Trending Kpop

Only a couple of days to go before the much anticipated Super Junior Super Show 3 Concert. Of course, being the paranoid fan that I am, I made sure to align my schedules and my resources to get good tickets and (what I deem) necessary paraphernalia for the actual event. Funny but my friend and I never thought that the interest in Korean music would evolve into the craze that it is these days when we first came across our first Korean song. Back then, we'd only been interested in faces and a few talents but when we got into it, it just...clicked. We've seen the births, deaths, and rebirths of many artists since then and I must say that that journey has been nothing but interesting.

"Fan-girling" (as they call this "affliction" to kpop) carries with it the natural desire to acquire anything that would mark one as a "follower" of that artist. Take me, for example. Believe it or not, I've taken it to a level where I sometimes don't think twice about spending a few thousand just to watch them perform live. I get my "goods" from YesAsia Aside from the online purchases I make to get DVD copies of their concerts, I've also scoured and ripped hundreds of pictures from the net and had some of them printed. A travel buddy of mine, who is also a growing kpop fan, has already made several noises about going to Korea. If I'm crazy enough, I just might take her up on her invite too and actually make use of my Korean language lessons...and yes, I did take it up just because.

On another note, today marks the release of Big Bang's comeback. A mini album that has already spread like wildfire in the net. It'd be a debate to decide which was more awaited, that of TVXQ's return or that of Big Bang since both caused a significant increase in the use of search engines in the few weeks. I like the music of both, don't get me wrong, but having been introduced earlier to TVXQ makes me lean more towards them. It'd have been better and probably more explosive if all five members had been together but that's showbiz. I'm not going to get into a lengthy discussion about which group is better since they each have their strengths so I'm just going to say that grabbing a copy of their albums is rarely, if not at all, a regret.

Sadly, our very own Filipino music isn't as appreciated though quality-wise, we are just as good. It is a bit disheartening that Philippine pride only rises when Manny Pacquiao wins a match. We've great composers and lyricists so why not export our music? Meanwhile, perhaps giving ourselves a chance to be open to other cultures will spur us to dig deep and nurture a seed of interest in the local scenes. Who knows, maybe someday Pinoy Pop will also rank high in Yahoo!, bing, Google, Metasearch, and the like.