A Losing Battle Against K-Pop

So occasionally, I develop somewhat irrational aversions to things. These aversions are based on insignificant events/experiences which result in the not-so-insignificant effect of me writing off that thing for all eternity. Or at least until my perspective/opinion is amended by some outside force. A few examples are my aversion to almonds (blown out of the water when introduced to amaretto), my dislike of skinny jeans (disappeared when I actually tried on a pair), and my avoidance of cats (overcome when I met Starfish who is a cat lover). One more overturned aversion to add to this list is my distaste for K-pop music.

 When I was just a young sprout (or younger - I was in middle school), I was first introduced to K-pop through a few songs that an acquaintance had given me. I don't even remember what songs they were, but I just remember thinking they were bad. Like, really bad.

Funnily enough, this was the point in my life when I would listen to Jennifer Lopez's "Play" on repeat ad nauseum so I really had no right to be judging what was bad or good...but I did.

OH MY GAAAAH DIS SONG SO GUUUUUD

I passed judgment and proclaimed K-pop to be awful, all awful, based on the merits of two songs that I had cursorily listened to.

Like I said, an irrational aversion which resulted from an insignificant experience.

BUT! A number of significant influences had me waging war internally over the K-pop issue.  My middle-school-self clung tenaciously to her doctrine of K-pop hatred while my college-self drifted, hypnotized, towards the land of K-pop love. Firstly, Blackbird sent me a few songs that she liked, notably "Gee" by Girl's Generation.

GEE GEE GEE GEE GEE GEE GEE

When I first heard the song, I knew that if I allowed myself to enjoy it, I would become a scab, a sell-out to my steadfast dislike of K-pop. As such, I ruthlessly ignored the fact that I was smiling and moving my body to the beat, and responded to Blackbird's query of "How did you like the song?" with a rather unnecessarily snarky comment along the lines of "Oh, I guess it's alright...you know, if you like that sort of thing." (Sorry 'bout that, Blackbird)

But cracks began to form in my K-pop repellant armor as I listened to a few more songs:

I'm Coming, by Bi (Rain)

Run Devil Run, by Girl's Generation

Lalala, It's Love, by The Melody

By the time I went to an Asian Pop night at a local club, I surrendered to my hidden desires and danced my heart out to the wonderfully upbeat music of Korean Pop (as well as Japanese and Chinese Pop). I knew only a few of the songs, but I sang along anyway and made up my own words. The dam had been breached, the battle had been won, and the war was over - I was ready to declare myself a K-pop fan.


Well, almost ready. My 180 in perspective didn't (and doesn't) change the fact that I am incredibly ignorant of most things K-pop, so I'm not sure that I know enough to qualify as a fan. But whatever. I've opened my mind to the possibilities of Korean pop music and I'm going to have fun facing the music.

~Polecat

PS: If any of you have recommendations on what to listen to, please send them my way! I would love to have a list of things to listen to :D

PPS: The Lalala song is from Coffee Prince, one of the K-dramas I recommended in an earlier post! You now have even more reason to watch the series!