by Maya Tavorath-Dangmann Earlier this month, K-Pop group Monsta X released their first English single “Who Do U Love?” featuring rapper French Montana. This is their first release from their collaboration with Epic Records, having signed to the American record label in late May. Monsta X are one of the few K-Pop groups working in collaboration with American labels, alongside groups like TXT and Blackpink. Since their debut in May 2015, Monsta X have never ceased to garner attention of listeners around the world. Their fan base is widespread and dedicated, and they all have their own reason for listening to the group. “The most fascinating thing about them is how they manage to maintain their signature sound,” said Kiersten Bergman, a 14 year-old fan. “They always sound unique and still sound like themselves, which I absolutely adore.” “Even if I don't understand Monsta X's native language, I just get so hyped up to their music and I honestly would never want to [stop listening to] this group,” said Anna Yuzenova, 19. Many of their fans are in the same boat as Anna and do not understand Korean, but still enjoy Monsta X’s music. However, when it comes to Monsta X releasing music in English – a language that is arguably more accessible to fans around the world – they have differing opinions. Some of them adore the song.
“My heart did this flip thing when I first heard the teaser. It's different from other things they've done. It's not a typical Korean market song and very much geared toward Western tastes,” said Isamar Hernandez, 24. “The song itself is definitely something you'll be hearing on the radio in coming weeks and I think it's a great way to present themselves as not an exclusively K-Pop group, but as a global artist and a potential household name.” “I just couldn't stop myself from snapping my fingers and dancing along to the beat,” said Anna. “With Who Do U Love, they totally are going to dominate the international charts.” Some fans, while still liking the song, are more critical. “I think Who Do U Love is already a successful song. I’m happy that Monsta X is not afraid to try different genres because I believe they are finding their own colour and place in the industry,” said Reyna, 19. “But I felt like they didn’t need French Montana in it. I know they are collaborating with other artists to make their name known in the U.S., but they already have enough fans to do that on their behalf.” Reyna also voices unease about them releasing English music, as opposed to English versions of tracks previously released in Korean. She wants to hear more from them, but feels like the idea of album entirely in English is just to gain popularity amongst those who do not want to listen to Korean songs. “They do not need to change anything about their music,” she said. “They do not need to force themselves to fit in American industry.” Mihyuuk, 18, who runs a fan account on Instagram with over 25K followers, had made a post about not liking the song and the direction Monsta X are going in. “I got so much hate from [fans] simply because they don’t agree with me,” Mihyuuk wrote via Instagram direct message. “I was upset to the point I had to delete the post.” Nevertheless, their opinion has not changed: they feel like “Who Do U Love?” does not align with anything Monsta X have previously done. “I would like k-pop groups to stick to their original concepts,” they said. “At this point, we won’t even have real K-Pop groups.” Victoria Severino, 21, agrees. “You can tell in the line distribution that they’re trying to go for a Western boy-band feel,” she said in response to two of the members not getting any solo parts in the song. “The direction makes no sense.” Regardless of this disparity amongst fans when it comes to the single, there is one thing they all can agree on: music does not need to be in an accessible language for it to make waves throughout the world, and k-pop is proof. BTS, the k-pop group currently peaking the highest on numerous Billboard charts, are a good example. Their most recent release, “Map Of The Soul: Persona,” peaked at 1st place on the Billboard 200 chart despite being in Korean. Looking at BTS’ success in breaking through into the Western music scene while still retaining their language is upsetting to many fans, as they want the same for Monsta X. Perhaps it’s an attainable goal: Monsta X’s current international manager, Eshy Gazit, has worked with BTS in the past and has said that he “had the honour of introducing BTS to the U.S audience through some of the biggest TV shows in the world,” as well as connecting them to “some of the biggest and most important artists of this century,” according to a post on his Tumblr blog. Right now, the big concern amongst fans is where they’re going to go next. “If they do release a fully English album, I would be neutral [about] it,” said Kiersten. “I’d much rather hear them be comfortable in whatever language than hear them be forced to sing and rap in a language most of them don’t speak.” “I truly believe that [“Who Do U Love?”] will do well,” said Isamar. “They have the skills to [release more music in English]. They work really hard on everything they put out, so I truly believe they could pull it off.”
5 Comments
Sam
6/27/2019 12:03:09 pm
GREAT ARTICLE!!
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Vic
6/27/2019 12:09:00 pm
Can’t wait for the follow up!
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Keisha
6/27/2019 12:29:41 pm
Nice insight
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AnnaLisa
6/27/2019 01:01:32 pm
It’s a very interesting article Monsta X definitely have potential with getting big but hopefully not through music that isn’t something they enjoy making. (I’m not sure if they enjoy it but with 2 members not getting any solos I would assume so.)
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Sara
6/27/2019 06:09:09 pm
Tea!
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