The newest edition of K-Pop Quick News comes once more this week after the outflow of comebacks, stories, tragedy and scandal developments, among others. With every edition, we gather the latest news in the industry and compile them in this list so you don’t have to hunt for the top stories. But don’t dismiss the list if […]
KARA made its latest comeback with Mamma Mia in the middle of August. The girl group saw a member line-up changed, with Nicole and Jiyoung departing the group to pursue solo careers, and the addition of Youngji. I honestly doubted this move, and wondered why the three remaining members didn’t just continue as KARA, but […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-shot-2014-09-02-at-2.41.51-PM.png490957Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2014-09-04 19:29:082014-09-12 02:42:20KARA’s ‘Mamma Mia’ Music Video & Song Review
The newest edition of K-Pop Quick News comes once more this week after the outflow of comebacks, stories, tragedy and scandal developments, among others. With every edition, we gather the latest news in the industry and compile them in this list so you don’t have to hunt for the top stories. But don’t dismiss the list if […]
KARA made its latest comeback with Mamma Mia in the middle of August. The girl group saw a member line-up changed, with Nicole and Jiyoung departing the group to pursue solo careers, and the addition of Youngji. I honestly doubted this move, and wondered why the three remaining members didn’t just continue as KARA, but […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-shot-2014-09-02-at-2.41.51-PM.png490957Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2014-09-04 19:29:082014-09-12 02:42:20KARA’s ‘Mamma Mia’ Music Video & Song Review
The newest edition of K-Pop Quick News comes once more this week after the outflow of comebacks, stories, tragedy and scandal developments, among others.
With every edition, we gather the latest news in the industry and compile them in this list so you don’t have to hunt for the top stories. But don’t dismiss the list if you’re a regular K-Pop news reader, you might have missed something…
September 3rd
RiSe’s Surgery Delayed Because of Low Blood Pressure Polaris Entertainment revealed that RiSe’s scheduled surgery was delayed due to low blood pressure. [Allkpop]
Ladies’ Code’s ‘I’m Fine Thank You’ Ranks #1 on Several Music Charts Fans have come together to get Ladies’ Code’s I’m Fine Thank You to top Korea’s real-time music charts, such as Melon. [Billboard]
Lee Byung Hun Warns He’ll Take Legal Action Against Those Spreading Malicious Speculative Comments Amidst his blackmailing scandal, Lee Byung Hun expressed he intends on taking legal action against people spreading malicious and speculative comments online regarding the case. [Allkpop]
Eru Lectures Entertainment Industry on Safety Following Ladies’ Code Accident While many celebrities took the time to tweet their condolences, Eru took a different path by voicing out his opinion on what lead to Ladies’ Code’s car accident. [KpopStarz]
‘Tazza 2’ Slays Box Office on Opening Day Tazza 2 became an instant blockbuster by topping the box office on its opening day. The film starring T.O.P, Shin Se Kyung, and Honey Lee premiered on September 3rd, raking up 201,044 viewers. [Allkpop]
MBLAQ’s Thunder Confirms his Solo Project ‘Monster’ After much speculation, J.Tune Camp confirmed that MBLAQ’s Thunder will release his newestt solo project Monster on September 5th. [Soompi]
GLAM’s Dahee & Model Head for Questioning + Alleged Video Used for Blackmail Leaked GLAM’s Dahee and her model friend went in for investigation at the Seoul Central District Court on September 3rd. In addition, Channel A leaked the alleged video used for blackmailing, which Lee Byung Hun’s reps said they were released without the proper police investigation. In the recordings, a male asks sexual related questions. [Allkpop]
Park Shin Hye Confirmed for New Drama ‘Pinocchio’ Park Shin Hye will star in SBS’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama Pinocchio. The drama starts in November. [DramaBeans]
Juniel is Having a Comeback FNC Entertainment’s CEO announced that Juniel will be having a comeback on her birthday. [Allkpop]
September 4th
Ladies’ Code EunB’s Funeral Arrangements Made Public Polaris Entertainment revealed that EunB’s remains are at the Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul. Her funeral will be held on September 5. [KpopStarz]
Ashley & Zuny Send EunB Off + Polaris Updates on RiSe & Sojung’s Conditions Ladies’ Code’s Ashley and Zuny attended EunB’s funeral procession today, as well as family, friends, and agency employees. Despite their injuries, the members went to pay their respects and couldn’t hold back their tears. Moreover, Polaris Entertainment updated the public on Rise and Sojung’s conditions, saying that the first remains unconscious and the second just received surgery for her upper jawbone and is currently recovering. She will have a follow-up surgery depending on her recovery progress. [Allkpop]
Super Junior’s ‘MAMACITA’ Tops Billboard’s World Albums Charts Super Junior topped Billboard’s World Albums chart with their seventh album Mamacita. [Billboard]
GLAM’s Dahee Planned To Flee Korea After Blackmailing Lee Byung Hun
Dahee and her model friend had planned on leaving South Korea as soon as they received the money from blackmailing Lee Byung Hun. [KpopStarz]
TaeTiSeo Comeback Rumors Grow According to Newsen, TaeTiSeo are in the last stages of completing their comeback material that will be ready for release after Chuseok. SM Entertainment confirmed the Girls’ Generation sub unit is preparing for a comeback, but wouldn’t specify a date. [Allkpop]
September 5th
SISTAR’s ‘I Swear’ Plagiarism Controversy Grows The plagiarism controversy surrounding the music video for SISTAR’s I Swear continues to grow as netizens point out the striking resemblances to Tiesto’s Red Lights music video. [Allkpop]
SPEED’s Taewoon Receives Backlash Over Ladies’ Code Tweets After criticizing fan’s efforts to get Ladies’ Code’s I’m Fine Thank You to number one only after EunB’s death through Twitter, SPEED’s Taewoon angered fans and the general public. He has since deleted the tweet and apologized. [AskKpop]
Kiss&Cry’s Haena Reveals Group’s Disbandment + Auditions for ‘Superstar K6’ Along with former Teen Top Trainee Kiss&Cry member Haena announces group to be defunct while auditioning for Superstar K6. She said that despite the group debutting only this year, they weren’t met with great response, leading to the disbandment. Furthermore, Teen Top’s former seventh member also auditioned for the singing show. [Allkpop]
Lee Byung Hun Apologizes to Fans for Blackmailing Incident through Hand Written Letter Actor Lee Byung Hun apologized to fans through a letter posted on BH Entertainment’s Facebook page. In the letter, he expressed the way he felt after his blackmail incident and apologized for his actions that led to the scandal. [KDramaStarz]
Agencies Deny Suzy & Lee Jong Suk’s Dating Rumors After rumors swept Lee Jong Suk and miss A’s Suzy in dating rumors, both JYP Entertainment and Wellmade Ent denied the allegations. Lee Jong Suk’s agency said the actor doesn’t even know Suzy personally, and JYP called the rumors “thoughtless.” [Allkpop]
GLAM’s Dahee & Model Lee Jiyeon Possibly Facing Life Imprisonment Under Special Law After finding out that GLAM’s Dahee and model Lee Jiyeon planned on escaping for Europe while blackmailing Lee Byung Hun, BH Entertainment raised the issue of both women possibly facing life terms in prison. [Koreaboo]
EXO Sasaeng Fan Arrested for Fraud & Embezzlement Gyeonggi Police arrested a 21-year-old EXO sasaeng fan identified as Ms. Nam for committing fraud and embezzlement in order to pay her expenses while chasing after the group on September 5th. Ms. Nam is charged with making fraudulent deals online, including never returning rental camera equipment and selling photography equipment at a discount price without actually delivering the products to the customer. The sasaeng used this method 9 times, earning 470,000 won (around $458). [Allkpop]
Kiss&Cry’s Official Fan Cafe Uploads Notice Revealing Group’s Status After member Haena appeared auditioning and revealing Kiss&Cry’s disbandment during her Superstar K6 audition, their agency revealed on their fan cafe that the group is temporarily on hiatus due to internal company problems but denied the disbandment. [Allkpop]
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KARA made its latest comeback with Mamma Mia in the middle of August. The girl group saw a member line-up changed, with Nicole and Jiyoung departing the group to pursue solo careers, and the addition of Youngji. I honestly doubted this move, and wondered why the three remaining members didn’t just continue as KARA, but that all changed when Mamma Mia made me think, “Oh, KARA’s back.”
Music Video
Concepts
The music video is, for one thing, very busy. The sets were great –a beautiful lobby, lovely bedrooms that I wish I could call my own, and a party with fireworks that I wanted to be a part of. But every few seconds, the camera changed to a different set, and I honestly felt a bit dizzy when I first watched Mamma Mia.
There’s really no point for the multiple sets, except to show off different outfits and moods. This seems a bit silly for a song about going out and partying. The concept didn’t really match the lyrics, but it did get to show off KARA’s members at their best, in multiple settings.
Fashion
Do I love the dance outfits? They’re really sleek and sexy, but they kind of look like something Catwoman would wear. KARA’s fierce one moment, and then wears beautiful, lace, and tulle dresses that are completely different, which are supposed to make the members seem… more innocent or something? Again, the busy-ness is apparent.
Mamma Mia has a lot of really nice sets and clothing, but there’s no plot and it doesn’t seem to really make sense –especially fashion wise. One minute, the four are in leggings, tanks, and combat boots with heels and the next they’re in haute couture dresses.
However, my favorite concept is the one from the party, which, even if it’s a bit cheesy with the palm-tree patterns, looks very modern and reminds me a bit of what 4Minute wore in Whatcha Doin’ Today. I particularly like the streaks of hair dye, primarily because it helps me differentiate the members (throughout the entire video, I was confused between Youngji and Seungyeon, despite being a fan of KARA for several years now). For some reason, I felt that Youngji and Seungyeon’s features are too similar.
Choreography
If the visual aspects weren’t enough, the dance for Mamma Mia is captivating, and a very “KARA” dance. The group that became famous because of it’s “butt dance” continues it’s addictive dances in Mamma Mia. The dance has several notable dance moves, but two are the most prominent- the brushing-off move and the rowing-the-boat move. The arm dance at the beginning reminded me of Hindu deities (and also EXO’s tree of life, for that matter).
A dance song with a slightly techno feel to it, Mamma Mia’s introcould almost be out of an 80’s aerobic video. As the song progresses, it keeps the original old-school feel, but KARA makes it their own with the catchy, repetitive line “mamma mia,” as well as the member’s powerful vocals. Many lines seem to be given to Hara rather than the other three, which I thought was a bit disappointing.
I think the song is really powerful, and the idea behind it, of going out into the world (or party) and showing everyone who you truly are inside is great. However, It would have been more interesting if the video portrayed the meaning in some way, such as having the members appear acting certain ways before going to the party and showing up with completely different personas.
“No one can predict it
I’ll surprise everyone with my hidden image
To captivate you on this hot night, burn it up!
Hit the lights let’s go
Everyone’s party, party, party, mamma mia”
Even though the line distribution was a bit uneven, I think that Youngji was able to hold her own when performing alongside such experienced idols.
Overall ratings
– MV: 6/10, pretty but too busy
– Song: 8.5/10
– Both: 7/10
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Screen-shot-2014-09-02-at-2.41.51-PM.png490957Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2014-09-04 19:29:082014-09-12 02:42:20KARA’s ‘Mamma Mia’ Music Video & Song Review
