English in K-pop - A Case on T-araIn K-pop, mixing English is one of the most significant recent changes (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 125). This essay applies Dal Yong Jin and Woongjae Ryoo’s “Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics” to T-ara, a present-day K-pop group, and explores how they hybridize English to appeal, to express, and to fit in.
T-ara employs English lyrics for an international reach. The odd Anglicisms are catchy to attract non-Koreans and Koreans, as artists “learn English because of its role as a lingua franca in music” (Ibid., 120). Each with over 35 million views on YouTube, T-ara’s hits, “Number Nine,” “Sexy Love,” and “Sugar Free,” have English choruses that are appealing because they provide ease in singing along. English can allow a freedom of expression that the Korean language cannot, especially in the digital age. K-pop singers “utilize repetitive verses and choruses primarily written in English [...] to target young generations who seek entertainment embedded in new media” (Ibid., 121). Although T-ara’s newest release has both Korean lyrics, “nae ireumeun mweo mweo mweo ya,” and English equivalent, “what’s my name,” in the chorus, when promoting online, the English catchphrase is favoured to reach a modern audience. To fit in cultural norms, K-pop strives for authenticity through utilizing English. English appears in lyrics and song titles to reflect the “new youth culture” (Ibid., 123). T-ara’s “Yayaya” is an “exemplary [case] of this trend” and even their group name mimics the English word “tiara” (Ibid.). Nowadays, K-pop musicians use English names over their Korean names to conform to pop culture aesthetics and create a “fusion of local and global dialogues in contemporary Korea” (Ibid., 122). English in K-pop provides an increased aural internationalization, a platform for creative freedom, and a way to fulfill cosmopolitan strivings. Since both Jin and Ryoo’s research and teaching interests are in globalization and media, their argument about English in K-pop links the fields from a contemporary perspective; those in K-pop who can “develop a balance between the local and global forces” are able to foster “the continuous growth of local popular culture” (Ibid., 129). |
AuthorAriel
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Reference
Jin, Dal Yong, and Woongjae Ryoo. “Critical Interpretation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics.”
Popular Music and Society 37, no. 2 (2014): 113-131.
Popular Music and Society 37, no. 2 (2014): 113-131.