We Belong Together<\/a>, it’s their own version of the Mariah Carey song,\u201d she recalls. \u201cMy big sister was just like, \u2018Check this out. They\u2019re not talking in English, but you should be open-minded, they\u2019re really awesome.\u2019 I listened to it and I was like, \u2018Oh my god, they\u2019re hot as well! Jesus…'”<\/p>\nBut it wasn’t just the smooth moves that drew A*M*E’s eye. K-pop at its best takes pop to fantastical extremes, indiscriminately devouring everything from breakbeat to hip-hop to Eurotrance to spit-out pop songs seductive enough to draw the attention of millions, including people who don\u2019t even speak Korean. “Gangnam Style” might be a relatively recent phenom, but musicians like Grimes have been drawing inspiration from K-pop for years.<\/p>\n
From the sounds of it, A*M*E was quite the early developer, putting together all-K-pop playlists and mainlining Korean pop music videos on hours-long YouTube binges while her contemporaries were still listening to landfill indie rock. “All of my mates were like, \u2018Why don\u2019t you just listen to English songs?\u2019 But I was like, \u2018You don\u2019t understand, but you will soon,'” she laughs. Fast forward a few years and the girl from Lewisham’s been proved right.<\/p>\n
A*M*E’s TOP K-POP TRACKS<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
1. Big Bang – Bad Boy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n“This track has a very ‘N Sync vibe. The video was shot in the US and the dancing, the choreography \u2013 the boys in general \u2013 just everything is really smooth. The song\u2019s so amazing. I think this song has got one of the best middle-eights I have ever heard. I just love the wayy it breaks down.”<\/p>\n
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2. Girls Generation – The Boys<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n“With K-pop girls like 2NE1, Girls Generation, Wonder Girls, I just love the fact that they\u2019re so sassy. Everything\u2019s really bright and everything\u2019s in your face, shouting ‘You\u2019ve got to notice me!\u2019”<\/p>\n
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3. 2NE1 – Follow Me<\/em><\/strong>
\n“This is a very statement record – I love that fact that it is called Follow Me, because they\u2019re almost saying they\u2019re the leaders, but not in a cocky way. More like “yeah, I can teach you a thing or two”. My favourite from 2NE1 is CL, she\u2019s the leader. She reminds me of myself quite a bit, ha!”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
4. 2PM – I’ll Be Back<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n“I like the slow element. It\u2019s quite laid back. Plus they\u2019re really hot as well so it\u2019s just very sexy \u2013 and there are four of them! They\u2019re really awesome, just really chilled throwback R&B.”<\/p>\n
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5. Wonder Girls – Nobody<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n“The video\u2019s in black and white and they\u2019re singing into mic stands – it\u2019s pretty Dreamgirls. Plus they\u2019re all very, very cute. I was in a girl band in primary school and it didn\u2019t work out. I was like, \u2018I want to go solo guys, I want to go solo!\u2019”<\/p>\n
Words: Zing Tsjeng<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pop princess and BBC Sound of 2013 starlet A*M*E (pron. Amy) is causing a ruckus with her 80s-encrusted, uber-catchy earworm pop. The teen gets her game on with Wonderland and pays tribute to her aural obsession, K-pop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9419],"tags":[3429,3430,3431,3315,559,1907,48,1785,2179,2047],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
A*M*E: Sugar sugar | Wonderland<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n