Next up for an album review is Kep1er’s Tipi-Tap mini-album, the group’s 6th. Leading this five-track mini-album is the title track, which gives the album its name. Both the Tipi-Tap song and mini-album mark Kep1er’s first Korean release since June 2024’s Shooting Star and the studio album Kep1going On, as well as Kep1er’s first release as a 7-member group (following the departure of MASHIRO and YESEO, who redebuted as part of MADEIN).
More recently, Kep1er released their first Japanese mini-album, Against the World (led by YUM), and their seventh Korean mini-album, Bubble Gum, (led by the single of the same name).
Tipi-Tap Album Cover
1. sync-love – First song out of the gate is sync-love, a hyper-pop track, which features some really cool synth work and rapping work from HIKARU.I really liked how pronounced both these elements were throughout the track. Contrasting them are the less-pronounced vocals and the backing to the vocal’s sequences, but they bring such a nice grounded and R&B touch to the song. I also really enjoyed the outro, with the autotune filtering of DAEYEON’s lines and HIKARU’s acapella line. Overall, a strong start to the mini-album. (9/10)
3. Drip – Out of all the different aspects that make up Drip, it is the chorus that speaks the most to me. It is so catchy and addictive, even though the main hook is just simple repetition. That and the combination of the tight beats during the refrain was super cool. I did wish there was a bit more to the rest of the instrumentation. I also like the mature vibe of the vocals, which complements the mature-leaning lyrics well. Also, Drip has HUENING BAHIYYIH performing the more substantial rapping part and completely nailing it. (8/10)
4. Bitter Taste – Aside from the title track, Bitter Taste is probably the second most skippable song to me. I just don’t remember anything from it, even after listening to the song to write this review. After really focusing in on the song, the only thing I do get out of it is that it has dreamy instrumental and vocal moments. Unfortunately, nothing else stands out to me that I find worth mentioning here. (6/10)
5. Heart Surf –Heart Surf also has a dreamy and soft vibe to it, but it is the vocal work and harmonies in this song that set it apart from the previous song. The flow of the vocals and the song overall was extremely nice. I love the subtle piercing nature of the ‘Just stop the motion’ line just before the choruses. (8/10)
Let’s cast our minds back to November 2024, when Kep1er made their comeback with the mini-album and single of the same name, TIPI-TAP. I apologise for the delay in reviewing the single. TIPI-TAP was Kep1er’s first comeback since becoming a seven-member group, following the departure of Mashiro and Yeseo, who did not renew their contracts and left both Wake One Entertainment and the group. It also follows their Shooting Star single and their first full-length album Kep1going On.
While there are some remaining songs from 2024 that I am eager to review, TIPI-TAP isn’t one of them. Well, if I do not pick it up today, I don’t know when I will. Again, it is a song with certain elements I liked. For example, I liked the warmth of the members’ vocals. I liked how the chorus ended up having some bite to it, thanks to the catchy “Crush on you” hook. And I appreciated the soft tune. But being a soft song does have its limitations, and TIPI-TAP realises some of those limitations. Again, I don’t remember much else from the song aside from the above. Even the repetition of the song’s title wasn’t that much of a draw for me. And don’t get me started on TIPI-TAP‘s attempts to beef up this repetition. The softness also means TIPI-TAP is very ‘light on’, in that there isn’t much to ground the song. To me, this makes the song feel very fleeting and forgettable. There isn’t anything memorable about the DnB instrumental, and I can make similar comments about the vocals, though I will admit the cuter motif works well for them (and is not annoying). I am not a fan of their layering of vocals and rapping in the bridge, but the ‘remixed’ instrumental was a good way to change up the song. Overall, TIPI-TAP gave me things to like and things to forget, resulting in an ‘alright’ from me.
I also find the music video for this comeback to be rather forgettable. It matches up with their cutesy vocals and features a dreamy motif. But I feel everything is just a touch too youthful. The colour palette is vibrant, but feels more suited for the younger kids. In Australia, there is a children’s TV show that I grew up with called Play School, and the colours in the music video remind me of that TV show. The outfits exude a pure and innocent aura, which I find fine. However, some of the styling, such as Hikaru’s headpiece, is more suitable for a very young audience. And the whole ‘bag on the back’ trend throughout K-pop more recently feels very elementary or primary school-like. The wings do not help.
The choreography looks nice. It is quite cutesy and youthful. But like the rest of the comeback, there really wasn’t a standout moment in the routine, and so it was easily swept from our minds once promotions ended or you had moved on to another stage.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.2/10
Kep1er’s Shooting Star is nominated for Best Pop Song in the 2024 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Kep1er and Shooting Star by clicking here to vote for them today.
Kep1er’s first studio album, Kep1going On, is up for a review today. It is their first Korean studio album release since their debut in 2022. It features the title track Shooting Star, as well as the Korean versions of their Japanese title tracks Grand Prix and Straight Line. Kep1going On is also the last album release from Kep1er to feature Kang Yeseo and Sakamoto Mashiro, who did not renew their contracts to continue as part of Kep1er and subsequently made their quick debut under the new group MADEIN.
Kep1going On is not the most amazing release ever, but it is honestly what I had expected Kep1er to release. They did blow me away with Shooting Star and one other side track on the album (continue reading to find out which song that is). Following Kep1going On, the group returned as a seven-member ensemble with Tipi-Tap (which I have yet to review).
Kep1going On Album Cover
1. Last Carnival – I wished Last Carnival was a full track and not an intro track. The atmospheric tone and soft EDM instrumentation were amazing. Kep1er’s vocals were stunning throughout, and the pop melodies were a fantastic lead into the title track that follows. (9/10)
3. Curious – Curious is a decent R&B pop song. I liked the energy that most of the track featured and the vocal work in this one. It feels very lovable and cute-sounding, without going overboard in that department. My only gripe is that the chorus should have built on the momentum that came before it. The chorus could have been a little brighter, as well. This would have made Curious more appealing. (8/10)
4. Flowers, Flutter, Your Heart – Kep1er leans more into the R&B territory with Flowers, Flutter, Your Heart. I will admit that the song is more typical. But I really liked the violins in this one. I also enjoyed how engaging both the members and melodies were in the song. Still, Flowers, Flutter, Your Heart is a good example of how doing something really well speaks more volume. (8.5/10)
5. Double Up! – Double Up! changes up the momentum of the mini-album by featuring a groovy deep house instrumentation. And I am digging the instrumentation! I can’t help but have a mini dance when Double Up! comes on. It just has a great party energy that is hard to deny. The trap moments also work well in this song. A stronger hook and melodies could have really boosted the song to 10/10 territory. What we do get is catchy enough, but I think Double Up! could been perfect had these been fleshed out more. (9/10)
6. PUSH BUTTON – I can see PUSH BUTTON being an addition to Kep1er’s lineup of Japanese singles. It has potential to outperform their previous singles, especially if there are improvements to the song. PUSH BUTTON has the mature vibe heard in their Japanese tracks, is more approachable and has a decent ring. It is a bit more elementary and noticeably lacks oomph, but these are the improvements that could see PUSH BUTTON exceed expectations sets by their previous Japanese singles. (8/10)
7. PROBLEM – The 90s retro vibe in PROBLEM sells me this track. Since the album’s release in June, PROBLEM has become my favourite. I enjoyed all aspects of it – vocals, rapping, instrumentation, melodies and hooks. I particularly thought Huening Bahiyyih and Xiaoting’s lines in the verses were amazing. I also enjoyed the R&B turn in the bridge by Chaehyun and Mashiro. A definite recommendation. (10/10)
8. Dear Diary – Given its position on the album and the fact it is titled Dear Diary, I am not surprised that the track is of a slower motif and is dedicated to their fans. The track has a nice, overall. The R&B instrumentation is touching and soothing, while the vocals were appreciatively delicate. Even the rapping was well-thought out and incorporated into the fan-dedicated song. (8/10)
10. Straight Line (Korean Version) – I made promises to review Straight Line before, but never got around to it until today. I personally liked Straight Line as a track. But there is a lot going on, and I can see why many people may think the song is overwhelming. It is a blend of genres and influences – Latin-influences, hip-hop, R&B and probably a few more. While the track attempts to hold itself back from being overwhelming by keeping the vocals and melodies ‘consistent’, the sheer number of changes the song go through doesn’t help. That being said, there are some good moments in Straight Line. So, perhaps the producers should have stuck to a just a few style (or each separately) to help Kep1er shine. (7.5/10)
It has been almost a year since I posted an International Song Review post, a segment where I do mini-reviews for non-Korean songs released by some of our favourite KPOP artists. While I have covered some non-Korean songs this year, I have practically neglected this area of the blog, unfortunately, due to time pressures. Over the coming weeks, I will be looking to revive this segment to cover some great releases I have yet to cover on the blog and have chosen not to write in a separate standalone song review format.
Today, I will review non-Korean songs released in the last year by IVE, Kep1er, STAYC, YENA, and ITZY.
All Night – IVE ft. (SAWEETIE)
Language: English Release Date: 19 January 2024 Release Type: All Night (1st English Single)
IVE’s All Night is a remake of Icona Pop’s song of the same name and is marketed as their debut English single. The dance-pop instrumentation was fine, and Saweetie’s rap part was my favourite sequence in All Night. But I question what value IVE add to All Night. Yeah, their parts ring in my mind for a bit. But the members had no separate lines, and they all sang together for the entirety of the song. The promotional material could have easily said it was just one singer singing in the track, and I wouldn’t have known the difference. Furthermore, their vocals were oddly plain and lacked any characteristic that allows us to call it an IVE track. They were literally stripped of any identity in the song. There were some ad-libs towards the end, but they were very in the background, and I didn’t notice them until today.
As for the music video, most of it was IVE and Saweetie stuck in a small windowless office. If the video ventured anywhere else, it was either to the office lobby, the hallway or the elevator. Surely, the music video could have been a little more exciting and featured some choreography. I don’t think I am asking for much here. As for the performance, it was okay. Again, it was plain. But the members were all smiles, making the routine feel and look much better.
Overall Rating – 5.9/`10
Grand Prix – Kep1er
Language: Japanese Release Date: 22 November 2023 Release Type: FLY-HIGH (3rd Japanese Single)
Ending Kep1er’s busy 2023 was the release of Grand Prix. While most of Grand Prix was simply fine, the chorus was a big miss for me. I appreciate that it tries to be different, but it was just too much of a disruption from the flow and energy the verses were building up. The weightiness and heaviness didn’t match the brighter vibe the verses were going for. The dragged-out refrain just ended up feeling sluggish and felt awkward. To revisit an earlier point, ‘simply fine’ doesn’t mean that Grand Prix‘s other parts are okay. The verses didn’t have much to grab onto and were largely forgettable. But considering the entirety of Grand Prix, the verses were not the weakest parts of the song. Sorry that I don’t like this song, but I would recommend their more recent Shooting Star comeback in Korea.
As for the music video, it is obvious and logical to go with a racing concept. While it did, I expected more of the video to focus on the members in a car or the race track potentially, rather than in a store selling toy race cars. Also, their outfits could have better aligned with the concept. For the choreography, I thought it was a good form of edgy when it comes to the chorus. I may not like the song, but I can see past that to appreciate the performance.
Overall Rating – 5.9/10
LIT – STAYC
Language: Japanese Release Date: 6 December 2023 Release Type: LIT (3rd Japanese Single)
To be honest, I also don’t remember too much of LIT after nine months. Relistening for the purposes of this review, I recognise LIT‘s potential, thanks to its catchy chorus. However, the final product played it fairly safe. The instrumental keeps to plain synths and a cutesy sound, thanks to those twinkling sounds in the background of the choruses. Most Japanese tracks by KPOP artists follow this formula. Rarely does it work. More often than not, like in LIT, it feels constricting and forced. The members appear to contribute to this cutesy demeanour with their playfully toned delivery, though I am not as upset with this as it is their hallmark in KPOP. The ad-libs and the follow-up to the first and second choruses were definitely the best parts of the song, which is where the relevant members break away from the consistency of the track and do their own thing. I think the instrumental could have been reframed to be slightly edgier, which could have given LIT a breath of new life.
The music video shows the members enjoying their lives, reminding us it can be lit wherever you are. The choreography was okay, and there was nothing groundbreaking or new from the group here.
Overall Rating – 7/10
DNA – YENA
Language: Japanese Release Date: 7 February 2024 Release Type: DNA (2nd Japanese Single)
YENA’s DNA is her first original Japanese single. Based on her solo releases in Korea, DNA‘s venture into the pop-rock genre isn’t much of a surprise to me. What surprised me is how muted the song comes across despite the presence of a rock band alongside YENA in DNA. I am unsure what caused it, but I keep feeling an imaginary barrier prevents DNA from realizing its full potential. The fact that DNA doesn’t sound electrifying weakens the song’s appeal for me. Her vocals were solid and consistent throughout DNA, but the thought of it coming off plainly and too sweet also lingers. This dampens the appeal of the song further but doesn’t do as much compared to the instrumentation.
The music video shows YENA rocking it out with the band in the background. Her attire fits the JPOP landscape well, ticking the cutesy and edgy boxes. The post-production was an intelligent move from the production team, as the various sketches and effects give the video a little more than just the industrial-esque backgrounds.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Algorhythm – ITZY
Language: Japanese Release Date: 15 May 2024 Release Type: Algorhthym (3rd Japanese Single)
Personally, I enjoyed Algorhythm. The upbeat deep house instrumental was quite remarkable, and their delivery was fun and classy. Had they stopped after the second run of the chorus, I think I would have been fine with the track—though I can’t promise that I wouldn’t comment about its length if that were the case. The change-up that we get right after the second chorus was really unnecessary. It was obnoxiously abrasive and loud (relatively speaking, which says a lot if that comment is coming from me), which did not complement the rest of the song. And that is a pity, as I liked everything except the change-up instrumental break. It does make for a good performance piece, however.
For the music video, the first half features the members as robots. The glitches during this section made the footage look rather cool. Halfway through the video, it is revealed that the members were simply shooting a fun video within the music video, after which they attempted to go on a holiday (I presume). But when you think the video ends, the members disrupt that thought and have a dance break at the airport. Interesting concept. As for the performance, it is the best out of the five releases that form this post. The routine started off doll-like, and then the moves became much more human-like. But the peak of the routine is undoubtedly the powerful dance break, which is aligned with the disliked instrumental break.
Kep1er was supposed to wrap their promotions next month as a group, following the expiration of their 2.5 year contracts that began from their Girls Planet 999 days. But after almost a years worth of negotiations (where at one point renewal was supposed to be off the table), it has been agreed that Kep1er will reform as a 7-member group (with Mashiro and Yeseo opting to not renew their contracts) following a final concert next month. Ahead of that bittersweet moment, Kep1er has returned with their 1st studio album, Kep1going On, and the title track Shooting Star.
When the biggest problem the track is that it feels too short, you are probably doing something right. It has only been a couple of hours since the song’s release, but I have really enjoyed Shooting Star. And I am with the crowd when this is their best title track yet! I really like the straight forward pop that the verses featured. The whispery pre-chorus (that is backed up with the harsher and contrasting autotuned backing vocal) in the first verse and at the end of the bridge was very aesthetic and cool. I have definitely heard it before somewhere, so the idea isn’t necessarily original. But it feels very refreshing as part of Shooting Star. The chorus features an exciting rush of energy from the synth work that makes Shooting Star thrilling and exciting. The melody and hook is very pleasantly straight-forward (I mean that in a good way) and catchy, which makes Shooting Star‘s centrepiece a memorable piece. The momentum following the first chorus is followed up well with some really good rapping from Dayeon and Hikaru. The bridge of the song brings out a dreamy aesthetic that fits in well with the rest of Shooting Star. In terms of the vocals, I like the effortless side of them and the slight emotional tone the member bring. The latter helps makes the song feel a little more impactful and meaningful, and this definitely came through the lyrics as well. But as mentioned in the beginning, I just feel Shooting Star wraps up too quickly. Part of me feels like it is the right spot to end Shooting Star at, but I kind of also want more. Minus that small dilemma (which might be more of a personal preference), I am extremely impressed with Shooting Star.
I liked the idea of likening the members to the stars in the night sky and shooting stars throughout the video. I also liked the sets in the video. But I am also of the opinion that the video feels too simple for this comeback. I think ‘more’ is an appropriate word to use here, as in ‘more’ could have been done in the video to really give make it more meaningful, impactful, memorable etc. One thing that the video could have potentially done better to fulfil the above is be more aesthetic. More abstract thinking could have really given the video a deeper and thought provoking outlook, which would complement the lyrics and tone of the song.
I quite liked how graceful the routine was for this comeback. It fits in with Shooting Star‘s momentum really well. I also liked the chorus routine, particularly the hand movements during the ‘Da Ra Ra‘ part. It is literally the part of the music video (and performance) that my mind keeps on returning to. Their formations in the routine are also quite memorable, particularly those where one member is in the centre and the other members surrounds them quite closely,. This emphasises how close and tight they are with one another.
Song – 9.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
In the sphere of comebacks, Kep1er dropped their fifth mini-album, Magic Hour, yesterday. Featured on this new mini-album is the title track Galileo, which follows on from their Giddy comeback from April of this year. Other than that, it has been a fairly low key five months for the group, with the only major piece of news involving the group being a possible (but presently unsuccessful) extension in Kep1er’s promotions recently.
Galileo is another fair song this year. We do get some robust pop energy from the instrumentation and the melodies in the choruses. Plus, the members themselves feel natural in Galileo. I particularly enjoyed the brightness and punch the members give the chorus, which I feel is much needed for reasons to apparent. Yeseo’s breathy start to Galileo and Huening Bahiyyih soft start to the second verse was probably my pick for the best moments of the song. But while I do agree that Galileo is a definite improvement from their previous comeback, I do find the song to still be dull and unimaginative in some key parts. I feel this the most when I reflect upon Galileo‘s hooks, which I find to have a long shot in catching on with further listens (that is Galileo does convince me to give it further listens). For me, the rest of the verses (aside from the start, as I have already praised above) doesn’t follow through with the same appeal and ends up turning such promising beginning into generic material. I also wished there was more dynamic flair to the instrumental as Galileo feels too consistent from start to end and this ultimately plateaus the song’s appeal for me. We do get some twang and extra punchiness when it comes to the instrumental break, which I fully appreciated. But I wish there was more of that in the rest of the song. Overall, Galileo does sit on the enjoyable side for me, but time will tell whether it has enough holding power alongside its competition.
Music videos like Galileo‘s is what I describe as ‘Watch once, Watched it all’. In other words, you only need to watch it once in order to understand the gist of it. Concept-wise, the members discover a photo booth that transports them to an art gallery for the group to explore, which in turns transports the group into an art piece. The theme of discovery ties well into Galileo Galilei, who is the father of modern science who made a lot of discoveries while he was alive that changed the course of modern science and the song is titled after. The members looks good and I enjoyed the freshness of the colours in the video.
The choreography aspect of this comeback is actually quite good. The routine is rather pleasant for the most part, but I do like the energy and oomph the five members who handled the dance break put into their moves to make it the routine’s most powerful part.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.2/10
Welcome to another International Song Reviews post. Last time I covered Japanese and Western releases from NCT Dream, Jackson Wang, Amber Liu and TVXQ. This post will cover Japanese, Western and Chinese releases from Kep1er, DRIPPIN, P1Harmony (who collaborated with British pop trio New Hope Club) and WayV, of which were released earlier this year (or in the case of WayV, released in the final days of the 2022).
I Do! Do You? – Kep1er
Language: Japanese Release Date: 15 March 2023 Album: Fly-By (2nd Japanese Single Album)
I Do! Do You? is a neat track. The instrumentation is very groovy and cheerfully upbeat, tapping into the current trends of KPOP (not sure is this is a trend in Japan though). Their vocals strikes a balance by bringing in a cutesy and youthful tinge without ever stepping into cutesy territory (which is a direction that I would believe the song easily be directed towards. More definition would not have hurt to give the song more boldness The melodies and hooks are catchy and fun, complimenting the grooviness of I Do! Do You? that I already highlighted. But I do find I Do! Do You? to be somewhat linear and it gets slightly boring as it progresses, as it is just a repeat of whatever we heard earlier on in the song. A pleasant single, overall. The music video sees one member falling for a guy, with the rest of the group envisioning themselves in the main members’ stories. The rest of the group helps her get ready for the party, but is left heartbroken after the guy ends up asking another person out at the party. This leads the group to stick up for their heartbroken member and leave the party in unison. I read somewhere that this video does feature some shoplifting and violence, which I thought was a funny takeaway (but factual, as they do occur) from the video. Asides from that, it was a fun and enjoyable video to watch. As for the choreography, I thought it was okay. The moves were rather soft and this leads to the choreography looking a little weak. I am not looking for sharpness or over-the-top energy. I just think the moves could have been slightly stronger to look better from our point of view as the audience.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Hello Goodbye – DRIPPIN
Language: Japanese Release Date: 15 March 2023 Album: Hello Goodbye (2nd Japanese Single Album)
DRIPPIN’s Hello Goodbye continues the group’s clear distinction between their Japanese and Korean releases. Just compare the likes of bright pop rock sound in Hello Goodbye with their darker and intense SEVEN SINS Korean comeback from earlier in the year. However, I do feel like we stepping closer to what DRIPPIN usually releases in Korea with the more prolific and heavier presence of rock in the song, particularly around the choruses. It gives the song’s strength and power, which is something DRIPPIN does focus on when they promote domestically. The vocals and melodies were, once again, nice. I found this department to be fairly straightforward, so I wished there was a more interesting element in it. You can hear the positivity and vibrancy behind their vocals, but it doesn’t feel enough. The filter over the opening of the second verse was a step in the right direction, but it did feel a little cliché. The one thing I do think Hello Goodbye does lack outright is something memorable. Yes, the melodies are nice, but there isn’t anything really pulling me back that isn’t the satisfying rock energy in the instrumentation. And there are other songs out there that delivers both that rock energy and that memorable element(s), so Hello Goodbye has a tough job. As for the instrumentation, it is great to see the smiles on the members’ faces and the group hanging out/having fun. But there isn’t anything else to the video, which makes it one of those where you only got to watch it once. As for the choreography, it was a good showcase of what to the group has to offer in terms of lighter tone and vibrant energy. But nothing really stands out to me.
Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Super Chic – New Hope Club & P1Harmony
Language: Western Release Date: 24 April 2023 Album: Super Chic (Digital Single)
I like how unexpectedly fun and feel-good Super Chic is. The old-school vibes of Super Chic felt nostalgic. The vocals from both New Hope Club and P1Harmony were light-hearted and breezy, with the falsettos and higher pitched tones being a memorable aspect of Super Chic. The melodies were quite smooth and flowed along quite well, while the hooks were catchy. I particularly enjoyed the entirety of the pre-chorus, which was punchy in comparison to the rest of the song and had notable lyrics about sweetness. The rapping in the bridge, which was partially in Korean, was a nice change of momentum. But the two groups made it work and blend it in with the rest of Super Chic by maintaining a pace that is aligned with the rest of the song and the rappers didn’t stray away too far from the rest of the song. Overall, Super Chic was a great collaboration that I don’t mind bopping to. The music video shows the two groups coming together to record this song and then behind the scenes shots of P1Harmony’s concert in New York City (which New Hope Club supported the group at). But this wasn’t the first and last time the pair had joined forces, as the two groups have performed with one another before and P1Harmony also supported New Hope Club’s Seoul stop of their tour (which occurred after the release of Super Chic).
Overall Rating – 8.5/10
Phantom – WayV
Language: Chinese Release Date: 28 December 2022 Album: Phantom (4th Mini Album)
I return to 2022 briefly to cover the final song of this post – WayV’s Phantom. It was the first release by WayV in over two years and also follows on from the announcement of Lucas’ hiatus (which later concluded with him leaving WayV/NCT). I found Phantom to be quite an intriguing single that was pulled off well by the WayV members. The thumping percussion in the verses had nice rhythm and I liked how the pre-choruses ramped up the song towards the choruses. The choruses features the cliché yet fitting choir vocals and orchestral strings in the background to give off a heavier and more profound suspenseful feeling, while the synths helps bring a modern textural feel to Phantom that compliments the intensity and mysteriousness that Phantom is endeavouring in bringing to our minds whilst listening to the song. The deep vocals in the verses and the flow of the vocals elsewhere was helps glides the song along, despite the instrumentation. I do feel like Phantom lacks a more impactful rap sequence that could have delivered the song more bite. What we got from YangYang was great, but I wanted more of it. As for the music video, I quite liked the sets for the solo and choreography scenes. It works well with the concept the group was going for and brings forth a creepy and mysterious atmosphere. Choreography-wise, Phantom had intensity, and the members’ brought charisma to the stage. While it is doesn’t top the likes to their more widely known routines like Kick Back, it was a strong showing, as always.
I begin this new week with an album review. And over the next few weeks, you will see more album reviews posted during the weekdays in another attempt by me to get across the backlog of albums I personally want to review. The focus of this post is Kep1er’s fourth mini-album, LOVESTRUCK! which was released back in April this year. Leading the mini-album of five songs is the title track Giddy.
Interestingly, Kep1er has been very consistent with their album releases, with my way of making that determination is by comparing the album ratings I give at the end of each mini-album. All of Kep1er album releases have leaned towards the generic side, with the presence of a great odd track or two. LOVESTRUCK! appears to be a bit of an outlier though, with the lead single off this mini-album holding back the rest of the mini-album, and the side tracks each making more potential than the title track. Let me know if you agree with this (and my individual thoughts on each song below).
2. LVLY – LVLY is a definite improvement from the title track. I really like instrumentation of this track, which makes the track dynamic and a fun listen. The reggaeton approach to the song’s beat makes for an intriguing and cool track. The presence of the more electrifying synths later on was super cool, and I enjoyed the touch of Latin that features in the background. As for the members, they bring a matureness to the track that felt very well executed, and the hooks/melodies were catchy. The track does not feel like Kep1er one bit, but I appreciate the step-up it brings. (8/10)
3. Back to the City– When I listen to Back to the City, I really like how I can imagine myself listening to the song whilst driving in the city, which I am sure is the intention behind Back to the City. The 80s synths were incredibly light but also makes the track very pleasant and upbeat. I also like how the track flows, gliding from start to finish effortlessly. The rapping works in tandem with the instrumental to be a bouncy component of the track. The vocal work was very warm and I like how it all brings a smile to my face when I listen to the track. Back to the City is easily the best track of the mini-album. (10/10)
4. Why – Kep1er steps into R&B territory with Why. I liked the 90s synths and touch that feature in the track, and the vocals make it an appreciable listen. There were also some good hooks in Why, as well. I just feel like the track feels safe and lacks something punchy to take to the next level. (7/10)
5. Happy Ending – Happy Ending closes out the mini-album, and takes us into coffee-shop territory. It is a little more upbeat than usual coffee-shop tracks, but the instrumentation could easily blend into such a setting without much eyebrow raises. Kep1er’s vocals and rapping in this track are probably the most interesting showcase from the group on this mini-album (and probably their discography thus far). They really nail the higher pitch/falsettos/lower registers that were all present in the song, which proves to me that they have a lot more to offer than what is shown in their title tracks. (8/10)
Here we go, another International Song Reviews post. This time around, the gap between this and the preceding post is a tad shorter than last time – 6 weeks. Still not great, but definitely better than 6 weeks. I definitely want to increase the frequency of these posts to make sure I can catch up on these international songs, but so much to review at the same time. This post will focus on more 2022 Japanese pop releases, this time from DRIPPIN, Rocket Punch, Kep1er & Kang Daniel – three of which are debut singles.
SO GOOD – DRIPPIN
Language: Japanese Release Date: 18 May 2022 Album: SO GOOD (1st Japanese Single Album)
DRIPPIN made their Japanese debut back in May 2022 with the single SO GOOD. Both the song and music video is a 180 degree change in direction, in comparison to their Korean releases (which are a lot darker and intense). From the get-go, SO GOOD is a lot perkier, colourful and brighter in all regards. It is definitely nice to see DRIPPIN in this lighting. Unfortunately, the entire package (i.e. song, music video and choreography) doesn’t offer much or anything new. It is pretty much a standard pop release that conforms to the Japanese market where colour and brightness is a major player. The instrumental for the most part is pretty generic. Even the whistles, which I usually find to be a nice touch in other songs, is a bit bland here. I did like the combination of the electric guitars and drumming we get at the very start of the song, and wish SO GOOD explored more of this in its body. The more dramatic marching drum and zippy synth combination we get in the dance break does help refresh the instrumental, and is another area in which the producers could have explored with the group. The hooks in SO GOOD were also pretty lacking. On the more positive side, SO GOOD does feature solid vocals and some strong rapping which helped drive the song forward. As for the music video, the members come off happier and cutesy in the colourful sets and bright lighting. I did like how the music video toned down the lighting/colour and opted for a moodier affair when it came to the dance break. As for the choreography, nothing stands out much here.
Overall Rating – 6.6/10
Fiore – Rocket Punch
Language: Japanese Release Date: 29 June 2022 Album: Doki Doki Love (1st Japanese Studio Album)
Following their Japanese debut with Bubble Up! back in 2021, Rocket Punch returned last year with two Japanese singles. The first of the two is Fiore, which is another great single from the group. I practically enjoyed everything in Fiore. The verses came off as a pretty, thanks to the light melody and the retro touch the synth backing had. I enjoyed how clean and catchy the chorus felt. It was a simple yet effective centrepiece of this song that I remember enjoying. I also liked the squawky synth used as part of the dance break of Fiore. It was interesting and different, and stood out as a result. I liked that the producers held back on it and kept it contained, as it easily could have been too much and too weird for the song. Fiore also had a solid showing of vocals and rapping. As I said, a lot to like in this track. The music video emphasised the pretty side of the track, with the members performing and posing in a set that was styled with an abundance of flowers or outside in the beautiful nature of green fields and a forest. The members themselves also looked cute in their outdoor outfits and stunning in their red dresses. Similar comments on prettiness and cuteness can also be made about the choreography can also be made.
Overall Rating – 7.8/10
Wing Wing – Kep1er
Language: Japanese Release Date: 3 August 2022 Album: FLY-UP (1st Japanese Single Album)
Out of the four songs featured on this post, Kep1er’s debut Japanese single Wing Wing is the weakest of the bunch. I was not much of a fan of Wing Wing when it was released and that sentiment still stands. But let’s begin with the positives – i.e. two aspects of Wing Wing that I actually enjoyed. The first was the pre-choruses, which was a great showcase of vocals and nice ramp up to the choruses. The second was the instrumentation, which had a nice vibrant and dynamic feel to it. The rest of the song doesn’t follow through. The verses were quite boring, but I appreciate the efforts the rapping took to help offset that with its energy. The choruses were questionable, and I blame the hooks for leaving this impression on me. The opening hook to the chorus became annoying very fast. Then came a solid first half of the chorus which also had some robust energy. But that soon became overwhelmingly empty thanks to the unnecessary dragging out of the song’s main hook. As for the music video, it was fairly generic There was some good post-production effects in the video. If anything, I think the cutesiness could have been dialed back. There were some things going on in the background that felt distracting. As for the choreography, Wing Wing‘s definitely fairs better than the song itself. I liked the energy that comes off the dance moves and how it also manages to show off Kep1er’s performance skills at the same time. It is a pity that the song is unable to do that.
Overall Rating – 6.4/10
Joy Ride – Kang Daniel
Language: Japanese Release Date: 5 October 2022 Album: Joy Ride (Japanese debut mini-album)
The final song for this particular post is KANG DANIEL’s solo debut Japanese single, Joy Ride. Of the four songs in this post, Joy Ride is definitely the strongest of the bunch. The biggest drawing point of the sng is that it feels fitting for Kang Daniel and his discography. I liked the smooth and light approach to pop rock that Joy Ride took. The genre doesn’t come on strong until we get to the choruses, where it definitely makes an impression with its start-stop beginning. Kang Daniel’s vocals are definitely a highlight in this song, keeping the track light. And they also brought a smile to my face. I also liked his background high note at the end of the song (I am presuming it belongs to Kang Daniel). The catchiest moment of Joy Ride comes during the post-chorus moment, and this definitely makes the song ring in my head even after it finishes. The introduction of synths in the bridge as an instrumental break was quite interesting. As for the music video, it shows Kang Daniel having fun and enjoying life with friends, which I guess he likens to the thrill and fun of a joy ride. While we don’t see any choreography for this particular release in the music video, we are treated to the dance practice. If you hadn’t notice, the song features some car sound effects, such as car keys jangling, the engine starting and the beeps you hear when a car unlocks (or locks). In this choreography, the soloist and the dancers uses this to their advantage, incorporating car movements into part of the choreography. The dancers also start off in a car’s windshield formation with Kang Daniel as the driver. As for the rest, we get an urban hip-hop style which is definitely Kang Daniel’s style overall.
Making their comeback last week was Kep1er, who returned to the music scene with their new single Giddy and fourth mini-album, Lovestruck!. Due to poor planning on my end, I was unable to write a review for Giddy when it was released at the start of last week. But it is the focus for today! Giddy and Lovestruck! follows the release of We Fresh and their third mini-album release Troubleshooter in October of last year. It also follows Kep1er’s second Japanese single from earlier on in the year, I do! Do You?, which I will review in a future International Song Reviews post (probably at some point this year).
Despite it being a week old and I have checked out the track on numerous occasions since its release, Giddy hasn’t really grown on me at all. It still leaves the exact same lackluster and mild impression I got from the track when I first checked out the song on the day of its release. Usually, time (and multiple replays) do its job in making a song more appealing to me. But in the case of Giddy, I find it interesting that time didn’t have much of an effect on this song. My guess is that Giddy comes down to an ‘alright’ descriptor. Nothing more, nothing less. ‘Neutral, overall’ is another way to put it. The disco-funk styled instrumental was pretty standard, and Giddy‘s repetitive hook wasn’t as memorable as it could have been. The way it was delivered had charm, but it lacks the opportunity to add some much needed definition to the song and fails to really capture a centric feel. The choruses, thanks to the main hook, just didn’t deliver, which was a bit of a disappointment given the pretty profile of the pre-choruses (which is my pick for the Giddy‘s most likeable part). In the vocals and rap department, no members stood out in Giddy. A unique aspect of Giiddy is the presence of an interlude just after the first chorus that comes in a form of a breakdown. That was quite a shocker for me, as it just does not fit in with the overall smooth tempo that the song was channeling. Overall, I felt like the producers were trying to infuse a mature approach to a youthful sound, which in theory would be an ideal combination for a group like Kep1er. Unfortunately, Giddy doesn’t offer anything innovative and plays it safe, the latter ultimately serving as Giddy’s biggest weakness.
Similar to the song, I didn’t get too much out of the music video as well. It was pretty, and everything from the visuals to the sets was built with this visual style in mind. This does help give the music video component of the comeback a bit of an edge over the song itself. The ending was a bit weird, when one of the members picked up the miniature version of another and ate them. I am assuming there is a reason for all of this. But as a non-Korean speaking listener to KPOP who doesn’t have subtitles on to understand the song in the first instance, it is an questionable ending.
Personally, the choreography aspect of this comeback was probably the strongest of all. I really liked the “Giddy” move they did for the choruses, and I liked the touch of cuteness that the routine brings to the comeback.
Song – 5.5/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.3/10
Kep1er is nominated for Best New Female Group in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support Kep1er and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote today.
Kep1er is one of the busier groups this year, with back-to-back activities including their debut in January with WA DA DA, their appearance on Queendom 2, their comeback with Up!, their Japanese debut with Wing Wing, and now their latest comeback with We Fresh (their latest title track) and Troubleshooter (the title of their latest mini-album release – which is the focus of this review). Kep1er definitely deserves a break! The latter releases officially dropped mid-October of this year, and there is an additional four tracks on this mini-album, including a remastered version of THE GIRLS (Kep1er’s Queendom 2 finale release).
Fun fact: I started off 2022 with a review of Kep1er’s debut single WA DA DA. I didn’t realize it at the time until I was actually finalising this album review, that I am also closing out 2022 with this album review for Kep1er. What a coincidence!
2. Lion Tamer – Lion Tamer is a bit on the typical side of KPOP in today’s standard, but this doesn’t stop it having a cool chorus. To me, it sounded like there was a bit of attitude to it, which gave Kep1er to offer something with a bit more personality which isn’t cuteness. I enjoyed the whistles in the instrumental and the very subtle use of synths that reminded me of a safari or the wilderness. I did think the track could have gone harder and honed in all of the pop energy that Lion Tamer was already exuding. We just needed that oomph to take this song to the next level. (7/10)
3. Downtown – Downtown continues that ‘different side to the group’ idea that I just touched on. This time around, Kep1er goes with an even more mature pop sound that I am totally digging. So much so, I think this is the mini-album’s highlight, and it should have been picked as the title track. It is a smooth mid-tempo number that just exudes so much sleekness. A cool concept idea is having the members strut down the city streets, and this track would have been an ideal backing to that idea. The members did a wonderful job at owning this style and I would love to see a performance of Downtown in the future. (9/10)
4. Dreams – The final new song that the mini-album has to offer is Dreams, even though it was performed once before prior to the album’s release. It is another nice synthpop track, with a dreamy set of synths and some neat beats in the background. I liked Kep1er’s delivery within Dreams, which opted for paced vocals that complemented the dreamy instrumental quite well. The rapping was rather straight-forward and worked, but they should have gone with something less one-dimensional for this department. Altogether, however, Dreams pretty much reminded me of past KPOP hits within the dreamy realm of pop. Nostalgic. (8/10)
5. THE GIRLS (Can’t Turn Me Down) (Remastered) – I previously reviewed THE GIRLS through my review of the finale of Queendom 2. I will carry my song rating from that review over for the final album rating below. Read my thoughts on THE GIRLS by clicking here.(7/10)
Kep1er is back with a brand new single and mini-album. Titled We Fresh and Troubleshoot respectively, this is the group’s second comeback of the year and since their debut (in Korea), following the likes of WA DA DA and Up!. Since their last comeback. Kep1er also made their debut in Japan with the single Wing Wing, which (like most of the non-Korean releases this year) has not been reviewed yet.
We Fresh is another one of those songs that had quite a bit going on within it, simply because it mashes up multiple influences and sound profiles within the song’s 3:15 minute span. Interestingly, We Fresh isn’t all bad. I found it cohesive enough to enjoy and that the song felt whole. However, naturally with these types of songs, there are parts that I really enjoyed and there are parts that I wish were left out or swapped out for something better. Let’s start off with the stuff within We Fresh that I did like. The punk rock that we get at the start and throughout the background of the song was super cool, and I wished the producers had delved more into that genre (or perhaps develop a song that is just punk rock). I know it is very 2022, but it would be on trend and I am not tired of it. Similarly, I really enjoyed that rock guitar breakdown following the second chorus / just before the bridge (sans Hikaru’s “We’re gon’ to the next” line). It was quite intense and had a great rush of energy, making it a highlight in We Fresh. The shouty vocals and delivery of the chorus worked well in this song, as well. We Fresh definitely had some vibrant energy, and I feel this style of delivery of the chorus complemented the dynamic nature of the song. I also enjoyed the fast pace feel of the song, for the same reasons. There was also a nice buildup in the pre-choruses, courtesy of Xiaoting. As for the parts I disliked in this song, all of the honky brass and horns we get in the song. While I didn’t mind it in the backing behind the vocals during the choruses, I am not definitely not a fan of them when it got squeaky and unsettling during the breakdown within the choruses. This just felt a sour feel that infected all of the brass and horns that we got in We Fresh. And it is quite disappointing, as that makes up a large chunk of the song and the main centre of the song. Overall, We Fresh potentially could have been a strong release for me, but it was weakened for some unwanted inclusions.
I don’t have too much to say about the music video. The visual of the members throughout the solo shots were very cool. Huening Bahiyyih with her samurai sword and Hikaru’s gun fight scene were the ones that left the biggest impression on me throughout this video. I also quite enjoyed the final choreography scene, with the background looking like newspaper or comic clippings and such. Overall, a good video to accompany this release.
The choreography embraces the edgy side of the song, but mixes it with Kep1er’s youthful side that they have shown through both their debut and first comeback singles. It creates for a strong routine that suits Kep1er likeness. I cannot imagine another group pulling off this performance – which is probably one of the highest compliments I can pay to a group. I did wish the choreography associated with the rock breakdown following the second chorus was more intense and concentrated. It was fairly weak, in my opinion.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 7.5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.6/10
Next album review on the blog is for Kep1er, who made their comeback back in June of this year with DOUBLAST. It features the title track Up! and four additional side tracks. This comeback is their first one ever, following their debut with WA DA DA and FIRST IMPACT from very early on in the year.
The latest mini-album was a fairly decent one. There are a few strong side tracks, but the rest of the mini-album was more average. But even if I found it decent and average, you might enjoy the mini-album more than me. So don’t be shy and give DOUBLAST a listen yourself to see if you agree with my thoughts or not.
2. LE VOYA9E – For some reason, I had in my mind that LE VOYA9E was going to be some sort of dance track. I have no idea where this misconception had come from, but I think it was based on the spelling of the song’s title. Instead, LE VOYA9E was a very gentle and soft song, with acoustics and a sparse use of synths bringing the song to life. I found LE VOYA9E to be quite unique, with the whispery delivery in the chorus. Elsewhere, the vocals were quite lovely. (8/10)
3. Attention – Attention opens up with synths that reminding me of the jungle environment, setting up the song to be appropriate for the summer season. As the song progresses, this jungle like reminder is forgotten. But it is replaced with a dynamic and upbeat pop instrumentation that has a nice cute and likeable quality to it. Attention does feel straightforward, but it was done really well. I also enjoyed this number and recommend it anyone who is looking for a Kep1er song. (9/10)
4. Good Night – Good Night is a more soft and pleasant pop track. I quite liked the youthful and vibrant side of the vocals in this song. Both the instrumentation and vocals helped make the song enjoyable. But when you compare it to the preceding tracks, Good Night doesn’t really offer anything new, interesting or exciting. (7/10)
5. Rewind – DOUBLAST finishes off with a mid-tempo ballad. Rewind is the album’s most generic release, as this style has been done so many times before. What Kep1er does manage to do to make it their own is through nice vocals and melodies. But it isn’t the most riveting release from the group or from this mini-album. (7/10)
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
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!
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.
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!
KPOPREVIEWED 