50 Most Influential K-pop Artists: 16. Jo Seong-Mo

[Series Index]

16. Jo Seong-Mo [조성모]

Also romanized as:  Jo Sung-mo

Years of Activity: 1998 - present? (last single in 2010)

Discography:
To Heaven (1998)
For Your Soul (1999)
Let Me Love (2000)
No More Love (2001)
Ga-In [가인] (2003)
My First (2005)
Second Half (2009)

Representative Song:  To Heaven from To Heaven

To Heaven
To Heaven

괜찮은거니 어떻게 지내는거야
Are you ok? How are you doing?
나 없다고 또 울고 그러진 않니
You are not crying again because I'm not there, are you?
매일 꿈속에 찾아와 재잘대던 너
You were so chatty when you visit my dreams every night
요즘은 왜 보이질 않는거니
Why can't I see you nowadays?
혹시 무슨 일이라도 생겼니
Did something happen?
내게 올 수 없을 만큼 더 멀리갔니
Did you go even farther away, so far you can't come to me?
니가 없이도 나 잘 지내 보여
I look like I am doing fine without you so
괜히 너 심술나서 장난 친거지
You are upset and playing a joke with me
비라도 내리면 구름 뒤에 숨어서 니가 울고 있는 건 아닌지
When it rains, maybe you are crying, hiding behind the clouds
걱정만 하는 내게 제발 이러지마
That's my worry, so please don't do this to me
볼 수 없다고 쉽게 널 잊을 수 있는 내가 아닌걸 잘 알잖아
 You know I can't forget you that easily, just because I can't see you


혹시 니가 없어 힘이 들까봐
If you think I am suffering without you
니가 아닌 다른 사랑 만날 수 있게 너의 자릴 비워둔 것이라면
If you left your space empty so I can meet another love
그 자린 절망 밖에 채울 수 없어
That space can only be filled with despair
미안해 하지마 멀리 떠나갔어도
 Don't be sorry, even if you are far away
예전처럼 니 모습 그대로 내 안에 가득한데
You are filling me up looking just like the way you did
그리 오래 걸리진 않을거야
It will not take that long
이별이 없는 그곳에 우리 다시 만날 그날이
The day when we will meet where there is no more parting
그때까지 조금만 날 기다려 줘
Until then, wait for me just a little bit

In 15 words or less:  The logical conclusion of the "ballad" movement.

Maybe he should be ranked higher because...   He is the only singer in K-pop history who has two albums that sold more than 2 million copies.

Maybe he should be ranked lower because...  Somehow, he is simply not remembered that much.

Why is this artist important?
Many critics term the 1990s as the golden age of K-pop. Although such characterization is hardly indisputable -- how many international sensations did 1990s K-pop create, compared to the 2000s K-pop? -- it does have certain legitimate bases. One such basis for the claim is that the wide variety of available genres in K-pop. The "industrial" K-pop machine that would choke out the music scene did not yet arrive in the 1990s. The strong tradition of rock music from the 1980s K-pop continued into the 1990s, while the new waves of hip hop, R&B, reggae and techno were taking root in Korea.

From this perspective, the genre that ruled the 1990s may be considered the greatest K-pop genre, the crown jewel of the golden age. And there is no question what that genre is: "ballad", a term denoting easy listening, adult contemporary music with light beats and saccharine lyrics. In the first half of 1990s, it was Shin Seung-hoon who owned the genre. In the second half, it was Jo Seong-mo. Owing to the fact that his career peaked before online file sharing became prevalent, Jo Seong-mo holds the distinction of being the only K-pop singer who sold more than 2 million copies of two different albums, a feat that not even the more influential luminaries of K-pop could match.

Jo also set another trend: a proliferation of music videos as a mini-movie. The music video for To Heaven starred Lee Byeong-heon, an A-list Korean actor, and cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars to make -- both an unprecedented step for a K-pop music video. To Heaven would lead an era of "epic" K-pop music videos, some stretching to as long as 20 minutes.

Interesting trivia:  Jo's songs, including To Heaven, are often about dead lovers. In an interview, Jo said those songs were inspired by his older brother, who died early in a car accident.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

Why are Asian Americans Liberal? (Are They Even?)

Dear Korean,

According to polling data, Asian Americans tend to be more liberal on average than other minority groups. In fact they are the second most Democratic ethnic group in America according to this poll. The Gallup poll linked fails to give me any convincing reasons as to why Asian-Americans are liberal. In fact, Asians seem to fit the mold of a more conservative voter: they are wealthy, they tend to raise talented children with a strict upbringing, first generation immigrants tend to be more socially conservative, and most of them don't really care for an active, high taxing government. So why are Asian-Americans more likely to be liberal Democrats?

Right Wing Nut Job

'tis a season for politics in both U.S. and Korea, as both countries are gearing up for the presidential election at the end of this year. So let's talk some politics -- first, on the U.S. end.

Before we begin, full disclosure: the Korean is a Democrat, because he thinks the taxes are too low and the federal government is too small. (Seriously.) Take the following for what it's worth, which may not be a lot.

Right Wing Nut Job is exactly right that, in general, Asian Americans seem to have many, if not most, of the traditional characteristics of conservative-leaning Americans. Asian Americans have the highest household income among all races in America. They tend to value family relationship. Many Asian Americans are staunchly Christian (yours truly included,) and therefore tend to be on the more traditional side of many hot button cultural issues in American politics, such as same sex marriage. Finally, many Asian Americans are small business owners, who generally favor lower taxes and less regulations. So what's with the Gallup poll that shows Asian Americans being liberal?

There are two possibilities -- the Gallup Poll could be flawed, or there are real reasons why Asian Americans tend to be more liberal. The Korean thinks both scenarios are plausible. Let's address each in turn.

The Gallup Poll could be flawed, because surveying of Asian Americans is tricky for a number of reasons. Compared to, say, African Americans, Asian Americans are a very diverse group with very diverse historical experience. Asia is a big continent, covering all the way from the edge of Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean. The circumstances by which various Asian American groups arrive at America are markedly different as well. Indians who immigrate to the U.S. tend to be in the middle-class with white collar professions that requires advanced degrees. Cambodians and Laotians, in contrast, arrive at American shores as poorer working class.

Language barrier is also a significant factor when it comes to surveying Asian Americans. Compared to other ethnicities, Asian Americans are disproportionately comprised of first generation immigrants who are often not completely comfortable speaking English. When an English-speaking pollster calls, most such Asian Americans would simply hang up the phone.

But there are also real reasons why Asian Americans tend to be more liberal. The Korean cannot say for certain whether Asian Americans, overall, are more liberal. But he can say with relative confidence that Asian Americans who vote -- the subgroup of Asian Americans whose political opinion truly matters -- tend to lean strongly toward the left. And when we look at the demographic characteristics of this particular subgroup, it makes perfect sense that they tend to be more Democratic.

Asian Americans who are likely to vote tend to be young, because the older generation of Asian Americans tend to be disconnected from mainstream America because of language and cultural issues. Asian Americans also tend to live in large cities, where the jobs are. They are generally highly educated, frequently with post-graduate degrees. All of these characteristics tend to indicate a lean toward the Democratic Party.

One additional factor that particularly affects Asian American voters: they are immigrants and racial minorities. And -- whether these perceptions are fair or not -- there is no question as to which party is winning the hearts and minds of immigrants. (Hint: it's not the party that opposes a sensible immigration reform laws like the DREAM Act.)

Next up, an overview of the upcoming presidential election of Korea.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

AAK! Music: Gangnam Style by PSY

Now that the Korean got the obligatory Gangnam Style post over with, let's milk it for what it's worth. Here it is -- your definitive guide for PSY and Gangnam Style.

PSY [싸이]

Years of Activity:  2000-2012

Discography
Psy from the Psycho World? (2000)
Ssa2 [싸2] (2002) (pronounced "Psy")
3mai [3마이] (2002) (pronounced "sammai")
Ssazip [싸집] (2006)
PSYFIVE (2010)
PSY6gap: Part I [싸이 6甲: Part 1] (2012)

Representative Song:  Gangnam Style [강남 스타일], from PSY6gap.

강남 스타일
Gangnam Style


오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style
강남스타일
Gangnam Style

낮에는 따사로운 인간적인 여자
A woman who is warm and humane during the day
커피 한잔의 여유를 아는 품격 있는 여자
A dignified woman who knows the leisure of a cup of coffee
밤이 오면 심장이 뜨거워지는 여자
A woman whose heart fires up at night
그런 반전 있는 여자
A woman with a plot twist like that

나는 사나이
I'm a man
낮에는 너만큼 따사로운 그런 사나이
A man who's as warm as you during the day
커피 식기도 전에 원샷 때리는 사나이
A man who takes a shot before the coffee gets cold
밤이 오면 심장이 터져버리는 사나이
A man whose heart bursts at night
그런 사나이
That kind of man

아름다워 사랑스러워 그래 너 hey 그래 바로 너 hey
Beautiful, lovely, yes you, hey, right you, hey
아름다워 사랑스러워 그래 너 hey 그래 바로 너 hey
Beautiful, lovely, yes you, hey, right you, hey
지금부터 갈 데까지 가볼까
How about we go all the way now


오빤 강남스타일, 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style, Gangnam Style
오빤 강남스타일, 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style, Gangnam Style
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style

Eyyy- Sexy Lady
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
Eyyy- Sexy Lady

정숙해 보이지만 놀 땐 노는 여자
Woman who looks demure but plays when she plays
이때다 싶으면 묶었던 머리 푸는 여자
Woman who lets her hair down at the first chance she gets
가렸지만 웬만한 노출보다 야한 여자
Woman who is covered up but sexier than any exposure
그런 감각적인 여자
A woman who is sensual like that

나는 사나이
I am a man
점잖아 보이지만 놀 땐 노는 사나이
A man who looks gentle but plays when he plays
때가 되면 완전 미쳐버리는 사나이
A man who goes completely crazy at the right time
근육보다 사상이 울퉁불퉁한 사나이
A man whose ideology is bumpier than his muscles
그런 사나이
That kind of man

오빤 강남스타일, 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style, Gangnam Style
오빤 강남스타일, 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style, Gangnam Style
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
Eyyy- Sexy Lady

뛰는 놈 그 위에 나는 놈 baby baby 나는 뭘 좀 아는 놈
Running guy, over him a flying guy, baby baby I'm a guy who knows a thing or two
뛰는 놈 그 위에 나는 놈 baby baby 나는 뭘 좀 아는 놈
Running guy, over him a flying guy, baby baby I'm a guy who knows a thing or two
You know what I’m saying
You know what I’m saying
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style

Eyyy- Sexy Lady
Eyyy- Sexy Lady
오빤 강남스타일
Oppa is Gangnam Style

In 15 words or less:  flag bearer of the new generation of Korean pop musicians.

So, the Korean, If You Knew This Would Happen, Where Would PSY Fit in the "50 Most Influential" List?  Somewhere between 30 and 35.

Why?  DBSK is ranked 34 purely on the back of their international popularity while having zero musical merit. Safe to say PSY would go a little higher than that. His musical influence is notable but limited, so can't go higher than 30.

Why is PSY important?

At this point, it is probably safe to say PSY will never be separated from Gangnam Style and his infamous horse dance. Of course, given the amazing height of success that PSY achieved with the song and dance, it is also probably safe to say that PSY wouldn't rather have it any other way. But at this point, there is a fair chance that he will be a victim of his own success, relegated to a one-dimensional character -- like a sitcom star whose show was too successful for too long. That would be a pity, because even before the worldwide Gangnam Style craze, PSY occupied an interesting space in Korean pop music history.

PSY -- born Park Jae-sang -- debuted in 2000, which was a major inflection point in Korean pop music history. Prior to late 1990s, popular musicians of Korea could be divided largely into two categories:  the entertainers and the artists. The entertainers were no better than singing clowns, driven to put on a good show to earn the public's adulation and another day's living. The artists were concerned with the quality and message of their music, endeavoring to create something new and meaningful. The two groups of people did not have much in common, and overlapped only infrequently. (When they did overlap, they are remembered as legends of Korean pop music. Shin Joong-hyeon was both an opening act at a USO show and pioneering rock musician. Seo Taiji was both a leader of a boy band and introducer of hiphop to Korea.)

But one thing did tie the groups together -- they were both serious people. The threat of poverty and hunger endowed the entertainers with a hardened edge, even if that edge would only be visible off the stage. It was the typical gravity of purpose that drove the artists into seriousness. Much of this was a function of the times they lived in Korea. There is nothing terribly fun about poverty, sweatshops, dictator rule and constant Red Scare -- the conditions that plagued Korea until late 1980s. It was not just Korean artists who were serious; all of Korea was serious.

It is too much to call these artists joyless  -- surely, they must have felt deep-seated satisfaction derived from their life's work. But still, they were serious; more often than not, they didn't seem to be having fun. As Korea became wealthier and freer, that began to change. And PSY was one of the first Korean pop musician to lead the charge.

Korea's emergence as a wealthier, freer country in the 1990s had a massive implication to its pop culture. Simply put, Korean people had money to spend, and they could spend their money on whatever they wanted. Korean pop music's first response to this new reality was rooted in the industrial-era mentality: "let's earn more money by putting out the best cultural product possible." Thus, late 1990s is when the idol group business model was developed. A production company would invest significant capital into beautiful and talented people, grooming them into money-making machines. As we all know, this business model ended up becoming wildly successful within a decade or so. But although the glitter and glamour of Girls' Generation and Big Bang are new and sophisticated, their raison d'etre is an old one. They exist to entertain others, and earn a living by doing so.

But there was a more subtle and under-appreciated development in Korean pop music, in response to the new reality. Being wealthier and freer developed new aesthetics among Korean pop musicians. Because they were no longer desperate to earn a living, this new breed of musicians could simply do what they wanted to do. Of course, they wanted to be rich and famous -- who doesn't? But this new breed of musicians were no longer threatened by abject poverty and hunger, nor were they burdened by a massive historical task that they must address, unlike their predecessors were. Faced with this unprecedented freedom, this new breed of Korean pop musicians decided to do something unprecedented in Korean pop culture history -- they decided to have fun. By doing so, they forged a truly new path in Korean pop culture. The artists will no longer exist for someone else, or something else; they will only exist for themselves, and for their own idiosyncrasy.

PSY's biography is an epitome of such new K-pop musicians. He was born into an upper-middle class family, in -- where else? -- Gangnam, in Seoul. His childhood was quite comfortable. His parents could afford to send him to U.S. to study, first at Boston University, then at Berklee College of Music. He could even manage to get himself illegally assigned to a soft position for his mandatory military service, a privilege generally reserved for the wealthy. (He was caught and had to re-serve his mandatory service, and nearly destroyed his career in the process.) No existential angst burdened him -- even if he failed as a musician, he probably could have made a decent, middle class living doing something else. He did not go through the extremely regimented production company as a youngster. He simply decided to become a musician because he liked music, and he liked putting on a show.

PSY debuted in 2000 with his first album, Psy from the Psycho World?. PSY's music -- electro-pop mixed in with rap -- was itself new and interesting for Korean pop music of early 2000s. But far newer, and far more interesting, was PSY's message. As a pop musician, PSY's central message has always been the same:  "I'm going to have fun, do whatever I want to do, and nobody is going to stop me." Laughing is fun; so is swearing, drinking, sex and partying. Accordingly, PSY constantly engaged in self-satire, crude language, blunt sensationalism and other fun things, both inside and outside of his music. PSY was arrested for smoking marijuana in 2001, a crime that is rare and carries a significantly more serious penalty in Korea. In his massive outdoor concert in Seoul a few days ago, PSY took off his shirt and downed a whole bottle of soju on stage in front of estimated 80,000 people, likely breaking several Seoul city ordinances in the process. PSY's Gangnam Style is simply another manifestation of the same things that PSY has always been doing. He does a ridiculous dance wearing a ridiculous suit. He is surrounded by hot girls and (ahem) appreciates a well-positioned booty. And he manages to work in a subtle satire of his own neighborhood.

PSY's outlandish success -- in which he found international fame without even really trying -- opened up a new era for Korean pop music in the international stage, and not just because PSY is a pudgy, funny man in his mid 30s as opposed to a set of gorgeous and leggy women. The most important difference between PSY and a typical idol group of K-pop is not their looks; it is the reason for their music. Ultimately, idol groups engage in music to entertain others; ultimately, PSY engages in music to entertain himself.

So far, the world has only seen the former type from Korean pop music, but not the latter. This hardly means that the latter group does not exist; unlike what many non-Koreans mistakenly suppose, K-pop is not limited to pretty manufactured puppets. Korea enjoys a vibrant scene of rock, hiphop, new age and indie music, played by musicians who engage in music for the sake of music. Now that PSY captured the world's attention, sooner or later, the world will catch onto the "other" K-pop as well. And when the "other" K-pop stars go international, they will have PSY to thank.

Got a question or comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.