"Heartbreak Hotel" by Tiffany Young ft. Simon Dominic, Friday, September 2, 2022
Tiffany Young, born Hwang Mi-Young
(황미영) debuted in 2007 with as a singer with one of Korea's most successful girl groups of all time, Girls' Generation. As a Korean American born and raised in California, Young spoke little Korean when she started her career as a K-pop singer. In interviews she has talked about relying on dictionaries before smartphone translators were invented and popularized. In 2016, Young released a solo EP, I Just Wanna Dance and a single "Heartbreak Hotel" featuring Korean rapper Simon Dominic. Young continued to be a part of Girls' Generation until the group's hiatus, starting in 2017, and has rejoined the group for their comeback this summer.
YOUR EYES THAT SEE THE END. “Heartbreak Hotel” touches a subject rarely tread upon in K-pop. Sharing the name from the Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston classics, Tiffany Young's "Heartbreak Hotel" eludes to a break up after a sexual relationship. While the Elvis and Houston songs tackled the same topic using euphemism in the '50s and the '90s, respectively, a song like this is not common in K-pop, even in the 2010s. K-pop standards are that a song is sexy without being overly sexual, and complying with these murky standards could mean the highest level of fame. But Tiffany's ballad differs with other K-pop songs, eluding to the seedy motels that line Korean cities, ever present but taboo to talk about. Korean media often appeals to a traditional ideal; however, standards are changing. A friend once told me in 2012, ten years ago when I first came to Korea, that Korean pop is sort of like '90s music on the radio. Yes, there might be something shocking, but it's only a little shocking. Of course, that was ten years ago, so maybe mid-'90s now?
TODAY I'M CHECKING OUT. Although "Heartbreak Hotel" doesn't exactly conform to the standards of Korean pop music and it is not quite independent to the scrutiny of the bubblegum pop group Girls' Generation, it opens up a discussion about sex in a culture that doesn't like to talk about it much. While Korean media standard often promote abstinence, there is a contrast with the media consumed from the West. The Internet has connected the world, and in a world where everyone is talking, the standards imposed can be seen as unrealistic. There are many Korean YouTubers that talk frankly about sexual practices in Korea which would shock those who think that everything is like a K-Drama. Streaming services, such as Netflix, also produce original content that doesn't have to comply with these standards. So a song that alludes to giving one's heart away in a hotel is probably just what someone struggling with the balance between love and sex needs. "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song of empowerment. Tiffany says that she won't be part a relationship that breaks her heart anymore, taking the power back, even though it hurts a bit.
Acoustic version:
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