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10 Popular K-Pop Members We Want to See Go Solo

February 4, 2015/in Entertainment /by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum

The Incoherence of Bong Joon Ho

February 3, 2015/in Entertainment, Movies /by Joe Palmer

Film school was crucial to the formation of the Korean New Wave and the type of film that came out of it. It developed a new mindset for later Korean filmmakers, one which was more progressive and innovative than earlier filmmakers. So, in the midst of examining this era of cinema in Korea, I think […]

10 Popular K-Pop Members We Want to See Go Solo

February 4, 2015/in Entertainment /by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum

The Incoherence of Bong Joon Ho

February 3, 2015/in Entertainment, Movies /by Joe Palmer

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10 Popular K-Pop Members We Want to See Go Solo

February 4, 2015/in Entertainment /by Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum

Last year, SM Entertainment announced that they would release lots of solos of their artists this year. And with only a month into 2015, Jonghyun already debuted and Amber and Taeyeon are getting ready for theirs. But SM is not the only label following the soloist trend. Teen Top’s Neil is also getting ready for his project. And while we all can’t wait for all these debuts, there are some artists we would rather be seeing on stage by themselves. That’s why we came up with this list of popular K-Pop artists we want to see go solo soon.

1. 2NE1’s Minzy

It seems that everyone in 2NE1 has had the spotlight on them, some more than the others, at least once –except for Minzy. Sure, the maknae gets to shake it on her dance solos during their group concerts, but everyone seems to be fixated on Bom’s vocals, Dara’s beauty and quirky self, and CL’s, well, CL-ness. But Minzy has been riding in the backseat to her unnies’ fame for too long.

Even though the rest of the 2NE1 members are already at veteran idol age, Minzy is in the prime of her youth at 21-years-old. She’s sunbae to most groups, but is the same age as Girl’s Day Hyeri, EXO-K’s Kai, and BTS’ Rap Monster, to name a few. She has more experience than anyone in the ‘94 line, along with talent. Hell, she’s even the best well-rounded artist within 2NE1. Not only is Minzy the dance machine, but she regularly sings the same parts as Bom and rap CL’s counterpart verses. Since she’s still young and growing into her looks, she’s turning out into a hot woman but still has her maknae cute charms.

If you follow Minzy on SNS, you would have noticed she’s been in Los Angeles for quite some time now, hanging out with producers and attending dance classes. Is she gearing for an upcoming solo? We sure hope so! Truth is Minzy has the moves and the vocals to deliver fast paced tracks and even soulful ballads and kill it with the choreography, reminiscent of American star Ciara.

2. U-KISS’ Kevin

Main vocalists of groups given solos is a very typical practice in K-pop. But given that Kevin’s vocals are very different to Soohyun’s, it’s difficult to pick who is U-KISS’ better singer. However, given Kevin’s flower boy image, soft vocals, and popularity with overseas fans, he might deliver a more interesting solo venture.

During his MC stint on After School Club, he’s proven that he’s not only soft voiced, but soft-hearted and loved all over the world. His command of the English language is also a plus for him, given that he delivers great covers of Western artists’ songs –better than some of the best K-pop vocalists. Moreover, as seen during U-KISS performances, he’s an above average dancer.
Kevin’s cute, flower boy-next-door image would work well for a K-pop audience. Add an awesome upbeat ballad song that doesn’t focus too much on the choreography, and we could have a winner. All in all, Kevin’s approachability is key.

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3. KARA’s Hara

When gay celebrity Hong Seok Cheon visited the Roommate house, he was challenged to dance Mamamia with KARA’s newest member Youngji. As he accepted, he declared he wanted Hara’s parts and proceeded to slay the mini performance. If this whole stint is indicative of anything it is that just like you have your Western female artist gay icons like Lady Gaga or Beyonce, there are some K-pop ones too, and Hara is one of them.

Comparing Hara with Beyonce may be very far-fetched, but something that she shares with western divas is that she’s perceived as fierce. She might not be the most talented singer, but just as Britney Spears who made a career out of slaying performances and being hot, Hara has the potential to be an icon once she releases a solo.

Hara is hot and cute. The girl can dance and looks absolutely flawless on stage. A solo project would cement her as a superstar performer. And at 24-years-old, the idol can take a few more liberties, i.e., a sexier stage in the likes of her former group mate Nicole.

4. VIXX’s Ken

In VIXX, Leo is the superstar vocalist. However, anyone even fairly acquainted with the group knows that he can be… distant… and awkward… So also being a main vocalist in the group, Ken comes out as the better candidate for a solo because he’s more charismatic on stage and on t.v. appearances. Leo generally uses the other members as buffers, but Ken holds his own.

And, as a matter of fact, Ken has already been recognized for his individual talents. He’s not only an actor, but is slowly racking up the OST contributions, such as The Heirs’s In The Name of Love and Fated to Love You’s My Girl. With these gems on his resume, a solo project might not be so surprising.

5. Girls’ Generation’s Sunny

Girls’ Generation is a big group of women, with some being more talented than others in different fields. For example, the group’s main vocalists were given their very own sub unit, TaeTiSeo, so they could flaunt their talents without having to share the parts in the songs. After Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun, the next token vocalist was Jessica, but with her out of the picture, the runner up for fourth best vocalist is Sunny.

Girls’ Generation and even TaeTiSeo have a feminine princess image, and Sunny, of course, follows suit. However, in her individual appearances, Sunny always had the aegyo image that served her right with her cute looks and small size. Fast forward a few years, Sunny is now a be woman and is the curviest SNSD member. For a solo debut, it would serve Sunny right to go the sultry route rather than the glamorous diva like TaeTiSeo. Sure, she still has her aegyo, but it has a touch of sexiness.

Sunny has the body and moves to kill a body roll-filed choreography and has already demonstrated that she can take on Jessica’s parts and even deliver them better. Even if she acts like a total derp in variety shows, we all know she has a vixen alter ego waiting to be let out.

6. BTS’ Jungkook

BTS’ rapid shot to stardom was largely due to the combination of all the members’ talents. Rap Monster has a spit-fire flow, Suga’s songwriting is great, V’s vocals are flawless, Jimin’s abs are awesome, etc. Every member has their role in the group defined clearly and they deliver the heck out of them. However, it’s the maknae who, kind of like Minzy, displays the best well-rounded artist qualities.

Every other BTS song opens up with a rap verse by Jungkook and later followed by a melody part in the hook or chorus. He also kills the choreography, second to only J-Hope and giving Jimin a run for his money. He might not be as good as a vocalist as V or can write his own spit like Rap Monster and Suga, but he’s getting there. He might only be 17-years-old, but this boy is merely a diamond in the rough. Like a fine wine, Jungkook will only get better with age. So a solo project further down the line is inevitable for him.

7. f(x)’s Krystal

Amber might have beaten her members to the punch with the solo debut, but just like SHINee, she can’t be the only one in f(x) to go on this venture. Sure, Luna has the pipes and the sweetheart personality, but Krystal’s popularity definitely triumphs over talent. While Luna has been busy with musicals, Krystal has been under the spotlight with her CFs, dramas, and even her participation in the most recent S.M. the Ballad comeback.

Among the f(x) members, Krystal is one of the fan favorites. She’s also beautiful and has a killer body. And it’s because of that tall and slender frame that designer clothes look great on her and why she’s so coveted for magazine editorials. And while SM Entertainment loves to make Krystal sing ballads (S.M. the Ballad and her My Lovable Girl OST), her small, high-pitched voice seems to be better suited for upbeat songs, as seen with f(x).

All of these factors make the perfect case for a Krystal solo. The maknae can hold a tune, dances flawlessly, and already has the established fandom to support her. It’s impossible for SM not to know and consider all this already. That’s why it’s safe to assume she’ll be the next f(x) member to have a solo.

8. B1A4’s Baro

With more and more K-pop boy groups debuting, it’s hard to stand out from the rest. However, B1A4 came into the seen pushing their quirky boys next door brand and proved to be very successful. Not to mention that their members were crazy talented, starting with Sandeul’s vocals and Jinyoung’s songwriting skills. Their popularity also rose because, as seen on their several web shows, they’re just a bunch of adorable dorks.

And even though the older hyungs give off a manlier image than the maknaes, it’s Baro who has the husky voice to back it up. The group’s rapper might be young and slim, but he has a certain genuine swag that’s rare among idol rappers. On stage, he’s very active and fun, which make him a great entertainer. Plus, the group as a whole has a reputation for outstanding fan service, so you know Baro’s a certified crowd pleaser.

These factors make the case for a Baro solo. His rapping is better than his singing and dancing, but no matter what he does on stage, you can be sure it’ll be fun and entertaining.

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9. EXID’s LE

Until recently, EXID was one of the most underrated K-pop girl groups. It took a video of their performance for Up & Down to go viral before they went onto win music shows and appear on t.v. programs. However, their talent has been there for years, especially rapper LE’s who’s still a very underrated artist.

Even if the audience hasn’t fully recognized LE’s talent, other artists in the mainstream have. She has an innate talent for rapping, and even went onto release a 19+ song with BEAST’s Junhyung and BIG STAR’s Feeldog, You Got Some Nerve, where she excelled and proved she can hold her own with other talented idol rappers. Moreover, she’s also a lyricist, writing songs for EXID and even her friend Hyuna.

LE is a boss and can quickly pick up where CL left off if her American career takes off. She has a nasal tone unique to her. Moreover, her artist authenticity puts her light years in front of other female idol rappers whose role is just for show. LE is the real deal, and as Korean hip hop is getting more and more popular, she can truly rise to the top with a solo.

10. GOT7’s Youngjae

GOT7 debuted only last year, so a solo project for any of the members is unthinkable. But let’s entertain the thought for just a little bit. Jr. and JB already went down that road prior to the group’s debut with JJ Project, but sadly that wasn’t successful. The foreign members, Jackson, Mark, and BamBam, are crazy popular, but are still young and haven’t mastered Korean. That leaves the door open for future solo projects for pretty much any member. However, even if GOT7 is full of talented and charismatic guys, its Youngjae who shows great promise.

He might not have gotten a proper part in their debut song Girls, Girls, Girls, but with the A comeback, Youngjae got a stellar part in the chorus and finally got to promote his talent. He might be young, but the kid has pipes, and being under JYP, you know he’s on the way to craft that voice soulfully. His voice has already been recognized in the industry, he got to sing a cover of TVXQ’s Mirotic with B.A.P’s Daehyun, BTOB’s Eunkwang, and VIXX’s Leo, all talented vocalists. Before we know it, he’ll start busting out the OSTs, because he’s that good, it’s inevitable!

What K-pop artist do you want to see go solo? 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.

[Renders by: by-AsemA, Hwanghwang, unknowncosplayer, Sellscarol]

The Incoherence of Bong Joon Ho

February 3, 2015/in Entertainment, Movies /by Joe Palmer

Film school was crucial to the formation of the Korean New Wave and the type of film that came out of it. It developed a new mindset for later Korean filmmakers, one which was more progressive and innovative than earlier filmmakers. So, in the midst of examining this era of cinema in Korea, I think it might be interesting to take a short look at some of the work that came out of university. To do this, I’m going to look at director Bong Joon Ho’s (The Host, Snowpiercer) graduate film from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, Incoherence.

Incoherence is actually a series of short films about three respectable men who make bad choices, and the consequences of those choices. Made in 1994 when Bong was only 25 years old, Incoherence shows many traits that Bong would go on to use in his future career. Black humour, clashing tones, and slower moments all come up in each episode and are fundamental to Bong’s cinema. Luckily the whole project is on Youtube so let’s get going with episode 1, Cockroach.

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Cockroach follows a university professor who after leaving a copy of Penthouse in plain sight on his desk, sends a young female student of his to fetch some other papers on his desk. When he realises what he has done he rushes dramatically to stop her.

There is undoubtedly a simple style being used here, it’s evident that it is an early film of Bong’s. That does not mean it is not as interesting however, as the simplicity of this film is what makes it work. The slow, meditative opening lulls us into an easy feeling and we expect a film that reflects this. This is immediately contrasted with the odd image of this respectable looking man reading a porn magazine. The tone is again heightened when he has to run to his office. His sprint is shot in slow motion to make it seem more dramatic than it really is. This showcases the type of fun Bong likes to have with audiences’ expectations when it comes to the apparent tone of a scene.

Episode two is called Up The Alleys and is about a jogger who steals milk from a porch daily, but one day gives some to a newspaper boy who gets caught by the owner of the house. The newspaper boy then chases the jogger through the maze like alleys of the small village in a comically slow fashion as he still has to deliver his papers.

Up The Alleys has a similar comic feeling to Cockroach but this time we see the consequences of the protagonists actions laid out before us in an orderly way. The paperboy first gets scolded by the old lady so he gets angry and wants to get revenge on the jogger. This causes the jogger himself to have a hard time running away from a spritely young boy. The old lady too loses out because she cancels her newspaper subscription due to a misunderstanding. Lastly the jogger is also shown to also feel the consequences because of his actions in the epilogue of the film.

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The third episode, The Night Of Pain, shows a drunken suit-wearing man and his desperate search for a toilet in the middle of the night. When he finally finds a way to relieve himself despite the resistance of a security guard, the man decides to take revenge on the guard for treating him like a commoner. He shouts at the guard “Do you know who I am?”

The humour works best in this episode and it’s down to the great acting from the lead. He stumbles, mumbles, and shouts his way through a drunken stupor with glee, not holding back in favour of subtlety. The photography is also more varied as Bong uses a shot of pipes as the opener and brings the same shot back once the symbolic nature of it is known to us. Like in the other two episodes Bong lingers on some shots longer than most short films would, allowing us more time with the characters. It helps us better understand their nights and days of pain.

Like I said before, these three episodes come together in an epilogue which cannot be embedded so you can watch it here.

In the epilogue we see a television show about the moral crisis in Korean society. The guests discussing this are the three protagonists from the previous episodes. The professor is a social psychology teacher, the jogger is editor-in-chief of the Daily Chosun and the drunk man is a public prosecutor. Each of them talk about their disdain for the current state of Korean society and its loose morals.

They each hilariously comment negatively about the very wrong doings they committed themselves. The professor says there is too much sex and violence in today’s media and declares happily that the Korean version of Penthouse was banned. The public prosecutor talks of how minor violations like jaywalking and public urination are a problem. The editor just repeats that the problem starts with education and the home life in between taking drinks of milk. The camera then cuts back to reveal the paperboy who was set up by the editor, going about his daily life. It then shows the other two characters involved in episodes 1 and 3 doing the same as the televisions play in the background. These final shots showing that these important, respectable men have really no idea what life is like for the average person. They are themselves the moral crisis of Korea.

Incoherence is a great introduction to the career of Bong Joon Ho. Not only is it an interesting work in itself, it also maps out many details that show up in his later films, in which these details are executed even better than they are here. It also provides a good look at a student film, which is where many of the big players in the new wave cut their filmmaking teeth. The vast improvement from this to his later work is apparent and gives us an insight into how a director grows.

I’m going to take a closer look into the career of Bong in the coming weeks as he certainly warrants it, and he is my favourite of the lot. But first let me know what you think of Incoherence and if there is anything you’d like to know with regards to the Korean New Wave.

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.