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Playlist Sunday: Spring

April 5, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

We’re already a few weeks into Spring, but it has only started to really feel like it. The weather is getting warmer, the flowers are starting to bloom, and the lively, lovey-dovey K-pop songs about love being in the air are rolling out. That’s why for this week’s playlist we’re welcoming Spring with our favorite songs with this season in mind.

The weather is finally warming up and the massive snow banks have finally started to melt here in the Northeast. This calls for a celebration since it’s starting to look and feel like spring, don’t you think? And what better way to ring in this delightful season then to listen to the fresh voices of brother and sister duo Akdong Musician. I’m not a big fan of those overly cute, super aegyo concepts, but Lee Chanhyuk and Lee Soohyun’s charming personalities and harmonious voices in I Love You wrapped me right up! It’s springtime and love is in the air; it’s that time of the year where everything feels bright and anew. Their youthful voices remind me of that pure young love and carefree days. Ah, how I wish it could be spring all the time!

–Tam

Also on Kultscene: Amoeba Culture Tour 2015 With Dynamic Duo, Zion. T, Crush, Primary, & DJ Friz Turn Up New York City

For some people this time can be more the end of Winter than the beginning of Spring. Maybe you like Winter or just don’t like change, if so Primary’s new single featuring Oh Hyuk Island is your song. The subdued melancholy of Island is a lonely sound. The song itself feels transitory in that it mourns the loss of those around you and how you react to this. The song mirrors the changing seasons as it picks up halfway through only to return to the same melody as the start. For Island, Primary has ditched his R&B synth sound for something richer and more mature. Island slowly builds and pops, gradually adding new elements. Each of these is perfectly measured and compliment Oh Hyuk’s beautiful voice.

–Joe

In the words of Roy Kim’s words, Bom Bom Bom has come! And with it it brings all the young love cliches, and this song isn’t any different. With his deep yet soft vocals, Roy sings about wanting to be in a relationship with a special girl. The song itself is one of those feel-good tunes that are more than appropriate for a stroll on a bike or a walk in the park. You know, something outdoorsy that lets you soak in all of Spring’s wonders.

— Alexis

Also on KultScene: Live Action ‘Mulan’ Dream Cast, K-Pop Style

When I think of Spring, it instantly makes me melancholic. This season is very romantic and love is in the air. 2NE1‘s song Happy is the perfect example of this feeling. The record itself is very upbeat, but the track talks about letting the one you love go while still wishing for their happiness. Even if the meaning of the song is sad, it still gives you a feeling of happiness and hope. And that what Spring is all about!

–Alejandro

It’s not spring until you’ve heard Cherry Blossom Ending. The acoustic, retro-style ballad by Busker Busker was a breakout hit in 2012, and resurfaces on Korean music charts every spring as South Koreans welcome in warm weather after frigid winters. Lead singer Jang Bum Joon’s vocals are warm and will make your heart flutter as you listen to the song. Read more

Live Action ‘Mulan’ Dream Cast, K-Pop Style

March 31, 2015/in Fans, Movies /by Tamar Herman

Disney’s Mulan is going to be remade as a live action film, which means that actors of Asian descent will get their chance to shine.
Who better to partake in the film than K-pop stars? While that’s highly unlikely, there are a few Korean stars that we think would be realistically good choices and should definitely be considered for the starring roles in Mulan.

Hua Mulan

Playlist Sunday: Kisses

March 29, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Kisses and kissing aren’t always openly talked about in the K-pop music scene. But there are many songs about first kisses and kissing in general. They can be as innocent as a peck on the cheek or as steamy as a full on lip-to-lip, tongue-to-tongue contact. Sometimes these kissing songs aren’t as blatant as others, but one thing we know for sure is our K-pop idols love to sing about kissing.

Like many before her, Jeon Hyosung used her solo career as a way to show off her large, um, charms. Her solo venture turned out to be just as successful as bandmate Jieun’s but offered something completely different. Goodnight Kiss is an hypnotic trap lullaby for a boy whom Hyosung sings to goodnight. Yet she clearly doesn’t really want to go to sleep but to just kiss and kiss him. Updating fairytales and lullabies is popular these days and this song does a better job of it than most. The song comes off as a reworked lullaby to perfectly suit Hyosung’s sexy image. It starts off relatively innocent but becomes sexier with each part before finally hitting that trap drop. We forget about the lullaby element after a while as it becomes stranger and sexier. It all comes together to create something quite sophisticated and shows that given the right material Hyosun could become a soloist on par with Ga-In.

— Joe

Also on KultScene: Which ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ Contestant Are You? [QUIZ]

Dara’s Kiss is filled with ridiculous yet catchy engrish lyrics, yet there’s one line that I’ll occasionally find myself singing to in public; I just wanna kiss, I never wanna miss. Kiss is a fun and rather playful song whereas the music video, which features actor Lee Minho and if you look closely, Kim Woo Bin is also featured, is rather on the dramatic side; I guess that’s what happens when you feature actors in your music video, it suddenly turns into a short drama! Aside from the dramatic acting from both Dara and Lee Minho, the overall production was entertaining and to me, it felt like a commercial!

— Tam

If we talk about kisses, what’s better than a french kiss? Hyuna’s song French Kiss recounts a story at a scandalous party. Hyuna meets a guy and it;s like love at first sight, or maybe lust at first sight. Right then and there she wants to be only with him, alone. The chorus is very addicting and the part where Hyuna whispers “Let’s french kiss” sounds so seductive and sexy. It almost makes the listeners feel that you are the man she lusts over and she is whispering those words to them. The song has a great beat and it’s a great song to just dance let loose and make out.

— Alejandro

Rather than celebrating love, Super Junior‘s My Love, My Kiss, My Heart mourns it. The song is the classic tale of missing an ex lover post break up while reluctantly trying to move on. You know, when it still hurts. The boys lament the love lost, saying they will bury their love, kiss and heart through a heartfelt ballad.

— Alexis

Also on KultScene: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of ‘Tazza: The Hidden Card’

X’s are for kisses, sings EXO in XOXO. The song is an adorable, upbeat, jazzy ode to the woman EXO loves, filled with sweet lines about dreaming of hugging and kissing the one you love. EXO’s vocals really shine in the song, with enough lines for EXO’s multitude of members to express their own individual vocal colors.

— Tamar

miss A’s Hush actually uses the word ‘kiss’ in the chorus. The ladies sing about their steamy wants and desires. And at the top of the list is kissing, which is a great way to get to know someone intimately. Hush takes things a few steps further than kissing, but the sexy ladies of miss A know what they want and clearly depict all of that in this song. Aside from the content of the song, Hush has an infectious chorus and sultry dance moves perfectly executed by the quartet.

— Tara

Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Which ‘Unpretty Rapstar’ Contestant Are You? [QUIZ]

March 26, 2015/in Fans /by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum

If you’re like us, you’ve been keeping up with Mnet’s Unpretty Rapstar and are obsessed with it. All of the contestants are immensely talented and the differences in their personalities have made viewers pick their favorites. You have your sweet ones, like Kisum and Jimin, and then the badasses Cheetah and Jessi. Of course, there are other dimensions in between and beyond that spectrum. So, if you were to be one of the Unpretty Rapstar contestants, we created a quiz in order to know exactly which one you’d be.

Block B’s Taeil Is Next Up As An Idol Group Member Gone Solo

March 25, 2015/in Fans /by Tam Huynh

Have you heard? Taeil from Block B is set to finally release his first solo digital single on March 27^th

titled Shaking. On Block B’s Blockbuster album, Taeil had the chance to showcase his talent in a solo track titled Where Are You but that clearly wasn’t enough and now he’s back with a treat for all BBCs.

The singer is following the path of other successful idol group members turned solo artists, including Super Junior’s Kyuhyun, SHINee’s Jonghyun, Teen Top’s Niel, BTS’s Rap Monster, and Block B’s very own Zico. Read more

Playlist Sunday: Favorite Engrish Lyrics

March 22, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Every English-speaking K-pop fan had a relief moment when they realized they could sing along to their favorite songs because they had lyrics they could understand. These, however, did not always make sense. More than being coherent sentences, they were more like words in English that sounded good or rhymed. We have come to call this Engrish and K-pop is plagued with it. But instead of it being a ridiculous thing, fans have come to cherish this practice in songs. That’s why this week’s playlist is about exactly that.

I’m sure we all have our favorite Engrish phrases from Korean songs; some in which will make you question whether or not if what you were hearing was indeed an actual part of the song, while other times the phrases just makes you chuckle every time you hear it. BEAST’s (also known as B2ST) Shock makes me do both. This song is full of silly Engrish phrases from beginning to end, with lines such as everyday I just can’t control, every night the loneliness my love (so beast in the cube), to it’s signature line everyday I shock, every night I shock, and my favorite part, which is the closing line to the song, this song is not over, get shock. Until this very day, I’m still not quite sure how relevant the word shock is to the actual meaning behind this song, but due to the fact that I enjoy listening to it and it’s humorous lyrics, I’ve decided that none of that really mattered!

–Tam

Also on KultScene: Victim Mentality Brings Glam Rock To South Korea And SXSW [Interview]

EXO’s debut song MAMA has an opening chant full of Engrish that we are all familiar with and love to chant along. “Careless, careless. Shoot anonymous. Anonymous, heartless, mindless, no one who care about me.” But what are they really trying to say? It’s really funny to actually watch the video. And why you may ask? The video opens with a narrator with perfect English explaining the legend of The Tree Of Life. Then the song starts and the funny Engrish chant comes along. Even if it’s grammatically incorrect, it still makes a little sense. If you really think of EXO as aliens from EXOPLANET, then you can make a story that they barely speak English and they are trying to communicate to Earth as much as they can. Either way, we still dig the track and just laugh when that now iconic part comes on in the song.

–Alejandro

SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong is an extremely catchy and fairly easy song to sing along. But with that there are some English words that don’t quite fit. Aside from the chorus of ring ding dong representing the sound of their heart (intersting noise), the fantastic and elastic parts of the song are obviously there because they rhyme, but the meanings of them don’t fit with the song. You can make a case for fantastic, but what are they referring to that’s elastic? Also the line we wanna go rocka rocka rocka…. Again, one can speculate what they mean there, but rocka isn’t actually an English word. In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter that these words don’t work in the song. Ring Ding Dong is a great song, Engrish and all.

— Tara

SM Entertainment does not have the best track record for Engrish, sadly. While other companies have their own noteworthy, cringeworthy Engrish (U-KISS may win overall with “Don’t deny our r²π), TVXQ’s Purple Line is my particular favorite for its total over-the-top ridiculousness. It’s less the grammatical part of the Engrish, and more how cringe-worthy TVXQ was back in the day with Yoochun’s infamous and seemingly out of place, line, “Really wanna touch myself.” And Yunho’s “I’ll show you what’s in between.”

–Tamar

Also on KultScene: Why We Love Kim Woo Bin [& Don’t Miss Out On A Chance To Meet Him]

For syntax purposes, Donghae’s line on Super Junior-M’s Super Girl makes sense and has almost perfect grammar — “he’s not Superman, he must be mama boy.” However, it’s the combination of words together what makes the English sentence funny and, therefore, Engrish. Of course Super Junior has many worser Engrish lyrics (Sexy, Free, and Single or Mr. Simple, anyone?), but it’s that line on that song which makes me giggle every time I listen to it –which is a lot because it’s awesome.

— Alexis

What are your favorite K-pop songs with Engrish ? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Why We Love Kim Woo Bin [& Don’t Miss Out On A Chance To Meet Him]

March 19, 2015/in Fans /by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum

Let us just start by saying, what’s not to love about Kim Woo Bin? But because that’s absolutely no fun at all, let us elaborate. Kim Woo Bin is one of the most popular young actors in Korea, and thanks to Hallyu, one of the most internationally beloved Korean actors. That’s why an ode to his greatness is completely called for.

Flawless Acting Skills

Models-turned-actors aren’t a rare species or an endangered one; it seems like this is a shortcut to fame. With that said, these breed of men are not necessarily the best actors, but Kim Woo Bin is the exception. However small his roles were in A Gentleman’s Dignity or To The Beautiful You, it was clear he had a knack for it.

via tumblr

And while it may take TV actors a while before starring on films, Woo Bin cemented his place in the game with popular movies like Friend: The Great Legacy and The Technicians. Sure he’s handsome, but if he weren’t actually good at his craft, he wouldn’t have so much applauded work. Moreover, he has range, for he can successfully play both dramatic and comedic roles.

why we love kim woo bin acting gif the heirs

via Soompi

Bad Boy Image

via woobinizm @ Tumblr

We know, we know, he might not actually be a bad boy in real life, but he plays one on screen damn well. You can’t deny you weren’t torn between him and Lee Minho on The Heirs, secretly leaning towards the misunderstood Choi Young Do. Curse you second male-lead syndrome!

The boy has a niche, and being the bad boy is it. Whether he was the bully on The Heirs, a rebel on A Gentleman’s Dignity, or a crook on The Technicians, Woo Bin has the anti hero character down to a T.

via woobinizm @ Tumblr

Also on KultScene: ‘The Technicians’ Is Korea’s Answer To Hollywood Heist Films

His Bromance with Lee Jong Suk

We might ship different idols together, but few are more popular among actors than the Lee Jong Suk-Kim Woo Bin bromance. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to where it all started: School 2013. This drama might have dealt with hardcore issues like bullying and suicide among high school students, but that didn’t stop the producers from showing a love-hate relationship between the two actors. The love interests were never the emphasis of the show’s relationships. Instead, it was all about Go Nam Soon and Park Heung Soo’s relationship and all of their bonding times.

via Tumblr

Being friends in real life successfully sold us the idea of them as friends, and we just loved watching every second of it. School 2013, because of Jong Suk and Woo Bin, proved that viewers don’t necessarily need a love triangle for a drama to work.

via Tumblr

via pixshark

Greek God-Like Good Looks

Now that we’ve established how talented this man is, we can get to the other main reason hundreds of girls around the globe drool over Kim Woo Bin: his handsome looks, of course. This guy used to be a runway model, for god’s sake! And like a pro, he still models in all of his dramas and movies.

via kimwoobinseyebrows@ Tumblr

I mean, can we all just agree that he’s too damned handsome for his own good? He’s as tall as a tree, has a sexy, chiseled body as if carved by Michelangelo himself, and his strong almost lizard like facial features give him a hot edge to his attractiveness. I’m just saying that even if we didn’t have something as wondrous as DramaFever, I’d watch his dramas and movies without subtitles just to watch him being his magnificent, talented, stallion self. But I’ll stop there before the thirst gets any realer…

via DramaFever

Because Eyebrows

As mentioned before, Kim Woo Bin has benefit for his atypical looks; he’s so strange looking that he’s absolutely handsome. However, it seems that his signature feature are his eyebrows. Who can forget that one scene on The Heirs where his character was asked to put his eyebrows away? Simply epic.

via DramaFever

They might be manly, big, and bushy, but the boy’s eyebrows are on fleek; actresses wish they had such game (which is totally on trend right now, mind you). Aside from making him look good, they are also part of the package as to why his facial expressions are awesome. A simple rise of an eyebrow can go from indifferent to mischievous, or even yet, seductive. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is sheer talent; whose eyebrows can have such duality and a personality of its own?

why we love kim woo bin eyebrows the heirs gif

via Tumblr

Also on KultScene: 10 Amoeba Culture Songs To Get You Ready For ATL & NYC [Updated]

DramaFever recently released Kim Woo Bin’s latest film The Technicians. And if that’s not enough, the site will also host a Google Hangout live-chat Q&A session with the actor on March 24^th. Unfortunately, only premium members will be able to have their questions considered. However, DramaFever is offering a discount for those interested in a premium account. Submissions will be accepted until the 22^nd at 12:01 a.m. EST. To join, click here.

why we love kim woo bin the technicians gif cutie cute aegyo

via Tumblr

What are your reasons to love Kim Woo Bin? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Playlist Sunday: YOLO

March 15, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Life can get overwhelming real fast –that’s no surprise. But in the midst of it all, we shouldn’t forget to unwind, let loose, and live in the moment, you know, just say YOLO from time to time. That’s why for this week’s Playlist Sunday we’ve decided to carpe diem –seize the day– and compile a list of songs talking about exactly that.

2PM’s single Go Crazy! is the perfect example of living for the moment. The song is a party song accompanied by a party music video. Sometimes you just have to let go all of the stress and work and negativity and let loose. Their lyrics urge you to let it all go and enjoy yourself: “Go crazy, Tonight, We are determined to go nuts, Just for one night, go all out.” And if 2PM’s lyrics aren’t enough to get you in touch with your crazy side, then their music video will surely inspire you to have an unforgettable night complete with an arsenal of stories to tell for years to come. So go out and enjoy yourself and go crazy!

— Tara

JYJ’s In Heaven may seem a bit depressing, but along with being vocally beautiful, the message of the song and music video are really “live for the moment.” The music video is about a man, played by member Junsu, who is in love with a woman. But he is so wrapped up in his work that he doesn’t have time for her and doesn’t notice her enough, leading to her walking in front of a car and dying. But then time rewinds, and he is given a second chance. Things take an interesting turn, but at the end of the day, everyone is happy because they did what they wanted instead of what they did the first time around. We don’t all get second chances, so let’s learn the lesson from In Heaven and live our life to the fullest!

— Tamar

Also on KultScene: NU’EST “I’m Bad” Music Video & Song Review

BEAST is a group that brings us the best heart-wrenching break up songs; it’s like their staple or something. So of course a party song by them is a bit odd, but absolutely fantastic. And there’s no better message for a party song than to let loose and live in the moment like in We Up. Sure, the song is directed at a specific girl, but still, we can just imagine the boys are singing this to us personally, telling us to go wherever without thinking of manners and etiquette and be the night’s heroine. Moreover, BEAST also performed this song during Good Luck promotions, and their performance was always fun and infectious; they even interacted with the dancers in a playful manner (I’m looking at you, Doojoon!). Groups mostly always look almost robotic when performing, but with this song, BEAST let loose and actually had fun with it, and what’s more YOLO than doing your own thing at a music show?

–Alexis

Having fun with your friends and going all out with no regrets is one of the best feelings in the world. There’s nothing better than the feeling of letting go, we only live once after all and we have to live our lives to the fullest. The perfect track to go crazy with is G-Dragon’s Michi Go. BIGBANG’s leader is the king of crazyness and knows how to belt out a perfect party song. The crazy beats in the track create a very chaotic sound that fits perfectly with the feeling of the song. And who can forget that, “Dirty nasty as f***” that he spits out subtly throughout the song. As soon as you press play to this song it will instantly make you want to get up and dance like crazy.

–Alejandro

Also on KultScene: ‘The Technicians’ Is Korea’s Answer To Hollywood Heist Films

If you’re really going to go all out YOLO on a night, it is a priority to have some killer tracks at your disposal. Up and Down by Korean producer Smells is a perfect addition to this playlist. As was the trend last year Up and Down is a dance track by way of the British house scene in the 1990s. He mixes this with commercial synths, which sound straight out of Ibiza, to create an exciting, danceable, and euphoric track. Son Seung Yeon features to provide some typically generic but soulful, effective vocals. It all comes together to form something typically Korean in that it mixes old and new, west and east to create the ultimate modern club banger. As a bonus the video features a group of people in a bedroom, YOLOing it to the max, which you can take your cue from.

–Joe

What are your dreams and aspirations? Have you thought about how you’re going to go about making it happen or are you too nervous at the thought of possibly failing? B.A.P’s One Shot is a reminder to us all that even if the high walls try to block you, jump over it all, even if you fall every time. How will you ever know what the outcome might be like if you’re too scared to give it a try? This is the present, you’ve got to grab that opportunity right then and there and seize the moment!

–Tam

Share your favorite YOLO songs and moments with us in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Playlist Sunday: International Women’s Day

March 8, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Say what you will about pop music, but people all around the world look to mainstream music and artists for role models. And while we’ll always find negative messages and images, it’s important to highlight the positive ones. That’s why for this week’s playlist, we’re honoring the empowering K-pop tunes to celebrate International Women’s Day (which is today!).

Very few K-pop songs talk about being yourself, so when 4Minute came out with their latest release Crazy about, well, being your crazy self and not giving a damn, it quickly became one of those rare female empowerment songs within the genre. Crazy generalizes the term “crazy” as not normal, and embraces individuality by saying it’s ok to be like that. And what better message is there for women of all ages to just be themselves on International Women’s Day? Also, the song’s overall sound (and choreography, mind you) is very appropriate for everyone to let loose, go crazy, and express themselves.

— Alexis

Also on KultScene: 8 Misheard K-Pop Lyrics Pt. 2

Nothing is as empowering to women as one of their own gaining the highest rank in government. In honor of International Women’s Day, I want to highlight Girl’s Day’s response to the election of South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun Hye. Political reasons aside, a woman made huge strides in a very traditional society, and Girl’s Day took their song Female President to celebrate political and sexual empowerment of women.

–Tamar

I’ve been critical of Hello Venus in the past for being less than stellar female role models but they proved me wrong with the release of Wiggle Wiggle. A song inspired by the sexist anthem of Jason Derulo may not seem like much of an empowering song, but Hello Venus have made it so. Wiggle Wiggle is a call for women to dance in the club for their own enjoyment not for the male gaze. The cheap music video backs this up by showing the inauthenticity of everything. The song is brilliantly fresh from the usually generic Brave Brothers. The hip hop bass and bubbling synths make for a surprisingly low-key but infinitely danceable track. The best part being Seoyoung’s battle cry over drums for all the girls of the world to werk.

–Joe

We must talk about Lee Hyo Ri if we’re talking about women empowerment… The U Go Girl music video highlighted plastic surgery, which can be a touchy subject in many parts of the world, but in Korea, it’s widely accepted and commonly practiced. Many people will have different point of views in regards to this concept, but if changing the way you look will help with your overall self-esteem, go for it. But like the lyrics state, whatever it may be, you need to face it straight on and go in it with full confidence. Why base such things as, how you should do your hair, makeup, what you should wear, off of other people when you’re the one that has to do it? This could’ve been a much more serious subject, but instead of taking it down that road, Lee Hyo Ri turned it into an cheery, bubbly, and fresh song so audiences could digest it better.

–Tam

Also on KultScene: Amoeba Culture’s Ode To Dancers

SPICA’s summer 2014 single, I Did It is all about the ladies. The quintet sing about spending an evening with their girl friends to unwind and enjoy themselves after a hard day’s work. Their ladies’ vocals are amazing and the peppy beat and sing-a-along chorus will have any girl pumped up for a night out with their friends. I Did It makes a point of saying that men are not necessary to enjoy one’s self. Instead, do what makes you happy with the people that make you happy.

Every woman ’round the world, hear me
Throw your hands in the air if you feel me
Stand tall, real strong, so let’s go
Show my best tonight

They share a message of empowerment and strength and courage for being yourself and loving yourself; words we can all live by. It also doesn’t hurt that I Did It is completely sung in English as well.

— Tara

CL from 2NE1 released her first solo track The Baddest Female the moniker that she had clearly made it her own, and quickly became an anthem for female empowerment. At the climax of the song, CL spits out a message to all the women in the world, telling them to be themselves and always be the best they can be.

This is for all my bad girls around the world
Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good, you know
Let’s light it up and let it burn like we don’t care
Let em know how it feels damn good to be bad

The song talks about being the fiercest you can be without caring for what people and society think. This is the perfect song to feel empowered to and everyone can relate to the message of the song, even if it’s intended for women.

— Alejandro

Which one was your favorite song for International Women’s Day? Share your picks in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Playlist Sunday: Favorite February Releases

March 1, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

The month of February has given us a plethora of K-pop releases. From veteran artists such as Shinhwa to rookies such as Rubber Soul, it has been a busy month for music. We feel it is important to show the shortest month of the year some love and now that February is over, it’s time to take a look back at some personal favorites by KultScene’s staff.

I’m not going to lie, I may or may have not spent the entire month listening to songs released by the competitors of No.Mercy. But while picking a song for this playlist, while trying to convince myself that I should probably not force my taste on other people, I discovered Kris Leone’s The End and I’m absolutely obsessed. Kris Leone is South Korea’s rock princess, the daughter of Boohwal’s Kim Tae Won. Kris Leone’s The End is the perfect answer for someone looking to take a break for a few minutes from bubbly K-pop. With crisp instrumentals and Kris Leone’s powerful vocals, The End is hopefully this singer’s beginning.

–Tamar

The legendary Shinhwa is back! This is a rather dark concept for the group, one in which they stepped outside the box and dared to try something completely different than what we’re all use to seeing from them. Every member displays a sexy and mature vibe, reminding the audience that although they’re in a “boy band” they’re fully grown men who mean business.

Moreover, each member had his own peculiar and bizarre role. You have cool guy Eric whose smoking a cigar, Minwoo crotched between his leading lady’s legs, Dongwan who is apparently up to no good in his ‘lab,’ Junjin walking into a room to a girl sitting on top of a table, Andy who’s playing guard with his cane, and Hyesung who doesn’t show his aggressive side until the end. The members are able to portray each individual persona, and because these are men are in their 30s, that makes it all the more believable. This recent comeback has taken everyone by surprise; I can only imagine what else they have in store for us!

–Tam

Also on KultScene: 5 K-Pop Songs To Help You Unwind From The Work Week

In all honesty, I didn’t really keep up to date on the comebacks for February. Is it because there wasn’t much promotion from companies and groups beforehand or was I just not paying close enough attention? One comeback I was surprised about was NU’EST. They haven’t released anything in a while, and then all of a sudden I see they have a new music video on YouTube. When did this happen? The group will celebrate their third anniversary together on March 15^th, hence the digital release. Their R&B styled song I’m Bad was released on February 27^th. The slower tempo shows off the guys’ soft and sultry vocals and rapping. Unfortunately, Baekho does not sing on the title track due to the fact that he was still recovering from surgery, but he does sing on the B track. Although February is a short month, and I somehow missed the majority of the comebacks for the month, there are a lot of good songs that came out throughout February. NU’EST’s comeback is definitely a welcomed one.

— Tara

It took me a few listens to really like Rubber Soul’s debut track Life. But after a few plays and listening to their debut album, I started to notice these girls’ potential. Choi Cho, Lala, and Kim show their rapping skills throughout the song, but Choi Cho also shows us her soulful voice. The three member girl group is clearly inspired by ‘90s hip-hop and rap and give us ‘90s lovers a nostalgic feeling while listening to the song. Madclown starts the song by spitting out his rap followed by the girls. The chorus is extremely addicting and very uplifting. Every time I sing along the chorus “Life is like a song of happiness” it instantly brings a smile to my face.

–Alejandro

Also on KultScene: Best K-Pop Music Video Fashion: February 2015 Releases

Even if the format of Unpretty Rapstar sucks a bit, there’s no denying that the girls are absolute badasses and incredibly talented. And out of all the contestants, the two baddest females, in my opinion, who are the best are Cheetah and Jessi, who won the second challenge and thus got to release a collaboration song with M.I.B’s Kangnam. On their M! Countdown performance, the ladies looked like accessories to the guy — but don’t get it twisted. On the original performance of My Type on Unpretty Rapstar was all about the girls’ verses. Jessi and Cheetah both exude confidence that comes with being a strong female rapper. A real one, none of that K-pop star thing. So even though the performance on the music show was a bit weak (remember these girls aren’t tained idols), they both slayed the song. Here’s to hoping more flawless releases from these rappers.

–Alexis

Rainbow finally came back after over a year away in February with their mini album Innocent. I liked the single off it Black Swan but the highlight of their comeback is another track from Innocent. Pierrot mixes danchall and Europop to great and weird effect. Its transitions have little build up but seem to work because of the quality of each part and Woori’s rap. It also marks the first ever time I’ve heard Rainbow make good use of No Eul. Her visual and voice are uncommon in K-pop but here her sympathetic voice fits the pre chorus so perfectly.

–Joe

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