This brings me to the topic of the artistes being commercially valuable. I may have been blogging non-stop about the Kpop music scene, though I write opinions. Many people think that being a celebrity you enjoy perks and it's a glamorous dream filled with plastic surgery and fake personas. Many people may think that the artistes are shallow people. Scandals, exposed shots, low IQ, stupid and silly antics...
But I will say they aren't shallow, nor are they glamorous. Cause artistes/stars/celebs/what have you are working. HARD. They are the ones who work like ants or bees, non-stop, to provide the best entertainment for people. Yes, sometimes, they go so silly and causing even their fans like me to go utterly speechless. Like...
or
(I don't know whether to laugh or cry. That boy is incomprehensible. Why did you think I call him an ambiverous oddball?)
Though many times they will also exhibit greatness like:
(See what I mean by even Yesung's voice can't beat Kyuhyun's? That boy sings first singer in clip, Im Chang Jung's "Long Time No See" so effortlessly BEAUTIFUL)
But they are trying their best to do what will entertain, and I think that's really a great thing. And I do occasionally wonder, sometimes, how far is too far? I'm talking about Asian or specifically Korean entertainment circles here.
Sometimes artistes will compromise for the sake of better sales or higher commercial value, cause seriously, the reason why people like SM makes big bucks is because his groups are all commercially valuable (and makes me almost wanting to join them. Almost.) People love them, people will pay to see them, people will camp outside their hostels just to catch a glimpse of them (no kid). This is fandom, and it's not something to be ignored like yesterday's newspaper. Fans are really the dynamics of an artiste. Without fans, the artistes cannot be commercially valuable. With fans, well, you get a full house.
I know I say some, if not, many are REAL talents, but they too need to cari makan (earn money) and therefore make themselves commercially valuable. CFs (commerical films a.k.a advertisements) contract, go for it! Appearing on variety shows, go for it! Look silly, why not? Be totally impudent to your hyungs (elder brothers), WHY NOT?
(Kyuhyun is my confirmed favorite next to Yesung. Snarky snarky gamer. BTW, he's a math Olympiad and an avid gamer, explains why he keeps referring to Starcraft. Can you believe it? Genius + Swooner + Good-looking + Humorous...)
But they are not shallow, I repeat. Being an artiste, or anyone in front of the camera or at the back of the stage, is a tough and cruel job to take. I've mentioned this before in my pixnet blog. Being an artiste today can no longer just be an artiste. All the "entertaining" things done so that they can last longer in the passion that started them there, may it be singing, dancing, acting, MC-ing, what else there is...
I think it's all these self-sacrifices they make that makes them lovable. Of course, when I say self-sacrifices, I meant it in a good way. They throw away their self-consciousness or lack of confidence to really, entertain people. Of course, again, there's always the thin line. When is too much, too much?
That's up to the artistes themselves to draw the line.
I will respect them always for their ability to stay sane though their lives get so publicly disclosed sometimes. If you think a garbage collector is the worst job, I'd say the celebrity is the worst.
End note:
I keep on throwing references of Super Junior. They are my current interest and they are really the epitome of a commercially valuable pop group. But the Korean list also includes DBSK (with the biggest fan club), Big Bang, SS501, SHINee, SNSD, 2PM, 2AM, Wonder Girls, F.T. Island, all the rest I can't think of now.
Besides, they are really a great group to study (13 different people in a boy band working together to achieve one goal. It's a psychoanalyst's dream!). All have their own quirks and charms, yes, including M.I.A Kibum, Heechul, Kangin and Donghae which I didn't really look into. (Heechul and Kangin are absolutely funny in the clip I posted above)
That being said, I will always have a soft spot for oddball Yesung. Maybe because he is often overshadowed by other members in his group who are more "entertaining" than he is. Probably that's because he's very serious. If you notice like I do, he sometimes stay out a bit. 4th-dimensional? Probably thinking about how to attract attention. Probably that's why after that he gets totally crazy mad with his weird antics. But either way, he has his fans, and will always make me smile in spite of myself.
(See, he's not always odd. Though Kyuhyun has now come out into the limelight and shine brightly and Yesung is often second-fiddle, I still like his smile and that husky voice.)
(But for most of the time...*grins)
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