On Episode 47 of Kultscene’s K-pop Unmuted, Joe, Scott, Stephen, and Tamar look back on the last decade of Kpop. In the first of two episodes, we discuss our personal Kpop journeys over the last ten years, we pick our Artist of the Decade, and we list our picks for Top Five Music Videos of the Decade.
You can also listen to this episode, and previous ones, of KultScene’s K-Pop Unmuted on Spotify, Soundcloud, Google Play Music, and the Apple store.
WJSN/Cosmic Girls had a pretty disappointing 2017. After releasing the best song of their short careers “Secret” along with an otherworldly concept to match their name, they turned to something more simple; “I Wish” had elements of the girl group’s concept in the music video but none in the music, and “Happy” was a complete 180 turn. Sticking to concepts isn’t something that groups should always do, and it is in fact often discouraged. But WJSN’s was perfectly pitched with “Secret.” So it’s no surprise then that they see a return to that style with their new single “Dreams Come True,” a strong return to form.
Even though it comes months later, “Dreams Come True” feels like a direct sequel to “Secret.” This time helmed by producers Full8loom, WJSN bring their unique vocal flavour to a mix of europop synths and orchestral pop. Full8loom do a good job of replicating e.one’s style on “Secret,” combining electronics and an orchestra to create WJSN’s cosmic sound. The synths give it the classic sci-fi feeling while the orchestral elements sends it into the stratosphere.
It is clearly not a rehash though. “Secret” was decisive, an almost complete song right from the beginning. “Dreams Come True” takes more time to reveal itself. “Secret” would swap between its synths and strings within a section whereas “Dreams Come True” devotes whole sections to a particular sound, slowly adding elements to prepare for the climax. “Secret” was a song about hidden feelings, the anxiety of simultaneously falling for someone and barely knowing who they are while “Dreams Come True” is about bridging that gap, a song about gradually building the courage to give yourself to someone.
As the music begins its ascent, it is ambiguous. The girls are tasked with being the major deviations at the front of the song. WJSN have a lot of vocalists that have similar sounding voices but with noticeably different timbres when lined up. In the first verse it moves from Seola’s divinely clean voice, to then a quartet of Eunseo, Mei Qi, Bona, and Xuan Yi. Eunseo goes against the grain type by pitching high, accentuating her slightly nasally voice which meshes well with Mei Qi’s sensual whisper. Bona is more conventional and sets up the true alien of WJSN, Xuan Yi and her tiny and distinct, almost vacant voice. The sense of nervousness is clear with each one’s delivery: Eunseo complains that, “When we pass by we seem like strangers,” and Mei Qi replies, “And I hate thinking about it.”
Dawon takes advantage of the diminutive Xuan Yi to bring the power and lift the song as only she can. She represents the bubbling confidence of WJSN as she bellows, “It’ll become a miracle, It’ll pull us together, It’ll make our dreams come true so…” This line has its own weird internal rhythm. Dawon is fitting as much as she can into the bar, ignoring usual resting spots. Whether or not she is ready to believe what she’s saying, she knows she doesn’t have a choice but to trust it.
From there the chorus hits,at first with a thud and then grows as it goes on. It’s given time to breathe and slowly differentiate itself from the verse, andit finally ends with the opening signature synth which even Cheng Xiao can ride with ease into outer space.
Exy’s rap represents the biggest vocal shift of the song and the music follows her. Holding on to the electro tone of the chorus, it shifts into dubstep as Exy slows things down and opens with the ominous line, “I am in the dark.” Her rapping is nicely crisp but gets slightly more emotional as it goes on, increasing in tempo as she starts to move out of the dark. Finding courage, the beat intensifies and continually adds drum fills that changes the second verse.
The bridge’s stunning quiet moment is the highlight. It has time for four of the girls to sing variations of the same scale, while the track reduces itself to just strings, a few keys, and some beautiful harmonies. It’s a stunning moment of clarity and tension, as if the whole song was leading to this point rather than the actual climax. It contextualizes the cosmic dramas of their lives in terms of their lover’s dreams. “You and me to be drawn as a dream, it will be done as you dream,” they repeat, finding the hope of their love in the short moment of peaceful stillness among the shifting scales of the track.
“Dreams Come True” continues one of the better visual collaborations in K-pop as Kim Zi Yong and Fantazy Lab return to direct the music video. It is definitely a sequel to “Secret” as we see some references from it including the book with the iconic phrase, “Have you ever felt cosmo inside of you?” In “Dreams Come True” the girls are separated by space and time and are faced with the threat of a giant wormhole opening up over Seoul. There seems to be human versions of themselves that inhabit Seoul and the cosmic versions who are in a heaven type area who stay connected via phones. They work together to call down Bona from her flying space bed, and she flies straight into the wormhole, destroying it.
This is all communicated much more elegantly in the video by Kim. No one is better at connecting the real and imaginary worlds with special effects than he is. He uses a large amount of smaller moments to build his world. Each image has very simple fantasy elements executed perfectly, but this formula is slightly tired at this stage. Compared to “Secret” it’s not much better or worse but doesn’t have the same surprise factor. It also has an unnecessary and ugly bluish colour grade. If they had gone for something closer to the wizarding world of the teasers, there could have been a lot of room to try new things. Kim Zi Yong’s aesthetic has worked well in a number of concepts and would have been unique enough to separate itself from obvious potential Harry Potter comparisons.
WJSN’s return to the cosmos has turned out to be as appropriately dramatic as can be though “Dreams Come True” lacks the dense, unique production of “Secret” that lends it its immediate qualities. Structurally though, “Dreams Come True” betters “Secret.” It produces an epic scale from disparate parts coming together and finally disappearing so the girls can dream clearly.
What do you think of WJSN’s single “Dreams Come True”? 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.
From humble trainees on Produce 101 to chart-topping idols in their music video for “Very Very Very,” the eleven members of I.O.I saw their lives massively changed in the course of only one year. While the group has given strong performances, memorable variety appearances, and infectious songs, it is no secret that fans of the group are apprehensive about I.O.I’s scheduled January 31st disbandment. A few months ago, we analyzed I.O.I’s unique formation regarding how members are simultaneously part of two labels and, for some of them, two groups, something largely unheard of previously in the world of K-Pop.
But with the new year ahead, infinite possibilities remain for the eleven members of I.O.I, all of whom now have public recognition and newfound popularity to take with them to future activities and musical ventures. And although we have an idea of where many of the members are going post-disbandment, it’s worth discussing how these paths may benefit or hurt them. Let’s look at each member or groups of members, and make some predictions about their largely divided futures.
As Pledis Entertainment artists, the futures of these these two I.O.I members are largely intertwined. Alongside I.O.I, Nayoung and Pinky were more quietly part of Pledis Girlz, a pre-debut group headed by their company, alongside eight other trainees, many of whom also competed in Produce 101 early last year. And while groups like Gugudan and DIA were shrouded in controversy for continuing with I.O.I members, Pledis Girlz has only recently become official under the name PRISTIN. The group is yet to debut, and yet to regularly promote on television. As a result, PRISTIN has maintained the respect of the public and I.O.I fans, especially when Nayoung and Pinky partook in I.O.I’s promotions for “Whatta Man (Good Man)” even as other members were pulled out for individual promotions.
Two of the most talked-about members of I.O.I, Sejeong and Mina have a clear path laid out for them after January 31st. Last summer, their company Jellyfish Entertainment had them debut in the nine-member Gugudan, which coincided with the release of I.O.I’s “Whatta Man.”. And while the group did receive attention due to the Mina and Sejeong, alongside another popular Produce 101 trainee Kim Nayoung, the group failed to captivate the public’s attention due to what was largely seen as an awkward concept backed by lackluster music. As a possible rising girl group in 2017, the group does have potential to succeed, but it is also possible that they fade into irrelevance if the next release isn’t more appealing, especially given that they are one of many new large girl groups with innocent, feminine concepts. Sejeong and Mina will have to work especially hard to bring Gugudan some credibility in the oversaturated girl group market if they want continued musical relevance in a group structure.
Chaeyeon remains in a similar situation as that of Sejeong and Mina. Under MBK Entertainment, she is also part of a struggling girl group. While DIA has made some strides in finding public popularity this year with Chaeyeon and fellow member and Produce 101 competitor Huihyun (Cathy), the group’s current state is not very competitive in relation to the larger girl group market. Unless DIA can move their image away from their controversial CEO and agency, and bring out some title tracks with wide appeal, it’s likely that the group will have but another hard year in 2017.
While also already a member of another group, Yeonjung may possibly find herself in a slightly different situation than that of her groupmates Sejeong, Mina, and Chaeyeon. A Starship Entertainment artist, Yeonjung is the thirteenth member of Cosmic Girls (WJSN), which debuted early last year but added Yeonjung during I.O.I’s subunit promotion cycle. WJSN has definitely yet to strike it big, but they arguably show more rising potential than do DIA and Gugudan.
Considering that Chungha is under no-name label M&H Entertainment, fans have worried about her future after I.O.I’s disbandment. But as I wrote in KultScene’s Artists to Watch 2017 list published earlier this month, Chungha shows a lot of potential for success. One of the higher ranking trainees on Produce 101, Chungha’s variety of talents made her an instant stand-out both before and during I.O.I’s promotions. And given that her company has announced that she will debut solo in 2017, what’s to say that she can’t continue to stand out in the future? With a good song and concept, Chungha will have no trouble utilizing her incredibly strong dance, remarkably stable vocals, charismatic image, and English-speaking skills in future performances. Chungha is undoubtedly one of the most versatile members to come out of I.O.I, and her trendy and international appeal makes incredibly hopeful about her future. All it will take is a company that really works for her, and I’m praying that M&H is exactly that this year.
Sohye’s future is largely undetermined, except for the vague answer of “acting.” Currently under her own management, she plans to spend her time training and debuting as an actress this year post-I.O.I. It is still not clear, however, whether she will remain under her one-woman S&P Entertainment or if she is still related in anyway to her previous agency, Redline Entertainment. And while she constantly receives hate for her untrained musical abilities, Sohye has found herself a cult following during her time under Produce 101 and as a member of I.O.I. Although she isn’t the strongest singer or dancer, it is possible that she is an incredibly talented actress, and while netizens and international viewers were quick to call her useless or untalented, her real charms may have yet to be seen. As a result, I hold out hope for Sohye as well — after all, she may not hit it big on music shows, but she may be instead destined for drama primetime slots sometime soon.
Somi’s situation is very curious. Unlike that of her groupmates, we know very little about her future, except that she has now been bumped up from trainee to artist under JYP Entertainment. Currently a huge trend in Korea and closely associated with labelmates TWICE, many predict that JYP will add Somi to TWICE as its 10th member, giving the already explosively successful group another huge asset. And while there is a chance that this happens, I think (and hope) that JYP is smart enough to go in a different direction with Somi.
At only fifteen years old, the I.O.I center doesn’t need to debut in a girl group immediately. She can continue with variety appearances, pictorials, and possibly solo music releases or acting stints before she debuts in JYP’s next girl group, which will probably debut in at least a year or two from now. As one of I.O.I’s most popular members and one of the bigger trends of girl group K-Pop in 2016, Somi holds the power to bring any future JYP girl group to immediate public spotlight. So while I don’t think Jeon Somi will disappear this year, I don’t think we’ll be seeing her “Like OOH AHH” anytime soon.
While there are few details, Doyeon and Yoojung are clearly destined to be members of Fantagio’s next girl group. The girls’ agency, however, has yet to make any major announcements about this girl group — we do not know the group’s name, how many members it will have, when it will debut, etc. But we do know that Doyeon and Yoojung have also been promoted to artists under the label, and their young age (both are only 17 years old) gives them some time before having to debut. It is likely that the group will debut probably earlier than later in 2017, and it’s even more likely that these two will bring a lot of attention to their debut.
Yoojung specifically has found immense popularity as a strong stage and variety personality, while Doyeon is also a trend for her visuals and versatile talents. As a result, there is nothing stopping these girls from being incredibly successful, making their future group’s success a strong possibility as well. Not to mention, the group may possibly have sisters Lee Chaeyeon and Chaeryoung of JYP Entertainment’s survival show SIXTEEN, as the rumor mill says that they have transferred to Fantagio to debut alongside Yoojung and Doyeon. Having four members with previous public exposure, the members of this group have little to worry about right now. We will likely see lots of Doyeon and Yoojung in 2017, working hard to ensure their new group’s success.
While the “Cherry Blossoms” will eventually “Fade” at the end of this month, it’s clear that the members have a lot going for them. Dividing now into what may possibly be six different girl groups (counting already debuted groups along with Pledis Girlz, Fantagio’s upcoming girl group, and JYP’s next girl group a couple years away) and an actress, the eleven members are truly embodying the group’s name “Ideal of Idol.” While the futures of each group vary in likelihood of sustained relevance, it is clear that each individual member of I.O.I doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. As fans, we are definitely downcast about the disbandment of such an amazing girl group, but we can find solace in the fact that our “Dream Girls” will remain active in the industry in coming years. And whether apart or together, I.O.I’s legacy will live on.
Who do you think will be Kpop’s rising star this year? 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.
It’s been well documented in the last few weeks that girls dominated K-pop in 2016. Rookie groups like Twice, Gfriend, and BlackPink found their footing quickly and built on it well. Among the other girl groups there was some great work too. Cosmic Girls (WJSN) had one of the songs of the year in “Secret,” and member Cheng Xiao made a name for herself in a number of variety shows. Long suffering DSP group April continued the fight despite a number of member changes and less than spectacular songs. Compared to those two, though, MIXX are real minnows. Their funky cutesy debut from 2016 “Oh Ma Mind” was wildly underappreciated in a year that needed more great girl group debuts. Each of these groups came back this week in order to try capture that new year spirit.
I had more anticipation for Cosmic Girls coming into 2017 than any other group. “Secret” grew to be one my most listened to songs of 2016 and portrayed an elegance that few rookies can claim. That’s why “I Wish” has been so disappointing. The verve of “Secret” was immediately palpable and infectious while this is a bit flat.
Produced by Glory Face (Twice’s “Woohoo”) and Long Candy (Ailee’s “Mind Your Own Business”), “I Wish” feels like it has the potential to be something interesting. The combined guitar and synth riff that open it have an appropriate space-like feel. It becomes a quirky new jack swing track by the time the vocals kick in. There’s a sense that the producers were trying to recreate what e.one did with “Secret” but failed to capture the epic scale that he so accurately found. Musically the details are there: the spontaneous use of auto-tune is great as are the ‘90s drum rolls.
Vocally is where “I Wish” falls down though. In particular the failure to use Dawon at what she is best at. Each of the girls are pitched quite obviously to give the song some more feminine qualities and Dawon can easily hit these notes. But she works much better as a counterpoint with a stronger less breathy vocal. In other WJSN songs like “Secret,” and even more so in “Bebe,” Dawon cuts through the tension with power and without ever losing the tone. Without using her for this, the song feels like it goes nowhere.
In almost the exact opposite circumstances to Cosmic Girls (they even stole their producer), April entered 2017 on the run of a number of weak singles. The style they were going for was well trodden and nothing (except for a dancing egg) set them apart. “April Story” doesn’t stray too far from that but adds to it and makes it better than before.
e.one brings the orchestral dramatics of “Secret” with added Gfriend-style guitar riffs.
It’s clearly a sound that fits with the fairy tale concepts that April continues to favor, and honestly suits the concept far better than most of their previous songs. The song is a story about the seasons personified as people and April’s member sing as a girl from spring in love with a boy from the Land of Ice. She loves him but knows they can’t live together. It’s a simple story (similar to Lovelyz’s “Destiny”) but is brought to life thanks to e.one’s dramatic song production. GFRIEND’s “Rough” is the obvious comparison thanks to the balletic orchestra but those strings also bring to mind WJSN’s “Secret.” Especially the bits in between when the strings flutter for a moment. It builds the tension right back up after the chorus in two seconds. Again, there is nothing original about them but April have grown with this release. The production is a step up and helps the fairytale look a little less childish.
MIXX are the group to get behind this week. With their first two singles the fresh girl group have cultivated a unique sound. “Love in a Sudden” is similar to “Oh Ma Mind” yet still fun enough to warrant more listens.
MIXX’s song tells a story about a girl coming to a realisation about her sudden love. Unlike April though, MIXX find fairy tales to be no comparison to “the warmth of your hand” or “the sweet night air.” It’s a decidedly bouncy track. Producer Majinchoee (마진초이) laces the R&B beat with bright synths and there’s a breeziness to the way MIXX deliver it. It’s a chilled out vibe but their excited voices prop the song up. The major R&B sounds come in and out, peaking at the end with a great vocal solo while the rest of the girls are playful and talkative, punching out repeated phrases with glee. It’s similar in its laid back structure to “I Wish,” but “Love in a Sudden” succeeds much more thanks to the idiosyncratic nature of MIXX.
Which of these songs do you prefer? Who do you hope will be successful? 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.