Now that MAMA 2012 is coming up, I feel obligated to blog about the happenings of MAMA 2011, which I had the chance to be part of. Though it is only a small part, I'm contented to have this opportunity! ^^
(x)clusive was invited by CJ Bibigo to cover MAMA 2011 and to tell the truth, I was thisssssss tempted to go. It’s not every day you get to cover a Korean award show and most importantly, it’s being held right here in Singapore. It’s honestly a one in a lifetime experience. However, I guess a rational part of me prioritises work over fun/entertainment and I skipped the pre-event press conference, I skipped the red carpet, I even skipped attending the award show itself. Don’t ask me what I was thinking because I’ve no idea as well.
But then again, there are perks attached to watching MAMA at home too. You get to see close-ups for each and every one of the artiste!! Plus the performance is always clear and perfect. Not forgetting the fact that I was watching it in the comfort of my home as I ate my dinner. It’s seriously not that bad after all.
My night didn’t start at Singapore Indoor Stadium but instead at Marina Bay Sands as I attended the post-event press conference. This is like the most epic press conference I’ve ever attended as it’s exactly what I see whenever they show press conference snippets on television, whereby each and every reporter is given a table each. It was also pretty easy to differentiate the local and Korean media as the Korean media will be equipped with their laptops, typing furiously as the press conference was being held. They are seriously amazing and efficient people. Approximately 15 minutes after the press conference, their articles are already up on their news site.
I was really glad Lydia managed to get me a first-row seat and I ended up sitting with all the official media – Mediacorp, XinMSN, Teens. The view was simply perfect for taking photos.
Anyway, only three groups attended the post-event press conference – Girls Generation, Super Junior and 2NE1.
Girls Generation was the first group to appear. In smiles, the girls greeted the crowd and the next thing I know, the shutter sound of the cameras filled the air. I honestly can’t remember what questions were asked, just remembered that the girls seemed careful and politically correct when answering.
Super Junior was up next and I’ll never forget the small drama that happened at the start and at the end of their session. It’s seriously hard to forget them. What impressed me the most was a statement made by Lee Teuk “I’ve done some research on our concert ticket pricing and realised the exorbitant pricing. I hope tickets could be made more affordable as I understand that not all fans can afford it. Organizers could be mindful of the pricing.” Super Junior still remains as one of the most modest KPOP groups around despite being the top Korean boy band now. Never understood why they had so many fans, but after today, my perspective of them changed. They fully deserve what they have.
The last group that appeared during the press conference was 2NE1. I have to admit that these 4 girls stand out so much more distinctly than Girls Generation. I guess we can expect another amazing song from 2NE1 since they did mention that they are in the midst of working on an album with will.i.am. It totally sounds like it’s going to be awesome already. I’m actually randomly looking forward to their collaboration now. The song is out already but I guess it's just not my kind of song.
Though it’s a really short session, it’s really a memorable one for me. Glad that I’m actually part of it.
_germx
MAMA - Music Makes One
20121003.2301h
Labels: 2NE1 투애니원, events, Girls' Generation 소녀시대, Looking Back, MAMA (Mnet Music Asian Awards), Random Thoughts, Super Junior 슈퍼주니어
Having not attended any conferences before in my life, I totally didn't know what to expect when I accepted the invitation to experience something on such a professional scale. And to be very honest, no regrets in taking a day off just to attend this. The Keynote Address, the Brand Case Study and the Panel Discussions were all really insightful and provided a different outlook from my usual small and narrow perspective. No doubt this conference is a real eye-opener for me.
For me, the highlight of Music Matters - Day 2 undoubtedly had to be the Panel Discussion on "K-Pop: The Hip Hype Reality Behind the Korean Wave". I'm sure many have thought about how long this Hallyu Wave would last and to whether it would be a bubble and burst before we know it. The panellists included Tiger JK (Korean Hip-Hop Artist), Chan Kim (CEO, Fluxus Music + Chairman, Record Label Industry Association), Rob Schwartz (Tokyo Bureau Chief, Billboard) and Razmig Hovaghimian (CEO & Co-Founder, Viki.com).
Different issues such as current trends in the Korean music industry, K-Pop breaking out across and beyond Asia and the K-Pop export model were discussed. There was no right or wrong answers and even amongst the panellists, there were differentiated views and perspectives. But this is what made the discussion heated, yet interesting.
The most memorable part of this Panel Discussion was with regards to how traditional media was frustrating and how social media helped significantly. The impact of social media is not to be underestimated - be it a simple tweet or an update of your Facebook status. This I totally agree. We are living in a digital and connected age whereby almost every other human being is being equipped with a smart phone. Why not tap on our existing resources and make full use of it? We can't solely rely on traditional media as social media is undoubtedly faster in obtaining real-time information and updates.
And so, what's the K-Pop appeal and why does it create such a big buzz and eventually this Hallyu Wave? It does not only appeal to Asians but also to the North Americans and Europeans. Just look at the recent SMTown Concert held in LA, the MBC K-Pop Google Concert in San Francisco and the crowd it attracts. It's really interesting to find out what exactly attract these people to K-Pop since language is not a barrier at all. So is it the hybrid element whereby they have a mix of everything - from a vary of genre to the ultimate boyband formulae to the good looking eye-candies? I guess the government played a critical part in this Hallyu Wave too be it through the Yeosu Expo or the widely known Visit Korea Year 2010-2012.
I can just go on and on about this topic because of the differing opinions from every individual and the many areas one can approach this topic with. All in all, this Panel Discussion was really insightful and made me ponder further about the evolvement of this K-Pop phenomena.
Much thanks to the team behind Digital & Music Matters 2012 for this thousand bucks awesome experience. Totally looking forward to Digital & Music Matters 2013 now. ^^
_germx
The K-Pop Bubble.
20121001.1713hLabels: events, Looking Back, Music Matters, Random Thoughts, Tiger JK
