It is not necessary to understand the lyrics to enjoy K-pop. Christy Varghese analyses the reasons why Delhi is responding to this wave
We had anticipated the loud blaring music which hammered on our eardrums as we entered the hall but one sensation we experienced — almost akin to being blinded — was not expected. As our eyes adjusted to the dull lighting, it became comparably easier to understand the cause beneath the blinding effect. Every pair of hands amongst the packed audience at Siri Fort Auditorium was waving a blue glow-stick in sync to the fast-paced music.
The event in question was the Feel Korea in India K-POP Concert organised by the Korean Culture Centre. As we fumbled along the packed auditorium, in search of our seats, we witnessed some high flying instances of choreography courtesy the immensely popular six-member boy band, Teen Top. They displayed a no-nonsense attitude onstage with immense vigour, which in itself told us that they had earned the beloved nickname of ‘Knife Choreography’ with good reason. With every member sporting regal red blazers on top of their matching black attires, they showcased a superb rapport with the crowd during their debut in India. The over-enthusiastic crowd went crazy when the band switched to their extremely popular single, lalala, and pitched in with the la-la-la’s while the band bowed to the crowd numerous times to signal their graciousness for one and all assembled here.
According to Kim Kum Pyoung, director of Korean Culture Centre, in K-pop, the interaction is two-sided. “As a rule, in K-pop, the artistes always maintain amicable relations with the audience and fans. Some artistes who performed here today also took the trouble of learning several phrases in Hindi just to give the audience a reason to cheer about. But whatever be the reason behind this immense turnout, this concert has exceeded our expectations,” said Pyoung with a smile. What he said was not over-emphasised we learnt, as we had to stand on our seats to view some of the performances because everyone was standing up and waving their hands to the music, with much excitement, obstructing our view.
As the next group took to the stage, we were a bit confused by the standing ovation it received from a fairly large section of the female audience. But when ZE:AJ commenced its performance, which consisted of enthralling vocals which seemed to go with their boyish charm, we could ascertain why the ladies loved this immensely popular group. Their irrepressible charm was at its fore when they received numerous ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when the lead vocalist said, “You all are beautiful, its good to know we have a lot of fans in India.”
After several cursory glances through the crowd, we happened to observe that though there were a variety of people assembled to catch a glimpse of their favourite music groups, most of the people assembled here belonged to the North-East. Jed, a K-pop aficionado from Mizoram, along with her friend was all smiles. “I do not really understand the lyrics, as my Korean is not fluent but I can somehow connect to their music. I can sit back and enjoy this concert without a worry in the world,” she said in between cheering for the all-girls K-pop group ascending the stage for the next performance.
Though their dance moves were not as attractive as their singing, BESTie made up for it with their powerful vocals. They were very vocal in showing their gratitude to the crowd as each member began their introduction with a customary namaste, before mentioning their desire to try Indian food. And though their English was not so good, they appeared to make an honest effort to communicate in English with smatterings of Hindi with the audience. “Main tumse pyaar karta hu (I love you),” hollered Haeryung while flashing a wide grin, before exiting the stage.
“The reaction we got from the crowd was similar to the fans back in Korea as the fans displayed their passion. We cannot deny that a majority of fandom that K-pop possesses today is because of PSY and hopefully we will try to bring him to India next year,” Pyoung told us. He believes that K-pop offers a slight glimpse into Korean culture beyond the blend where it incorporates western as well as eastern elements of music and performance.
This concert was held as a postlude, an epic one at that, to the pan India K-pop contest which held its final round on the day before. The wild card entry group from Delhi, The Brooks and Mizoram’s Frozen Crew achieved top honours at singing and dancing at the contest respectively. Apart from an all expenses paid trip to Korea, the winners have also acquired a chance to represent India at the K-pop World Festival 2015 in Korea. But the winners are already stars in their own right we inferred, as we saw them being mobbed by the attendees for autographs and pictures. Isaac, of Frozen Crew, explained it well enough when he said, “This genre of music does not really have any limits, and truth be told, it has changed our lives. And it feels great that even though many people do not understand what I am singing, they are there swaying to the music, living in the moment.”
While we were exiting the venue, we could not help but ponder over these naive words from someone who is happy with what he has and what he does.