I am going to need a moment. Maybe even several. I do not believe in coincidences; therefore, I am not going to say that it is coincidental that over the past week I have been musing over the fact that in addition to exploring newer groups as of late, many of those newer groups have been in fact older generation groups/artists that were new to me. Examples would include SHINee, Highlight (Beast), and B.A.P, to name a few. However, one of the older gen groups that has been a mainstay and significant part of my own personal K-pop journey has been MBLAQ. So as I mused, MBLAQ also crossed my mind and in true serendipitous fashion, Boom . . . the Strictly Korean playlist shuffled out as this week’s Playlist Roulette offering which is perhaps one of MBLAQ’s most iconic songs ever, Cry. I am somewhat overwhelmed and equally thrilled.
When isn’t Y a sexy feast to behold? Most always never. It has always been one of MBLAQ’s most provocative songs with an equally intense performance when brought to the stage. So when MBLAQ decided to include it in their performance repertoire at the 4 June 2013 Sexy Beat showcase, I think it pretty much left fans unhinged. Maybe it was all of the black leather and sheer components of their stage wear. Oh my . . . sexy beat certainly lived up to its name. Let’s not hesitate a moment longer and get to the Friday Fan-Camming offering for the day.
I have been thinking about the Men In Blaq concert recently. It was MBLAQ’s first major concert and therefore pretty special. The one thing about the early concert tours that I did not get to experience at Curtain Call back in November 2014, were the special stages. I was thinking about all of the G.O special stages I did not get to see which makes me hungry for all upcoming special stages he will give us when he returns. But this post is not about special stages or even really the MIB concert. No, it is a just quick visit to a moment of G.O’s Fabled Fan Service that just so happened to have occurred on that day, 20 August 2011. It probably may not necessarily be deemed blatant fan service; but to me, whenever G.O engages with fans outside of the purview of a fan sign, fan meeting or performance, he is more than exercising fan service. He is exercising a desire to connect which is fan service on steroids.^^
Seriously, I think I could spend the remainder of this countdown series alternating between G.O updates and Vocal Virtuosity moments. That is, if by some chance G.O decides to say, update every other day. That would be convenient.^^ Frankly, I do not put anything past him these days. He could very well decide to ramp things up in anticipation of his return. What I have learned in life (especially since taking this fangirl side job): anything is possible. To start the week off sweetly, another Vocal Virtuosity moment from our romantic main vocal.
By 2011 and well into their second full year as a group, MBLAQ was indelibly embraced (and rightfully so) by Japan; their JA+ fandom strong and growing. They were gaining so much popularity and love in Japan that Odina Magazine featured them not once, not twice, but three times in 2011. One year, three cover stories. Too much……wait, no, there can never ever be too much G.O!!
If you recall from Episode 5 of MBLAQ’s reality/variety program Sesame Player, there was a segment where Seung Ho, G.O, Joon and Cheondung were going to enjoy a meal at home that was going to include the oft deemed precious main course of beef. This was serious business. Everyone wanted to eat, but no one wanted to cook. The only way to settle the decision was through challenge. And when the men of MBLAQ set out to challenge each other, hilarity ensued.
When you wake one morning and realize all you want to do is sing, you hear music in everything. I have a feeling this is exactly what G.O felt when that realization hit. From that point on, he most likely became an ardent student of music. And although it was no doubt he was hearing his own compositions in his head and perhaps keeping a journal of poetry that would transform into lyrics, the first songs he sang were probably the songs of other artists. For G.O, I suspect the songs he sang in those early days were his guide and his lessons, and the artists themselves, his mentors and his teachers. It is no wonder then he would ultimately pay homage to them by covering those songs that guided him to become the incredible vocalist he is today. The beauty of his education, however, is that he did not limit himself to the songs of Korean artists. His deep respect for music (all music) and his choice to cover many songs that were sung in a language foreign to him (English) are valid and honorable reasons to continue to love this amazing man.
Ok yeah, it was a rough autumn and a rather excruciating winter. Coupled with that, the prolonged hibernation of our beloved three MBLAQ teddy bears hasn’t helped matters much either. Yet as we enter spring, it seems they have begun to push themselves through the soil of those darker days and are starting to re-blossom as a music-making trio. With news of a new album in the works, hope does indeed spring eternal.
On January 16, 2015, G.O had his first stage of the new year and it was a delicate reminder of how truly gifted he is as a vocalist. The Gimhae Arts & Sports Center held its Big Happy Concert on the evening of the 16th, and invited G.O to perform. Fans of this amazing man were indeed hungry to see him even though the effects of the two Curtain Call shows in late November had not yet worn off. You see, once he throws out the line to reel you in and captures your heart and soul, you simply have to surrender to the ever-present urge to want to see him over and over. Trust me, this is a fact. This first stage was special not only for us, but even more so for him.
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