

March 14, 2015
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So it seems our special purple velvet interview couch is being touched by famous kpop butts yet again. Meemers’ fuzzy white puffy cat butt wasn’t famous enough for you!?? Gosh. Well it was lovely to have Amber in the studio again being tortured with various gross foods and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, we did yet another special edition WTF with Amber. This particular video and blog post is focused on Amber’s thoughts on her debut as a solo artist and the release of her EP “Beautiful”.
Amber is not the typical kpop star (as I’m sure a lot of you can tell) which means this isn’t your typical interview. We didn’t have to plan out what we were going to ask in advance and Amber didn’t plan what she was going to say. It was just a raw “hey Amber, what do you want to say to your fans” kind of a chat. Amber is an excited bundle of fun and positive energy all stuffed inside an adorable little llama. She is passionate about having a say in her music which is why she wrote the lyrics and took part in producing this album. And this isn’t one of those lame company statements that are slapped on in an article or interview where someone claims that someone took part in the album but in reality the group members don’t actually give a shit. But this isn’t the case with Amber.
We’ve actually been talking with Amber about her desire to do a solo project for a long time, so we know how much time and energy and passion she put into this mini-album. And how, even though it might not fit with Korean sensibilities, she was still very passionate about sharing her message, which to us – being the dirty artsy hipsters that we are – means a lot. While her single for “Shake That Brass” is a fun horn tooting party song made to get you up and dance, “Beautiful” is a simple and pretty song expressing Amber’s struggle to accept herself. I think accepting yourself is a great message, but it’s also something that isn’t super easy to achieve. You can’t just hear someone say, “hey YOU, just accept yourself” and POOF you’re suddenly cured of all insecurities, but I think it’s a nice start to acknowledge that other people go through these insecurities and issues too. Amber, who I’m sure is a role model for many people, wants to let you know that she struggled with that too. Not only has Amber has gone through it herself (before the kpop world existed for her) we can see that her determination to stay true to herself will continue to be tested since her love for pants and comfy tomboyish clothing seems to exist alone amongst the throng of ever changing images of what is currently deemed trendy, girlish, and sexy in the kpop world.
If you compare Amber to the rest of the kpop world she tends to stand out. Before we got to know her personally, we thought that maybe it was a marketing ploy to have a “tomboy” in the group in an attempt to connect to more people. But the more we got to know her, the more we realized that Amber is indeed the tomboy of the group who genuinely loves her comfy pants and would like to work them into her career if possible. You can see that in Shake That Brass where she happily jumps around in baggy basketball shorts while Taeyeon (from SNSD) sports a mini-dress in stark contrast. While there is nothing wrong with mini-dresses I dare say we’ve seen enough of them in kpop videos to last us a lifetime. She might be the tomboy of the kpop world because while other groups have fluctuating images, Amber stays the same.
Anyhow, if you haven’t seen the lyric video for Amber’s “Beautiful,” you should definitely check it out right here. Shake that Brass got a lot more views, but this video should be right up there, I think:
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WOW! That song made me cry. And I’m a grown man ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ! It’s lovely. You should be proud. You’re an inspiration and a very positive role model. You break so many stereotypes just by being yourself. Keep up the good work Amber. Oh, and Shake that bass? Also awesome. That song has me dancing every time I hear it. 사랑해 my friend. Love from Australia. :)
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Never really listened to a lot of F(x) besides I think one song. From what I have seen Amber is a very funny and sweet person, not to mention, very pretty! Kam-sa-ham-nida!
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Very beautiful song, Amber. You have a lovely voice – don’t stop sharing it. Thank you.
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Amber is so lovely!
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Loved this. She is fantastic.
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Beautiful. Amber is beautiful.
Thank you for the cute, fun interview.
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I love Amber! Ultimately, it isn’t about what you look like, but your personality, and how you treat other people. Amber, you have a fabulous personality and that is what draws people to you. It doesn’t mean you are perfect, but that you are perfect the way you are. Keep doing what you are doing, and stay sweet!! ((LOVE))
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I’ve always loved Amber! From the beginning of promotions as f(x), I’ve been a fan of the group, and whenever she appeared on the screen because she’s so easy to distinguish from the others I would always say “Oh! That’s Amber!”. It’s actually only with these recently promotions that I’ve noticed how “guy” like she looks. “Beautiful” is a beautiful song, and I’m really enjoying listening to it. Does anyone know Ella from S.H.E., a Taiwanese band? In certain ways these two girls remind me of each other. They both have different styles, but they still have similar vibes going on :) Rock on!!
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LOVE THIS GIRL! SHE TOTALLY RULZ! :D
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Amber is beautiful!! She has such talent and uniqueness. Love it when there are segments with her. Wish her so much success for her solo career and happiness!
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I LOVE AMBER! She’s got a beautiful voice and from what I’ve seen in her interviews and other shows, she’s got a good heart. She’s definitely admirable in so many ways!
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I LOVE Amber. Seriously, ever since she debuted with F(x) I loved how different she was. Like she says, there’s beauty in variety. The fact that she is so true to herself makes her all that more beautiful. I was so touched when I saw her on the women’s army version of “Real Men” where she told the drill sergeant that she did not want to do the rope swing drill by herself. She told it straight, that without the help of other people she couldn’t be where she is today, and she does not want to do things alone.
Amber has a beautiful heart and soul, and that just radiates from her.
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This album is so amazing!
My favorites right now are beautiful and heights, these songs have so much feels. So glad Amber shared this side of her with everyone.
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I keep heights on replay. Such a good song.
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I’ve heard Amber’s vocals before this album, so I figured she was going to give to the fans who have been asking her to sing. BUT I didn’t expect most of the songs to be as soft as they were. They were very tender and deep. The saddest songs are Beautiful and when I heard the real meaning behind Love Run it also makes me sad. :( I’m so happy that Amber has finally shown the world what fans already knew, and I’m glad she hasn’t stopped being herself just to fit in. It’s hard being the only tomboy among all of the more conservative idols, but it’s even harder because she’s a foreigner, and the there are culture differences. She is very courageous and strong. None of us would have the courage to do what she is doing. I’m glad that she has the guts to be herself and not let people’s perceptions affect her success.
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I loved Beautiful the minute I heard it and is my favorite from the album. It was one of those songs that as soon as I listened to it I had to know what the lyrics meant because I could tell that they were going to be good.
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I am glad this interview focuses more on the goals and messages Amber tries to portray through her album, with its overall positive vibe and messages about accepting and embracing one’s own qualities. She also has potential in the singer-songwriter genre. Good album, great message, definitely something of a kind in the kpop world.
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Yaaasss Amber, GOOD FREAKIN MESSAGE. I’m so proud of her. I was one of the fangirls who had the generic girl crush on Amber but “Beautiful” really cemented how much I appreciate someone like her in the genre. She’s still the only one pushing the gender normative boundaries in kpop and look at how successful she is. I’m sure you don’t need anymore advice since it seems like you’ve gotten it together but don’t pay attention to the haters or the “concerned” Amber! It ticks me off when I see comments like “if only she just prettied herself up a little” -__________-
The Stitch voices were so adorable and on point x]
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I’m so proud of what Amber has accomplished with the release of her album. I have to say it was fun watching the whole thing unfold as the teasers and music videos were released on Youtube.
Although Shake That Brass has a lot more views, I really enjoy Beautiful more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a total Taeyeon fanboy (squeeeeeee) and it was super cool seeing all the special guests who helped with the video (please stop trying to kill Min with French horns), but Beautiful is such a good song. It’s strong compositionally, lyrically, and dare I say, it ‘Beautiful’ly executed. Amber’s vocals are wonderful and sweet. If all of that wasn’t enough, the song sends a real positive message through the lyrics.
Thanks Amber!
(P.S. SM should put songs up on Google Play and Amazon MP3.)
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Watching ‘Beautiful’ reminded me of Yoon Mirae (Tasha/T also known as Drunken Tiger’s wife haha). First of all, singing and rapping in both English and Korean! But moreso the message of accepting yourself seems to resonate with both artists, since Yoon Mirae is half-Korean half-black, so she also felt very different, probably facing a lot of discrimination. But she’s so bad ass and confident and I think is a great role model.
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I love Yoon Mirae so much! I have been listening to Drunken Tiger for close to 10 years now. Definitely my favorite Korean music group!
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Fun fact: If you’ve only recently started following eyk and you haven’t run across an f(x) Music Monday, it is possible to believe Amber is an eyk intern as you go through the archives.
Seriously, I thought this for weeks. When they would say f(x) I thought that meant she was on loan from a company that did some kind of special effects, like she was just helping with editing. (This is what comes of watching videos out of order.)
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amber i really agree with u, dont worry baby.. ur the real beauty #beautiful is the most touching song i’ve ever listen to, eventhought at first i cant understand what the lyrics is but, the way you sang it so deep and gave me goosebumbs so… yeah i loved it at the first time i heard ur vocal of the song so.. beautiful. soothing voice, and after i found the translated of the song and listening to it again i cried TT.TT
your the best amber <3
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I don’t know why but these 2 videos you put up featuring Amber in them have a different energy and feel to them as compared to your more recent videos (there should be a comma in that sentence, I think). Something about it has the vibe your videos used to have. Fun, energetic, random, and that splash of EYK sparkle (could be chemical X but what do I know?).
Anyways, these are great videos! I can see why you are friends with Amber. She seems to be super cool, funny, and an easy person to get along with. From the interview, it shows that there is more to Amber than meets the eye. What can I say, Amber is ‘BEAUTIFUL’ both inside and out! Ho ho ho see what I did there? …Ok I’ll stop now. Reached my quota of referential puns for the day haha.
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Perhaps it’s because EYK’s rapport with Amber really shined though. I’m not sure if EYK have lacked sparkle lately, but this was a video where the good vibe was really well captured on video.
Editing would have something to do with this. The vibe can really change depending on the intentions and skill of the editor.
Another benefit of this video is that it was a little different to the usual segments EYK have been producing lately. That always brings freshness.
EYK do good interviews so hopefully there will be others soon. *cough*MFBTYcomebackinterview*cough* *cough*andCrayonPop**cough*. Gosh something in my throat – sorry about that. Interviews are often the most burdensome to organise, but perhaps EYK can do the occasional interview with people they’re particular keen on promoting and/or are friends with.
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After thinking about it for a bit after commenting, I came to the similar conclusion that editing could have something to do with it. As you said, editing can play a big role in the overall feel especially based on editor themselves. Mixture of that, doing something a different, and having a friend there (Amber) all helped. Great way of analyzing it Michael and use of the word ‘rapport.’
I’m with you on the interviews. Maybe that’s part of the reason why it is good. They aren’t done very often and when they are, they are done with awesome people.
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I really enjoyed Amber’s album, especially “Beautiful” and “Love run”. I actually liked the album so much that I wrote a guest article/review about it. I plan to buy her album soon! I hope it does well and that she continues to write songs ^__^
(The guest article: http://www.kpopbreak.com/2015/02/26/a-fans-perspective-ambers-beautiful-solo-debut/ )
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That’s a cool article. I have to agree, Beautiful and Love Run are my favorite tracks on the album.
I had the urge to do some kind of breakdown of the Shake Your Brass video but didn’t find the time. Anyway, thanks for sharing with everyone.
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At first I thought that Amber’s style was part of marketing too, but when I heard a while back that it wasn’t, it made me respect her so much more. Her unique personality is definitely appealing, and I hope she will continue to make great albums in her own style.
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Heyhey
First of all, I love the song “Beautiful”. And I think trying to sent a message with your music is something K-pop lables could learn a lesson two from.
Second, I wish I was at that point where I can say “I’m happy to be myself” however, I’m not. I’m making progress though and it is good to know that you’re not alone. That even really beautiful people like Amber have the same sort of troubles. It helps getting things in perspective (even though I’m not at all pretty like Amber -_-) The way you see yourself can’t be changed overnight but at least, little by little, you can work towards a better/healthier mental place.
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I’m really glad that Amber got her solo album! I’m listening to Beautiful as I write this and I have to say that I love it, certainly my favourite song of the year. I had this predisposed idea of what every K-Pop girl was and I’m happy that someone like Amber breaks this mould as I find her so relatable and lovely. I have a lot of respect for her and I’m so excited to hear the rest of the songs on the album. Go Amber! xxx
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AMBER IS BAE!!!!!
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B eautiful
A ngelic
E ffervescent
-_^