So Cosmic Girls finally released their "Catch Me!" music video, and while many of us are happy that is finally got released (after two freaking weeks!) I see some SONEs specifically in the comments claiming that CG is copying SNSD's "You Think" concept.
Ring any bells?
This is just like whenever any new boy groups or girl group with a slightly tomboyish look debuts and the comments are filled with "So obviously copying Big Bang!" or "So obviously copying 2NE1!" Without realizing that Big Bang did not invent hip-hop concepts, not even in K-pop:
This 1TYM video is from 1998, eight years before Big Bang's debut.
Now it seems that any and every girl group is copying from SNSD. Sure SNSD had the 1990's sound, but guess what? SNSD didn't invent 1990's music. And girl groups had been using that particular sound well before SNSD was even famous.
The original music video wont link but this is a video S.E.S performing "Dreams Come True" back in 1998, nine years before the divine nine came into existence.
That's not to say certain girl groups wont acknowledge taking inspiration from SNSD. For instance GFriend around their debut stated that their debut song and choreography took inspiration from SNSD's "Into The New World". however it's safe to say that GFriend actually does have their own image and have built up a reputation for themselves way outside of "SNSD Wannabe's" and the same goes for A Pink and soon-to-rise Lovelyz and Oh My Girl.
Cheng Xiao is my bias but Xuan Yi's smile is life.
And even if these girl groups were copycats of SNSD (and thank God they're not. K-pop doesn't need ten SNSDs) who could blame them? SNSD have achieved a status in the music scene that is damn near unattainable at this point due to dedicated SONEs and a decent international following. K-Pop is an over-saturated market, so the chances of actually making it big are slim to none. It's not about talent or even song quality, it's all based on the luck of rather he public feels the need to care about you. Now of course having talent and good songs can most definitely play apart in that, but they're not mandatory. The number one thing these companies are trying to do is to make these groups successful and cement their presence in the industry as stars. No girl group in Korea has done that better than SNSD so these companies are going to go where the money is at. It should be expected that groups are going to munch off of trends set by popular groups since when your popular in K-pop you're granted success (no matter how good or bad your song is.)
The school girl concept is so universal that trying to trademark it to a certain group is the same thing as TheFineBros trying to trademark reaction videos and get money whenever someone not under them makes a reaction video. SNSD didn't invent school girl concepts, they didn't invent the 1990's sound.
But even that made more sense than trying to claim that any girl group that does a powerful, feminine and sexy concept is now copying SNSD. SNSD SURELY DID NOT invent that concept. And even then, the similarities are barely even there. They're all dressed in black? Okay but so did KARA, Rania, and AOA to name a few. Cheng Xiao has that bra armor thing on? So did Pocket Girls.The song is very in-your-face?So are most of 2NE1's better songs.
In the end your fave didn't invent anything. They were given a concept and they rolled with it. These types of concepts gain the public's attention and that's why they're doing it. Sure not every single group that debuts with a school girl concept is going to get super popular; not every group that tried a sexed up concept back in 2014 got popular either. But those were the trending concepts so they tried to become popular from it, and it worked really well for some. In the end, if you don't like certain concepts being so popular then maybe you shouldn't give so much attention to them.
Yes, SNSD were accused of copying S.E.S (and Fin.K.L as well) but the whole thing is meaningless as you point out. Concepts evolve, no-one really invented cute, sexy, fierce, sporty, zombie etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is expected to happen with every new group, and even every comeback. I remember BTS fans a while back crying about how EXO stole the occupation concept used in the "Dope" MV, but they all forgot that it was AOA who invented occupations in the first place with "Short Hair". They really ought to give credit where it's due.
ReplyDeleteAOA didn't invent occupations in the least. That concept is old as fuck. It's used frequently because it's easy to switch up the occupations that are shown.
DeletePerhaps I should've added the /sarcasm.
Deleteby using fangirl logic, you could say all kpop groups doing the occupation concept are copying the village people lol
DeleteEveryone knows AOA invented jobs
DeleteWhen did exo used job concepts? For reaserch purposes ofcourse.
Delete@anon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl6KA_oXbDQ
DeleteThank you!
Deletethere were no jobs before AOA
DeleteAs Kpopalypse pointed out, Madonna was the first to change up the look of each video, which all of k-pop uses now... Elvis was the first to do certain things, the Beatles were the first to do certain things that everyone does now. It's just dumb and lazy to see every new group and say they're copying. I personally hope that SNSD disbands soon, so every other k-pop group gets a chance at that huge chunk of money they're hogging at the top.
ReplyDeleteTwice and Gfriend are (combined) doing a remake of "Gee", that suggests to me that the torch is being passed...
I for one, can't fucking wait for Soshit SNSD to finally disband.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't new. SONEs had been terrorizing fandoms for ages now. They were all over Nine Muses for being nine members, claiming they invented the nine members thing, and did the same to the Japanese girl performance group Flower, just from the press release photo about their debut. They didn't even give a fuck of how different both groups were, some still believe they were launched to be SNSD's competition. Fact is, SNSD from their first year, also ripped off a little from Japanese idol bands more than the candy concepts from S.E.S. and others. By the time they started with stuff like Gee or OH, they reminded me so much of Girls Aloud, calling them a rip off would've been just too easy.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with SONEs is the same as any other closed minded K-Pop fans, that they can't even see some stuff was done somewhere else before and their favs didn't invent the wheel.
SONEs are especially tiring on other countries' idols videos, like Indonesian Cherrybelle, whom don't just look to them but also took a lot from Morning Musume and H!P when they built it. I wonder if they also believe that AKB48 is a copy of SNSD, at this rate, they probably believe that any large group are just stealing from them.
They are the same as YG stans, still claiming 4Minute from debut were a copy of 2NE1, completely ignoring the fact that most groups that year wore the same type of neon, flourescent, weird stuff that year, with the exception 2NE1 took it further.
Those two specific fandoms were the ones that got me addicted to this site on first place, so I guess their constantly nagging gets some positive effects XD
Fandoms and stans can be as embarrassing as hell. Precisely why I don't identify with them for the most part anymore. That doesn't just go for kpop, that goes for anime and television too at times.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we're the same person because this is totally me.
DeleteWhat are SONEs? Total kpop noob isolated on an island *points to self* �� ��
ReplyDelete