Many Chinese K-pop stars have been hitting the headlines lately for their public statements in protest of rulings made against China’s claim to large parts of the South China Sea. The ins and outs of this don’t interest me too much but it’s interesting to see the effect that it’s having on miss A’s Fei […]
Music videos are a huge part of what entices international fans to K-pop thanks to their accessibility online. The work of music video director Ian Gallagher is not exactly the dancing in box or love stories that are so typical to the genre. His work with the queen of South Korea’s electro-indie scene, Neon Bunny […]
As every new girl group we see these days seems to be in someway infected by “Produce 101,” the boys are going about business as usual. ‘80s loving Snuper are making their second comeback of the year after their mediocre ode to getting out of the friendzone “Platonic Love.” The other group of boys are […]
SM Entertainment’s most confusing group to date has come back to shed a little more light on what they do. NCT’s latest incarnation,NCT 127, consists of all the members from NCT U minus Ten (so that’s Mark, Doyoung, Taeyong, Taeil, and Jaehyun), plus new members Yuta, Winwin, and Haechan. I think it’s best to not […]
The last week in June was kind to us girl group lovers. A string of releases from old and new groups brought K-pop back to life after a slow month. They also brought with them a number of familiar sounds with two groups showing influences from recent times, and Brave Brothers doing what he does […]
Why were there two songs called “Why” released on the same day, 28th June? What links these tracks, one by titan of K-pop Taeyeon and the other by flop girl group Wanna.B? Nothing really, but the coincidence of their titles is an excuse to compare both the songs. In most cases it is probably irrelevant, […]
The comeback queens of 2015 have returned to provide more retro stylings. With “Reboot” last year, Wonder Girls delivered the album of the year and proved that you can go totally old-school and still sound up to date. It was their dedication to not just the look but the sound of their music that did […]
In 2012 after the longest hiatus of her career, Son Dambi released the Brave Brothers produced “Dripping Tears.” It’s a signature Brave Brothers sound with piano melodies mixing with prominent synths. It was received somewhat favourably, yet most found it to be lacking in certain areas. Namely the cheapness of the electronic sounds, while common […]
That is one great title. Nuclear by itself would be good enough but combining “new” and their name (a shortened version of “crystal clear”), CLC have created another classic K-pop portmanteau, ”Nu.Clear.” This release is a new start for CLC because it’s their first since adding former “Produce 101” contestant Kwon Eunbin to their lineup. […]
Destiny and fate are some of the most common themes in pop music. Songs about star crossed lovers are part of pop lore and continue to be evocative stories. One reason why I love K-pop is that it regularly breathes life into old concepts like this. Now that two songs have been released within a […]