torstai 8. heinäkuuta 2010

Artist's Corner Week 27: Brown Eyed Girls (BEG)



Why did I choose to do a group made up of almost-and-over-30-ish-"oldies"? Partly because their still damn good at making music, and partly because of a recent lucky encounter I had with a group of BEG cosplayers at a convention.Suffice to say, I was deeply impressed by their skill and conviction to pull off the ABRACADABRA-effect, even reproducing the original costumes with painstaking care and learning every small movement of the hip-shaking-choreography that is ABRACADABRA.

The Brown Eyed Girls (henceforth known as BEG) were "formed" already in 2003, when the first group member Jea went around and hunted for the other members herself, until she found rapper Miryo and high-school friend Narsha. The youngest member of the group, Ga-In, was later added through company auditions. Since they were formed 7 years ago, all of the members are considered to be "old idols", with Narsha being the oldest at 30, and Ga-In the youngest at 25. To compare, Yoona of SNSD was is 20, and during her debut she was still in her teens.

BEG released their first ballad-oriented album "Your Story" in 2006, which was mildly received commercially. Their second album, "Leave Ms.Kim", had a more dance-oriented approach, however due to the release of "Tell Me" by the Wonder Girls coincidentally, it too didn't fare too well. However their first mini-album in 2008, L.O.V.E., was a great success, with the title track "With LOVE" reaching first place in billboards throughout South Korea. Capitalizing on their new-found success, BEG hit their fans with another mini-album," My Style", at the end of 2008, which also became a hit.

In July of 2009, the group released their third album, Sound G, which was a more synth-oriented approach compared to their earlier albums. The title track, Abracadabra, was a hit, and has inspired many parodies as well, including one by male K-pop artists (not for the faint of heart :D). Ga-In is also famous for UNFOURTUNATELY being virtually married/annoyed to 2AM member and hamster Jo Kwon.

Without further ado, the LINKS!

"You" (From My Style)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNffXpb0-jk

"How come?" (My Style)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1Tg0uJf6F0&feature=related

"Abracadabra"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UfrV-hAiU

"Sign"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9piskaSt6Y&feature=related

ABRACADBRA PARODY (NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, CAN BE LETHAL :D. Includes Highpitched hamster Jo Kwon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGn_wttkzI0