with one’s identity or one’s national identity. I wanted to see what
would happen if I made American boys into K-pop performers, by teaching them
how to sing in Korean and act like Korean boys, and complicate this
flow/appropriation even more, since I’m in New York, where so many talents are
just one online recruitment ad away.”3
After much thought and consideration,
one thing became clear. In order to demonstrate these concepts, they had to
make a boy band, from scratch. 4
THE MAKING OF IMMABB AND EXP
I’m Making A Boy Band (IMMABB), initiated by Korean Columbia
MFA graduate Bora Kim, is a small dedicated team who been working hard since October
of 2014 on a small budget,many people assume we are a huge company who
spent an immense amount of money to produce this project, but in reality we’ve
made amazing strides with extremely limited financial resources,to
produce a project that music corporations would typically launch. We have
established production, communication, development, administrative and research
divisions in order to strategically and effectively accomplish the work needed
to reach our goals. Most importantly, we approach this project with
intentionality and criticality, staying true to the conceptual rigor of the
artwork while maintaining the authenticity and energy of the pop experience.4
This project uses Korean pop (K-pop) to pose questions about nationhood,
cultural appropriation, and gender roles.5 EXP has been revealed to have actually
sprung forth from a college student Kim Bora’s thesis project, “I’m Making A
Boy Band (IMABB)” that aims to “examine critical aspects of pop/business
culture through the lens of an artist. By asking oneself what it means to
assimilate or twist the rudimentary formula in K-pop ‘idol’ culture, this
project highlights societal issues on a global and personal level.”3
After the formation of IMMABB, EXP
was in the process for being formed. Bora Kim, CEO of IMMABB, used scouting
websites to find young talented hopefuls to audition for the project.
We had three auditions. At first, we screened mostly from
appearance because in K-pop it’s very much about the visuals. But we discovered
it’s really important to work with people who have talent and experience. We
also came to realize that how we phrased [IMMABB] could help get us who we
wanted.5
All of the members EXP were professional actors, dancers, models, singers and
musical theater.
After auditioning hundreds of applicants, the team cast
their very own band which consists of six charming and talented boys: Hunter,
Frankie, David, Sime, Tarion and Koki. Together, they became EXP. They would eventually release their first single, “Luv/Wrong”.
EXP
is the first New York based K-pop boy band. The name of EXP came from
“experiment”, to emphasize the importance of innovation, risk taking and
challenges. More specifically, EXP is influenced by talented K-pop idol groups
like EXO, BIG BANG and BTS. K-pop definitely includes and is inspired by a wide
range of genres, similar to any other pop music. However, what makes K-pop
different is its emphasis on the idea of "visible music,"
characterized by its high production quality and charming ability to engage
viewers. Its shinier, more energetic and nostalgic yet contemporary. The
members of EXP aspire to reach the level upheld by the K-pop industry- an
industry of highly talented and humble performers.
A
project initiated by artist Bora Kim, "I'm Making a Boy Band,” (IMMABB)
consists of three main elements: pop music, contemporary visual art and
documentary film. IMMABB brings issues such as cultural appropriation and
gender performativity into the actual surface of the entertainment sector,
beginning with the fact that none of the EXP members are Korean, which begins
to deconstruct concepts of race and representation in media. In an age of
cultural homogenization, IMMABB questions the meaning of both pop and art in
relation to
hybridity, assimilation, and identity. As an artwork, the project
not only aims to reflect reality, but also present and re-present a rhizomatic,
challenging, and perhaps spectacular version of the diverse world itself.4
OH! I forget to mention their second single they released in NY titled, Nolja Let's Party!
FROM EXP TO EXP
EDITION
Fast forward from
2015 to 2016, EXP were still in an experimental phase and one member of the
group, David, left the group to go pursue modelingand so the group went from 6 to 5.
The group then released they 2nd single, Nolja Let's Party!
Here's a dance version
At this time EXP are still training and doing performances in New York and at this point they were working on releasing their first mini album and were going to release singles and music videos.
Their every day schedule would be early mornings starting off with 2 hour Korean classes followed by vocal and dance lessons. Then they would go and perform at night
They had plans to
release their first mini album but it got delayed probably due to low funds. But
thankfully during this time they were getting a lot of media attention from
tons an American outlets which allowed to stay busy doing live performances and
earning money. This is also the time where the guys wanted to take the EXPeriment
to the next level and debut as an actual K-pop group and see if they could make
it as a kpop boy group.
In August of 2016,
EXP, using the money they raised, moved from New York to South Korea to make
their official debut as a K-pop boy group.
But
unfortunately, Tarion, the fifth member of EXP left the group before for
personal reasons before their departure to South Korea leaving only four
remaining members of EXP; which are, Sime, Frankie, Koki and Hunter.
While in South
Korea, they continued their training in Korean, singing and dancing; even til
this day they still take 2 hours of Korean classes.
With the changing
from an experimental thesis project to an official K-pop group their name also
needed to change. They eventually changed their name from EXP to EXP EDITION as
a sign that they have moved on from the experiment in New York and are setting
a new course and going on an expedition in South Korea.
EXP EDITION made
their first Korean TV debut on the popular show, I Can See You Voice. They
performed a cover of Super Junior’s popular hit single, U, in front of the
special guest on the show which happened to be the members of Super Junior
themselves! EXP EDITION wowed the audience and Super Junior with their
impressive performance.
On April 17, 2017
EXP EDITION debuted with their title track, “Feel Like This” and had their debut on Show Champion.
This is a behind the scenes video of their first live performance of, Feel Like This.
Since then, they have stayed pretty active in the K-pop industry.
AS A GROUP
They did a ton of live performances and concerts outside of music shows (at colleges, local events. etc...) and busking performances. (Here are some of them)
Promoted to the 8th Incheon Airport bbb-day campaign ambassadors.
bbb Korea is a registered nonprofit corporation established by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in order to resolve the language discomfort of foreigners visiting the 2002 World Cup. Since its inception in 2002, 'bbb volunteer', which means to make a world of communication beyond the walls of language, has been participated by about 4,500 volunteers. Exp Edition is the first foreign K-pop idol group in Korea that is made up of Koreans without being Koreans, and was appointed as the ambassador for the bbb Korea bbb-day campaign.
Appeared on Arirang TV's, Heart to Heart, and had a full epsidoe on the popular Korean show, My Neighbor Charles.
Performed at MAMF (Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival) 2017
Performed at Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
Performed at the Beatles Festival.
Performed at the LBMA (Luxury Brand Model Award) Global Fashion Week of 2017 and received an award for "Global K-pop Best New Artist".
Were given exclusive features on BNT News, The Korea Times,Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, CNN, SBS Morning Wide, Newsis, etc...
Made guest appearances on a variety of radio stations including Arirang.
INDIVIDUALLY
Hunter was a guest radio host on101.3 MHz, tbseFM "Soundcheck”.
Frankie, and sometimes Hunter, has been making regular appearances on Arirang TV's show, Globe Trotters, along side Alex Michin, who some one you might know because he is a TV personality in Korean and has been on many shows.
Sime joined, Phantom Singer 2, which is a very popular new singing competition show in Korea. This show is looking to for talented males singers to form a the next powerhouse le divo quartet in South Korea. Sime made it to the semi-finals but unfortunately was eliminated right before the finals. I'm still trying to find where to watch the whole show but I don't think it's on YouTube yet. When I find it I will update this post.
Sime also released his debut solo single, I Found You.
Koki joined, The Unit, a popular idol reboot show. The main focus of this show is to give veteran idols who haven't struck fame a second chance to make it big.
Koki was also casted as a model for a music video.
Sunday Moon (선데이문) - Million Miles [Music Video]
Frankie and Hunter were casted as voice actors for the English dubbing of two very popular K-dramas with one of them being, Descendants of the Sun.
During this time they were preparing for their comeback, which was suppose to happen in October 2017 but during the last shooting for the music video, during their running scene, Hunter fell and ruptured all the alignments in his right foot and ankle, blacked out and had to be rushed to the hospital. That's why in some of their performances he isn't dancing or he's sitting in chair. This caused their comeback to be delayed until January of 2018 that next year. Here is a video Hunter posted explaining the situation.
Later that year. EXP EDITION had their first Christmas concert. Sime also invited his friends he made on the show, Phantom Singer 2, to do a guest performance.
Now fast foward to January 2018 after a long delay, EXP EDITION has officially made their comeback with their title track, STRESS along with their first mini album, FIRST EDITION. They did a countdown on V-Live for there comeback. Click Here to watch the video.
Check out FIRST EDITION on Spotify and comeback and tell me what your favorite song off the album is. Mine is, GADAWADA.
Live of STRESS.
Dance Practice for STRESS
Here also a video of them doing a interview on Benji's Curtain Talk.
And most recently they gotto perform at the 12th Nam June Paik Memorial Service.
and NOW we are all caught up to the present!!! YEAH!!! ^_^
This comeback has gotten an overall better review than their debut single but I will discuss all that in a later post.
WHEW!!! Now that was a LOT of information to take in ....let it soak in for minute.....I know it was a lot to take in but at least we are all caught up and, hopefully, all on the same page so NOW we can get into the meat and potatoes of the situation....that's right now we can go in and discuss the REAL question that EVERYONE wants to know...Is EXP EDITION K-pop or Not? Please stay tune for the next post that might take a week or three to get out because I'm in the process of moving (which I'll also tell you where in another post ^_^) BUT I will hopefully have it out sometime later in February.
Alright! I hope you all enjoyed this post and I will see you guys next time...BYEZ!
