Cut Girls' Generation some slack

Girls' Generation were said to have lip-synched on a music show. Our writer asks 'So what?'

When news broke last week that K-pop's biggest girl group Girls' Generation allegedly lip-synched on a music show, many netizens took it upon themselves to play judge and jury.

There were those who slammed the A-list octet's act as "inexcusable" and others who sarcastically made insinuations of the girls' "lack of singing skills".

Oh, please.

Just like how it's a given that most of our Korean idols have had a nip and tuck, it's also common knowledge that they choose to lip-sync when they have to attack fiendishly difficult and exhausting dance choreography at the same time.

Given the fact that these women have to manage complex formations, execute agile back arches, body twists, fluid hand flicks, energetic kicks and jumps with perfect co-ordination and precision, we seriously need to cut them some slack in the vocal department.

Girls' Generation's recent controversy started when a Korean netizen posted a photo of a music show's rundown, including the order of performing artists and the musical accompaniment each group was using.

While other outfits Sistar, Infinite and Apink had the normal "MR" (meaning "music recorded", or minus-one track) listed next to their names, Girls' Generation's was written as "Live MR".

"Live MR" refers to music previously recorded to imitate an actual live performance, including the vocals. To put it in layman terms, it's a lip-sync showcase.

I have no problems with their decision to do a Milli Vanilli.

If you take a closer look at their setlist for the day, two of the numbers they had chosen to perform, I Got A Boy and Check, were particularly physically demanding.

I Got A Boy, a funky club banger with rhythmic shifts and chord changes, is cardio-intensive.

You'd feel like sweating while watching them strut their stuff, especially during the mid-point song break when the group's strongest dancers, Hyoyeon and Yuri, show off their sexy snake-like moves.

The sultry mid-tempo track Check is highly challenging too - less than a minute into the song, some of the members had to lie down on the floor and pull off leg raises.

K-pop is not simply about mesmerising voices, but a wicked visual and aural combo experience. In their nine-year career, Girls' Generation have never once claimed to be top-notch, solid live singers. But one thing's for certain, they definitely excel in giving us the whole package.

We don't expect balladeers like Baek Ji Young and K.Will to launch into dance routines during their gigs, right?

Which is why I don't see why Girls' Generation can't lip-sync when the occasion calls for it.

Maybe those angry netizens should trying mastering some of their dance moves before they complain.

keeyunt@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Aug 05, 2015.
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