#14 - "ID: Peace B". BoA, 2000

A Story of the Song...Story behind the Song by Kathryn Phillips (Macquarie University)

Kwon Bo-ah , better known by her stage name BoA, is one of the longest running idol performers within South Korea’s entertainment industry. Debuting at the age of 13, BoA’s single “ID: Peace B”, from her debut album “Listen to my Heart” highlights the early attempts by entertainment companies to push for international consumption of their artists through segyehwa (globalisation) policies (Kim 2018, 27). Through both her music and lyrics, and the broader background of BoA’s career, “ID: Peace B” stands as part of an important turning point in the expansion and hybridisation of K-pop, leading to its current state as a global phenomenon.

Music Video Analysis

“ID: Peace B”’s concept focuses on the potential of online social connections as a virtual playground and location for self-expression. However, the music video also attempts to produce a sense of approachability and connection between BoA and her fans, highlighting her success and talent. The video as shown in its remastered form on the SM TOWN YouTube channel begins with a montage of candid training and seemingly amateur interview footage with the young idol, juxtaposed with her appearance at concerts and the outpouring of support from fans following her car and waving merchandise at her events. Together, these highlight both a sense of approachability and stardom that idol entertainment companies use to construct strong parasocial ties between their artists and their audience (Elfving-Hwang 2018, 193-195).

The video then transitions into the proper song one minute in. Compared to the footage up until now, the official music video is shot solely on constructed stage sets, designed to provoke an otherworldly, futuristic feeling. Through the lack of recognisable landmarks, dark, moody lighting and props such as mirrors, photos, and computer-generated floating orbs in the background, BoA is positioned outside of the regular world, further establishing a sense of liminality and expansiveness that seeks to produce a trendy, modern image of the idol. Additionally, backup dancers join BoA for several parts of the dance, each sporting artistic hairstyles and outfits. Together with lyrics describing generational gaps and shared dreams, they further bolster the sense of partnership and connectivity through online interaction.

“ID: Peace B” has four different language versions, with English and Chinese versions appearing in BoA’s 2001 mini album, “Don’t start now: Jumping into the World” and the Japanese version in 2002 on “Listen to My Heart” Japanese release. Each version’s lyrics differ slightly in tone, with the Japanese version producing a more emotion-focussed narrative: “change my trembling heart to courage” … “I’ll give you a smile”, while both the Chinese and English versions focus more on cooperation and engagement with others through online collaboration. This release of multiple versions of the same song allows “ID: Peace B” to potentially reach and be easily consumed by listeners across the world.

Image Credit: You Tube video screenshot

Significance

Not only is “ID: Peace B” an interesting peek into early 2000s K-pop idol music, but BoA’s production as an international artist helped lead to both SM Entertainment - and the broader South Korean entertainment industry’s - turn towards international distribution and idol management practices. As one of the earlier artists produced by Lee Soo-Man’s SM Entertainment at the beginning of the millennium, BoA’s debut as an artist at the time was particularly special. This is due to her training and double debut in both South Korea and Japan, and her identity as both a K-pop and a J-pop artist (Jung 2014, 119). This opportunity was due to SM’s collaboration with the record company Avex in 2000, and creation of SM Entertainment JAPAN in 2001. Established in 1988, Avex – now Avex inc. – is one of the largest record companies and entertainment corporations in Japan. At the time, Avex had already established a company branch in Taiwan, and managed several subsidiaries and high-profile artists. This partnership allowed BoA to train in Japan and for her music to be distributed in a similar fashion to Japanese artists, allowing for a more conventionally successful means of promotion that other Korean artists had limited access or resources to match (Kim 2014, 66). These methods of production and training were later incorporated into the South Korean entertainment industry more broadly (Jung and Hirata 2012). As such, BoA’s album – which met with mild success in South Korea – was incredibly popular in Japan, reaching the top of the Oricon charts. SM Entertainment later attempted to promote BoA within the US through her 2011 song “Eat You Up”, hoping to find similar success in the anglophone music market, although this attempt failed to make much of an impact. Nevertheless, later SM groups such as Girls Generation, NCT and SUPER M have continued to attempt to follow suit and establish themselves within the industry.

Conclusion

Through “ID: Peace B” and BoA’s other debut tracks, SM Entertainment attempted to showcase a modern image, using the progression of technology mentioned in the song alongside collaborations with foreign companies outside of South Korea to bolster their consumer base. BoA’s success in Japan was harnessed as a means to promote more positive ties between Japan and South Korea during otherwise intense moments of political pressure (Choi and Maliangkay 2014, 6). While BoA’s foray into the anglophone market met with limited success, her debut and influence within East Asia nevertheless helped to shape the globalisation methods and hybridised training techniques that are now commonplace within the South Korean idol entertainment industry.

References:

Choi, Jung Bong, and Maliangkay, Roald. 2014. “Introduction: Why fandom matters to the international rise of K-pop”. 1-18. in K-Pop: The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry.  New York and London: Taylor and Francis Group.

Elfving-Hwang, Joanna. 2018. “K-pop idols, artificial beauty and affective fan relationships in South Korea”.190-201. in
Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies. London: Routledge.

Jung, Eun-Young. 2014. “Hallyu and the K-pop boom in Japan: patterns of consumption and reactionary responses”. 116-132. in K-Pop: The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry.  New York and London: Taylor and Francis Group.

Jung, Sun, and Hirata, Yukie, 2012. “Conflicting Desires: K-pop Idol Girl Group Flows in Japan in the Era of Web 2.0”. ejcjs. 12 (2)

Kim, Ju-Oak. 2014. “Despite not being Johnny’s: the cultural impact of TVXQ in the Japanese music industry”. 66-80. in K-Pop: The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry.  New York and London: Taylor and Francis Group.

Kim, Suk-Young. 2018. K-pop Live: Fans, Idols, and Multimedia Performance. Stanford: Stanford University Press.