Before her triumphant Manila debut, Korean soprano Jo Sumi made waves in popular culture when she invited Yang Yoseob, the main vocalist of the Korean pop (K-pop) “idol band” Beast, to sing a duet with her during her annual Seoul concert last September.
Based in Rome for most of the year, Jo had always made her homecoming concerts memorable by collaborating with other classical artists. But her “La Fantasia” concert last September became even more memorable when she sang the love duet, “Person, Love,” with the honey-sweet-voiced Yang.
At the end of their triumphant duet, Jo hugged the baby-faced Yang and caressed the back of his head like a mother, making everyone laugh.
Earlier, explaining her decision to invite a representative of the K-pop or Hallyu craze to join her concert, Jo said she had seen Yang perform the ballad “Mother” on Youtube and she was “really moved.”
She said she was happy that Yang’s talent agency, Cube Entertainment, accepted the invitation. She explained Beast and Yang had a busy schedule because they mount monster concerts in and out of Korea, so it was a breakthrough for Yang to sing with her.
(After their performance. Yang’s mother sent the diva flowers, thanking her for inviting her son to sing with her.)
The inspired decision to include Yang, widely considered as one of the best singers in K-pop, not only endeared Jo to the younger generations and won them over to classical music; it also reaffirmed the power of K-pop, which has become one of Korea’s leading exports.
Musical theater
Yang Yoseob again embodied the growing influence of K-pop when he performed the lead role in the Seoul production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which was noted by an unprecedented article by the New York Times in its Dec. 26 print edition and on Dec. 29 in a video report.
“His acting was all smiles and scowls,” the Times reported,
“and his dancing fell short of Broadway caliber, but Yang Yoseop, at 23, was an old pro at exuding heartache. Which was all that really mattered.” (In Korea, “p” and “b” are pronounced the same so Yang’s first name is spelled either “Yoseop” or “Yoseob.”)
The Times added: “…the 1,000-strong audience fell into a mesmerized silence every time the spotlight fell on Mr. Yang, a sweet-faced star in the multibillion-dollar Korean pop music industry. The hush broke only once, when Mr. Yang, playing the much-abused son of the biblical Jacob, sang a Korean translation of Joseph’s power ballad ‘Close Every Door.’ As he belted about hardship and hope, young women wept.”
Obviously, many from the audience came to the production just to see the angelic-looking Yang Yoseob perform. The Times reported:
“’He looked like he did in ‘Caffeine,’ said Jung Jeong-un, 17, during the intermission, referring to Mr. Yang’s recent K-pop video. ‘You’re bad to me, so bad to me, oh girl, you’re like caffeine,’ Ms Jung quoted. ‘Yoseop’s hurt feels very deep. I love him.’
“So much so that she had already bought another $80 ticket to his next performance in ‘Joseph.’”
The drafting of big K-pop stars to musical theater is obviously a smart business decision.
“Imagine Justin Bieber in a Broadway show,” said the Times, and the inclusion of a K-pop superstar in a musical “makes sense.”
But whatever the reason may be, there is no denying that the popularity of K-pop artists have increased exponentially through the years—and those in the theater industry would be remiss not to recognize this. As such, most plays in Korea have featured K-pop idols, who may otherwise have found success churning out pop tunes and selling out stadiums but are relatively newcomers in the world of theater.
And there could never be anything wrong with that as K-pop idol bands like Beast have a very loyal fan base. Having K-pop stars fill up theater seats the way they fill stadiums is as good as it could get. It would also introduce fans to musical theater and enable them to see their idols as more than just a cute face, like Yang Yoseob, who has dominated surveys for “the cutest” K-pop star.
But for Yang, what’s personally important is for him to become a more versatile performer. The Times reported:
“Mr. Yang, whose slightly androgynous features were pronounced ‘cute’ and ‘sweet’ by several girls during and after ‘Joseph,’ said he is trying the theater for the same reason that some Hollywood stars go to Broadway: to prove something to his fans, and to himself.
“’Popularity can just be a bubble when there is no ability,’ he said. ‘So I’m coming to the theater to learn abilities. K-pop gives you fans, but I hope that musicals can give you skill.’”
Jo Sumi was happy that the Times took notice of Yang. She immediately tweeted:
“Today’s ‘International New York Times’ #B2ST #yangyoseob (main photo) and main articles about #K-pop too! SO! PROUD!”