Discussions

The music video for sexy single “You Know” on Jay Park’s 2015 rap album WorldWide, integrates a combination of provocative lyrics, sexy choreography, and foreign locations to tell a “bad boy” narrative. This analysis will discuss how Jay Park attempts to build authenticity through emphasis on male gaze, sexual objectification, and criminality to capitalize on the “bad boy” image associated with hip hop culture.

The lyrics of “You Know” tells a narrative of a man who calls a girl late at night because he desires sex, making it clear that the relationship is no strings attached, asserting the dominant male/submissive female concept of the MV. Through the abundance of half naked women surrounding the rappers in the MV, we can see the voyeuristic treatment of women bodies, common in Western hip-hop music videos. As stated by Cedarbough, the movements of the women “serve the overwhelming focus of promoting the artist (Cedarbough 2016: 258). Therefore, the women are given the same hair style and clothing, stripping them of individuality, focusing on their bodies role of making Jay Park look more “bad-ass”, enhancing the authenticity of the MV.

The reoccurring bad boy aesthetic flowing throughout the video, is also authenticated through sexual objectification of the women in the MV, including objectifying K-pop idol Hyuna. The limited screen time on Hyuna throughout the video is essentially used as a prop. Despite being talented and one of the major “sexy” icons in Korean pop culture, we can see how the MV uses Lin and Rudolf’s concept of “dollification”, defined as “a way the fantasy narrative of women being objectified into petty, sexy-yet-submissive, nonthreatening dolls in K-pop” (Lin and Rudolf 2017: 31), on Hyuna to build on the bad boy dynamic of the MV. The way Hyuna is sitting on the edge of the bed, innocently curled up in a shielding state, while Jay Park sits confidently on the opposite end of the bed, places her in the compliant role. However, as mentioned by Epstein and Joo “exposed legs operate as consumer fetish, encouraging desires to both gaze at and posses the “perfect” body (Epstein and Joo 2012: 8), so not is Hyuna used to portray the female in the lyrical narrative; an object of a sexual fantasy for the male to claim, but also as the ideal woman that men desire.

Since style is an integral factor in contemporary hip-hop culture, Hare and Baker argued that style is used to impose hierarchies by “using commodities to claim the cultural terrain” (Hare and Baker 2017: 2). “You Know” MV incorporates “commodities” such as an entourage of women, well-known underground rappers, gang-affiliated activity, money and expensive jewellery as an important marker of hip hop authenticity” (Ibid: 5). Yet, an interesting point in this video is the use of a foreign space rather than a Korean backdrop. Throughout the video we can see influence more commonly linked with western hip hop culture mentioned earlier. However, in many scenes we see Chinese imagery such the cheongsam (high-neck red dresses), the lanterns, fans, paintings decorated in the room they occupy in many scenes as well as the game of mah-jong the rappers are playing are all cultural aspects that aren’t Korean. Why use other Asian influences in addition to hip hop cultural elements on the MV?

Since cultural hybridization between Western universalism and Asian exoticism is pivotal in attracting transnational audiences, the incorporation of foreign elements decreases “cultural odor” therefore, increasing interest of Korean viewers by presenting them with visuals that are not simply Korean or a copy of Western products. However, the use of a foreign space can be used to not only gather interest among domestic viewers and increase authenticity of the male hip hop bricolage, by stylistic features the “thug life” (i.e gambling, promiscuity, drug deals, etc..), but it can possibly be a way to separate the delinquency of Western hip-hop culture from Korean hip-hop culture.

Cedarbough, Saeji T. “Cosmopolitan Strivings and Racialisation: The Foreign Dancing Body in Korean Popular Music Video.” In Korean Screen Cultures: Interrogating Cinema, TV, Music and Online Games, edited by Andrew David Jackson and Colette Balmain. 257-92. Oxford: Peter Lang Publishers. 2016.

Epstein, Stephen J., and Rachael M. Joo. “Multiple Exposures: Korean Bodies and the Transnational Imagination.” The Asia Pacific Journal 10, no.1 (2012): 1–24.

Hare, Sarah, and Andrea Baker. “Keepin’ It Real: Authenticity, Commercialization, and the Media in Korean Hip Hop.” SAGE Open 7, no.2 (2017): 1-12.

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.

 

Literature application by Mishelle Liu

From his days as a member in the idol group 2pm, Jay Park came a long way to becoming the entrepreneur he is now. What differentiates him from the majority of performers in the popular music industry in Korea, is his cultural identity and his ability to “crossover” (Snorton 2015: 349). The term cross over “a piece of music can be made to appeal to people who would normally not find it interesting” (Ibid.), while a certain type of music will have its target audience, by crossing over, one can make their work appeal to new audiences. The shift in his music style, from typical idol group production to his hip hop and R&B solos, shows how crossing over allowed him to gain new fans while at the same time still appeal to his original fan base.

Hip hop music is a genre in which “authenticity articulates with regulatory discourses on racial purity,” thus, while “’real artists’ and fans are presumed to have experienced its lyrical content matter”, but at the same “music is instrumentalized as a form of racial nationalism” (Ibid., 351). With his American education and background, Jay Park’s journey as an artist in the social context of contemporary Korea is a combination of two cultures and a clash of music genres. To make hip hop music from niche to mainstream for korean audience, he first explores the possibilities of this market from the point of view of a successful idol group, then moves on to seeking possibilities of bringing to his audience more controversial and authentic content. What makes his experience stands out is the stereotypes that regulates the industry.

In conclusion, to Jay Park, there was the struggle to overcome stereotypes in both America and Korea. The difficulty to be recognized internationally as a hip-hop artist for someone with his background goes without saying.

Snorton, Riley. “Dark Cosmos: Making Race, Shaping Stardom.” In The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, edited by Andy Bennett and Steve Waksman. 346-60. Washington D.C.: SAGE publications Ltd, 2015.

Video Analysis “Joah” by Mishelle Liu

“Joah” was a song written and performed by Jay Park, produced by Cha Cha Malone released in 2013. This song, compared to his recent works, has quite the contrast to his current star image. Rather than the daring artist that we all know, “Joah” is a more typical K-pop idol’s love song, one that fans would smile while listening to. To capture the warm feeling of having someone you like, the title and the main theme is “좋아”, Korean for “to like”. This simple word play gives Korean audiences a clear definition of the song’s content while also making it easy to pronounce for English speaking audiences. Aside from a few simple phrases, the lyrics are mainly Korean. This is a song that expresses how much one absolutely loves everything about his lover, showing his feelings of joy when he thinks about her and promising her that she will be his one and only.

The sweet melody and warm instrumental all creates a lovey-dovey atmosphere. The music quality that the brass band brings makes this a very old-school, warm feeling song. The music video, which was shot in Seattle, features Jay as the main character and a girl that he likes as the heroine. The warm hues of the scenery bring the audience a pleasant feeling. Throughout the video, setting changed from day to night, locations were all over Seattle: from streets to a dance studio, and then to a romantic ocean side bench. To create a boy next door, easy going looks, his outfits varied from simple denim jackets, flannels, to sporty jumpsuits featuring the Seattle SuperSonics. He looked like your typical school crush. The girl is also dressed in such fashion: simple tee shirt, long hair, innocent and friendly girl-next-door look. In most scenes we can see these two walk side by side, while Jay Park express in his lyrics how he feels about this girl. In other scenes, we see Jay park hanging out with his friends and dancing in the studio. Knowing his background attending middle school in the states and b-boying, fans will easily associate these scenes with how Jay Park was when he was in school, letting them feel closer to their idol.

Although this song is more expressive of love and the feeling of liking someone than the mainstream Korean culture norms, it reflects more of Jay Park’s American culture influence. As I mentioned before, the lyrics are mostly sung in Korean, however, the chorus phrases and simple sentences are written in English. Most of these are very blunt, such as “Stay with me forever and ever baby please”, and “I want you and I need you, don’t ever leave my side”. This hybridization of English and Korean language helps to convey to a local audience a western culture social setting. It presents “the contemporary K-pop trend of mixed lyrics that illustrates the playfulness accompanying the convergence of multilingual ingredients” (Jin and Ryoo 2014: 128).

While his works nowadays looks vastly different from “Joah”, Jay Park’s more approachable side is still evident in his work such as “Sexy 4 Eva”. To appeal to his previous fans from his days in 2pm and his later gained audience since his transformation to a solo artist and entrepreneur, we can see how the different types of music that he produces will continue to help him gain popularity and recognition as a well-rounded artist.

“박재범 JAY PARK –’좋아 Joah’ .” Youtube video, 4:05. Posted by “JAY
PARK,” April 9, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=rMtCJC39SqU

Jin, Dal Yong, and Woongjae Ryoo. “Critical Interpretation of Hybrid
K-Pop: The Global- Local Paradigm of English Mixing in
Lyrics.” Popular Music and Society 37, no. 2 (2014): 113-31.

In the 2016 article “Cosmopolitan Strivings and Racialisation: The Foreign Dancing Body in Korean Popular Music Video.”, Saeji Cedarbough argues three main categories of cosmopolitan strivings visible through the incorporation of foreign bodies into K-pop music videos; authenticity, atmosphere and sexuality (Cedarbough 2016: 268). I will use atmosphere and sexuality to discuss the ways in which Jay Park uses foreign bodies in his MV, appreciating culture rather than appropriating cultures. Cedarbough states that “the presence of dancing bodies demonstrates the group/singers star wattage, sends a message of inclusion (one world, enjoying together) and situates the video in transnational context.” (Ibid: 273). Jay Parks recent MV for single “V” is a perfect example of this. Jay park incorporates women from multiple different countries and nationalities in his MV, sending the message “that he supports/embraces other cultures and does not discriminate, while also increase his “star power” or global popularity.

Sexuality of foreign bodies in K-Pop tends to be a way K-Pop artist objectify foreign women, through, as Cedarbough mentioned, hypersexualizing them stimulate interest and attract more views. These women tend to be used as props rather than love interests in these MVs and as argued by Cedarbough play the role of neither the love interest nor the sexual desire of the K-pop star in focus. Jay Park deviates from this common use of foreign women by having MV where a African-American woman such as in “Me Like Yuh” or a Latina woman such as in “Hulk Hogan” or a plethora of different woman in “V” are the love interest of Jay Park, rather than an sex object to make him look better, deviating away from the standard use of foreigners in K-Pop or hip-hop music videos. Therefore, all though there are many MVs where foreign bodies are used merely as prop to gain authenticity, Jay Park in many ways incorporates foreigners, especially Black and Latino individuals in his MVs to appreciate them rather than appropriate, and by doing so actually gains recognition and authenticity.

 

Cedarbough, Saeji T. “Cosmopolitan Strivings and Racialisation: The Foreign Dancing Body in Korean Popular Music Video.” In Korean Screen Cultures: Interrogating Cinema, TV, Music and Online Games, edited by Andrew David Jackson and Colette Balmain. 257-92. Oxford: Peter Lang Publishers. 2016.

Video Analysis by Jean Kyna Baltazar

Jay Park’s 12th digital single “Solo” (featuring Hoody) was produced by Cha Cha Malone in 2015. The music video was directed by Jinooya Park, who has worked closely with Jay Park numerous times, and also with other Korean idols such as WINNER, Taemin of SHINee and Ten of NCT. “Solo” is a song about a man who wishes to date this girl, but she is unsure of his sincerity. The cinematography and the setting bring life to the lyrics, more specifically the different aspects of Jay Park’s life.

“Solo” music video is a departure from Park’s usual high-budget music videos. The majority of the video consists of raw footages of Jay Park impressing the shy photographer, played by Kim Jangmi of Heart Signal, hoping that she is single. In their first meeting (0:35), the director focuses out for about five seconds, then quickly pans the camera to Jay Park and his staff walking away from the check-in counter in the hotel and focuses in to Park taking another glance at her. Instead of using a professional camera for this scene, the director opted out for a handheld camera to make their interaction appear more candid, which ties in with the song’s theme. The amateur footages of Park’s off-cam life juxtapose his flashy celebrity life. Aside from the romantic scenes, the video also features a few scenes of Jay Park hanging out with his staffs, Loco, and Tablo at the airport before flying to New York. In the next scenes, we see him helping out the photographer with her luggage and giving her a towel after their workout, proving his sincerity and dedication towards her “ain’t puppy love” (3:01). The lines, “and if you want to, I’ll retire right away”, further confirm my point that he is serious with his feelings for her (3:24). These scenes show us that Jay Park is any other guy out there: he goofs around his colleagues, for instance, him diving onto the ground at the airport upon seeing Tablo and Loco; or he turns into a shy boy whenever he is around her. As opposed to the scenes where he has hair done and “work” clothes on for the photoshoot, Park is seen acting professional, although he secretly looks at her lovingly or goes near her when no one is looking.

The stunning skyscrapers, the bustling streets of New York, and the beautiful scenery overlooking the iconic Brooklyn bridge perfectly set the mood. Having scenes of Park singing the lyrics or the two leads together alone allows the audience to focus on the romance.

The artificiality of the sets allows the performers to wield authority over the space by breathing life into the space through their physical presence and dance. Hence, they do not exist in, nor compete with, a “real” place or natural environment that could undercut their primary agency in the mise-en-scene. (Unger 2015: 37)

Yet, we see Park bidding his leading lady a goodbye around the other staffs and people passing by in the sidewalk (4:05-20). The scene implies that they did not end up being together, unlike in fan-idol movies or dramas, while it also suggests that celebrities get the same experiences as ordinary people do, in this case, a heartbreak. Throughout the video, Jay Park keeps on distancing himself his role as an idol to clearly communicate that he “does not wish to be identified in terms of the virtual self it implies” (Auslander 2015: 326). He wants the photographer to see him as a guy wanting to date her for real, unlike some top stars who play around with women. By adding the VHS video camera feel to certain scenes makes it easier for to the viewers to view the artist Park as the human Park in this video. Therefore, “Solo” is about being honest, and the director effectively communicates the essence of the song by choosing the right cinematic techniques and right location sites.

Bibliography

“박재범 Jay Park – Solo (Feat. Hoody) Official Music Video.” Youtube video, 4:45. Posted by “JAY PARK,” October 2, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4POUDVKNXVI

Auslander, Philip. “Everybody’s in Show Biz: Performing Star Identity in Popular Music.” The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, edited by Andy Bennet and Steve Waksman. 317-331. Los Angeles: SAGE reference, 2015.

“Jay Park – Solo (Feat. Hoody).” colourcodedlyrics. https://colorcodedlyrics.com/2015/10/jay-park-solo/ (accessed 12/1/18).

Unger, Michael A. “The Astoria of Presentation: Deconstructing the Genre of K-pop Girl Group Music Videos in South Korea.” Journal of Popular Music Studies 27, no. 1 (2015): 25-47.

Literature Application by Jean Kyna Baltazar

“A star is not always a star – he or she performs other routines that define him or her in different ways in other contexts.” (Auslander 2015: 319). For Auslander, musicians must adhere to the set behaviours and values associated with the “genre context they achieved success [in]” in order to achieve stardom (2015: 329). In the case of Jay Park, he used to be an idol, then eventually ventured out into the South Korean hip-hop scene after he established his own record label AOMG. By creating AOMG, he can not only take creative control over his releases but also distance himself from his past as an idol and embrace his new roles as an artist and an entrepreneur.

According to Goffman, “‘role distance [] involves “effectively” expressed pointed separateness between the individual and his putative role.’” (Ibid., 326). Unlike idols, Park does not totally separate his musical persona from his professional persona. Auslander observes that hip-hop artists attribute their success as business people to “present themselves as having come from the streets and beaten up the music industry at its own game.” (Ibid., 327). Consistently producing high-quality content for fans and at the same running a business is not an easy feat. Park is required to perform two roles for the past five years. In a business setting, he must be more serious in making crucial decisions for the company. Whereas as an artist, he is allowed to show his “real” self although he is still expected to be professional at work. Through his excellent skills and hard work, Park became the first-ever Asian American artist signed with Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s own record label, in July 2017.

Bibliography

Auslander, Philip. “Everybody’s in Show Biz: Performing Star Identity in Popular Music.” The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, edited by Andy Bennet and Steve Waksman. 317-331. Los Angeles: SAGE reference, 2015.

Goffman, E. Encounters: Two Studies in the Sociology of Interaction. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972.

There’s no doubt that K-pop is always closely relating to the liveness, and K-pop artists often create a sense of liveness and engagement through concerts, fan meetings and even music videos. As Kim points out: some K-pop music videos utilize a Broadway-style stage to create a unique scene of performance, and some other videos employ surrounding audiences to emphasize the liveness. These pre-recorded live performances digitally create a vivid concert, and highlights the theme of the songs and offer viewers a strong visual effect by combing elements from the different culture  (Kim., 113).

The music video of  JoKwon’s “I’m Da One” is another example of creating liveness and visual effects by combing Broadway elements and the scenes of a live performance. At the beginning of the video, JoKwon was preparing for a show behind a curtain with many sequins, which is a distinctive point of Broadway musicals. After the door with retro patterns was opened, JoKwon was standing on the stage in front of a giant scenery and was dancing and singing between a group of dancers with Broadway-style outfits. Several shots in the music videos show the audience screaming, shouting and becoming faint. The layout, costumes, styling, flash and performing in this music videos all create a lifelike live performance. Although the whole scenes in the video are not in Broadway style, there is still a lot of distinct broadway elements. As Kim mentioned, the Broadway elements remind people of a “cultural modality” and an “a unique power” of music. In this situation, when people see this music video,  their memory of  Broadway musical can be refreshed; an impressive exotic visual effect can be imprinted in their mind.

Another music video which employs foreign elements as a mode of presenting live performance and adding force to the theme is BTS’s “No More Dream”. In this music video, BTS members were standing in the corner of the street covered with graffiti and were surrounded by a large group of people dancing, skateboarding and doing bike-riding. BTS members were performing and cheering along with those group of people, and were worn in hip-hop style outfits. These particular setting, live show beside the street and the things which people were doing strongly reflect on American hip-hop culture, which was originated in different ways including rap, graffiti and dance（Watkins., 24). The elements which utilized in this video successfully create a vivid live show via the significant visual effect of hip-hop culture and also strengthen the theme in their album, hip-hop. By watching this video, the remarkable sense of liveness and hip-hop culture can be easily memorized by audiences.

In conclusion, lots of K-pop music videos including “I’m Da One” and “No More Dream” offers a sense of liveness by showing the scene of live performance, and they also emphasize the theme and creating a unique visual effect to the audience by combining elements from various culture.

 

“BTS ‘No More Dream’ Official MV.” YouTube video, 4:49. Posted by “ibighit,” June 11, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBG5L7UsUxA

“JoKwon I’m Da One M/V. ” YouTube video, 5:41. Posted by “ibighit, ” June 24, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWgH0DsD0pQ.

Suk-Young, Kim. K-Pop Live Fans, Idols, And Multimedia Performance. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008.

Watkins, Samuel Craig. Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Boston (Mass.): Beacon Press, 2008.

In many households across the globe, television has been and continues to be a source of information, a link to global affairs, and a medium for entertainment and mass communication. I remember my childhood in China, waking up to 7 a.m. news coming from the living room TV. After coming to Canada, because of the language barrier, neither my mother nor myself were fond of watching local TV programs, instead we would be watching Japanese or Korean dramas from online sources together.

Much of the audiences that used to rely on television in North America has changed their viewing habits, mostly due to emergence of internet-based companies such as youtube, Netflix, Hulu, these options stand as strong competitions to major networks (Lee 2018, 107).

However, South Korean television is not experiencing the same change and shift in its audience’s viewing preferences. Being the TV nation that South Korea is, television’s place in people’s home remain consistent, and internet is merely an add on for “disseminating the entertainment and information already produced and aired by television” (Lee 2018, 107).

The television’s role in contemporary popular culture in South Korea, in comparison to our smartphones or tabloids, it remains “a prevalent mass medium in the digital age”, for “its simplicity” (Kim 2018, 55). The qualities that it holds, “immediacy and intimacy” (Kim 2018, 54) brings the liveliness of theatre to the privacy of one’s home. Our viewing habits changed largely from the day and age where cable TV channels were initially introduced, 23 years from where the changes began, we notice an uprising trend of a more complex consumer habit: “creating intermedial activities between TV and other platforms”(Kim 2018, 55), multitasking, from tweeting to texting, it all shapes the viewing experience into a larger social activity than what it was before.

TV also function as a medium to distribute and aid the production and circulation of K-pop, programs like “kBS’s Gayo Top Ten” which ran from 1981-1991, and present day music chart shows that continues to be popular such as M Countdown, Music core, Music Bank, and Ingigayo (Kim 2018, 58). This type of programs are widely popular in Korea although they don’t have much presence in North America nowadays. The reason behind is the “demand for live performance” in order to satisfy “the desire for the visual mark of authenticity.” (Kim 2018, 72).

In conclusion, South Korean television industry still holds the key to people’s hearts. The simplicity of the experience it provides allow for immediate and intimate connection to its audience. This trend will likely continue for its ability to combine multiple functions together and the social influence it holds, it is harder to be replaced than the Western counterparts.

 

Lee, Jin-Kyung. “Visualizing and Invisiblizing the Subempire: Labor, Humanitarianism, and Popular Culture across South Korea and Southeast and South Asia.” Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 23 No.1 (2018):95-109.

Suk-Young, Kim. K-Pop Live: Fans, Idols, and Multimedia Performance. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2008.

Korean pop is without a doubt one of the most popular music genres in the world. Korean idols such as G-Dragon, CL, Jay Park, and Taeyang have all been successful domestically and internationally, but where does all this success come from? The answer to this is plain and simple, the fans. The power that the fans is enough to dictate the direction of how much success or failure a Korean idol has during their career.

The fans are the main sources of income for Korean idols by their contribution of following them on social media, buying their music, and attending their concerts. Therefore, this allows Korean stars to take part in TV shows, advertisements, and receive sponsorship deals from big branded companies. According to James Turnbull, “it is only logical to hire celebrities with the widest possible fanbase”, which shows how important it is for Korean idols to maintain and attract more fans (Turnball 2017: 129). In addition, Korean idols do not make a lot of money from their entertainment companies because they must pay a “break even” (SBS PopAsia HQ 2018). According to an article by SBS PopAsian HQ from January 29^th, 2018, a break even is when “all the money earned by its idols go towards paying back all the money invested in them, such as training, food, accommodation, staff, and production of MVs”. Based on this information, it shows that Korean stars don’t make a lot of money until they’ve fully paid back their entertainment companies, which is why it’s important for them to have a large fan base to receive offers from talk shows, advertisements, and sponsors to be more financially stable.

However, fans can also damage a Korean idol’s career by starting scandals, which sometimes causes them to be removed from entertainment companies, advertisements, sponsorship deals, and TV shows. Scandals can range from plagiarism, relationship rumors, and illegal activities to bring down an idol’s reputation. According to The Chosun Ilbo, Baek Ji-Young had her sex tape leaked on the internet with her former manager, which caused her not to be broadcasted on TV anymore because “a producer told me that it would be hard for me to appear on TV again” due to the huge disappointment from the fans. This goes to show how much of an impact scandals can have on an idol’s career.

To prevent scandals and secure their large fanbase, an “idol will do everything, anything for the fans because that’s the only reason for them to exist” (CBC News 2018). Therefore, Korean idols would host meet and greets, post fan appreciation threads on their social medias, taking pictures with them and much more. In addition, Korean idols must always act in a professional way because the little things can stir problems, which leads to scandals.

In conclusion, fans have a lot power in determining how much success or failure a Korean idol has during their career. Therefore, it’s important for Korean idols to  please their fanbase because they determine their success and their financial stability in the K-pop industry.

SBS PopAsia HQ. “How much money a K-pop idol makes (according to a former K-pop idol).” SBS, Jan. 29, 2018. https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2018/01/29/how-much-money-k-pop-idol-makes-according-former-k-pop-idol.

The Chosun Ilbo. “Baek Ji-Young Smiles Again After Six Years After Sex Scandal.” Chosun, May. 19, 2006. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2006/05/19/2006051961009.html.

Turnbull, James. “Just beautiful people holding a bottle: the driving forces behind South Korea’s love of celebrity endorsement.” Routhledge Taylor & Francis Group, Vol. 8, No.1 (2017): 128-135.

Wong, Jessica. “The punishing pressures behind K-pop perfection.” CBC News, Feb. 24, 2018. https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/kpop-hard-life-1.4545627.