Posts

Playlist Sunday: Cute K-Pop Concepts

/in , /by

GOT7 for KultScene Playlist SundaySexy and strong is great, but K-pop comes in all shapes and sizes and sometimes that size is “cute.” This week’s KultScene Playlist Sunday features our favorite cute K-pop concepts. These bright, colorful, upbeat songs and music videos were handpicked by KultScene’s staff to put a smile on anyone’s face as these girl groups and boy band win their way into everybody’s hearts.

I don’t know where exactly DIA’s “My Friend’s Boyfriend” falls on the cute spectrum, but I have no doubt that it is there. If I were to guess it would be somewhere between Red Velvet’s chaos and A Pink’s purity with added self-parody. This confusion becomes immediately apparent with a first listen. The song opens with blaring sirens and rolling drums that recall heavy American hip hop more than a cutesy pop song. This is straight undercut though by soft vocals in the opening verse, which harmonize in traditionally satisfying ways when it comes to being cute. The song doesn’t stop throwing stuff at us there though, still to come are coughs, psychotic la las, and a fiery rap which follows the first chorus with barely a blink to recover. The whole song is more akin to an obsessive young person who thinks they’re cute and will never believe that the object of their desire has no feelings for them. I mean, they are literally stealing their friend’s boyfriend.

— Joe

Also on KultScene: 5 Underrated K-Pop Rookie Songs

I’m really not a fan of the cute girl concepts. For me, they cater to the male gaze by falling into the stereotypes of the uber feminized, demure woman that just isn’t prevalent anymore. So imagine my pain when I began liking APink’s “Mr. Chu” and see it become one of my favorite songs from last year. This group is the epitome of the hypersexualized virginal, docile woman in my eyes, but even I couldn’t help but fall for the catchy chorus and the awesomely shot music video by one of my favorite directors, Digipedi. Because at the end of the day, it’s more important not to promote girl hate and just accept them and enjoy their feel-good music.

— Alexis

GOT7 has shown us an array of styles, everything from preppy and cheerful to the mysteriously rugged. It was only a matter of time before they gave us an overly cute concept like “Just Right.” There’s been times where I had forgotten how old these guys really were, especially when the choreography for songs like “Girls Girls Girls” and “Stop Stop It” required them to be a bit more serious, through their dance moves and facial expressions. “Just RIght” was a nice break from it all. Even though it was rather cringe worthy to watch at times anyone who watched this music video and saw the members frolicking around, making derpy facial expressions and acting as goofy as they did, probably couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. Whether it’s the finger snaps or the addictive “woo-oohs”, it’ll only take one listen before you fall in love with this song.

–Tam

Also on KultScene: 2015 Gift Guide For Fans Of Korean Pop Culture

When you think of INFINITE, you don’t necessarily think “ah they’re adorable.” But in 2013, the group released “Man In Love,” and the song is just an ode to the group’s cute, whimsical side. “Man In Love” takes everything good about INFINITE- the retro inspired dance songs, the synchronized dance moves- and adds an element of sweet, adorableness that other INFINITE songs don’t display. The 80’s inspired song is lighter than most of INFINITE’s more recent songs, while similar to early songs like “Come Back Again.” The music video is filled with images that are sure to make INFINITE’s fan’s hearts flutter (Sungyeol baking, Sungkyu’s light show, L’s romantic silliness in class, etc.) but the lyrics of “Man In Love” are also simply adorable. “Like a young child, I keep laughing for no reason” and “The letters in my book are dancing as they form your name,” give the song a lighthearted meaning that I absolutely love and would be happy to see more of from INFINITE.

–Tamar

What’s your favorite cute K-pop song? Let us know 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.

What to Expect from “A Pink’s Showtime”

/in /by

With BEAST concluding their season of Showtime this past Thursday, it’s time to look forward to season three.

But before I begin, I just want to say that Burning the Beast is my favorite season of Showtime so far. I know EXO was the only other group who has been on the program, but BEAST’s ease in front of the camera and with each other made each episode funny and enjoyable to watch.

With the end of season two with Beast, we look ahead to what season three has in store. For starters, Showtime is changing things up by adding a girl group to the show. And it’s not just any girl group, but A Pink! In all honesty, I only really know A Pink for their acting and variety show appearances. By those alone I will definitely tune in to watch the ladies on A Pink’s Showtime.

Check out these cool articles around the web

The only members I have seen on variety shows and dramas are Eunji, Naeun, and Bomi. From Eunji’s characters in Reply 1997 and Trot Lovers, we can definitely expect her to be a sassy edition to Showtime and not afraid to share or show anything. Eunji is extremely outgoing and knows how to entertain.

I only saw Naeun on We Got Married with SHINee’s Taemin. But throughout their season, I found myself watching WGM more for Naeun than Taemin (Taemin was the reason I started watching that season). She was always laughing and smiling and didn’t mind laughing at herself.

I also saw her on a recent episode of Running Man (July 6th) with fellow A Pink member Bomi. She had a few witty comments, which I admire, and held her own with her partner Jong Kook. Naeun may not be as boisterous as Eunji, but she will definitely be able to showcase her personality on Showtime and I can’t wait to see her thrive.

The final A Pink member that I have seen on a variety show is Bomi, who was also on Running Man. Bomi really caught my attention when she and her partner, Baek Sung Hyun, had to move silkworms from one basket to another one. Bomi was taken aback by the silkworms and let out some hoarse noises that the Running Man members didn’t fail to talk about. She didn’t even seem to hear them or care (if she did hear them) what they were saying. But she made me laugh and continued to do so throughout the episode. I can’t wait to see how she is on Showtime.

I think A Pink is the perfect follow-up to BEAST because each member in the group has a strong and memorable personality, and they will definitely make each episode eventful. I’m excited to learn more about the other members and become a bigger fan of A Pink.

In BEAST’s final episode of Showtime, the guys gave a few pointers to the ladies of A Pink, and from the preview, it doesn’t seem like they need any help:

Although the preview is brief, we can already tell that season three of Showtime will also be a good one, like the previous two. I am sad that Burning the Beast is over, but excited to see what A Pink will bring to the show. A Pink’s Showtime will air in August.

Are you guys excited to see A Pink on Showtime? Let us know what you think in the comment section below. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Bloglovin’ so you can keep up with all our posts.