American Idol Contestant

[tripostrophe]

I don't think I should name him. There's been a curse whenever someone like this has come up. Or maybe that's just discrimination within the entertainment industry :) [from angryasianman.com]

02.08.07
People have been emailing me like crazy about this guy Paul Kim of Saratoga, CA, who auditioned and wowed the judges on American Idol last night. No doubt, the guy's got some serious talent. Take a look at the clip. I like how Paul makes it a point to bring up William Hung (the guy set us back years and years), and that he's there to show that there are Asian Americans who can and will represent in music. And damn, the guy can sing. He ain't no William Hung. Idol fansites in the know are speculating that Paul has actually made it to this season's top 24. So who is this guy? Where did he come from? Here's his MySpace, which includes more of his music. His rendition of "Jealous Guy" seriously channels Donny Hathaway. Keep an eye out for this guy... I'm already rooting for him.

xttp://www.rickey.org/?p=2130

xttp://www.myspace.com/officialpaulkim

xttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/x15uih_paul-kim-american-idol-audition

I hope he succeeds. Concerned by the fact that one of the judges said "Go Korea" as he was walking out -- sounded sort of patronizing, yea? Don't know about any Asian entertainer's chances in the American music industry, esp. if they're male, but...I think he has a decent chance, yea? I hope he succeeds. And doesn't get screwed. Like Harlemm Lee was.

[sandra]

nice audition. seems like he has a great attitude, lots of personality, and not bad-looking. and he sounds like he wants to rep asian america, which is fine by me so far :)

[proazn]

I can't believe there's only been one reply to this so far. What are you asians occupied with???
An article about him was on the FRONT page of my local newspaper!

[returntosender]

Not going to write a huge essay answer, but I think Paul Kim's voice is generic. You're not going to win AI, or any competition, without the creative flare like this guy David Choi has:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWPzxVMQU8g

[returntosender]

Okay, I just got a warning from one of the mods for posting the msg above^^

Can someone explain to me what the hell is so bad about it??

[returntosender]

duplicate.

[proazn]

returntosender, your post is borderline SPAM... but since he's asian, i don't mind it.
here's the article about our only asian contestant this season on AI.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...t/16703766.htm

Posted on Thu, Feb. 15, 2007

SARATOGA SINGER GETS `IDOL' BREAK
By Ron Kitagawa
Mercury News

Paul Kim from Saratoga Wednesday night became one of 24 semi-finalists on "American Idol."
Fox

William Hung he's not.

Just a few months ago, Paul Kim was performing in front of 20 people at a bar in Mountain View as a favor for a friend. But if all goes as planned for the smooth, smoky-voiced R&B singer from Saratoga, who Wednesday night became one of 24 semi-finalists on ``American Idol,'' his audience will increase to some 30 million viewers for each performance.

Not bad for the self-described ``pool boy'' who wowed the judges when he tried out in Los Angeles in August for Season 6 of Fox TV's star-making singing contest, which allows viewers to call in to decide who gets to move on to the next show.

``I'm not gonna lie,'' Kim told host Ryan Seacrest early in the show, ``I'm nervous. I'm a little terrified, actually.'' And when he got into the decision room, judge Paula Abdul didn't make him feel any better, saying ``it was a split decision.'' Though after pausing, she smiled and said he made it through to the next round. The barefoot Kim let out a huge sigh of relief.

The next important step for the 25-year-old -- the only semi-finalist from the Bay Area -- is on Tuesday when the male singers perform live. The first elimination -- two men, two women -- will be on Thursday.

During his time in Los Angeles, parts of which were documented on an ``Idol'' highlights show last week, Kim spoke of the most famous Asian-American to be rejected by the show's judges, William Hung.

Hung, who attended UC-Berkeley, is well-known for his passionate -- to some funny, to others pathetic -- rendition of Ricky Martin's ``She Bangs.''

``It kind of bothers me that when people think about `Asian singer,' they think `William Hung,' '' Kim, a Korean-American, said in an ``Idol'' interview. ``And I'm not hatin' on William Hung, but I mean, come on. . . . There are many talented Asian people out there, you just don't see them. They don't get an opportunity in the entertainment industry . . . at all.''

(Efforts to reach Hung for comment went unanswered, and Fox won't allow Kim or his family to talk to news organizations until Friday.)

Singing since 1998

According to his MySpace page, www.myspace.com/officialpaulkim, and interviews with friends, Kim started singing with a music group called Repatua in 1998 when he was a junior at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino. Like a true R&B lover, the singer-songwriter, who also plays the piano, lists influences ranging from singers such as Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder to John Legend and ``old school'' R. Kelly.

``When I first met Paul he was very raw,'' said Jerome ``JC'' Geronimo, 31, who sang with Kim in Repatua. ``He just blossomed before our eyes by practicing hard and really became a great singer on his own.'' Laughing, Geronimo added, ``He was the Beyoncé of our group.''

During Kim's audition in August, he sang the soulful song ``If I Ever Fall in Love,'' made popular in the early '90s by the group Shai, and impressed the judges -- Randy Jackson, Abdul, Simon Cowell and guest Olivia Newton-John.

Geronimo was impressed, too: That song ``was one of the first songs we practiced together when we first got together as a group.''

The group lasted for just a few years. Geronimo, a Sunnyvale resident, headed to Florida for school and Kim went to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Music industry bias

``I was told over and over again by countless label execs that if it weren't for me being Asian, I would've been signed yesterday,'' Kim says on his MySpace page. ``Unfortunately, we live in a country where many think an Asian face is not marketable.''

In 2003, Kim was signed to EMI Korea to perform pop music, but ``unfortunately, it didn't work out.''

Now he's back and has spent a year working full-time for his father's pool-cleaning business. ``I've gotten the itch to make music again,'' Kim writes. ``I've decided to give it one more shot at making it here in the States.''
Contact Ron Kitagawa at rkitagawa@mercurynews.com or call (408) 920-5027.

[applehead]

Originally Posted by returntosender

Not going to write a huge essay answer, but I think Paul Kim's voice is generic. You're not going to win AI, or any competition, without the creative flare like this guy David Choi has:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWPzxVMQU8g

oh good lord. he looks a hot mess.
he could've at least brushed his hair and washed his face.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Originally Posted by proazn

I can't believe there's only been one reply to this so far. What are you asians occupied with???

Apparently, doing shit other than posting about it on internet forums in the misguided belief that it'll have any impact on the outcome.

Originally Posted by proazn

An article about him was on the FRONT page of my local newspaper!

Are y'all from the same town?

[n3bulous]

holy crap. that boy got talent! just saw on the news that he got eliminated last night, for what reason beats the sh*t outta me. they showed his audition video, and he was on fire. nice nice voice. good post-elimination interview as well, he seems like good people. (and helllllllll no i don't watch fox news, just happened to be flipping through at just the right moment)

damn i wish i had his singing voice!

[n3bulous]

edit - okay i can kinda see why he got eliminated. kind of an underwhelming performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr2MA6u8IJ0

surprising, disappointing, given his performance in the audition video.

[sandra]

why did he do that?

[proazn]

Originally Posted by AliBabaIncorporated

Are y'all from the same town?

yeah, we're from the same town.

I'm disappointed at the asian people in this country. Nearly all the male singers did poorly, but who was the first one voted off? the asian male. It just tells you the only way an asian male is gonna succeed is if he's the best - and even that's not guarenteed. I'm also disappointed with the phone company because every time i called in to vote, it was busy. what the hell?

[n3bulous]

(pre-elimination) interview with SJ Mercury News (audio):
http://www.mercextra.com/listen/index.php?id=289

[Golden Monkey]

Originally Posted by proazn

I'm also disappointed with the phone company because every time i called in to vote, it was busy. what the hell?

Well, I don't want to promote any conspiracy theories but I have heard stories about the AMBD *software that most of the networks are now using.

Yeah, I'm angry about it. New technology being used for the same old agenda.

* Asian Male Blocking Device.