The music to 2009’s hit drama IRIS is immaculate, a mix of touching love ballads, one Big Bang rap song, and plenty of instrumentals!
IRIS OST (2009.11.17)
01. 잊지말아요/ 不要忘記 (Don’t Forget)－백지영 (白智英) Baek Ji Young
02. Love of Iris －신승훈 (申昇勳) Shin Seung Hoon
03. 꿈을 꾸다/ 做夢 (Dreaming)－김태우 (金泰優) Kim Tae Woo
04. 할렐루야/ 哈利路亞 (Hallelujah)－빅뱅 (BigBang)
05. Empty －쥬니 (Juni)
06. Main Title
07. Mission of Destiny
08. Assassination
09. Fight factory
10. Destiny Love
11. Pretty Love
12. Sad Love
13. Hard Day
14. Midnight Run
15. Bullets
16. No Way Out
IRIS Special (2009.12.22)
[CD-1]
01. 꿈을 꾸다/ 做夢 (Dreaming)－김태우 (金泰優) Kim Tae Woo
02. 잊지 말아요/ 不要忘記 (Don’t Forget)－백지영(白智英) Baek Ji Young
03. 사랑하면 안되나요 /不可以愛你嗎 (Can’t I Love You?)－서인영 (徐仁英) Seo In Young
04. 할렐루야 /哈利路亞 (Hallelujah)－빅뱅 Bigbang
05. Love Of Iris－신승훈 (申昇勳)
06. 사랑 참…/愛情 真是… (Love is So…)－디셈버 December
07. 어떻게 눈물 참는지/ 該如何忍住眼淚－ 이정현 (李貞賢)
08. 너라서 좋았다/ 因為是妳 很好 (Because of You, Very Well)－지훈 Ji Hoon
09. Empty－쥬니Juni
10. 돌아올순 없나요/ 不能回來嗎 (Can’t You Return?)－디셈버 December
[CD-2]
01. iris main title
02. mission of destiny
03. assassination
04. fight factory
05. destiny love
06. pretty love
07. sad love
08. sad love-gtr version
09. chase 140
10. chase 150
11. tension 80-2
12. hard day
13. midnight run
14. bullets
15. no way out
As usual, I’ve been hunting around Youtube for K-pop MVs and old concerts. I came across a Michael Jackson tribute performance at the South Korean 2009 Golden Disc Awards in December. As the world sadly mourned the loss of the King of Pop, many artists around the world paid homage to Michael Jackson’s legacy. This breathtaking performance of MJ’s hottest dance hits by Super Junior, SHINee, and SNSD absolutely blew me away. It goes to show how much MJ influenced the world, and how much further international musicians listened and appreciated him right back. If only America can open up its arrogant ears to the greater talents the rest of the world has to offer? Then, maybe we can enjoy these amazing Asian popstars who have the flair and spunk to change the face of international entertainment.
12/10/09 Golden Disk Award Winners
Oh, my! The Superb Junior 슈퍼주니어 (Leeteuk, Eunhyuk, Sungmin) and SHINee (JongHyun, Key, TaeMin), how awesome is their rendition of “Beat It” and “Bad.” I adore the black-and-white suit style, the white gloves, and the mysterious fedora hat; the guys achieved the MJ look with an air of sex appeal. The choreography and the synchronization were all put together very cleverly. They make the Moonwalk and every dance move look so effortless. And (Girl’s Generation 소녀시대) SNSD’s dance to “Smooth Criminal” was a show-stopper. The girls (HyoYeon, Yuri, SooYoung, Sunny, SeoHyun) really mastered the
SNSD "Smooth Criminal"
famous Moonwalk and robotic moves. I love their cute and clean tuxedo style, adding to that some attitude and spunk. Their technique and careful execution of every move are flawless. Now, this is the tribute to remember (SuJu, SHINee, SNSD).
MJ revolutionized dance and music before and during my generation. I’m not a huge fan of today’s music (rap, hip-hop, teen popstars, etc…), but I’ve always loved 80s-90s music. MJ started his career as a young kid in the Jackson 5, and peaked during the 80s with funky tunes like “Thriller,” “Beat It,” “Bad,” “Smooth Criminal” and “Billie Jean.” Some of my favorite soft songs include “We are the World,” “Black or White,” “Man in the Mirror,” and “Will You Be There” (Free Willy theme). Even though his last decade of his life involved accusation, controversy, and crude humor, I still remember him as the soulful, versatile musician and dancer.
Unfortunately, his end came too soon back in June 2009. The NY Times alert in my Gmail came as a shocker. There I sat, in my dorm room, scrolling through my iTunes and listening to all his greatest hits that have made music so memorable around the world.
Here is 王力宏 (Wang Lee Hom) and his rendition of “Man in the Mirror.” He made it his own, thanks to his soothing vocals, oriental instrumentals, and his charm.
And lastly, I found this Taiwanese version of “We Are the World,” called “愛 (Love)” a few years back. This was originally Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie’s 1985 charity song for the Africa poverty relief effort. The Taiwanese version was recorded to support the Indonesia tsunami relief campaign in 2006, featuring 周華健 Emil Chau, 任賢齊 Richie Ren, 梁靜茹 Fish Leong, 潘瑋柏 Wilber Pan, 阿 杜 A-Do, 5566, 張惠妹 A-Mei, 王力宏 (Lee Hom), 張韶涵 Angela Chang, 王心凌 Cyndi Wang, 范瑋琪 Fan Wei Qi, and more. All the artists sing with all their might and passion, a truly beautiful collaboration.
The extravaganza Dream Concert 2010 took place at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul on May 22, 2010. The special concert featuring the biggest names in K-pop aired recently on May 30, 2010. Now, I don’t have a plane ticket to Seoul or the language skills just yet, so the best way to experience a live performance is on my butt, in front of my Macbook, on Youtube.
Despite light rain, over 40,000 loyal fans came out to support their favorite artists. I wish I had the luxury to wave my glow-stick amidst the sea of screaming and singing fans. Now, going to a K-pop concert beats another Jay Chou concert any day (no worries, I’m still a loyal fan of Jay Chou).
The MCs for the concert were Hee Chul (Super Junior), Shin Se Kyung, and Tae Yeon (SNSD 少女時代). Here’s a taste of the spectacular performances (as experienced on Youtube HD): 2PM, SS501, Wonder Girls, Super Junior 슈퍼주니어, KARA, SNSD 少女時代, CNBlue, MBLAQ, BEAST, ZE:A, f(x), SHINee, T-ara, Rain, Lee Hyori, After School, F.cuz, Rainbow, Davichi, U-Kiss and 4minute.
미인아 Bonamana Dance
I loved Super Junior’s solid performance. They looked absolutely amazing in their clean white, yet rebellious look. For their Comeback to Korea as Super Junior again, they’ve had a complete makeover since last year’s “Sorry Sorry” promotion. I also think they’ve been working out and baring more skin and muscles (o.O candy).
They performed their hot, new single “미인아 Bonamana” off their new album Bonamana, which includes a nice mix of hip-hop, dance-pop, love ballads, and R&B. As you listen and watch the performance, you cannot help but dance to the electropop beats of Bonamana. The song, and the album, remains true to the “mature” and “sophisticated” style established by “Sorry Sorry.” Classified as part of the music genre “Super Junior Funky” (how cool is it to establish a whole genre and call it ‘funky’?), Bonamana is a clever experimentation with African rhythms, club-dance mixes, Olympic gold moves, and auto-tuned vocals. Try watching Suju’s live performances and learning the dance moves, it’s a powerful workout.
SNSD Dream Concert
Next, SNSD 少女時代 Girl’s Generation. SNSD is like the female counterpart to Super Junior. They are banging dancers and singers, more on the cute side. Here, they performed their hit singles “Run Devil Run” and “Oh!”
SHINee is also a good Korean band to listen to. I heard a few songs by SHINee from the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers 꽃보다 남자 (2009). Here’s their hit “Ring Ding Dong,” it’s an upbeat, sassy song.
Other recent Comebacks include the Wonder Girls, SS501, 4Minute, and MBLAQ. I’m not very familiar with 4Minute or MBLAQ-Y, but I do enjoy music by the Wonder Girls and SS501. The Wonder Girls have been promoting in America and elsewhere since their “Nobody” release. They are planning an English album featuring English versions of hit Korean singles and an international tour for 2010. As announced in April, the Wonder Girls plan to partner with fellow Korean band 2PM on a US-Canada tour this year. Their upcoming single and album is “2 Different Tears,” as performed here at the Dream Concert.
And the last of my favorites, SS501. Since last August 2009, SS501 has been on their first Asia tour, visiting Taiwan, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Thailand, and Seoul, finishing only recently in February 2010. On May 17th, 2010, it was revealed that Kim Hyun Joong got involved in a car accident, suffering rib injuries and bruises. Because it would take 2 weeks for him to fully recover, Hyun Joong (along with his band members) could only sing ballad songs during the Dream Concert, instead of performing their usual dance sequences. Unfortunately, their performance was untelevised, as requested by their entertainment company DSP Media. Well, that does not stop fans from videorecording and uploading the performance (I did the same thing at last year’s Jay Chou concert). I found a clear version of “Let Me Be the One,” but with the main focus on Kim Hyung Jun, my favorite member.
Soon after the concert, SS501’s single “Love Ya” and new mini-album Destination were leaked. Even if their contract with DSP Media expires this June, I’m hoping SS501 will continue to stay together and make music for fans everywhere. Here’s their new MV, “Love Ya,” since they did not perform it at the Dream Concert OR get televised.
Here’s a link to performances by other famous, just-as-amazing Korean popstars. Rain fans: his performance was also untelevised unfortunately due to J Tune Entertainment.
My current eye candy? Korean guys. Why? Because they are dashing dancers. They have the looks, the steam, the unity, the sex appeal, the ever evolving style, and the make-you-melt moves.
Like every other teenage girl in America, I used to be infatuated with pop boy bands like ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync. I still fall back in time once in a while to remember my girlhood reverie. I remember the magazine pictures I clipped with my school friends, the love we professed for our favorite members, the giggles we shared while watching television shows, and the letters we wrote to celebrities. Now, here are a few old favorites by my top boy bands. *Note the fashion, choreography, and the overall performance.* I used to watch “Making the Video” for these songs.
Now, I’ve become less of a twinkie and more of a FOB in recent years. My recent muses are Korean pop bands that have fantastic talent and skills on the dance floor. Some personal favorites include DBSK/TVXQ 東方神起, Super Junior 슈퍼주니어, 빅뱅 Big Bang, SS501, SNSD 少女時代, and Wonder Girls, for now. I’m still exploring and dabbling around. In Korea, these top groups are created by big record companies/talent agencies (ex. JYP created the Wonder Girls, SM Entertainment formed Super Junior). Young kids/adolescents are recruited and continuously trained over the years in dance, vocals, and languages, so by the time they debut, they’re still young and hip and money-making machines. Think of it as Korea’s recipe for success, on the American scale: take the glam and talents from American Idol, add a dab of Lou Pearlman’s eye from “Making the Band,” and finish off with a big push from the typical stage mom.
These Korean popstars never fail to amaze me with their multi-lingual tongues, upbeat music, slick and stylish looks, and dazzling dance moves. Because they can sing in Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, and English they attract a diverse audience. When was the last time you heard an American Idol hopeful sing Jacky Cheung’s classic “Kiss Goodbye” or Lady Gaga belt out Andrea Boccelli’s “Con Partiro”? That’s what I would call talent and passion for music.
This is SNSD 少女時代 (Girl’s Generation) singing “Oh!”… It’s a bit cutesy and girly, but it’s catchy.
This is DBSK/TVXQ… singing, rather passionately, the song “Love On Ice.”
Now, this is DBSK making all the right moves in all the right ways in their famous “Mirotic 주문.” They really put their whole body and energy into every move.
This is a live version. Since I do not have time to go to Korea to see them in concert, Youtube gives me the same pleasure right from home. OMG, the DBSK guys dance and maneuver around so well, they are practically breathless. They’ve left me melting.
And finally, Super Junior 슈퍼주니어!!! They are HUGE in East Asia. This is their famous song “Sorry Sorry,” so next time you apologize to someone, think of Super Junior. The choreography is synced so well. They remind me of those migratory birds that fly in perfect triangles. You would think having 13 hot dudes on stage is mayhem, but no no, it’s quite the spectacle. Super Junior makes dancing in professional suits look so slick; who knew that dancing in professional suits could be executed so well? And the vocals! Each member’s voice is unique, but the vocals are choreographed with the music and dance moves. Hot!
This is Super Junior’s latest release, “Bonamana.” They got makeovers and a new style. I’m not so hot on the voice enhancements and the music overshadowing their sexy voices, but I love them regardless. Here, I’m hooked to the “speed skater” move and the chorus’ tribal tune signaling an Amazon jungle adventure. Note the jumps, bounces, and lean-backs… they look fun. Enjoy!
To conclude, ❤ Asian music >>>>>>> American music any day. Just my 2 cents.
[CD-1]
❤ Sleepy Panda Dreams ❤ 