[Naver Feature] SeungGhi Lee Versus TaeYang: Oct. 27, 2009

This is the guy who said, “… TaeYang’s Look Only at Me is my song of the year.” (Read “What They Say About TaeYang”). He is still a fan boy – he may not make a whole lot of sense - and he knows it - but one thing seems clear to me: he wanted to use this opportunity to praise TaeYang lol:

Special Feature | SeungGhi Lee vs. TaeYang
By WooChul Jang, GQ Korea Features Director / Edited by Naver Music

Oh, my. What could there possibly be that could make those two rivals? It’s even hard to imagine them standing side by side. I checked if they are the same age, just in case – well, they are not. First, when I think of Seung-Ghi Lee, these things come to my mind: a baby brother, a well-behaved youngest son, a younger date, a model young man, a record 70% viewership rating, huh-dang, older women fans (noona)… It’s like a flood gate opened. How about TaeYang? A feel? An instinct? Performance? I’m not sure but thoughts are not exactly pouring out. Certainly, I do not intent to describe them as rivals in this article. Let’s not get over-sensitive about the expression, “versus.” Now, let’s begin, shall we? I chose to discuss about those two together because I wanted to offer my observations on what’s going on today through two twenty-something male vocalists who are on top of their game.

Round.1 | Lee’s Debut vs. TaeYang’s Debut

“Noona” is a cultural code that symbolizes the latest trends in Korea’s popular culture (or the entertainment industry). At the same time, it is a word that refers to a group of cultural consumers with the most powerful influence. If there were no noonas, who would buy books, pay for tickets to performances, purchase CDs and run fan clubs? Effectively capturing the trend, Lee’s debut single, “Because You Are My Woman,” gave him the title of “Everyone’s Baby Brother.” As a vocalist, it’s not like he possesses skills or techniques that can beat anyone. It’s just that he is so very charming, just enough to make you open your heart to him. That’s what’s important. He is a baby brother. If he can make you think, “Oh, he’s cute,” that’s good enough because if a baby brother sings too well, it would make him less adorable. Lee’s success was inevitable whether it had been the result of meticulous planning or a series of fortunate coincidences. If it had been somebody else who sang the song, would it have been such a huge hit? Who knows? But I’m pretty sure it was a hit because it was Lee who sang the song.

TaeYang is a strange boy. He is a member of a boy group that is on top of the entertainment industry yet he seems somehow to be standing in the shades, a few steps aside from an image as a teen idol. It’s not just his image – he always manages to convey his “sincerity,” which is not exactly a requirement for a teen idol. Released in the summer of 2008, his first single, “Look Only at Me” starkly illuminated the overwhelmingly compelling reason why we had to consider him apart from Big Bang. In the news, we often see so-and-so stars will debut in the international markets. However, what TaeYang did here on the stage – his singing, his dancing, his breathing and his faces were of a far higher level and felt far more vivid to me. The “a bit bad” guy persona he presented was immaculate. Then in an interview he said, “He sounds like a bad guy but his naiveté just seeps through when he tries to show how bad he is. What I did on stage was trying to make him not look like a bad guy.” That was actually the smartest thing any of the so-called stars have said in recent years.

Round.2 | Lee Now vs. TaeYang Now

Lee continued to build on his well established “baby brother” image. He filled his two “remake” albums with “I’ve been through it all” types of sad tunes but kept his “baby brother singing older brothers’ and sisters’ songs” image throughout. And that’s exactly what we felt when we heard his songs. We were just proud of our baby brother who’s grown so much. Then in 2009, he made his mark as a TV entertainer. You can’t live off being mysterious these days. Lee successfully established his image as a star through a TV variety show and a drama series. Today, it no longer makes sense to categorize entertainers into singers, show hosts or actors. As long as you are famous and have a good public image, no one asks questions about what you are. Today, fans are not unlike clients to a star. Many people do not hesitate to say, “I hope my boy will be like him when he grows up,” and his shows boast viewership ratings of over 70%. He is indeed unstoppable. Plagiarism accusations and indirect advertising controversies can be put aside easily.

Needless to point out, TaeYang’s star status has originated from the fact that he is a member of Big Bang. He can do the music he wants to do under these circumstances (referring to the deplorably bad shape the music industry is in today) largely because he is a member of a popular boy band. So, isn’t this a chance of a lifetime? After all, whatever he does, he will have an audience that is ready to embrace him. True. But what makes him unique is that he makes extra efforts to keep his identity as a solo artist from being buried by the one as a Big Bang member. He may not have to worry about whether his record sales will reach the breakeven point or not but he gives his 100% in creating good music and perfect performances. His recently released “Where U At” music video gives you a glimpse of how hard he has worked for the past year. He has been enjoying a smooth sailing particularly after he won critical acclaim with his KMA wins. As an artist, he is where most artists only aspire to be. Then what does he want now?

Round.3 | Lee’s “Marry Me” and “Let’s Break Up” vs. TaeYang’s “Where U At” and “Wedding Dress”

Frankly, “Marry Me” was a bit embarrassing. Sure, it’s just a song. But we couldn’t just shrug it off because the song came out after Lee outgrew his identity as “just a singer.” Surely, not all artists should work towards the same goal. No need to argue over the direction he took. But you cannot help but notice the major irony that the title of his follow-up single was “Let’s Break Up” (his 4th album even includes a song titled “A Wedding Veil,” which goes, “Now’s the time to put on a wedding veil”). One thing for sure, his vocals beautifully express the deep emotions of a person who tries to confess something. He definitely stands out from many vocalists who get smothered by their genres and turn to grotesque techniques as a way out. His vocals shine through. What will his next step be? Then the next? Suddenly I am reminded of SunHee Lee’s song: “If you were given only one chance to love, would you think of breaking up?” Is he supposed to be ok then? Growing from a high school student to a 23-year-old young man, he gained tremendous popularity and became every girl’s dream date. As a singer, how much has he grown?

TaeYang wants to grow on stage. More specifically, one of his ambitions is to perform in front of a global audience before he has to leave to fulfill his mandatory military service. He is obsessed with creating a performance of his own, singing his own song, doing everything in his own style and showing everything – from singing to music video, choreo, costume, lighting and backup dancers – in perfect harmony. His latest digital single he co-wrote with Teddy, “Where U At” went straight to No. 1 in the charts as soon as it was released. A fairly predictable outcome – no crystal ball was necessary. The question is, how great an impact will it have? He chose to delay the release of his full-length album and release a couple of digital singles back to back first. The first one was “Where U At.” The YGE’s official press release that said, “The lyrics will ring true to the listeners as they truthfully describe TaeYang’s real-life situation that he dreams of a girl who must be somewhere in the world and whom he will meet someday” makes you cringe big time, but I guess we could take it to mean that he tried to express how he felt honestly. Further, he did not let an attempt to make an issue out of the song dictate its quality. The title of his next single will be “Wedding Dress.” Hmm. Makes you wonder what he has in mind.

Round.4 | Lee’s Future vs. TaeYang’s Future

Anyone who is on top must deal with inevitable crisis: not one created because someone pushes you from behind but one that ensues inevitably simply because you are on top. However, things could be a bit different for SeungGhi Lee. He did not become a huge star he is now not because of one big hit song, one breakthrough role or a single controversial issue. The source of his popularity is his charm as SeungGhi Lee the person (or his fans’ belief that it is the case). Needless to say, his greatest breakthrough was the variety show “Il Bak Ee Il (One Night Two Days).” It all evens out because we cannot think of the show without Lee and vice versa. The problem is, other people on the show are relatively free to show other sides of their characters but not Lee. For example, MC Mong the singer who sings “An Indian Boy” is different from MC Mong whom we see on the show. We are prepared to see him in two different roles. However, when we see Lee, we see him. Whether he sings on stage or acts funny on a variety show, he should always be one and the same SeungGhi Lee. What would happen if and when he wants to have a different image?

G-Dragon and TaeYang are different. Musically – of course. But they are also different in that we see TaeYang constantly seek answers to the questions: what is the most effective way to do it? How can I do great things better? That is why TaeYang is doing things the hard way I suppose. When a performing artist seeks perfection, he deserves applauds. No one pursues imperfection but it is a sad reality that perfection is not the first priority for most people working in the entertainment industry today. However, TaeYang makes us expect perfection from him. For example, we know he was not perfect when he sang “Look Only at Me” last year. We expect him to sing better live. Depending on the song, nasal-sounding vocals can add dramatic effects to the song or could be something that you should get rid of. Whereas “Look Only at Me” was one of those songs that you need to let the grooves carry you and therefore is a case of the former, “Where U At” is a song where you need to take the lead and therefore is a case of the latter. However, this is all moot at this point because we really didn’t have a chance to see him perform “Where U At” (he performed it only once on TV). If he dreams of a perfect moment, we do the same. He earned the right to put on an out of this world performance – a performance by a male artist that makes even male fans excited, which is nearly impossible to meet in today’s mainstream music scene.

Epilogue | What We Expect from These Two Young Male Singers

As I said earlier, I wanted to get a glimpse of today’s mainstream music and entertainment industries through these two male singers who seemingly have nothing in common. The two of them could not possibly be any more different but both seem to be at the height of their popularity. However, popularity is not a rock and constantly changes form and moves around. The two stars are fortunate enough to have it at the present time but no one knows whether they will be able to keep it. It may not be such a tall order – what we expect from them is their youthful energy that allows them to say, “I don’t care. I just keep running.” Whether they sing pretty songs standing alone or wear their hats tilted to the side, what we expect to see is always the raw energy.

[Original article: http://music.naver.com/special.nhn?m=main&specialid=204]
[(c)naver.com][Translated by pgeorgie]