Broadening the Horizons - Critique of Miss A

One of our goals for this blog is to broaden people's horizons by sharing and covering all types of Asian entertainment. For this feature, Niki and I will be sharing how we've broadened our own horizons by talking and critiquing about the new artists and music we've opened ourselves too. Many of these artists will be ones we've introduced each other to. ;)

Post formally starts here:

Other than hearing about K-Pop bands every now and then, Miss A was the first one I've actually started listening to and love.

How I was first introduced to them...
I was iffy about introducing myself to K-Pop. It all felt too cutesy for me, or at least the popular stuff. I hang out with Niki, Dani, and Pinki a lot after school, which is where I started getting exposed to quite a bit of Korean music. Most of it didn't make an impact on me though. It was catchy, but not my cup of tea. However, while listening to Miss A's "Bad Girl, Good Girl" and "Breathe" multiple times as the girls rehearsed the dance numbers, they got stuck in my head. I found myself singing parts of the song (and I don't even know the Korean!). I ended up downloading the two songs onto my iPod and checking out the band on YouTube. Next thing I know, I'm downloading all their songs and watching tons of videos of them!

Critique
In a short amount of time, I ended up becoming a big fan of Miss A. Their music is catchy like most Korean pop, yes, but they take it a step further with true talent and all the necessary keys to make up a great band.

Singing? Check. Dancing? Check. Those are the minimal requirements for an artist in the Korean music industry. Some are better at one than the other, some are mediocre at both. The girls of Miss A are skilled and superb at both. They have some fantastic choreography in their dances, and still manage to sing live well. Each of their voices is strong, and their dancing is both impressive and entertaining. Unlike most other singers, they don't do half baked moves in order to still sing decently or give horrible attempts to do both at the same time. Miss A delivers in both aspects without compensating one for the other, which is rare. Their choreography is more complex than the typical group, and their vocals are stable and strong. They are phenomenal live!

One thing I love about bands is getting to know each of the members, how their personalities and styles are all different and yet still compliment each other.

From left to right: Fei, Min, Jia, Suzy

The four girls, Min, Fei, Jia, and Suzy are all unique and bring something different to the group. They are all very talented and great singers and dancers, but each has their own individual strength and traits. Min is the most skilled dancer and possesses a tough and edgy aura despite being the smallest. Fei has the strongest vocals with the best voice control, and has a sophisticated and mature look. Jia is a crazy good rapper and has this awesome bad and kick ass appearance. Lastly, Suzy also has a strong voice while possessing youthfulness and sweetness. With the four girl's contrasting images and personal strengths, they come together to make one talented and lovable bunch that compliment each other so well. They all stand out and can hold their own, with and without each other. I love each of the girls for different reasons.

Their music is produced solidly and wonderfully. I personally love their music because it finds that balance between being too cutesy and being too different or edgy. While many girl groups come off as either too girly and cutesy or trying too hard, Miss A is fresh and fun without being too much of anything. They're feminine, yet not too juvenile or mature.

Overall
I've yet to fully warm up to K-Pop.  I'm still trying new things and experimenting.  At the same time, I know most K-Pop is not my cup of tea because of my mainly pop/rock taste.  Miss A is an exception as well as exceptional.  I'm very fond of the band and love their music.  With their talent, they have a very bright future ahead of them.  I wish more success to Miss A!

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Author's Note: Here's my first "Broadening the Horizons" post as well as my first ever post about K-Pop!  Hope I've made you happy, Niki.  ;)  Was great to finally voice my opinion on my newfound love for these girls as well as writing about a different Asian culture for the first time.  This was my general opinion about Miss A and its members.  I will be writing more indepth album reviews for their first full length album "A Class" and their latest EP "Touch".  Stay tuned!