Transnational Cooperative Pop Songs: Analyzing the Ice Cream Music

Analyzing the Ice Cream Music
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This paper will use media and cultural theories to assess the transnational cooperative pop songs. The two models will further be utilized to analyze challenges to modern society and music production mechanisms. The question to be tackled in the paper is whether transnational collaborative pop music is a result of artifacts of cultural or musical stylistic fusions. The essay is expected to establish if the international musical sovereignty is contributed to by western hegemony. It will further identify whether the governing power of international song styles is disintegrating or expanding. The paper is further expected to establish whether the transnational collaborative pop music pushes the melody lyrics and styles of minority culture to advanced status. Compared to musicology, the above study question is not a research of academic music theory, such as the fusion of various widespread tones, amplitudes, and frequencies between two nations. It stresses interpreting and assessing the influences of transnational cooperative pop music on race and society in a cultural environment.
The selected music for study in this paper is the Ice Cream. This is a song by Selena Gomez, a U.S. artist, and the Blackpink group, whose members are located in South Korea. The analysis of this song will be based on the cultural aspects of transnationalism and the developmental status of global music. Both Selena Gomez and Blackpink members utilize the pop music genre. This style originated in the U.S. and the UK in the 1950s. Pop music is the genre of popular songs that produce the most hits with high sales. It is specifically designed for commercial success and mass appeal. Pop music genres also utilize any musical characteristics and instruments. They are usually about 2 to 5 minutes.[Mauch, Matthias, Robert M. MacCallum, Mark Levy, and Armand M. Leroi, "The evolution of popular music: USA 1960–2010," Royal Society open science, (2015), P. 567-891.]
The musicians mentioned above conform to the above defining characteristics of the pop music genre. They all have a catchy melody and good rhythm that connect to the song's instrumentals. The musicians use words that are easy to remember and sing to promote commercial success. The Ice Cream by Blackpink and Selena is about three minutes long, supporting the above statement about the length of pop music.
The quality of vocals in the Ice Cream song is what the pop audience single out as the object of enjoyment. Blackpink and Selena Gomez have used a technique closer to speaking than singing. They have not utilized the clipped consonants and lengthened vowels employed in classical music. The five artists have further used speech quality voices in the music rather than the upper register, making it more interesting.[Walter Benjamin, 'radio Benjamin', Ed. By Lecia Rosenthal, (2014), p. 336-359.]
Familiarity with the pop music genre among all musicians in the Ice Cream song made it easier for them to collaborate and work together. In a speech, Selena Gomez noted that working with Blackpink was not challenging. She added that despite speaking a different language and having a varying culture from the Korean group, she never struggled throughout the process of producing the song. Her music always focuses on electronic dance-pop. She also considers winning with excellent mezzo-soprano vocals in her work. Alternatively, Blackpink utilizes the K-pop genre in its music.
Since the last century, diverse cultures have been adopted in the U.S. Research has indicated that this is mostly motivated by immigration. Norms of various countries have also become compatible with the American Society. This has led to a significant development in U.S. politics, society, and culture. The changes have also impacted music, which falls under the cultural element. Music has integrated with various ethnic styles from different regions around the globe. For instance, the blues, associated with black people, have been adopted into American music. Initially produced by the whites in the U.S., country music is currently integrated into other song genres. The United States music industry utilizes rock and electronic music from the youth in Europe. Studies have indicated that all of the mentioned music genres are currently trying to be innovative and cooperative with each other.[Stoever, Jennifer Lynn, "Fine-tuning the sonic color-line: Radio and the acousmatic Du Bois." Modernist Cultures (Edinburg: Edenburg University, 2015): 99-118.]
Despite Selena Gomez and Blackpink coming from different nations, their collaborative music provides a new trend for the global music market. The musicians seem to be compatible as much as they speak different languages. The cooperation between the West and East is evident in the "Ice Cream" music. The interaction of transnational culture between Selena Gomez and Blackpink is also clear. This song is a good example of how various norms are integrated into the music. Studies have indicated that Selena Gomez uses different genres in her songs. She also tries working with artists who utilize hybrid electronic music, pop, and disco. Her music style culturally came from the UK and the U.S. Elvis Presley originally utilized this type of music where different genres were employed in 1954. The latter used rock and roll, blues, and country music in his work.[Georgina Born, Music, Sounds and Space transformation of public and private experiences (North London: Cambridge university, 2013) p. 1-26.]
On the other hand, Blackpink uses hip hop and R&B styles. They drum up their music, which facilitates the choreography of their works and performance. These musicians utilize rapping, dancing, and singing skills crucial for Korean girl groups. Research suggests that Korea's entertainment firms allocate different responsibilities to each member in a musical group depending on their skills. For instance, Jisoo and Rose from Blackpink belong to the lead and main vocals sections. On the other hand, Lisa is the main dancer, while Jinnie is the rapper.[Lie, John, "What is the K in K-pop? South Korean popular music, the culture industry, and national identity." Korea observer 43,ed. By William Rossi (2008): 339-363.]
According to Kim (2021), cultural growth in Korea developed after World War II and was recognised globally in the 21st century. Other studies have revealed that in the 20th century, South Korea's music adopted American culture. This was triggered by an alliance between this nation and the U.S. during the Korean War. Kim (2021) relates this to Korean army being asked to restore order in the U.S. Americans would learn their music lyric. This author further notes that post culture traditional Korea was driven by of sinmyong. Previously, Korean music had been influenced by Japan's culture, especially in the colonial era. However, the mentioned war altered this to the norms of the U.S. American music culture is believed to have significantly impacted the evaluation of the Korean Music Industry. This is through the style and preferences of domestic fans. Currently, American culture's influence on the audiences is clear, especially in K-pop songs.[Roland Barthes, "Listening", The Responsibility of Forms, trans, E.D. by Richard Howard, (1991), p.245-260.]
Korean War is believed to have allowed Korean citizens to experience American music. This was through a radio channel named AFKN. The U.S. originally started the station in Korea to educate American troops about the culture of this nation. It also acted as a source of entertainment for the forces. The radio station broadcasted American hit songs to make the soldier feel at home. Due to the great relationship between the U.S. and Korea, AFKN became popular in the latter country. Moreover, American music spread in society, and some Koreans started learning to sing the songs from the radio stations. They entertained the American troops with this music, making it more popular. This led to the introduction of hip-hop and pop music in Korea. Kim (2021) believes that post culture traditional Korea was driven by of sinmyong. The enormous global following of K-pop is triggered by the nation’s seductive music videos.[Maliangkay, Roald, "Same look through different eyes: Korea's history of uniform pop music acts," In K-pop: The international rise of the Korean music industry. E.D. by Jungbong choi, Roald Maliangkay (2015) p. 134-156.]
From the above information, it is clear that the American pop genres influence Blackpink's singing and dancing mode. Some researchers have noted that Korean Pop groups mostly use their local language and English as lyrics in the music. This demonstrates cultural fusion, which maintains Koreans' patriotism and national identity using it. This further shows the acceptance of American culture in Korea after the war. Alternatively, Kim (2021) believes that the cultural hegemony of K-pop is built on norms reappropriation crafted from mimicry. The above analysis of Korean Music and Selena Gomez's singing styles reveal how culture was blended into the Ice Cream song. Despite all members in Blackpink being located in South Korea, they are from different countries. For instance, one lady is from Thailand while another is from New Zealand. The rest are Korean citizens. This indicates that Korean musicians and music utilizes international elements.
Various authors have noted that the reconstruction of global political rights has made the United States the leading nation in international cultural trends globally. However, other factors, such as the war in Korea, indicate that this could be possible. On the other hand, K-pop songs have demonstrated that music performances express cultural identity. They pursue westernization and internationalization d...