Hot to 'Trot'

Super Junior's Sungmin is ready to sparkle in SuJu sub group Super Junior - T (T for Trot, duh!)

The current generation of international k-pop fans might already know what 'Trot' is, you've probably seen some of your favourite idols put on a sparkly sequined jacket and a bow tie, hold the microphone strangely and sing some kind of funny dated sounded pop songs with a weird wobbly voice? Well that's Trot. Its what Korean pop survived on for decades before the dance music and the boybands and the shirt ripping and the autotune showed up.

"Trot music is described as two-beat rhythm or duple rhythm, traditional seven-five syllabic stanzas, and unique vocal style called Kagok" - wikipedia

Well what does that mean? It means its a lot of good clean fun, it's nostalgic and full of over exaggerated action and emotion and young people parodying it or embracing it seems to make everyone laugh. I suppose its a bit similar to 50s and 60s pop songs or impersonating Rat Pack crooners in the Western World. Young people singing in a style from long ago, its funny to other young people and its fun for ajusshis and ajhummas... everyone's a winner.

Famous Trot singers from yesterday still have their place in Korean entertainment filling up some of those numerous guest seats on TV variety and talk shows, getting the occasional special stage or collaboration with youngsters from time to time, and i'm sure there is still a whole world of touring concerts and fan clubs I know little to nothing about. What I do know about is the current idol groups and their various ventures into Trot, and I love it.

Two of my favourite k-pop singers who really embrace their inner Trot singer are SHINee's Onew and Key who performed a far too short duet at the 2010 SBS Gayo Daejun in the Trot Medley Special where Beast's KiKwang and Yoseob also had a short but sweet performance, and its really a testament to my love of the genre of Trot that it almost makes me like Yoseob! almost! Beast as a whole are pretty special in their Trot renditions, here's one of my favourites from last year's Idol Star Trot Chuseok Special:

If you even need a reason to love Jang HyunSeung then 1m10s would be it.

Even though its completely irrelevant to my post on Trot I just want to slip in a link to remind my inner circle of readership that this was the one and only Chuseok Trot Special that also featured the leg wrestling contest in the middle of it.  Kiseop VS Doojoon anyone? and JJH, i'm not sure but I think we might have completely overlooked SUPERNOVA's performance. Did I mention I've been going off Sungje lately... the sideburns aren't helping.

For a lot of the idols, singing Trot is kind of a joke, whether they are respectfully mocking their seniors hits or whether they are parodying their own songs in a Trot style, its even more of a joke when its comedians performing Trot versions of hit idol songs, to an almost identical tune each week on Gag Show. Special mentions to this version of 2PM's I Hate You and SHINee's Ring Ding Dong. Other idols have to take Trot a bit more seriously, like for example if your dad is a famous Trot singer than you're going to need to embrace it for example F.Cuz's Lee U is he son of famous Trot singer Sul Woon Do and even appeared with dad, pre F.Cuz debut on an episode of Happy Together (which kind of needs to be seen for his nervous interactions with TVXQ, adorable face and unexplained Britpop hairstyle... watch it here) One of the girls in VNT's dad is also a famous Trot singer, but I barely know who VNT are, let alone her dad... sorry.. Then there are the occasional bands (or subgroups or solo ventures) who purposely fit themselves into the modern mold of Pop Trot. I'm not talking about SuJu's Shindong & Leeteuk's fabulous summery Trot digital single, i'm talking about an idol group who were created for the very purpose of TROT... and Jessica Jane how on earth we missed these delightful boys I will never know....

so let me introduce .... 3 CHONGSA (3 Musketeers)

IMPORTANT PROFILE INFORMATION:

Leader - HwaRang (real name Hyun Seok)

1989 - bloodtype A - 181cm

SasYa (real name Hae Won)

1991 - bloodtype ? - 186cm

Maknae - Kang Ho

1992 - bloodtype A - 183cm

Now those pretty faces (mainly i'm talking about the first 2, sorry Kang Ho) and long legs were not what you might expect from a Trot debut, but oh its a match made in heaven!! The only released 2 singles, one in 2009, one in 2010 before they called it a day and left the Pop Trot scene altogether, but the songs they left shall be legendary, to me at least.

Firstly "LET'S GO!". It's a Summer Party Trot on the Beach spectacular, and usually, along with my hatred of Summer, hot beaches, tropical coloured clothes I cannot handle a forced feel good party tune, but I can now say that this song, along with Shindong & Leeteuk's song and Shinhwa's "usha usha" has me practically begging for a some teen hunk in stripes and flip flops to whisk me away on a jet ski. I don't know who I am anymore.

chik chik ppo ppo ddui ddui bbang bbang KAJA! KAJA!

The song was heavily promoted on the music shows, including special versions with 2PM (3 of them come out right at the end for a bit of a dance) or Super Junior, who love to get involved, also possibly best outfit award to 3 Chongsa.   3 Chongsa featuring Kangin, Eunhyuk & Shindong :

where was Leeteuk? why did Kangin have to be there..!

After a long absence they made their comeback with a really unnecessary perm and a song about cooking "Eat Eat!"

They also recorded a gentle ballad (not so Trot) called "Sweet Silly" , I'm not sure if it was ever performed but i'd prefer to remember them skipping about in their nautical get up or their chefs gear going all out with the action dancing.

Now if like me you are left feeling a little deflated that 3 Chongsa are no longer an active group then please wipe away your tears, unless you're a KangHo fan in which case I can't help you. Sorry.  I have some fantastic news! I was pretty happy on my chance discovery of 3 Chongsa, I was even more happy on my discovery of Hwa Rang (hi!) and much as love some Trot it did seem almost wasteful that these boys would never get a chance at the chic dressing hip thrusting probably full of autotune dance bangers...  maybe just maybe they will. Every cloud has a sparkling silver lining and the demise of 3 Chongsa meant Hwa Rang and Sasya jumped ship to a new management company, and I heard we're going to be seeing the pair of them again pretty soon, and not a bad perm or a jokey costume in sight... HyunSeok... HaeWon... (you see there was a reason I gave you their real names earlier) and friends.... i'm looking forward to it.

For a whole lot more pictures of 3 Chongsa, gifs, video links and cyworld treats, head to the 3 Chongsa forum at soompi. and of course, keep and eye out for X-5...

 - BUNNY