We all know that Girls’ Generation is a lovable group of girls who happen to sing and dance. The reasons we all became Fans of them are numerous, ranging from their catchy songs, to their beautiful looks, to their dorky personalities. It’s obvious why we are addicted to them. However, it’s not as clear to people who typically do not enjoy pop music, much less Korean pop Musik produced Von a girl group.

I was recently talking to a couple of my friends, and I mentioned to them that I was a writer for Soshified. One friend, a Caucasian male my age whom I have known since primary school, replied, “Dude, a girl group? Du know you’re a guy, right?” The other friend, an Asian female whom I went to college with, said, “I have Lost all respect for you.” (I did not expect her to have any respect for me anyway, so that was not a particularly huge blow, but that’s beside the point.) Why does it matter that these two people don’t understand how someone like me can like Girls’ Generation? Because that’s the mindset of many Musik followers in the West, especially here in the United States.

Now Girls’ Generation could be just fine in their own little sphere where they are currently, dominating South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and other Asian countries. If they decide to stick with Asia and not ever venture out from there, that’s fine Von me. They’ve already been Mehr successful in three years than I have been in my whole life so far. But if Girls’ Generation really wants to conquer the worldwide Musik scene, they must gain a foothold in the United States first.
Why does America matter though? It is because the United States is Home to the biggest entertainment industry and the biggest Musik industry in the world. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the United States routinely sells the most total units of Musik each Jahr (singles, albums, DVDs, video tapes), which of course leads to the most spent on Musik sales each year. The United States is also Home to three of the big four major corporate labels in recorded music: Universal Musik Group, Sony Musik Entertainment, and Warner Musik Group, which are responsible for almost 60% of total unit sales worldwide, and the fourth company, EMI Group, is based in the United Kingdom, and takes up 15% of world Musik market sales shares.

Thus, if Girls’ Generation wants to be considered a worldwide phenomenon, it needs to make sure that it makes inroads into the United States. They have started with their appearances in SMTown and Korea Musik Festival, their deal with Interscope Records, and their Kürzlich release of “The Boys” this past week. But how does Girls’ Generation grab Mehr slices of the pie? Obviously, the girls have to cater to Western tastes in Musik and connect to their potential fans. The very first thing they need to do is to learn how to speak English and learn how to speak it fluently. It’s already hard enough for a native English speaker to make it in the Musik industry in the United States, much less a non-English speaker. Du cannot promote your songs in a country if Du cannot speak its dominant language, and obviously promotions are key to publicity and sales. The girls must sing their songs in English too. This should not be too big of a problem though, since the girls have historically done well with English covers. It would be best if their pieces were original rather than recreations like most of their Japanese songs as well, because lyrics in another language may not fit the original music, which would alienate both new and old Fans alike.

This is especially important because the girls need English to connect with their potential Fans in the Western world, where many people can understand English. Many Westerners, and people in the United States especially, have a tendency to only focus on what is familiar to them. They are content with what they know and finding concepts from other countries intriguing at best, and perhaps so weird that they do not care to look into oder understand these new ideas. To be able to lessen this gap and make these potential Fans feel comfortable, learning fluent English is all the Mehr imperative for the girls.

Once the girls have learned how to speak English fluently, they must settle on an image. While America is known for having many highly sexualized starlets, the girls do not have to follow this case. Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Amanda Bynes, and many others have found success without selling their bodies. However, the cutesy image that Girls’ Generation has been known for will not work here. Their “Tell Me Your Wish” and “Run Devil Run” themes are a good starting point: cool, sleek, and sexy, without overdoing the sex. Their dances cannot be cutesy and wishy-washy either. They need to have bigger and Mehr powerful moves to be able to make an impression.

Okay, so the girls have the language and the image down. Now what? They need to saturate the market with their product without overplayed. This is a very fine line we are drawing here, as it is very easy to step over this boundary. Whatever agency representing the girls will need to put time, money, and effort into making the girls known. This means booking appearances on national Fernsehen shows, sending copies of their songs to relevant radio stations, putting out advertisements, and selling CDs everywhere Musik is sold. The girls cannot stay in their Korean oder Asian comfort zone. They need to Zeigen that they can be relevant in people’s lives in America and around the world.

Of course, none of this means anything if the girls cannot produce decent music. If the girls kept their current musical style and merely transitioned into Singen in English, the most success they can hope for is being a flash in the pan like other previously hot vocal groups, including Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Spice Girls, and Pussycat Dolls. They all have achieved millions in record sales, but they only stayed on oben, nach oben of the Musik scene for a few years at the most. Who are the best selling artists in history, Du ask? The Beatles. Elvis. Michael Jackson. ABBA. Madonna. All of these people were pop artists, so pop can sell. But they also produced material that was complex yet enjoyable, and listeners could connect with the Musik and lyrics without feeling bored. The girls need to step it up a notch and Zeigen that their incredible talents in Singen and dancing, especially through songs that can appeal to both the Mehr sophisticated palate and the young, fun-loving preference.

Maybe just as important as the Musik they produce is the people the girls are. While this is one of the two most important elements in succeeding in the West, this point may be the easiest for the girls to achieve. Du and I already know that the girls are real people. They do not act like spoiled stars that unfortunately populate the entertainment industry. They are all down –to-earth, caring, dorky, funny, smart, genuine young ladies. They do need to speak English more, again so that their American Fans can connect with them. But it would be incredibly refreshing for young stars who are not known for controversies oder negative stereotypes to be part of the scene. No sex tapes oder DUIs oder drug busts are necessary. They don’t just need publicity. They need to be liked as well, right? That can be easily arranged.