M!Countdown was an explosive event this week. With debut stages for 2NE1 and 4Minute, a comeback stage for Jewelry, and all this before Lady GaGa performed ‘Just Dance‘ in what is the first performance of a foreign artist on mainstream music shows that I know of [feel free to correct me]. I’m not trying to report on this, so why am I posting this, only to point you to various other sites where you can read about it? The reason is, that I am talking about Lady GaGa as the perfect crossover artist for Korea. The question I put to you is:
Lady GaGa as a ‘Crossover Artist’
I’ll admit that I’ve only been following Lady GaGa since she came to Korea recently to promote her album, but I’ve already decided that she would be the perfect ‘Crossover Artist‘ for the Korean market. We all know about the numerous Korean artists currently trying to make it big in the US, but what about an American trying to do the same over here? Going on what I’ve seen reported online and on the news here, she’s got quite a following and her music style seems to fit the current trend – heavy beat, catchy pop. Let’s look at some of the things that make her a good choice:
Her Music Style
Her most popular songs, and especially ‘Just Dance‘ that she performed at Mnet M!Countdown and that you can see below, are all all powerful dance numbers which are in fashion right now. They all share a strong beat, with sharp vocals and some good synth work. You only have to look at the other girl groups that are performing these days to see that she could step right in and not have to alter her style.
She admitted in an interview that she wished she could speak Korean, so we know that a full song in Korean is out of the question, but I would never promote that idea anyway, much in the same way that I like BIG BANG releasing English songs for their Japanese promotions. She could easily get away with re-releasing ‘Just Dance‘ or ‘Poker Face‘ with a guest vocalist. Now, this is actually the main reason behind this post, but you’ll have to wait until further down to hear who I think those guests should be.
Her Clothing Style
It is nothing, if not a little strange. Everything she wears seems to be a bit extreme and she’s rarely spotted in anything normal. Considering the current trend of artists to wear crazy bright colors on clothes that look like a cross between Halloween leftovers and rejects from a time that I don’t know, her extravagance seems to fit right in.
Korea has it’s fair share fashionistas such as G-Dragon and Lee Hyori, so while her style is definitely her own, she could stand toe-to-toe with any of them. In fact, it might be difficult finding artists who can match her style and attitude on stage.
Who Should She Team Up With?
I’ll admit that I do have a bit of a BIG BANG bias and so the reason for my mind going where it did initially should be understandable.
- G-Dragon seems to be like an obvious choice. His fashion sense has never been boring and he’s always willing to go that extra mile to make himself stand out from the crowd. I can see him adding some free flowing lyrics to her chorus and having his own little solo in the middle.
- TOP is another choice and perhaps a better one. GD has stage presence but TOP has some physical presence that might make him more able to match Lady GaGa with her high heels.
- A lot of people are talking about CL of 2NE1 and Lady GaGa doing some collaborative work, but I’m just not sure that she’s got the experience yet.
Now It’s Over to You
I’ve done my bit and said everything I wanted to, so now I leave it to you to leave a comment with your opinions on whether or not you would like to see Lady GaGa release in Korea, and who you’d like to see her work collaboratively with. Comment away!.
