Showing posts with label Seoul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seoul. Show all posts

Sunday, June 22, 2014

PSY Trades in Gangnam Style for Hip Hop

Psy, who we all know and love for his intentional sensation known as “Gangnam Style” has made a surprising change with his new song, “Hangover”

The track is hip hop in its nature and-  another surprise-features Snoop Dogg. Whether it is out of curiosity or just love for the song, the music video’s popularity is clear with a whopping 78 million views in two weeks of being released on YouTube. After watching the video, I concluded that despite adopting a new sound, Psy has not abandoned the eccentric style and dance moves that we have come to expect. The video takes us on a night of Psy and Snoop Dogg hitting the town and partying, followed by the painful next morning that comes with it. If your favorite part about “Gangnam Style” was the music video, then you won’t be disappointed with this new single. 

Initially, Psy and Snoop Dogg seem like an odd match but after watching the video, the two different styles come together in a way that is much more entertaining than odd. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Psy said that he and Snoop Dogg wrote the song through online collaboration before meeting up in Seoul and filming the music video in just 18 hours- without breaks. He adds that to get Snoop Dogg on board he simply made a phone call and after telling Snoop Dogg the title was “Hangover”, he agreed to do it on the spot. 


 One can’t help but wonder if the K-pop star’s new style will be a hit or miss after the 2 billion views received for Gangnam Style and 700 million for Gentleman. What do you think? Do you like Psy’s dabble into the world of hip hop or prefer his original K-pop style? 

Click Below to view the official music video for "Hangover"


Friday, March 14, 2014

Countries in Asia Know How to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day Too


It might not be the first places you think of- but countries in Asia have some pretty incredible St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Although, there is not a high Irish population throughout Asia, on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish right? The holiday isn’t big everywhere in Asia but there are a few places that really get into the spirit of things and would be a great place to spend the holiday if you’re ever around the area in March!

Seoul, South Korea
It is a fairly recent addition to the list of Korean festivals, but since 2001 the Irish Association of Korea has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with an annual parade that hosts up to 15,000 attendees. It is complete with everything you would expect for a St. Patty’s Day bagpipes, Irish dancing, Celtic music, lots of green, and of course lots of beer! The Koreans love any excuse for a good party!

Tokyo, Japan
This may come as a surprise to you, but the Japanese have celebrated and embraced Irish culture for quite some time, and this includes- of course- St. Patrick’s Day. Each year, Tokyo hosts an amazing parade bringing 30,000 people to the streets to celebrate and several thousand parade participants. And like in Seoul, lots of green, music, food, and alcohol can be expected!

Singapore
Due to it’s strong associations with the British Isles, Singapore also has a connection to Irish heritage and with it, St. Patrick’s Day. In addition to a spectacular parade, Singapore also hosts an annual St. Patrick’s Day Ball. The celebrations stretch over a three day period. First begins the ball on the eve before the big day. Then on the 17th, the streets fill with
green for the parade. And the fun continues on the 18th with street parties outside of local Irish pubs and Irish Festivals.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In previous years, Kuala Lumpur has had parties and festivals that have reached over 8,000 attendees. But Malaysia is making our list because of their public determination to host Asia’s largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, even making an online pledge to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records. And they take it one step further, wanting to make not just the 17th the day of celebrations- but all of March!