With the understandable delays in many comebacks we’re left with very little teaser material for TST*, otherwise known as Teaser [TS] Tuesday. This presents us with a dilemma. We cannot explain past teasers to you, as the mvs have already been released and we already know what the TS trails were hinting at.
Therefore what is the alternative? We think we have a solution. This week we will be looking at Misleading Teasers. Those pesky teaser releases that had us anticipating one thing but the eventual release didn’t satisfy that anticipation.
Super Junior – Mr Simple
SM Entertainment aren’t unknown for creating misleading teasers. Anyone remember the hippie-esque photo trail for SHINee’s Sherlock? The group then lead with an mv with a less confusing Anglo-themed detective narrative.
Mr Simple was no different. Not only did the music sample give no clues on the track but there were many visual additions we’d never see again.
The Mr Simple TS did give us the impressive solo frames we’d eventually see in the mv though these were split by what appeared to be hints of a narrative. Each cut showed images of a woman breaking free of restrictions: ropes; dry painted masks on the face and body; hinderances to sight.
Of course when Super Junior released Mr Simple there wasn’t even one glimpse of a woman, and the only rope we saw were worn as accessories around the members’ necks – symbols of the restrictions of the harsh world they sing about all the same – but it is hard not to wonder what Mr Simple would have been like with its teaser cuts expanded on.
Seungri – Let’s Talk About Love
Another company that is not afraid of being at least a little vague in their teaser trails is YG Entertainment. For what would be their runaway success of 2013, G Dragon’s Coup D’etat they only teased at colour themes and styling, never once revealing imagery for GD’s soon to be released lead mv.
Around a similar time, and most definitely even more misleading, came the teasing for fellow BIGBANG member Seungri’s album, Let’s Talk About Love.
The album teaser was very impressive, despite its necessary 19+ rating. Love it or hate it, this TS gave a perfect extension of Seungri’s already established image.
Already portrayed, in his earlier solo years, as a sophisticated young man with an understanding of love and romance, and not naive regarding sex, as many idols are portrayed as being, Let’s Talk About Love took this image one step further.
Seungri’s sex scandal wasn’t covered up, nor was it commented on, so to face that now perceived image of Seungri directly through putting such sexualised imagery to his album teaser was brave and effective.
Though, come the release of lead single Gotta Talk To U we saw nothing of this image. Seungri is simply an older version of his former image.
It would be wise to never ask me what I think of this mv – I shall simply say – If you can’t run with the big dogs, you’d better stay on the porch.
SISTAR19 – Ma Boy
Girl groups, the realm of Kpop that has never shied away from making mvs that are simple and lacking in narrative. When girl groups tease at more rounded concepts the releases are even more highly anticipated.
SISTAR19’s first offering Ma Boy came with an impressive TS. The sub-unit, whose 19 name suffix comes from the desire to show the transition of a 19 year old to a woman, certainly promised a what looked to be a grown up, and sexy image.
The grown up image presented by the duo was cut with images of super cars, symbols of fast-pace, extravagance, and showmanship.
What we got was the girls posing their way through a weak narrative, and the cars only appeared as backgrounds to choreography.
Which Kpop teaser do you think has been most misleading?
Have you ever preferred a teaser to the mv?
* The shortened version of the name, TST, comes from a scientific theory known as Transition State Theory. This theory is used to understand how chemical reactions take place, and explains the rates of these reactions.
In terms of our subject of teaser trails in Kpop, these theories are very apt. TS trails are created to cause a reaction and we will be looking to explain what the teaser media tells us, what it is that causes these reactions. Hence our TST molecular logo.
