Tag: Miss A

[Album Review] Hush (2nd Studio Album) – Miss A

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One of the good things about doing this ‘Past Album’ reviews segment is that I am able to readily revisit groups who are now disbanded. These non-active groups have amazing albums and songs that just need some attention, even after years of release. The first now-disbanded group that I will be looking at is Miss A with their 2nd studio album, Hush. Hush shares the same name as the album’s lead title track and it also features some songs from the group’s first mini-album (Touch) and second mini-album (Independent Women Part III). For today, I will review only the songs that were present on the Hush album. As for the other songs on the mini-albums, I will return to them another week.

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Hush Album Cover

1..Come On Over (놀러와) – Come On Over begins the album with a seductive sound. The track isn’t your most bombastic opener but it does do a good job of introducing the album. I really like the vocals in this track. They are quite breathy and this contributes to the sensual nature that I can detect. The combination of the R&B instrumental and vocals remind me of Uhm Jung Hwa’s songs. But the winning element for me is the rapping which I think is perfect for this track. (9/10)

2. Hush (허쉬) (Title Track) – Usually, I simply put a link to the review for the title tracks. But today, I have decided to offer an explanation. Times have changed and over the years, the song has grown on me immensely. It has grown so much that it has become my most favourite Miss A title track. Hence, I have decided to bump the original 8.5/10 to a 10/10. Obviously, all of my previous thoughts regarding the track have changed however I have decided to keep the original review as is. Click here to read the original full (but now practically invalid) review of Hush. (10/10)

3. Love Is U – One of my favourite tracks on the album is Love Is U. I thought the introductory was very misleading, as soon after the song becomes quite energetic. Showcased from the beginning of the song to the very end is the vocals of the group, which I thought was spectacular. The rapping was equally as nice. The chorus, even though it repeats the title, was my favourite part. I especially liked the ‘Love Is U, U, U’ part of the chorus. (10/10)

4. Spotlight – Spotlight follows the energetic sound from the previous song. I like the brightness of the track, which is quite fitting for a song titled Spotlight. While I did like the song’s pop instrumental and vocals, the song did feel rushed, particularly between the verse and chorus. I also did think the song was repetitive, especially after many listens. The best part of the song was the bridge with the ‘Oh Oh Oh’ and the rap sequence, which I think gave the song some much-needed intensity. (8/10)

5. Hide & Seek – Hide & Seek is another favourite of mine. It brings back the edgy vibe that Hush delivered but it goes with a rock-pop vibe, which I thought was quite addictive. The hooks did not help ease that criterion as I clearly remember the song being engraved into my mind when it was first released in 2014. The rapping just before the chorus was my favourite part of the track because it brings the best out of Jia, who is often overshadowed by the rest of the groups. (10/10)

6. (Mama) I’m Good – Do you see something about the album thus far? Even Track Number 6 is a favourite. It is a feel-good track that really makes you smile regardless of how you are feeling before the track. The instrumental is extremely bright, as you would expect from this type of song. Once again, the vocals are on full blast with this track being their best effort on the album. It is also very catchy. (10/10)

7. Like U – Like U brings back that sensual vibe through another R&B number. It provides us listeners a break from the energy filled album thus far but also serves as a great ‘interlude’ to the rest of the album. The vocals are brought back into play with no rapping within the track, which I thought was a suitable omission for this track. Unfortunately, this track wasn’t a favourite as it didn’t have that memorable element to hold me with. But it was still nice nonetheless. (9/10)

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Touch Album Cover (Source: Mithunonthe)

9. Touch (터치) – Once again, I am here to offer an explanation. The original score was a 4/10. But that included the music video and performance, which to this date, I still do not like. Likewise, my original thoughts regarding the song still stand. But back then, there was no breakdown of the final review score and I do not believe a 4/10 represents my thoughts then or now in regard to the song/music. Hence, I have decided to bump the score to a 6.5/10. Click here to read the full review of Touch. (6.5/10)

10. Over U– Repetition may be this song’s main charm. ‘Over U’ is repeated during the chorus and while you may think this might get annoying, it becomes engraved into your mind. Trust me on this one, as it is one memorable song. The verses are what keeps the song moving along as it is rather different. Their vocals also bring some freshness as it moves along, especially Jia’s rapping which I think adds a kick to the song. (9/10)

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Independent Women Part III Album Cover

11. Time’s Up – Time’s Up is also another addictive song. To me, it feels like a shuffling song (and here I show my age). I also liked the pre-chorus slowdown, which I thought really gave the song an intriguing turn. The post-chorus instrumental break was quite dynamic and showcased a burst of energy. I also thought the ‘Bye Bye Bye’ was a very delicate touch to the harsh club/dance beat. The rest of the song was equally as good, I just don’t have the space to write all about it! (10/10)

12. If I Were A Boy – If I Were A Boy features a much slower R&B instrumental and raspier vocals from the members. And while we have seen this combination elsewhere in the album, I just cannot seem to really enjoy this song. It is paced so slowly that it feels unfitting for the album, which has featured an overload of energy. To think of this track as a breather doesn’t really help its case. It just isn’t a memorable song and it still has some nice moments. (7/10)

13. I Don’t Need A Man (남자 없이 잘 살아) – Click here to read the full review of I Don’t Need A Man. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

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Hush Teaser Image

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5 Favourite Non-Title Tracks (Part 2)

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Welcome back to this week’s ‘Favourites’ post. We are back to non-title tracks because my list of non-title track songs are overflowing and need to be reduced. I am officially keeping the Favourites post as a list of five because it is more manageable to write in a short amount of time.

Please note that I am open to suggestions of what else I can do with this segment. So far, I have decided on non-title tracks, choreography and K-drama OSTs. But I know there are many other topics that I can write about. I have a few in mind but am happy to see what you all suggest! Also open to any positive or constructive feedback! But let’s get the show on the road!

Airplane – F(x)
Pink Tape (2nd Studio Album)

Airplane is one of the few songs that I did put a review out for, despite it not being a fully dedicated promotional track. That shows you that one mention of this song on this site isn’t enough. Airplane will need a lot more than two mentions and it might just get another in the near future. I love all the elements from the vocal work to the undeniably ear-catching instrumental.

Time’s Up – Miss A
Independent Women Part III (2nd Mini-Album) / Hush (2nd Studio Album)

If you want your electro music fix, you have come to the right place. Following Airplane, this hidden gem was featured on both Miss A’s  Hush album and Independent Women Part III mini album. It required many mentions because of its addictive nature. Once the beat dropped, the song was sold instantly to me. The instrumental, too, caught my ears back when it was released and has been on my playlist since then!

 

Secret – IU
Last Fantasy (2nd Studio Album)

If you have been reading these posts and my reviews for a very long time, you will know that I love anything with orchestral vibes. And that favouritism was probably awakened by this one song. I thought it was one amazing song that displayed IU’s vocals wonderfully with the orchestral background. And once you think the song had finished, she comes back with one extra line to finish you off once and for all.

Beautiful – Pentagon
Ceremony (3rd Mini Album)

Beautiful was the pre-release single to Pentagon’s latest comeback. And it is one ‘beautiful’ song to listen to. What drew my attention to this song was the amazing melody that the song’s instrumental and the members brought together. Each member, regardless if they were part of the vocal line or the rap line of the group, shined brightly in the song. The harmonies were definitely a highlight of the track and the rap segments fitted snugly into the track without being awkward or foreign.

For You – Sistar

If I got my way, this would have been the track that I would vote to be their farewell track. Lonely was already amazing, but I feel like For You meaning suited the girl’s departure and was more directed towards the fans. Even Bora, who is usually limited to the raps, was given an opportunity to sing alongside the others. I think the song overall was very touching and it was definitely a pity to hear that they would not perform this song as part of their farewell stages.

 

[Double Review] Pretend + Yes No Maybe – Suzy (Miss A)

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Suzy, from Miss A, is a South Korean treasure. While she does perform with her group, she is more known for her acting in dramas such as Dream High, Gu Family Book and Uncontrollably Fond. However, a solo album or release of some kind has been requested for the idol for quite a while now. She has featured in OSTs for dramas and in 2016, she collaborated with Baekhyun from EXO for Dream. At the end of 2016, a solo debut was confirmed for January 2017 and her solo album was released on the 24th of January.

Pretend was the pre-release track for Suzy’s debut. Pretend is a ballad with a soft jazz instrumental. Almost like elevator music, but not as bad! The vocals in the song are unique. Instead of being clear, they have been edited to sound as if she is singing straight from a microphone. The vocals for the verses are quite soft, while the chorus is where she is the loudest. I do prefer the chorus because you can hear more clearly. The ending was a little abrupt and I think the song should have eased into silence, to make it sound better. Have to mention the lyrics for Pretend because they are very meaningful and when she sings, you can hear the emotion that she pours into the song.

Overall Rating for Pretend – 8/10

Yes No Maybe is Suzy’s title track for her solo debut. Like in Pretend, Suzy did a great job with the emotions in Yes No Maybe. Vocally, I think this sound much better than Pretend, mainly because you hear her more clearly and her vocals are at a more appropriate volume level. Her vocals were very fitting for the song, as well. I am not exactly sure how I would describe the instrumental of this song. There is a retro sound to it, with what I believe is Latin influences. I really enjoyed the beat of the song. While it is not a party or modern type of dance song, I do want to get up and jam to it. It’s a really good song that was perfect for a solo debut.

I really liked the video for Yes No Maybe. It has an eerie look that for some reason matches the song pretty well. We see Suzy mainly under a red filter or in shaky shots, which represents the hazy memories that a person might have after a night out. The video also features a male actor, to whom Suzy is seeing. Most of the video shows her by herself, aimlessly wandering the streets but she ends up going back to the guy.  It’s the later part of the video that doesn’t make sense to me. She is seen fleeing the scene and in the foreground are two bodies. One body of the guy in the bathtub and one body of another female on the bathroom floor (that is what I am assuming since only legs are shown). So she killed him (but we don’t know why). My assumption is because he is seeing someone else on the side. That ending made me go back to the video a few times to try to understand the storyline, but as you can see, I didn’t get far. The cinematography for the video was actually quite good as well.

What the performance for Yes No Maybe needed was a sensual choreography without becoming overwhelming. And that is what Suzy delivered. It isn’t anything that impressive or memorable, but that expected sensual feeling (to the right extent) was there. I did like the use of the red strings at the start of the performance. Though, I feel like a red ribbon would have given a bolder look.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating for Yes No Maybe – 8.5/10 

[Review] Fantasy​ – Fei (Miss A)

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It has been a while since we last heard from Miss A. Sadly, Jia left the band earlier in the year. Suzy had a collaboration with Baekhyun at the start of the year and is active as an actress. But moving the other members aside, Fei has made her solo debut in South Korea. This is the first major release of a Miss A member that is promoted on stage. Fei is currently the only Chinese member in Miss A at the moment.

Fantasy is an okay song. It does have a sensual sound to it. Personally, it is another one of those songs that make me go “meh”. I am not impressed by it, but not disappointed by it. Like the title of the song, there is that fantasy vibe to the song, which goes well with that sensual sound that I mentioned. Many people liken it to Sunmi’s 24 Hours and I kind of agree with that. Just this song is more of an electronic and pop version of the latter. The song starts off with jaggered soft sounds which does a pretty good job at starting off the song. Fei’s vocals are pretty on point. Sure, they are not as strong, but she does suit this type of song and sound. I do feel like her voice is overshadowed by the instrumental (by the way, really liked the instrumental), especially on stage. Not sure if she is singing softly, but, it is a letdown, because I do fancy members who do not like limelight for their vocals because other members are better than them. All these “overshadowed” members usually have great vocals that suit a particular song. Sure they are not amazing, but they are great when the right song is picked. Song ended too abruptly for me. As a song that eased through the start, it would have been nice to have the song ease out at the end.

Adding to the sensual vibe of the song is the sensual video which had a 19+ rating on it. From what I see, most of the video is in the guy’s perspective who walks into this questionable, off-the-streets place to (I guess) speak some sort of fantasy. I really like the VR (virtual reality) idea. It adds to the futuristic side concept of the video. Though I was expecting porn for some reason somewhere in the video. Maybe at the end, but we were cut off. All jokes aside, I thought it was a well polished and classy (but in a sensual way) video. All the elements were brought together quite nicely. From the lighting to the editing, to the camera work. Some people may say that it went over the top, but I think it just right for the song. Who am I kidding? I probably am like the guy in the video. Just watching this on YouTube is making my jaw drop. I do know it was added to the video because of the concept, but that pixelated background wasn’t that enjoyable. Yes, to Fei, but not that background.

As you all know, I am a sucker for artists who using props on the stage. The hula hoops is an original idea and quite a complex object to incorporate into the dance. But every time I open up the performances, we see Fei and the backup dancers dance perfectly with the hula hoop. Those loops and kicks really well emphasised in the video. The start, with the hula hoop rings to make it look like the start of the music video, was quite nice. I would have liked for them to be used more in the performance, but then again, they are very hard to use (I say that from other experiences, but not dancing experience).

Final Rating – 7.5/10

[Rewind] April 2016 & May 2016

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Yeah… I know May hasn’t ended yet, but to avoid posting another late ‘Rewind” post 3 weeks after the month finished, I have decided to April and May together. This one is going to be a little informal in terms of format for a few reasons that will appear apparent. And before we move on, just a little reminder that I will try to write and release reviews every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Okay, moving along:

Leaving the Group?

We became shocked with the disbandment (or what we dubbed at the disbandment) of Kara at the start of the year. However, it seems like certain groups are facing member line up changes after one of their members had decided to not resign with their company and have since departed ways with their respective groups. Former member of 2NE1, Minzy, and former member of Miss A, Jia, have both decided to leave their successful group and go onto their own paths.  Minzy will (hopefully) make her solo debut in the near future after confirmation came from her new company in which she signed. Jia was announced today that she would be leaving the band after her contract finished. Miss A and 2NE1 faced disbandment rumours from these two events, but both their companies have stated that is not the case. Not only girl groups are facing these changes, but A-Jax (if we all remember who they were) recently lost 3 members (Sungmin, Jaehyung and Jihu). But the list does not end there. Hyunseung departed from Beast, leaving the group with 5 members. It was kind of expected after the numerous articles and petitions asking for his removal. Hyunseung is expected to return as a solo artist in the near future and is still signed with Cube Entertainment. It is always disappointing to hear these news and it has obviously shocked the industry a lot. These members have been with their band since the beginning, so it is always hard for fans. Hopefully, there won’t be any more of this and I wish the former members luck in their future endeavours (because that is something we all should do and not call them selfish).

Descendant of the Sun

Now this is something we all have heard about. The drama has taken Asia by storm and has been proven to be highly successsful. It stars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Ko, as the main characters. Before you all die from shock, I have yet to watch this drama. So, no spoilers. But I don’t actually have any plans to watch the drama. Because I am not one to enjoy romance and all this lovey dovey sh*t. I just don’t watch the genre (or any mainstream and popular dramas). I prefer the cringeworthy daily dramas. Now, why am I talking about this drama? Well, the OSTs for this drama has literally taken over the charts each time they were released. Not complaining here, but the songs were really good. Like, I really enjoy listening to them and this is probably the first time I have been impressed with the OST for a drama. Anyway, the OST contains songs from Davichi, Gummy, K.Will, Yoon Mi Rae, Chen, Punch, Mad Clown, Kim Na Young, Xiah, MC The Max, Lyn and SG Wannabe. In OST terms, this is pretty much the star studded red carpet. Each song released topped the charts instantaneously and I can see these artists winning the Best OST awards at the award ceremonies already. That is all I am reporting on… Hahaha…

Comebacks and Debuts

For the past two months, many artists have made their comeback and they include ): Block B, Seventeen, History, April, Twice, AOA, Akdong Musician, VIXX, Lovelyz, Up10Tion and so many more.

For debuts, NCT is the big debut for April.  I.O.I is probably the major debut for May. However, we have seen new soloists emerge in KPOP in the past two months. Notably, Jung Eunji from APINK, Woohyun from Infinite and Tiffany from SNSD had their respective solo debuts in the last two months.

Top 5 songs of April

As per normal, these are my top 5 songs of April:

  1. Pretty U – Seventeen
  2. Journey to Atlantis – Laboum
  3. Dynamite – VIXX
  4. Queen – History
  5. Toy – Block B

Top 5 songs of May

May hasn’t ended yet, but it is about to. I will add other May songs to the June list (when I get around to it).

0. Pretty U – Seventeen (I have to. I have been trialling charts and Seventeen has been popping up every single week as the top song for the week).
1. Good Luck – AOA
2. Save Me – BTS
3. Nodding Nodding – Woohyun (Infinite)
4. I Just Wanna Dance – Tiffany (SNSD)
5. Fire – BTS

This one was a long one and I tried to keep it short. I am really behind in reviews and will get them out slowly. It will take me some time to catch up. Bad news is that I have exams coming up and I am going to be slower. I will review every major release eventually, so give me some time. Enjoy the rest of May and see you tomorrow!!!

 

Dream – Suzy (Miss A) & Baekhyun (EXO)

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Currently the hottest song out at this very moment. This unexpected (kind of was expected after images were leaked though) between Suzy from Miss A and EXO’s Baekhyun has been staying at the top of the charts of a few days now and have apparently been there for over 100 hours, which is a feat considering the competition that they are facing with powerful digital artist’s comeback and also the release of OSTs for Reply 1988, which rise to the top of charts quite quickly.

Lovely song. It’s the type of song that you would expect in those cafes that we see often in the movies. The jazzy feel the instrumental gives the ballad really gives off that feel. Their vocals compliment each other quite well. Their vocals both also fit in very well with the jazzy feel. While it is not a catchy song, the chorus is pretty addictive to listen to. It makes me want to sway along and furthermore has this relaxing feeling about it. Suzy’s voice starts it off with a really soft and husky Dream and Baekhyun joins in afterwards with his husky voice as well. Even their “mmmmsss” sound really cool and go hand in hand with each other. Personally, this song feels like perfection in my eyes and every one of those hours the song is recorded at #1 truly reflects the amazing nature of the song.

The music video, well, matches the jazz ballad feel of the song. I love their set up, but I personally thought a more French or cafe setting would be more suitable. But I love how simple it was. Just position the right instruments around them and have the singers it there. But I don’t know, the instrumental playing people seem to know what they were doing, but they look awkward as hell. But beside that, I thought the video was very nice and complimented the song in many ways.

Yeah, probably not going to hammer down on them for my thoughts on the music video, but this is a perfect song. 10/10

Rewind: April 2015

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Apologies, it has been nearly a month. Haven’t forgotten these, just been so busy with so much work and studying that I had to push this back so many times. But now, let’s get on with this. This segment recaps the news of last month (April 2015) and let me put my thoughts into each news. This is so badly worded. I am doing this prior to my bed time, so sorry if nothing makes sense. I also lists my favourite songs of the month, and it was very hard for this month. You will be very surprised. Let’s get on with it!!! (yes, I rushed the preview picture. It looks bad, I know. I say sorry in advance!!)

EXO Tao’s departure rumours

Yes, I guess it won’t be 2015 until something EXO related pops up. I believe each Rewind has featured an EXO story so far, and that I kind of concerning, because I don’t think any have been any good for the band. But unfroteutely, there are rumours with another member, Tao. He was injured during promotions of Call Me Baby and he was allowed to return China where he got his time to rest and heal. But while his time in China, there were reports that his father talking with SM Ent to cancel Tao’s contract and according to Tao’s father, Tao gave in and is now wanting the contract to be cancelled. Not that I am opposing Tao’s father, but if you are asking your son to reconsider his job after he has explicitly said that he will forever be with EXO is kind of mean considering what has happened with the band in the last year or so. I understand he is concerned and I don’t doubt him for that. But is just seems sudden like there is something else that fans the public don’t know about it. That is my idea of the whole thing. All we know now is that Tao has left for America and we don’t really have any word from any side. Let’s hope that the talks between the two parties come out with a favourable outcome for Tao, his family, EXO L’s and also the company. Maybe a little hiatus for a few months? But then again, I think that is what he is going through.

Jinusean makes their first comeback in almost 12 years

Yes, legendary duo Jinusean made their comeback with Tell Me One More Time (featuring Jang Han Na) in April. No review for it, but is is a pretty solid song. If you don’t know, the band consists of Kim Jin Woo and Noh Seung Hwan. They basically were one of the first bands in South Korea to bring out the hip hop genre of South Korea and is still managed by YG Entertainment. They did pretty well with their comeback. They topped charts and ranked quite high on charts for a very long time (until other artists made their comeback though). I like the song a lot. Just YG promised Big Bang first, so I was very disappointed, but hey Big Bang ended up making their comeback in May.

Another couple of SNSD

Yuri and baseball player Oh Seung Hwan are reportedly dating. I think it was confirmed by SM but I am not too sure. But if they are, don’t worry about fans and date comfortably. I don’t think Girl’s Generation is a suitable name for them anymore. Best of luck for the couple!!!

EXO’s Instagram dilemma

With rumours of EXO Tao’s departure, some EXO members have gone to some extreme length regarding their instagram accounts. Firstly, Kai opened his prior to the comeback, but while in promtoions, deleted it. From what many speculate that Kai’s account has nothing to do with the rumours and was just a promotion stunt to get more people aware of their comeback. But Lay deleted all his photos and Xiumin deleted his account after a very long time on the social media site. We just will never know if this is in anyway related to the rumours regarding Tao. Let’s hope not. BUT it became a bigger problem, with Tao wiping “EXO” from his profile. Ahh, EXO. What is going to happen to you guys??? Like I said, we will never know what happened, but all this makes rumours sound like they are the truth. But let’s hope not.

Top 10 songs of April 2015

1. Ah Yeah – EXID

2. Catch Me If You Can – SNSD

3. I Need U – BTS

4. Joker – Dal Shabet

5. Call Me Baby – EXO

6. Hopeless Love – Jimin (15&)

7. Aah Oop – Mamamoo ft. eSNa

8. Only You – Miss A

9. Awoo – Lim Kim

10. Tell Me One More Time – Jinusean (No Review)

 

 

Only You – Miss A

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After the “breaking news” of Suzy and Lee Min Ho’s relationship was revealed to the public, Miss A has officially launched their comeback with their newest title track Miss A. This track comes from the mini album titled as Colourful. Now what have we heard from Miss A since their last comeback, Hush? Rumours of Min’s solo debut. Suzy went further with her acting career. Fei and Jia having more activities in China, with Fei also being a part of Masterchef Korea. Was that last year? I don’t remember. But the Chinese members are starting to receive more opportunities to promote in China.

This is a so-so song. It isn’t that amazing and it really does not top Hush. But, this song is still quite good. Miss A, to me, are known for their fierce and sexy comebacks. Goodbye Baby, Touch, Hush were all chart toppers and got them a lot of fame. Those comebacks with a little more colour and brightness, such as this song and Don’t Need A Man, really did not make it as high on my like charts. The vocals are pretty good. Jia and Fei have many more lines in the song compared to the past. Min got the short end of the stick, as we really did not get to see her shine as much in this song. Suzy, yeah, she got the load. The chorus is mainly her with a few extra parts in the first verse and the bridge. But I am not complaining as this song suited her vocals. This song is a more typical pop song. There is nothing in this song that makes it stands out. I enjoyed it, but at the same time, thought it lacked a lot. There was no “power” has I said at the start. Miss A’s signature feel is not in this song. Overall, it is okay, but maybe I was expecting something more.

Right, the start uses live shots of a city (looks like New York to me). But the set was fake. WHY??? This music video was way to bright for my liking. I like colour and all, but it feels really lacking and doesn’t garner my attention as much as I had expected. I don’t know anyone these days look at their hot neighbours with binoculars anymore. It kind of sounds like old fashion. And the fact that the girls already noticed him and yet he continues to watch them as if he thought he was being sneaky enough. Also, that party at the end has to be one of the lamest parties ever. The dancing of the background actors and actresses were just bouncing up and down. I don’t go to parties, but I already know how much the party must suck if it mainly just jumping up and down throughout the night.

The dance was okay. It really wasn’t anything that great compared to their past dances. Nothing memorable.

If I got to choose between this comeback and Hush, I go with the latter, because I prefer the latter’s concept and style overall. More than this. Nonetheless, congratulations on the girls for getting 3 or 4 PERFECT all kills on the charts for this song. 6/10

Rewind: March 2015

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Through this new segment (Finally got to use that one word), we will be looking back at the third month of 2015. I get to rank my top 10 songs. But we also get to look back at other events that happened in the Korean music industry. This way, I can talk about big events in the KPOP industry and rely my thoughts to you all.

Lee Min Ho and Suzy Dating

This by far is the biggest news of March 2015. Just a few days ago, it was confirmed by both companies that Miss A’s Suzy and Hallyu actor Lee Min Ho are officially dating. More importantly, JYP (Suzy’s company) have announced that Suzy would not avoid questions regarding the couple. Now, usually companies try to “Hush” the rumours, so I thought it was a little wierd that JYP would say Suzy would be answering all questions. Though I get that both companies would have to confirm due to the evidence presented, but I think JYP is milking everything they can out of this big piece of news. Dating in the industry is going to be hard but I wish the very best for the two. Now let’s move along with Miss A‘s comeback, shall me?

Red Velvet First Win

The subheading says it all. Congratulations to Red Velvet on their first music show win. At the time I am writing this, they actually have won 4 music show awards. Their latest song is ________________________________________________________________. Sorry. Let’s leave this here and wait for the review to come out. Soon. I promise. I am not YG. It will come soon. Like next week probably.

2AM Members Change Companies

Another big piece of news with the 2AM members splitting up with their company. No, they are not disbanding (though it sounded a lot like it at first) but 2AM members have decided to go with different companies. Jo Kwon decided to stay with JYP Entertainment. Seulong decided to go with SidusHQ and Jinwoon decided with Mystic Entertainment. Changmin signed with Big Hit after his contract ended with JYP last year (I think?). This kind of says something about JYP Entertainment, but at the same time, we should be glad the ballad group are not going away for now. Let’s hope 2AM comebacks with a new song with this different formation with companies. (On a side note: all 2PM members – contract ended around the same time – resigned with JYP).

Comebacks for April

BIG BANG HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!!! Though, not exactly sure when the comeback is exactly. But BIG BANG HAS BEEN CONFIRMED to be the first YG artist making their comeback in 2015. On top of that, EXID will be making their comeback. Miss A and EXO just made their comeback at the end of the month. Dal Shabet, Mamamoo, Cross Gene have also be confirmed. SNSD (Girl’s Generation) will also be making their comeback in May BUT they will be releasing a track during April in both Japan and Korea.

Yewon and Lee Tae Im Scandal

This scandal I am not familiar with. Essentially what happened is that Yewon spoke informally to Lee Tae Im. After Lee Tae Im got angry and left, Yewon decided to curse out at Lee Tae Im, and hence causing this controversy. Essentially, Yewon is more of a younger person in the industry, so she had to be formal. I get it sometimes. I come from as Asian background and sometimes I don’t think the formality thing is right. Just because they are older does not mean they are right. Imagine this: the older person is cursing the daylights out of you and your loved ones, and you “disrespectfully” defended yourself and your family. Is the older person right and you are at fault? Though this is not what had happened, it seems like the industry zooms in on one part and leave the rest out for every bad situation. We don’t know 100% what happened. We will never know what 100% happened. Something could have happened before that got both angry. Those are just my loosely put together thoughts on the whole thing. Maybe Yewon is in the wrong. But what if she isn’t? Remember I am not siding with her. I am just being “opened minded” about things.

Top 10 songs of the month

1. Paradise Lost – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

2. Between Night n Music – B.I.G

3. FM – Crayon Pop

4. You’re Pitiful – Fiestar

5. Donghae & Eunhyuk – Growing Pains

6. I Am A Woman Too – Minah (Girl’s Day)

7. Ice Cream Cake – Red Velvet

8. Apple – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Jay Park

9. Growing – K.Will

10. Bounce – Boyfriend

Rewind: February 2015

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Through this new segment (Finally got to use that one word), we will be looking back at the second month of 2015. I get to rank my top 10 songs. But we also get to look back at other events that happened in the Korean music industry. This way, I can talk about big events in the KPOP industry and rely my thoughts to you all.

YG says comeback for Big Bang will happen in April

This month, YG “promised” us that the first artist to make their comeback would be Big Bang, who has been scheduled for April. Yes, I put “promised” in quotation marks because half the time, we really cannot take his words as the final story. Hopefully, this time Big Bang will make their very long awaited comeback in April and for once Yang Hyun Suk say something we can actually could have relied on. iKON will always be make their debut this year, just we don’t have a clear time frame yet.

Comeback announcement for April?

About 343425946 bands in the KPOP industry have announced their comeback in April. Yes, there have been so many already that I can’t remember. As mentioned above, Big Bang is. Joining them is Girl’s Day, Miss A and Dal Shabet. B1A4‘s sister group will be making their debut in April as well. FT Island is also due to make a comeback in April as well. iKon is also another band rumoured to make their debut in April. As we look further into the future, SNSD and Infinite are both aiming for May comebacks. April is going to be one hell of a month with all the bands coming back for me. And April is going to be one busy month for me already…

Kim Hyun Joong’s Domestic Violence Scandal + Pregnancy rumours

Another turn for the worse for Kim Hyun Joong. Late last year, it was reported that his former girlfriend was a victim to domestic violence attacks from the KPOP star. She sued him for what she had alleged that he has done to her. Now, it was revealed that the former girlfriend had withdrawn the lawsuit and the two proceeded to meet up with each other. Now the ex girlfriend is claiming to be pregnant with Kim’s child as he prepares for military enlistment.  His side has been asking for the girlfriend to come out and do pregnancy tests, which from what I read, she refused (but she ended up,  through her lawyer,  giving out “her” test results). I am going to be honest, this sounds very suspicious on her part. Since she had sued and withdrew the lawsuit basically means she has a free ticket to get away from Kim Hyun Joong. Unless she is that crazy in love for him, this progression in their relationship is putting both parties in a bad light.

Top 10 Songs Of The Month

1. Black Swan – Rainbow

2. Crazy – 4Minute

3. Shake That Brass – Amber (f(x)) ft. SNSD Taeyeon

4. Love Equation – VIXX

5. 너무 Very 막 – MYNAME

6. Just – ZionT ft. Crush

7. Always – A.Kor

8. Because Of You – Berry Good

9. Beautiful – KXIS (DMTN)

10. Sniper – Shinhwa

‘End Of Year Music Festivals’ Favourite Performances

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Woah, 2013 is over (Soz, a tad late) and each year KPOP fans always end up looking forward to the end of year music festivals. These “festivals” are held on the final days of the year by the 3 major boradcasting companies of South Korea (ie. KBS, SBS, MBC). It is a stage where the artists who are active during the year can come together and celebrate by putting on some music and performing different stages from the ones that they had promoted during the year. So this means there are many different collaborations between artists or remix stages which would have fans screaming for. Because there happens to be little songs to review at this time of the year (end of Jan, don’t ask why), I thought I do this and release it in time for the Vietnamese (Or Chinese) New Year!!!!!

KBS Gayo Daechukje

  • Honestly, I was not satisfied with any of the collabs. They seem to be a last minute thing which made the show rather messy. They had good songs, but Iw as not satisfied with the way they were presented.
  • Crayon Pop’s Bar Bar Bar was a good stage. The start got everyone hyped up and when the song actually started, boy was the screams loud! It was rather fresh and different stage that everyone must’ve had enjoyed.
  • EXO’s Intro + Growl sounded amazing. Now if only they were not replayed 563495630295634092560 times this year and everyone talking about them, I would not think poorly of them. However the intro and the performance was really good.
  • APINK was one of the few bands to throw in a new instrumental for their “sexy version” of No No No. I enjoyed the dance and I liked the new mix.
  • Beast had a pretty cool stage as well. They kept their normal instrumental but made something interested out of it.
  • Sistar’s “femme fatale” Give It To Me looked really good. Minus the not so good looks of the dancers, I really liked their dance break and Dasom has my heart beating even faster.
  • Miss A’s remixes were amazing this year. I like them much better than the actual song. Amazing right?Well, honestly it is just a new instrumental over some parts and then the actual song itself. And Min, walking away like a boss and carrying on singing after getting hit in the face.

SBS Gayo Daejeon

  • First stage which I enjoyed was VIXX’s On & On and VooDoo Doll. I honestly thought that Hyde and On & On would have been a better match, but they still seemed to pull it off pretty well. I think I am turning into a fan. Damn.
  • Z:EA and Nine Muses collaboration stage with Ghost Of The Wind, Glue and finally hit song Bounce was another stage that literally got me into it. It is such a good stage with the two bands together, where it was Nine Muses first time and Z:EA’s second time since debut.
  • Another collaboration stage goes to Girl’s Day and APINK’s Expectation and No No No. Honestly, it seemed APINK had less airtime than Girl’s Day. Not sure about the detail, but it kind seems unfair. But both suited the stage every well singing each other’s song.
  • Crayon Pop’s Bar Bar Bar was pretty good. But the camera work destroyed the good stage.
  • T-Ara had a lot of hate, but I seemed to enjoy this stage. Number 9 but vampire version. Not much change to the song, except for really creepy dance breaks. And BOOOOBSSS!!!!!
  • 2NE1 had an alight stage. Though they just sang Missing You and Do You Love Me?, this still had remarkable stage preference.
  • Taeyang and G-Dragon seemed to had some fun on stage. I liked the lineup of songs they had coming. They sung 1AM, Crooked, Ringa Linga and Bad Boy. Considering that the whole group as not there, they did a good job filling up 3 other parts as well.

MBC Gayo Daejejeon

  • Miss A’s classy club mix for Hush sounded the best and probably has to be my most favourite stage out of all the stages listed here. It sounded to sexy and cool all at the same time.
  • T-Ara’s Number 9 and What Should I Do was a great stage. They combined the two songs into a club beat kind of song which flowed pretty well, considering the two extreme opposites for each song.
  • Ailee’s rapping before her performance , U&I, was da bomb.
  • F(x)’s Rum Pum Pum Pum was pretty good as well. Was not as impressed with the original version though.But the instrumental and ending of this stage was awesome!!! And finally F(x) gets a stage remix for an end of year festival.
  • B1A4’s rock remix for What’s Happening? was also a pretty cool performance. Literally got me going with the beat.
  • Infinite brought a new thing to the stage with Destiny remixed with the instrumental of Deception. Something that was quite unexpected but sounded pretty good despite the two songs sounding completely different.
  • Give It To Me by Sistar was pretty cool as well if the little bit of dubstep (I think) mixed in the song as well. Hyorin’s intro with Sweet Dream was pretty cool.
  • Kara’s medley of songs was pretty good. And considering the departure of two members, it fitted the occasion. They performed Lupin, Step, Damaged Lady, Mister and Honey (not sure about the last one though.

If you watched the performances, which one did you like? Honestly, when I was watching the performances on YouTube, all I thought was that it seemed too much like a normal music show rather than something to be called a “End Of Year Festival”. I think these stages are losing their purpose. But anyway, still a fantastic line-up and amazing stages!!! What were your favourite stages of the three nights?

Happy New Year!!!

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Hi all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow, 2013 is finally over. Can you believe it. With days to go, I will be unable to update this over my “break”. Beside that I have scheduled a whole heap of reviews. I promised you guys an End Of Year Charts, and with that very day 3-4 days away, I think it is time unleash the beast. Party hard! Welcome the new year in style! I will wish to see you all back on the 2nd of Jan 2013 (subject to change). At the very bottom of this post, there will be two links. One is a playlist for the winners of the BOB’s and the other is the top 20 songs of the year, as selected by this chart. Yay!!!!

Position Title Artist
1 Female President Girl’s Day
2 G.R.8.U (Your Impressive) VIXX
3 Tonight Spica
4 Hush Miss A
5 Damaged Lady Kara
6 24 Hours Sunmi
7 Voodoo Doll VIXX
8 Give It To Me Sistar
9 Expectation Girl’s Day
10 Only One Gummy
11 Be Ambitious Dal Shabet
12 Red Shoes IU
13 Number 9 T-Ara
14 Very Good Block B
15 Everybody SHINee
16 Kill Bill Brown Eyed Girls
17 Destiny Infinite
18 I Don’t Know FIESTAR
19 Only You VIXX
20 U&I Ailee
21 Madly FT Island
22 Love Blossom K.Will
23 Love Options BESTie
24 What’s Going On? B1A4
25 Growl EXO
26 Gone Not Around Any Longer Sistar19
27 Yoo Hoo Secret
28 While You Were Asleep JeA (Brown Eyed Girls)
29 1.4.3 Henry (Super Junior M) Feat. Amber F(x)
30 Dream Girl SHINee
31 Wild Nine Muses
32 Thriller BTOB
33 Goodbye Dasoni (EXID)
34 Insane A-Jax
35 One Shot B.A.P
36 Lonely Christmas Crayon Pop
37 Confused AOA
38 Bar Bar Bar Crayon Pop
39 Glue Nine Muses
40 Twenty Four / Seven 2Yoon
41 Jeon Won Diary T-Ara N4
42 I Like That GLAM
43 Tell Me Tell Me Rainbow
44 Stupid In Love Mad Clown ft. Soyu (Sistar)
45 Rocking Teen Top
46 No No No A-Pink
47 Why So Serious? SHINee
48 Baby I’m Sorry MYNAME
49 Dreamer History
50 The Letter Davichi

PLAYLIST 1: 

PLAYLIST 2: 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KPOPreviewed!!!

Hush – Miss A

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I was totally impressed with the song. Not the first time listening to it though. I was quite disappointed with the song as a whole, the first time hearing it. But it grew on me a lot, to the put where I play it everytime I plug in my headphones. I do have a complaint to make though. The song took freaking forever to get to the climax. And even the climax did not sound like a climax, but rather quite random and sudden. The song was too slow for quite some time and then when we got to the really good bits, the song slowed down, like a car breaking suddenly. Then the car accelerated suddenly. Though it does not sound good the way I describe it, I freaking love this song. The chorus is freaking catchy. I also love how it was not one person of the group who dominated the song, but rather the lines were shared out by the members. This song also goes to show that a rap is not needed. Little did you know, but there is no rap in the song, just purely vocals. Freaking awesome.

The music video was dark and mysterious. Not really what I would have thought about when it came to sexiness and all of that. It is set in very different sets. You have a room with a leaking problem (please get that fixed), a shower that does not work (please get that fixed), a dodgy looking train carriage (please get that upgraded, train network) and a recently robbed supermarket store (please employ new security). I love it how they made use of each set and did solo shots for one of the members in each scene and then let the members dance in all 4 sets. Quite original, I believe. Not sure about the mannequins in the store though. Are they meant to be there, wearing those clothes. From what I see, the store only sells food. Like, a lot of food. I love it how when it came to the climax, the editor paired it up to Suzy biting her lollipop. Pretty cool, must I say. I love the extreme closeup of the members at the end, it gave a different feel to it. Even though I thought of the music video in a weird way, those final moments reminded me about the creepiness of the video. It’s smart and did actually fit the song, but creepiness does not sexiness, in my point of view.

The dance is pretty cool. Not as catchy as Goodbye Baby or Bad Girl Good Girl. But it does fits the song really well. They had slow smooth dance moves during the start when the music was slow and had fast dance moves when the music was powerful and fast. Pretty cool. I loved the use of the “pole” and the curtains, it gives the whole dance and performance more of a powerful and dominated feel.

8.5/10. I was going to give it a 9, but the song held it down a little. I would have loved to give it a 9, but honestly that extra 0.5 was not worth it. But still, it is a really good comeback and hope to see these girls accept some more awards.

I Dance – Ivy ft. Yubin (Wonder Girls)

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Ivy recently made her anticipated comeback with a new style of a song that is one of the most amazing songs of the year so far. The actual song features Yubin from Wonder Girls. Woori from Rainbow took over Yubin after the first week of promotions, for those who don’t know. This song is one of those mashups that we all don’t like of, however this song carries a different feel of the song. This song, I admit, will not be for everyone, however I think it will be one of the hottest songs of the year. Have been quite disappointed with any songs, but I also quite like this one.

I love the instrumental of this song. It is totally amazing. The Spanish feel of the song is totally one of my favourite feels of the year. Well, not Spanish, but rumba or tango, I don’t know which is which. As you see, and probably have noticed, my knowledge of dances are quite limited. I love the vocals of Ivy in this song. It showcases her vocal talent in one go without need to of autotuning. Seriously, why have I not found such a great artist before! Her high note at the end was one of the most amazing notes that I have heard. I totally love the addition of the rap in this song. It fits in with the song and gives that song the extra beat of electro music which I totally love in this video. “I got to keep on dancing, cause tears are coming down my eyes” and the lines of the raps that follow are the actual highlight of the song, for me. It was catchy and kept into my mind. Great work Ivy and Yubin (and of course, the other artists that will join Ivy on stage).

The music video, I don’t really understand that well. The whole idea of technology with the song’s instrumental is kind of “not there”. She seems to be trapped in some kind room with some sort of torturing device that is growing her mad. Also, cameras are taking picture of her and the whole music video solo scenes seem quite quirky when you have the music right there. That or she is a drama queen and is stuck in the corner of her elevator. Also, did you see that nude tone dress with the black ropes (?) around her? Quite extreme in my point of view. Though Yubin’s scene in the music video seem quite appropriate. The ending was a little too much for me. But overall, I think the music video, beside the really weird parts, do quite well. But I am still weirded out.

Rumba or Tango, the dance is amazing. From the traditional dance of rumba or tango to the more modern version of the dance after Yubin’s addition to the song. Also Miss A’s Jia and Rainbow’s Woori have joined Ivy in place of Yubin to be the rapper and all three of them do quite a splendid job. If I want to choose one, it would most probably be Yubin because she sounds most natural, but as I said, all three sound really good.

8.5/10. Only the music video. Blame the music video. But beside that, I love everything else. I have included the music video and the three different rappers into the playlist, so check it out.

Over U – Miss A

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Miss A made their comeback with Touch last year, in March of 2012. Over U was their featured as their comeback stage special and their follow up song, where remixes of this song were performed. I personally prefer this song over Touch, which I did not really like that much.

The song Over U talks about the girls being over their boyfriends. That, or they are talking about something completely irrelevant to the song title. The song, for me, has an addictive electro-beat which blends in with the songs that many people find popular nowadays. The vocals are pretty good in this song and there is really nothing to complain about. I find the song quite okay. It is not bad, but it is not as good as other songs.

There is no music video, so I am going to skip right over this part and onto the performance.

The dance for this is pretty okay. The moves are in time with the beat and all of that. I just think that Miss A devoted the majority of their time for the Touch chorography and did not have much time to practice this dance. That or they slapped random moves at the very last moment.

5.5/10. Could have been better, but I guess it would have to do.

I Don’t Need A Man – Miss A

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Miss A recently came back with this song in October. It is much more different from its last concept which was dark and mysterious. This is more light-hearted and cheerful, showing a more stronger side to the girls. Touch was not really a hit in my mind, but this song much better and sounded really good. Pity it had some tough contenders to compete with, because this song is awesome. It deserves an award compared to Touch. Anyway:

The song, as said above, was a hit in my mind. It has everything that a KPOP song should have. It has the really sucky beat, but their voices had enhanced that. This song shows the power that the girls have by stating that they “don’t need a man”. Though it is not bad ass as Brown Eyed Girl’s Sixth Sense, they do show some uniqueness to some extent. The rap was totally awesome and this time around, the song actually needed a rap. Apparently it is a song that has for a song called the “Independent Women” and Destiny Child, hence why they got “Independent Women III” which to me is pretty smart. The lyrics highlight what girls can do which they don’t need a man to help them with like: paying rent, getting money to buy clothes and food. I guess the main part for me in the whole song is this line: “The other girls may have rich parents or a rich boyfriend”, which I guess shows that no one needs to be rich to be satisfy with their life. Money does not mean happiness to everyone.

The music reflects the lyrics appropriately. When they mention that they can buy clothes on their own, they showed clothes and a man actually paying for their daughter’s clothes with what happens to be a membership card to a retail, not an actual credit card but oh well. I really liked the colours that they had and it felt like the actors and actresses had no control over what they were doing in the back ground. Unlike the Miss A members who like retaliating to the cameras and directors who are filming, which portrays the music video quite well. The only thing that I don’t ant to see again is the Miss A graffiti. It looked horrible.

The dance is really makes sense. “I don’t need a man” basically just had their fingers waving as if we were telling some kid off for doing something bad. They were showing off their muscles and danced really well. Jia’s solo was awesome as well.

I would give this song a 9/10. Really Good.

Have Fun Watching 😀 Troy.

Next Review: Don’t Hate Me – Epik high