Archives For performance

Well, Hyori has earned her “Comeback” title alright- she’s been absent for… like, what? Four or three years maybe? Since her 4th bad luck album was such a bust, she’s been sort of hovering on our lives as Kpop seemed to rise and leak into the worldwide pop culture subconscious.

Since those days, LOADS of rookie groups have debuted — all trained vocally and in dance ability, which puts them ahead of Hyori. But you know what? Who cares. Hyori is what I wanted Britney to be at some point. I wanted Brit to be well adjusted and charismatic, even if she had gradually lost her voice and, ultimately, her dance ability. One thing I never wanted her to lose was her ability to engage.

Hyori engages with her audience. At the end of her celebratory comeback presentation, she brings back 10 Minutes, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and then she performs U-Go-Girl, with no post at ALL O_O You can hear her laugh while singing through the almost-bare and casual arrangements of the song, while she’s been squirted with water guns. And she tells them (and us) that she’s missed us. Or that’s how I’ve interpreted her bogoshippoyo.

The water gun squirts borders on a wet t-shirt contest, but Hyori is wearing silver leggins throughout the whole show, which really surprises me — I mean, she could’ve been wearing black hot pants like her over-exposed back-up dancers, but she isn’t. She’s actually quite casual through the whole segment until the water squirting gets ridiculous and she laughs. I love that.

Apparently the show lasted nearly 50min?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ySkD-05HpU

Back in 2012, during the CCTV Spring Gala, I was marveled watching Chinese dancer/choreographer Yang Liping (杨丽萍) doing her Peacock Love dance. First, I know it was totally not intended considering how visual a male peacock could be, but I loved that figuratively it was two male peacocks dancing a “dance of love” while literally it was a male and a female. ;P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F54YqlUa60

Then I was shocked that Yang Liping (after I learned her name, of course) was in her 50s. Just looking at the video, I could have thought she was in her late 20s or her 30s. It was definitely a stretch to find her no in her 40s, but her 50s. In a world where people think 30 is too old, I was even more shocked.

CCTV is doing a special these coming weeks, I think she has retired or something? She recently did a Weibo Talk, so I went on a Yang Liping YouTube binge, where I found this fabulous video, and discovered the amazingness that is Dynamic Yunnan (云南印象).

I have often questioned Beyonce’s IT factor [1][2]. Whether her choice of choreography always left me cold, what she chose to belt, and how her music seems to be only dance club friendly having changed very little throughout the past decade. However, even I have to admit she broke down the Super Bowl Halftime show this year.

[iframe src=”https://player.yinyuetai.com/video/player/601468/v_0.swf” width=”480″ height=”334″ /]

via YinYueTai.

I mildly regret she missed her first floor-screen mark there and the black silhouette was all empty when she was a mere step away from it. BUT, she did rock that multiple-screen Beyonce performance quite flawlessly. And then Kelly and Michelle (could handle it~). It was Destiny’s Child’s first ever performance in like- FOREVER. And I’m shocked how little Michelle has changed, while Kelly and Beyonce had put on some- errr~ years on them. They all looked so kick-ass with their toned arms, and it was like high school all over again.

My only wish for the performance was that it could’ve ended before Beyonce played Halo, which seemed quite out of place in the show. But I guess she has to fill those 15 minutes? Maybe that’s why there was a power outage afterwards?

My respect, Beyonce. You’ve earned it.

I’ve watched this performance — specifically this performance — of La Solitudine a few couple of times because I’m astonished by Laura Pausini and Lara Fabian’s voice combination.

A little part of me regrets never attending a Laura Pausini concert. I love Pausini’s voice, but at the same time most of her songs sound a lot similar to me — like, I can’t tell them apart. I know I should sit myself and just give it all a listen, the same with Lara Fabian’s full discography. Believe, I try to do that as often as I can.

A multicultural music list is brewing in my head.

YouTube recommendations worked for once! I ran into this pretty complete compilation of Brown Eyed Girls throughout the years, since their beginnings in 2006. As you may know or not, I discovered BEG from Abracadabra [1] and didn’t appreciate their first two albums completely — I liked them, but just liked them — until my trip to Taiwan when I spent most of my highway time listening to them.

However, I haven’t actually bothered to look for Brown Eyed Girls performances throughout the years, so I was astonished to actually SEE how much they’ve changed physically. I knew that JeA, Miryo… and specially Narsha had talked about the things they got done, as they often point out the struggle GaIn had to go through for not accepting to undergo whatever their label wanted her to go through. I had seen the photos and some of the old music videos, but to actually see them perform and SEE — it’s shocking.

I also respect their honesty on the subject.

I’m also SHOCKED at the part where Miryo kinda reminded me of Bibi, with the hair and the geeky getup, included geeky glasses and all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8mmM6JJ4LE

I got the album overnight, and I have listened to it a couple of times. I’m beginning to really dig the instrumentalization and the ending of While You’re Sleeping, but I’m still surprised JeA (and her engineer) is choosing to do all her air intakes with the microphone so close to her mouth that you listen to it all. I could maybe understand it if it was only the live version, but it’s also on the album… which is all the more noticeable.

In all honesty, I had a lot of Spice Girls fun when it happened, but the best part of the whole thing will ALWAYS be this animated GIF. Thank you forever and always, Lainey.
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The Apocalypse came and went, and we made it through to live one more Christmas. I love Christmas music (so sue me!) — and Americans have the best cheesiest Christmas music that makes you all cheery and bright. The classics are unbeatable by newer songs (except for NSYNC’s Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays [MV]). Some of my favorites are Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (the Rosemary Clooney version she did for the Rosie O’Donnell Xmas special), Here Comes Santa Claus (the Disney parade version), Do You Hear What I Hear, Sleigh Ride (either the Disney version or the Billy Gilman + Charlotte Church duet), Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Last Christmas (ok, not so ‘classic’ xD) — DISNEY WAS MY LIFE!

… and of course, Jingle Bell Rock~

So here is SunnyHill performing the song and wishing us Merry Christmas :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

If you visit the site regularly (or just happened to pop by), make this a Christmas miracle and fill the comment section.

Just like I would say in Spanish… “uff, temazo”

This year, Colombian music really threw me off with a few couple of tracks. Monsieur Perine is one of those new groups. Their sound is infectious, taking me into the world of Sylvain Chomet’s Triplettes of Belleville. xD

Exciting things are going to be happening in the musica latina scene, it feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWK-4a7J31M

https://youtu.be/dJOMq5vRFcE

Korea has a show called Immortal Song that basically pits popular singers performing songs of a selected theme/singer/era in front of the audience made out of people who listened to that type of music. Think of it as a show where you would gather the likes of Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, sprinkled with a few picks like Demi Lovato and whoever people think are good vocalists nowadays, and having them competing against each other in things like “Themes from the 80s” and having all of them battle (A vs. B) with a song performance to move onto the next battle.

Once a week. Yeah, impossible to do in America.

But so good for ratings, no? Could you imagine? I would pay money to see Christina Aguilera vs. battling with Britney Spears — not a duet, a performance battle. Simon, get to it.

ANYWAY, I completely digress.

Brown Eyed Girls member JeA has been on the show’s newest season, and though she lost her battle — T_T — the second half of her performance is pure perfection. She started off breathing too much into her microphone, but once the high notes began, she seemed to have gotten her footing and by the time she had to deliver those whispery notes… it was too much.

JeA is singing The Winter Rain Falls (겨울비는 내리고) by Kim Bum Ryong (김범룡), in honor of this week’s 80’s songwriter theme.