Since they first arrived in New York, NY1 has been following the
progress of Korean pop stars trying to make it big in America. In the
first installment of a two-part series, Lewis Dodley reports that the
door to the so-called Korean Wave appears to have swung wide open.
It was a dream come true for the nine members of Girls’ Generation
and their company, SM Entertainment. In another first for the group from
South Korea, they were in the national spotlight last month performing
on the Late Show with David Letterman.
They also graced the set of “Live with Kelly” as part of a whirlwind 24 hours to promote their first English single, “The Boys.”
“It’s absolutely a dream come true,” said group member Tiffany
following the appearances. “It’s still amazing that we were on the show
and we’re just thankful that we’re having so much of an experience.”
Asked if the group was nervous appearing on American television, she laughed.
“We enjoyed it – we totally enjoyed it on stage,” she said. “During
rehearsals we were a bit jet-lagged, but once the camera turned on we
were screaming, whoo! It was the first time we ever performed with live
fans, and that sounded really cool.”
The appearances come on the heels of a sold-out performance at
Madison Square GArden for Girls’ Generation and six other SM
Entertainment acts – which makes you wonder if America has wrapped its
arms around the idea of a Korean superstar.
SM Entertainment’s first attempt at cracking the U.S. market was made
three years ago by BoA, an Asian sensation so popular that 200 media
outlets showed up for her announcement that she was coming to America.
Though the album saw only moderate success, her talent was recognized by
director Duane Adler – who was so impressed that he’s making “Cobu 3D,”
a soon-to-be-released movie based on BoA. It co-stars Derek Hough, and
BoA as Ara.
“Ara’s character is Korean in blood and raised in Japan,” BoA
explains. “She’s followed her brother to New York and she’s the leader
of the Cubu team so she’s very passionate and never gives up on anything
she does. So she’s a strong woman.”
“Working with Duane Adler, he’s an amazing director,” BoA adds. “He’s
written a lot of amazing dance movies before, so I was very happy to be
part of this project. And Derek Hough, when I first met him there was a
little bit of awkwardness since we really didn’t know each other. But
when we kept rehearsing stuff we got to know each other, and then after I
got to know him as a person I thought, ‘Wow, he’s a really nice guy,
cool, great dancer, great actor.’ So now we’re really good friends.”
The latest developments embody the concept of Hallyu – the wave of
Korean cultural expression that, bit-by-bit, is making a mark on the
world. K-Pop artists are doing their best to make that mark a lasting
impression.
“We have social networks these days like YouTube and
Facebook,” says performer Key of the group SHINee. “So ever though we’re
far apart, everyone is able to see our performances through the
Internet. I definitely feel that today people are more open-minded to
music. Five years ago it would be hard to imagine that people in Europe
and all over the world would be listening to K-Pop – but now it seems
there’s a chance to listen to a larger variety of different styles of
music.”
“I just feel like we’re just starting and we still have a long way up
the stairs,” echoes Tiffany. “So we’re just going to work hard for it.
My goal for this group is just sticking together as long as possible. We
grew up together and I hope it can go on.”
Source/Credits: ny1.com
