Why I think One Direction, dare I say it, might be better than Bigbang, 2ne1, 2pm, or Snsd. Now now, before you jump to assumptions and lash out in insults, I shall say this: Always saying Bigbang is better than One Direction without a plausible evidence might seem...hmm..a bit silly. And this is solely based off of my opinion and studies that I have made since encountering these said groups. Before I begin, I have been following bigbang since 2007 and One Direction since I saw them audition as a group on X-Factor back in 2010. In this rant, I shall point out the finer and obvious things and you as  individuals are free to express your feelings about this all, but I will delete you if you cross the line and say nasty things.

A little background information:

ONE DIRECTION: An English-Irish boy group consisting of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson. A product of British popular singing competition, The X-Factor. They left the competition winning third place. Since then, the group signed with X-Factor mentor and popular television personality Simon Cowell’s company Syco Records.

BIGBANG:  A South Korean male group under the management of YG Entertainment. Formed in 2006, the group consists of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri.

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•You see a lot of people and websites bragging about how Bigbang has 101 million hits on youtube with their popular hit song Fantastic Baby and that song has been out for more than 2 years. But go and see how many people have seen or heard of One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful and you'll be in utter disparity; and it's also been around for 2 years. I am not in any shape or form saying that youtube is a concrete proof that One Direction is more popular than Bigbang but it's definitely a way to somewhat estimate how much of an influence One Direction has. Even if you're not a fan of them, you can't deny it.

•One Direction is close to striving the level of success that Bigbang or any other big name kpop idol group only dreams of having.  One Direction have already surpassed it because they have become such a huge success not only in the US but in West Africa(I'm from Ghana and following Ghanaian news. Apparently 1D had become quite a success over there). If you don't see their sucess, then you would only be lying to yourself. I ask my non-kpop listening friends if they know Bigbang and they just stare at me in a dumbfounded way, but when I bring up 1D, they suddenly know who I'm talking about. You should know before hand that a majority of the people that I have asked these questions to are mostly far East Asians, born and breed in Asia.

•American/British/European artists have the advantage of being very polished and managed by huge corporations(Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, or Sony Entertainment even though it is a Japanese corporation) that have established themselves and gained experience for decades upon decades. Most of the big name Korean msuic corporations have only been around for a little over 17 years.

•The boys are...sad that I have to admit this.. are good-looking.  Their songs are catchy, and they display such witty, charming, and diverse personalities. One Direction has revived the nostalgia for boybands. Example of such are NSync, BackStreet Boys and Take That. And the fact that the West doesn't actually need to import the boyband from the East.

•The revival of  boy groups in Europe and America is because each member is vocally accountable for their own part. Bigbang and most kpop idols are seen as nothing more than people who are commodified to shape and mold into what the current trend is. Most idols' personalities appear to be very fake and unrelatable, compared to One Direction where for the most, Westerners see celebrities as human beings with flaws as much as they have. Kpop idols are made to represent the status quo, order, and perfection that is just not there. Bigbang is nothing but a status quo.

•Even though YG Entertainment is known as being the company that allows its idols the right to express themselves, the freedom to truly express themselves is almost non existent. So people may not really know them as people as well as they might truly think. VIPs have been deluded into thinking that they know who their favorite bias are based on television appearances and a bunch of desultory selcas on twitter,cyworld, or some other social media site.

•Fans are looking for clues that Bigbang and kpop in general may have some connection in Hollywood but the only time you and I will be able to tell is if kpop groups are somehow able to get a top 20 hit list on the U.S Billboard Charts. And no, the Korean Billboard Charts does not count and is irrelevant. What really gets under my skin is when people act like kpop is doing something so spectacular and fresh. Hollywood did that over a decade ago with BSB and NSync but Hollywood made major improvements and moved on. 

•The fact that 1D's songs are in English, which is the primary language spoken by Westerners, puts them ahead of Bigbang. People tend to be more resistant to things they don't understand. And do not bring in Psy's overplayed Gangnam Style. That song is nothing but a one-hit wonder. And how many of you really know what you're listening to without going online and scurrying around for English translations? Until Bigbang or many kpop artitsts completely master the English language, they will not be able to crossover.

•Another thing is that 1D is more relatable. I do not identify with kpop, jpop, or any other music genre for that matter.  People  tend to relate more to people who are like themselves. I can relate to...hmm...Zayn Malik because he is introverted and quiet. I can also relate to 1D as a group and how people consistently criticize and compares them to the Beatles; because I'm always getting criticized too(the way I dress, talk, and even write). So I totally understand them.

•One Direction do not demonstrate lacklustre and is not to be be blamed for the inundated popularity that they have received from fans and anti-fans(anti-fans also help strengthen One Direction's overwhelming voguishness in music) all over the world.

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I am so pissed off of going to youtube videos and forums and seeing comments about how One Direction compared to [fill in idol here]. I do not like One Direction as in musical aspect, but fans of Bigbang or Kpop in general decide that they want  to go to One Direction's videos and forums that are solely dedicated to them and comment on their lack of talent. My advice to 1D fans is to just ignore them. Responding to a troll will only incite them to continue. Or you can simply tell them to sod off, if you'll rather go that way.

To conclude this, there is no point in bringing down another group just because you dislike them. You just make your own look worse. Why make snide, downright rude comments about another group? There's no point. Just enjoy. Live, love, and let live.

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This once again is solely based off of what I have noticed trending on the web and what I think.

Leave your comments below.