SEOUL, South Korea: From aging crooners to bubbly K-Pop starlets, some of South Korea’s biggest pop stars flew to North Korea on Saturday for rare performances that highlight the sudden thaw in inter-Korean ties after years of tensions over the North’s nuclear ambitions.
The concerts in Pyongyang on Sunday and Tuesday come ahead of a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27. The meeting, which will precede a planned summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in May, could prove to be significant in the global diplomatic push to resolve the standoff over the North’s nuclear weapons and missiles program.
The 120-member group that flew to Pyongyang also included government officials, reporters and a taekwondo demonstration team that will perform in Pyongyang on Sunday and Monday. Another team of 70 South Korean technicians went to Pyongyang on Thursday to set up equipment.
A look at the singers who made the trip and a certain horse-dancing specialist who didn’t:
The legend
North Korea during stormier times had described the South’s society and culture as a “corrupt bourgeois lifestyle.” Still, the Pyongyang concerts wouldn’t be the first time southern pop singers have performed across the border.
It’s the second trip for the iconic Cho Yong-pil, perhaps South Korea’s most influential musician of the past 50 years. He staged a solo concert in Pyongyang in 2005 during a previous era of rapprochement between the rivals.
“It will be comfortable performing in the North as it is to perform in the South,” the 68-year-old singer said in a news conference at South Korea’s Gimpo Airport on Saturday. “There’s no reason for me or other singers to be nervous. We all finished rehearsing and will have a fun and comfortable time showing our music.”
Seoul hasn’t officially announced the titles of the songs by the South Korean artists. Cho’s “Dear Friend,” a ballad about a long-lost friend that reportedly drew an enthusiastic response from the Pyongyang crowd 13 years ago, will almost certainly be one of them.
It would be the third North Korean performances for each female balladeers Choi Jin-hee and Lee Sun-hee, who are relatively well-known in the North.
The 61-year-old Choi will likely sing her biggest hit, “Maze of Love,” which is rumored to have been a favorite of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the late father of current leader Kim. Lee, who at 53 still might have the best pipes in the business, may sing “To J,” which was one of several South Korean songs North Korean musicians performed during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
“I hope we can create a stage where we can make an emotional connection and convey the warm feelings between the South and North,” Choi said at the airport.
The girls
It won’t be all slow ballads in Pyongyang. It’ll be interesting to see how the North Koreans reacts to girl band Red Velvet, currently one of the most popular acts in the highly-competitive K-Pop scene.
The genre, which has a huge following across Asia, has been defined by synthesized music, powerful visuals and dance moves and teasing sexuality. South Korea’s military in recent years has used K-pop for psychological warfare, blaring it from loudspeakers along the heavily-armored border between the rivals.
“Happiness! Hello, it’s Red Velvet!” band member Seulgi cheerfully shouted at the airport. “We’re the ‘maknae’ (youngest of the group), so we will make sure to deliver our bright energy to the North,” said the 24-year-old.
K-Pop groups have performed before in North Korea. The now-disbanded Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L sang and danced in Pyongyang in 1999, as did boy band Shinhwa in 2003. Some of the artists later said the reaction from the audience was awkward and quiet.
Red Velvet may find a better reception more than a decade later as cultural tastes change, even in isolated North Korea. The North’s most popular music act is Kim Jong Un’s hand-picked Moranbong girl band, whose members often perform suggestive shimmies in short skirts with electric guitars.
Park Hyeong-il, an official at South Korea’s Unification Ministry, said North Korean officials didn’t show any discomfort about Red Velvet and also didn’t take issue with the “red” in the band’s name.
Red Velvet is originally a five-member band, but only four made the trip to Pyongyang — 22-year-old Joy stayed in South Korea to film a soap opera.
No 'Gangnam Style' please
Despite constant questioning from reporters, South Korean officials aren’t offering a clear explanation on why PSY, the singer of “Gangnam Style,” was left out of the concert lineup.
South Korea’s culture ministry spokesman Hwang Seong-un said without specifying that the YouTube rapper had been initially considered for the Pyongyang events before being excluded. He said he couldn’t confirm a media report that North Korean officials had rejected PSY.
“What I can say is that we explored ways to include him, but it didn’t work out,” Hwang said. “We hope there will be better opportunities for him in the future.”
It’s possible that officials from either the North or South concluded that PSY’s bizarre humor and highly sexualized music would be too provocative for the North Korean public.
It’s not that North Korea had entirely ignored the global Gangnam Style craze. In September 2012, the North posted a video on its Uriminzokkiri website of a horse-dancing PSY character that had a photo of conservative South Korean presidential candidate Park Geun-hye’s face transposed on it. The lyrics had the character satirically defending Park’s late father, staunch anti-communist dictator Park Chung-hee.
Park went on to win the presidential race, only to be ousted from office and jailed over a corruption scandal in March last year.
Will Kim Jong attend?
The South Korean singers will perform at the 1,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theater on Sunday and then take part in a joint concert with North Korean artists on Tuesday at the 12,000-seat Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium.
It’s unclear whether North Korean leader Kim will show up in any of these performances. His presence would be seen in the South as a proper response to Moon’s attending the North Korean performances in February. But Kim also was accused by Seoul in previous years for harshly punishing, and even executing, North Korean officials and people who were caught privately consuming South Korean popular culture.
South Korea’s spy agency in 2014 told lawmakers that North Korea used firing squads to execute 10 officials that year for taking bribes or watching South Korean television dramas.
K-Pop time: South Koreans fly to Pyongyang for rare concerts
K-Pop time: South Koreans fly to Pyongyang for rare concerts
The Weeknd donates $2 million for humanitarian aid in Gaza
DUBAI: Canadian singer The Weeknd has pledged to donate another $2 million to help feed families in Gaza, the United Nations’s World Food Programme reported.
The donation comes from the star’s XO Humanitarian Fund, which helps combat global hunger.
“This support will provide over 1,500 metric tons of fortified wheat flour, which can make over 18 million loaves of bread that can help feed more than 157,000 Palestinians for one month,” said WFP.
In December, the multi-platinum global recording artist, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye, donated $2.5 million to WFP from the fund, which he established in partnership with World Food Program USA. That equated to 4 million emergency meals, funding 820 tons of food parcels that could feed more than 173,000 Palestinians for two weeks.
Tesfaye, who was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador in October 2021, is an active supporter of WFP’s global hunger-relief mission. He, his partners and his fans have raised $6.5 million to date for the XO fund.
In total he has directed $4.5 million toward operations in Gaza and has sent $2 million to support WFP’s emergency food assistance for women and children in Ethiopia.
DJ Peggy Gou makes waves in the Middle East, eyes collaborations with Arab artists
ABU DHABI: South Korean DJ and singer Peggy Gou is no stranger to the Middle East. She wowed fans this week at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the UAE, performing in celebration of the newly opened exhibition “From Kalila wa Dimna to La Fontaine: Travelling through Fables,” and revealed that she would consider collaborating with Arab artists.
She told Arab News the morning after the event: “I woke up this morning and was thinking what happened last night. It is one of those events that is so meaningful. I’ve been to Abu Dhabi twice just to see the exhibitions. It’s more than a museum to me. It is a community, where people even go to hang out. That’s how beautiful that place is.”
Gou was among the first performers to take the stage at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in front of an audience, she said.
“I know David Guetta did it once before without an audience during COVID-19 … It was my first time playing in Abu Dhabi. It was insane. It was a very, very special night, and I want to do more,” she added.
Gou incorporates Arab-inspired music into her performances, noting that “people just love it, and they love percussion.”
To the artist, music is like a feeling. “It is really hard to rationalize it,” she said. “When you love it, you just love it,” she added, expressing her admiration for Arab melodies.
“This is maybe the reason why people support my music, even though they don’t understand the language. Sometimes they just feel it, they just love it,” she explained.
“I love our music, but at the same time, I’m considering collaborating with an Arab artist because there are a lot of talented Arab musicians here,” she said. “I have many friends here who recommended me some artists, and I want to check it out.
“I never say no. I love making music with different languages.”
Gou has performed in Saudi Arabia multiple times.
“Every time I go there, it’s different. But what I can say is it’s always changing in a good way. In the very beginning, I felt like they weren’t going to understand my music,” she recalled.
But the DJ said that her last performance in AlUla was one of her favorites. “People were just shouting, screaming, and dancing as if there was no tomorrow,” she said.
Saudi students explore intersection of science and art
- Exhibition organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts runs until May 2
JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts has launched an exhibition in Jeddah showcasing 25 artworks exploring the link between science and art.
The second annual exhibition organized by the arts society, in collaboration with the Biology Club at King Abdulaziz University, was opened in the presence of Mohammed Al-Subaih, director-general of the organization, Mona Al-Harbi, vice dean of the college of science, local artists, and parents.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The Sci-Art exhibition was organized by the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in collaboration with the Biology Club at King Abdulaziz University.
• It is being held to encourage students to showcase their creativity.
The exhibition, which will run until May 2 at the organization’s Abdul Halim Radwi Auditorium, presents an artistic interpretation of scientific inquiry. It is being held to encourage students to showcase their creativity.
Fifteen female students presented their paintings, sketches and other projects at the opening of the event.
The students chose as subject matter the body’s various systems, the solar system, human mind, natural world, animals, mathematics, computer programming, global warming and more.
The Sci-Art exhibition allows participants to engage their creative and analytical minds to forge new connections between ideas and learn about the world through art.
Mona Al-Harbi, Vice dean of the college of science, King Abdulaziz University
Al-Subaih praised the students for their work. “This exhibition comes as part of our role in spreading culture and arts … we thought of creating a platform for students to exhibit their talents and showcase their innovative ideas and this exhibition is an exciting moment for us to share with our community.”
Al-Harbi added: “The sci-art exhibition allows participants to engage their creative and analytical minds to forge new connections between ideas and learn about the world through art.
“This exhibition is a way to provide a platform for students and others to express that side of themselves and bring art and science together. Our aim is to encourage students to show their artistic talents and create paintings that related to subjects that they have learned in science.”
‘Chicago’ musical to hit the stage in the UAE
DUBAI: “Chicago,” the American musical with the longest Broadway tenure, is set to be performed in the UAE in September.
The musical will hit the stage at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena for a limited run from Sept.12-22.
“Chicago” is a tale of passion, murder, greed, betrayal and redemption through the journey of two competitive women – an aspiring jazz performer, Roxie Hart, and a former vaudeville star, Velma Kelly.
The production spawned numerous beloved tunes such as “All That Jazz,” “Cell Block Tango” and "Razzle Dazzle.”
Since its premiere on Broadway New York 27 years ago, “Chicago” has played in major cities around the world like London, Sydney, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Berlin and Madrid.
Emily Blunt, Ryan Gosling laud stunt performers in ‘The Fall Guy’
TEXAS: Hollywood stars Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling pay tribute to stunt actors in a film by director David Leitch, who himself started as a stunt actor. Loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers, “The Fall Guy,” which releases in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, is billed as blending humor, romance, mystery, and action.
“It's a celebration of our incredible industry and this film is about that, but it's really to just broadcast the incredible and indelible work of stunt performers and what they've done for cinema,” Blunt said in an interview with Arab News.
“What they've done for people's entertainment … they've risked life and limb to give people that crackling sense of wonder that you feel in movies and it's time they got their outing,” she added.
In a challenge to the invasion of digital effects in film, not only is “The Fall Guy’ packed with stunts but it has officially set a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car, performed by stunt driver Logan Holladay. Eight-and-a-half rolls broke the previous record of seven, set by Adam Kirley for 2006’s “Casino Royale.”
Gosling praised the film for giving a platform to stunt performer.
“I had a stunt double my whole life. And it's always been this strange dynamic where they come in, they do all the cool stuff, and then they go and hide and you pretend like you did it and it's not cool, it's about time that recognize (their work),” he said.
The film follows the story of Colt Sievers, a stuntman who left his job to focus on his own health. When the star of a big-budget movie directed by his ex-girlfriend goes missing, he is recalled to active duty.
“Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham also stars in the film. The British actress shed light on what the movie means to her.
“You know, we shot it this time last year in Sydney. Starting in late November, October time. So to finally be here, I feel like I've had to keep a lid on it for so long. And my brother and I were obsessed with “The Fall Guy” when I was little, when I was like ten years old so it's so lovely,” she said.
