mv analysis of 'lollipop'
Literature
analysis
Jonathan
teo
The song “Lollipop” by Big Bang and 2NE1 is an advertisement for LG’s Lollipop cell phone. However, the more interesting fact about this music video is that it also functions as an advertisement for YG Entertainment’s 2NE1, who have not debuted prior to this song’s release. Big Bang serves as the main endorser for 2NE1. By introducing 2NE1 to the world via a collaboration with a group that possesses as much star power as Big Bang, the public would be more interested to see what 2NE1 has to offer.
Most advertisements in Korea involve celebrity endorsements, therefore employing Big Bang’s star power to introduce 2NE1 through a song allows 2NE1 to share Big Bang’s audience, while potentially gaining some of these fans in the future. Celebrity endorsements make the advertisement more memorable, and as a result, the message is conveyed effectively within a limited amount of time (Turnbull 2017: 129). The fact that an unknown girl group can work together with Big Bang will effectively draw the interest of audiences; by the time 2NE1 officially debuts, they would have already proven themselves to the public and the process of gaining popularity is streamlined.
The music video shows that 2NE1 is not your typical girl group. The interactions between 2NE1 and Big Bang foreshadows 2NE1’s strong yet feminine persona; after G-Dragon cuts off 2NE1’s aegyo style performance in the first 10 seconds of the song by saying: “Nah, that’s not how we do it”, the tone of the song changes to a more mature pop sound. Also, the interactions between male and female in the video does not show 2NE1 adopting the weak, dependant and nurturing persona that is common amongst K-Pop girl groups (Lin and Rudolf 2017: 30). When the two groups perform the dance, there is no element of dominance and submissiveness between male and female; the choreography gives the impression that these people are friends or equals. When Taeyang sings his solo, the short, but intimate choreography with CL does not objectify her; their body language suggests that the romantic interaction is between two equal members of the opposite sex.
When compared to other girl groups, members of 2NE1 express alternate way to be feminine. For example, instead of being dressed in scantily clad clothing, the girls of 2NE1 are adequately clothed without revealing their bare legs or cleavage; compared to Girls Generation who according to scholars Epstein and Turnbull, engage in “behaviours that effectively converts them into ciphers whose existence depends on flattering male desires” (2014: 321). Besides visual elements that set 2NE1 apart, they have managed to show how they differ from other girl groups aurally. Amongst all the solos from members of 2NE1, it the self-proclaimed baddest female, CL’s verse that stood out the most. CL’s verse following TOP’s introduces her as the rapper of the group and establishes her ability when she is able to match the charisma and flow of TOP, who is a more experienced rapper; aurally, CL is 2NE1’s main differentiating factor from other girl groups.
The fact that “Lollipop” managed to top charts in 2009 showed that the masses were ready to accept a girl group that exhibits strong yet feminine qualities and do not rely on hypersexualization or aegyo to succeed. The song and music video manages to foreshadow 2NE1’s role as a group that prioritises empowering female audiences instead of being just another girl group that caters to the desires of male audiences, demonstrating a new approach to femininity within K-Pop.
References:
Epstein, Stephen and James Turnbull. “Girls’ Generation? Gender, (Dis)Empowerment, and K-pop.” In The Korean Popular Culture Reader, edited by Kim Kyunghyun and Choe Youngmin. 314-36. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2014.
Lin, Xi and Robert Rudolf. “Does K-Pop Reinforce Gender Inequalities? Empirical Evidence from a New Data Set.” Asian Women 33, no. 4 (2017): 27-54.
Turnbull, James. “Just Beautiful People Holding a Bottle: The Driving Forces Behind South Korea’s Love of Celebrity Endorsement.” Celebrity Studies 8, no.1 (2017): 128-35.
YG ENTERTAINMENT, “BIGBANG & 2NE1 - LOLLIPOP M/V,” Youtube Video, 3:13, May 15 , 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIRW_elc-rY.
English is the lingua franca of the global entertainment industry, and the K-Pop industry tries to tap into the global scene via the incorporation of English. Jin and Ryoo’s article discusses “the nature of and the extent to which English is employed in K-Pop” (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 113) and whether it “frees K-Pop from Western dominance or oppresses it” (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 114). 2NE1 shows examples of how moderate English use is important for international success.
2NE1 used English for its group name, song titles and its member’s stage names. This makes it easy for English speakers to understand and pronounce. This can be seen as “local cultural products that are fabricated” (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 115) to appeal to Western audiences. However, this is essential if the group wishes to be a household name internationally; using an English name does not diminish their Korean-ness, au contraire, they are able to act as Korean culture brokers to the world when they achieve global fame.
Translating Korean songs into English may seem like a good move to gain global popularity, however 2NE1’s attempt at that shows otherwise. 2NE1 released a fully English version of “Can’t Nobody” which has 13 million views (2NE1 2011) on their official YouTube channel compared to 38 million views (2NE1 2010) for the Korean version. An explanation for this could be that English translations of K-Pop songs are seen merely as “another version of American music” (Jin and Ryoo 2014, 126). Therefore, the best option for 2NE1 was to continue adopting a balanced hybridization of language in their lyrics.
The main takeaway in the case of 2NE1, is that Korean-ness is still valued for global success. The use of English is not meant to oppress Korean-ness, it is merely a means of attracting global audiences.
References:
2NE1. “2NE1 - CAN'T NOBODY (English Ver.) M/V.” Youtube Video, 3:33. April 7, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEabAesufg.
2NE1. “2NE1 - CAN'T NOBODY M/V.” Youtube Video, 3:30. September 11, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihi_kJJj_8A.
Jin, Dalyong and Ryoo Woongjae. “Critical Interpratation of Hybrid K-Pop: The Global-Local Paradigm of English Mixing in Lyrics.” Popular Music and Society 37, no.2 (2014): 113-31.