From exotic TV series to EXO-tic popular music

To live your emotional life through music and TV-series.

Many of us use TV movies, series, and music as a substitute for our own dull or gloomy lives. We may not on a daily base express ordinary, strong emotions, but can live through the spectrum of emotions via music and films. Psychologically, it is important that we have these channels of expression, but it is not enough. We also need this whole repertoire of emotions and reaction possibilities in our own lives!

Five years ago, my family and I were so tired of American quality series on Netflix, HBO and C-More that “we took a Spanish one”. (that is an expression in Norwegian language meaning to do something not entirely accepted or legal. Here it has a double meaning referring to Spanish TV- series. ) So we started watching several Spanish series, one Belgian and two Dutch. We listened to all the series and films in the original language, respectively, Spanish, Dutch, and Flemish. We had Norwegian subtitles below.

Eastwards towards the Bosphorus and Istanbul

Then one day we became a little more exotic, and went to Turkey, to the series Kördügüm «Interception». We learned to say “günaydın”, good morning, “teşekkür ederim “, thank you very much, and” tamam “, okay, “evet,” yes, and “hayir”, no. And not least, we learned to like the music. ‘¨

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Opening scene in “Interception”, in Italy, where this man in a minute must be resuscitated by the doctor below ,. His friend in the red car is extremely impressed and fascinated by this female doctor Naz. (Screenshot from the film)
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The character Naz, in “Interception” .played by Belçim Bilgin, Netflix photo
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Kördügüm’s main charcters played by Ibrahim Celikkol, Belçim Bilgin, and Alican Yücesoy.

We go further and further east.

Then after Turkey we became even more exotic and went to Palestine and Israel. But the journey did not stop there either, it became even more exotic! We traveled all the way to Korea in the late 1800’s, with the series “Mr.Sunshine”. It is about the tense relationship between Korea and Japan at the time, and the complicated love affair between the rich man’s daughter Go Ae-Shin, and the slave boy Eugene Choi!

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Photo captured from VG-TV Guide

Through this series, we really got our ears and eyes open for beautiful melodic Korean music. In a northern European tradition, most people will probably call this music overly romantic in the cultural meaning of the word. That is dramatic, passionate and yes, ordinary romantic. But if you dare to be a little on edge with heart, pain, loss, sorrow, envy, longing, even hatred. Then you also hear how amazingly beautiful the music and songs are in this context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQwe47jXQs

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Actors Byun Yo-Han, Kim Tae-Ri, Lee Byung-Hun, Byun Yo-Han, Kim Min-Jung, Kim Min- (photo from campus Connection)

From Chopin to Chen

In the afternoon I was still in Norway and Europe and played Chopin, Geir Tveitt and a little Shostakovitch on the piano. But throughout the night I looked up Korean, more specifically South-Korean k-pop, newer R&B, retro pop-rock, and melodic lighter music. One late night I came across the songwriter and the amazing singer Chen, and experienced something of the same as when we saw the series “Mr. Sunshine “:Very beautiful melodies, coral harmonic sounds, beautiful moods, and a singer with a very good voice. The songs I liked best were from Chen’s album “April and a flower”, with a seemingly Norwegian wooded mountain landscape on the cover.

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Song writer and singer Chen, by Krishna Shroff

Whether this young South-Korean sang “Portrait of You”, to his young wife or newborn son, is not known and does not matter. The music is very well and made and beautiful, and has varying melodic themes from an opening A-theme, to a main B-theme and often C and D themes, even sometimes an E, ending back on the main B-theme. Here is “Portrait of You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-OooTyBLxw

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Cover of the Album “April and a flower”, captured by Wikipedia

The same high quality goes for this live recording of “Sorry not Sorry”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPn65m0OGOc

EXO shows up.

Eventually I found out that Chen was also a driving force in the song group EXO, which started little by little in 2012. Now they are eight or nine guys, and look almost like they have just become teenagers. But they sing, dance and make songs and concert shows so spectacular, that one would think they had never done anything else in their young lives. They work very hard, everyone is solo artists as well, and have a discipline that is not unknown to Koreans in general, nor South-Koreans.

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EXO some years ago with names of the separate artists, without Lay, by printerest and my sister.

Those who want to check out the various stories of members Chen, Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Xiumin, and Lay, can do so online. (Here is a start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exo_(band) I’m not that concerned about their privacy. Another advantrage or strength of the band is that they performs their art in many different branches of music. They have received very positive reviews for this diversity from music critics. For example they both sing, compose and dance to pop, hip hop and R&B, aswell as Electronic dance music EDM. In addition to all this they produce house, rap, trap, synth-pop and other genres. They perform and release music in Korean, Japanese and Mandarin languages.

Let’s get EXO on stage!

We start the show with a really up tempo happy song! “Lucky One”: Here from a concert in Japan a while ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3gLmNQmnzs

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Screen photo of EXO in action from the concert in Japan.
– Love grief, despair and rage.

Then we continue with a calm song. It’s about the one we love, when she or him has decided to leave us. She or he has written about it on SMS, while we have been busy visiting friends or working on a project in another city. It’s raining, as it always does in movies when something sad is underway. We immediately throw ourselves on the motorcycle, on the train or the bus. Preferably we take the car, driving fast and furiously. While the windshield wipers wipe away the tears of heaven on the windshield, we drive through the night back to our beloved. We beg her or him to stay in the relationship: “Stay,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3mg5oT1Fc

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Screenshot from “Stay” with Hangul and English subtitles.

But it looks like the game is lost. Your heart stings, almost like the beginning of a heart attack. You get desperate, furious, jealous, insane! And this is how the guys in the EXO band, rage over their lost sweethearts: (This is one of their hundreds of songs that I like the most) «Heart Attack» https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxo90RHlGz0.

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From “Heart Attack” video, Screenphoto.

Then the rage is over, the realities sink in, a budding hope of reunion is in the air, the two say goodbye. But when he /she leaves, and gets out in the rain again, the crying comes like a scream. Cause deep down they both know that they will never meet again. Do they both Cry over their lost love? Here Chen, Baekhuyn and Xiumin sing at the big concert in Tokyo. «CRY»: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtpiKUI9Tko

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Chen and Baekhueon’s “Cry” on platforms directly in front of the audience during the giant concert in Japan. (Screenphoto)

A version with Korean Hangul (한글) and English subtitles comes here, where we also see which guy sings what in the song. (These videos are not live, but have a slightly better sound than the live videos, and show the lyrics and who is singing. These videos are available for most of EXO’s songs. https: //www.youtube.com/watch? V = D9-oJasMraY

“Diamond Crystal”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9sJRM_vk9c.

Life consists of waiting.

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Is he the lucky one, waiting for smth good, or the unlucky guy waiting for an operation? EXO D.O in photo.(from an unknown source)

Many of us are waiting for something good. Many are waiting for something to happen. Someone is sitting in the waiting room waiting for the doctor. Others are awaiting surgery, or are currently being quarantined or recovering from corona viruses. Many are waiting to get a boyfriend again. (Does this apply to these guys after the heartache above?). Here is their version of this in “Wait”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlDhySKQojs

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A calm and quiet moment during the Japan concert where six of the nine sing “Wait”

The art of opening and ending a concert:

Who can introduce themselves better an EXO? On the Japan tour they opened the show this way, with “Intro” and “Eve”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdqHigVv-Kk

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“Intro” and “Eve” as the opening of EXO’s concert in Japan. Screenphotos from live video.

And who can end the concert in a more natural, respectful and dignified way with the song, “Don’t go!” Here they have huge rigs with platters that bring them out to all the thousands of spectators who have crowded together to see them. (This is before the corona): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCAOJpZJGwQexo.

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The song “Don’t go” from the Japan tour. Screenphotos from the video.

“The answer is you”

I end the meeting with these eight or nine guys, with three songs. The first is called “My answer”, and addresses directly to “you”. Here, only three of the nine sing. and! The second song is called “Oasis”, from the album “The Planet”, where the whole group is involved. Finally, we turn off the spotlights on these artistic talents, with “Lights Out”.

EXO draws huge crowds of fans from all over Asia. They have not yet been successful in the US, probably because they mostly sing in Korean with titles in English and a couple of English verse lines inside the songs.

If anyone claims a little condescendingly that this is just another sterile boy band, I have not been able to do them justice through this short presentation. Check for yourself if you like any of this. I think if you loosen up a bit on the tie knot, hair hoop, polo shirt or the raised classical music nose, you will find something, no matter which genre you like best. From EDM with wild dance steps and rap, through 80’s retro and quite advanced songs, to thoughts and reflections about the planet we live on:

“My answer”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5jfwPNscYc

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My answer”, performed by Lay, Chen at the grand piano and D.O. (Screen Photo)

“Oasis” (Planet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pegBS1A1V-g

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Raindrop on the background scene in “Oasis” from “The Planet” (screenphoto)

“Lights Out”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riq3L-_aSx0

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We end where we started in South Korea, with Chen singing “Lights Out” under the floodlights that will soon be turned off for this time. (Screen Photo above)

Psychological Universe’s thoughts about such a large and talented band, with many individual singing stars.

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EXO nine individuals and a close-knit and cohesive group, photo from Wikipedia.

When you, as the father of only boys, – two of them very artistic and hard-working, like their friends, who often have filled the living room and the house at parties, you get a kind of fatherly relationship with these boys in EXO as well. You both love them and are proud of their achievements, at the same time a little worried because they always have to be so disciplined, hardworking, well organized, and not least they have to live up to too high expectations!

That eight or nine guys, some of them married and with girlfriends and children, manage to work together as a good team, is also a miracle. But they have the music they love, and we hope they can handle the pressure for a while longer. For such large groups usually disintegrate after a few years. Now, as far as I have read, they have been together since 2012!

It all started with choosing different TV series, from other countries to feel and experience other cultures in images and music.

Watching TV series a little outside of the traditional American and English versions, can take you far away. In our case to the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Turkey via Palestine and Israel Even all the way to “EXO-tical” South-Korea!

When it comes to music, the psychological perspective is first and foremost to see what emotions, images and thoughts arise when you hear a symphony, sonatas, or pop/rock / rap songs. There are often videos on Youtube, so the pictures will not be your own. But where the text, as with Korean, is usually not understood by non-Koreans, it is easier to have your own feelings for what is being presented.

Feelings of vitality and degrees of intensity.

And the question is whether we recognize ourselves in the way it is sung – the melody, the rhythm, the intensity, or the quiet and calm parts. To use the world-famous infant researcher Daniel Stern’s terminology, music and song generate vitality feelings, ie emotions that range from the calmest to the most intense in our world of experience.

BTS: (Check “Extra”, end of article)

Next time I write about music that is not classical, I hope to adjust the balance with a similarly great girl band!
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The South-Korean flag, THE FRONT PAGE PHOTO IS FROM 2016, by Wikipedia.
Additional videos that show this group’s force and strength:

MAMA: This song is about being totally frustrated in the world, deceived, at war, imprisoned, not listened to, alienated, left alone, feeling isolated. Where has love, care, and personal contact gone? Here they seem to be shouting at their mothers, their leaders, somewhat asking WHY on earth have we made such a world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ZyJIrADMk&list=RD80ZyJIrADMk&start_radio=1

WALKING ON MEMORIES: (Japan Concert) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvQZyXw4Xio

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/6lRGSp6vkzCvrHSwqO9Tx6?si=qRSo5nAVRLemQg_PuiZImA

HISTORY. (Chinese version) This is one of their first hits all back to when they started in 2012. This song is very attacking and edgy and seems to refer to warfare, but I’m not sure that’s the theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aqpL_TwiM

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4kD6ouOl6cKXBj6wh1mo82?si=8dlXkYbCSqakbCukFQK7VA

MIRACLES OF DECEMBER: This is a very beautiful melodious song, intended to be a Christmas song. The song shows the eminent voice quality of the soloists in EXO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knAYMEOxe0A

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7HrCnwDvbtCKSZtpNDmII9?si=mklz5VuKSESOn7cDlHG-eg

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 22: Boy band EXO attends the 6th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on February 22, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

EXTRA

July 2021: I am reminded by my Asian friend that at the present BTS is the most popular K- pop band in the world! They have started signing their lyrics in English and gained many more followers after that.

Their catchy songs, and stunning dance moves, thrills the ARMY as their folowers are called. Even talkshows worldwide and on the radio, you can hear;

“Dynamite” https://youtu.be/gdZLi9oWNZg,

“Butter” https://youtu.be/WMweEpGlu_U , and “Permission to dance.” https://youtu.be/CuklIb9d3fI

NB: The suggested articles below have nothing to do with this post. They are put up by an algorithm on WordPress that I can’t or don’t know how to change! There are simply no articles or posts on the Psychological Universe like this one!

Fra eksotiske tv-serier til EXO-tisk musikk

Å leve vikarierende gjennom musikk og serier.

Mange av oss avreagerer vikarierende med tv-serier og musikk. Vi viser kanskje ikke til vanlig, sterke følelser, men kan leve oss igjennom følelsesspekteret via musikk og film. Psykologisk er det viktig at vi har disse kanalene, men det er ikke nok. Vi trenger også hele dette repertoaret av følelser og reaksjonsmuligheter i våre egne liv!

For fem år siden var vi i min familie gått så lei av amerikanske kvalitets serier på Netflix, HBO og C-More at “vi tok en spansk en”. Så ble det flere spanske serier, en belgisk og to nederlandske. Alle seriene og filmene innstilte vi på original språket, henholdsvis, spansk, nederlandsk, og flamsk. Vi hadde norske tekster under.

– Østover mot Bosporos og Istanbul.

Så en dag ble vi litt mer eksotiske, og dro til Tyrkia, til serien Kördügüm «Interception». Vi lærte oss å si “günaydın”, god morgen, “”teşekkür ederim”, tusen takk, og “tamam”, greit, “evet,” ja, og “hayir”, nei. Og ikke minst lærte vi å like musikken.

Opening scene in “Interception”, in Italy, where this man in a minute must be resuscitated by the doctor below,. His friend in the red car is extremely impressed and fascinated by this female doctor Naz. (Screenphoto from the film)
The charactter Naz, in “Interception”.played by Belçim Bilgin, Netflix photo
Kördügüm’s main charcters played by Ibrahim Celikkol, Belçim Bilgin, and Alican Yücesoy.

Vi drar lenger og lenger østover.

Men så etter Tyrkia ble vi enda mer eksotiske og dro til Palestina og Israel. Men reisen stoppet heller ikke der, den ble ytterligere eksotisk! Vi reiste helt til Korea på slutten av 1800 tallet, med serien “Mr.Sunshine”. Den handler om det anspente forholdet mellom Korea og Japan dengang, og det kompliserte kjærlighetsforholdet mellom rikmannsdatteren Go Ae-Shin, og slavegutten Eugene Choi!

Photoe captured from VG-TV Guide

Gjennom denne serien fikk vi virkelig ører og øyne opp for vakker melodiøs koreansk musikk. I en nord-europeisk tradisjon vil nok de fleste kalle denne musikken i overkant romantisk. Men tør man å se kruttsterke jenter og kvinner, og være litt på grinern med hjerte, smerte, savn, sorg, misunnelse, lengsel, ja endatil hat. Da hører man også hvor uendelig gripende vakker musikken og sangene er i denne sammenhengen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwQwe47jXQs

Actors Byun Yo-Han,  ‎Kim Tae-Ri, Lee Byung-Hun , Byun Yo-Han , Kim Min-Jung, Kim Min- (photo from campus Connection)

Fra Chopin til Chen.

Om ettermiddagen var jeg fortsatt i Norge og Europa og spilte Chopin, Geir Tveitt og litt Shostakovitch på piano., Men utover natten lette jeg opp koreansk musikk generelt. Og her fant jeg blant annet melodiøs litt lettere musikk, nærmere bestemt sør-koreansk k-pop, nyere R&B, retro pop-rock.

En sen kveld kom jeg over låtskriveren og den fantastiske sangeren Chen, og opplevde noe av det samme som da vi så serien “Mr. Sunshine”! Svært vakker melodiføring, korall harmoniske klanger, nydelige stemninger, og en sanger med veldig god stemme. De sangene jeg likte best var fra Chens album “April and a flower”, med et tilsynelatende norsk skogkledt fjellanskap på coveret.

Song writer and singer Chen, by Krishna Shroff

Om denne unge sør-koreaneren sang “Portrait of You”, til sin unge kone eller nyfødte sønn, vites ikke og spiller ingen rolle. Musikken er svært godt laget og har et varierende tema fra et typisk intro A-tema til hovedtema B, så til C og ofte også et D tema før sangen avsluttes med en B -variant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-OooTyBLxw

From the Album “April and a flower”, by Wikipedia

Det samme gjelder denne live innspillingen av “Sorry not Sorry”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPn65m0OGOc

EXO dukker opp.

Etter hvert fant jeg ut at Chen også var en drivkraft i sangruppen EXO som startet så smått i 2012. Nå er de åtte-ni stykker, og ser nærmest ut som de ikke er konfirmert engang. Men de synger, danser og lager låter og noen show så spektakulære at en skulle tro de aldri hadde gjort annet i sine unge liv. De jobber beinhardt, alle er visstnok soloartister i tillegg, og har en disiplin som ikke er ukjent for koreanere generelt, heller ikke sør-koreanere.

Exo with names some years ago, without Lay, by printerest

De som vil sjekke de ulike historiene til medlemmene Chen, Suho, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Xiumin, og Lay, kan gjøre det på nettet. Jeg er ikke så opptatt av deres privatliv. Det interessante er at gruppen utøver sin kunst i mange forskjellige musikkgrener. Dette mangfoldet har de fått meget positiv omtale for av musikkritikere. For her synger, komponerer og danser de til pop, hip hop og R&B, sammen med Elektronisk dansemusikk EDM, i tillegg til house, trap, synth-pop og andre sjangere. De opptrer og gir ut musikk på koreansk, japansk og mandarin.

La oss få EXO ut på scenen!

Da starter vi showet med en skikkelig opp tempo glad-låt! «Lucky One»: Her fra en konsert i Japan for en stund siden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3gLmNQmnzs

Screen photo of EXI in action from the concert in Japan.
  • Kjærlighetssorg, fortvilelse og raseri.

Så fortsetter vi med en rolig låt som handler om at den vi elsker vil gå fra oss. Hun eller han har skrevet om det til oss på sms mens vi har besøkt venner eller jobbet i et prosjekt i en annen by.

Det regner som det alltid gjør i filmer når noe leit er under oppseiling, og vi kaster oss på motorsykkelen, på toget eventuelt bussen. Aller helst tar vi bilen, gir bånn gass, og mens vindusviskerene tørker vekk himmelens tårer på frontruten, farer vi gjennom natten tilbake til vår elskede. Vi bønnfaller henne eller han om å bli: ”Stay,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc3mg5oT1Fc

Screenshot from “Stay” with Hanul and english subtitles.

Men det det ser ut som løpet er kjørt. Det stikker i hjertet, nesten som starten på et hjertinfarkt. Du blir fortvilet, rasende, sjalu, vanvittig! Og sånn ser dette ut når gutta i EXO raser over tapt kjælighet. Dette er en av mine favoritter av de nærmere hundre ulike låtene de har laget.

«Heart Attack»: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxo90RHlGz0.

From “Heart Attack” video, Screenphoto.

Så er raseriet over, realitetene synker inn, et gryende håp om gjenforening ligger i luften, de to sier farvel, men da han/ hun går og kommer ut i regnet igjen, kommer gråten som et skrik, For innerst inne vet de begge at de aldri vil møtes igjen. Her synger Chen, Baekhuyn og Xiumin på den store konserten i Tokyo . «Cry» : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtpiKUI9Tko

Chen og Baekhueons “Cry” på platformer rett over publikum under den gigantiske konserten i Japan.(Screenphoto)

En versjon med koreansk Hangul (한글) og engelsk undertekst kommer her, der vi også ser hvem som synger hvilken stemme. (Disse videoopptakene er ikke live, men har litt bedre lyd og viser teksten og hvem som synger. Disse videoene finnes for de fleste av EXOs låter.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9-oJasMraY

“Diamond Crystal” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9sJRM_vk9c.

Livet består av venting.

Is he the lucky one, waiting for smth good, or the unlucky guy waiting for an operation? (from an unknown source) EXO D.O. in pic.

Mange av oss venter på noe godt. Mange venter på at noe skal skje. Noen sitter på venterommet og venter på legen. Andre venter på en operasjon, eller i nå for tiden å komme ut av karantenen eller å bli friske fra korona virus. Mange venter på å få en kjæreste igjen.(gjelder det disse gutta etter hjertesorgen over?). Her er deres versjon av dette i «Wait». https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlDhySKQojs

En rolig og stille stund under Japan konserten der seks av de ni synger “Wait”

Kunsten og åpne og avslutte en konsert:

Hvem kan introdusere seg selv bedre en EXO?På Japanturneen åpnet de showet på denne måten, med «Intro» og «Eve»: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdqHigVv-Kk

“Intro” and “Eve” as the opening of EXO’s concert in Japan

Og hvem kan avslutte konserten på en mer naturlig, respektfull og verdig måte med låta, «Don’t go!» Her har de svære rigger med plattinger som bringer dem ut til alle de tusenvis av publikummere som har trengt seg sammen for å se dem.(dette er før koronaen): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCAOJpZJGwQexo.

Sangen “Don’t go” fra Japan turneen.

«Svaret er deg»

Jeg avslutter møtet med disse åtte- ni gutta, med tre låter. Den første heter «My answer», og henvender seg direkte til «deg». Her er det bare tre av de ni som synger. og! Den andre låten heter «Oasis», fra albumet «The Planet», der hele gruppa er med. Helt til slutt slukker vi lyskasterne over disse kunstneriske talentene, med «Lights Out».

EXO trekker enormt med publikum fra hele Asia. De har ikke gjort suksess i USA, antakelig fordi de stort sett synger på koreansk med titler på engelsk og et par engelske verselinjer inni sangene

Hvis noen påstår litt nedlatende at dette bare er enda et sterilt boyband, har jeg ikke klart å yte dem rettferdighet gjennom denne korte presentasjonen. Sjekk selv hvis du liker noe av dette. Jeg tror hvis du løsner litt på slipsknuten, hårbøylen, pologenseren eller den hevede klassiske nesen, så vil du finne ett eller annet uansett hvilken sjanger du liker best. Fra EDM med ville dansetrinn og rap, gjennom 80 talls retro og ganske avansert oppbygde sanger, til tanker og refleksjoner om planeten vi lever på:

“My answer”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5jfwPNscYc

“My answer”, performed by Lay, Chen at the grand piano and D.O. (Screenphoto)

“Oasis” (Planet): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pegBS1A1V-g

Raindrop on the background scene in “Oasis” from “The Planet” (screenphoto)

«Lights Out»: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riq3L-_aSx0

Vi runder av der vi begynte i Sør-Korea, med Chen som synger “Lights Out” under lyskasterne som snart slukkes for denne gang. (Screenphoto)

Tanker om et så stort og begavet band, med mange individuelle sangstjerner.

EXO nine individuals and a close-knit and cohesive group, photo from Wikipedia.

Når du som far til bare gutter, – to av dem veldig kunstneriske og hardt arbeidende, og deres venner ofte har fylt stuen og huset på fester, får du etslags farsforhold til disse gutta i EXO også. Du blir både glad i dem og stolt av deres prestasjoner, samtidig litt bekymret fordi de alltid må være så disiplinerte, arbeidsomme, velorganiserte, og ikke minst må de leve opp til altfor høye forventninger! At åtte ni karer, noen av dem gifte og med kjærester og barn, klarer å funke sammen som et godt lag, er også et under. Men de har jo musikken som de elsker, og vi håper de klarer presset på seg en stund til. For slike store grupper går vanligvis i oppløsning etter noen år. Nå har de såvidt jeg har lest, holdt sammen siden 2012!

Det begynte med å velge annerledes TV-serier, fra andre land, for å føle og oppleve andre kulturer i bilder og musikk.

Det å sjekke TV serier litt utenom de tradisjonelle amerikanske og engelske, kan også føre deg langt av sted. I vårt tilfelle kom vi til Nederland, Belgia, Spania, Italia og Tyrkia via Palestina og Israel, hele veien til «EXO-tiske» Sør-Korea! Når det gjelder musikk er det psykologiske perspektivet først og fremst å se hvilke følelser, bilder og tanker som dukker opp når man hører symfonien, sonatene, eller pop/rock/rap låtene.

Vitalitetsfølelser og grader av intensitet.

På Youtube er det ofte videoer, så bildene blir ikke dine egne. Men der teksten, som med koreansk, vanligvis ikke forstås av ikke-koreanere, er det lettere å ha egne følelser til det som presenteres. Og spørsmålet er jo om vi kjenner oss igjen i måten det synges på, – melodiføringen, rytmen, intensiteten eller de stille og rolige partiene. For å bruke den verdenskjente spedbarnsforskeren Daniel Stern’s terminologi, musikk og sang genererer vitalitetsfølelser, dvs. emosjoner som spenner fra det roligste til det mest intense i vår opplevelsesverden.

Men neste gang jeg skriver om musikk som ikke er klassisk, må jeg få balanse i kjønnene og finne fram til et tilsvarende supert jenteband!

Det Sør-Koreanske flagget. (over) Forsidebildet av gruppa er fra 2016 og hentet fra Wikipedia.

TILLEGG: Extra videoer som viser gruppens kraft og styrke, men også stemmekvalitet og variasjon:

MAMA: This song is about being totally frustrated in the world, deceived, at war, imprisoned, not listened to, alienated, left alone, feeling isolated. Where has love, care, and personal contact gone? Here they seem to be shouting at their mothers, their leaders, somewhat asking WHY on earth have we made such a world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ZyJIrADMk&list=RD80ZyJIrADMk&start_radio=1

WALKING ON MEMORIES: (Japan Concert) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvQZyXw4Xio

Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/track/6lRGSp6vkzCvrHSwqO9Tx6?si=qRSo5nAVRLemQg_PuiZImA

HISTORY. (Chinese version) This is one of their first hits all back to when they started in 2012. This song is very attacking and edgy and seems to refer to warfare, but I’m not sure that’s the theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-aqpL_TwiM

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4kD6ouOl6cKXBj6wh1mo82?si=8dlXkYbCSqakbCukFQK7VA

MIRACLES OF DECEMBER: This is a very beautiful melodious song, intended to be a Christmas song. The song shows the eminent voice quality of the soloists in EXO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knAYMEOxe0A

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/7HrCnwDvbtCKSZtpNDmII9?si=mklz5VuKSESOn7cDlHG-eg

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 22: Boy band EXO attends the 6th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on February 22, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

NB: The suggested articles below have nothing to do with this post. They are put up by an algorithm on WordPress that I can’t or don’t know how to change! There are simply no articles or posts on the Psychological Universe like this one!