Paran released their 3rd album, entitled “U.R.M.S.”, which made in an “international-style” (whatever that means). It features 18 songs, displaying endearing melodies and mature vocals.  Check out their MV “Don’t Cry” HERE.

Paran’s global project album was simultaneously released in South Korea, Japan, China, and Thailand, and 2 other countries on the April 11. “U.R.M.S” is an abbreviation of “you are my song.”

Their comeback is attracting much attention – 9 countries have already requested concerts, including Mongolia and Laos. Such a sudden, unexpected response has forced Paran to limit their activities in Korea to pursue untouched global markets.

However, before anyone could think that Paran has reached a new peak in their career, accusations of plagiarism have been flying like daggers for their title song “Don’t Cry”. Netizens are in a heated debate on whether “Don’t Cry” is too similar to Back Street Boy’s “Inconsolable”. Check it out for yourselves HERE . What’s more disgruntling about this situation is that the composer is insisting that he never heard Back Street Boy’s song before he wrote “Don’t Cry”. Why bother to say this when no one’s going to believe you?!

This album is said to make Paran be recognized as a vocal artist group. P.O., one of the group’s members, was even personally involved in the music-making for this album.

Meanwhile, on the 18th, Paran is going to make its comeback in KBS “Music Bank.” This will also be followed by various performances and guestings in other music and television shows.

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Why are there so many Korean boy-bands heading to Japan? ~Oh well~ add Paran and SG wannabe to the list too *sigh*. One group with questionable fashion sense and the other with power house vocals are having live concerts in Japan around Christmas time. Paran, the five-member R&B/POP group is planning on performing two Christmas concerts called “Paran Blue Christmas Live”, which are going to be held on Christmas Eve (12/24) in Tokyo at SUTERABORU, and two days later in Osaka at the Oriental Theater. And the three member group SG wannabe is planning a concert on 12/9 at Osaka International Conference Hall Main Hall. I think I can hear all those lucky Japanese fan-girls screaming already. SG Wannabe when will you guys come back to the States! This time come to California; you guys have fans her too *screaming at the top of my lungs*.

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From Paran’s “Five Steps”

“Overlap”,
?
Jang lee in’s “Y”,

Seo Ji Young’s “Out”,
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Boa’s “Sunshine”,

Tei’s “Don’t Cry”
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to DBSK’s “Beautiful Days”, what do these songs have in common?

It’s that a foreign composer has written the song, and Korean lyrics has been added to the song.

In Se7en’s case, from his 1st album to his 3rd, a lot of foreign composers have participated. Including DK’s “One more time” (1st album)

and “Love Story”(3rd album),

Todd Mushaw’s “Honey I Know” (2nd album),

Joey Carbone & Anthony Mazza’s “Wishy Washy”(2nd album),

“Like the Man”(3rd album),
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Joe Hogue’s “All Night” (3rd album) are all made by composers actively working in America.

A person from YG Entertainment said, “If we get a call from foreign composers who are interested in making songs for Se7en, we monitor their previous works. If their previous work matches with our singer’s concept, we contact them back.”

This situation is a little different from just remaking famous foreign songs or just translating English songs to Korean and using with permission.

Getting songs from foreign composers who are not well known in Korea is a pretty new concept. Recently, a company who connects American composers and Korean singers has been established, too.

Music Source Korea is a company who makes license agreement with foreign composers and provide their songs to Korean Music Management companies. Lee Eun Seung manager, from the company, said “Korean Management companies can get fresh music at inexpensive price, and they can also change the song a little bit, to match the songs with a singer’s concept. So it’s very efficient.”

It’s said that the reality of Kpop composer market where creative power has been decreasing made music management companies turn their eyes away to foreign markets.

A music critic Kim Guang Han said, “In an attempt to find fresh songs that can keep up with young generation’s taste, some management companies went all the way to Home of pop music. Remake songs (Gina: old hit songs that are changed in modern way) are not fresh enough for people. Their effort to explore new databases feels even late at this point.”

Like well-known rumor in Kpop industry, “star management company may fall, but star composers never fall”, most of Kpop songs are from a few star Kpop composers. Another music critic Lim Jin Mo analyzed, “The entry of foreign composers into Kpop market might be a new breakthrough for Kpop market”.

So far, there has not been a case where these songs have become really famous in Korea. Most of the time, these songs are used as sub songs, separate from Kpop singers’ title songs.

Kpop composer Park Geun Tae said, “To match the song with Korean culture, after-work such as rearrangement is a must and makes the total cost expensive. Usually the songs are used by big management companies to improve variety within an album. I don’t think we will see rush of foreign composers’ songs.”

It’s also challange for those songs that they are only used to give an album more variety. A music critic Sung Woo Jin said, “Not to remain as a song to fill out an album, Kpop management companies should learn how to make better use of those songs.”

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Yum Hee Jin Reporter salthj@donga.com
Credits: Donga (pics: Donga & Newsen) + sjhye @ http://z12.invisionfree.com/Se7enth_Heaven/
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