It’s my first Friday on Steemit! To celebrate, and to share something fun to kick off your weekend. Today I’ll be doing the first of weekly short posts dedicated to the mysterious and blisteringly fast pace of Korean Pop Music. All the artists I present actually have more than meets the flashy eye, with interesting histories that brought them onto the music scene. So here goes -
Artist: Jay Park
Song: Solo (Choreography Video)
Jay Park is a fascinating figure and actually American-born. He entered the mainstream media scene with his debut with the megagroup 2PM back in 2008. He was hit with a bit of a scandal when he publicly criticized Korean society on social media – a big NO-NO in the entertainment industry which has led to the popularity decline of many stars. The entertainment companies are always part of larger corporations in Korea and any misstep in public image is met with swift punishment. Jay Park was expelled from the group.
He made a HUGE comeback though, just a few years later, collaborating with young rappers, musicians, and dancers to continually produce some of Korea’s most unique music and videos. He’s a premiere solo artist and helps run his own talent agency AOMG which umbrellas some of the country’s best young performers.
Source: dailybackgrounds
It's also hard to miss Jay Park among a crowd, due to him being probably the most tattooed popstar among mainstream Korean performers. Operating as a tattoo artist was illegal until only recently and having a tattoo is still heavily frowned upon by many as it is reminiscent of Korea's gang age and conflicts with the Japanese Yakuza. Jay Park has become somewhat of a symbol among young Koreans and dispelling the old stereotype of body art.
Source: Youtube
In Korea, pop stars and singers don’t just produce albums and do performances, they are typically part of daily life. They appear on national dramas, movies, talk shows, and in Jay Park’s interesting case, Korea’s Saturday Night Live. Over the last few years, he has shown the breadth of his talent and really injected something quite new in the pop culture industry.
Lastly, Jay Park is a perfect introduction to one of the world’s premiere dance groups- Prepix. I’ll do a showcase on them next week as they are arguably the most innovative choreographers in the world for contemporary pop and hip-hop music. Park is a regular dancer in their groups and they help him come up with some great new choreo, including the video that I posted!
Source: oddnessweirdness
Until next week, dance on!