I like her reactions and commentaries... I love how she said he doesn't need the best vocals because he can sell himself with what he has...this is also how I feel about Kai. A lot of people didn't believe in him at first or underestimated him as a solo artist but damn, I know MMMH is still on everybody's playlist more than one year after debut...now that's a huge testament to Kai's talent and place as a solo artist. I still feel that Kai deserves more recognition for everything that he's given to us....It really warms my heart whenever I see people genuinely appreciating him.
THIS! I am Kai biased and I know that sometimes things I say about him might come off as biased but I am really not. Kai is a whole package without the need to have the vocal range of some Exo members, still his voice is warm and embracing in a different way. Also whatever he puts out is art in every form as he is incredibly creative and dedicated... Imma stop now, I'll ramble without getting the point across - as you did - for ages! But you are absolutely right!
Show her "LIT and Flying Apsara" she will realize the meaning of Trendsetter 😜 Lay knows how to use Chinese culture into his work the best way possible.Honey is his American debut ,obviously he won't always use his cultural reference every where, he is a versatile artist , that's Namanana and Honey exists.
There’s a difference between appropriation and appreciation. Ofc I agree with the hairstyles and the durags and things like that but… in my opinion dancing as appropriation was a bit of a stretch. I’d consider dancing appreciation. As a black person I love just seeing people in general dance hiphop.
I really like this channel cause you really say what you think and not just react and say good stuff about the artists to get views, you all said true stuff and things that needed to be said
A genuine question that puzzles me: What about the team behind 'Honey'? The English lyrics to Honey were written by Blaq Tuxedo and it wasn't as if Lay bought the product as-is. They were actually in the studio with Lay and had a session to come up with the lyrics. So they are aware who will be singing these lyrics. They also praised him... The choreography was also commissioned with EZ Twins. They were also aware he is a Chinese artist, yet they came up with this choreo and accepted the work. They also praised him for the execution... Lay had an interview with Tight Eyez who also praised him and professed his wishes for the love of krump to spread in China... So, what are these people telling an artist from a different culture ? 🤔 What about kung-fu inspired moves in hip-hop? But even Kung-fu comes from over 56 different ethnic groups in China. If we get deeper into this convo, perhaps all international collaborations should be obsolete in the future. Because you are right to ask where is the line and the only correct answer is that it's different for everyone.
Not to mention all the black backing dancers that accompanied a lot of these performances.... They said nothing but respect & nice things about Lay. They're the one dancing to this song with him & perfectly okay with it lol. I just love how different people perceive this thing differently.
Thank you for this comment, as a fan of Lay we see how hard he works and respectful he is toward others I was kinda getting triggered by this reaction man 🤐
I can tell she didn't vibe with Honey so I'm hoping Lit and Flying Apsaras will redeem Lay for her since this was after his American debut. Hé nǐ in English sounds like Honey but he's playing with words because it means "With You" or "And You". He just taking advantage of the fact certain Chinese words sounds like English word. I believe some of the adlibs he was making in that song means something different. However, I'm happy she is crushing on Kai.
Fun fact: Peaches, and peach trees in particular, symbolize immortality in Korean culture and the modern take on traditional Korean clothing that Kai wears in the MV seems to symbolize that he is an immortal being that plans to continue his journey for many more years with no plans of stopping. I have also heard that images with everything to do with this MV and comeback content reference things to do with traditional Korean folktales, so Koreans, and those that know Korean culture, would understand some of the references and stories he is referring to. I'm also fairly certain that there are also things in this video that can be connected to EXO's storyline, however, I haven't had enough time to really think about it to make any solid connections yet. The title of this song and album is stylized as "Peaches 2" because this is Kai's second solo album. I guess it's SM's new style, they put the album number in the title of the album. Peaches is a mini album with 6 tracks. If you want a sample of the other songs on this album, if you haven't already, check out his "Peaches Prologue Film." The prologue film is similar to Kai's "Film: Kai," which was a sample of all his songs on his solo debut Kai album, which is the album that "Mmmh" is on. If you are impressed with his dancing in the MV, you should check out Kai's dance practice video for "Peaches."
Lay is a Krumper. He really has bought that dance genre to China. So that would be like there can be no bboys anywhere other then in my city Newyork. As a artist you want your art to be shared. He really has done so much for Dance . He is a dancer
I think it be interesting for you to show her lit by him, because you really see how he incorporates his upbringing as a dancer as well as his Chinese culture in the video elements and the instrumental! Love the video as always! 💖
@@patricejones3090 He just started the trend in China with LIT of mixing traditional Chinese music and new trendy genres..Idk what you are talking about with black Culture
@@baeklayexo8183 every music genre that kpop consists of is created by black people including hip hop music/dancing which is what you seen with honey and his other songs. like I said please have some respect to the black culture. he is not doing anything new
Actually i think that he is a trendsetter. The lyric 'trendsetter' in the song honey is not a reference to the actual song, but to the whole career of the artist in that case Lay, and yeah he very a trendsetter being one of the most popular singers and China. Siento si va mal escrito no tengo el mejor inglés.
@@jafetjimenez8448 and y’all need to realize he wouldn’t be one of the most popular singers without having music genres that were created by black people to refer from. what y’all are saying is so disrespectful and borderline anti-black.
Am I the only one who feels some type of way about what was said about Lay? Now as an African American person I definitely get everything she said but I feel it's unfair to judge him off this one song definitely seeing how almost all his other songs have a mass amount of his own Chinese culture incorporated into them.
@@Mslgs99 Thank the Lord someone agrees like I don't want to seem like I don't care about something of this topic but I have a lot of love and respect for Lay and saying he's not a trendsetter or saying he uses to much of another races culture when a person knows nothing else about him except this one song is offensive.
@@number1_KEYholder yeah I have a Lotta respect for LAY he is always stated how much respect he has for our culture and his desire to bring the two together and what better way to do that thru dance, Street Dance of China is a great example of what it can be like I enjoy that show
Appropriation is an issue in kpop and it needs to be talked about more, but I don’t like how she kept bringing up language. He did an all English song for his western fans and we appreciate the hard work that went into it. You can’t appropriate English, you don’t own the language. There wasn’t even aave so you can’t claim that and he didn’t use an accent, so what’s the problem here? He can’t use English because he’s from China..?
KAI 👏👏👏 agreed with everything said in this. would be interested in seeing a reaction to some fancams of kai's performances or some dance practices. i think elliotte would also enjoy exo's obsession mv if you haven't already filmed it!
"regardless, you gonna get it", lmao and "trouble" is obviously KAI's new nickname, lol... loved that you guys talked a bit about appropriation, I hope more k-pop stans would be more open to discuss things like that
Omg girl this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, I think it would’ve been better to show her LAY - LIT (Mix of both chinese & modern culture) and KAI is one of the best singers as well as dancer both in EXO and Solo.
I wish kpop fans would have conversations like this about appropriation without getting super defensive over their faves It's fine to hold your idols accountable
I mean since when being an hip hop and it’s sub genres dancer became appropriation now ? Every literally dancer knows its root saying it’s appropriation is a reach. The durag is tho and honey’s lyrics contains indeed lingo but once again throwing words without knowing SM producers are black and they honestly indeed should actually think that giving a song like that to both groups or artists doesn’t match lyrically but Dance in general and hip hop is *expression* very different, I feel like people throwing words without even thinking it through. The woke culture is going too far for some of people heads.
@@lucasbieber9051 Most English slang that a lot of idols doing hip hop style concepts use is AAVE though. We're not saying he's a bad person for doing it, but that's why what she in the video was saying about "where is the line between influence/inspiration and appropriation?" because yes, it is a fuzzy and thin line and it's ok to have a real discussion about that. The line is in a slightly different place for every individual watching the content. So it's a fine line to walk like they said in the video.
Tbh her take on Honey is valid although I’ve never thought of it that way before. I think because I’ve been following him his whole career and know the totality of his work and how he’s really explored things originating from his own experiences, background and identity. Unfortunately those aren’t shown in Honey so this reaction is understandable. I think maybe a better introduction to artist would help with one thing, and that’s the reactors are unfamiliar with different Asian cultures. They mix up major Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc. cultural references. Of course you can’t be expected to know everything about a foreign culture, but a little intro before or even afterwards is good.
With Lay's video I understand her wanting Asian influence mixed in with black culture, LIT would have been perfect. Kpop is born out of black culture 90's R&B/Rap/Hiphop, as is most genres. The line is thin with appropriation in music because black people have influenced 30+ music genres. People want the look and sound, but we're more accepting of just the sound. The line is thin. Kai's durag was fashionable, the rhinestones... with that said Korean culture has its similarities, the Hanbok Prince hat, Bokkeon. They even have the head band, Manggeon... lay down your edges. Peaches is beautiful because Kai incorporated the culture. It would be nice to see more artists do that. Over all Kai and Lay know how to trigger people.
If she's interested in Lay showcasing chinese culture more, maybe try to show her Lit, Jade, Flying Apsaras. Honey is a song and EP in full english, it was intended to be more digestible for global audiences. Also, there's a version of Honey in chinese (和你) if she wants to react to that :)
Please, please get Elliotte to react to Lay's Lit or Flying Apsaras. She'll definitely see his growth of highlighting more of the Chinese culture with hip-hop/ R&B influences. He's really developed a unique sound. I love her take and questions on the line between appreciation vs. appropriation.
Thanks for another 'EXO' reaction 😉 They're my ult and only group. Kai's and Baekhyun's voices are my favoritein the whole world. The warmest deep vibrato, so textured, almost scratchy, yet capable of falsettos... and powerful, emotional, immaculate cleanliness. So different but both are so unique and captivating, heart-warming.
Really, really appreciate the depth of your discussions! (I would love to hear her thoughts on Lay's Lit. The krump influence is so strong but he's using it to express his voice/vision and uses the "battle" feeling to tell his own story and he included classical Chinese opera and storytelling in a fascinating way. To my eyes anyway) Kai's versatility is quite remarkable. I would love to hear more thoughts from both of you about the trade offs between being very specialised in a certain style and being more of an all-rounder. I don't think I would use the word "stuck" but I know what you are trying to say. Once you get so specific and so specialised (because anything less and you couldn't excel in your art form) your mouth, body, muscle memory are moulded to a specific purpose. Kai is an excellent example of someone who has taken his gifts, interests and talents to communicate his specific style. You can tell he's not trying to be anyone else. But we all start first with imitation before we grow into ourselves and figure out what we individually have to say.
I love this channel because of the honesty!! That being said Lay actually learned and took the time to learn the history of Krump from one the founders of Krump. There is a bts video out there of this. He studies the craft.
First off, I want to make clear that I am not upset, I just want to make a point. You may not see it, but Lay is 100% a trendsetter in China. The things he does with his music and career is not like what most Chinese artists are doing. Among many things, he is breaking ground by being one of the very first Chinese artists to ever chart in the U.S. For the sheer fact that he is Asian and making a name for himself outside of the Asian music market is trendsetting. You don't have to be the first person to do something to set a trend, you just have to be one of the first to break in, and that is what he is doing. He is breaking new ground in the music industry with every new release he has. "Honey" is another one of Lay's solo English songs and it's in English because it was a follow up to his previous album Namanana. (Namanana was Lay's 2018 U.S. debut album so all the songs on that album have an all English version.) You heard Lay listening to his song "Give Me a Chance" on his earbuds at the beginning of the "Honey" MV and that is one of his songs and MVs from his Namanana album. Because Lay was not allowed to promote in Korea at this time due to the issues between the Chinese and Korean government, SM found a way to promote him as part of EXO's storyline by partnering with him to release English songs and to tie his MVs in with EXO's story. Everything EXO does, including several of Lay's solo releases -- such as "Sheep," "Namanana" and "Honey" -- all tie into the fact that he is a member of EXO. It's SM's way of making sure that even though he might not be able to work with the members, that they show fans that his storyline and presence as part of EXO is still really important to Lay and SM. For any of us that know EXO, and especially Lay, "Honey" is kind of exactly what we would expect from him. This is just the sexy, cool kind of song and amazing choreography that Lay is known for. All the guys want to be him and all the girls want to be with him. If you look at the credits for this album, Lay, once again wrote and composed and produced this song and the whole album himself, including the English lyrics. He even created the beats himself. And he also helped choreograph and direct the MV, etc. When it comes to Lay's solo work he pretty much does it all himself. He has a hand in all aspects of his solo projects. And that is why he is known as China's national producer. Lay is one of the top dancers in the industry and it's his solo work where he really gets to showcase what an amazing dancer he really is. He is the main dancer of EXO-M and he is the counterpart to Kai's role in EXO-K. Kai and Lay are both main dancers, lead vocalists and sub-rappers in their EXO units, so it's no surprise that Lay is an amazing dancer. That is why most of the time when you see solo dance breaks in EXO concerts you will see Lay and Kai dancing together because they are 2 of the top dancers in the industry and they were meant to fill similar roles in their respective sub-units in EXO. If you like his dancing, you have to check out Lay's dance practice video for "Honey." When it comes to EXO, one thing you have to keep in mind is that absolutely everything they are involved in is connected to their concept and storyline, including a majority of the members' solo work. So, the story in Lay's "Honey" MV is just another piece of EXO's story. To explain the story in "Honey," some fan theories say that the fact that the weather lady on the TV is talking about the changing weather and the pressure system could be a nod to the unsettled conditions within EXO's current storyline and how currently the members are struggling to distance themselves from the Red Force, etc. And because you hear her speaking with a British accent this might be a clue to tell us where Lay is right now within EXO's storyline, and it might explain why the other EXO members seem to be sending him messages -- as we see with the bee and the blackout, etc. If you follow EXO's storyline than you know that they are supposed to be aliens from Planet Exo, who came to Earth to find and protect the Tree of Life from the evil Red Force. All the members of EXO have superpowers and they are on a mission to protect humanity from the evil and corruption caused by the Red Force. Most of EXO's powers have weather and nature elements that could be affected by and effecting the weather around the world. Some theories say, the mechanical bee has been sent by either one or more of the EXO members or it could be sent by the Red Force. The bee is either a message or a warning sent to Lay (although I am not fully confident as to what that exact message is.) And I think, the fact that the bee passes through the glass, might be Kai using his power of teleportation to allow it to pass through it -- or more like, transported to the other side of the glass. And then the lights in the entire city go out as if in a blackout, which I think might be Baekhyun using his power, which is the ability to control light, or Chen, who has the ability to control electricity. Plus, as Lay's power counterpart, it makes sense that Baekhyun would feel the pull to want to find Lay. Chen is a member of EXO-M along with Lay, so he would also have a heightened reason to want to find Lay. EXO needs Lay to help protect them and to heal all the things that are going on around them. And Kai's whole mission is to find the other EXO members and bring them back together to stop the Red Force. Also, I think it's interesting that Lay, as a member of EXO, has the power of healing, and honey is known for its natural homeopathic healing and medicinal properties. And in parts of the MV we see Lay submerged in a pool of honey, almost as if he might be using it to recharge and gain strength. I have no idea what this all means, but I just thought it was an interesting parallel. If you notice the part of the choreography where Lay is standing in the middle and the dancers are all round him as he spins around, I am pretty sure that is supposed to be depicting a flower as it blooms which is what is attracting the "bee" to him. :D On the flip side, the story in the song also is saying that Lay is a bee and he is looking for his "honey" that's why he is in a honeycomb/beehive or in a pool of honey the whole time. I think what he is saying in the lyrics is that "Be my honey and be available to me when I want you, but 'please don't catch no feelings' because you have to know that we can have fun together, but I can't invest all my time and energy into you the way I should if we were in a relationship." In other words, he is too busy and too popular to be exclusive right now. He needs to keep the girl at a safe distance for both of their emotional safety, etc. This also plays into the theory within EXO's storyline that the "girl" is a manifestation of the heart of the Tree of Life and that is why the members of EXO are always rescuing or protecting the girl, etc. And why all of EXO's songs are about being in love with a girl or being controlled by the power of the girl. Which could possibly explain the lyrics in "Honey" if you think of the girl as the heart, it might explain why Lay "wants her" but needs to keep her at a distance to protect her, etc. When you think of the girl as the heart of the Tree of Life, you begin to see even more parallels to EXO's story and even more ways to connect even more of it all together. Did you notice the spinning honeycomb in the middle of the MV? That spinning honeycomb is a nod to the fact even as a solo artist, he is still part of EXO. The hexagon is EXO's symbol and if you pay close attention at that spinning honeycomb you will see that it says EXO in the middle as it spins. So this is Lay's and SM's way of making sure that we never forget that he is part of EXO and that even if he isn't able to work with the group, he still makes sure to show just how important they are to him. As you can see, EXO's MVs are more complex than what you see on the surface. However, often -- although the stories in the MVs are loosely based on the lyrics -- many times the story in the MV and the lyrics in the song are two separate things. The lyrics don't necessarily always go with the story in the MV. Often EXO's songs are about being in love with a girl and wanting to be with her, but the story in the MV is about them working to complete their mission and to fight against the Red Force, etc. Everything EXO does has many layers and it has multiple means and messages, including any of the member's solo work. There are always two levels to every EXO song, one designed to grab the casual listener that has no idea about EXO's storyline, and one that, if you look deeper, you discover has hidden meanings and messages that all connects to EXO's mission here on Earth.
Love the reaction. However, her uttering that LAY is not a trendsetter without knowing how HUGE he is in China is just sad. Saying 'Lay, (who is the pioneer of MPop, the Kpop idol with the most endorsements, China's best selling soloist) is not a trendsetter equates to the statement that Earth is flat.
Her point is, that particular video doesn’t showcase that. Because the trends he’s showing are from black culture in that video, not him as an artist don’t worry lol.
so the 'trend' she's referring is the genre and apparently different meaning from the 'trend' in the lyrics. Ok point taken. Anyway, Kpop/Cpop is heavily influenced by Black Culture, most esp SM's which has a lot of black producers. Hence, this. Would love to see her react to songs like LIT and Flying Asparas that Lay personally produced.
@@Koko3op Thats a valid point that she has if that’s what he was referencing to which he was not in that sense we all know that LAY is huge in China the top soloist so whatever he does in China and whatever he puts out is going to be a a what trend ergo trendsetter. That’s how I took the interpretation of that particular word.
SHe has got to be my one of, if not the favorite reviewers on your channel! I think Lay's Lit would be a better representation of how he's now actually progressed into his own and pulling his own culture into his music and dance. Less 80's and 90's studied moves and more modern and Chinese traditional in the video for Lit. But she always is so right and love listening to her
im honestly curious tho, really want to listen to what she thinks was appropriation in honey because it just sounds and looks like a hip-hop concept to me, and aren't everyone doing that? i think the trends are overall his type of music that aren't really common in china which is more dominated by pops and ballads a few years ago
" im honestly curious tho, really want to listen to what she thinks was appropriation in honey because it just sounds and looks like a hip-hop concept to me, and aren't everyone doing that?" That's technically exactly what appropriation is. It's when one group takes/does/copies something from another group and kind of makes it theirs. Especially with black people where some of the stuff we influence others to do, we get hated on or discriminated against for doing, but it's cool when other cultures do borrow it from us. It can feel very unfair and frustrating. For example, braids or "natural hair" are very important culturally to black people, but we often get called "unprofessional" for having those hair styles in and it can affect our job and we can get fired for it. But when other cultures wear braids or other hair styles that come from black culture, it's considered cute and exotic and cool. It makes us feel a certain way. Like she said, where is the line between influence and appropriation. And it definitely is REALLY HARD to define for sure... There's no one definition and not every one agrees where the line is, so it's just hard. Someone who may think it is appropriation isn't wrong, and someone who thinks it isn't appropriation isn't necessarily wrong either. It just depends on the individual. The specific parts she was talking about though is some of the English slang he uses, the fashion, and some of the dance moves because they originate from black/African American culture (which modern K-Pop and American pop music done by artists of other races is very very inspired by). Lay's song/video for Honey specifically borrows A LOT from late 90s/early 2000's R&B era music/videos from black artists, i'm a little older and remember that era very vividly. So it's easy to make the connection. I don't think Lay did it in a malicious or offensive way personally, but i also do see where she's coming from and why she felt how she did about it. And like she said "where does the mix of his culture come in?" Honey in particular doesn't have much of his Chinese culture in it. I think she would like his song Lit a lot better because it's a much better mix of some of the black culture influence Lay has like with his Krump dancing but mixed really well with his Chinese culture that the music video and instrumentation of the song has. Usually if it's a mixing of the black culture influence with Korean or with Chinese (or whatever the original culture of the artist is) that's when people from the other culture really like it because it feels like something new and cool and not like copying. And i think that's why she liked Kai's Mmmh and Peaches better because like she said, she can see some of the r&b and black culture influences but it felt modern and different and like he did it in a way where it felt like he added his own things to it to make it fresh and his own. It was a better combination of the cultures for her.
@@VMYeahVN Eh .. honestly if there is no proven ill intent to make fun of someone, human culture belongs to every human. If we start drawing lines in the sand of what is "ours" and what is "yours" you only start to tribalize people. It's not good to have clear lines that tell you that's what black people do and that's what Chinese people do. And I don't think black artists did pay a lot of attention when borrowing from Chinese and other Asian culture over the past decades as well - if people start to make edgy appropriation takes, well ... they are throwing stones in a glass house to put it mildly.
I like this channel and she's great but this was strange. I couldn't tell if she liked Honey because of all her culture comments. Which is also weird because music doesn't have to retain to one specific culture. I appreciate the music for what it is and not for the cultural things in the videos. But I appreciate the honesty.
A lot of people do like to appreciate the cultural things in music so it's understandable she said what she said. It's the same reason why people love that Lay includes elements of his Chinese culture in his other songs like Lit or how Lisa from Black Pink had elements of Thai music/culture in Lalisa, or Suga/Agust D of BTS had Korean traditional music elements in Daechwita. When an artist uses a different cultures elements, it can sometimes make people from that culture feel weird or a little offended like the artist "stole" it or doesn't fully understand where it came from or doesn't fully respect it even if they still kind of like the song. Or it can sometimes make them appreciate the shout out and feel liek the artist loves the other culture, but not everyone of that culture will feel the same way and some people will feel a mixture of both feelings (which kinda seemed like where she in the video was at). Some artists borrow from other cultures "the right way" and other ones don't do it in a good way and not everyone agrees on which are good and which are bad. It's kind of hard to ignore in my opinion, i don't really see how you can just listen for what it is and ignore what it is at the same time. The cultural things are very much part of what the music and video is.
@@VMYeahVN u can actually listen to it for what it is when u're not focusing too much about that aspect of "culture" like it's a big deal. Sure u can't ignore it but u can try perceive it differently bcus let me ask u this, is what Lay doing actually offensive? Sure he's trying to mimick american hiphop artist bcus this was his international debut but did he actually doing anything ACTUALLY offensive?? The lyrics was written by black people after discussing it with him. His dance moves come from black dancer who praised him for that. The backup dancers who accompanied him live multiple times are black people & they said nothing but respect to him. The fashion can't even considered to be exclusively comes & for black people like..... I'm confused. What's the issue here? When u try to get over that u can listen to it for what it is, appreciating y'know other parts of the music & video that it's offered like his visual, his voice, the production, the message, the style... It's so much more than just a falsely labeled appropriation.
@@adara4635 I don't think people are pissed of if she ignores it but I agree about the part that she's supposed to say anything that comes up in her mind bcus well, this is first time reaction. So sorry for being kinda harsh. I just hope that CA isn't something that comes up in people's mind first whenever an artist try to sing hiphop & its subgenres bcus that'd be a reach. It's okay to discuss actual CA like the durag in Kai's Mmmh, but Honey isn't one of them. Esp when it's supported, produced & praised by actual black people behind the scene.
"Lit" or "Flying Asparas" would have been a better song for her to review. "Honey" was meant primarily for an English speaking audience. Appropriation is definitely a good conversation to have. In this context, "honey" in Mandarin is 宝贝 (băobèi).
Great reactions! Hope you will also show Lay's other works that are more representative of M-pop (mix of traditional & modern elements) that he is promoting e.g. Lit, Flying Apsaras. His older works - NAMANANA, Lose Control, What U Need, etc are great too!
Well Yixing did have Honey as his American Release... That explains the style and dance.... He brought his M-pop idea from LIT.... She should definitely check it out... Cause ghat screams Yixing's culture but with a new touch... And also Flying Apsaras.... It doesn't have a MV but she can watch his Dance practice.... Its beautiful
So, the chinese title of "Honey" is 和你 pronounced as "he ni" which means "with you". It sounds very similar to the word "honey" so I think it's a wordplay and Lay sings a mix of Honey and 和你 in the chorus (honestly can't tell when he is saying which, but it's definitely a mix), so it would mean something like "Honey, with you" or "With you, honey". The literal translation of honey (the thing you can eat) would be 蜂蜜 (fengmi) or 寶貝 (as in darling, pronounced as baobei).
Oh girl u won't even have a hint about Lay's talent by seeing couple of mvs. As for vocals u need to listen to the bsides of his albums ... its insane that a person who is mainly known for dance can sing to this range
Most people forget that Michael Jackson is and was a humongous influence in the Asia culture. You will see it everywhere in the MVs from Asia.. Lay song Honey was made for the Western music. He is a influential in China as a #1 entertainer. If she wants to see his culture take show her Lit. It shows the musical mix of traditional and dance.
Lay's love for the Chinese culture is insane. The're pieces that sound so Chinese and pieces that aren't Chinese based but you can heart the subtle Chinese instruments. Even his stage performances show how much he appreciates his roots and it is amazing how he tries his best to spread Chinese music and culture. People he worked with in the music industry, dancing industry, and acting industry which came from different parts of the world appreciate and respect his works and talent. He is using his influence and power to do all these. His works and influence will make you understand why he is a trendsetter.
Please check out Lay's LIT mv and Flying Apsaras visualizer and dance practice (unfortunately Lay wasn't satisfied with the final MV so he decided to release only the 40 seconds of the visualizer that he's satisified with)
@@kittycait1485 With every new work, you'll be amazed by Lay's ideas and you can't stop wondering what else is in that man's mind, and you'll be expecting his next work! Yes he is just so talented!
@@nkl22nkl22 true! My fave right now would have to be the two you mentioned above tho. They're just so Zhang Yixing. Choreo wise tho, Veil's got me OBSESSED for real 🤣🤣
what you said abt Kai is so true. every time I watch new reactions of him on this channel they perfectly put into words of what I’ve been trying to say omg
I don't understand why she is so egar to find Chinese significance in Honey? Is it really important for a Chinese or a korean artist to have cultural references and significance to their every work? When Niall Horan sings a song , do people try to find irish significance in his song? Is it really that important? I think she took "trendsetter" thing too seriously , hope koko3op will describe the artist better way to them as they don't fully know the artist.Most of the time Lay use reference from his other work in his songs ,The trendsetter thing is because he is an established trendsetter,it's about his career,He is not trendsetting by "Honey"( in a sense in honey he is bragging his "trendsetter" title he got from fans and media)
I'm dying😭😭. Friend whispered "not 69" I don't know why that got me. Nevertheless, I do agree with everything said in this reaction. I always get super excited when idols incorporated their own culture, and dont try to emulate or appropriate other cultures, because its original and they do it so well.
""" Nevertheless, I do agree with everything said in this reaction. I always get super excited when idols incorporated their own culture, and dont try to emulate or appropriate other cultures, because its original and they do it so well. 1 the man from nowhere""" 1)plenty of others races emulates others culture as well. hip hop , in fact, have been influenced by multiple cultures.for exemple did you know for exemple breakdance was influenced by kung fu movies? should black rappers stop being influenced by asian culture? 2) by the way why because they asian they should stick to only show their heritage? do you see black american rappers bring ther african heritage?majoritarly they dont. 3) as long as your credit your influence people should take the influence they wants
You have to show her songs like LIt, his Flying Apsaras album and visualiser etc. If you know Lay, you know his mission is to bring China to the world and that man is a master at mixing traditional Chinese sounds with modern elements.
I LOVE her reactions and we are blessed with another video. She's such a cutie pie and her playful personality never fails to make to her reactions engaging for viewers. Please please have her on as a regular for exo and individual members.
I love what she said about it's something new to hear to someone in a different field like theater. I just now notice why i became a kpop or k-music fan in general because it's something new to me back then and what can i say? IT'S AMAZING
Yeah I thought this was going to be just a normal reaction didn’t know I had to think about my culture and about how they would feel about this Chinese artist “so called” appropriating black culture🤦🏽♀️
I think she's one of my favorite guest you've had on your channel. She's very candid with her reactions but objective at the same time. I love that the conversation went there specially since kpop is essentially about spreading the Korean culture around the world, yet not everyone wants to admit that it is very highly influenced by black culture, as most of pop culture is. I'm curious to see her reaction on Lay's newer releases like Lit and Flying Asparas which has a more Chinese sound. Also I hope she gets to see Film:Kai too!
She should watch songs like Last Christmas, Monodrama, Give me a chance, Love you more and Lose Control so she can listen to Lay’s vocals. And as for videos where Lay’s really embracing his Chinese culture I think Lit and Flying Apsaras are better examples 😭❤️❤️ please show her some of those videos next.
I'm genuinely confused and don't understand the appropriation part of lay's dance!? Like he learned cromping directly from the one who created it and he always credited black culture in his dances...
OMG thank you for making my day - I love this reaction. She's hilarious, insightful and right on the point about Kai. Kai's really a great artist who knows what he wants and how to express himself. He's always thinking about what sides of him and what emotions he'd like to express. This is amazing.
I learnt English as a foreign language, so maybe I don't fully understand the meaning of the word "appropriation", but does she mean, that nobody except for Americans (or black Americans?) is allowed to sing hip-hop or whatever other style which started in USA, without calling it "appropriation"? Or maybe it is the first time Americans hear a song from a foreign country? Because the pop music all over the world is pretty similar nowadays and in the best case only has a local flavor to it in case of some countries/ artists/ songs. the world is global now, every country uses the ideas and inspirations of each other, and American music as well didn't appear from nowhere. I think people should be happy, that those styles got recognition and evolution, and not accuse others in stealing.
part of me wants to hold him accountable for the uhhhh cultural inspiration, and a part of me is always going to refer to him as LayShawn, so there is that.
i will forever click on any thumbnail that has ellezbubs in it I LOVE HER OKAY??? Please send my love and my regards to her 🥺♥️ thank you for showing her exo videos.
My point was I like that she is honest. And that she doesn’t get angry about durag cuz if wasn’t for Kai I would have never google about durag in black culture. We can learn a lot about world around us true music. That’s why I like so much Lay’s last album. Flying apsaras performance from China street dance is amazing.
Let's be honest, Kai is not on Chen-Baek-D.O-Su level, but he is an amazing vocal with a beautiful voice colour, how knows his strengths and uses it to his advantage, while working on his weaknesses.
I don't want her to get that impression of #LAY I don't know if you have but it would be good to show her the latest work starting with LIT and the full album, and latest releases live performance and digital, he set out to fuse the sounds of Chinese music and pop to show her culture to the outside world, I hope she can react to that.
Thank you for acknowledging that you don't have to be the best singer in the group to be the best artist. So many fans fixate on the vocalists and go to war over who's better. They can all be great on their own terms.
Yes what fabulous choices and we always need more lovers for Kai love when she's on love your show always so diverse and informative on so many areas it fabulous I especially enjoy because I grew up doing dance theatre so cheers to Koko3op
I've always kind of questioned the lyrics to Honey. They really didn't seem very much like Lay. I have never really gotten the vibe that he uses women, or is only looking for good looking arm candy, or is just into blondes. They are very Western-style lyrics, which I think is what Lay was going for, since this was an English language song. Lay is a huge MJ fanboy, so when he uses those moves, it is truly him doing an homage to Michael, no disrespect intended at all. Lay uses a LOT if different influences, and incorporates many different cultures into his MV's and sounds. Most of his newer stuff is very heavily influenced by Chinese culture, as he is trying to being Chinese culture to the world and make it more modern. Don't write Lay off, based on one song, he has so many others that (I personally prefer a lot more) show a different side.
I LEGIT got into a twitter argument about kai wearing a durag!!!! The hard stans really tried to say “the website lists it as a scarf, so it’s just a scarf 🙄”
JOIN My Discord server here : discord.gg/bqzExFfwand my Patreon for more exclusive content here: patreon.com/koko3op
I like her reactions and commentaries...
I love how she said he doesn't need the best vocals because he can sell himself with what he has...this is also how I feel about Kai. A lot of people didn't believe in him at first or underestimated him as a solo artist but damn, I know MMMH is still on everybody's playlist more than one year after debut...now that's a huge testament to Kai's talent and place as a solo artist. I still feel that Kai deserves more recognition for everything that he's given to us....It really warms my heart whenever I see people genuinely appreciating him.
❤️
This comment 🥺
THIS! I am Kai biased and I know that sometimes things I say about him might come off as biased but I am really not. Kai is a whole package without the need to have the vocal range of some Exo members, still his voice is warm and embracing in a different way. Also whatever he puts out is art in every form as he is incredibly creative and dedicated... Imma stop now, I'll ramble without getting the point across - as you did - for ages! But you are absolutely right!
His music is bored ,his voice nothing outstanding his dance is Imore of the same,
cringe facial expressions
Show her "LIT and Flying Apsara" she will realize the meaning of Trendsetter 😜
Lay knows how to use Chinese culture into his work the best way possible.Honey is his American debut ,obviously he won't always use his cultural reference every where, he is a versatile artist , that's Namanana and Honey exists.
She should watch “Film: Kai” shows a lot of his diversity of dancing and his influences as well! I think she would appreciate the production too!
There’s a difference between appropriation and appreciation. Ofc I agree with the hairstyles and the durags and things like that but… in my opinion dancing as appropriation was a bit of a stretch. I’d consider dancing appreciation. As a black person I love just seeing people in general dance hiphop.
I really like this channel cause you really say what you think and not just react and say good stuff about the artists to get views, you all said true stuff and things that needed to be said
Thank you!!
Agreed!
Agreed.
A genuine question that puzzles me: What about the team behind 'Honey'?
The English lyrics to Honey were written by Blaq Tuxedo and it wasn't as if Lay bought the product as-is. They were actually in the studio with Lay and had a session to come up with the lyrics. So they are aware who will be singing these lyrics. They also praised him...
The choreography was also commissioned with EZ Twins. They were also aware he is a Chinese artist, yet they came up with this choreo and accepted the work. They also praised him for the execution...
Lay had an interview with Tight Eyez who also praised him and professed his wishes for the love of krump to spread in China...
So, what are these people telling an artist from a different culture ? 🤔 What about kung-fu inspired moves in hip-hop? But even Kung-fu comes from over 56 different ethnic groups in China. If we get deeper into this convo, perhaps all international collaborations should be obsolete in the future. Because you are right to ask where is the line and the only correct answer is that it's different for everyone.
Agreed👏🏽
Well said!
Not to mention all the black backing dancers that accompanied a lot of these performances.... They said nothing but respect & nice things about Lay. They're the one dancing to this song with him & perfectly okay with it lol. I just love how different people perceive this thing differently.
That’s certainly something to think about as well
Thank you for this comment, as a fan of Lay we see how hard he works and respectful he is toward others I was kinda getting triggered by this reaction man 🤐
I love it how everyone who reacts to peaches loves how Kai falls down at 18:46. Kai is so playful sometimes.
I can tell she didn't vibe with Honey so I'm hoping Lit and Flying Apsaras will redeem Lay for her since this was after his American debut. Hé nǐ in English sounds like Honey but he's playing with words because it means "With You" or "And You". He just taking advantage of the fact certain Chinese words sounds like English word. I believe some of the adlibs he was making in that song means something different. However, I'm happy she is crushing on Kai.
Fun fact: Peaches, and peach trees in particular, symbolize immortality in Korean culture and the modern take on traditional Korean clothing that Kai wears in the MV seems to symbolize that he is an immortal being that plans to continue his journey for many more years with no plans of stopping. I have also heard that images with everything to do with this MV and comeback content reference things to do with traditional Korean folktales, so Koreans, and those that know Korean culture, would understand some of the references and stories he is referring to.
I'm also fairly certain that there are also things in this video that can be connected to EXO's storyline, however, I haven't had enough time to really think about it to make any solid connections yet.
The title of this song and album is stylized as "Peaches 2" because this is Kai's second solo album. I guess it's SM's new style, they put the album number in the title of the album. Peaches is a mini album with 6 tracks. If you want a sample of the other songs on this album, if you haven't already, check out his "Peaches Prologue Film." The prologue film is similar to Kai's "Film: Kai," which was a sample of all his songs on his solo debut Kai album, which is the album that "Mmmh" is on.
If you are impressed with his dancing in the MV, you should check out Kai's dance practice video for "Peaches."
Lay is a Krumper. He really has bought that dance genre to China. So that would be like there can be no bboys anywhere other then in my city Newyork. As a artist you want your art to be shared. He really has done so much for Dance . He is a dancer
I think it be interesting for you to show her lit by him, because you really see how he incorporates his upbringing as a dancer as well as his Chinese culture in the video elements and the instrumental! Love the video as always! 💖
Ohhh yes definitely was in the cards!!
Firstly LAY is a trendsetter especially in CHINA, she really needs to see LAY’s “LIT” next.
he isn’t trendsetting anything that wasn’t already started by black culture, have some respect.
@@patricejones3090 He just started the trend in China with LIT of mixing traditional Chinese music and new trendy genres..Idk what you are talking about with black Culture
@@baeklayexo8183 every music genre that kpop consists of is created by black people including hip hop music/dancing which is what you seen with honey and his other songs. like I said please have some respect to the black culture. he is not doing anything new
Actually i think that he is a trendsetter. The lyric 'trendsetter' in the song honey is not a reference to the actual song, but to the whole career of the artist in that case Lay, and yeah he very a trendsetter being one of the most popular singers and China.
Siento si va mal escrito no tengo el mejor inglés.
@@jafetjimenez8448 and y’all need to realize he wouldn’t be one of the most popular singers without having music genres that were created by black people to refer from. what y’all are saying is so disrespectful and borderline anti-black.
I feel like lay has so much music where he is fully in his Chinese culture, and Honey was for English speakers.
Yes
Am I the only one who feels some type of way about what was said about Lay? Now as an African American person I definitely get everything she said but I feel it's unfair to judge him off this one song definitely seeing how almost all his other songs have a mass amount of his own Chinese culture incorporated into them.
No you were not 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️you know the old saying never judge a book by its cover.
@@Mslgs99 Thank the Lord someone agrees like I don't want to seem like I don't care about something of this topic but I have a lot of love and respect for Lay and saying he's not a trendsetter or saying he uses to much of another races culture when a person knows nothing else about him except this one song is offensive.
@@number1_KEYholder yeah I have a Lotta respect for LAY he is always stated how much respect he has for our culture and his desire to bring the two together and what better way to do that thru dance, Street Dance of China is a great example of what it can be like I enjoy that show
@@Mslgs99 Exactly that's why I definitely agree that people need to take that don't judge a book by it's cover saying much more seriously than they do
Appropriation is an issue in kpop and it needs to be talked about more, but I don’t like how she kept bringing up language. He did an all English song for his western fans and we appreciate the hard work that went into it. You can’t appropriate English, you don’t own the language. There wasn’t even aave so you can’t claim that and he didn’t use an accent, so what’s the problem here? He can’t use English because he’s from China..?
KAI 👏👏👏 agreed with everything said in this. would be interested in seeing a reaction to some fancams of kai's performances or some dance practices. i think elliotte would also enjoy exo's obsession mv if you haven't already filmed it!
I showed her yesterday and it’s easily her favourite thing I’ve shown her lol. Can’t wait to show you!
@@Koko3op oh yay! haha i knew she'd like it
"regardless, you gonna get it", lmao and "trouble" is obviously KAI's new nickname, lol... loved that you guys talked a bit about appropriation, I hope more k-pop stans would be more open to discuss things like that
Omg girl this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg, I think it would’ve been better to show her LAY - LIT (Mix of both chinese & modern culture) and KAI is one of the best singers as well as dancer both in EXO and Solo.
Everybody just fall for kai immediately. He is just so hot 🔥 and not even try to be hot .🥺😍😍
I wish kpop fans would have conversations like this about appropriation without getting super defensive over their faves
It's fine to hold your idols accountable
Agreed!!
I mean since when being an hip hop and it’s sub genres dancer became appropriation now ? Every literally dancer knows its root saying it’s appropriation is a reach. The durag is tho and honey’s lyrics contains indeed lingo but once again throwing words without knowing SM producers are black and they honestly indeed should actually think that giving a song like that to both groups or artists doesn’t match lyrically but Dance in general and hip hop is *expression* very different, I feel like people throwing words without even thinking it through. The woke culture is going too far for some of people heads.
@@lucasbieber9051 Most English slang that a lot of idols doing hip hop style concepts use is AAVE though. We're not saying he's a bad person for doing it, but that's why what she in the video was saying about "where is the line between influence/inspiration and appropriation?" because yes, it is a fuzzy and thin line and it's ok to have a real discussion about that. The line is in a slightly different place for every individual watching the content. So it's a fine line to walk like they said in the video.
Kpop it self is appropriation😞
@@lucasbieber9051 so speaking English is appropriation?
Tbh her take on Honey is valid although I’ve never thought of it that way before. I think because I’ve been following him his whole career and know the totality of his work and how he’s really explored things originating from his own experiences, background and identity. Unfortunately those aren’t shown in Honey so this reaction is understandable.
I think maybe a better introduction to artist would help with one thing, and that’s the reactors are unfamiliar with different Asian cultures. They mix up major Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc. cultural references. Of course you can’t be expected to know everything about a foreign culture, but a little intro before or even afterwards is good.
With Lay's video I understand her wanting Asian influence mixed in with black culture, LIT would have been perfect. Kpop is born out of black culture 90's R&B/Rap/Hiphop, as is most genres. The line is thin with appropriation in music because black people have influenced 30+ music genres. People want the look and sound, but we're more accepting of just the sound. The line is thin. Kai's durag was fashionable, the rhinestones... with that said Korean culture has its similarities, the Hanbok Prince hat, Bokkeon. They even have the head band, Manggeon... lay down your edges. Peaches is beautiful because Kai incorporated the culture. It would be nice to see more artists do that. Over all Kai and Lay know how to trigger people.
If she's interested in Lay showcasing chinese culture more, maybe try to show her Lit, Jade, Flying Apsaras. Honey is a song and EP in full english, it was intended to be more digestible for global audiences. Also, there's a version of Honey in chinese (和你) if she wants to react to that :)
The appropriation talk just killed the mood honestly
Loved this! You got to show her kai FILM and prologue film that would be amazing and it will show kai’s versatility
Please, please get Elliotte to react to Lay's Lit or Flying Apsaras. She'll definitely see his growth of highlighting more of the Chinese culture with hip-hop/ R&B influences. He's really developed a unique sound. I love her take and questions on the line between appreciation vs. appropriation.
You should show Kai's tempo fancam. He was really in his groove on that performance
Thanks for another 'EXO' reaction 😉 They're my ult and only group. Kai's and Baekhyun's voices are my favoritein the whole world. The warmest deep vibrato, so textured, almost scratchy, yet capable of falsettos... and powerful, emotional, immaculate cleanliness. So different but both are so unique and captivating, heart-warming.
Really, really appreciate the depth of your discussions! (I would love to hear her thoughts on Lay's Lit. The krump influence is so strong but he's using it to express his voice/vision and uses the "battle" feeling to tell his own story and he included classical Chinese opera and storytelling in a fascinating way. To my eyes anyway)
Kai's versatility is quite remarkable. I would love to hear more thoughts from both of you about the trade offs between being very specialised in a certain style and being more of an all-rounder. I don't think I would use the word "stuck" but I know what you are trying to say. Once you get so specific and so specialised (because anything less and you couldn't excel in your art form) your mouth, body, muscle memory are moulded to a specific purpose.
Kai is an excellent example of someone who has taken his gifts, interests and talents to communicate his specific style. You can tell he's not trying to be anyone else. But we all start first with imitation before we grow into ourselves and figure out what we individually have to say.
Dude you gotta show her the love shot fancam of kai 🤣🤣
I love this channel because of the honesty!! That being said Lay actually learned and took the time to learn the history of Krump from one the founders of Krump. There is a bts video out there of this. He studies the craft.
First off, I want to make clear that I am not upset, I just want to make a point. You may not see it, but Lay is 100% a trendsetter in China. The things he does with his music and career is not like what most Chinese artists are doing. Among many things, he is breaking ground by being one of the very first Chinese artists to ever chart in the U.S. For the sheer fact that he is Asian and making a name for himself outside of the Asian music market is trendsetting. You don't have to be the first person to do something to set a trend, you just have to be one of the first to break in, and that is what he is doing. He is breaking new ground in the music industry with every new release he has.
"Honey" is another one of Lay's solo English songs and it's in English because it was a follow up to his previous album Namanana. (Namanana was Lay's 2018 U.S. debut album so all the songs on that album have an all English version.) You heard Lay listening to his song "Give Me a Chance" on his earbuds at the beginning of the "Honey" MV and that is one of his songs and MVs from his Namanana album.
Because Lay was not allowed to promote in Korea at this time due to the issues between the Chinese and Korean government, SM found a way to promote him as part of EXO's storyline by partnering with him to release English songs and to tie his MVs in with EXO's story. Everything EXO does, including several of Lay's solo releases -- such as "Sheep," "Namanana" and "Honey" -- all tie into the fact that he is a member of EXO. It's SM's way of making sure that even though he might not be able to work with the members, that they show fans that his storyline and presence as part of EXO is still really important to Lay and SM.
For any of us that know EXO, and especially Lay, "Honey" is kind of exactly what we would expect from him. This is just the sexy, cool kind of song and amazing choreography that Lay is known for. All the guys want to be him and all the girls want to be with him. If you look at the credits for this album, Lay, once again wrote and composed and produced this song and the whole album himself, including the English lyrics. He even created the beats himself. And he also helped choreograph and direct the MV, etc. When it comes to Lay's solo work he pretty much does it all himself. He has a hand in all aspects of his solo projects. And that is why he is known as China's national producer.
Lay is one of the top dancers in the industry and it's his solo work where he really gets to showcase what an amazing dancer he really is. He is the main dancer of EXO-M and he is the counterpart to Kai's role in EXO-K. Kai and Lay are both main dancers, lead vocalists and sub-rappers in their EXO units, so it's no surprise that Lay is an amazing dancer. That is why most of the time when you see solo dance breaks in EXO concerts you will see Lay and Kai dancing together because they are 2 of the top dancers in the industry and they were meant to fill similar roles in their respective sub-units in EXO.
If you like his dancing, you have to check out Lay's dance practice video for "Honey."
When it comes to EXO, one thing you have to keep in mind is that absolutely everything they are involved in is connected to their concept and storyline, including a majority of the members' solo work. So, the story in Lay's "Honey" MV is just another piece of EXO's story.
To explain the story in "Honey," some fan theories say that the fact that the weather lady on the TV is talking about the changing weather and the pressure system could be a nod to the unsettled conditions within EXO's current storyline and how currently the members are struggling to distance themselves from the Red Force, etc. And because you hear her speaking with a British accent this might be a clue to tell us where Lay is right now within EXO's storyline, and it might explain why the other EXO members seem to be sending him messages -- as we see with the bee and the blackout, etc.
If you follow EXO's storyline than you know that they are supposed to be aliens from Planet Exo, who came to Earth to find and protect the Tree of Life from the evil Red Force. All the members of EXO have superpowers and they are on a mission to protect humanity from the evil and corruption caused by the Red Force. Most of EXO's powers have weather and nature elements that could be affected by and effecting the weather around the world.
Some theories say, the mechanical bee has been sent by either one or more of the EXO members or it could be sent by the Red Force. The bee is either a message or a warning sent to Lay (although I am not fully confident as to what that exact message is.) And I think, the fact that the bee passes through the glass, might be Kai using his power of teleportation to allow it to pass through it -- or more like, transported to the other side of the glass. And then the lights in the entire city go out as if in a blackout, which I think might be Baekhyun using his power, which is the ability to control light, or Chen, who has the ability to control electricity. Plus, as Lay's power counterpart, it makes sense that Baekhyun would feel the pull to want to find Lay. Chen is a member of EXO-M along with Lay, so he would also have a heightened reason to want to find Lay. EXO needs Lay to help protect them and to heal all the things that are going on around them. And Kai's whole mission is to find the other EXO members and bring them back together to stop the Red Force.
Also, I think it's interesting that Lay, as a member of EXO, has the power of healing, and honey is known for its natural homeopathic healing and medicinal properties. And in parts of the MV we see Lay submerged in a pool of honey, almost as if he might be using it to recharge and gain strength. I have no idea what this all means, but I just thought it was an interesting parallel.
If you notice the part of the choreography where Lay is standing in the middle and the dancers are all round him as he spins around, I am pretty sure that is supposed to be depicting a flower as it blooms which is what is attracting the "bee" to him. :D
On the flip side, the story in the song also is saying that Lay is a bee and he is looking for his "honey" that's why he is in a honeycomb/beehive or in a pool of honey the whole time. I think what he is saying in the lyrics is that "Be my honey and be available to me when I want you, but 'please don't catch no feelings' because you have to know that we can have fun together, but I can't invest all my time and energy into you the way I should if we were in a relationship." In other words, he is too busy and too popular to be exclusive right now. He needs to keep the girl at a safe distance for both of their emotional safety, etc.
This also plays into the theory within EXO's storyline that the "girl" is a manifestation of the heart of the Tree of Life and that is why the members of EXO are always rescuing or protecting the girl, etc. And why all of EXO's songs are about being in love with a girl or being controlled by the power of the girl. Which could possibly explain the lyrics in "Honey" if you think of the girl as the heart, it might explain why Lay "wants her" but needs to keep her at a distance to protect her, etc. When you think of the girl as the heart of the Tree of Life, you begin to see even more parallels to EXO's story and even more ways to connect even more of it all together.
Did you notice the spinning honeycomb in the middle of the MV? That spinning honeycomb is a nod to the fact even as a solo artist, he is still part of EXO. The hexagon is EXO's symbol and if you pay close attention at that spinning honeycomb you will see that it says EXO in the middle as it spins. So this is Lay's and SM's way of making sure that we never forget that he is part of EXO and that even if he isn't able to work with the group, he still makes sure to show just how important they are to him.
As you can see, EXO's MVs are more complex than what you see on the surface. However, often -- although the stories in the MVs are loosely based on the lyrics -- many times the story in the MV and the lyrics in the song are two separate things. The lyrics don't necessarily always go with the story in the MV. Often EXO's songs are about being in love with a girl and wanting to be with her, but the story in the MV is about them working to complete their mission and to fight against the Red Force, etc. Everything EXO does has many layers and it has multiple means and messages, including any of the member's solo work. There are always two levels to every EXO song, one designed to grab the casual listener that has no idea about EXO's storyline, and one that, if you look deeper, you discover has hidden meanings and messages that all connects to EXO's mission here on Earth.
Love the reaction. However, her uttering that LAY is not a trendsetter without knowing how HUGE he is in China is just sad.
Saying 'Lay, (who is the pioneer of MPop, the Kpop idol with the most endorsements, China's best selling soloist) is not a trendsetter equates to the statement that Earth is flat.
Her point is, that particular video doesn’t showcase that. Because the trends he’s showing are from black culture in that video, not him as an artist don’t worry lol.
so the 'trend' she's referring is the genre and apparently different meaning from the 'trend' in the lyrics. Ok point taken.
Anyway, Kpop/Cpop is heavily influenced by Black Culture, most esp SM's which has a lot of black producers. Hence, this. Would love to see her react to songs like LIT and Flying Asparas that Lay personally produced.
@@Koko3op Thats a valid point that she has if that’s what he was referencing to which he was not in that sense we all know that LAY is huge in China the top soloist so whatever he does in China and whatever he puts out is going to be a a what trend ergo trendsetter.
That’s how I took the interpretation of that particular word.
SHe has got to be my one of, if not the favorite reviewers on your channel! I think Lay's Lit would be a better representation of how he's now actually progressed into his own and pulling his own culture into his music and dance. Less 80's and 90's studied moves and more modern and Chinese traditional in the video for Lit. But she always is so right and love listening to her
im honestly curious tho, really want to listen to what she thinks was appropriation in honey because it just sounds and looks like a hip-hop concept to me, and aren't everyone doing that?
i think the trends are overall his type of music that aren't really common in china which is more dominated by pops and ballads a few years ago
" im honestly curious tho, really want to listen to what she thinks was appropriation in honey because it just sounds and looks like a hip-hop concept to me, and aren't everyone doing that?"
That's technically exactly what appropriation is. It's when one group takes/does/copies something from another group and kind of makes it theirs. Especially with black people where some of the stuff we influence others to do, we get hated on or discriminated against for doing, but it's cool when other cultures do borrow it from us. It can feel very unfair and frustrating. For example, braids or "natural hair" are very important culturally to black people, but we often get called "unprofessional" for having those hair styles in and it can affect our job and we can get fired for it. But when other cultures wear braids or other hair styles that come from black culture, it's considered cute and exotic and cool. It makes us feel a certain way.
Like she said, where is the line between influence and appropriation. And it definitely is REALLY HARD to define for sure... There's no one definition and not every one agrees where the line is, so it's just hard. Someone who may think it is appropriation isn't wrong, and someone who thinks it isn't appropriation isn't necessarily wrong either. It just depends on the individual. The specific parts she was talking about though is some of the English slang he uses, the fashion, and some of the dance moves because they originate from black/African American culture (which modern K-Pop and American pop music done by artists of other races is very very inspired by). Lay's song/video for Honey specifically borrows A LOT from late 90s/early 2000's R&B era music/videos from black artists, i'm a little older and remember that era very vividly. So it's easy to make the connection.
I don't think Lay did it in a malicious or offensive way personally, but i also do see where she's coming from and why she felt how she did about it. And like she said "where does the mix of his culture come in?" Honey in particular doesn't have much of his Chinese culture in it. I think she would like his song Lit a lot better because it's a much better mix of some of the black culture influence Lay has like with his Krump dancing but mixed really well with his Chinese culture that the music video and instrumentation of the song has. Usually if it's a mixing of the black culture influence with Korean or with Chinese (or whatever the original culture of the artist is) that's when people from the other culture really like it because it feels like something new and cool and not like copying.
And i think that's why she liked Kai's Mmmh and Peaches better because like she said, she can see some of the r&b and black culture influences but it felt modern and different and like he did it in a way where it felt like he added his own things to it to make it fresh and his own. It was a better combination of the cultures for her.
@@VMYeahVN Your comment made me think about a question, which is: Would people like "Honey," if it was sung by an American rapper instead of Lay?
@@VMYeahVN Eh .. honestly if there is no proven ill intent to make fun of someone, human culture belongs to every human. If we start drawing lines in the sand of what is "ours" and what is "yours" you only start to tribalize people. It's not good to have clear lines that tell you that's what black people do and that's what Chinese people do. And I don't think black artists did pay a lot of attention when borrowing from Chinese and other Asian culture over the past decades as well - if people start to make edgy appropriation takes, well ... they are throwing stones in a glass house to put it mildly.
The way lay is actually a trend setter my dude is big big in china 🙂
I like this channel and she's great but this was strange. I couldn't tell if she liked Honey because of all her culture comments. Which is also weird because music doesn't have to retain to one specific culture. I appreciate the music for what it is and not for the cultural things in the videos. But I appreciate the honesty.
A lot of people do like to appreciate the cultural things in music so it's understandable she said what she said. It's the same reason why people love that Lay includes elements of his Chinese culture in his other songs like Lit or how Lisa from Black Pink had elements of Thai music/culture in Lalisa, or Suga/Agust D of BTS had Korean traditional music elements in Daechwita. When an artist uses a different cultures elements, it can sometimes make people from that culture feel weird or a little offended like the artist "stole" it or doesn't fully understand where it came from or doesn't fully respect it even if they still kind of like the song. Or it can sometimes make them appreciate the shout out and feel liek the artist loves the other culture, but not everyone of that culture will feel the same way and some people will feel a mixture of both feelings (which kinda seemed like where she in the video was at). Some artists borrow from other cultures "the right way" and other ones don't do it in a good way and not everyone agrees on which are good and which are bad. It's kind of hard to ignore in my opinion, i don't really see how you can just listen for what it is and ignore what it is at the same time. The cultural things are very much part of what the music and video is.
@@VMYeahVN u can actually listen to it for what it is when u're not focusing too much about that aspect of "culture" like it's a big deal. Sure u can't ignore it but u can try perceive it differently bcus let me ask u this, is what Lay doing actually offensive? Sure he's trying to mimick american hiphop artist bcus this was his international debut but did he actually doing anything ACTUALLY offensive?? The lyrics was written by black people after discussing it with him. His dance moves come from black dancer who praised him for that. The backup dancers who accompanied him live multiple times are black people & they said nothing but respect to him. The fashion can't even considered to be exclusively comes & for black people like..... I'm confused. What's the issue here? When u try to get over that u can listen to it for what it is, appreciating y'know other parts of the music & video that it's offered like his visual, his voice, the production, the message, the style... It's so much more than just a falsely labeled appropriation.
@@adara4635 I don't think people are pissed of if she ignores it but I agree about the part that she's supposed to say anything that comes up in her mind bcus well, this is first time reaction. So sorry for being kinda harsh.
I just hope that CA isn't something that comes up in people's mind first whenever an artist try to sing hiphop & its subgenres bcus that'd be a reach. It's okay to discuss actual CA like the durag in Kai's Mmmh, but Honey isn't one of them. Esp when it's supported, produced & praised by actual black people behind the scene.
"Lit" or "Flying Asparas" would have been a better song for her to review. "Honey" was meant primarily for an English speaking audience. Appropriation is definitely a good conversation to have. In this context, "honey" in Mandarin is 宝贝 (băobèi).
Yeahh those are definitely coming next!
@@Koko3op: I can't wait! I really love the concept you've developed with your channel.
Great reactions! Hope you will also show Lay's other works that are more representative of M-pop (mix of traditional & modern elements) that he is promoting e.g. Lit, Flying Apsaras. His older works - NAMANANA, Lose Control, What U Need, etc are great too!
Well Yixing did have Honey as his American Release... That explains the style and dance.... He brought his M-pop idea from LIT.... She should definitely check it out... Cause ghat screams Yixing's culture but with a new touch... And also Flying Apsaras.... It doesn't have a MV but she can watch his Dance practice.... Its beautiful
My fave bring her more often ❤❤❤
We filmed yesterday and we are filming tomorrow too! Also are you Zimbabwean?!!
@@Koko3op 🤣🤣🤣 no i'm from BARBADOS. CARIBBEAN REPRESENTTTTT!! 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
Bahahaha omg cos Nyasha is such a Zimbabwean name! My bad hehdhshsw
@@Koko3op Wait what?? You're Zimbabwean too??? That's wild lol. Now that you say it, I see the vision still 😂😂
So, the chinese title of "Honey" is 和你 pronounced as "he ni" which means "with you". It sounds very similar to the word "honey" so I think it's a wordplay and Lay sings a mix of Honey and 和你 in the chorus (honestly can't tell when he is saying which, but it's definitely a mix), so it would mean something like "Honey, with you" or "With you, honey". The literal translation of honey (the thing you can eat) would be 蜂蜜 (fengmi) or 寶貝 (as in darling, pronounced as baobei).
Tbh if we think that way then almost everything becomes appropriation since almost everything has a known origin 😩
Ahem.
I think it's about time you showed her the Kai SBS Love shot video!😄😆😆😆
Oh girl u won't even have a hint about Lay's talent by seeing couple of mvs. As for vocals u need to listen to the bsides of his albums ... its insane that a person who is mainly known for dance can sing to this range
Most people forget that Michael Jackson is and was a humongous influence in the Asia culture. You will see it everywhere in the MVs from Asia.. Lay song Honey was made for the Western music. He is a influential in China as a #1 entertainer. If she wants to see his culture take show her Lit. It shows the musical mix of traditional and dance.
Yup! Coming sooon
Lay's love for the Chinese culture is insane. The're pieces that sound so Chinese and pieces that aren't Chinese based but you can heart the subtle Chinese instruments.
Even his stage performances show how much he appreciates his roots and it is amazing how he tries his best to spread Chinese music and culture. People he worked with in the music industry, dancing industry, and acting industry which came from different parts of the world appreciate and respect his works and talent.
He is using his influence and power to do all these. His works and influence will make you understand why he is a trendsetter.
Please check out Lay's LIT mv and Flying Apsaras visualizer and dance practice (unfortunately Lay wasn't satisfied with the final MV so he decided to release only the 40 seconds of the visualizer that he's satisified with)
Ohhh I was wondering why there wasn’t a video!
@@Koko3op Me too!
came to the comments thinking this too. Honey is great back then but it's also very different from Lay's music today.
@@kittycait1485 With every new work, you'll be amazed by Lay's ideas and you can't stop wondering what else is in that man's mind, and you'll be expecting his next work! Yes he is just so talented!
@@nkl22nkl22 true! My fave right now would have to be the two you mentioned above tho. They're just so Zhang Yixing. Choreo wise tho, Veil's got me OBSESSED for real 🤣🤣
what you said abt Kai is so true. every time I watch new reactions of him on this channel they perfectly put into words of what I’ve been trying to say omg
Our balance king lay🦄 and our king of face Expression kim jongin 🐻😊
You should show her lit she will like it. Honey was more to approach wester auditory get them to know him and then he introduced his culture
I don't understand why she is so egar to find Chinese significance in Honey? Is it really important for a Chinese or a korean artist to have cultural references and significance to their every work? When Niall Horan sings a song , do people try to find irish significance in his song? Is it really that important?
I think she took "trendsetter" thing too seriously , hope koko3op will describe the artist better way to them as they don't fully know the artist.Most of the time Lay use reference from his other work in his songs ,The trendsetter thing is because he is an established trendsetter,it's about his career,He is not trendsetting by "Honey"( in a sense in honey he is bragging his "trendsetter" title he got from fans and media)
Please, make a reaction with Film Kai
I'm dying😭😭. Friend whispered "not 69" I don't know why that got me.
Nevertheless, I do agree with everything said in this reaction. I always get super excited when idols incorporated their own culture, and dont try to emulate or appropriate other cultures, because its original and they do it so well.
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Nevertheless, I do agree with everything said in this reaction. I always get super excited when idols incorporated their own culture, and dont try to emulate or appropriate other cultures, because its original and they do it so well.
1
the man from nowhere"""
1)plenty of others races emulates others culture as well. hip hop , in fact, have been influenced by multiple cultures.for exemple did you know for exemple breakdance was influenced by kung fu movies? should black rappers stop being influenced by asian culture?
2) by the way why because they asian they should stick to only show their heritage? do you see black american rappers bring ther african heritage?majoritarly they dont.
3) as long as your credit your influence people should take the influence they wants
MORE EXO AAAHH THIS MY BIRTHDAY YAAY
Awww hahaha well happy birthday!!
Kai is my bias. And I’m so happy how she appreciates kai. Thank you for all the good wordss!!! My heart! ❤️
You have to show her songs like LIt, his Flying Apsaras album and visualiser etc. If you know Lay, you know his mission is to bring China to the world and that man is a master at mixing traditional Chinese sounds with modern elements.
I LOVE her reactions and we are blessed with another video. She's such a cutie pie and her playful personality never fails to make to her reactions engaging for viewers. Please please have her on as a regular for exo and individual members.
She’s so sweet and her reactions are the best please we need more of her
I love what she said about it's something new to hear to someone in a different field like theater. I just now notice why i became a kpop or k-music fan in general because it's something new to me back then and what can i say? IT'S AMAZING
Love this reaction, I hope we get to see her reaction to Kai's Film, that would be fun
Yah. He's not the best vocalist in exo or kpop but he's totally a magnet for people to like and love him. Adorbs!
5:15 LIT is a REALLY good example of this, I highly recommend it to show her because although Honey is a bop I feel like Lit shows Lay’s colors better
Kai is an Amazing individual Artist 🔥🔥 very captivating. Love him
you know we love kai appreciation 😁
If you watch lays "lit" you will know what he's trendsetting from his culture
Im really surpirsed she hasnt reacted to Baekhyuns Bambi and Candy! Must add to the list for next reactions
Yeah I thought this was going to be just a normal reaction didn’t know I had to think about my culture and about how they would feel about this Chinese artist “so called” appropriating black culture🤦🏽♀️
I think she's one of my favorite guest you've had on your channel. She's very candid with her reactions but objective at the same time. I love that the conversation went there specially since kpop is essentially about spreading the Korean culture around the world, yet not everyone wants to admit that it is very highly influenced by black culture, as most of pop culture is. I'm curious to see her reaction on Lay's newer releases like Lit and Flying Asparas which has a more Chinese sound. Also I hope she gets to see Film:Kai too!
She should watch songs like Last Christmas, Monodrama, Give me a chance, Love you more and Lose Control so she can listen to Lay’s vocals. And as for videos where Lay’s really embracing his Chinese culture I think Lit and Flying Apsaras are better examples 😭❤️❤️ please show her some of those videos next.
When she said you can drink my juice , I was like me too 😅😅🤣🥰😜🤪
I'm genuinely confused and don't understand the appropriation part of lay's dance!? Like he learned cromping directly from the one who created it and he always credited black culture in his dances...
OMG thank you for making my day - I love this reaction. She's hilarious, insightful and right on the point about Kai. Kai's really a great artist who knows what he wants and how to express himself. He's always thinking about what sides of him and what emotions he'd like to express. This is amazing.
Lit for Lay representing his culture
I learnt English as a foreign language, so maybe I don't fully understand the meaning of the word "appropriation", but does she mean, that nobody except for Americans (or black Americans?) is allowed to sing hip-hop or whatever other style which started in USA, without calling it "appropriation"? Or maybe it is the first time Americans hear a song from a foreign country? Because the pop music all over the world is pretty similar nowadays and in the best case only has a local flavor to it in case of some countries/ artists/ songs.
the world is global now, every country uses the ideas and inspirations of each other, and American music as well didn't appear from nowhere. I think people should be happy, that those styles got recognition and evolution, and not accuse others in stealing.
part of me wants to hold him accountable for the uhhhh cultural inspiration, and a part of me is always going to refer to him as LayShawn, so there is that.
If she wanna see more chinese culture with Lay show her his track lit!! The mv is great!!
i will forever click on any thumbnail that has ellezbubs in it I LOVE HER OKAY??? Please send my love and my regards to her 🥺♥️ thank you for showing her exo videos.
just a redeemer though, hope you'll show her Lit and Flying Apsaras from Lay. thank you!
Today I learned Peaches the 2nd verses dance from real Kai🍑🍑🍑💕💕💕.
Of course on line program but It was really exciting and fun 😂❤️❤️
Thanks a lot for this video KAI is AMAZING DANCİNG KING
My point was I like that she is honest. And that she doesn’t get angry about durag cuz if wasn’t for Kai I would have never google about durag in black culture. We can learn a lot about world around us true music. That’s why I like so much Lay’s last album. Flying apsaras performance from China street dance is amazing.
Lose control might be my fav!! Song from Lay
Please if you have the time check it out you won’t be disappointed 🍾🍾🍾
Let's be honest, Kai is not on Chen-Baek-D.O-Su level, but he is an amazing vocal with a beautiful voice colour, how knows his strengths and uses it to his advantage, while working on his weaknesses.
She is so cute OMG i love her😁😍
i really enjoyed this conversation, to see your views on culture appropriation while still enjoying the tunes and the moves! thank you!
Thank you!
The title of Honey is Chinese is 和你 (pronounced like honey). It means "with you"
I don't want her to get that impression of #LAY I don't know if you have but it would be good to show her the latest work starting with LIT and the full album, and latest releases live performance and digital, he set out to fuse the sounds of Chinese music and pop to show her culture to the outside world, I hope she can react to that.
i love how honest she is
I KNEW I liked her and then she mentioned STEVEN UNIVERSE YESSSSS ahaha
This was a really good reaction!!!! And not gonna lie, Elliotte's "Not 69." comment KILLED ME 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Honey will be my fav forever 🧡
Thank you for acknowledging that you don't have to be the best singer in the group to be the best artist. So many fans fixate on the vocalists and go to war over who's better. They can all be great on their own terms.
Yes what fabulous choices and we always need more lovers for Kai love when she's on love your show always so diverse and informative on so many areas it fabulous I especially enjoy because I grew up doing dance theatre so cheers to Koko3op
Me encanto su reacción
Gracias por apreciar el talento de KAI
I've always kind of questioned the lyrics to Honey. They really didn't seem very much like Lay. I have never really gotten the vibe that he uses women, or is only looking for good looking arm candy, or is just into blondes. They are very Western-style lyrics, which I think is what Lay was going for, since this was an English language song. Lay is a huge MJ fanboy, so when he uses those moves, it is truly him doing an homage to Michael, no disrespect intended at all. Lay uses a LOT if different influences, and incorporates many different cultures into his MV's and sounds. Most of his newer stuff is very heavily influenced by Chinese culture, as he is trying to being Chinese culture to the world and make it more modern. Don't write Lay off, based on one song, he has so many others that (I personally prefer a lot more) show a different side.
Just enjoy the vibe my gosh
I asked my reactors for their opinions and thoughts, my gosh!
Peaches is just so sensually stunning.
U are blessing us with exo content.
I LEGIT got into a twitter argument about kai wearing a durag!!!! The hard stans really tried to say “the website lists it as a scarf, so it’s just a scarf 🙄”