C-pop now possess a dozen or so boy and girl groups debuting within the last 3 years. Some of them were/are unoriginal shadows of Kpop groups, trying valiantly to copy the music, images, styles, and/or even MV filming concepts of their Korean counterparts. Many of them lack the stage training and musical talent required for a successful group in the long-term, or I should say they debuted before they were ready. Perhaps this is harsh criticism, but entertainment industries are no longer bound by countries or regions. Therefore, the competition is also no longer just within the walls of your own country. To compete, and last, in an industry inundated with better developed groups, backed by more experienced foreign companies, these C-pop groups have to be prepared.

Does this mean that there aren’t any great groups out there in C-pop? No. Below are a few that I think possess the talents and/or innovation needed to compete with not only their peers but globally as well. C-pop may not have K-pop’s notorious work/training schedules (S. Korea maintains the world’s record for average work hours per capita), nor the marketing/image prowess that K-pop companies have expertise in, but here are a few hopefuls.

M.I.C.

What I’m most impressed with this group was how ready they were when they debuted. Unlike many of the their C-pop competitors, this group trained rigorously for 3 years in secret, while emphasizing individual development, before making their public appearance. Not only were they the most impressive of all the boy-groups in their live stages, but they were also the most individually compelling group. Each member had a definite role, whether it was dance choreography, song/lyric composing, rapping, etc., and yet when they performed as a group, it was like parts of a well-oiled machine coming together.

MIC – Rockstar

Credit: missrocknrockstaaa

MIC does possess weaknesses. One of which lie in their vocal uniqueness. With the rise of so many boy bands, it is important to have tones that are instantly recognizable and/or distinctive as a group. Unfortunately, vocal tones are normally given to you by your parents, and isn’t something you can acquire non-genetically, at least not easily. They’ll have to practice their vocal/music range in order to compete with groups like Hit-5, Top Combine, etc. But if the below collaboration with SME’s F(x) is any indication, this group has the real potential to make it out of their home sweet home.

F(x) & MIC – Lollipop

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F(x) & MIC – LG Lollipop Making Of MV

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MISSTER

Riding on the trend of androgynous, if not outright LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) celebrities in the past decade, this new girl group is definitely breaking the mold in it’s concept. Even though MISSTER debuted only last month, this group is by far the most innovative, refreshing, and bold female debutees out there in C-pop. What is interesting about this group is that they have the advantage of displaying both boy-group dance songs and girl-group sensitivities. What is also intriguing is that many of the girls in MISSTER have feminine tastes albeit tomboyish dispositions, i.e. Hello Kitty fetishes. This conflicting image is great in attracting the heavily female-weighted asian-pop fan scene, especially when they have good songs and well-filmed MVs.

MISSTER – Super Lover

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MISSTER – Stay

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The GM *I know it’s been over a year since I posted, but I’m going to try really hard, I mean really hard, to update this blog…or someone may turn into Queen of Hearts and have me “Off with her head!” one of these days. lols*

Credit: TonyKPOPMV

I’m going to wait until the full MV is released to give my two cents, but from what I’ve seen in the teaser MV it looks like a mix between Secret’s “Shy Boy” and Dal Shabet’s “Supa Diva”. Unfortunately the old adage “When one does it, EVERYONE does it” rears it’s ugly head again in Kpop.

Not that I condone it, but if another Kpop group is going to copy another group I wish they would pick a better concept than this.

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Credit: KyuleeKPOPMV

And…is that Amber…SINGING!?!

I can not wait for their comeback!

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Credit: KyuleeKPOPMV

I started liking Secret after hearing “Magic” back when it came out sometime in March of 2010. Aside from their pronunciation of magic, I really liked the song and they kind of reminded me of Brown Eyed Girls when they debuted. I was very excited to see what they were going to bring to Kpop in 2010.

Then they came out with “Madonna” and I was a little disappointed that it looked and sounded like “Magic” but with a show girl feel. Even though I was disappointed with the promotion I was willing to give this group another chance since they can sing and I like their personalities on variety shows.

Now their new MV for the title track “Shy Boy” was released today and I have to say…the video is horrible. The song is like every other cutesy girl group track and the video looks like a “Grease” knockoff with about 50 gallons of paint dumped over it. And while I’m thinking of the set, is it just me or did I see that same set in Lee Hyori’s “U Go Girl”? Maybe it’s just me.

I’m also getting sick and tired of all the MV’s that just have no story or any sort of concept to them. It’s fine if you’re a debut group, but by the third video you should have more to them than just the group dancing around while acting cute or sexy. IT’S BORING!

I’m sad to say there is absolutely nothing I like about the song or the video. I really hope they step it up the next album because they can sing and it’s just being wasted on a junk song and a terrible MV.

1 star out of 5

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After watching the teaser for this MV, my first thought is they’re going for an underwater ballerina theme. Of course I was skeptical of this since it could’ve went really well or really bad. I’m happy to say I’m pleasantly surprised with how the video turned out.

The song is so beautiful (I can’t stop playing it!) and the dance fits the song perfectly. The makeup, although not as bad as other groups that won’t be mentioned (although you can probably guess who if you think hard enough), my biggest gripe I have with the MV is the slight (well…a little more than slight) overacting through out the video and the insanely over used ‘singing passionately in the rain while crying out to the girl who wronged you’ scene.

Although as much as I dislike both of these elements, I will gladly bear them if it means that Joon will FINALLY keep his shirt on during this promotion. Now if we can get rid of the token lip swipe, we’ll be good to go.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

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“Bad Guy” MV Ft. Chansung of 2PM

Credit: TonyKPOPMV

Joo is best known for her 2008 single “Because of a Man” (남자 때문에), but has kind of been put on the back burner in favor of the boy and girl group craze over the past few years. After almost three years away from the Korean music scene, Joo is finally back with her first mini album entitled “Heartmade” and a MV for the title track “Bad Guy” featuring fellow label-mate Chansung of 2PM.

Beautiful love scenes with warm colors and sad breakup scenes in a sterile black and white house are tied together with the use of one single object, a toy bubble gun. The video mixes the childish (playing with the toy bubble gun and then using that same bubble gun to destroy the house) with the serious (finding out that the love of your life is cheating on you) and does it very well.

I’m glad Joo is finally back and I hope she can finally get the recognition she deserves. Her voice is amazing and I can’t wait to hear the rest of the songs from her album.

The album will be released in Korea on Jan 4th.

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I have loved this girl since she debuted and I’m so glad she is finally getting recognized. She is so talented and deserves all the attention she is getting now. The song shows how she is growing from the cutesy image that we’ve seen in songs like “Boo” and “Marshmallow” into a more mature concept without trending towards a sexier image like other solo artists have in the past.

I can’t wait to hear more from IU in the future.

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Credit: NoObJyez94

Yeah I know I’m a little late on this and even though “Hot Times” is stuck in my head, the song and the MV are just so beautiful. And Joo Won looks so gorgeous in this video!

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In news that saddens me yet doesn’t surprise me too much, the girl group SeeYa will disband as of next year. The ballad group debuted in 2006 with the title track “Scent of a Woman (여인의 향기)” and were dubbed “The Female SG Wannabe“ for their strong vocals. One of their biggest hits came in 2008 with the release of “Hot Girl” which showed them transform from a ballad group to a more electronica dance group.

But with the departure of members Nam Gyuri and Lee Soomi, SeeYa’s management company Core Contents Media have released that the other two memebers Kim Yeonji and Lee Boram will part ways after the release of the groups greatest hits album “Goodbye My Love”. The album will be released on January 10th and will have two new songs along with all their greatest hits.

Credit: AsianWorldHD

I wish all the members good luck on their future endevors.

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