Profiles

Big Mama (빅마마)

Since we are on the topic of physical beauty, let me write about a girl group that, I personally think, has been unjustly treated just because they aren’t drop dead gorgeous. Average-looking isn’t good enough in Korea…goodness, that spells doom for Liz. I love being a Malaysian. Yay.

Anyways, Big Mama is a quartet with fantastic vocals – they harmonise like angels – yet aren’t in the forefront of Korean entertainment because they don’t wear size zero clothes, prance around in barely-there threads or gyrate all over the stage when performing. Oh come on, people, you’ve got to develop more depth than that, alright?

These talented women have been relegated to singing backup because of their appearance. However, Yang Hyun-suk, the head honcho of YG Entertainment, gave the ladies a chance.

He decided to package the quartet up and bravely go against Korean showbiz type. It is said that in the contract, Big Mama members were prohibited from undergoing plastic surgery. If they did any nip/tuck, the group would be disbanded!

I guess that little tactic of vocals-only appreciation didn’t work as Big Mama left YG Entertainment after their contract expired in March 2007, five years after their debut. And up until today, they aren’t out-of-this-world popular like some other pop singers, such as the one who announced that her weapon is sex appeal. (What, you mean no actual singing? ;-))


Many Big Mama fans think that the group has been unfairly treated by management due to the lack of promotion and hype surrounding the girls.

Currently, the ladies have signed on to Manwoldang and were booked to serenade noted women leaders at the 2007 World Women’s Forum on Sept 13. Good for them! Talent like that should not go to waste.

How did I find out about them? They appeared in the Big Bang reality series (Astro MTV) and I confess, I thought they were different in the sense that they weren’t Barbie doll-like perfect. That curiosity led to an appreciation for Big Mama.

Hey girls, if Paul Potts can do it, so can you too, OK? Potts was the winner of talent series Britain’s Got Talent (very much like American Idol). The 37-year-old sings opera. He is (very) challenged in the looks department but sings like a dream. God is fair 😉

Everyone, I present you Big Mama:

Name: Shin Yeona
Date of birth: August 12, 1973
Blood type: O
Nickname: Schindler
Motto: Live an earnest life
Favorite musicians: Laura Figi, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald

Name: Lee Ji-young
Date of birth: July 25, 1975
Blood type: A
Hobbies: Graffiti, dreaming, walking, watching movies, reading, singing
Talent: Graffiti
Motto: Not being able to feel something means having no life.
Favorite musicians: Lauryn Hill, Bjork, Han Young-ae, Stevie Wonder

Name: Lee Young-hyun
Date of birth: December 25, 1981 (Hey, Christmas baby!)
Blood type: A
Hobby: Lip syncing
Talent: Singing
Motto: Be patient.
Favorite musicians: Sarah Borgman, Whitney Houston

Name: Park Min-hye
Date of birth: September 18, 1982
Blood type: B
Hobby: Listening to music
Motto: Pray to live. (Amen! ;-))
Favorite musicians: Manhattan Transfer, Foreplay, Yang Hee-eun

Albums:

  • Blossom (2007)
  • For the People (2006)
  • It’s Unique (2005)
  • Like The Bible (2003)

Compilations:

  • For the Christmas (2006)
  • Big Mama’s Christmas: Gift (2005)

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13 thoughts on “Big Mama (빅마마)

  • 2XKnee

    I LOVE THESE GIRLS! Appearance doesn’t really matter to me at all because they’re Angels already. Big MAMA Fighting! =) If I ever got the chance to go to Korea I’ll go hunting for them and ask them to sing to me, even if I have to pretend that it’s my birthday.LOL No one can come close to the chills I feel when I listen to them. <3 Despite it being years from their last appearances/songs I still love them.

  • I ABSOLUTELY love these Korean DIVAS….shame about not being able to promote them worldwide cos they are right up with there with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and many more divas. IMAGE is not everything, if you got the gift and talent then use it. Im Samoan born in New Zealand and I first saw them on Youtube and ever since then i have been a great fan of these beautiful women….The way Big Mama are being treated in the industry is just wrong, a bit like that Korean movie “200 Pound Beauty”…..Go the Big Mama’s!!!!!

  • amyse7en

    owh!i really curious about Big mama..how they look like and the hidden story bout them..thanks for posting dis,maybe it’s late since i listened to breakaway last year but i really love their harmonize,dat’s why until today i still tune to big mama’s song…

  • cheri

    Too bad they are not that popular.I really like their song ‘Betrayal’.They have really good voices.

  • your right! they are a wonderful harmonising group xD i think the song from the album ‘It’s unique’ the sixth track is wonderful :] ^^ thanks for the entry

  • Just to let you know and update (this wonderful site ^^), big mama have release a 4th album called “blossom”

  • Hey Gail, thanks for sharing that with us. Yeah, it’s a lovely song and Big Mama sure did justice to it 🙂

  • Gail T.

    excellent highlight! they’re good. i love their rich contraltos. the “his eye on the sparrow” clip was wonderful. i was teary eyed the entire time. it is a sentimental favorite of mine (it’s my late grandma’s favorite).

    thank you. i’m looking for more of them.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, i have heard them sing. They have strong voices and harmonize well. Excellent entry!

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