'KOREAN CULTURE' AROUND THE WORLD
[PHOTO
- Recently, Korean pop culture has become popular in Asia and beyond,
earning the name Hallyu or "Korean Wave."]
MANILA,
JUNE 4, 2011 (MANILA STANDARD)
by Nickie Wang - Another backward step for Pinoy pop.
The Philippines is greatly affected by the movement called Korean wave.
Wikipedia puts it as the spread of South Korean culture around the world.
Probably we are not the only country that is extremely fascinated with
Korean music. The popular genre called K-pop has also reached the United
States, Canada and Australia. But unlike in those territories, our
fascination has inspired the birth of a new genre, though that not everybody
is happy about.
It's hard to know when exactly P-pop was born, but one thing is sure, the
genre is in its formative years and appears to be a cheap K-pop knock off.
There's a big difference between enjoying K-pop and trying to sound like
K-pop. Unfortunately, the groups being introduced today are more about the
latter.
Take XLR8 for example, the manufactured band of eight members have been
the center of mockery since they debuted on the music scene. Apparently, the
band's a rip off of every thing K-pop, from music to clothing style, from
hairdo to the way it performs onstage.
XLR8 is not the first manufactured Filipino band that is dangerously
inspired by K-pop. In Sarah Geronimo's Record Breaker concert in 2009, (at
the wake of Wonder Girls popularity) Viva Entertainment introduced a girl
group called PopGirls.
As expected, the introduction was followed by the emergence
of other groups like 1:43, Freshmyx, Down to Mars, Sakto,
A-FIVE, and RPM, to name a few.
Sadly, none of them has been warmly welcomed by the public nor landed in
the charts (with XLR8 as an exemption, according to Viva Records, its debut
album has turned gold).
Like any manufactured bands, these P-pop groups hve no bright future on
the scene.We maybe wrong, though.
In the late '90s, music critics predicted that K-pop would not
proliferate and that it would be just a fad for a couple of years, it's been
around more for than a decade now and is still warmly embraced all
throughout the region.
Meanwhile, P-pop is different. It will have a different fate compared to
K-pop. Its popularity (if it's popular at all) will wane and the genre's
follower will wake up from their hallucination that P-pop is going to be the
face of OPM's future. No copycat lasts in the business to start with.
OPM's lifeline
The
word originality is hardly known among local music artists these days. It's
distressing that what these people are feeding music consumers are either
cover songs or rip off music from foreign artists.
There have been many efforts to resuscitate Original Pinoy Music back to
its heyday when Filipino songs ruled the music charts and record stores.
Organizations like Filipino Composers Development Cooperative and
Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit, amid their efforts to encourage
musicians and record producers to create better quality music, can't still
salvage the puny industry from its miserable state.
Does anyone still remember the executive order reinstated by President
Benigno Aquino in August last year?
To refresh your memory, the executive order requires all radio stations,
with musical format, to broadcast at least four OPM (Original Pinoy Music)
songs every clock hour. They say it will encourage more musicians to create
better OPM and listeners to appreciate local music more. But what has
happened now?
This
is the miserable truth that even the likes of Ogie Alcasid, Ryan Cayabyab,
or by the so-called industry's hit makers cannot solve. Not in their
lifetime. Only if the country has a strong foundation or a better music
education, then local musicians wouldn't settle on what they could copy
which also reflects their huge obsession with doing covers. Until nothing is
drastically done, any effort will just go to waste and this industry will be
devoured by an even more influential and dynamic foreign music, which in our
current case, by K-pop.
Where have all our singers gone?
Some
people think that once a person is able to hold a microphone he or she is
good to go to be a music star. There have been clamors to make the local
music circuit alive again. Different efforts to give proper exposure to
those who have the real talent have been done. But consider these following
examples:
Kris Aquino's 5th spoken-word album entitled My Heart's Journey has
turned double platinum in just one month. Former Pinoy Big Brother teen
housemate Ryan Bang (a Korean who acts like Filipino) has just released a CD
and had a grand launch on Asap. BFFs Solenn Heussaf and Anne Curtis are also
venturing into music recording.
The names mentioned are just few of those that define the real state of
local music nowadays. What are being given are songs that destined to be
junks in our music player. What have happened to our talented singers and
music artist?
ADDENDUM FROM WIKIPEDIA
SOUTH
KOREAN CULTURE TODAY:
South Korea shares its traditional culture with North Korea, but
the two Koreas have developed distinct contemporary forms of
culture since the peninsula was divided in 1945. The South
Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism actively encourages the
traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and
education programs. Korean art and culture have absorbed
influences from many countries; prior to the 19th century, these
cultural infusions came primarily from China. Koreans adapted
many Chinese art forms with innovation and skill, creating
distinctively Korean forms. For many centuries, Korean forms of
metalwork, sculpture, painting, and ceramics flourished
throughout the Korean peninsula and were then passed on to
neighboring countries like Japan. In modern times, Western and
particularly the US influences have been strongest. In the
aftermath of Japanese occupation all Japanese cultural exports
were banned from Korea until 1999. However, trading between the
two countries have grown, although there is still strong
anti-Japanese sentiment in South Korea.
Recently, Korean pop culture has become popular in Asia
and beyond, earning the name Hallyu or "Korean Wave." In Japan,
with Korean singers like BoA, and television dramas like
Daejanggeum and Winter Sonata have found success. Recent Korean
films such as Oldboy and Oasis have also received international
acclaim. The contemporary culture of South Korea is heavily
dominated by technology, including feature-rich cell phones and
pervasive online gaming. South Korea today has the highest
penetration of high-speed internet access to households in the
world. Digital multimedia broadcasting now allows South Koreans
to watch television on their cell phones.
However, the country still retains centuries-old customs
and traditions, such as its unique cuisine, ancestor worship,
and some Confucianism ideals. Foods like Bulgogi and Kimchi that
have been developed since the Goguryeo and Chosun Dynasty still
remain in the Korean diet. Confucianist ideals, especially from
the Chosun Dynasty remain. Respecting elders, worshiping
ancestors, and ethical manners are still present in Korean
society.
[Source:
Culture, South Korea - Wikipedia ]
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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