The Korean Wave Hits American Shores February 2, 2012

So apparently Girls’ Generation performed on David Letterman last night, and Live! with Kelly this morning.

Wait, WHAT?

For those who aren’t familiar with American television those are two very mainstream talk shows (one airs in the morning, the other late at night). Maybe it’s because I’ve been living under a rock or something, but wow, I did not see this coming. It’s not just Girls’ Generation either, as apparently the Wonder Girls are getting their own fictional movie about their quest for fame in New York on Nickelodeon (a cable network that airs content made specifically for children to teens). Oh, and it airs tomorrow evening. It certainly looks to one heck of a swell to me.

Now I don’t really have much interest in Kpop, as one could probably surmise seeing as this is the first time I’ve ever even mentioned it here, but it would certainly be a neat thing to see the Kpop girl groups catch on here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., if for nothing more than to bring Asian pop music more into the general consciousnesses. Even if just to the point where the possibility of stateside concerts not tied to some type of cultural event is actually a feasible option.

Realistically speaking, though, the Kpop and Jpop girl groups are miles apart in terms of sound and image. In their performance on David Letterman Girls’ Generation comes off as mature, stylish and sexy. This is what flies in America. Morning Musume, for example goes for cute (not saying that they can’t do sexy too, but more generally speaking). Here in the states it’s hard to market anything aggressively cute to anybody other than young girls. More damning though, is the fact that Girls’ Generation can manage to sing in fluent English with an American accent. Morning Musume? Notsomuch. The fact of the matter is that Americans simply won’t bother with music they don’t understand, and for better or for worse, Girls’ Generation’s “The Boys” sounds just like any other hip-hop song, save for the fact it’s sung by nine girls who do a darn good job of hiding their South Korean origin.

Then there is just the ugly truth about it all. With the Wonder Girls’ movie airing on Nickelodeon it’s fair to say they might be aimed heavily at the pre-teen crowd. Err… I guess whatever gets their foot in the door, right?

Do I think the Kpop groups will be successful here in the states? I really can’t say. They are well prepared though, more so than I think any attempt before them. Where acts like Pink Lady have failed, Girls’ Generation and the Wonder Girls bring an American friendly image and excellent English skills. No matter how it plays out, it’ll be an interesting set of events to watch for sure.

As for Regis Philbin?

He’s already been swept away by the current 😀