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[Album Review] REFUGE (2nd Mini Album) – Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)

June 26, 2022Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged ASTRO, Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)4 Comments

The next album to be reviewed is Moonbin & Sanha’s second mini-album, RFFUGE, which dropped mid-March this year. It features the title track WHO, and four additional singles including Ghost Town, which served as the mini-album’s pre-release single. Moonbin & Sanha’s comeback follows the debut of ASTRO’s second subunit, JinJin & Rocky, who made their debut with the single Just Breath and mini-album Restore. Their comeback precedes ASTRO’s Candy Sugar Pop comeback and the group’s third studio album, Drive to the Starry Road (which I will be reviewing at a later date).

I can’t remember the exact reason why I chose to review REFUGE, as it has been a while since its release. I just have it down as ‘TO REVIEW’ in my notes. It has been bumped up slightly, however, as I don’t think I can handle another full length album review this weekend, but thought it would be nice to still put out an album review. And REFUGE was the first mini-album on my list to review. Overall, REFUGE was a decent album with some good and weaker songs. It is still worth a listen, as you may find something you like, as I did.

1. WHO (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of WHO. (6.5/10)

2. BOO – BOO takes on the R&B genre. I personally like the beat, the brighter tone, the clear vocals and the intriguing nature of the twangs we get in the instrumental. But beyond that, I find BOO to be just a decent track. Unfortunately, the melodies or hooks weren’t as memorable as they could be. And compared to the other tracks on the album, BOO easily becomes the forgotten single. (7/10)

3. DIA – DIA is more of my jam. The disco influences in the crunchy instrumental brought a more dynamic profile to the song (which I find to be extremely memorable), and I find myself having a boogie in my chair every time this song comes on. I really liked their vocals throughout DIA, with this song showing off their vocals in the best on this album. There is no standout hook in this song, as the instrumental really dominated the track for me. But I feel there is enough in terms of melodies to help boost the song’s memorability factor. (8/10)

4. Distance – Distance brings forth balladry energy. Distance starts off with an acoustic centric instrumental which I thought was really soothing and nice, before developing into a more bolstered instrumental that somehow maintains the acoustic roots it began with. I find myself swaying along to the song, as the pair delivers very captivating vocals and melodies. I am not entirely keen on the siren-like synths, but they do help fill up the background of the song, creating a heftier number. (8.5/10)

5. Ghost Town (Pre-Release Track) – Click here to read the full review of Ghost Town. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.4/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 4th Week of June 2022

June 26, 2022Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Guess who remembered the Weekly KPOP Chart this time! And it is out on the day it is supposed to come out!

Welcome to the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 4th Week of June 2022. Crazy to think that we went the second half of 2022 in the next week. Of course, I will be making sure more reviews (both songs and album) come your way this week. I know I have promised more lately, and I have been very skimpy with them (as I find myself little time to focus on the blog for a few reasons – tiredness being one of them). But I will try my best to knock out a few more than the usual one or two this week (as I should have more time on my hands this week). Until then, here are my Weekly KPOP Charts for the 4th Week of June 2022.

New releases of the Week

In addition to the reviews I wrote this past week for Kep1er’s Up! and LOONA’s Flip That, here are the other new releases of the week:

WATCH OUT – SUPERKIND
Move Like This – Kang Daniel & An Yujin (IVE) ft. Kim Yuna
HIT YA! – Lapillus
Life Goes On – Onew (SHNee)
Fresh – Colde
LOUDER – TAN
SUGAR – Youngjae (GOT7)
Ring The Alarm – KARD
Color Me – JUNNY ft. CHUNG HA
Reference – Lee Mu Jin
Scent – YUKIKA
Save Me – Sorn
Life’s Too Short – aespa
Left & Right – Charlie Puth ft. Jungkook (BTS)
POP – Nayeon (TWICE)
How We Live – Kang Daniel ft. sokodomo

Throwback Corner

Sorry for not featuring a Throwback Song in last week’s Weekly KPOP Chart post. For this past week, I have selected SNSD’s Holiday (one of the singles from their last comeback) as the throwback song, as I gear myself up for their potential and long awaited return for their 15th anniversary later this year.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Stray Kids’ CIRCUS is the past week’s non-Korean song release of the week, ranking in the 23rd position. This is CIRCUS‘ second week in a row to be featured in this segment. Check out Stray Kids’ CIRCUS below (a review will be coming soon for the song).

The Charts

Congratulations to NCT DREAM for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 4th Week of June 2022 with Beatbox. This is the second week which Beatbox have topped the Weekly KPOP Charts, with the first week being the 1st Week of June 2022. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

	3rd Week of June 2022	12th Jun – 18th Jun 2022
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	Beatbox	NCT DREAM	(▲ 5)
2	Flip That	LOONA	(NEW)
3	Up!	Kep1er	(NEW)
4	Good Boy Gone Bad	TXT	(▲ 3)
5	BUT YOU	iKON	(▲ 3)
6	Upside Down	Kang Daniel	(▲ 10)
7	PLAY DUMB	OMEGA X	(▼ 4)
8	Ring The Alarm	KARD	(NEW)
9	SUGAR	Youngjae (GOT7)	(NEW)
10	C.I.T.T (Cheese In The Trap)	Moonbyul (MAMAMOO)	(▲ 57)
11	LOVE	MONSTA X	(▼ 2)
12	NANANA	GOT7	(▲ 11)
13	Whistle	Brave Girls	(▼ 12)
14	Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)	BTS	(▼ 10)
15	Undercover	VERIVERY	(▲ 14)
16	Red Sun!	VIVIZ	(▲ 44)
17	POP	bugaboo	(▲ 29)
18	FEARLESS	LE SSERAFIM	(▼ 5)
19	Roller Coaster	Jeong Sewoon	(▲ 48)
20	CRAZY	WONHO	(▼ 9)
21	Play Hide & Seek	ICHILLIN’	(▲ 46)
22	HOT	SEVENTEEN	(▼ 20)
23	CIRCUS	Stray Kids	(▼ 18)
24	Boombabboom	EPISODE	(▲ 43)
25	I HATE YOU	WOODZ	(▲ 2)
26	Your Eyes	Stray Kids	(▲ 35)
27	DEEP	HYO (SNSD)	(▲ 40)
28	Thumbs Up	BLANK2Y	(▲ 39)
29	Love Shhh!	Jo Yuri	(▼ 17)
30	MY LOVE	Seo In Guk ft. RAVI (VIXX)	(▲ 43)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

DECRESCENDO – Changjo (TEEN TOP)
highway love – POLAR (Choi Junhyuk) ft. NASON
Undercover – VERIVERY
Walking Through The Moon – Lee Sujeong
LOVE – MONSTA X
Play Hide & Seek – ICHILLIN’
Futt – Busters
CREATURE – E’LAST
Drive – Miyeon ((G)I-DLE)
Business – Soyou ft. BE’O
Some 2 – Soyou ft. Jung Yonghwa (CNBLUE)
BLOOM – Yoon Ji Sung
Sober – DKB
Self Trip – MINSEO
C.I.T.T (Cheese In The Trap) – Moonbyul (MAMAMOO)
Thoughts of You – Jay Park ft. pH-1 & BENZO
Milky Way – COSMO
Ready to Ride – Kang Daniel
Type & Delete – Kim Kyu Jong (SS501) & Lee In Jun (DGNA/The Boss) ft. Dalzi
That That – Psy ft. SUGA (BTS)

[Album Review] Pilmography (1st Studio Album) – WONPIL (DAY6)

June 25, 2022Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged DAY6, WONPIL (DAY6)Leave a comment

At the start of February this year, Wonpil made his solo debut with Pilmography, two months prior to his military enlistment. This release comes in the form of a studio album (which is a rare form of a debut, though it has been done before), which is lead by the single Voiceless. In addition to Voiceless, there are nine other addition tracks on the album – some of which have been performed live by Wonpil in some form following the album’s release. Today, I will finally be reviewing the album (almost five months after its release).

Going into the album, I thought we would be getting ballad after ballad for some reason. I guess Wonpil looks like a ballad type of guy. But I was genuinely surprised that ballads only make up a small portion of the album. Instead, we got different song styles coming through. It is all in the realm of music that can be performed by a band, but it isn’t all rock (as one might think when it comes to band music) or ballads. I highly recommend you check out this album, as some of the songs are stunning. Others are surprising or just plain old pleasant. But all are very good songs.

1. Voiceless (안녕, 잘 가) – Click here for the full review of Voiceless. (9/10)

2. Sincerity (지우게) – At first, I thought Sincerity was a straight forward ballad with striking piano, which I totally enjoyed. But as the song continues, it unexpectedly changes momentum via the insertion of synths during the choruses. It isn’t a complete shakeup though, as the beat is maintained and the song reverts between the two as its progresses along. I also found it to be quite cohesive, as a result. I enjoyed the way Wonpil’s vocals climbed to match the intensity that the synths bring and how he brought an airiness of the verses to give it some colour. (9/10)

3. A Writer in a Love Story (소설 속의 작가가 되어) – You can tell that A Writer in a Love Story is a lot more cheerful compared to some of the other song, thanks to its upbeat and jazzy tone. I feel that this brought a warm feel to the album as a result. And since it is cold where I am, I was really feeling it. I also like how Wonpil’s vocals compliments different genres, with his vocals sounding splendid in this enjoyable and pleasant song. (8/10)

4. Walk With Me (우리 더 걸을까) – The acoustic nature of Walk With Me feels very fitting for the Springtime in which the album was released in. It felt like a song that easily could have risen in the charts had it been standalone and well promoted, just like how some other Spring songs tend to rise out of nowhere during the Spring season on the Korean charts. Wonpil sounds sweet and warm touch to the song, complimenting the lyrics and overall feel of the song, which highlights the loving nature of the song. (8/10)

5. Stranded (외딴섬의 외톨이) – One of my picks for best song on Pilmography is Stranded, simply because I don’t mind having this song on repeat. It brings back synths, bringing forth a jazzy city pop vibe, and an upbeat tempo. Both are appealing aspects on a vocal centric album like this. I find Wonpil’s voice to be the best in Stranded, as he pulled out a few different techniques to make the song more interesting on his part. I particularly enjoyed his interaction with the backing vocals in the pre-chorus for this song. (10/10)

6. Someday, Spring Will Come (언젠가 봄은 찾아올 거야) – If you are looking for a softer and an ‘easy on the ear’ song, Someday, Spring Will Come is the song for you. It is, however, a more bittersweet song, reminding us that there is always good news down the track or ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ (for this song, the good news or light is likened to be Spring). The instrumental is interesting, bringing in horns and flutes into the mix. Not unheard of, but it a bit different set of instruments commonly heard. I enjoyed the percussion in this song, which made the song extremely pleasant. Wonpil’s vocals are good, but they felt a bit flat in this song. (7/10)

7. Pieces (휴지조각) – Another favourite of mine from this album. Pieces takes on a pop profile and explores Wonpil’s lower registers, both of which hasn’t really been touched upon on this album in great detail yet. I really like the pulsing melody in the verses and throughout instrumental. It creates an intriguing and different dynamic that is quite cool. I also enjoyed the building momentum towards the lyric-less chorus. It’s a bit abstract, but that makes the track unique and individualistic, which I am always for. (10/10)

8. Last Goodbye (늦은 끝) – We re-enter ballad territory with Last Goodbye, with features a piano only instrumental that is quite beautiful. It actually didn’t occur to me at first (only as I was typing this review) that the instrumental was just piano, as the piano compensated for what usual is present (i.e. some form of percussion, strings etc.). With such an instrumental, the focus is squarely on Wonpil. And as indicated throughout this album, he shows off his vocals in a manner that is extremely pure and untouched. (9/10)

9. Unpainted Canvas (그리다 보면) – Unpainted Canvas is an uplifting pop rock song that is so captivating to listen to. While I try hard not to think of DAY6 whilst writing this album review since this is Wonpil’s own work, I felt that Unpainted Canvas is the most DAY6-like track thanks to the rock band feel that the instrumental brings. I also enjoyed the lyrics, conveying one’s journey from young to present via the idea of painting or drawing a future. I also liked Wonpil’s vocals throughout this track, as well. (8.5/10)

10. A Journey (행운을 빌어 줘) – Final song on this stunning album is A Journey. Wonpil saves one of the best to the very end. It closes out with the message that he will be back as a better person and to wish him luck for what is to come next in his journey. It is also the most surprising track on the album thanks to its synth/band instrumental that drives the song forward. The chorus is just so vibrant and cheerful, and I like how Wonpil matches this energy with his vocals. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

[Review] Flip That – LOONA

June 24, 2022July 10, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged LOONA4 Comments

As mentioned in my last song review, two Queendom 2 participants made their comeback this week. Now it is time for the second group and runner up of the competition to get their review. LOONA has made a comeback with a special Summer mini-album, Flip That, which features the title track of the same name. Aside from Queendom 2, this is the first time we are seeing the group following their PTT (Paint The Town) Korean comeback and their Japanese debut Hula Hoop.

Compared to their last few releases (which have been more powerful and intense releases), Flip That brings a very different colour to the group’s discography. Flip That is described as a house based track. But instead of the usual likes of house EDM, Flip That is more subdued, light and airy. That being said, there is still heft and bass to the instrumental. This creates an interesting and almost aesthetic atmosphere that feels unique and different. Their vocals take on a sweeter and brighter tone profile, which I find to pair extremely well with the instrumentation and its subdued nature. Keeping the song is check and balance are the rappers, who too brought a smidge of heft to the song. But while this sound combination sounds successful so far, I don’t find Flip That to be LOONA’s most riveting piece to date. This determination came down to the melodies and hooks. A small part of me felt Flip That‘s melodies and hooks were memorable to a degree. But a much larger part of me a feels that the melodies and hooks were underwhelming, underdeveloped and underplayed. It didn’t feel enough, if you understand what I mean. I wished it was teased out a bit more and brought a more dynamic touch to the song. Overall, Flip That does have its pros and cons. At this stage, I like it for its uniqueness and thinks that this compensates for the rest of the track.

To match the song’s subdued sound, Flip That‘s accompanying music video takes on a more lighthearted and innocent look compared to their recent music videos. Its bright and airy. There is a lot of colour (though not bold or heavy handed, which I find it be quite nice and easy on the eyes). I really love the forest background that was selected for one of the choreography shots in music video. Its so vivid, and the producers put a lot of thought in ensuring that the video remained balanced with the 12 members and bright white outfits. Not entirely sure if the video is trying to tell a story of some kind, but it can easily be summed up as the members enjoying their time outdoors (or towards their next location/comeback).

Just like the song and music video, the choreography takes on a lighter, cuter and more delicate feel. I like what they did with the formation of the second chorus, and the chorus routine in general. And also, I like that they kept their signature synchronisation. But as a whole piece, I didn’t feel like it was as captivating as the performance could have be.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 3rd Week of June 2022

June 23, 2022June 23, 2022Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

This was supposed to be posted on Monday, but guess who forgot about it completely! Welcome to the next Weekly KPOP Charts post. This one is for last week, the 3rd Week of June 2022. Not much to update on aside from more reviews and album reviews coming your way this weekend. And I will make the next Weekly KPOP Chart will come on time this weekend. So without anymore delays (and before I forget to press ‘publish’), here is the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 3rd Week of June 2022.

New releases of the Week

In addition to the reviews I wrote last week for WONHO’s CRAZY and OMEGA X’ PLAY DUMB, here are the other new releases of the week:

POP – bugAboo
KILLER – FAINIT
MY LOVE – Seo In Guk ft. RAVI (VIXX)
Blue Sky – BDC
ZERO – DRIPPIN
VILLIAN – PIXY
Stupid Cool – DAWN
Sweet – THE BOYZ

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Stray Kids’ CIRCUS is the past week’s non-Korean song release of the week, ranking in the 5th position. Check out Stray Kids’ CIRCUS below (a review will be coming soon for the song).

The Charts

Congratulations to Brave Girls for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 3rd Week of June 2022 with their Queendom 2 finale single, Whistle. This is the second week in a row in which the group/song have topped the Weekly KPOP Charts. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

	3rd Week of June 2022	12th Jun – 18th Jun 2022
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	Whistle	Brave Girls	(=)
2	HOT	SEVENTEEN	(▲ 9)
3	PLAY DUMB	OMEGA X	(NEW)
4	Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)	BTS	(▲ 6)
5	Circus	Stray Kids	(▲ 61)
6	Beatbox	NCT DREAM	(▼ 4)
7	Good Boy Gone Bad	TXT	(▼ 1)
8	BUT YOU	iKON	(▼ 1)
9	LOVE	MONSTA X	(=)
10	Montage_	ONEWE	(▲ 63)
11	Crazy	Wonho	(NEW)
12	Love Shhh!	Jo Yuri	(▲ 61)
13	FEARLESS	LE SSERAFIM	(▼ 10)
14	Fame	Ciipher	(▲ 46)
15	Bring It On	ONEUS	(▼ 10)
16	Upside Down	Kang Daniel	(=)
17	Savior	AB6IX	(▲ 48)
18	Candy Sugar Pop	ASTRO	(▼ 5)
19	Business	Soyou ft. BE’O	(▲ 54)
20	D-Day	Wheein (Mamamoo)	(▲ 31)
21	Now	Psy ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo)	(▲ 52)
22	Memories	Me:us	(▲ 51)
23	NANANA	GOT7	(▼ 6)
24	Happy Birthday	Colde	(▲ 49)
25	canvas	BF	(▲ 47)
26	RATA-TATA-TA	Golden Child	(▲ 8)
27	I HATE YOU	WOODZ	(▲ 46)
28	Waka Boom	Hyolyn ft. Lee Young Ji	(▲ 5)
29	Undercover	VERIVERY	(▲ 28)
30	DARARI (Remix)	TREASURE	(▲ 43)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

D-Day – Wheein (Mamamoo)
Hit Me Up – Min ft. JMIN
I Want You To Be Happy – APINK
FINE! – HA:TFELT
Seoul – BOL4
1 of 9 – YOUNITE
EVERYBODY – YOUNITE ft. DJ Juice
Make It Right – Jungmo
SO GOOD – DRIPPIN
Crossing In The Line – BOUN
Memory – BOUN
Overcome – Mimi
Savior – Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)
Bluebird – Ryeowook (Super Junior)
Memories – Me:us

[Review] Up! – Kep1er

June 22, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Kep1er2 Comments

This week started off with two Queendom 2 acts making their comeback. First up on the reviewing block is Kep1er, who makes their grand return with Up!. This is featured on the group’s second mini-album, Doublast. This comes after the group’s debut back in January 2022 with WA DA DA, and more recently, their participation on Queendom 2 (as already mentioned).

Up! comes out at the right time, capitalising on the current Summer season in which Korea (and Northern Hemisphere) is in. This is the time we want to hear bright and vibrant songs, and I feel that Up! hits that part of the brief with no doubts. The track also capitalises on the group’s youthfulness, and brings about a fun and upbeat energy to a mix (which is synonymous with the Summer season). Both goes hand in hand in setting up Up!. There are a few aspects in the song that I quite like. The synths used in this song are felt refreshing and didn’t feel like a repeat of what we have heard thus far this year in terms of Summer songs. Up! features some really cool rapping that adds some deepness to the song and keeps the song grounded. The chorus was brought a trendy pop sound to the table and was pleasantly catchy. I do think a stronger melodic hook would have been more satisfying overall, but what we got in Up! is perfectly fine already. On the other hand, the post-chorus felt weak and didn’t feel concentrated enough. In addition to that, I also felt that Up!‘s reliance on cuteness is a hit or miss I wished it was toned down as it is a bit too cliché. A summer track can be youthful, without the need to steer into the cute domain. The vocals were plain in comparison to the rapping. Even with the autotune, it didn’t do much for me. And finally, the second half of the instrumental break in the bridge felt forced. The brighter first half was fine and fits in with the rest of the track, but the more intense second half (taking on a dubstep like approach), was unnecessary and creates an imbalance with the rest of the song. But overall, Up! is a decent Summer track.

A very colourful and vibrant video accompanies the release. No surprises there. For the most part, the video was decent, alongside the music. I did see them trying to push a cutesy agenda, which I am not entirely a fan of. But at the same time, it wasn’t a terrible concept for this video. There were some scenes that I could have done without, such as the awkward laptop POV scene and the lemon charging scene. They felt very random and didn’t make much sense to me.

I quite liked what they did with the chorus in this routine, with the arm wave at the start and the two lines of members. As for the dance break, I liked how bouncy the first half felt. And as much as I disagree with the second half of the dance break, the routine was pretty good. The rest of the choreography otherwise felt standard for me.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Album Review] VOYAGER (1st Single Album) – KIHYUN (MONSTA X)

June 19, 2022June 19, 2022Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged KIHYUN (MONSTA X), MONSTA X2 Comments

As mentioned yesterday on Twitter (yes, I have a Twitter account – @kpopreviewed), there would be two album reviews today (as I was slightly busy yesterday). The second album review of the day is for KIHYUN’s official solo debut, which occurred back in March of this year. The solo debut was titled VOYAGER, and is the title for both the lead single and single album. In addition to VOYAGER, the single album also consist of two additional side tracks. Following his solo debut, KIHYUN returned with MONSTA X through their LOVE and Shape of Love comeback (which I will be writing an album review for some time in the future). It was also recently announced that KIHYUN had renewed his contract with Starship Entertainment.

I am a bit disappointed that KIHYUN’s solo debut came in the form of three songs (i.e. the very typical length for a single album). It is far too short to appreciate what KIHYUN has to offer. He definitely deserves a mini-album, at the very least. But hey, this is what KIHYUN has provided us, so I shouldn’t be complaining. Again, a strong album release from this seasoned KPOP artist. VOYAGER takes the cake for best song on the album, but the other two songs have their own charm. Continue scrolling to see what I thought about those songs.

1. VOYAGER (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of VOYAGER. (9/10)

2. , (COMMA) – COMMA continues the pop rock vibe from the title track, but opts for a much softer and more emotional atmosphere, expressing his own desire to take a break or rest when he is lost, similar to how a comma brings a brief pause in a sentence. It is a completely different energy to what we got before it, as KIHYUN’s vocals convey more emotions in this song. I quite like the oomph he puts behind his vocals during the chorus, in contrast with the softer approach he takes in the verses. It makes for a slightly more riveting piece. The instrumental feels on trend, but I wished it was a bit more innovative, just so COMMA can have a bit of an edge. (8/10)

3. RAIN – RAIN opts for a more intense instrumental piece, featuring what felt like a slow burning rock instrumental. The intensity is so gripping, it was quite hard to be distracted from the song (or to turn away from the song). KIHYUN’s vocals are powerful and felt so loaded, particularly during the chorus, which in turn felt relatively explosive. I did like how he kept held himself back throughout RAIN, keeping that energy and intensity simmering away until the end to make it a captivating piece. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

[Album Review] Be Together (3rd Studio Album) – BTOB

June 19, 2022Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged BTOB1 Comment

It has been almost a month since my last album review. But I am finally getting back to writing them and posting them on weekends. But be aware as I am quite back up with a very long list of many great albums I want to review, so please bare with me. The first album I want to visit is BTOB’s third studio length album, Be Together, which was released back in February of this year. Featured on this album is the title track The Song, nine side tracks, an intro, an interlude and an outro track. So it is definitely jammed packed. This album, for those who may not recall, was also BTOB’s grand comeback as a full group since 2018 and follows the military enlistment of all members (aside from Peniel).

As a quick summary. I find myself to be a fan of every song on this album in one way or another. That is the greatest outcome for any album. Knowing BTOB’s background and successful songs, there are obviously ballads on this album. But some of the album’s standouts are not ballads and are more so hidden gems on this album (as they are placed in the midst of the many ballads on this album). But obviously, more on those songs as I get to them. So without any more delays (or else this might get delayed), let’s me get straight into the first album review after a while, BTOB’s Be Together.

1. Intro: The Trace (Intro: 발자취) – The album starts off with a fairly simple introductory track. Over a really nice piano melody that sets a balladry tone for the album, we can hear someone walking through the snow. It is piece I can vividly imagine and see myself in.

2. The Song (노래) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for The Song. (9/10)

3. Blooming Day (봄이 피어나) – My favourite aspects of Blooming Day are the presence of the raps in the verses. Minhyuk really pushed the song to the next level with his sequence, while Peniel brought a nice flow. They also brought whole lot of intensity to the ballad, which peaked my interest in the song and made it so captivating. I also liked that the chorus follows the momentum of the raps creating a powerful centrepiece. The ad-libs in the final chorus also builds the intensity and gives off a similar effect. (10/10)

4. Be Together (우리) – Be Together, the namesake for this album, continues the album’s ballad focus. Be Together is a beautiful one with a swayable atmosphere and melody that you will know I would like. I really like the rock elements in the instrumental of this ballad, which throws out the idea that a ballad has to be classically instrumented in order to beautiful. The vocals stand out in this one, showcasing strong and powerful vocals. The rappers held themselves back with small and slighter sequences, but I liked how their parts still had intensity. (9/10)

5. My Way – My Way changes the momentum of the album up with a more upbeat track, delving into a R&B and hip-hop mix. It sounds quite urban, and is a song that I wouldn’t mind listening to whilst walking through a hip neighbourhood. I like how everyone brought their A-game for this track. Unlike the preceding track, both vocalists and rappers’ factions of the group were on par with each other and brought great energy to the song. I particularly like the echoing effect of the post-chorus hook. (9/10)

6. Whiskey – Whiskey follows My Way’s more urban feel, but opts for a R&B instrumental that feels groovier while the lyrics are a lot sexier. There is also a sleekness to the song’s instrumental that I totally digging. I really like the character and personality that the members put behind their vocals. It just adds depth and energy to the song that would have felt plain had more standard vocals/raps been used. It also demonstrates BTOB’s vocal versatility between members, but their ability to also remain cohesive. For example, Peniel’s more hip-hop aligned breakdown in the second verse was a surprising presence, but fits into the bigger picture that is Whiskey. (8/10)

7. Interlude: Re – The album features an interlude track, Re, which is a minute and a half of a soothing piano melody. It brings down the energy of the album following some upbeat tracks, enabling the next track to be placed.

8. Lonely – Lonely is another ballad on this album. But rather than being your typical slow or flowy ballad, Lonely is a fairly intense ballad thanks to the presence of the strings throughout the track. Not in the dramatic sense, but more so in a captivating sense. In addition to the strings, the members’ vocals also build up the intensity of the song and adds to that captivation. It isn’t a smashing ballad like the others earlier on this album, but Lonely is still a strong one nonetheless. (8/10)

9. Dance With Me (춤) – Dance With Me bring up the album’s energy levels with another dynamic track. The energy is quite refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable. And for that, I deem it as one of my favourite side tracks on this album. Dance With Me features some really cool and intriguing guitar work at the start. But that is not only where we get the guitar work. I liked how the guitar makes a presence throughout the song, pulling the different segments together. The powerful vocals are a highlight in this song, while the upbeat nature enables the rappers to dive into their parts. (10/10)

10. Higher – Thanks to its rock influences, Higher is definitely the odd one out on this album. But instead of me questioning its presence on the album, Higher steals my attention and carries me away. Before I know it, the song is over and I am left wanting more. I remember it leaving me floored when I listened to the album back in February. And after four months, Higher still leaves me on the edge of my seat and gets me head banging! I quite liked the snowballing effect the energy has, which is thanks to both the rock instrumentation and the members’ powerful energy they channeled through the song. (10/10)

11. Thank You – Thank You is the type of song to bring a smile to your face. At least, it did for me. Thank You had a tall order in following the likes of Higher, but I think it handled it pretty well. The song is much sweeter (to match the lyrics) and less energy driven, but it wasn’t as an extreme step down in terms of upbeatness. I like the jazzy notes within the instrumental, the more loving vocals the members provide to the song and the random burst of brass we get consistently in the backing. (8.5/10)

12. It’s All Good (흘려보내) – The second last song on the album remains in upbeat territory with its pop rock instrumentation, but you can tell that the group is slowly tuning down the energy to help ease us off the album. It isn’t as a riveting piece as it could be, but it has its charms. I really like the soaring and floaty melodies that It’s All Good has. My only critical note about the song is Minhyuk’s powerful and strong entrance in the bridge, which contrasts practically everything in the track and it feels a bit unexpected. I am not entirely sure what to think of this. It works with the idea of a pop rock instrumental, but it doesn’t work in harmony as with the rest of the song. (7/10)

13. Outro: Encore – Ending the album is an outro track, titled Encore. Usually, when the title includes the ‘Outro’ tag, it is something brief, and not a full-fledged 4-minute-long track like how Encore was. It is fitting that the album closes out with a ballad, just like how it started. I enjoyed how stunning this one was, from start to end, vocals to raps. I really liked the high notes in this as well, giving the track a breathtaking element. Encore is classically and acoustically instrumented and was quite riveting. An amazing end to the album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

[Review] PLAY DUMB – OMEGA X

June 16, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged OMEGA X1 Comment

Naturally, the night I decided to take off (yesterday) had multiple comebacks. But don’t worry, I will (slowly) get around to them! First up (and I will explain why I chose this one to be first up from yesterday’s options for a review) is OMEGA X’s PLAY DUMB, which is the title track off their 1st studio length album. This is the group’s first comeback that I am reviewing since their debut with VAMOS last year, Story Written In Music. However, OMEGA X has had two comebacks since their debut which I have yet to cover including What’s Goin’ On and Love Like This, both of which will be reviewed in some form in the future. As for now, here is my review for their third comeback track, PLAY DUMB.

Out of all the releases from the 15 June 2022, PLAY DUMB was my favourite. And it was so for a very simple reason – it was fun and had strong ‘feel-good’ vibes which I needed after a long day. PLAY DUMB isn’t an innovative pop song, but it also doesn’t feel like a straight up copy of another bright and vibrant pop song from the top of my head (though one could say it is similar to other songs of an equivalent nature and I wouldn’t disagree with them). In addition to the vibes that I already mentioned, I found PLAY DUMB to have lively but also pleasant instrumental, stepping away from the heaviness that synths that we hear so often nowadays. I love the funky vibes that the guitar brought to the post-chorus hook. PLAY DUMB also features a strong showing of vocals and raps from the members, which is always appreciable. It also contains some decent hooks and melodies which I thought tied the song together really well. I really enjoyed the inclination of the pre-choruses, which helped drive up the energy of PLAY DUMB to make the chorus even better. There was something about the melody and the instrumental combination that worked really well and attracted my attention towards the song. I do think PLAY DUMB would have benefited from a more centric hook or melody for the actual chorus sequence, just to drive up the memorable factor of the song. But the hooks and melodies we did get in the song still works fine. Overall, PLAY DUMB is definitely a fun release, with its vibrant and brightness suitable for the Summer season.

Listening to the song, the accompanying music video had to fulfil one criterion for me to be considered successful – be fun. And I feel like that was nailed perfectly. The members looked like they were having a blast with one another and there were some funny scenes throughout. I also like the vivid colours of the video, which just works extremely well in bringing out that vibrancy from the song. If you missed the concept that was consistently present from start to end, it is just tennis. The sport was the pure focus of the video (aside from laughs and having fun). I did wonder what happened to the massive tennis ball that featured at the start of the video (the one that came crashing into Earth, put on displayed and subsequently stolen by one of the members so they can sketch it). I thought that whole ‘plotline’ was a bit of fun and would have liked it to make some sort of reappearance in the video at the end or something. it just disappearing didn’t make sense to me, and I am a bit disappointed by that.

The choreography was nice and worked well with the fun and energetic side of the song. I liked the refreshing vibes the members brought to the stage. I would have liked more bounce to the choreography (I think the song calls for this), but what we got was perfectly fine!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] CRAZY – WONHO

June 14, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Wonho2 Comments

One of the new comebacks that started off this new week is WONHO’s, who returns with his new mini-album, FACADE, on Monday. Featured on this new mini-album is the title track CRAZY, which follows his earlier comeback of this year, EYE ON YOU, from February.

CRAZY knows exactly how to tease, opting for a uniquely groovy and sensual atmosphere that only an artist like WONHO can pull off. I can think of a few artists who may have potential to deliver part of what CRAZY achieves, but no one could nail this exact vibe like how WONHO has. I love the feeling that CRAZY leaves behind once I am finished listening to the song – I simply want more from the track. But in a good way, as in I want to go back to CRAZY to continuously satisfy my craving for that groovy undertone that oozes from the song and the brief rock detailing that adds a refined sense of oomph and abrasiveness to the song that makes the chorus so damn good. The track intentionally under delivers by just a hair, just to get me to click that replay button one more time – but time and time again. CRAZY starts off with and revisits these crunchy yet deep rap-like vocals. As far as I am aware, no one is attributed to these vocals, which are worked into the background. But they kick off the title track with some flair and excitement. Following that, an electronic bass riff kicks in and this is followed up with WONHO’s sleek and silky vocals. The verses a bit bland, if I have to suggest something critical about CRAZY. But that is easily overlooked once the chorus kicks in, coming off as how I have already describe the track with the groovy underlay and the rock detailing. In hindsight, I do think the bridge could have gone further, just to prevent the song from being overly consistent and push the boundaries a bit. But overall, CRAZY is a top notch track that plays towards WONHO’s strengths.

It is not a WONHO video if he is not teasing us visually as well. And it is definitely not a WONHO video without some form of abs or muscles showing. Aside from the usual talk of muscles and abs, there is a modern aesthetic that suits CRAZY so well. The simplicity from those choreography sets is wonderful and much appreciated, given the amount of dancers that accompanies WONHO for this comebacks. However, I do like the busy nature of the car yard scenes and the some of the solo sets thanks to the way the background is staged or the lights. The ending is a bit cryptic, with the massive head and mouth opening up. I wonder if this is the start to some series (or are we possibly already in the midst of some series?).

The choreography for this comeback is lowkey, but I like how it took on that groovy feel. It definitely looks cool. It fits in with the music, as the music doesn’t really call for much intensity. However, I did like the intensity that WONHO and the dancers delivered for the final sequence, and like how they eased out with a slow rock vibe. I also like the domino effect the female dancers delivered in the second pre-chorus.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 2nd Week of June 2022

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Another week has passed. But the difference this time around is that Queendom 2 done and dusted! While I did mention that I was supposed to get onto some song and album reviews straight away many times now, once I wrapped up my final Queendom 2 post, I have decided to delay that slightly until tomorrow and take a bit of a break after a slightly busy weekend. So, I will be back tomorrow with reviews being my ultimate focus for the next few weeks. In the meanwhile. here is the Weekly KPOP Charts post for the second week of June 2022.

New releases of the Week

In addition to the reviews I wrote last week for SECRET NUMBER’s DOOMCHITA and BTS’ Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment), here are the other new releases of the week:

Snail – Kim Jae Hwan
11:59 – APR PROJECT
Today’s Weather – Son Dongwoon (HIGHLIGHT)
Boombabboom – EPISODE
Let’s End It Here – Park Hyunkyu (VROMANCE)
WHO – TRENDZ
Danger – woo!ah!
Circus – Stray Kids

Throwback Corner

Another song that I am sure has made it onto this corner before is SEVENTEEN’s Rock With You. But it is my throwback song for the week. I have been completing digging this song this week, on top of this week’s charts listens.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Golden Child’s RATA-TAT-TAT is the past week’s non-Korean song release of the week, ranking in the 34th position. Check out Golden Child’s RATA-TAT-TAT below (a review will be coming soon for the song).

The Charts

Congratulations to Brave Girls for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 2nd Week of June 2022 with their Queendom 2 finale single, Whistle. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

	2nd Week of June 2022	5th Jun – 11th Jun 2022
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	Whistle	Brave Girls	(▲ 9)
2	Beatbox	NCT DREAM	(▼ 1)
3	FEARLESS	LE SSERAFIM	(▲ 28)
4	ALIVE	LIGHTSUM	(▲ 65)
5	Bring It On	ONEUS	(▲ 1)
6	Good Boy Gone Bad	TXT	(▲ 7)
7	BUT YOU	iKON	(▼ 2)
8	THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down)	Kep1er	(▲ 29)
9	LOVE	MONSTA X	(▲ 27)
10	Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)	BTS	(NEW)
11	HOT	SEVENTEEN	(▼ 9)
12	AURA	WJSN	(▲ 16)
13	Candy Sugar Pop	ASTRO	(▲ 8)
14	Stupid O’Clock	VICTON	(▼ 11)
15	Red Sun!	VIVIZ	(▲ 10)
16	Upside Down	Kang Daniel	(=)
17	NANANA	GOT7	(▲ 6)
18	Starry Road	Kei	(▲ 51)
19	Love Theory	Taeyong (NCT) & Wonstein	(▲ 8)
20	POSE	LOONA	(▼ 5)
21	Bluebird	Ryeowook (Super Junior)	(▲ 48)
22	Drive	Miyeon ((G)I-DLE)	(▼ 13)
23	DOOMCHITA	SECRET NUMBER	(NEW)
24	ACACIA	Yezi	(▲ 11)
25	Do you wanna get down	LUNARSOLAR	(▲ 26)
26	Celeb	Psy	(▼ 15)
27	MOVE	TNX	(▲ 42)
28	Cupid	DKZ	(▲ 10)
29	YOUNG BOY	HELLO GLOOM	(▲ 40)
30	ZOOM	JESSI	(▼ 26)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

Spring Day – Han Hye Ri
Anthem of Teen Spirit – EPEX
DICE – ONEW (SHINee)
LOVE me – BE’O
Cupid – DKZ
MAISON – Dreamcatcher
ZOOM – Jessi
LA LA POP! – Ha Sung Woon
RE=LOAD – JUST B
Love Theory – Taeyong (NCT) & Wonstein
NO NAME – Yezi
Darl+ing – SEVENTEEN

[Review] Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) – BTS

June 12, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BTSLeave a comment

It has been a while, but BTS is officially back in South Korea with their latest Korean single, Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment). The new single dropped today and is featured as the title track from the group’s first anthology album, Proof, which features a range of songs from the last nine years of the group’s discography. It is also the group’s first domestic comeback since 2020’s Life Goes On and Be, and the subsequent English hits – Dynamite, Butter and Permission to Dance.

If I had to summarise Yet To Come in a few simple words, my pick would be “a sentimental pop ballad”. Nothing more, nothing less. From my listens to the song thus far since its release on Friday, I can say that it sounds good and has a swayable melody that I find in what I consider to be good ballads. Yet To Come‘s instrumental had a hip-hop tinge to it, which make sense given the group’s roots in the genre. It is a bit airy and simple (even for my taste), but that allows the other elements to shine more brightly. The high pitch squealy like synths in the background were extremely subtle, but they helped cut the plainness of the song. The vocal and rapping work was nice, and I quite liked the idea of the rapping in the chorus, giving the centrepiece of Yet To Come a bit more energy that prevents the song from being consistently plain. RM, Suga and J-Hope’s flow throughout the song (not just the chorus) was great. Although, I am not a fan of Suga’s rapping at the beginning of the second verse, however, with the autotune. It was an odd ball moment that I didn’t find fit with the rest of the song. The vocalists sound well rounded, but their parts didn’t stand out as much like how the rappers’ did. My biggest issue with the song is not with the group’s execution of Yet To Come, but rather the song’s choice. After their chart topping hits in the Western market, I expected a song with much more fanfare for their ‘grand and long-awaited return’. I wasn’t necessarily expecting a full fledged dance track, but something with a bit more flair than a track that reflects on the past and looks into the future. For some, Yet To Come might be the track that pulls on their heartstrings. And that is absolutely okay. But for me, I find the track to be one of those that I don’t really need to check out again after writing my review.

When I watched the video for Yet To Come, I felt the shots were throwbacks to previous videos. The order in which the members sat and ended the music video in was the order in which the members sat in for their Just One Day music video. V holding a red rose throws back to solo teaser photos from their Map of The Soul: Persona and Boy With Luv (ft. Halsey) comeback. His uniform also seems to remind me of their ‘school uniform days’ which encompasses their School trilogy days, most specifically Boy In Luv. Jungkook standing in front of the rusty blue ‘You Never Walk Alone’ wheel, the train (which featured in J-Hope’s solo shot) and Jimin’s white shoes takes me back to Spring Day. The pick-up truck we driving around and in the background of JIN’s shot brings back memories of RUN‘s ending. RM’s solo shot consist of a shipping container, which seems to link up with their RUN music video, as well. The big winged statue and the scene where JIN covers V’s eyes reminds me of Blood Sweat & Tears. Suga’s solo scene with the butterfly might be connection to their Butterfly song from 2015. The yellow school bus we see at the end reminds us of the bus that featured in No More Dream music video. Aside from the trip down memory lane, the video was shot in beautiful desert location that feels quite scenic despite it being just sand and blue skies.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Special] Queendom 2 – Final Round – Live Comeback Stages – EP.10

June 12, 2022July 31, 2022Posted in SpecialTagged Brave Girls, Hyolyn, Kep1er, LOONA, VIVIZ, WJSN1 Comment

It is time we crown the next Queen of KPOP through the second season of Queendom. Following the success of Queendom Season 1 (which crowned Mamamoo as the winner), Road to Kingdom (which gave The Boyz a one way ticket to the next competition) and Kingdom: Legendary War (which crowned Stray Kids as the winner), Queendom is officially back with six new female participants. This season sees WJSN (Cosmic Girls), LOONA, Brave Girls, Kep1er, VIVIZ and Hyolyn battle it out for the Queendom title, while Taeyeon (from SNSD) takes the helm as MC this time around.

As I have reviewed part of Queendom, all of Road To Kingdom and Kingdom: Legendary War, I will also be reviewing the stages of Queendom 2, recapping the high caliber performances from each round and also putting forward my thoughts on what the ranking should have been for that round.

Final Round – Live Comeback Stages

Every stage and performance over the past three rounds was working up towards the final episode, where the competitors of Queendom 2 were able to perform never heard before singles for the time to a live audience. These singles were released a week prior to the final episode in preparation for the final round.

Scores were still be calculated from the songs’ release and from the actual live stages to help determine the winner of the second season of Queendom. From its release digitally, the songs were already in competition with one another to see who could get the most streams on domestic music charts and globally through Spotify. YouTube views from their past performances from Queendom 2, votes from fans and audience votes from the night of the live performances were also calculated. These, in addition to the points the competitors had picked up from the three preliminary rounds, were into determining the final winner.

At the end of the final round, the winner was crowned. You can find out who won the Queendom 2 title at the end of this post.

Per usual, as part of my recap/review of the final stages, I will be looking at the song, concept and choreography of the final stages. You can find out who I thought should have won (or if I agree with who was crowned as the winner) at the end of this post, as well.

Waka Boom (My Way) – Hyolyn ft. Lee Young Ji

First up is Hyolyn, and Waka Boom, which begins with a fierce militaristic and bold introduction. It isn’t exactly original, but it definitely does get the adrenaline pumping. The rest of the song continues a similar reliance on percussion which was very ‘in your face’ and actually felt overwhelming at times. As for vocals, we get a few different styles of delivery from the soloist, such as a rap-spoken style at the start where her tone felt like she was teasing us slightly, powerful vocals in the verse, and a more standard and blander tone for the chorus. However, Hyolyn shines the best during the pop melody centric parts that form part of the pre-chorus and during her high notes (her high note just before Lee Young Ji’s sequence was my favourite for its clean and sharp execution). On the topic of Lee Young Ji, her deeper tone rapping matched up well with this fierce style and I like the colour she brought to Waka Boom. The hooks weren’t great, not as memorable, and I think they didn’t get an opportunity to shine due to the instrumentation. Overall, a powerful start. But not really my cup of tea.

Hyolyn starts the performance with a bold entrance fitting for royalty and fittingly begins performing Waka Boom on the throne. She subsequently delivers a powerful stage with a very large emphasis on the gold colour (also fitting). The rest of the performance was quite fierce, with the dancers hyping up the performance as well as performing the choreography. Lee Young Ji also features on stage, and I liked her idea of having her travel from the other competitors to the stage. Her participation in the choreography also helped add fierceness to the stage. I like that Hyolyn also finishes up with cool crown (though less horns would have been appreciated) and a waterfall on the screen, which throws us back to the first round during Touch My Body. This performance’s wow moment was when Hyolyn dropped from the platform. It was no low drop, as she as raised quite high. My only complaint is that the male dancers could have worn something that didn’t give off the impression that the budget ran out.

AURA – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

AURA begins with an atmospheric and scenic narration. I didn’t find it add much to the audio, but it clearly helps out on stage. Anyhow, I felt the song was a bit weak in that it instrumentally felt lacking and doesn’t deliver much impact when I turn my attention to the other aspects of the song. I wished that the producers of AURA did something a little different to what WJSN usually does (given that it is for Queendom), but do enough with it to allow the song to be recognisable as a WJSN title track. What I did like in the song were the whistles, which acted as a memorable hook to the song and was quite stilling, and Yeonjung’s piercing vocals in the chorus and her soaring vocals in the bridge. I felt they added some much needed oomph to the stage, but more still needed. The weakest moment would have to be the rapping. Sorry Exy, but I didn’t like the start stop part of the sequence.

WJSN put their wow factor at the start of the performance with their use of drones. I always wondered when this day would come, given that we see it use to form spectacular display. WJSN’s drone start is by no means spectacular, but it was original. I also enjoyed the performance sequence following the narration/drone start. The harps made it super beautiful, while the rest of the music made it theatrical and cinematic. I like that the images behind the group, as they perform, appear to pay homage to their fantastical and mystical era of concepts. I also like the laser light display when the stage was displayed. As for the choreography, WJSN has a real knack for making their choreography graceful and elegant, yet powerful enough to be cool and trendy. I also really like their hand movements during the whistles.

THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down) – Kep1er

In the last round, Kep1er performed The Boys (a cover of SNSD’s hit). For the final round, they perform their original song, THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down). For the most part, THE GIRLS was a decent song. There was a lot of potential behind the verses, pre-choruses and bridge of the song. But the biggest let down of THE GIRLS was the choruses, which felt more like of a sad fizzle for me. There is no impact or memorable factor whatsoever with this chorus, which is usually the most prevalent part of a song and is known for being memorable. The instrumental break helped delivery some impact, but that was more so for the performance aspect rather than audio-wise. I would love to hear more of those brass in the first verse or the flowy melodies of the pre-chorus, as both could have really helped make THE GIRLS better for me. What caught my attention was that the lesser heard members of the group (i.e. Bahiyyh and Mashiro) had larger parts than usual in this song, which makes my soft spot for members who are overshadowed and overlooked happy.

If the performance nailed one thing, it has to be the introduction. When the members fanned out at the start and that fire appeared out of nowhere, it blew my socks off and I loved every second of it. I liked the simplicity of their outfits and wonder if their yellow soled shoes was a bit of a spoiler for their upcoming comeback. I also liked the part where they used the audience as the background of the performance. Choreography-wise, I thought the routine was decent. I liked the energy the rappers shared during the second verse and the dance break was expectedly bombastic. I also enjoyed the overall aesthetic when all the members were on top of the bleachers/steps and the dancers below them.

Red Sun! – VIVIZ

From what I have heard, Red Sun! was actually supposed to be a GFriend song in the past. But it was released under VIVIZ for Queendom 2 instead. I like that VIVIZ kept things original, moving away from the final stages reliance on synths and electronic elements. Instead, Red Sun! opts for jazzy and classically instrumented background which sets them apart from the competition for obvious reasons. I can see how the song could have been released under GFriend, but I feel some moments reminded me of IU’s Red Shoes (which I personally felt was cool, and potentially a nice nostalgic throwback) for the group. I did like how pleasant the vocals were and how they kept to the style of the song. The jazzy melodies were the best! However, since it is a competition, I did want some more powerful vocals in Red Sun!. A stunning and well rounded high note would have been appreciated, just to give Red Sun! that peak it needed. But overall, a very strong effort from VIVIZ!

VIVIZ’s stage takes on an Alice in Wonderland musical look, which I thought was really cool. But instead of Alice, the VIVIZ members were (obviously) the main characters for this adventure. I liked at the start, when they walked into the this alternative world, they emerged in colourful dresses, met some very tall men and had some playful interactions with some tea cups. I kind of wished there was more of these elements, just to continually bring the idea of a fairytale to the front of the performance. As it progressed, I felt this was unique and magical touch was lost and it turned the performance into an ordinary one. I also felt the producers for this stage could have added a wow factor the performance. Maybe some costume changes for the members (they were colourful, but they were painfully plain dresses). Or maybe a large drop of shiny confetti during the ‘rain’ scenes on the stage, just to give that illusion. As for the choreography for this stage, I felt it was elegant and graceful. And I quite liked how they moved about the stage, resembling a musical, which helps deliver the concept.

POSE – LOONA

When I first heard POSE in the snippet teaser that the show uploaded, POSE attracted my attention the most. But when I listen to POSE as a whole piece, that attraction seems to have been lost. I feel that POSE is similar to Kep1er’s THE GIRLS. Both songs had verses that had potential. In POSE, the verses had a sleek feel to it, which I think the group could have taken better advantage of when it comes to the performance (more on that later). But the choruses was the disappointing element. There is no impact to the chorus, and it was super weak here. However, POSE does take the edge a bit, simply because I think the chorus was consistent with the verses. Even during the final chorus and during the bridge, the song stayed consistent. Some points for that, but I wanted more. I think POSE could have been better had it changed momentum and kicked the energy by many notches. I was waiting for that kick to happen, but that never became fruitful. The rapping in POSE added a nice dynamic flavour to the song, while the vocals didn’t have much to it.

I think the ‘red carpet’ start of the performance could have been extended and been a more substantial component of the performance. Though I wished they modernised it to be more of a model’s catwalk, and then have LOONA crash the catwalk. I think this would have tied to the song’s sleeker profile to the performance a bit better than the five second of ‘red carpet’ that we did get. I did like how they used the red carpet set they had on stage as a walkway for the other members during the pre-choruses, though. I liked the hip-hop direction that the stage took with the outfits the members donned. But I think they could have sleeker with the outfits, just to work with the music a bit better. Also with the hip-hop in mind, I wished they had more b-boying and similar going on stage. They did hint towards it, but I wanted to see more substantial b-boying. Interestingly, the stage did incorporate some more energy as I had wanted in the song, via the dance break and in the ending. Why this was left out of the actual official audio? I don’t know, but I am glad the performance managed to incorporated it in.

Whistle – Brave Girls

Out of all the six songs, Brave Girls’ Whistle was catchiest and has what it takes to be a comeback track for the group. It is a summery and refreshing track, especially after all the synths from the other stages (aside from VIVIZ’s stage). The subtle guitar in the background gives off a beachy feel, while the whistles that featured in the instrumental made sense given the song’s title. I liked how solid the vocals were, and how good ‘Whistle, Whistle, Whi‘ hook was. I did think the formula/structure that formed Whistle was a bit ordinary (i.e. verse, chorus, rap verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, final outro), though that is why I think the song would make a good comeback track (or a side track, at least). I did think Whistle could have been more dynamic. Some more interesting vocal work or a touch more dynamic in the instrumental would not have hurt and helped take Whistle to the next level.

The beach theme that the stage had made a lot of sense, given the summery and beachy vibes that the song had. I like how it started with the end of their previous performance (i.e. last round’s rendition of Red Sun). I also thought it was clever for the members and dancers all had their hair hidden away in those straw hats. Them taking their hats off and allowing their hair to come down was actually a bit of a wow factor and seems like an original idea. Again, like in the previous performance, I would have loved to have heard the Latin influence as a second round of the post-chorus following the second chorus in the official audio. It had exactly what I wanted in terms of adding a bit more to the performance. Even the cringy ‘Oh My God‘ could have been added in, and I would have been happy. As for the choreography, I really liked their commitment with their bare feet. It just adds more value to the concept. In addition, I liked the added energy they had for the chorus, which helps makes this a more exciting song.

And This Round’s Winner Is…

As the saying goes, ‘leaving the best until last’. And I felt that was what was done on the night the finale aired. Whistle is my favourite track from the six competitors. Aside from VIVIZ’s song/stage and WJSN’s stage, I think the rest of the competition for this final round was fairly weak (and hence, disappointing) and didn’t live up to the standard that Queendom (season 1) or any of the Kingdom’s finale stages/songs had set. More excitement and original ideas were needed and I think the finale stages were the best time to pull out those aspects.

Below are the official rankings based on the scores from the final stages ONLY including YouTube views, streaming points and audience points, but not including any preliminary round points (that’s the next table). Next to them is who I thought should have won the round, had it been another round in the Queendom 2 competition (and not the final).

Position	Official Queendom 2 Ranking	KPOPREVIEWED’s Personal Ranking
1	LOONA	Brave Girls
2	WJSN	VIVIZ
3	VIVIZ	WJSN
4	Kep1er	LOONA
5	Brave Girls	Hyolyn
6	Hyolyn	Kep1er

And the overall winner of Queendom 2 is…

Drumroll please!

WJSN was crowned the winners of Queendom 2!! Congratulations to WJSN!

It was a bit of a shock, given the official rankings from the first two round clearly showed Hyolyn was the front runner for the title of Queendom 2. But things did take a turn in Round 3 when Brave Girls took the win overall, and in this final, where Hyolyn shockingly dropped to the bottom. LOONA perhaps could have taken the win this competition had their first round performance counted. But WJSN was fairly consistent in terms of ranking throughout the competition, never placing below 3rd place for the entire season.

Per usual, however, I have used my rankings from each episode (including EP.0) to calculate I think should have won. See if I agree below with the official rankings, or if I shake my final results with my personal rankings. And let me know if you agree with the show, my personal rankings or if you have a different order altogether of who should have won!

Position	Official Queendom 2 Ranking	KPOPREVIEWED’s Personal Ranking
1	WJSN	Hyolyn
2	LOONA	WJSN
3	VIVIZ	LOONA
4	Hyolyn	VIVIZ
5	Kep1er	Brave Girls
6	Brave Girls	Kep1er

Thank you for reading through my Queendom 2 posts. You can find a whole list of them down below (and at the end of each post). Unfortunately, time got away from me this time, so I could not keep up with the episodes as they aired. But I hope you enjoyed these recaps and reviews as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Up next: Each participant’s impending comeback!!!

Queendom 2 – Opening Show Performance Rankings EP.0
Queendom 2 – Round 1 – Representative Song Battle – EP.1&2
Queendom 2 – Round 2 – Cover Song Battle – EP.3&4
Queendom 2 – Round 3 (Part 1) – Position Unit Battle – EP.6&7
Queendom 2 – Round 3 (Part 2) – FANtastic Queendom – EP.8&9
Queendom 2 – Final Round – Live Comeback Stages – EP.10

[Review] DOOMCHITA – SECRET NUMBER

June 9, 2022June 10, 2022Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SECRET NUMBER1 Comment

It personally has felt like it has been a while since I wrote a song review. It doesn’t feel like my last one was just over a week ago. With my final Queendom 2 post scheduled for publish tomorrow, I am looking to jump right back into the song and album reviews that I have neglected the past few weeks. But that is after I complete some reviews for the releases of this week. First up is SECRET NUMBER, who made their return yesterday with DOOMCHITA. This is their first comeback since Fire Saturday, which was released back in October of last year. The group also officially reformed into a six member group with this latest comeback, following the official announcement of Denise earlier this year.

Got That Boom was the last track that I reviewed from this group (can’t exactly remember why I passed up the opportunity to review Fire Saturday, but given it was released in October 2021, it was most likely due to time constraints). If I felt 8 days was a while ago (reference to my first two sentences to this review), I think Got That Boom can also be said was a while ago. And so, I have unfortunately forgotten the group. But when there is a chance to rediscover the group, I am always down for it. But listening to DOOMCHITA, I am not exactly sure I am that keen anymore. DOOMCHITA doesn’t have individuality or character, and this alone doesn’t really encourage me to check out their other works. It is a pretty generic release, fitting neatly into the sea of other electronic releases that goes for a powerful and abrasive profile that we have been hearing often. I did like the moment in which the instrumental did ‘kick it up a notch’ just before the final chorus. It added a touch of dynamism to the song, which I appreciated, and felt a lot tighter compared to the rest of the instrumental. DOOMCHITA‘s hooks and melodies aren’t that memorable and I don’t find myself reaching for the replay button or feeling the song. All of this is quite a letdown, especially since DOOMCHITA features solid vocals and rapping from the members. The actual delivery of these lines was pretty generic as well, but I quite liked how bolstered the vocals/rapping felt over the instrumental, which helped give off that ‘solid impression’. They easily could have inserted that character and individual character via their delivery, and this could have allowed DOOMCHITA to fair a bit better. However, as much as I try to enjoy the DOOMCHITA, the generic nature takes over.

Same thing can be said about the music video. It goes for that edgy concept that we see so often, and so the video is pretty generic. The sets have those usual tropes of graffiti, WANTED posters etc. I also want to point out that, sometimes, videos with generic concepts could have a wow factor, coming in via a memorable element or moment. But DOOMCHITA‘s music video doesn’t have that. That hanging light fixture that the members are holding onto in some solo shot, which I have exclaimed to be a wow factor (I am sure of it) in the past, is quite dated now. Their colourful outfits faired a bit better, adding some much needed pop into the video. On the other hand, their leather outfits remind me of ITZY’s M.A.F.I.A outfits.

As for the choreography, it looks fine. However, I am of the belief that the moves could have been a bit more aggressive and ‘in your face’. I think the music really calls for that and there was some potential to go that way. But I guess the choreography decided to focus on more sensual movements instead, which was alright.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 5.8/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 1st Week of June 2022

June 7, 2022Posted in Weekly Charts1 Comment

Apologies for the delay in posting the Weekly KPOP Charts for last week. While I did focus on Queendom 2 for a bit of the weekend, there was not enough time for me to smash out the post for the finale of Queendom 2 and post the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 1st Week of June 2022. These instead will be postponed, with the Weekly KPOP Chart to be posted today and the final Queendom 2 post will be posted later this week (possibly on the weekend). And I hope to restart writing some reviews from tomorrow, as well.

Wherever you are, hope you all have a good morning, afternoon, evening or night! It is night time here, so I am off to bed! And with that, here is my Weekly KPOP Chart for the 1st Week of June 2022.

New releases of the Week

In addition to the reviews I wrote last week for NCT DREAM’s Beatbox and VICTON’s Stupid O’Clock, here are the other new releases of the week:

YOUNG BOY – HELLO GLOOM
Starry Road – Kei
The Greatest – BoA
Mermaid – Xindy (ZEROSIX)
VIVID – CRAVITY
Your Eyes – Stray Kids
Illusion – aespa
lost – DVWN
Love Shhh! – Jo Yuri
Telescope – Bitsaeon (M.O.N.T)
Happy Birthday – Colde
Pirate Boy – BOYHOOD

And while they were technically released during the week before last week, I have decided to factor in the Queendom 2 singles as new releases for last week instead (simply because I had no time to listen to them when they were first released):

Waka Boom – Hyolyn ft. Lee Young Ji
AURA – WJSN
THE GIRLS (Can’t Yurn Me Down) – Kep1er
Red Sun! – VIVIZ
POSE – LOONA
Whistle – Brave Girls

I will be posting my final post on Queendom 2 (which will contain song reviews for the above singles) later this week.

Throwback Corner

Like last week, I took a time machine and went back a number of years to listen to a different songs from the past! KARA appeared and I just binged their songs last week. My song choice for the Throwback Corner is KARA’s last single, CUPID, which was released back in 2014.

Non-Korean Release of the Week

Woosung’s Phase Me is the past week’s non-Korean song release of the week, ranking in the 18th position. Check out Woosung’s Phase Me below (a review will be coming soon for the song).

The Charts

Congratulations to NCT DREAM for topping the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 1st Week of June 2022 with their addictive comeback single, Beatbox. For more of the charts, keep on reading.

	1st Week of June 2022	29th May – 4th Jun 2022
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	Beatbox	NCT DREAM	(NEW)
2	HOT	SEVENTEEN	(▲ 1)
3	Stupid O’Clock	VICTON	(NEW)
4	ZOOM	JESSI	(▲ 40)
5	BUT YOU	iKON	(▲ 2)
6	Bring It On	ONEUS	(▲ 2)
7	Love Shhh!	Jo Yuri	(NEW)
8	Still Life	BIGBANG	(▲ 13)
9	Drive	Miyeon ((G)-IDLE)	(▲ 8)
10	Whistle	Brave Girls	(NEW)
11	Celeb	Psy	(▲ 21)
12	LOVE DIVE	IVE	(▲ 2)
13	Good Boy Gone Bad	TXT	(▼ 3)
14	I Hate You	WOODZ	(▲ 16)
15	POSE	LOONA	(NEW)
16	Upside Down	Kang Daniel	(▼ 10)
17	X-Ray	GHOST9	(▲ 28)
18	Phase Me	Woosung (The Rose)	(▲ 29)
19	D-Day	Wheein (Mamamoo)	(▲ 8)
20	Bloom	Yoon Ji Sung	(▲ 16)
21	Candy Sugar Pop	ASTRO	(▼ 19)
22	Savior	AB6IX	(▼ 17)
23	NANANA	GOT7	(▼ 22)
24	Waka Boom	Hyolyn ft. Lee Young Ji	(NEW)
25	Red Sun!	VIVIZ	(NEW)
26	Thumps Up	BLANK2Y	(▲ 52)
27	Love Theory	Taeyong (NCT) & Wonstein	(▲ 14)
28	AURA	WJSN	(NEW)
29	RATA-TAT-TAT	Golden Child	(▲ 49)
30	Montage_	ONEWE	(▼ 4)

Songs leaving the charts

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run in the charts system, and will no longer be on the charts starting next week:

Revelations – W24
J♡B = LOVE – W24
Love In Bloom – ILY:1
Your World – Kim Hyerim
Glitch – Kwon Eun Bi
Grey Suit – SUHO (EXO)
Hurdle – SUHO (EXO)
UNBELIVABLE – Woo Jinyoung (D1CE)
Still Life – BIGBANG
Flower – Kim Jeong Uk
LOVE DIVE – IVE
save me – Mark Tuan (GOT7)
Oh-eh – DAYBREAK & LUCY
X-Ray – GHOST9
JIU – Lay Zhang
Yesterday – CHOA

[Special] Queendom 2 – Round 3 (Part 2) – FANtastic Queendom – EP.8&9

June 5, 2022Posted in SpecialTagged Brave Girls, Hyolyn, Kep1er, LOONA, VIVIZ, WJSN1 Comment

Round 3 (Part 2) – FANtastic Queendom

In part 2 of Round 3 of Queendom 2, the competitors had to perform a song that was chosen by the audience.

In Queendom 2, the rankings were decided by three main criteria: audience votes, global fan votes and assessment from other Queendom 2 acts (i.e. their fellow competitors). These votes and assessments were tallied, and the act with the most points emerged as the winner of this round. The official results of that will be shown at the end of this post, along with my personal ranking from this round.

I will be reviewing the performances based on who went first, and will be looking at song arrangement, concept and choreography for this round.

The Boys (Queendom 2 Version) – Kep1er
(Orig. Artist: SNSD)

Kep1er’s version of The Boys was pretty good. It shows Kep1er in a different limelight, one that isn’t cutesy and youthful, which is what we have constantly seen the group in so far since their debut. Instead, it takes the group down a darker and edgier path that I would like to see them explore in the future. Kep1er, for the most part, kept the melodies of the original the same. But on the other hand, they changed up the instrumental to suit the darker concept, but also add a dynamic flair to the song. I find this smart, as it still makes their version recognisable, but at the same time gives their version of The Boys a much needed breath of new life and modern profile. Vocally, this is the group’s best stage yet as all members sounded solid and well rounded during the performance (which was live). My only wish with this particular performance is that the members could have been a bit more aggressive with their delivery and I wished the producers of this version allowed that to happen. It would have matched the instrumental we got in this version and potentially taken the performance to the next level. We did get a taster for the final chorus, but it would have nice to have heard that earlier on.

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure of the cloaks at the start of the performance. But the more I watch the performance, I find I don’t mind it as much. And it is now to the point where I can’t remember why I felt this way to begin with. It made sense with the darker concept, and adds a bit of a mysterious touch to the performance. The wings moment in the performance, when it goes from black to white was an epic moment, especially since it was paired alongside the high note. I also liked how the lighting worked with the stage’s dynamic moments. The revamped choreography for this version had this strong, confident and powerful side to it, and I liked how it looked as an overall piece. I also liked that they incorporated the lunge and the hand over head moment from the original in the final section of the half.

BOP BOP! – VIVIZ

Out of all the stages for this round, I have to admit that VIVIZ’s was probably one of the most boring. I didn’t really get to see anything new in the Queendom 2 version of their song. Yeah, they applied a pop instrumental to the song, which was decent and brought some good energy to the stage. It also made this version of the song cuter, which helped out the stage concept. But it wasn’t exciting like the other stages. I did appreciate the live vocals, but the backing vocals were too faint. For example, I think the ending of the performance could have been better with the BOP BOP backing vocals was a lot louder, whereas it was pretty mute and unnoticeable. Similarly, the same could be said about the dance break (which I felt was the stage’s most interesting sequence).

As mentioned earlier, the stage concept took a cutesy direction. To be more precise, it was a teenage cheerleading school concept. I don’t hate the idea, but I don’t find anything original with it. I did like the colourful nature of the stage, the dominance of the colour pink and Eunha’s epic ponytail, however. The members looked extremely pretty throughout the stage, as well. Also mentioned before, I liked the dance break, given it was the biggest ‘change’ in the performance. It brought an edgy vibe. It doesn’t go with the rest of the performance, but it helped drive up the interest for me. But as for the rest of the choreography, I didn’t see much too much change. Though, I did like the cheerleader lift the members underwent at the start (I have seen the behind the scene shots for this practice, and I know they struggled with the lift – but they successfully pulled it off for the stage!).

Pantomime – WJSN

As far as I am aware, this is the first stage of Pantomime since the group released the song back in 2020. It is also the first Queendom stage to feature Bona, who hasn’t performed on the show due to her filming schedules for her latest drama. Though while I would have loved to hear a full version of the original, I really liked the old fashion Hollywood style they incorporated into this version. It felt original and added a classy and elegant vibe to the ‘busy’ song. The delicate start was well done, and helped make the first chorus feel super punchy. I also like how they maintained that ‘busy’ feel of the original, by going with similar synths that fits in with that classy and elegant vibe. Yeonjung’s high note, which is a new element to the song, was showstopping! Another new element was the wind-up doll sequence just before the final chorus. Personally, I initially thought they could have done without this sequence, but now I find that it definitely helps make the final chorus that more explosive (just like how the energy played out in the first verse and chorus).

Like the song, the performance took on an old aged Hollywood style, from the stage outfits to the overall concept. There was a few wow moments, which helps makes this a memorable (and one of the best performances of the round). The sleek start with the members dressed in black to mimick suits, the visual display behind the white curtain for the first verse (including when the curtain dropped away) and that very golden age ending, where some of the members were doing some aerial acrobat-like moves. I also like how busy the stage looked, with the number of dancers. Usually, I would feel like it is a bit much, but it really made the stage feel more alive. As for the choreography, I liked that old style influence and the ending sequence the most. But the doll walk section was also quite cool.

Butterfly – LOONA

The song that I really wanted LOONA to cover in some form was Butterfly, so I am glad fans requested this song for LOONA. At first, I was pretty disappointed with this alternate arrangement of (what I think is) one of KPOP’s most aesthetic songs ever. It felt too much like the original. But the more I watch the performance and listen to the arrangement in greater detail, I find that this version of Butterfly is even more refined and aesthetic than the original. I really like the extra details we got in the instrumental, such the heavier presence of strings in the first verse and in the background of the first chorus, and the more heavenly and dreamy profile of the bridge. They kept their high pitched vocals the same as the original, which I now think is clever. It enables the audience to the recognise the song, but interestingly also keeps Butterfly grounded as the instrumental expands outwards into the heavenly and dreamy sectors. I liked how the final part of this stage was a bit more dynamic and powerful, allowing for a touch of intensity and also keeps the song grounded.

For the stage, they really kept with the heavenly and dreamy descriptors I have given the alternate versions. The moon in the background and the lights on the sleeves of the dances made the stage feel dreamy, while the members’ outfits felt as if they were goddesses. I really liked the expanding wings like formation the dancers did on top of the platform at the end of the bridge, allowing the performance to peak in a very clean manner. I wished there was more of that white fog across the entire stage, just to give off a stronger impression of clouds and dreamy vibes. For the choreography, I liked the revamped version and how fluid it felt. This perfectly matches the arrangement of this version of Butterfly. The best part of the performance comes at the end, when the members match the intensity of the song with their dance moves.

Red Sun – Brave Girls

Personally, I didn’t pay attention to Red Sun when it was first released last year. Red Sun, for those who are not aware, was released as an advertisement song for Lotte Department Store. So I was genuinely surprised to see that the group ended up choosing the song, as requested by the fans. Anyhow, Queendom 2’s version of Red Sun has a slightly different instrumental. The original chorus was straight up just synths, but this version samples a famous classical piece before the synths from the second half of the chorus plays out. The second verse also features some classical strings, continuing the momentum from the chorus. I felt the classical and synths contrast was interesting, especially since the synths were very pronounced. And for the bridge, Brave Girls pushed their vocals out, stripping the instrumental of any dance influences before bringing the synths back for the final chorus. I quite liked how powerful the vocals were during the bridge and final chorus, and how it felt very satisfying. I did wish the high note from Minyoung was slightly cleaner. But still, an amazing effort.

The stage began with a video clip of Yuna at the end of 2020 expressing how she had no schedules and no future. For those who don’t know, Brave Girls was considering disbandment prior to their unexpected rise on the charts in less than a month time. We then hear a reflection from the members, before we see their struggles on stage. Then the actual performance began with the members winding up a toy ballerina and uses a pair of glass slippers to symbolise their hope and dreams. The members where stunning flowery dresses that make a bold statement and bring smiles to the stage whilst performing this version of Red Sun. Part through the performance, the members put on the glass slippers whilst playing a clip of them winning an award at the MAMA 2021 awards, symbolising their hopes and dreams have been reached. The actual choreography doesn’t had much value from how I see it, but it was a stage full of meaning for the group. It got to point where Yujeong was crying at the end and even the other competitors shed some tears as the performance ended. That’s how you know the stage had impact.

SEE SEA BAE – Hyolyn

Last up before the finale is Hyolyn, who performs what sounds like should have been a mix of SEE SEA and BAE, two of her solo singles post-Sistar. But ultimately SEE SEA dominated the stage. I quite enjoyed SEE SEA when it came out, but I quite liked how Queendom 2 transformed it into a dynamic piece. I loved the second pre-chorus and thought of it being one of the main highlights of the stage. The dance break was also spectacular, going for a hardcore and powerful sound. Hyolyn’s vocals help also drive up the dynamic nature of the performance, particuarly during the first pre-chorus and very the end of the performance with her ad-libs. I wish the chorus was rearranged to be a little more explosive, just enough to give the chorus some more life and flair. But overall, Hyolyn rocks the stage with this performance.

Hyolyn enlists the help of Street Dance Girls Fighter‘s HARIMU, who acts as the school girl we see at the start and end of the performance. The performance’s concept is beach, which HARIMU arrives at via the subway and is invited to have a bit of a dance with Hyolyn and her dancers. HARIMU really puts her all into the performance and I really loved her expressions on stage. Alongside her, Hyolyn appears to have the time of her life, performing this stage. I love the use of the fluoro outfits and hats (and I found it funny that they got two rows of the audience to also where the hats during the performance). Again, best part of the performance has to be the second pre-chorus and dance break, though I love that she still managed to show off the sexy side that we saw in the original.

And This Round’s Winner Is…

As cliché it might sound, this was another super tight round for me to choose a winner. I am surprised the global audience was quite decisive who they thought had the best and the weakest stage (Brave Girls ranked first with full points from the fans, whereas Hyolyn ranked last less than 2000 points despite being the front runner in rounds 1 and 2).

This resulted in Hyolyn dropping down to fourth place, making up ground with the live audience and assessment from her peers. Brave Girls took out the top spot, claiming full points for this FANtastic Queendom battle, and ultimately taking top spot for Round 3 in general.

I personally thought WJSN outshined the other performance slightly and so I place them first in my personal ranking, but Hyolyn did give them a run for their money for a moment. It pains me to put Brave Girls fourth, but this is the ranking that I feel most satisified with. For more of the rankings, see the table below!

Position	Official Queendom 2 Ranking	KPOPREVIEWED’s Personal Ranking
1	Brave Girls	WJSN
2	WJSN	Hyolyn
3	LOONA	LOONA
4	Hyolyn	Brave Girls
5	VIVIZ	Kep1er
6	Kep1er	VIVIZ

Up next: Queendom 2 – Final Round – Ep. 10

New releases of the Week

Throwback Corner

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Charts

Songs leaving the charts

New releases of the Week

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Charts

Songs leaving the charts

New releases of the Week

Throwback Corner

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Charts

Songs leaving the charts

Final Round – Live Comeback Stages

Waka Boom (My Way) – Hyolyn ft. Lee Young Ji

AURA – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down) – Kep1er

Red Sun! – VIVIZ

POSE – LOONA

Whistle – Brave Girls

And This Round’s Winner Is…

And the overall winner of Queendom 2 is…

New releases of the Week

Throwback Corner

Non-Korean Release of the Week

The Charts

Songs leaving the charts

Round 3 (Part 2) – FANtastic Queendom

The Boys (Queendom 2 Version) – Kep1er(Orig. Artist: SNSD)

BOP BOP! – VIVIZ

Pantomime – WJSN

Butterfly – LOONA

Red Sun – Brave Girls

SEE SEA BAE – Hyolyn

And This Round’s Winner Is…

The Boys (Queendom 2 Version) – Kep1er
(Orig. Artist: SNSD)