Reflection Paper - Wooyeon Kim

Experiencing and trying to recreate Kpop Culture myself in a serious manner was much harder than I thought. I had never realized how complicated the choreography and singing of Kpop could be. Reflecting on studying and covering the group NU’EST, I found my experience quite challenging. I was challenged both physically and emotionally as I had thrown myself into the unknown. As the lead singer of the group, trying to sound like the member of NU’EST and live up to their expectations was my unrealistic goal. When I was unable to reach this goal initially, I was extremely frustrated with myself to the point of feeling like giving up. Despite the momentary thought of giving up, I decided to positively embrace the challenge. Also, my group and I thought we had chosen one of the easier dances to cover however, it was still challenging for us. So we decided to focus on the essential of cover video rather than dancing perfectly. Cover video is more than just covering the K-pop idols’ dances and song; they interactively communicate and fans try to relate to what the artists are trying to express. Therefore, they can empathize with the artists on a deeper and more meaningful level. Becoming the singer of the group became quite frustrating for me too, not being able to hit the correct notes, not sounding how I wanted to, and the strain it took on my voice irritated me. Because of these unseen complications I started having thoughts of giving up. Despite the momentary thought of wanting to quit, I decided to positively embrace the challenge and fulfill my roles. I quickly realized that to fulfill my role I would need to be patient reorganize myself. As I learned to improve my vocal skills, I was faced with more frustrating moments. My experiences covering NU’EST’s Dejavu taught me the value of commitment and patience, virtues which will aid me for a lifetime.