Mnet Asian Music Award for Song of the Year, Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Dance Performance - Female GroupGood Enough" the sign reads, with EXID dancing underneath. They've just removed the censored blurring and embraced their inner aegyo, the music video ending with a lighthearted climax. Touted as the followup to their viral (fancam) sensation, "Up & Down," EXID's "Ah Yeah," as you've probably found, is more than just "good enough." The views are already in the millions and they're climbing the charts, so we just might be seeing EXID staying as an upper-tier girl group. But what's really interesting here is the direction they've taken this comeback, confronting the insipid and suffocating censorship that blankets Kpop. That is what they're doing, right? - See more at: http://www.criticalkpop.com/2015/04/interpreting-exids-compelling-ah-yeah.html#sthash.ytLErets.dpufThe short answer to that is: Kinda. Which is still pretty impressive. When you read the lyrics of the song, there's quite a different story underneath. "Where do you live? Do you live alone?" A man (creep) asks. Switching between Hani and LE, the response is indignant: "You softly smile and keep pestering me. Treating me like another girl. Man, don’t do that. I don’t wanna answer those kinds of questions, no way." Even the "Ah Yeah" of the chorus is a courteous Korean way of being dismissive to someone you don't want to answer. In short, the song is confronting unwanted, sleazy attention from men. Which is an important issue in itself, with Korean society's gender roles being a decade or so behind in the race for equality. But the music video, like the best music videos, adds another dimension to the release. The suggestive blurring of the video belies something sexual or, at least, salacious. Something that someone has deemed inappropriate for our mass consumption. - See more at: http://www.criticalkpop.com/2015/04/interpreting-exids-compelling-ah-yeah.html#sthash.ytLErets.dpufWho can say? (I'd love to read your own interpretations in the comments though) What's great with "Ah Yeah," besides being a strong followup to "Up & Down," is that we can speculate about that meaning. That adds a level of sophistication to this release while also bringing a self-awareness that we're not used to seeing from mainstream Kpop (to be fair, Stellar's recent "Fool" took a stab at examining similar issues). While not scathing enough to be an agent of change, we're excited at the doors this video opens up. Imagine what type of releases we could get from our favorite Kpop stars, if they went beyond their traditional love and heartbreak songs, and took a moment to examine their own celebrity? Also: Hani. - See more at: http://www.criticalkpop.com/2015/04/interpreting-exids-compelling-ah-yeah.html#sthash.ytLErets.dpufSo what does this all mean (assuming that it's meant to mean anything)? Could EXID be making a statement about the thin line between empowering sexuality and objectification (from the male gaze), as evidenced in the lyrics? Could they also be examining how gratuitous sexuality can garner attention, but in the end it's real talent, like Solji's vocals, that has shot them to the top? Or perhaps EXID is just having some fun here, kicking some sexist ass and trolling their audience, showing, by the end of the video, that they're just goofing around, and that they're completely satisfied with their sequel to "Up & Down" being viewed as good enough instead of something transcendent. - See more at: http://www.criticalkpop.com/2015/04/interpreting-exids-compelling-ah-yeah.html#sthash.ytLErets.dpuf
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