The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
- Adele has a baby boy, reports British media
- Psy invited to 'The View' and Oxford University
- In search of the real Gangnam style
| Adele has a baby boy, reports British media Posted: 23 Oct 2012 01:31 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - British singer Adele has given birth to a baby boy, British media reported. There was no statement on her official website and her spokesman said "no comment" on Monday in reply to a request for confirmation. The 24-year-old, whose album 21 topped charts around the world and turned her into one of pop music's biggest stars, announced she was expecting a child with her partner Simon Konecki in June. In August she took to Twitter to quash rumours that the couple were married. "I'm not married...Zzzzzzz" she wrote. Adele has been in the headlines in recent weeks for singing the theme tune to the latest James Bond movie Skyfall. She also co-wrote the track with collaborator Paul Epworth. |
| Psy invited to 'The View' and Oxford University Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:56 AM PDT After three months of globetrotting on his invisible horse, PSY is meeting broadcast legend Barbara Walters on ABC's morning talk show. The Billboard runner-up has confirmed his appearance on ABC The View set to air on October 25, according to his agency YG Entertainment on Tuesday. The YG officials said PSY will introduce his Gangnam Style choreography and hold an interview with the host. So far, this is the first of the 36-year-old singer's U.S. promotion this month after parading through popular American TV shows in September. From NBC Today Show to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he has become one of the popular figures not just here but in the world with the irresistible tune. Galloping to Europe, PSY will become a guest speaker at Oxford University in Oxford, England, tentatively on November 7, to talk about his Gangnam Style success. He was invited by the Oxford Union, the school's debating society, which is currently led by 22-year-old Korean student Lee Seung-yoon. Other world figures such as Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Mother Teresa and Dalai Lama have stood on the podium. PSY is the second Korean speaker at Oxford after Hwang, former Samsung Electronics chief. |
| In search of the real Gangnam style Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:35 PM PDT SEOUL: Hundreds of millions have watched the dance and listened to the song - most without understanding a word - but very few have any idea what "Gangnam" is and what, if any, particular "style" it might have. The Gangnam in the title of the global hit by South Korean rapper Psy is Seoul's wealthiest residential and shopping district, lined with luxury boutiques, top-end bars, night clubs and restaurants frequented by celebrities. But even among those Koreans who live or party regularly in Gangnam, which literally and unglamorously translates as "south of the river", there is little consensus on what constitutes the district's signature style. Translating the song's lyrics, which some see as satirising the district's self-importance and ostentatious wealth, offers little in the way of concrete insights. Psy sings about being the "guy who downs boiling coffee in one shot" and who "goes completely crazy when the right time comes." Kwon Yu-Bi, a 23-year-old student and Gangnam night-life regular, said the song was less about any particular place and more about a new-found hedonism in Asia's fourth largest economy. "Gangnam is just a symbolic place and I think the song really reflects Korea, where young people, including myself, enjoy a hectic and crazy night out," Kwon told AFP. A Gangnam residential address doesn't come cheap, with the average apartment price - even with Seoul going through an extended real estate slump - set at around $720,000. One particular street, lined on both sides with outlets of global luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier and Prada has been compared to Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills in California. For Kim Hoo-Yeon, 23, the real Gangnam style equates to nothing more than an obsession with conspicuous consumption. "Every time I go to Gangnam, I feel people come to show off how much money they have," she said. "I don't even feel it's worthwhile labelling it 'Gangnam style'," agreed 29-year-old Park Seong-Jun, who said the place was simply a magnet for anyone who could afford to go on a "crazy money-spending spree". The video that launched Psy and "Gangnam Style" to global fame and has notched up nearly 500 million views on YouTube certainly appears to poke fun at the district's image of idle affluence. It features the rapper breezing through a world of speed boats, yoga classes and exclusive clubs - all the while performing an eccentric horse-riding dance accompanied by beautiful models. The implied emphasis on superficiality over substance is reinforced by the fact that the real Gangnam is well-known for celebrity-frequented plastic surgery clinics. But Kim Soo-Mi, 49, who works as a pharmacist and has lived in Gangnam for 15 years, believes the image is a false one. "It's a pity that only the negative sides of Gangnam have been known through the song, since there's so much more to the area than that," said Kim, who sees her neighbourhood as sophisticated rather than glamorous. "When I visit other areas, that's when I really feel Gangnam is a trendsetter - not just for fashion but for lifestyle in general," she said. And J.H. Lim, the owner of a high-end restaurant in the area, said Gangnam's style was one of refined taste that appealed to a mature clientele. "If someone's looking for fast-paced fun and energy, there are other places in Seoul for that. Gangnam is more for high-profile adults, who want to enjoy the luxury and exclusivity", the 55-year-old entrepreneur said. -AFP |
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