Here we go again.

I'm in no state, physical or emotional, to start this post decently, so I'll just get straight to the point. Or whatever.

Ever since this whole JYJ in Japan HoMin in Korea thing started, I had a really hard time comprehending everything that was happening. It's hard seeing a group of five fizzle down to two and three - especially if you know, or try to know, what it was like when there were five of them. Now that I'm only starting to fully grasp and possibly even accept the whole concept of this division (even if I've watched the situation since day 1), a new problem comes up. And it's nowhere near "easy to solve".


JYJ are halting activities in Japan. Which basically means no more recording, no more promo, and probably no more group activities. Forever, most likely. Remember, a "halt"/"hiatus" in boyband language means a split - it's been tried, tested, and done over and over and over again by countless boybands. Doesn't matter what kind you are, when your agency says halt, they mean goodbye.

Like I say everytime, I'm not some anti-Cassie just because I'm not chanting AKTF every waking hour (I do that sometimes though) - I'm just trying to look at the bigger picture, but even sometimes I go back to my fangirling ways.

The reason for the halt? The trio's KOREAN agency. Apparently, this agency they're signed to is run by guys with relations to the MOB and prison sentences to their name. Read: MOB and PRISON SENTENCES.

Who in their right minds would sign themselves off to a company like that? I know that a person's background and whatnot should never affect how others judge him, but the agency also apparently has a history of "enslaving" their acts. They left SME to escape slave contracts, but they signed right back into a new set.

HAVE THOSE THREE LOST THEIR BRAINS OR SOMETHING?!

JaeChunSu are three damn talented performers, singers, and whatever else they want to be, and I adore the hell out of them, but I'm sorry - the decision to sign with that agency was pure and utter stupidity.

For the longest time, my line has always been, "SME are stupid, they don't know how to value this and that.." but that obviously changing today. Of course SME's still a hell of a lot more stupid that JaeChunSu, but those three are pretty stupid themselves. Again, who would do such a thing? I see no logic to it.

I just failed an economics exam when I'm supposed to be the top of my class - this is not a good time for me. On top of that, I'm now confused as hell, depressed, and once again we've all been left hanging.

I never really "documented" it here, but the reason why I'm still freaking out and getting depressed left and right is because they never said goodbye. I never got a "OK, we've had enough, we're done with this chapter in our lives, it's time to move on," from them - no farewell single, no goodbye concert, no last press conference with everyone crying. I'm still here because they never said goodbye, and frankly, it hurts a hell of a lot. They're all doing their own things now, and seeing them do that without a sense of closure for them as a band is really painful.

They promised to come back to Korea in 2010, but that got scrapped. They said they'd continue in Japan, but their contract with Avex ended, they said they could never have done it without the five members, but they're split in two right now, and they told us to keep the faith - but they're falling apart.

Apologies for the crap things I said and all the emo stuff - I'm a mess right now and I have no idea what to do. *sigh*

5-2=0

Lemme just briefly explain the equation above - it's my own 'modification' so to say, of a slogan DBSK fans came up with to go with Always Keep the Faith. When times get tough for a kpop group - someone leaves, someone joins or whatever, fans make up equations that kinda show their desire for the original group to stick together and whatnot. Because Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu were in limbo with SME due to the lawsuit and fans were scared that they might leave, the equation for DBSK is:

5 (the entire band) - 3 (JaeChunSu) = 0, meaning if the 3 left, there would be no DBSK.


Now DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki's activities and career in general is in full stop - no group appearances, no new singles, nothing. I've said my piece on that, so I won't talk about it anymore.

The most recent, and most shocking (for me) piece of news that has come out of this whole fiasco is that Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu have re-signed exclusive management contracts with Avex and will be performing as a trio in Japan.

If this was any other piece of news, I'd be freaking out on Twitter repeating the same opinion over and over again, but this is quite different because my opinion is very, VERY complex. For my standards, I guess. It's complex because one, I'm a DBSK fan but two, I'm also a blogger with a LOT of anger towards the music industry. I'm both happy and not happy, not necessarily sad, but I'm not happy. *sigh* Tell me if I start confusing you guys, OK?

When I first heard the news I was so damn happy - like, dancing around my room and calling up my bff to scream at her happy.

The first reason for my excessive joy was the fact that I now have solid confirmation, not just some magazine interview, that at least SOME of the band still want to pursue music careers since their solo activities have revolved around acting, acting, Michael Jackson tribute concerts, acting, musicals, acting and acting. Now that they're actually gonna be performing in effin' TOKYO DOME of all places, I'm assured that they want music, which is damn good for me. Yay!

The second reason is that because the 3 signed new contracts (according to one translation) with Avex and I assume SM has no business with it because they hate the three, it technically means that they're free to do what they want to or aren't that constrained anymore. In Japan. In simpler words - THEY'RE FREEEEEEEE. In Japan. Just in Japan. But still, they're free. So yay.

A less prominent reason for my freaking out is the fact that they're not just playing some small club or going on some TV show and singing - they're doing effin' TOKYO DOME. TOKYO DOME, PEOPLE, TOKYO DOME. And it's not just for 1 night, it's for TWO. If they can play to a sell-out crowd there and it's just the three of them, IN YOUR EFFIN' FACE LSM. THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE LOSING, YOU SURE YOU WANNA GIVE THIS AWAY? Yay!

But hold up - it's only 3 of them. There's 5 in DBSK. I like DBSK. 5-2=0, the same way 5-3=0. Even if HoMin aren't suing SM and have their own solo stuff, seeing only JaeChunSu perform without the 2 is different. I'm not treating this 'sub-unit' as 'the new DBSK without HoMin', I'm treating it like just another solo activity where the 3 just happened to come together because it's not the 5 of them.

Like I always say, there's a certain magic that happens when DBSK step on that stage - when 5 outstanding voices who've worked so hard, been through so much and shed so many tears together, step on stage and sing their heads off and hearts out. It's that magic I want - I want the 5 of them, together. I'll wait, but they have to come back or at least say goodbye formally.

DBSK is Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu, Changmin and Yunho - no more, no less. This 'sub-unit' isn't 'the new DBSK' because there is only 1 DBSK and that's the 5 of them. So just because I'm happy that the 3 of them are together, doesn't mean I'm allowing the group to further divide. I'm happy for certain things it symbolizes, yes, but the one thing I've always wanted and will always want is for the 5 of them to be together again. That's all I've ever wanted from the very beginning, and I'm sticking with that.

[important edit] Always keep the faith

I remember the night #tvxqhwaiting was the top trending topic on Twitter, so vividly that I remember not only the date, but when I found out, how I found out, where I was when I read that tweet, what I had just done hours ago, what I had for dinner, where I had it, how many times I listened to Proud, and how many times I almost cried my eyes red after pulling my hair out. I remember that night like it was today, not yesterday, but little did I know that the events of that night would be nothing compared to what happened last night.


Ever since the news of the lawsuit broke, I've read every single news article, scoured through every single source I could find, and really learned everything there is to know about it firsthand. I was there when the news broke out and I covered everything after that for a major kpop news site myself. Nothing, NOTHING could've prepared me for last night.

For months I've pushed the lawsuit to the back of my mind, paying attention to the members' solo activities and Japanese singles like there was nothing happening, but it hit me with this most recent announcement that everything ISN'T OK. No matter how much I want to think that everything will just go back to normal at a snap of a finger or a simple piece of paper, they won't.

DBSK are pausing all Japanese activities.

As I read through the translation from the most credible source for DBSK articles, I started shaking - I just wanted to cry at that point. Break Out! was number one on the Oricon daily, weekly, monthly and yearly charts and beat Japanese artists by hundreds of thousands of copies. With Tokiwo Tomete and Non-Stop Mix Vol. 2, DBSK had just broken a 31 year-old record previously set by Billy Joel and another record set by Mariah Carey over a decade ago. They had just brought Tokiwo Tomete to the top of the Oricon weekly singles charts with over 100,000 copies sold in the first day alone and their Non-Stop mix was safely nestled in the top 3 of the Oricon weekly album charts - they were at the very top, things couldn't have been better.

I tried so hard to hold myself back while writing this, but I can't - I have to explode or else I'm gonna go insane.

WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU STOP A BAND AT THEIR PEAK? WHY THE EFFIN' HELL WOULD YOU STOP A BAND THAT WORKED SO DAMN HARD TO GET WHERE THEY ARE, NOW THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY AT THE TOP? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DENY PEOPLE THE CHANCE TO SEE AND HEAR THE MAGIC THEY HAVE? WHY?

I want to think that everything will be fine, that DBSK will be back in no time, that this is just so the 5 guys can do solo stuff they've "always wanted to do" but I can't. I can't because I've seen this happen so many times before - this pause will turn into 1 year, 2 years, 3 years and then in a blink of an eye the boys have to go into the army to serve for 2 years. Jaejoong's 25 - they have 5 years tops to be the biggest band they can be, but they most probably won't. We all know what happened to Boyzone in 2000 after they announced their break, what happened to the Spice Girls after Geri left, how Westlife were never the same musically after Brian left and in time, we'll all know what happened to DBSK after they paused Japanese activities.

For the past few months I've been following all of their solo activities like a hawk - even if they weren't my favorite member I'd read up on what was happening to them. I was doing this because in my mind, this meant that they still wanted the limelight - that there was hope they'd perform together again. Now that my hope's pretty much gone, I suddenly feel uninterested in any of their solo stuff. I don't feel like having my friends in London stalk Yunho, I don't feel like watching JJ's Japanese drama, Changmin's Paradise Meadow or Yoochun's new drama nor do I feel like hearing Junsu's new solo single.

Always keep the faith. It's been Cassiopeia's slogan since the very beginning - it came from Yoochun and in times like this, it's what pulled DBSK fans together. Every single DBSK fan has been to hell and back these past few months - we've doubted, cried, celebrated, protested, voiced our opinions and built so many bonds but most of all, we've matured. I may sound cheesy right now but I still can't think straight. I may think negatively about this, but AKTF is firmly implanted in my mind - I WANT to believe and I do believe that I'll be able to see, hear and feel their magic on stage again. That's all I want - I want DBSK to be on stage in front of fans who will and have already went through hell and back for them and I wanna hear the magic only they have.

You may think I'm such a weakling and I'm overprotective for thinking what I think above, but trust me, it's not just the fact that DBSK are pausing all group activities that has sent me literally into hysterics, it's the reason behind it. If in the future I find out that DBSK themselves wanted this, I respect that. Heck, I respect that decision right now - it's SME and corporations taking over the music industry in general that drive me off the wall.

It's not DBSK's fault, it's not Max Matsura's fault either.

Last night I read one theory, and it was rather similar to the one spinning around my head. I agree with this one as much as I do mine.

SMe is jealous of THSK’s achievement in Japan that’s why they told AVEX to stop all their activities. On the other side, Mr.Max couldn’t do anything since SMe still owns TVXQ.

-tvfxqfr3ak@Tumblr

My theory is this:

SME doesn't want DBSK together, period. They don't want Yunho and Changmin to even talk to the 'traitors' Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu but so long as they have Japanese activities and are cranking out singles - they have to. The five, even with no TV or radio promotion, have to act like the one unit they've always been for magazine interviews and shoots. SME doesn't like it - they want the band divided - so they pressured Max Matsuura into stopping DBSK. Of course the guy couldn't do anything because SME made the deal with Avex, SME controls DBSK whether they're in Japan or not.

[EDIT] You want proof? Max Matsuura's been dropping hints on Twitter. Read the lines in bold.

For the past 5 years, to see the smiles on their faces, the Avex staff and officials have been working hard. Also, we are extremely thankful to the fans. For the past few months, we couldn't say the things we wanted to say and we were always, always worried about the anxiety we were causing the fans. I think messages from them will be released soon.

The things that I'm unable to say now, someday before I die, I will definite speak without concealing anything.

Whether they do solo activities or activities as a unit, I wish that Avex can be their management in Japan. I wonder if the Korean side will permit it......

Things that will be better if you know, things that won't hurt you if you don't know, one day, I wish to let all of you know..

thanks to mandasoh@tohosomnia.net for the translations.

The main reason I'm angry is not because there'll be no DBSK for a few months or years, I'm angry because stupid effin' SM Entertainment is being stupid. These people at SME are supposedly 'businessmen', they're supposedly money-hungry capitalists who sanitize and bastardize music just because it'll sell. But you know, they're not.

What not a lot of you know is that besides a musical upbringing, I've been surrounded by business talk all my life. My mother's side of the family is Chinese, traditional Chinese. I grew up with Chinese customs firmly in place, and those customs include business talk. I was taught and I've seen firsthand that hard work, frugality, sacrifice and intellect make a good businessman, and that selling one is selling something - if someone wants to buy one piece of your merchandise that's business, why deny that person.

If you look at the DBSK situation from a business point of view, SM is still stupid. DBSK are undoubtedly their biggest-earning idol group, their success surpasses Korea. The band has way more than 800,000 fans who, at the first sign of new material will kill to buy it, they have fans who, no matter how ridiculous the product is, as long as there's DBSK on it, will buy it without question. Single sales in Japan are stellar, album sales are just as stellar, the band filled freakin' Tokyo Dome for two nights in 2009 - that's money earned. Like I said, any money is still money - doesn't matter if it's 1 or 1 million, at the end of the day they've made money.

And now they want to stop this? SM wants to stop their biggest source of income because 3 members are suing them? SM WANTS TO LOSE THEIR CASH COWS BECAUSE THEY'RE STUPID?!?!? I can't take this.

That was just the business side, the side they're supposed to be good at. If we look at the music side, it just makes me angrier.'

Some of my Tweets last night:

I wanna hear 5 voices on stage - 5 unique, skilled, emotional, outstanding voices from 5 guys who've sacrificed SO MUCH.


Why waste ability, why waste hard work, why waste talent, why waste all those sweat and tears, WHY WASTE THAT MAGIC.


It's the magic. I want to see the magic again. IT'S THE MAGIC YOU STUPID, GREEDY RECORD EXECS CAN'T SEE.

DBSK are one of the few idol groups that have vocal ability good enough for each member to stand firmly on his own feet. DBSK are one of the only idol groups vocally strong enough to do tight 5-part harmonies at the drop of a hat, they're one of the only idol groups with songwriters good enough to have songs featured as album tracks and even singles. Where else are you gonna find a band who've grown musically over the years and didn't just shift from one sound to a completely different one. There's a certain magic you hear when DBSK step on stage together and perform that you can't find in any other band - SME will never replicate what DBSK have. The 5 guys have gone through so much together, they've sacrificed so much to be the band they are today and they've shed so many tears - giving up would be stupid and one of the biggest losses to Asian music.

I rest my case. Whether you agree with me or not isn't any of my business, I just needed to let this all out.

'Ppop' stands for 'Pathetic Pop'

I've tried to hold this in for long enough for the sake of keeping 'peace', but seriously, things have gone WAY too far.

Philippine music has always been something I DO NOT like and because I don't like it to start with, I don't bother blogging about it on a regular basis. The only problem is one, I'm a music blogger from the Philippines and two, my dad is one of the most influential record producers in the country - I know 70% of the popular band bands and I've seen most of them work in the studio.

Like a lot of other countries, the Philippines has a term for all original compositions and material that's put out - OPM or Original Philippine Music. Original Philippine Music is anything and everything originally written, produced and performed by Filipino acts, in the Philippines.

I personally grew up hearing this all over the place, and I grew up seeing a lot of the acts under this 'genre' record and perform - even if I don't personally like them, I know what kind of work it takes to put out stuff like this.

Over the past few years, OPM has been a lost cause - stupid record company executives tried numerous ways to amuse and entice consumers but record sales dropped, and dropped, and dropped. There are good musicians in OPM, don't get me wrong, but a lot of what's put out right now is trash and/or a direct knock-off of another country's music, which is NOT called OPM.

There were bands who stood their ground and still managed to gain success - Sandwich, Sugarfree, Urbandub, Hale, Calalilly to name a few. Even if there were bands who weren't really that good, they were constantly putting out OPM and they actually had listeners who bought the records and went to the gigs.

In comes this new marketing strategy, 'P-Pop'/'Ppop', directly ripped-off from Kpop and even Jpop. The promotional format is almost identical to that of kpop acts - teaser videos, dance cuts, greeting/ment videos and official debut dates/appearances.

Prime examples:

I appreciate the fact that there's actually Filipino in the songs, and that they're trying to get more people to listen to Philippine music by giving people what they want, but this is just going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too far.

I'm partially angry because these people are ripping off Kpop, but even most Kpop singles are American rip-offs. I hate the fact that these people are openly and shamelessly copying someone else's music and I hate how desperate they are to do so. However, there is a bigger reason why I'm angry, and why I gave a briefing about OPM.

Yes, I like Kpop, and yes, I was a fan long before it even hit here, but you have to realize that I have my reasons for liking it

I'm annoyed, furious and ready to cry right now.

I don't see why the effin' crap these stupid people have to change and attempt to replace a perfectly functional genre with some bad knock-off of someone else's knock-off. If all they do is rip off kpop with the material and the music videos, then I don't give a damn - they can copy every single existing kpop band for all I care. The minute they mess with the categorization and try to CHANGE it though, that's when I have to step in and speak my mind.

OPM has been alive since before I was born, it's given me and generations before and after me influential bands/acts and people who I may not like, but who shaped my country's music. These people were creative, they were ground-breaking and they were outstanding musicians.

AND NOW THEY'RE TRYING TO CHANGE IT WITH TRASH? WHAT THE EFF ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING?!?!

I don't want to see my dad's efforts go to waste, I don't want to see all these acts' creativity and musicality just get overshadowed by some over-processed, over-orchestrated garbage. I'm sorry for the term, but I just can't keep my mouth shut anymore.

If there's one thing about OPM that I can live with, it's that the music is there - it's real, it's original, even if sometimes there are similarities, these songs still came from MUSICIANS, and there is good OPM no matter how hard it is to find. But this 'Ppop' is pitiful.

Before I thought Philippine music was in pretty bad shape already, but now I think it's just pathetic. I swear, if this 'Ppop' crap keeps it up, I'm destroying all my dreams of writing for The Rolling Stone or Billboard or The BBC or a talent company and I'm going to spend my entire life whipping these stupid people and the Philippine music industry into shape. This is my country, my country's MUSIC, and this is what my dad tried to fix - if no one's gonna do it, I am.

Bash me all you want for this article, I frankly don't care anymore. If you agree with me, great, but if you don't nothing's stopping you from speaking your mind. Just remember that I have a right to say what I did.

Rant: Kpop's a threat to OPM? Puh-lease.

I only recently found out about this TV spot on one of the leading news programs in the country, but damn - I dunno how to feel.

Quick translation for English-speakers:
Girl: A lot of Filipinos are currently going crazy over Korean pop groups, proof of this is their domination of local music countdowns (note: on TV, charts are voting-based, not sales-based), a big threat to Original Pinoy Music that's lent (someone correct me? Ken? lol.) to the revival trend.
Guy: After the Nobody craze, Korean pop music has been getting more and more attention (the guy got his grammar screwed up. lol.) in the Philippines.
4Minute video
Guy: The amount of fans who turned up to 4Minute's recent mall shows is surprising. 4Minute are well-known (note: No, they're not.) for their hits Hot Issue and What A Girl Wants. SNSD's Oh! and Super Junior's Sorry Sorry are also #1 on Myx countdowns. Super Junior are set to perform in Araneta in April. OPM is still popular but Myx Channel head Mia Labendia admits that Kpop is a threat to the OPM industry, due to the fact that there's very little original material coming out. (rest of it ommitted) Kpop is apparently most-frequented in the 13-19 age bracket, according to sales figures.
Summary of the rest: bunch of OPM artists talking about how they're gonna take on kpop and all. Including Charice. Then they show a crappy wannabe Filipino girl group. UGH.

OK. Look. The Philippine music-buying public will buy anything that hits in the US - that's how they think. This supposed 'Kpop invasion' is all because of the Wonder Girls - they hit moderately in the US and suddenly everyone here was listening to it. There are kpop fans who've been fans for a long time now and there are people like me who got addicted to the genre a while before it hit here - I don't contest their fandom. BUT, there are people who listen to/watch these people just to go with the flow - because WG supported the Jonas Brothers and because Nobody kinda caught on to the US, it's suddenly the biggest thing since anything here.

When I was at the 4Minute showcase, a lot of the people around me weren't there because they were 4Minute fans or because they had to write something about the showcase (like me), they were there because they "listened to kpop". The way I see it, Filipino consumers right now see that if it's kpop, they buy it, regardless of whether they actually like the music or not. Which I find really stupid.

If kpop is a threat to OPM, what's American music? There are more American material available here and even if kpop is supposedly 'booming' here, not everyone listens to it. A lot, but not most. American music is an even bigger threat but why isn't anyone talking about it? Because Filipinos worship the Americans and want to BE Americans. Well, music-wise. Some of them.

Personally I think that unless OPM gets a major overhaul sound, concept and system-wise, it's a lost cause. Like the feature said, OPM basically revolves around artists doing third-rate covers of boring, outdated and pathetic Western hits - probably the only creativity in OPM comes from the band bands who play their own instruments, but sometimes even those bands aren't THAT good.

Filipinos are creative, yes, and there are a lot of outstanding musicians here, it's just that the people who supposedly "get big" here sing boring covers for the entire length of their careers. It CAN get boring.

I know this because my dad's in OPM - he pioneered probably the biggest band in OPM history and I saw how hard he fought to make them not just stars but musicians. Look what happened to them - they became legends. Filipinos have the ability to create good music, they have the ability to do these things, but they're not using those talents. That's what annoys the heck out of me.

I just find it stupid that they're even saying kpop's a threat to OPM, 'coz OPM isn't exactly the most productive industry. I honestly think they should stop thinking about all the 'threats' and start fixing our industry first because what good can enumerating threats bring? Nothing - they're just wasting their time.

Kpop here is a fad, no matter how much you say "you'll love kpop forever and ever and everrrr", it will disappear and be replaced by something else - that's a fact. I'm not saying that you shouldn't be a fan, just that some (NOT ALL) Filipinos should re-think the reasons why they're fans. Fads here in the Philippines aren't always genuine - some are really just knock-offs from the West.

Untitled Rant.

This rant is due to a Tweet being sent to me saying that I'm wrong for mentioning what I think about G-Dragon. I went into hysterics and it's made me want to write down my thoughts even more. Here goes.

I like pop music, I live for acts like DBSK, Girls Aloud, SHINee and heaps of others but I am fully aware of it's flaws and how most of it just sucks. And that brings me to my first point.

I HATE IT when fans of a certain artist think that artist is perfect and can do no wrong, absolutely no wrong. I hate it because it's stupid, naive and false - NO ONE ON THIS FREAKIN' EARTH IS PERFECT, NO MATTER HOW 'TALENTED', HOT OR ATTRACTIVE HE/SHE IS. I'm a fangirl myself and I do the required screaming, freaking out over new pictures/releases BUT I am aware that my beloved DBSK have their flaws - Yunho can't sing, Junsu looked horrid during their Tri-Angle days, Changmin's screaming can get way too much at times, especially at the beginning when he didn't know how to sing yet and the list goes on. DBSK aren't perfect, they never will be, but it's the mix of their strong points and their imperfections that makes me love them so much.

When I see fans who say "oh I like this band so much bla bla bla" and I hate the band in question, I don't mind it - these people are entitled to their own opinions. If someone says something bad about DBSK, I don't mind it either. I may be a fan, I may worship the ground they walk on (figuratively. duh) and I may scream at the sight of their names but what business do I have with other people's opinions? ABSOLUTELY NONE. I don't care because I have no right to and I've always been like that.

It's because of these that I constantly get attacked, ridiculed and pissed off by fans who come along and read negative reviews I write. I was raised to have my own opinions and my school taught me to be very open about things I feel strongly about - I'm not afraid to say I don't like someone. I'm not afraid because I shouldn't have to be. People are supposed to respect my opinion and thought some may disagree with me, they shouldn't start attacking me.

Take Ken (@thebeatreview) for example. He likes Lady GaGa, I don't. I constantly declare my hate for her, he constantly swoons. But why the hell would I care if he liked her or not? It's his opinion, it's his preference, I deal with it. And so does he. It works. We have our similarities in musical taste but we also have our differences.

And AA-Chan. He's like the biggest GD fan EVER. Again, I constantly declare my hate for the guy. But he doesn't say anything and neither do I when he starts talking about GD.

Now, speaking of GD, the second part of my rant is about him. Well it's not REALLY about him but he's my example and the basis for this 'masterpiece'. It was because of my idea to write this rant below that someone attacked me on Twitter and so I wrote the one on top. LOL.

In late 2009 I discovered/realized exactly why G-Dragon's Heartbreaker was such a big hit and to a certain extent I wasn't surprised. On the surface the songs sound like rap on top of European-ish/Eurocrap loops topped with processed vocals and catchy hooks. That's what it is to the untrained/uninterested ear.

However the more I heard the songs and the more they got stuck in my head, the more I hummed them. It was then that I realized that GD sells because his singles sound like novelty songs. Glorified novelty songs, to be exact.

Right now, off the top of your head I want you to hum the melody of the chorus of Breathe. Just hum it, don't listen to it or look up the video on YT. Hum it. Sounds familiar? It sounds like something off a TV commercial. And it's not even those tasteful ones or stuff for expensive products, it's like the stuff for detergent or something like that.

It sounds like that because those are the types of songs that sell. They appeal to the masses, the masses are the majority and what the crap do they know about music? I'm not saying they don't know anything, I'm just saying that unless you want to learn or you're born into a family of musicians, you won't know things like how you arrange a song, what goes on when you record an album, how harmonies work, scales and all those other things. Because they only briefly teach that in school.

Therefore, the masses will take anything you give at them. But if it sticks in their head, that's a plus. Hit pop songs today have hooks and repetitive elements, that's to make the songs stick in people's heads before they buy them. The songs that stick the most are novelty songs - if you live in the Philippines you know what I'm talking about. These songs are like the stuff straight off some cheap variety show or commercial with your favorite comedian/cheap wannabe endorsing it. They stick in people's heads because one, they're catchy, two, they're repetitive, and three, they're simple melodies, easy to remember.

But if you like these types of songs, who cares? I don't like them, but it doesn't mean that I don't like you anymore if you like them.

Now here comes the argument about those 'meaningful, passionate' lyrics everyone always tries to defend. Before I state my actual opinion on this, let me just say that I love literature - I express myself the best with words and I understand how much effort and feeling goes into writing poems, stories and essays because I myself put so much emotion into what I'm doing.

Ever since I was a kid, I was told that music, painting, literature and even architecture are all forms of art. That sometimes they cross but they each have their own place in art and they each have their own obligation. It's because of that ideal that I have this opinion on lyrics.

I DON'T CARE ONE DAMN BIT ABOUT LYRICS. I don't care because I shouldn't. Music is music, lyrics are lyrics. I've said this time and time again, yes, but this is a MUSIC industry and although I do acknowledge the fact that lyrics are part of a song, they can be done without. You can strip off the lyrics and still have a song that makes sense - because lyrics are merely embellishments.

Yes, there are times when the lyrics make a difference and there are times when they're influential in making a hit because of their probable repetitive nature but my kpop addiction justifies the fact that you can have songs without lyrics.

When I first got addicted to kpop, I couldn't understand a single thing. I didn't watch subbed music videos and I didn't look for English translations because frankly, I didn't care. I liked the songs, I liked the melodies, the arrangements, they way they were put together - end of story. So what if I don't understand the lyrics, music is supposed to be universal and it is. The notes show the feeling, the passion and the meaning of the song just as good as words because that's the way it's supposed to be.

Like I always say, if you like an artist JUST for the lyrics and don't care one bit about the music itself, READ POETRY FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE. You're treating musicians like poets when they're poets of notes, not words.

OK. END of long rant. Sorry, I just HAD to let that out.

So what do I think of Ke$ha?

Ke$ha has been around for quite some time now and I know a lot of people have expressed love and/or hate for her but I haven't actually said what I think of the girl.


I have mixed feelings about Ke$ha and Mel addressed quite a few of them but for the sake of it I'll say them again.

If you know me well, you'd know what my taste in music is. If you read PRN a lot (which a few of you do), you'd also know my taste in music pretty well. Ke$ha is not a name that'll come out when you fire out of my favorite artists for the sole reason that she has a US #1 single. I don't like super popular acts because one, most of the time they're crap and two, if they aren't crap I hear them too much and get so sick of them I learn to hate it all together (*ahem* Boom Boom Pow *ahem*).

To a certain extent that's right. TiK ToK was good, catchy, trashy (which sells) and pretty OK for maybe the first week of me hearing it but then it exploded and suddenly everyone was playing it. Music channels here caught wind (super late, AGAIN) and it got played a million times a day here. Ugh.

But on the other hand, there's a part of me that doesn't watch TV anymore nor do I even care about what my classmates are playing because I have my iPod and the miracle of 'maximum volume' now exists - I gotta say, TiK ToK is pretty catchy. It's nothing especially ground-breaking or musically proficient but it's a pop song. I haven't heard pop like this in quite a while, to be honest with you. OK maybe I have *ahem* Lady GaGa *ahem* but Ke$ha's is less euro and a little more American from what I've heard. It's a lot trashier, a lot whine-y-er and all in all a lot more LET'S PARTEH than I WILL TAKE OVER THE WORLD. lol. In short, it's mindless 'fun'.

Then there's the issue of her vocals. I CANNOT STAND CRAP VOCALS, I think you guys know that by now. I want singers who sing, not whine or chant or put out whatever other crap sounds from their mouth - they call themselves pop stars, they have to at least sing the damn songs. Yeah sure it's better than miming all your performances but you know, I really can't stand her semi-whine/semi-singing. It doesn't work, it never will and until she learns that she has to sing before I take her seriously. Even Hilary Duff had to learn how to stop whining.

I won't settle for artists who can just hold a melody, this is what they do for a living for crap's sake - they better do it damn good.

Animal (the album) is iffy for me, there are times when I think it's good and there are times I think it just sucks so bad I wanna throw it away and curse it for life. It can get too annoying for comfort and it does a lot but for something mindless, this is probably one of the best albums ever. LOL. Oh, and I cannot stand Blah Blah Blah.

TiK ToK will be filed along with the Boom Boom Pows, Poker Faces and Nobodys of the world in my 'don't you dare play this when I'm around or I will get very angry' list. Another one of those trying to cash in on Lady GaGa. PUH-LEASE.

I won't elaborate anymore, as long as you know that one, I have mixed feelings for her music and two, I can't stand her voice, that'll be enough for now. Until she does something so great or so bad that I have to mention her again.

The state of DBSK from a musical standpoint.

I know I've posted a ton about this DBSK thing but this is my only place to rant to my heart's content and not get shot by a billion people for stating an opinion.I've said my piece numerous times and I've said it with facts and assumptions and opinions but I've never said it with the music as proof because there were no performances to judge. Well now there's one and what's the verdict? Watch the video first after the jump

OK. What you'll first notice are the weaker than usual vocals. Yeah sure high notes are nailed and the chorus is pretty much OK but you listen to the verses and bleh. Jaejoong's usually fantastic live vocals are horrid, Yunho sounds even worse than he already does live and Changmin sounds like he's either out of air or wants to hurry the hell up and get the thing done. That's what's on the surface. You listen well to their individual vocals (just the vocals, not their faces or anything) and the only one really trying to put emotion into the song is Yoochun but even he falters a bit.

These guys better thank their lucky stars that this performance only had a very short part where all 5 of them sang at the same time but God, what the crap was that? It's like they forgot how to sing together. It shows when a group is fighting and their vocals are the biggest giveaway. There's a difference between 5 voices singing at the same time and 5 voices singing together - today it was 5 voices singing at the same time.

Now their gestures. It's a ballad so no dancing but usually when they sing this they move around, they tap their feet and whatever else you can do while singing this. On that performance there was none. Just hold the mic to your mouth and sing it. Except maybe for Yoochun and Junsu when they belted a few high notes but that's it.

NOW, you look at their faces - expressionless and flat. Yunho looks like he wants to say "Ugh, can we get this over now please?" and Changmin's like "Do I HAVE to be here?". Jaejoong looks colder than usual, Yoochun's hair covers his eyes and Junsu's emotionless. When Yunho, Changmin and Junsu "harmonize" (can't hear any harmonies) Yunho and Changmin look like they absolutely hate what they're doing.

It is truly Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu vs. Yunho and Changmin. I don't care what you say, I'm a fan as well, but that's what I see and that's what I think.

I hate this. I hate the fact that their letting stupid business crap get in the way of music, I HATE IT. I now realize that my anger before is nothing like what it is now because back then I hadn't heard it spread over to their music but with this performance, I'm angrier than ever. No seriously, this isn't SM's fault anymore, IT'S THEIRS. I don't care what you say, it's personal now. I'm a fan, a huge one yes, but I know how to separate adoration from what I actually see - I'm not blinded by my fandom.

Whatever they do and however their faces look when they step on that stage is their responsibility, not SM's. They're letting something as stupid as this lawsuit affect something that should have NOTHING TO DO WITH BUSINESS. How many times do I have to say that BUSINESS CANNOT TAKE OVER MUSIC?!??!?! I'm sick and tired of hearing these things and I'm sick and tired of witnessing this every single day. I thought they were different, I thought these guys knew what music is but now I realize that they don't. If they did they'd know that even just for the sake of the music they'd be on good terms with each other.

SIX+ YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP AND BEING A MUSICAL GROUP, SIX EFFIN' YEARS.

I'm furious.

Need to rant. Of course I can't do that over at the kpop site because people are gonna clobber me.

FOR CRAP'S SAKE WHAT IN THE WORLD IS SM DOING?!?!? I wanna cry now - I cannot believe people can be this STUPID AND DISRESPECTFUL.

A few days ago it was announced that the 3 DBSK members involved in the lawsuit would be attending this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards that would be one of the biggest events of the year. The problem was that SM, their talent company, was boycotting those awards - none of their acts could go. But the 3 would be there, as an open defiance of SM.

Then just yesterday I think (was it yesterday or Friday? whatever.), someone from SM said that the MAMAs were part of the 'solo activities' of the three and that they would not be attending as DBSK nor performing. Their contracts with SM didn't extend to what they did outside of DBSK so them going to the MAMAs were OK, contractually.

So the 3 were there at the awards, they accepted something like Best Asian Artist and Jaejoong was almost crying when he mentioned the other 2 members - all was good and well last night. THEN when I woke up this morning and was reading over the news, SM said this:

"The trio had no right to receive the award on behalf of TVXQ. The awards organizer should give the award to a liason on behalf of SM Entertainment instead. This is unacceptable since they had only invited the 3 members."

EXCUSE ME. Those three are members of DBSK, no matter what you say about them attending as individuals and not a group, what do you expect them to do when their name gets called and they win an award, just sit there and clap? REALLY. SM doesn't control them, THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO. They're a part of a band that makes music, if they win something THEY'RE the ones that deserve it, NOT WHATEVER STUPID TALENT COMPANY THAT CONTROLS THEM. It's their award, they should accept it if they're there and celebrate but NOOOOOOOOO, SM keeps on being stupid.

I don't care what SM says about them "making DBSK" or them being responsible for their success. Yeah sure maybe they promoted them like crazy, gave them vocal coaches and choreographers BUT WHO WERE THE ONES WITH THE ACTUAL TALENT? These people just NEVER have any respect for anything. Lee Soo Man is a frustrated pop star, you think he knows what it's like to be in the limelight as much as DBSK do? I highly doubt it.

The three were crying backstage (Jaejoong looked like he was about to burst out crying when he gave his speech) but what made me even more furious was the next thing I found out. The three were supposedly attending as part of their individual activities but apparently when they were crying backstage, THEY HAD NO STAFF. No one managed what they were doing, where they were going and they could only leave the venue once fans had cleared the way. SM, I know you hate their guts but don't you want them alive to torture them? You're not supposed to but what can I do if you're stupid. So anyway, what if fans clobber them and something happens to them, huh? WHAT THE CRAP ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

Things WON'T be OK, I can't just keep on thinking that everything will go back to normal after some time because with what's happening right now (this MAMA thing is just a fraction of the entire issue), it won't. Sure they might go on with the music but the thing I hate the most about this industry is the fact that once the business side of things goes down the drain, so does the music. STUPID PEOPLE.

DBSK will split up, yes, EVERYONE DOES but I can't let them split up over some stupid lawsuit or business - THEY HAVE TO SPLIT UP WITH A LITTLE DIGNITY.

One of the many reasons why I cannot stand stupid people.

(watch before you read, just so you know what I'll be talking about)

This is the new single from IU, one of the kpop artists I featured during the special months back.

WHAT THE EFFIN' CRAP DID HER STUPID TALENT AGENCY DO TO HER?!?! Boo was bad enough and You Know was a small step towards going somewhere far away from cutesy but really, this girl has a much, MUCH more outstanding and competent voice than this song is reflecting - see this:

I featured it back during the kpop special and I said that that was the reason why I liked this girl so much - she sounds her age. She doesn't sound like she's 40 and she wasn't made to sing crappy songs, she was treated like every other female solo singer but she had a voice her age - a voice that will grow with time and eventually become beautiful.

In come the stupid executives at her talent agency and ruin everything I ever liked about this girl. The first video is horrid, the song doesn't even deserve to be called music and this crap cannot be released - it's a disgrace.

Really, IU has a voice - she's PRETTY DAMN GOOD. But all these stupid people see in a girl with a voice that's actually her age is the cutesy side of it. She was doing well with Missing Child but apparently, it didn't sell. SNSD can get away with the cutesy thing because they're not exactly known for strong vocals but this girl deserves artistic dignity and A DAMN GOOD SONG. She cannot be stuck with stupid capitalist-made crap that 'sell'.

Relatively short - just had to let this out! And if you've been reading me on omgkpop (am writing as nikki_), how do I fare? Hahah.

It's a sad, sad day for music today.

I've accepted processing (or auto-tune as everyone else calls it - my dad says it's not actually autotuning but whatever.) on songs for a long time now because one, it's what everyone does now and two, I've had no choice in the matter. For a few months now the trend wherever you go is processing - it's done in the US, in the UK, in Korea. There's literally no escape but I think it's gone way too far now. This post applies to everywhere (the US, the UK, etc.) but my examples are from Korea.

It has come to the point where they're not just processing it like Sorry Sorry or Ring Ding Dong, they're strangling the vocals by putting it through what people in production call 'vocorders' and they end up sounding so padded and multi-tracked that it kills. I'd seen it coming with Chocolate Love so bastardized that I refused to even accept the fact that people actually sang it. I mean really, TIFFANY SOUNDS LIKE CRAP ON THE SONG - who does that to a voice like hers? It's catchy, yeah sure but substance without form is just as bad as form without substance. If they can't even get the vocals to actually sound like vocals, these guys need a gazillion-year course on music and what the crap it is. For your reference, here's Chocolate Love:

Now the second song that signaled this bastardization of vocals is f(x)'s new single Chu. When I first heard the song I was so angry because once again, I couldn't recognize 2 of the 5 voices when I could on Lachata. And like the treatment Tiffany got on Chocolate Love, LUNA'S VOICE WAS BASTARDIZED. You can't do this much multi-tracking and processing to a group with this much vocal strength. You can do it to most of Super Junior and SNSD because they need it but to f(x)??!!?!? I call that stupidity. What makes me even more angry is the fact that the song sounds absolutely brilliant live and I mean BRILLIANT. The vocals live are really, really strong and the song sounds cohesive. These people at SM have to start thinking like musicians and do it fast.

The track that drove me to insanity over this though is the new single from a less-famous band, UKiss. I came across them during my K-pop special but didn't think they were good enough to feature and I still think I'm right. The band is weak vocally, they don't have the songs or the backing of a company like SM or YG to make up for their flaws in the talent department. What made me really angry though was this performance:

Did you guys notice something? During the hook they drop their mics and just mouth the lyrics while dancing - that hook is processed and double-tracked and put through whatever else it was like hell. Can they sing that or not? Because if they can't then they can't sing for me. They sing the verses, yeah sure but what is a verse compared to a hook in pop music? PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT. It's not how it should be but that's the way it is and we all have to learn to accept that. What part of the song sticks to your head when you first hear the song? The hook - that's why it's called what it is. If they can't sing the one part that attracts their listeners, what kind of band is that? Really.

Everyone has to stop depending on processing and studio tricks - it won't work in real life and to a trained ear. Yeah sure they can fool 60% of their listeners but I know a lot of people who know the difference between live and heavily processed, we're here and we're not oblivious.

My 'kicking and screaming' opinion on all this DBSK crap.

This is mainly for my personal use, just so I don't lose what I've tweeted about during the height of it all. If you'd like to read all my kicking and screaming in one convenient post, be my guest! Hahah.

The evening #tvxqhwaiting was trending on Twitter:

SH*T. SH*T. SH*T. SH*T. RT @allkpop BREAKING NEWS: TVXQ not allowed to continue group activities! http://bit.ly/1ed8Ky
This crap surrounding DBSK has to stop. LSM has to learn to respect music and get them compensated for their work.
And LSM has absolutely no right to destroy the boys like he did with Shinhwa if ever they leave. HOW DARE HE EVEN TRY.

I'm gonna write a long, long rant about this DBSK crap when I get home. Dammit.
I'm having a mental breakdown.

*cries* DBSK CANNOT BREAK UP. THEY CANNOT. Dammit. This is not from a fangirl POV - they're one of the most vocally strong bands EVER.

Dammit Soo Man, DO YOU NOW KNOW TALENT WHEN YOU SEE IT?!?! If you even have a small brain, you'd want to hold on to your cash cows

LSM still has power around the company - if he really thought they deserved something he would've lobbied for it.

RT @DBSKnights “Even if 1 year passes or 10 years pass by, we will not break up. If that does happen, kill us by throwing rocks at us.” -YH
RT @DBSKnights Our friendship is stronger than al else because we're breathing the sme air, speaking the sme thoughts & living 1 dream- JJ
You guys GOTTA see this! RT @omgkpop LOL EPIC LEE SO MAN PICTURE! http://bit.ly/2tEcei
RT @DBSKnights Didn't I say before, we only believe in one thing, and that is the 5 of us will stay as DBSK till the end.-JJ #TVXQHWAITING
AMEN! RT @onetvxqforums SM, go find other pawns to be in your game. Otherwise, G. T. F. O! #TVXQHWAITING

THIS DBSK CRAP HAS TO STOP. NOW. FOR THE SAKE OF THE MUSIC. Read: http://bit.ly/4GlJX9 #tvxqhwaiting

You people at SM ent. are stupid, money-hungry bastards with absolutely NO RESPECT for music. LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE! #TVXQHWAITING
P*tang ina niyo, SM. Tignan natin kung anong mangyayari kung wala ang DBSK, TIGNAN LANG NATIN. #tvxqhwaiting
Things have to end, yes, BUT NOT OVER STUPID THINGS. #tvxqhwaiting

@purplelykthat Hahah. This is a time when no one can afford to be intellectual or calm anymore. #TVXQHWAITING
AMEN. RT @onetvxqforums #theworst creature that ever walked this earth is SM Entertainment :/ #TVXQHWAITING

Do these guys at sm ent. even know the slightest thing about music? #tvxqhwaiting
Ugh. This is stressing me out big time. Dammit.
This crap has to stop, it really does. #tvxqhwaiting

OH YEAH!!! Amen. Rt @dbsknights rt @mrckdexter SME, we gonna take you down. You can't run. You can't hide.

I think I'm gonna cry right now. #tvxqhwaiting

This is good. #smentgodiaf OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahah.
#SMEntgoDIAF Dammit, you're stupid AND disrespectful! SM Entertainment should also rot in hell after dying in that fire.

Have a bowl of steaming hot ramen beside me right now. I need comfort food after all this crap #TVXQHWAITING

Because they're HUMANS. RT @Fayoosu DBSK IS NOT A PIECE OF PAPER, AFTER USING, JUST THROW IT. DBSK IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD. #TVXQHWAITING
RT @onetvxqforums #TVXQHWAITING Keep the excuses coming, SM... Keep 'em coming. #SMEntgoDIAF
May I suggest that SME ALSO burn in hell for sins against music? #TVXQhwaiting
I love how this was phrased. Hahah. RT @joongiebabyy Let's beat that Google thingy! #tvxqhwaiting

That was good. Hahah. RT @dreamideoyo [NEWS] Giant rats found in SME Building!! No wait.. it's just SME CEOs...XD #TVXQHWAITING

SM Entertainment has to get some brains & actually use them. I don't care if it's capitalist or musical brains, JUST GET SOME. #TVXQHWAITING

AMEN! RT @sosarcastic DBSK made me realize that guys like taylor lautner and rob pattinson are friggin ugly lmao #TVXQHWAITING

Listening to 'Love In the Ice'. This song makes me tear up. Maybe I should listen to 'Proud'. Para humahagulgol na ako. Hahah. #TVXQHWAITING
Can I start crying now? #TVXQHWAITING

Listening to 'Proud'. I gotta get ready to burst out crying. #TVXQHWAITING
Oh dear, here it comes. I'm gonna cry now. DAMN YOU SM ENTERTAINMENT! #TVXQHWAITING

DBSK will end, that's the way things go, BUT they cannot end under circumstances like this. They're fueling SM Ent. this way. #tvxqhwaiting
Exactly my point. RT @purplelykthat TVXQ's time is not up yet. they've still got so much to accomplish & a legacy to leave. #TVXQHWAITING

I HAVE A PROJECT TO DO! But I don't care - DBSK deserve to be treated like musicians & RESPECTED. That's why I'm tweeting. #TVXQHWAITING

Said this to a friend just now. All SM's acts can live without them but they can't live without their acts. #TVXQHWAITING

AMEN. RT @purplelykthat TVXQ = noun; guys who are awesomely epic that can bring you to ur knees with their vocals. #TVXQHWAITING
That's what I'm talking about! RT @purplelykthat Jaejoong=noun; a gorgeous etheral being that looks like one of Gawd's angels. #TVXQHWAITING
RT @purplelykthat Jaejoong = noun; a rising god of the east that can sing his heart out like there is no tomorrow. #TVXQHWAITING

WHY ARE WE LOOSING TO HALL-OWEEN?!?!? #TVXQHWAITING
Dammit, we're going down the trending topics list. ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH! #TVXQHWAITING

AMEN. RT @mpritprita #tvxqhwaiting fight against the capitalism of SME!!!
This DBSK crap has to stop. It really does. #tvxqhwaiting

@purplelykthat I think it should be " Changmin - DBSK's lead scream-er." Hahah. #TVXQHWAITING
AMEN!!! RT @purplelykthat SME = adjective or noun (depending on how you look at it); boogey man, suck a**, lying cesspit. #TVXQHWAITING

Sounds like a plan! RT @onetvxqforums Unless we SEE Homin and their parents talking about it, we don't believe it! #tvxqhwaiting

Will wear something red tomorrow. What exactly, I don't know. Hahah. #TVXQHWAITING

I'm literally on the BRINK of having an emotional breakdown. #TVXQHWAITING

Making a new banner for PRN with DBSK. ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH! #TVXQHWAITING
Coincidentally, the color I used on the new banner was red. Completely forgot that it was Cassie's color when I was making it! #tvxqhwaiting

This stupidity in the music industry makes me want to teach these executives a lesson and whip the industry into shape myself. #tvxqhwaiting
People need to understand that music MUST be respected-a PERSON made it. Disrespecting it and bastardizing it is intolerable. #tvxqhwaiting
The irony of it all. RT @onetvxqforums Chun only updated his cyworld yesterday and he seemed so happy! #tvxqhwaiting

Watching that live performance of 'Proud' where they were all emotional wrecks by the end of the song. #tvxqhwaiting

Yes, I'm thankful to SM that DBSK was formed but I wanna clobber the company for doing what they've done. #tvxqhwaiting

I hate this industry, I really do. It's disrespectful, it's nonsense, the people running it are stupid & it deceives people. #tvxqhwaiting
It has no sense of artistic credibility, it looks like money and it destroys lives. Artists get lured in only to suffer. #tvxqhwaiting
THIS IS WHY I SO BADLY WANT TO CHANGE IT. This DBSK crap makes me want to become an executive even more, to fix this mess. #tvxqhwaiting
Someone has to tech these stupid record label executives a lesson. I wanna be one of them. Gosh, I wanna cry now. #tvxqhwaiting

Since when did things become about the money? Does SM not see the MUSIC in MUSIC INDUSTRY?!?! Jaejoong's VOCALS = GOD. #tvxqhwaiting

ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH. The music industry may be stupid but if there are enough of us, they can actually learn something. #tvxqhwaiting

Twitterrific gave up on me for the third time since all this DBSK crap started but I don't effin' care! Hahah. #tvxqhwaiting

Listening to 'Flower Girl', the first song I liked off 'Mirotic'. #tvxqhwaiting

Now they're still SM Puppets. RT @aanjali Let's see what SHINee will say in few years when it's be their turn to be enslaved #tvxqhwaiting

Everyone has to stop thinking about contracts and money and start thinking about the music again. http://bit.ly/4GlJX9 #tvxqhwaiting
The DBSK rant (http://bit.ly/4GlJX9) is my 500th post. A meaningful 500th, to say the least. #tvxqhwaiting

I've been waiting for someone to say that since this whole thing started! RT @Rachiehearts_JJ SM = NAZI's OF KPOP
If there are enough of us we can all take down SM ent. together! Hahah. #tvxqhwaiting
ALWAYS, ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH. It's the one thing we can do to fight these stupid executives. #tvxqhwaiting

All this tweeting is tiring! Listening to 'Rising Sun'. Oh, those days. #tvxqhwaiting

AGREED! RT @Rachiehearts_JJ #tvxqhwaiting I think SME has forgotten that they work for US the fans & we say we wont stand for this anymore!

Jaejoong's voice is the best in SM Ent, without a shadow of a doubt. And I'm not just saying that 'coz he has super abs. Haha. #tvxqhwaiting

Praying that when I wake up tomorrow morning #TVXQhwaiting is still a trending topic.

The things we do for DBSK RT @joongiebabyy just realised I didn't eat anything today ... #tvxqhwaiting

Listening to 'One'. #tvxqhwaiting

The next morning after less than 3 hours of sleep:

Thank God Safari takes screenshots of history. Looking over what we were doing last night and damn, that was amazing. #tvxqhwaiting

Hindi na 'to "oh, I hate the industry, I wanna change it, la la la.", Ano na "HOW DARE YOU EVEN TRY DOING WHAT YOU DO. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT."
DBSK have to end, yes, but they deserve to end gracefully, not this way. ALWAYS KEEP THE FAITH. #tvxqhwaiting
SM's flat-out STUPIDITY is something I can't just sit here and take. Dammit SM - ROT IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE. #tvxqhwaiting

Listening to 'One' again. I'm afraid I might burst out crying if I listen to 'Proud' right now. #tvxqhwaiting
Listening to 'Whatever they Say'. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! *cries* #tvxqhwaiting
I need a red bracelet. Why don't I have anything red when I actually need it???!! #tvxqhwaiting

The afternoon of the morning after:

Caught up on the DBSK news. Gosh this is confusing as hell.

I hardly got any sleep last night but as long as it's for some of the most talented guys in pop, I don't care one damn bit. #tvxqhwaiting

How dare SM even think of attempting to do what they did to DBSK. HOW DARE THEY. #tvxqhwaiting
SM, I know Yoo Young Jin knows how to write a good pop song and your artists know how to sing them but really, you executives are stupid.

I'm going to watch a DBSK concert and no one is gonna stop me. Hahah.

Next week's top 20 on Pop Reviews Now is gonna be special. Just wait. #TVXQhwaiting #alwayskeepthefaith
RT @onetvxqforums #alwayskeepthefaith We believe in ALL 5!, not three and not two but ALL 5!

This has ruined my day.

This is the cool, calm and collected version of my opinion. If you want the kicking and screaming one, see my Twitter account.I'm a DBSK fan girl, I admit it but even if I wasn't this is still ridiculous. These 5 guys are not only the most successful Asian boyband in a heck of a long time, they're also some of the most talented guys in pop right now. Say what you want to say that I'm biased and all but before I got thoroughly addicted I acknowledged their grasp on the pop market. When anyone first delves into K-pop one of the names they'll encounter is DBSK - if you know you're K-pop even just a bit you know DBSK.

Which leads me to something I've been saying all along. SM will never, ever find another five guys like DBSK - there simply aren't any other people who can take their place. DBSK are irreplaceable. They write a lot of their own material, it actually gets on A-sides of singles and for crap's sake these guys can sing their heads off against Super Junior and possibly even SHINee any day.

I'm a music blogger so my main argument is about the music - what the industry should be the most focused on. Put aside all that crap about the cosmetics company, about their parents speaking up and about whatever else non-music related stuff, this is about the music and it always should be but never is.

The guys need to be paid for what they've done in the past 5 years because it's only right. I'm not saying they should be paid millions because that's too much, I'm just asking that they be given enough to compensate for the work they've done. They need to at least live a comfortable life, in my opinion.

DBSK need to stay together for the music. It's about the music and it always should be. They have the repertoire, they have the vocals, they have the musician friends, they have everything they need to succeed musically. Fans, tons and tons of money, fame - that's all second nature and I'd personally let them trade all of that so long as they keep on releasing music. They need to eat and provide for themselves, yes but other than the necessities, these guys don't need any of those.

But thinking about it, they should've never signed those contracts. As much as I hate SM for doing this to them, I do agree with some people who are saying that they should've never agreed to the terms. Contracts are contracts and everything is written down, documented. If they didn't know about those terms they're the ones to blame. However what's done is done - they signed the contracts, they became one of the biggest bands in Asia and now they're in so much trouble I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown.

On the business side of things, SM shouldn't let DBSK go either - it's stupid, really. I mean, this is a band that has the biggest fanclub in the world (and that's just the one for Korea. Add the one for Japan and that's like a ton more), have EIGHT Japanese # 1 singles, are the only foreign act after The Beatles I believe to hit #1 in Japan, have sold a heck of a lot of records and are literally GODS of the modern boyband world - they're like Westlife with better music, bodies (hahah.), vocals but practically the same achievements in a given space of time. If these guys at SM are the businessmen they CLAIM to be, those stats mean $$$. Don't they want the money? I know they should stay together for the music but if we're to follow what these stupid capitalists want us to because they control the industry right now, then the money should be a reason to keep the band.

I'm a DBSK fan, yes, but I'm also a music blogger who knows music like the back of her hand. I didn't become a fan because of the guys themselves or for their popularity or whatever else, I became a fan because they know how to make music and they make it damn well. Seeing music being disrespected like that is insulting to everything I stand for and DISGUSTING.

EDIT (a few hours later): Just realized that this is my 500th post. I'm glad it's a meaningful one and one that really shows how I feel about this stupid recording industry. Here's to more posts!

Michael Jackson.

A short post. Hahah.

I didn't grow up during the age of Thriller, I didn't grow up listening to MJ playing wherever I went and I wasn't exposed to that much Michael Jackson as a kid. I knew he existed and I knew people called him the king of pop but the first encounter of mine with his music that I actually remember was when I watched a video of Shane Westlife saying his favorite video was Thriller in 6th grade and they showed a clip of it. I didn't like it, I'm sorry.

When he passed away, I tweeted the RIP MJ and was shocked and all but I wasn't crying like crazy or anything. It took me until my mom dragged me to watch the premiere of This Is It that I realized exactly why people went crazy over this death. I'd heard all the songs before, I have my favorites but I treated the guy like every other pop star, until I watched that movie. I'd never seen him live and I'd never bothered because I wasn't interested in most of his recordings but I now realize that not watching him live was one of the biggest mistakes ever.

The guy is everything pop should be. He knows his music jargon and technical side, he knows how to make beautiful music and he's a performer. Pop music isn't meant to be just listened to - it's meant to be watched. Pop music is a spectacle, a show - it's superficial and over the top. MJ is a spectacle, everything about the guy is a show in itself. He can stand on a stage and that would be the entire show - that's what a pop star should be. Pop music is not about the music and I hate that but I have to acknowledge this guy for trying hard to put the music in pop and succeeding pretty damn well.

Watching that movie made all the other artists seem inferior to him because his performances looked so effortless that my jaw was dropping. He knows his music, he's not blind to music terms and REAL music but he is what he is and that's a pop star. Now I REALLY know why all the artists now look at him as an icon and with so much reverence. I may only like a few of his songs but I have the deepest respect for Michael Jackson.

Rant: I need to let this out.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone in the process but just have to say this. This is MY blog with MY opinions and telling me my opinions are wrong is disrespectful and stupid.

I am sick and tired of stupid wannabe fangirls who know nothing about what they're talking about. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of smart, informed fan girls out there (me included) but in the Philippines in particular, a fangirl who knows what she's talking about is hard to come across.

Last Friday I wrote a negative review on SS501's new mini album Rebirth. As I was looking through referral links to the blog, I ended up at a Filipino SS501 fan forum and later a fan blog. I saw them talking about me and the review - calling me a low, uneducated, narrow-minded b*tch. They insulted me, asked me who I was to be saying these things and if I was a critic (which I think I am), said I knew nothing about music and that because I was a DBSK fan I immediately marginalized SS501.

Really, who does that to somebody just because he/she writes a negative review of 'your beloved insertnameofboybandhere' 's new release? I said what I thought and that's it - it's what I think from what I heard. I don't care if you think the album is brilliant or if you think it sucks, I said my opinion. End of story.

But these girls attacked me, called PRN a bad blog and in calling me narrow-minded for badly reviewing SS501 when I'm a DBSK fan also showed how narrow-minded THEY are.

They said my writing was trash, that it was a joke. DO YOU KNOW HOW BAD THAT FEELS? I'm already struggling with my writing as it is and a bunch of girls call it trash? I wanna burst out crying right now but I won't.

Now, please allow me to rant in my native tongue so I can give these girls a piece of my mind. Hahah. When I speak my native tongue I sound like an airhead.

Mga walang-kwentang, walang alam na fangirls ng SS501 sa isang forum na magagalit sa taong nagbigay ng opinion - PWEDE BA. Ano bang ginawa ko sa inyo? WALA. Nandito ako, nagsusulat ng opinyon KO tapos makikiepal kayo, iinsultuhin ako at babastusin ako??! Ang sarap nyo ring sakalin, no?

Kalokohan sinusulat ko? EXCUSE ME. Pasikat ako? Asa pa kayo.

Pwede ba, alam ko kung anong ginagawa ko, alam ko kung anong pinagsususulat ko, HINDI AKO TANGA. Edukado ako hindi lang sa school pero alam ko yung history ng K-pop at ng Pop music. Alam niyo ba? HINDI. Alam ko kung anong bago at luma pero saan palang kayo? Lady GaGa. Justin Bieber. 'Boom Boom Pow' ng BEP. MGA LATE.

Kung sasabihin ninyong mali ako, sana naman may pruweba kayo. Kasi dahil lang ba fangirls kayo kailangan gusto ng lahat ng ibang tao yung gawa ng pinakamamahal niyong insertnameofboybandhere? Hindi naman magugustuhan ng lahat ang lahat palagi eh. Tapos dahil masama yung sinabi ko sasabihin nyo sakin na isara bibig ko? Ayoko nga! Blog KO 'to, hindi NYO blog. Akin 'to, ako nagpasimuno, ako nagsusulat at AKO ang nag-iisip. Kung gusto nyong magsabi ng maganda tungkol sa paborito niyo, magpatayo kayo ng sarili nyong blog. 'Wag n'yo akong damayin sa katangahan niyo.

Rant: Why I still buy physical albums

AND why I refuse to make the shift to buying MP3s from iTunes or other online stores.

Musically I'm what you'd call a purist - I know how to make music, I know how to listen to it, my opinions on music are centered around the music itself and not image or everything else the pop music industry focuses way too much on and I was raised listening to high quality music as in music from CDs and with file sizes of around 100+ MB for 4 minutes.

I was raised a purist because my dad's one as well - these are the values he didn't outright tell me but he did things that pointed me into the direction of figuring these things out. He's a record producer so he taught me all these things in recording and one of them was the difference between an MP3 and an AIFF or a WAV file.

I was never trained to listen to MP3s or bad quality songs - I was raised to favor extremely high quality file formats and marginalize MP3s because honestly, it really does make a difference. If I lived in a country where they sold physical formats of all the music I wanted I'd buy all the albums regardless of how much it would cost me because of the quality.

Everything sounds clearer, better when you hear it in CD quality - even with crappy earphones like mine I spot the difference. The songs sound fuller so you can clearly discern how much of the songs are real instruments, how much are computerized and how much auto-tune the vocals were put through.

This is exactly the reason why I refuse to let physical CDs die because the quality will never be the same. Call me ancient for sticking with CDs in the digital age but unless they start selling AIFFs online I won't buy digital music - it's not the same. I don't know how I thought of it but you know, MP3s are a way for record companies to mask bad production, excessive use of fake musical instruments and even more auto-tuning. AIFFs let you hear everything as long as you're listening while MP3s are so highly compressed that you struggle to hear anything, really.

MP3s are the reason why hardly anyone thinks when they listen to songs anymore - there are so many things that get lost during conversion and once those recordings come out as MP3s the only thing people hear is the melody and the instrumentation highly compressed to the point of crap-y-ness. No one thinks anymore because there's nothing to think about, it's all gone.

I hate that. I don't want generations after mine to not think when they listen to music, I don't want them to passively listen to music and I REALLY don't want them to grow up ignorant of what actual songs sound like. I now know exactly how hard my dad had to fight to let me hear recordings in their purest and how he's fighting now to keep high quality recordings in people's vocabularies.

As much as I want the music industry to move forward, you cannot sacrifice quality for change. This is creativity we're talking about, these are works of people and they deserve to be heard in their most unadulterated form. Until they find a way of digitally selling the good quality files, I'm staying with my physical CDs.

Rant: Why Miming is such a big issue for me.

Put aside the Sugababes issue for a moment - there's something I have to talk about.

In the UK, lip-syncing is something artists do because of the lack of equipment to sing live. When you go on GMTV performances are ALWAYS mimed because the TV studio doesn't have the right mics and stuff to let them sing 100% live. That's understandable - but not completely. I mean, these guys know there's a ton of singers killing to get on the show and they STILL don't get the equipment to accommodate them? Annoying.

However that situation isn't as bad as the one in Korea. In K-pop, artists lip-sync because of 'complicated dance routines'. Yeah, sure no human can do some of those routines while singing but hello people - THIS IS A MUSIC INDUSTRY, NOT A DANCE INDUSTRY. These guys are famous because they sing, not because they dance and their talent companies should start understanding that.

The minute you mime that means you can't perform that song while doing that dance routine. I mean yeah, dance is an art but music should always, ALWAYS be the focus - it's a song and it should be above the rest. Performing that song means singing it well first before dancing 'brilliantly' to it, these people should know that. It's disrespect to talent and music to not put it above the rest. Dammit.

The equipment is there - there are other artists who sing 100% live on these music shows so why couldn't bands like DBSK and SuJu do it before? You look for live performances of Rising Sun or even O and the only ones you'll find are mimed. If I wanted to see them dance and hear the recorded song, why would I watch the 'live' performances when there are music videos with carefully thought-of camera angles and perfect dance routines? It's practically the same thing.

The point of a live performance is to show us the artists' over-all performing skills without studio tricks and take 2s. They have one shot to get the damn routine and song right and the mistakes will prove to us that they're actually people - they make mistakes. If they don't actually sing, how are we supposed to be sure that their recordings are actually them and that they can actually sing?

Yeah, sure they sound great on recordings but those have been recorded over and over again before being put through processing, mixing, mastering and all sorts of effects to make them better than they actually are. Live performances show us how much of those recorded tracks are actually them and how much processing was put into their vocals.

Just had to let that out after not finding a single performance of DBSK's Rising Sun in Korean that's 100% live AND has all five members. So annoying. Below is a performance THREE YEARS LATER and it's STILL MIMED.

Another side of the story

How I manage to blog amidst all this schoolwork still baffles even me.

I always passionately voice out my hatred for the always LATE and IGNORANT Philippine music industry but I thought it would be nice to present the side of our country's 'Premiere music channel' - Myx. I had a coincidental Twitter conversation with someone from the channel and needless to say, it was interesting at the very least.

I've been doing these Twitter-centered posts a lot recently - I don't know why.

The one I conversed with was nice and I get their side but that still doesn't change my stand. It's one I will always, always believe in and no offense but no one can completely change that because it's mine.

Myx: also in the myx daily top ten today: SJ has a new entry while JB is back!
Me: NEW ENTRY? A SUPER JUNIOR SONG THAT'S MONTHS OLD IS NOT NEW. UG RT @MYXphilippines also in the myx daily top ten today: SJ has a new entry..
Me: My frustrations in life are coming out. MYX PH, IF YOU'RE GONNA FOLLOW FOREIGN TRENDS YOU BETTER FOLLOW THEM WHEN THEY'RE ACTUALLY RELEASED.
Myx: it's new in the countdown, not our fault if the fans are voting for it just now
Me: And it's the record companies and fans who don't do their research who I blame. My dad's a record producer(eheads) , hahah.
Me (again): Pwede ba, I know my stuff - don't treat me like I know nothing. I'm not an ignorant, hit in the US-centric listener because I DO MY RESEARCH (Trans: Please)
Myx: sorry, must have caught you in a bad mood
Me: Yes, you have in fact have. Because of stupid record companies & because of school. I'm not a pleasant person when I'm mad.
Myx: but we never said anything about you not doing research though
Me: It's just a frustration I have in life, how a ton of people like someone but don't know a thing about them musically.
Myx: not arguing here, but some fans don't have the same resources. it's up to the enlighted ones like you to share what you know.
Me: Exactly why I have a music blog! But seriously, even the ones with resources don't know how. Like a lot of my schoolmates.
Myx: oh well, fans have different reasons for being "fans". good luck on your solo! hello to sir robin :)

They're nice, look what they said when I asked if I could publish this!

Me: Say, can I re-publish our 'conversation' on my blog sometime this week? I just got a blast of enlightenment.
Myx: it's your blog. you can write anything. will it be bad?
Me: OK. No - not at all! Just a sign of courtesy, some people don't like stuff re-published. But thanks anyway!
Myx: send us the link when it's already online

So there you go - a view from the other side of the equation. It was enlightening - seriously.

Rant: Thoughts on Jaebeom's Quitting 2PM - Twitter style.

Since I'm way too lazy to rewrite what I think and everyone who's anyone has written this really long opinion on the matter - here's what I said on Twitter all of tonight for your convenience and amusement.My own tweets starting at around 6:40 PM-ish.
1. I came home from school to see what? JAEBOM QUIT 2PM?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. And I'm serious.
2. I'm deeply sorry for cursing but f***** HELL. WHY JAEBOM? WHY? I'm not an avid 2PM fan but seriously, fans are taking this WAY TOO FAR.
3. About 80% of the time (all over the world), if one member leaves pop band - it's over for everyone. Will 2PM be Westlife or the Spice Girls?
4. Once again - holy crap. JAEBOM LEFT 2PM. I hate to think about this but as I said, once one member leaves, it's downhill all the way.

Some conversations with K-pop fan friends:

The first conversation - with a school friend. This is in my native tongue so translations of the italicized parts follow for those who can't understand. hahah.
Friend 1: whyyyy jaebum whyyyy?? DDDD:
Me: Yun nga eh. Nagmura nga ako dita kanina eh! hahah. (translation: Exactly. I was even cursing here a while ago!)
Friend 1: nakakainis. srsly, minsan lang 'to pero naiyak ako konti! iba na kasi eh -_- (Trans: Annoying. Seriously, this doesn't happen very often but I feel like crying a bit! It's different now.)
Me: AS IN. Super lapit ko na talagang umiyak nung nabasa ko. This is taking a mistake in the past WAY TOO FAR - suicide petition? (AS IN. I was literally on the verge of crying when I read it. And you can understand the rest.. hahah.)
Friend 1: gawin natin suicide petition sa antis T^T (Trans: Let's make a suicide petition for the antis)
Me: TARA! OO nga - I tried understanding their depression when they start dating pero talagang DISRESPECT na 'to. (COME ON! Yeah - [start again after dating] but this is really DISRESPECT now.)
Friend 1: SOOBRAAAA> grabe eh. :| nakakainis, mas nanankit sila ng ibang tao eh (REALLYYYY. It's so annoying - they start hurting other people in the process.)
Me: OO nga eh. I understand that they have their own opinions and all pero exactly - nananakit sila at naninira ng pangarap. DEEP (Yeah. I understand that they have their own opinions but exactly - they're hurting people and destroying dreams.)
Friend 1: tama~! grabe na eh -_- ang babaw ng problema tsaka ang bata pa ni jay nun eh :| (RIGHT. It's really bad - the problem's really shallow and he was really young then.)

Then in the middle of the conversation above - I got into another one. This was in English. hahah.
Friend 2: OMG. I can't believe this. I just got back home too ><>.<>.<>.<
Me: I have to read this insanely deep Filipino novel! It's so annoying.

The third one with another school friend.
Friend 3: fck sht jaebooooooooooooom :(((((((((((
Me: *cries* JOIN THE CLUB.
Friend 3: :(((((((((((((((
Me: KAINIIIIIIIIIIIIIS. (Trans: Annoying.)

There you have it. hahah.

It's time for me to defend the music industry I want to strangle.

My own - The Philippine music industry. It's time I speak up because I am sick and tired of all the generalizations about the culture I was raised with.

As I was reading over a K-pop blog, they featured the fact that K-pop is getting pretty big here - stuff about Sandara and stuff. I said OK, I may not like it but I can't do anything about the *wannabe* Wondergirls being gigantic here. I don't know how but I found myself reading the comments but after scrolling down for a few seconds, my morning was officially ruined.

There we people talking about how ugly we are, how all we do is copy from foreign artists, never do anything for ourselves, only strip our clothes off well and sing "shit kiddie songs".

I'M ANGRY - FURIOUS.

The Philippine music industry may have some stupid people on top, uncreative artists releasing albums that sell a ton of records and a stupid music channel that shows trash and wrong lyrics but hold on - DOESN'T EVERY COUNTRY HAVE SOME OF THEM? Of all the things I hate, apart from disrespect I hate racist people the most. But that's the same thing, really.

Whatever I may want to be or dream of being, I'm still a Filipino. I may be only half a Filipino by blood but The Philippines is the country that I grew up in - it was the country that raised me. I grew up learning PHILIPPINE history, watching Philippine news, surrounded by Philippine personalities. Our politicians may be corrupt, we may be poor and a puppet of the United States and 60% of the music here may really suck but we're a country, we're people and WE DESERVE RESPECT.

That's all I ask, really. It's all I give and it's all I want in return for the respect I show.

I hate it when people call others ugly - who the effin' crap are they to tell someone that? We all have different definitions of beauty and if you tell someone they're ugly they may think that they're beautiful. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT HURTS TO BE CALLED UGLY OR NEVER BE CALLED BEAUTIFUL? It's unbreably painful. In my whole life I've only been called 'pretty' once and it was by someone I had just met.

I can vouch right now in front of a church or a courtroom if I have to that FILIPINOS ARE EXTREMELY CREATIVE. If you can only see the amount and quality of original music being circulated around the indie market who have no stupid money-centric capitalist morons controlling their music, you'd think twice about saying all we do are covers and 'shit kiddy songs'. All over the world, the only reason why crap, unoriginal and generic music is released is because of the morons running the damn record companies - Korea, The US, The UK and pretty much every single country with a thriving music industry are no different from us.

The reason why I don't like OPM (Original Philippine/Filipino Music) is because it's not my taste - I have my own esthetic and my own concept of what makes a beautiful song. If I strip that away from my brain, there are bands and artists that honestly make technically and artistically outstanding music here.

I'm angry at the fact that just because people think we suck at English, text with annoying sticky caps, have the cheezy-est and corny-est variety shows the world over and just because we truly have one of the most corrupt governments in the world that we have no right to be creative - THAT WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE PEOPLE.