im really impressed how their company manages them. a nine member korean girl group, still very much intact in their third year, most likely will reach their fourth year together (i think the spice girls by their third year were already experiencing some tension. the comparison cant be avoided. their ancestors of recent history must be acknowledged). i guess making them live together in a dorm right from the start really made them bond together very well.
despite openly admitting they get envious or jealous of other members who get more exposure or favorable attention, they still manage to support and promote each other. most of them also have their own individual activities if their schedule permits them (DJs, drama series actress, sitcom, show host/MC, reality programs, variety shows, commercials, etc. so in case they break up, they still have a place in the entertainment industry). they recently held concerts in the US, Japan, Taiwan and i think also in Singapore just this latter half of the year (some concerts were with record label mates, some were their very own concerts). the concerts were just this latter half of the year. earlier this year, they were promoting their new album. how can their management handle all these affairs so well in different countries? of course they have counterpart companies in those other countries but...i guess i havent seen the Asian music industry in this light before. weve been so exposed to the US music industry that i never really wondered how these companies operate in the international level (because having foreign US music seems normal to us when it shouldnt be the case). the music industry isnt simply about promoting music. the music industry also serves as some form of gateway for a foreign culture to introduce itself in foreign territories.
anyway, right now, SNSD is promoting in Japan as rookie artists. they also have a dorm there because longer presence would be required to promote themselves properly. theyre doing good too. and at the same time, they are making a comeback in Korea. simultaneous activities in two countries? the group is fortunate to have a member that's fluent in Japanese (although all of them have learned to speak basic japanese). they also have two members who are Americans that are very fluent in English (well, unless they have changed their citizenship. basic political science dictates that a country that adheres to the jus soli principle makes any person born within its territory a citizen of such country). their variety is one of their biggest assets and their work ethic is really impressive too. i think the management got lucky to have acquired them. well, i will give some credit to the company in being able to select these nine from their pool of trainees. seeing some chemistry is one thing but making them have a strong relationship with each other is another. its not like they were childhood friends or college friends that had a dream to become this particular group like the stories of rock bands. well, they did meet each other as trainees at a young age but that's still a different set-up. every other trainee is either a potential ally or potential rival. i think the spice girls underwent a similar selection process but not as intensive and as thorough. again, i digress.
in order to promote themselves in japan, they had to learn japanese and translate their singles in japanese. they're not the first to do this of course. i remember back in grade school, a japanese song was translated in Tagalog. the japanese artist was Ted Ito. other than that, i cant think of any other instance when a foreign artist tried to adapt the song to our local language to promote himself or herself in our country. there's got to be someone else other than Ted Ito.
i think im the only one that's seeing this girl group in an intensely analytical manner. anyway, in a somewhat related note, i wonder if anyone has made a study on the Asian form of consumerism.
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