[Album Review] Zero: Fever Part 3 (7th Mini Album) – ATEEZ

October 4, 2021May 22, 2022Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged ATEEZ2 Comments

After more ATEEZ? Well, you have come to the right place. As promised in my Eternal Summer review, here is my album review for ATEEZ’s latest mini-album, Zero: Fever Part 3. This mini-album features the title track Deja Vu and its contender, Eternal Sunshine, along with four other new songs. This mini-album is a strong one, especially its second half (spoiler: I dish out three 10/10 songs). It is not their strongest one, however. That title belongs to the album release before this one, Zero: Fever Part 2, which featured Firework (I’m The One) as it is title track.

1. Eternal Sunshine – Click here to read the full review for Eternal Sunshine. (7/10)

2. Feeling Like I Do – Following from the bright and energetic nature of Eternal Summer, Feeling Like I Do continues that vibe with a decent track. I liked the upbeat nature of this track, with the synths bringing an enjoyable intensity to the song. The popping effect was a neat addition to the song, matching the vibrancy but also giving Feeling Like I Do some extra and unique energy. The drumming ties everything together. I also like the liveliness of the vocals and rapping. I do wish Feeling Like I Do had a more pronounced climax. It was the only aspect within the song that was missing for me. (8/10)

3. Deja Vu (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Deja Vu. (7/10)

4. ROCKY – Drawn from the films that share the same title of this song, ROCKY is a bombastic and fierce song that talks about determination and succeeding as the underdog. Personally, I think ROCKY is better placed to be the title track, in place of Deja Vu, just because the energy in ROCKY is so impactful and memorable. The rock styled hip-hop influenced instrumental is very bold, and I love the swinging melody in the chorus. I think ROCKY could have worked with a boxing concept (pretty unique in KPOP) and lays the ground work for a pretty powerful choreography that will definitely scream of ATEEZ. (10/10)

5. All About You – All About You tones down the energy of the album with a more calming and soothing track. It is more of a contemporary track, not really falling into any of the standard sounds for a calming and soothing track. All About You has an synth heavy that literally simmers in the background for majority of the song. The vocals and harmonies adds both smoothness and textures, while the rapping gives the song additional momentum. Jongho’s high note is exceptional and the repetitive hooks make this song very catchy. I find it hard to fault this song and thoroughly enjoyed it. (10/10)

6. Not Too Late (밤하늘) – Not Too Late continues with the energy downtrend with a R&B track. Everything in song is quite dreamy, from the vocals to the R&B synth dominant instrumentation accented by piano and guitars. The rapping also follows the same mindset and the hooks are quite easy on the ears, easing us into the song and off the album. Another strong song and ender to this album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Eternal Sunshine – ATEEZ

October 4, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged ATEEZ2 Comments

Kicking off this new week in the KPOP industry is ATEEZ’s music video release for Eternal Sunshine. As this single now has a music video, it is eligible for a full review on my blog, which is the purpose of this post. Eternal Sunshine was one of the contenders for the main promotional track for Zero: Fever Part 3, which was released in mid-September. But it was outvoted by Deja Vu, which was admittedly expected given Deja Vu aligned with ATEEZ’s image and profile more. But as I predicted in that review, the music video for Eternal Sunshine would still be released. On a quick side note before I jump into reviewing the song, if you are still after an ATEEZ fix, keep your eyes open for my album review, which I will be posting later today.

For ATEEZ’s range of title tracks, Eternal Sunshine is very much unexplored territory for the group. The song opts for the synth-pop subgenre that comes off as energetic and refreshing. Usually, we get very intense and edgy sounds from the group, so this is definitely a new and refreshing take on the ATEEZ we know. For the most part, I think it is a solid track. It is well suited for summer and is much more colourful than anything we have heard from the group before. The vocals were very nice and allowed the vocalists to explore pop with their melodies. The rapping was also decent, bringing more of a 90s influence via their delivery. The same can also be said about the chanty anthem that formed the bridge, which also felt like a substantial throwback to that same era and had good energy. The electronic humming was a great centrepiece of Eternal Sunshine and was quite memorable. However I think there were ways that ATEEZ and their producers could have made Eternal Sunshine more bold. The song lacked a climax. We got a high note from Jongho, which usually signifies a climax. But it just wasn’t exciting enough for me. I also wished they changed up the instrumentation a bit in the final chorus to spice up the song a bit and somehow close the song in a much profound manner. Eternal Sunshine, even though is new ground for the group, could have been better, with what we got being fulfilling but not gratifying.

To match the refreshing and summery tone of the song, the music video was extremely bright, vibrant and colourful. It definitely made the video very appealing to watch. The sun is constantly shining, which makes complete sense since the song is titled Eternal Sunshine. Out of all the scenes, I really liked Hongjoong’s solo scene, where he is being dragged across the train’s floor. It made me chuckle, but also added a lighthearted tone. This was reiterated towards the end of the video with all the members sitting on the floor and via their group scenes at the end of the video as well. The only confusing point in this video is the snow – not too sure what that represents. There is a line about Christmas in August, but I can’t really decipher that as well.

I feel that lighthearted tone of the music video also carried over into the performance aspect of this release. It also looked fun, energetic and the members looked like they were enjoying their time on stage, especially during the bridge of the performance. The moves didn’t feel intense, but the performance still carried that ATEEZ flair.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 5th Week of September 2021

October 4, 2021Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

A bit of a celebration occurred yesterday, as I marked 10 years of KPOPREVIEWED. Thanks once again for visiting and reading what I put out. But now we are back to business with reviews already coming out earlier today. And there is another review and album review coming out today (surprise!!). But I need to quickly post out the Weekly KPOP Charts for the last week before we proceed any further, so here we go!

New song releases of the week

This week, I reviewed new releases such as AB6IX’s CHERRY, Key’s BAD LOVE and Ciipher’s Blind, which also formed part of the new entries into the chart system this past week. The following songs have also been entered into the chart system and began their nine week run this past week:

Can’t Say Goodbye – 100%
Out of the Blue – Dowoon (DAY6)
Sick Of It – LUHA
Santa Monica – NIK
Dark Dream – E’LAST
ICONS – HOT ISSUE
Drama – NAUNGJAE
In My Space – Kim Woojin
Swipe – ITZY
STAY – Oh Sae Beom
Time Travel – Rhea
Starry Night – WEi

Throwback Corner

Nostalgic me was binging a lot of ‘old’ releases this week thanks to those ‘Looking Back’ posts that I used to reflect on 10 years! So many good songs to be put into this Throwback Corner, but I chose the one that I will never get tired of – Secert’s 2012 release of Poison.

The Charts

Congratulations to Key and his new single, BAD LOVE, for topping the charts for the 5th and final week of September 2021. For more of the charts, see below.

	5th Week of September 2021	26th Sep – 2nd Oct 2021
Pos.	Song	Artist	Status
1	BAD LOVE	Key (SHINee)	(NEW)
2	CHERRY	AB6IX	(NEW)
3	Blind	Ciipher	(NEW)
4	Gallery	Park Ji Hoon	(▲ 71)
5	Popping	ONF	(▲ 2)
6	Changer	A.C.E	(▲ 2)
7	THRILL-RIDE	THE BOYZ	(▲ 11)
8	LOCO	ITZY	(▲ 2)
9	Ra Pam Pam	Golden Child	(▲ 48)
10	LO$ER=LO♡ER	TXT	(▼ 7)
11	Hate That	Key (SHINee) ft. Tayeon (SNSD)	(▲ 41)
12	Blue	Wonho	(▲ 4)
13	Wave	CIX	(▲ 14)
14	Gas Pedal	CRAVITY	(▲ 19)
15	Zombie	PURPLE KISS	(▼ 14)
16	Thunderous	Stray Kids	(▼ 10)
17	BRAIN	Yang Yoseob (HIGHLIGHT)	(▼ 13)
18	Sticker	NCT 127	(▼ 3)
19	My Universe	Coldplay & BTS	(▲ 60)
20	Be My Lover?	Kim Jong Kook & ATEEZ	(▼ 1)
21	Summer or Summer	Hyolyn & Dasom	(▲ 21)
22	mOnO	OnlyOneOf	(▲ 55)
23	mumumumuch	Mamamoo	(▲ 5)
24	FLEX	T1419	(▲ 35)
25	Life Is Beautiful	ONEUS	(▼ 8)
26	The View	Stray Kids	(▼ 24)
27	CHEESE	Stray Kids	(▲ 3)
28	After ‘We Ride’	Brave Girls	(▲ 46)
29	Outsider	BTOB	(▲ 22)
30	Lemonade	Lee Eun Sang	(▼ 25)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have wrapped up their nine weeks on the charts, and hence will no longer be eligible for the Weekly KPOP Charts:

After Midnight – ASTRO
Ra Pam Pam – Golden Child
DUMB DUMB – Jeon Somi
I Can’t Make You Love Me – KIN DA BLUE ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo)
Holiday Party – Weeekly
Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot! – ONEUS
Ready Now – Kim Woojin
5 Seconds Before Explosion – Thunder
You Can’t Sit With Us – Sunmi
East End – 2Z
Love Yourself – Kang Insoo
FLY UP HIGH – SKYLE
BENCH – AKMU ft. Zion T
EVEREST – AKMU ft. Sam Kim

[Album Review] Queendom (6th Mini Album) – Red Velvet

October 4, 2021October 3, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Red Velvet2 Comments

Next album review is Red Velvet’s Queendom, the group’s sixth mini-album. It is the group’s first comeback since the release of The ReVe Festival: Finale in 2019, which is headlined by Psycho, which was unfortunately cut short due to a stage accident involving Wendy, which left her and Red Velvet absent as a whole group throughout 2020. Queendom (the mini-album) is headlined by the title track of the same name, both of which was released mid-August of this year.

1. Queendom (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Queendom. (8/10)

2. Pose – Pose seems to find a balance between Red Velvet’s Red and Velvet side (again, do they still categorise their releases between the two?) and reminds me of their past hits. Pose had that quirky element within in its synth pop instrumentation. It made the song lively and quite fun. I also like the bass that we got as part of the background, which gave it depth and an intriguing influence. The smoothness of the vocals, especially in the chorus, and the rapping gave Pose a level of sophistication that aligns with the group’s Velvet side. It isn’t a mind-blowing say, but it was nice overall. (8/10)

3. Knock On Wood – Knock On Wood is another pleasant pop song. The synths in Knock On Wood definitely added to the song, making it more interesting, and added texture to the otherwise plain song. It isn’t an overwhelming amount, allowing the song to achieve that ‘pleasant’ description. The vocals further showcases, especially when the members sing together in the chorus. There was a bit of catchiness in the ‘Knock Knock’ hook. My only gripe about the song is the high pitch ‘Knock Knock’ that Yeri (for the first post-chorus hook) and Irene (for the second post-chorus hook) delivers in the background as an echo of the hook. (8/10)

4. Better Be – I personally liked the direction in which Better Be was going in. The song has this really smooth urban chicness feel to it, which stood out for me. This is thanks to an instrumental. The consistency (which tends to be a sore point for me) worked incredibly well in this song and aided the members to bring out that chicness through their contributions to the song. I really like the husky whispering of the song’s main hook, and the amazingness of the vocals during the verses and choruses. The harmonies also boosts up the song, while the rap-speak was well suited for this song. (9/10)

5. Pushin’ and Pullin’ – We get a bit more oomph in Pushin’ and Pullin’ thanks to the drums and bass. It is what is missing from the album. While it does align itself with the rest of the album, this is my pick for the strongest song on the mini-album. This is simple because of that oomph and that extra serving of vocals we get in Pushin’ and Pullin’. It was their strongest effort yet (on this album), as evident by the ad-libs. The R&B instrumental had a striking factor to it, thanks to the piano and drums. (9/10)

6. Hello, Sunset (다시, 여름) – We have heard sophisticated, pleasant and chic sounds from Red Velvet. And now it is dreamy Red Velvet. I really like how light the group’s vocals, especially when they sing together for the chorus. It was warm and definitely soothing. Instrumentally, the song is quite simple, tapping into the R&B genre, and there isn’t anything special about it. But if you were to take away one thing from Hello, Sunset, it definitely has to be the vocals. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Splash – MIRAE

October 4, 2021October 3, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MIRAE1 Comment

Next up on the reviewing block is MIRAE’s first comeback, Splash, which occurred at the end of August of this year. This comeback follows their debut with KILLA (the title of both their debut single and debut mini-album, the latter has not been reviewed).

When I sit down to compare Splash with KILLA, I am left disappointed. You would hope that the first comeback following debut would be better than the debut track (regardless of how good the debut track was). But with Splash, it seems like the opposite is happening. While Splash does line up well with KILLA in the sense that it is an intense and edgy EDM track, Splash feels very plain and boring in comparison. The instrumentation isn’t exciting where it needs to be (i.e. the chorus) and leaves you wanting a whole heap more. It isn’t as bombastic or epic as KILLA was. I am not too sure whether we can blame the hip-hop influence being the main cause of the generic nature of the song, but I feel like past experience says that is the case. The vocals and rapping fair a bit better, as they members really tried to drive up the dynamic nature of the song. The rapping, particularly in the first verse and the bridge, was quite impressive. The vocals did suffer from the generic nature of the song, with the melodies being quite plain and unoriginal. But that being said, the members were pretty clear and were definitely at the forefront of the song. Other than that, I don’t much else to about Splash. It is a step backwards and I hope that their future comeback is able to make up for this.

I think the music video was the strongest aspect of this comeback. The budget and post-production (i.e. that big wave, which makes sense with a song titled Splash, though I feel a capitalised stylisation would have been more suitable as that wave would only lead to a big SPLASH) really gave the video that wow factor that I am usually after, while the sets and the outfits worn by the members really emphasised the edgy factor from the song.

I like how powerful their routine is. It isn’t the most memorable choreography this year, but I liked their intense energy and stage presence. I thought the dance break was pretty cool. It doesn’t seem like much, but it was the highlight of the performance for me.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Special] Celebrating 10 Years of KPOPREVIEWED

October 3, 2021October 3, 2021Posted in Special13 Comments

Excuse the mushiness of this post and cringy feature image I created. I have the creativity of a log. 🙂

Yikes! 10 years ago, I started KPOPREVIEWED. The date was 3rd October 2011 (on WordPress). To be honest, that is the date that I have on hand as the start of this particular blog. KPOPREVIEWED actually started earlier elsewhere by a few days, but I have deleted that blog and don’t have any of that information on hand anymore.

Over the few days, I have been in this nostalgic mindset thanks to writing this particular thank you post. Hence, I thought it was nice to look back at the very reason why we are all here and so interested in the KPOP industry – the songs, albums, artists, music videos and performances. If you had a keen eye, you would have noticed that I stopped ‘Looking Back’ past 10 years (though I did throw a few extra artists, videos, choreographies in for pre-2011 releases). It pained me to stop at an odd number, but I thought it would be a nice subtle hint at what the end of the special series would entail. it was also a great reflection over the last 10 years. So many releases were sifted through, and so many binges were carried out.

10 years is a long time. 3653 days to be precise (because Korea and mothers with new born babies have this weird obsession with celebrating a certain number of days). Just to put into perspective:

approx. 2406 song reviews written to date (in some capacity, however this number does not includes any songs that I have reviewed in an album review format)
430 album reviews written to date
632 followers (a much higher number than what I had ever expected)
over 1,300,000 views
over 620,000 unique visitors
over 850 comments (most of which is me, but still a bunch of comments over the years)
over 2380 likes

I am sure other similar blogs have much higher numbers than mine (I see a lot more traffic on my fellow peers blogs). But if you were to ask me 10 years ago that I would have over 1,300,000 views to something, I would laugh and ask if you are joking.

To be honest, I never thought I would reach 10 years. For those who don’t know, KPOPREVIEWED was started as an escape from my studies (I was in high school then). Fast forward 10 years, I have graduated both high school and university, and even moved out to live independently. It was only a few years ago that I thought to even try harder at blogging (as I didn’t have much of a part time job while studying at university and researched ways I could develop skills for a job – blogging was one of them), and I think it paid off. Since then, it has helped land me my full time job (interestingly, this blog and my work have nothing to do with one another) and has been an interesting ice-breaker with some people.

But the biggest reason to why the blog has lasted so long is YOU! The views on my blog have grown exponentially of the last few years. I presume this growing number of views each year tells me that there is an appetite for what I post and it drives me to continue posting. So my biggest thanks to everyone out there, no matter if you have been following the blog since day one or have just discovered the blog today. As cliché as it sounds, I could not have done this without your support, and for that I am grateful for you. 🙂

So what does this post mean for me? Is this reflective and thanking post the end of KPOPREVIEWED? Nope. I think I bit more in me. Whether I will last another 10 years, that’s a different story. However, I will promise (and I truly mean this one – I know I don’t have the best track record of promises because of this year) that once I work out when my time is up, I will let you know and bid you all a proper farewell. I think it is the right thing for me to do and it would help give me some closure before I officially move on. But in the meanwhile, I am sticking around and have a lot of catching up to do. And a lot more posting to do. (A lot of still coming up, such as the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, new and returning segments that I really want to do etc.)

I leave you with my personal favourite releases below – one of each from the 10 years I have been around (plus 2021, since the blog has been active in 2021). (I honestly have no idea to celebrate 10 years – though I am baking cookies later today :D).

Massive thanks again and see you tomorrow (for the start of another decade)!

2011 – Sixth Sense (Brown Eyed Girls)

2012 – Poison (Secret)

2013 – Female President (Girl’s Day)

2014 – Sugar Free (T-ARA)

2015 – Ah Yeah (EXID)

2016 – Very Nice (SEVENTEEN)

2017 – Hwi Hwi (Laboum)

2018 – I Love You (EXID)

2019 – Time Of Our Life (DAY6)

2020 – Back Door (Stray Kids)

2021 – Beautiful Beautiful (ONF) (at this point in time – may change)

[Special] Looking Back: Best and Notable Artists

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021Posted in Special2 Comments

As part of a super special series, I will be doing rewinding the clock and reflecting on the years that have passed by focusing on certain aspects that have defined KPOP. All will make sense once I reach the end of this series.

It is without a doubt that KPOP would not be what it is currently without its artists. After all, they are the main attraction of the industry. Over the years, we have seen a lot of artists come and go. Some have truly succeeded and their careers have broken boundaries. Others have disappeared from the industry, following scandals, early disbandments or contract curses. Some have stayed the long haul and have enjoyed long term careers in the industry. Some have even gone into acting and other lines of work, following their careers on our screens.

Infinite & VIXX
Miss A & Rainbow
K.Will & IU

2012

U-KISS
Secret
IU

2011

Big Bang
2NE1
IU

[Album Review] My Collection (4th Mini Album) – Park Ji Hoon

October 2, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Park Ji Hoon2 Comments

Park Ji Hoon’s My Collection album review was supposed to be release last week. But as usual, I was a little behind (can’t remember why I ended up being behind schedule) and decided to hold back the review for this weekend. My Collection features the title track, Gallery, which was released back in August of this year, along with an intro track (which will be factored into the final album rating) and four other new songs. This is Park Ji Hoon’s fourth mini-album to date and follows his first studio album, Message, which was released at the end of last year.

1. Present On The Stage (Intro) – Personally, I am not a fan of this particular intro track. It isn’t terrible, but just not my cup of tea. While it is pleasant and has a bit of a hip-hop influence to it, I wasn’t liking the drawn nature of the vocals and the stagnant feel it provided. If I had to base the album on the first track, things wouldn’t look too bright. Present On The Stage may have made me skip over this album. (6/10)

2. Gallery (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Gallery. (9/10)

3. Lost (feat. LILBOI) – Once again, Lost isn’t my cup of tea. I am just not entirely drawn to the song, mainly because it didn’t feel like it got anywhere once Lost wrapped up. I do admit that the pop track was light and rather chilled. Park Ji Hoon brings some falsettos to the song, while LILBOI brought some dynamic energy to the song via his rapping. Neither was enough to convince otherwise about the song, however. (7/10)

4. Strawberry – You might think that I would apply similar comments as the preceding comments to Strawberry. And I would say you are partly right. Strawberry felt pretty linear and didn’t really feel like it developed as it progressed along. However, I do like Park Ji Hoon’s vocals in this song more. His hoarse voice was definitely shown off in this song, and it was a nice accompaniment to the soft R&B coffee shop-like instrumentation. His falsetto notes were pretty nice here, drifting in and out when it was added to the song. (7.5/10)

5. I Wonder – After two paced and vocally driven songs, I Wonder refocuses the album with an upbeat track, which to me is familiar territory for Park Ji Hoon. I much prefer this side of the artist. I will admit the song is pretty plain and simple, but I am sure that the performance for I Wonder would have been enjoyable to watch. I liked the slight dynamic nature that is brought into the song via Park JI Hoon’s vocals, and how upbeat the chorus was thanks to the heavier presence of the synths. It added meat and definition to the song, which I quite enjoyed. (8/10)

6. Remember (파도에게) – Ending the album is Remember. Like the intro track, Remember is also quite pleasant. But electronic synths in the song gives it a nice kick that I thoroughly enjoyed and sets it apart from the into track. Remember bundles all my comments above about Park Ji Hoon’s vocals and rapping into this one song. You get the dynamic nature from his rapping, and the hoarse vocals throughout the song. Both give this smooth instrumental nice and pleasant textures, and everything comes together to be quite dreamy. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Blind – Ciipher

October 2, 2021October 2, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged CiipherLeave a comment

I disappeared once again this week. I didn’t take a break, but spent majority of the week writing out those ‘Looking Back’ posts (who knew making a YouTube playlist would be so time consuming?). But now I am briefly back to review some albums and other tracks from this week and earlier. First up is Ciipher’s first comeback since their debut with I Like You back in March of this year. Earlier this week, the group dropped their second mini-album, Blind, which featured the title track of the same name.

I Like You had potential, but failed to fully encapsulate that potential in the three minute song. If I had a chance, I would have reserved that song to be a side track and bumped up Blind as the debut title track. It would have been a much better launching pad for the group and surely attracted more attention towards their debut (which is definitely something one would need in this current competitive climate). What really stood out for me in Blind was the instrumental. Blind has this edgy kick to it (via the synth selection), which makes Blind so much more appealing to listen to. This, combined with the other elements I usually focus on, results in an booster version of the group. The guitar riff we hear throughout the chorus makes the song’s centrepiece electrifying, and I thought the plain and simple hook line at the start of the chorus was quite catchy and punchy. I did wish the guitar riffs were a little more pronounced, as this would have heightened the energy and bring forth a much stronger electrifying feeling. I also like the buildup and hype towards the choruses in the song. The drums and concentration that occurs here definitely teases the energy that we got in the chorus. The rapping in Blind is definitely satisfying and adds to the energy of the song. The sequence we get at the end was probably one of my personal favourite moments of the song, as it continued the momentum from the final chorus and helped end the song on a strong note. The vocals were also quite good. While there was some vocal processing, Blind featured clear vocals. I did find it a bit odd that autotune wasn’t used in Blind as much as their debut track. In their debut track, the use of autotune didn’t feel right and its use here instead would have aligned better. Overall, a strong and much better song that I wished was their debut track.

I think with the sound in which Blind had gone for, the music video could have gotten away with a slightly darker concept. I am not thinking horror or dark lighting to the point where you can’t make out the member’s faces. Rather, the producers of the music video could have gone with something edgy, but also keeping it casual as well. Maybe outfits that brings out rock influences, given the guitar riffs we get in the chorus. Or a stage, instead of an office. I understand the more youthful approach of the video, given the energy that comes from the song. but I feel the video as it stands felt more fitting for a pop sound. Some elements within the music video already head in that direction, such as the blue the outfits they wore in the office set for one of their choreography sequences. But like in that example, they looked out of place.

I like the energy they bring to the performance. It definitely works well with the energetic and upbeat side of the song. Other than that, it was a good performance. Not exactly memorable, but it was fun to watch.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Special] Looking Back: Best and Notable Albums

October 1, 2021Posted in Special3 Comments

As part of a super special series, I will be doing rewinding the clock and reflecting on the years that have passed by focusing on certain aspects that have defined KPOP. All will make sense once I reach the end of this series.

Other notable album:

Neverland (2nd Studio Album) – U-KISS

[Special] Looking Back: Non-Korean Songs

September 30, 2021Posted in Special1 Comment

Over the years, KPOP have expanded into other music industries. It started with just the Korean market. Soon, KPOP artists entered the nearby Japanese pop music market, which was a very successful move for some groups, who thrived and ended up focusing more on Japanese promotions. Historically, a number of Korean acts failed to make it big in the Western pop music industry, But that all changed very recently with the success of BTS and other groups who have a big international fanbase in the Western pop music scene. Today, I will be looking back at the Best and Notable non-Korean tracks released by Korean artists.

From 2017 to 2020, the songs listed in the bold text are those who were voted in as Best International Song/Best Non-Korean Song by a Korean Artist/Best Japanese Song for those years. I have also listed an additional song as a notable song where there is one available. From 2016 and earlier, the song in the bold text are those that I have selected to be the Best Japanese Song for those years.

2020 – Dynamite (BTS)

Other notable non-Korean song: Fallin’ Flower (Seventeen)

2019 – Breakthrough (TWICE)

Other notable non-Korean song: Moonwalk (WAYV)

2018 – Electric Kiss (EXO)

Other notable non-Korean song: Call Call Call (Seventeen)

2017 – One More Time (TWICE)

2016 – Sayonara Hitori (Taemin (SHINee))

2015 – Can’t Wait To Love You (BEAST/HIGHLIGHT)

2014 – F.F.Y (MYNAME)

2013 – Bunny Style (T-ARA)

2012 – Dazzling Girl (SHINee)

2011 – TICK TACK (UKISS)

[Special] Looking Back: Best and Notable Choreographies

September 29, 2021Posted in Special2 Comments

Another visual aspect of the comebacks in KPOP are the choreographies. To me, this makes KPOP very unique. As far as I am aware, Korea is one of the few countries in which artists can promote on stage for 6 days a week, and promotional periods range between 1 to 4 weeks. That is a crazy amount of stage performances that KPOP idols need to do. But it is exposure that a lot of groups need to make it to the top. And there is a vast variety of performances out there, as you can tell from the list below, which contains the best and notable choreographies in KPOP.

The Boys – SNSD

Pre-2011

Sorry Sorry – Super Junior
Gee – SNSD
Lucifer – SHINee
Nobody – Wonder Girls
Heartbeat – SHINee

[Special] Looking Back: Best and Notable Music Videos

September 29, 2021September 29, 2021Posted in Special3 Comments

One of the most visual aspects of KPOP is the music video. Over the years, we have seen a lot of amazing music videos, with a lot of them featuring amazing sets, vivid concepts and cinematic quality storylines. When you look at a lot of videos (especially some of the ones featured below), you can tell that a lot of effort and planning has been put into such videos. Sometimes budgets can exceed millions of dollars in some cases and complex stories covered by multiple videos and comebacks. In this post, I look over the music videos that you and I have picked as the best music videos.

Between 2017 to 2020, the music video in the header text were selected as the Best Music Video by you through the yearly KPOPREVIEWED Awards, while the music videos in the header text from 2016 and earlier were chosen by me (as back then, only I determined the winners of Best Music Video categories). Under each header, I have also listed one or two extra music videos that were also considered notable, as this was also determined by you or me in relevant years.

2020 – LADIDA (EVERGLOW)

Other notable music video: Back Door (Stray Kids)

2019 – Obsession (EXO)

Other notable music videos: Feel Special (TWICE) & HIT (SEVENTEEN)

2018 – Fake Love (BTS)

Other notable music videos: DDU-DU DDU-DU (BLACKPINK)

2017 – Peek-A-Boo (Red Velvet)

Other notable music videos: You In Me (KARD)

2016 – Skydive (B.A.P)

Other notable music videos: Blood Sweat & Tears (BTS)

2015 – You (G.Soul)

Other notable music videos: Pray (FT Island)

2014 – The Story of our Lives (G.O.D ft. Megan Lee)

Other notable music videos: Red Light (f(x))

2013 – G.R.8.U (VIXX)

Other notable music videos: ONE SHOT (B.A.P) & Growl (EXO)

2012 – Fantastic Baby (Big Bang)

Other notable music videos: Sherlock (SHINee) & This Is War (MBLAQ)

2011 – Cleansing Cream (Brown Eyed Girls)

Other notable music videos: Love Song (Big Bang) & Going Crazy (Song Ji Eun ft. Bang Yong Guk

Pre-2011 – Haru Haru (BIG BANG), Gee (SNSD), Mirotic (TVXQ)

[Review] BAD LOVE – Key (SHINee)

September 28, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Key (SHINee), SHINee5 Comments

Also making his comeback yesterday was Key (from SHINee), who returns with his first comeback as a solo artist. In 2018, Key made his solo debut with One of Those Nights (ft. Crush) and the studio length album, Face. In 2019, Key did make a comeback, but it was marketed as his first repackaged album, which was retitled I Wanna Be and featured the title track of the same name (ft. Kim Soyeon from (G)I-DLE). Yesterday, Key returned with his first mini-album, BAD LOVE, which is lead by the title track of the same name and the pre-release single Hate That (ft. Taeyeon from SNSD – which I haven’t reviewed yet).

I may have already teased my thoughts on BAD LOVE yesterday with a subtle reference to Key’s new song in AB6IX’s CHERRY review. I mentioned that I was glad that there wasn’t two overwhelming songs yesterday, which means I was hinting towards BAD LOVE being the other overwhelming song. I am kind of glad I did give myself an extra day to recalibrate my senses, as I don’t find BAD LOVE as overwhelming anymore. Multiple listens has really warmed me up to this song. But is the chorus still a bit too thick for my liking? Yes, I felt there was a lot going on and to digest as the song’s synths really ramps up in the chorus and you can tell that Key was really pushing his vocals to be in the forefront of all the synths. But, I do see how memorable the chorus is, how Key really shows and impresses with his vocal chops when his vocals soar in the song and the constant delivery of those high notes, and why some people might consider it a ‘out of the park’ song. Unfortunately, those initial thoughts still seem to float around in my head when I listen to BAD LOVE, so I can’t really share the exact same perception. Elsewhere in the song, BAD LOVE really flourishes with its retro and electronic mix. While this sound isn’t original, I feel that BAD LOVE really (and literally) takes the sound profile to the next level. I am not keen with the synths at the very start of the song, but everything else in BAD LOVE was definitely rocking and shows the creativeness of the producer. The bridge was very interesting with the really deep and raspy ‘I’m not thinking of you‘. That was wow moment for me that stood out for me initially.

The only thing I am a bit wary of in this music video is that red outfit in the choreography scenes. I think that was the only negative aspect of the music video. Aside from that, the music video was equally as aggressive as the song (but obviously in a visual sense). From what I can tell, Key seems to be portraying a celebrity who is starring in his own BAD LOVE sci-fi story (that ultimately ends with his demise). It drives Key insane and he wants out of the story, as he doesn’t want to relive the events that he himself had already gone through. I really enjoyed his acting and Key definitely makes the video a worthwhile watch. While a lot of the sets seemed to bring forth that modernish vibe, I feel the stage platform with the disco balls above it was a nice tie in of the retro influences to the video.

Also like the song and music video, the choreography for this comeback also took an aggressive approach that felt very fitting for the song. From the scenes in the music video, you can feel a lot of artistic flair within the choreography. I would also like to see Key replicate that ending (with the dancers lying down on stage) on stage, as that was a very memorable image to finish on.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

[Special] Looking Back: Best and Notable Debuts

September 27, 2021Posted in Special8 Comments

Each year there are new groups and solo acts starting out in the industry. Many of the groups and soloists on this list have literally defined and shaped KPOP in remarkable and iconic way. Other groups or soloists unfortunately did not have much of a chance to do so, while some others are just starting out and could become the next big thing in the industry. In this post, I look back at the debuts that you picked as the best and my personal favourite debuts over the years.

From 2017 to 2020, the debuts listed in the bold header texts are based on the winners of the KPOPREVIEWED Awards of the respective year, which were chosen by you. Underneath the headings for 2017 – 2020 (in the plain text), I listed my personal favourite debuts from these years. For the other years, the bold header texts are my personal favourites (I didn’t open voting up to you all during these years) and included other notable debuts in that respective year there as well. There is also an accompanying playlist for the debut singles for each of the groups/soloists listed.

PS. This post might take a while to load as there is a playlist for each year.

2020 – DRIPPIN, aespa, WOODZ, Ryu Sujeong (Lovelyz)

Personal favourites – TREASURE, Weeekly, WOODZ, YooA (Oh My Girl)

2019 – ITZY, TXT, Hwasa (Mamamoo), Baekhyun (EXO)

Personal Favourites – EVERGLOW, AB6IX, Hwasa (Mamamoo), HUTA (Lee Minhyuk – BTOB)

2018 – Stray Kids, (G)I-DLE, Yuri (SNSD)

Personal Favourites – The Boyz, fromis_9, Kim Dong Han

2017 – Dream Catcher, Wanna One, Kim Chungha

Personal Favourite – Dream Catcher, Wanna One, Jeong Sewoon

2016 – ASTRO, WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

2015 – GFriend, Seventeen, Jonghyun (SHINee), G.Soul

2014 – GOT7, Mamamoo, HA:TFELT, Jung Hyosung (former member of Secret)

2013 – BESTie, Sunmi, HISTORY

2012 – B.A.P, GLAM, Ailee

2011 – APINK, B1A4

Pre-2011 Notable Debuts – BEAST (now known as HIGHLIGHT), MISS A, Infinite, CN BLUE, 4MINUTE, T-ARA, 2NE1, 2PM, SHINee, SNSD

[Review] CHERRY – AB6IX

September 27, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged AB6IX2 Comments

One of the comebacks kick starting the final week of September 2021 is AB6IX’s CHERRY. This new single is the latest from the group and is featured on their second studio length album, MO’ COMPLETE. This comeback follows the release of their fourth mini-album from April of this year – MO’ COMPLETE: Have a Dream and its lead single CLOSE. It is also their third comeback of the year, which makes this another busy year for the group.

Right off the bat, AB6IX blasts us with CHERRY‘s colourful energy. This sets the tone overall and continues on throughout the song. It isn’t an overwhelming blast of energy though, which was great. Personally, I probably would have taken the night off and avoided dealing with two overwhelming songs in one day (more on that in my next review – to be posted tomorrow). CHERRY‘s bright energy follows on from The Answer, one of AB6IX’s comeback tracks in 2020, as that too was quite an upbeat and funky comeback for the group (in comparison to their previous releases). However, CHERRY is much more concentrated when it comes to the funky direction they had chosen to go with. I quite like the chorus, but probably not for the reason you would think of. It was definitely dynamic, especially when it comes to the member’s delivery, matching the energy we got from the instrumentation. However, the scene-stealing element was the ‘YUM‘ in the chorus. It was so straightforward and serious, which made me laugh. Not exactly sure if that was the intended effect, but it made the song memorable for me. What I also enjoyed was how the members also brought out that dynamic tone to the verses and bridge, making CHERRY a very satisfying listen. I felt that the verses could have been very plain, but the dynamic delivery definitely liven up the sections in question. The post-chorus following the first and final choruses was probably the weakest element of the song in my opinion. I felt that they toned down the energy by the slightest amount, which felt noticeable to me. I wished they just continued the momentum and had a stronger hook in this part, which I am sure would have CHERRY even more memorable. Overall, CHERRY was a great song that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The music video was quite fun and colourful, just like the song. I wished there was more to the video however, as it is just a bunch of closeups and choreography. They seemed to hint at something more with the members staring off screen at some parts, as if their crush had just walked past behind camera. It was a nice detail to add to the video, but I think it would have been better with an actual person on-screen, kind of like GOT7’s A. I did like the extra graphics they had in the background for one of the choreography shots, and the various effects we saw throughout the video.

The choreography for this comeback is definitely energetic and intense (in the sense that it is continuous and doesn’t offer many moments to catch your breath). I particularly those air punches they do just before the choruses and their expressions on stage make this performance even more interesting to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

New song releases of the week

Throwback Corner

The Charts

Songs leaving the charts this week

Massive thanks again and see you tomorrow (for the start of another decade)!

2011 – Sixth Sense (Brown Eyed Girls)

2012 – Poison (Secret)

2013 – Female President (Girl’s Day)

2014 – Sugar Free (T-ARA)

2015 – Ah Yeah (EXID)

2016 – Very Nice (SEVENTEEN)

2017 – Hwi Hwi (Laboum)

2018 – I Love You (EXID)

2019 – Time Of Our Life (DAY6)

2020 – Back Door (Stray Kids)

2021 – Beautiful Beautiful (ONF) (at this point in time – may change)

2020

Golden ChildLovelyzBaekhyun (EXO)IU

2019

TWICEEXOTaemin (SHINee)IU

2018

BTSRed VelvetSeungri (ex-Big Bang)Taeyeon (SNSD)

2017

Red VelvetEXO & B.A.P (tie)IU & Sunmi (tie)G-DRAGON (Big Bang)

2016

SeventeenMamamooZicoTaeyeon (SNSD)

2015

EXIDGOT7Tayeon (SNSD)Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)

2014

VIXXGirl’s DayCrushSong Ji Eun (ex-Secret)

2013

Girl’s DaySHINeeAilee

2012

U-KISSSecretIU

2011

Big Bang2NE1IU

2020: -77.82*-78.29 (2nd Mini Album) – EVERGLOW

2019: Love Poem (5th Mini Album) – IU

2018: The Story of Light (6th Studio Album) – SHINee

2017: Palette (4th Studio Album) – IU

2016: Wings (2nd Studio Album) -BTS

2015: 4Walls (4th Studio Album) – F(x)

2014: Red Light (3rd Studio Album) – F(x)

2013: Pink Tape (2nd Studio Album) – F(x)

2012: Alive/Still Alive (5th Studio Album/5th Studio Album Repackaged) – Big Bang

2011: Wonder World (2nd Studio Album) – Wonder Girls

2020 – Dynamite (BTS)

2019 – Breakthrough (TWICE)

2018 – Electric Kiss (EXO)

2017 – One More Time (TWICE)

2016 – Sayonara Hitori (Taemin (SHINee))

2015 – Can’t Wait To Love You (BEAST/HIGHLIGHT)

2014 – F.F.Y (MYNAME)

2013 – Bunny Style (T-ARA)

2012 – Dazzling Girl (SHINee)

2011 – TICK TACK (UKISS)

2020

ONE (LUCID DREAM) – Golden ChildDUN DUN – EVERGLOWCriminal – Taemin (SHINee)NUNU NANA – JESSI

2019

Butterfly – LOONALove Shot – EXOWant – Taemin (SHINee)

2018

Thanks – SeventeenWoman – BoA

2017

Don’t Wanna Cry – SEVENTEEN

2016

Hard Carry – GOT7

2015

DOPE – BTS

2014

Sugar Free – T-ARA

2013

Everybody – SHINeeGrowl – EXO

2012

Sherlock – SHINee

2011

Neverland – UKISS

Pre-2011

Sorry Sorry – Super JuniorGee – SNSDLucifer – SHINeeNobody – Wonder GirlsHeartbeat – SHINee

2020 – LADIDA (EVERGLOW)

2019 – Obsession (EXO)

Golden Child
Lovelyz
Baekhyun (EXO)
IU

TWICE
EXO
Taemin (SHINee)
IU

BTS
Red Velvet
Seungri (ex-Big Bang)
Taeyeon (SNSD)

Red Velvet
EXO & B.A.P (tie)
IU & Sunmi (tie)
G-DRAGON (Big Bang)

Seventeen
Mamamoo
Zico
Taeyeon (SNSD)

EXID
GOT7
Tayeon (SNSD)
Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)

VIXX
Girl’s Day
Crush
Song Ji Eun (ex-Secret)

Girl’s Day
SHINee
Ailee

U-KISS
Secret
IU

Big Bang
2NE1
IU

ONE (LUCID DREAM) – Golden Child
DUN DUN – EVERGLOW
Criminal – Taemin (SHINee)
NUNU NANA – JESSI

Butterfly – LOONA
Love Shot – EXO
Want – Taemin (SHINee)

Thanks – Seventeen
Woman – BoA

Everybody – SHINee
Growl – EXO

Sorry Sorry – Super Junior
Gee – SNSD
Lucifer – SHINee
Nobody – Wonder Girls
Heartbeat – SHINee