Towards the end of last month, it was officially announced by JYP Entertainment, that the Wonder Girls would be disbanding. Another major girl group a few years back would be leaving us. The girls had decided to go their separate ways, despite reports of the girls searching for a new company. Ye-Eun and Sunmi both left JYP Entertainment, while Yubin and Hyelim decided to go on with the company.
This is another farewell post for another amazing girl group. We said goodbye to 2NE1 just last month. We said goodbye to 4Minute last year and now we have to say goodbye to Wonder Girls. It is no doubt that their presence within the industry is large and that they will not be forgotten.
Wonder Girls made their debut on the 13th of February 2007 with Irony. The lineup then included: YeEun, Sunye, Sohee, Hyuna (now former 4Minute member) and Sunmi. After their debut, Hyuna was withdrawn from the group and their company added Yubin to the lineup. The group went on to release Tell Me and So Hot(alongside some other songs).
It wasn’t until Nobody in 2008 that the group rose to the top and became the hottest thing in Korea. In 2009, the group embarked on a world tour and it was decided that JYP would debut the girls in the U.S.A. The girl returned in 2010 after Sunmi left the group and Hyelim was added as a new member. The girls released 2 Different Tears. The girls returned overseas and spent more time releasing English songs and starring in their own TV show. 2011 came and the group returned at the end of the year with my favourite Wonder Girls song, Be My Baby. The girls returned to South Korea in 2012 to promote Like This.
Sadly, the group went on hiatus after 2012. Sunye withdrew from the group to get married and now she is a mother of two children. Sohee also withdrew from the group to focus on her acting career. The group reimaged themselves into a girl band and went on to releaseI Feel You in 2015. Sunmi returned to the group and the final lineup now includes: YeEun, Sunmi, Yubin and Hyelim). They later returned in 2016 with Why So Lonely. The girls (with the support on Sunye and Sohee) made the announcement in Jan 2017 of the disbandment and have gone on to release their final song today (10th of February), Draw Me, for their 10th anniversary.
Wonder Girls have a long history and to me, they have released some of the most iconic songs in KPOP to date. Their influence (along with 2NE1 from YG Entertainment and SNSD for SM Entertainment) has shaped and grown KPOP to what it is today. I will also remember the catchy tune of Nobody and will always remember the super addictive dance that accompanied it. I will remember how big of a fanboy I came when it Be My Baby or Like This came on. And I will always feel awestruck watching the girls form themselves into a band.
Like 2NE1’s final song, I choose not to review it. Instead, I choose to look back at their time in the industry. Writing both posts made me sad, as I now know how far they have come, how far KPOP has gone and how much they will be missed. The majority of this post looks at their history as a group, with a few personal comments, but hopefully, it is enough to say goodbye.
Maybe this goodbye is not forever. But nonetheless, I wish all members of the group success and luck for all future endeavours. Given some of their solo careers, I think we can expect great things.
If you have not yet heard Wonder Girls’ final song (which was released today), you can listen to it below.
Guess who is back??? Wonder Girls!!! Yep, the ladies have returned to the stage. Last time, they promoted I Feel You and introduced us to the band version of Wonder Girls. Once again, the band version of Wonder Girls have returned with Why So Lonely and have also brought a dance along with them. So let’s get on with it, shall we?
The girls went with such an amazing song. They have constantly pushed out songs that have always been deemed as unique and like no other. KPOP is a very large industry, but this is the 2nd or 3rd time I have actually heard someone attempt the reggae genre. Yeah, it sounds like it wasn’t released in the right era nor does it sound modern and upbeat. But it definitely is unique and it drew my attention (and most likely, yours) in straight away. The vocals were great. Yubin also has singing parts, on top of her rapping parts. Yubin’s rap was amazing. South Korea also likes the new sound as well, as their song topped the charts as soon as it was released and received certified perfect all kills. I love the harmonies during the chorus. The song isn’t heavy on the ears and is a song that I wouldn’t mind listening to every now and then. With such a unique song under their belt, the girls have done a great job with it.
The music video is made up of a simple story and close up shots of the girls. I particularly like this video because of the story line. It makes me laugh. The girls find the their “partner” cheating on them (if you go by the video) or their partner has lost interest in them (if you go by the song). The girls, either way, take matters into their own hands and deal with the situation. They kidnap him, slam a car’s bonnet on top of his arm and proceed to chain him up. But that ain’t the peak of it. They wrapped him up and then chop his arm off. But the peak is where they just start performing in front of him and then leave him there to… I don’t know what plastic dolls do… rot? It was such a freaky video, but the ending could have been dramatised a little bit, don’t you think? There is also a very kinky or sexual side to the torture, though , and I guess that alludes to the fact that he hasn’t been paying attention to the girls in any way. I thought the idea of the video was amazing and most of it was. Just a little disappointed with the ending performance and then just leaving him behind. Why not bury him in a hole? He lost an arm and in real life, he would have bled to death, so might as well just get rid of him?
There are two versions to this song when we refer to the performance. First is the band version, and second of all, is the dance version. Can’t say anything about the band version, but their blank facial expressions, for some reason, fit in really well with the song. The dance gives their facial expressions a lot more freedom. But the dance is very bland and lackluster. It was kind of expected from the sound of the song. The song doesn’t necessary have the dance feel, so I don’t know why they wanted to make a dance version of this song. If anything, they should have promoted I Feel You with a dance version.
Welcome to the end of the year! Each year, I do this “End Of The Year Chart” where I properly rank songs via a personalised ranking system, which shows which songs I liked the most (and which songs I did not like at all – but I won’t name and shame). How do I rank the songs? Simply taking the score that I gave them in the review published earlier in the year, adding it to new review scores for the music, video and performance. Then I add those to other scores from “Songs of the Month” in my Rewind posts and to ensure that I can properly order them, I turn to my iTunes play count. And when I say “add”, there is a mixture of mathematical operations (and I am going to stop here, before I can bore you). In no way is this chart influenced by my choice of best song in the BOBs. But I do highlight them here :).
1
Ah Yeah
EXID
2
Paradise Lost
Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
3
If You Do
GOT7
4
Closer
Oh My Girl
5
You
G.Soul
6
Love Me Right
EXO
7
I Need U
BTS
8
Sing For You
EXO
9
Shake It
Sistar
10
4 Walls
F(x)
11
Dumb Dumb
Red Velvet
12
I
Taeyeon (SNSD) ft. Verbal Jint
13
Like OOH AHH
Twice
14
Oh Um Ah Yeah
Mamamoo
15
Mansae
Seventeen
16
Just Right
GOT7
17
Crazy
4Minute
18
Insensible
Lee Hong Ki (FT Island)
19
Run
BTS
20
Yey
Beast
21
Between Night n Music
B.I.G
22
Shake That Brass
Amber (f(x)) ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)
23
Hot Pink
EXID
24
Beautiful Liar
VIXX LR (VIXX)
25
Brand New World
Brown Eyed Girls
26
Ring My Bell
Girls Day
27
Hurt Locker
Nine Muses
28
Growing Pains
Donghae & Eunhyuk
29
Run Away
Royal Pirates
30
Black Swan
Rainbow
31
Congratulations
DAY6
32
Catch Me If You Can
SNSD
33
Me Gustas Tu
Gfriend
34
The Answer
Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite)
35
Dope
BTS
36
Pray
FT Island
37
Cinderella
CN Blue
38
You’re Pitiful
Fiestar
39
Hopeless Love
Jimin (15&)
40
Bad
Infinite
41
Might Just Die
History
42
We Like 2 Party
Big Bang
43
Chained Up
VIXX
44
Fire
Mad Clown ft. Jamsil (Mad Child Soul)
45
Bell Bottoms
PSY
46
Ice Cream Cake
Red Velvet
47
Break Ya
LU:KUS
48
Kontrol
Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite)
49
I Feel You
Wonder Girls
50
Wow Wow Wow
Junjin (Shinhwa) ft. Eric (Shinhwa)
And here are some interesting facts about this year and the chart itself!
A total of 180 songs were ranked on this chart, but a total of 195 songs were reviewed this year (which I believe is a personal best).
The first song reviewed and included in the chart is BTOB’s The Winter Tale (released at the end of last year). The last song reviewed and included in the chart was EXO’s Sing For You
A total of 16 girl groups, 17 boy groups and 9 soloists are featured on the chart.
There is a better mix of boys and girl groups this year, compared to last year, where the first boy group did not feature on the charts until after 16th place.
BTS had the most songs on the chart (I Need U, Dope & Run). followed by: EXID (Ah Yeah & Hot Pink), GOT7 (If You Do, Just Right), EXO (Love Me Right, Sing For You), Kim Sung Gyu (The Answer, Kontrol) & Red Velvet (Dumb Dumb & Ice Cream Cake).
Rookies were actually a strong force this year with Oh My Girl, Seventeen and Twice ranking quite high up in the charts.
The following ranked after 50th place: IU, B.I.G, Crayon Pop, VIXX, Seventeen, Changmin, Big Bang, Brown Eyed Girls and CLC.
And finally, this year chart was actually reflected on the BOBs this year. I crowned EXID’s Ah Yeah as best song for both segments.
AND THAT IS IT!! 2015 will be ending shortly. 6 Hours To Go (for me at least)!!! Hope 2015 has been a great year for you all. I thank you all once again for another year of KPOPreviewed. Your support has been amazing. Every comment and like (heck even every view) makes me happy!! Nearly 5 years and still going strong!! Thank you 2015 and I wish you all a Happy New Year wherever and whenever it is time. Let’s make 2016 our year!!! (First review: 2nd of Jan).
2015 is at its end, and with days away from the new year, we must reflect on 2015. And per usual: excellent songs, videos and dances have gracefully entered our lives and probably have not yet left us. From comebacks from big name acts to debuts of new rookie bands, 2015 has been a splendid year in my opinion. This year I decided to do the BOBs differently. Usually, I post a list of nominees and categories, but I don’t get you guys to vote for them (nor do I have the capabilities and time to allow you guys to vote for them, but maybe in the future), so I thought I should change it up this year, but posting both nominees and winners in the same post. This is part 1 of the BOBs and part 2 will be released tomorrow with the rest of the categories. Also, the traditional End of Year Charts will be released on the 31st of December, at 11:55 pm, so please wait around for that. Let’s get the post on the road!!!
These awards do not reflect any review score that I gave out this year. My personal preferences will always change (i.e. an 8 review score can currently be a 10 OR a 10 review score can currently by an 8).
RED FONT – Winners, BLUE FONT – Honourable Mention
RISING STAR
Each year, artists see a rise in popularity. May that be due to great songs or great publicity (after all: any publicity is good publicity), this year was no difference. Each of these artists, I have personally seen, some sort of boost in popularity this year. And I get to choose two winners (one male and one female) for this certain category. For this year, I have nominated:
My pick is: EXID and BTOB. Both teams saw a rise in popularity due to one particular member, and slowly each member in each group is become well known in the industry. Keep up the good work, EXID and BTOB!!!
WINNER
WINNER
BEST INSTRUMENTAL
A song is not a song without an instrumental. And in KPOP, the instrumental plays a massive part in hooking us in and getting us addicted to the music. Especially for foreign and international fans who don’t understand the Korean language 100%. So many great instrumentals this year, here are the nominees:
Out of all the nominees, there can be only one winner: Wonder Girls – I Feel You. The girls returned to the stage with a brand new band concept, which totally wowed me. This instrumental has its own retro vibe and I personally enjoyed it a lot. From the drums to the keyboard and guitars, the girls totally deserve this. By far one of the most underrated songs, that definitely deserve an award! Honourable Mentions: F(x) – 4Walls
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST JAPANESE SONG
I also do some Japanese songs on this site. Hahaha… Yeah, I review some Japanese songs from time to time. The variety of singers that I listen to for Japanese songs is usually limited to only the Japanese songs released by Korean artists. This year, the category has been dominated by Korean artists and I hope next year, I can start to review more Japanese artists! Here are the nominees:
I think, I was most addicted to Beast – Can’t Wait To Love You. And that was my pick for Best Japanese Song. It was song that I felt did not fall into the typical Korean Pop or Japanese Pop genres and was pretty unique on its own. As for honourable mentions: BTS – For You.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST COMEBACK
Big name comebacks this occurred and they all managed to rock our socks off. Hahaha… I take into account: song, concept, promotions, looks, impact and a few more categories and suprisngly, the biggest artists that emerge from the Golden Age of KPOP were nominated:
Out of all the comebacks nominated, the one that fitted the criteria the most would have been Big Bang. 2015 was one big year for the band, and they had such an unique concept in terms of promotion. SNSD takes away honourable mention for this category.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST SUBUNIT
Unfortunately, 2015 did not continue the 2014 trend of subunits. However, some new subunits formed from popular bands and some old favourite returned. Here is who I think should be nominated as best subunit:
This one was a little close for me. But I am going to say Donghae and Eunhyuk, which is a subunit belonging to Super Junior. Their song was by far an amazing and left a more long lasting impact on me than the others. The other subunit that gets honourable mention is VIXX LR, which is a duo made up of Leo and Ravi.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST RAPPER
2015 saw a new wave of contestant based TV shows around rapping and hence many artists have seen a boost in popularity after appearing on these shows. Other rappers also remained on stage as part of their groups and amazed the audience continuously during each comeback. Here are the nominees:
Out of all the rappers on the light, I picked Mad Clown as a winner. His song was a hit, it was a great song (now) and while he is not part of some group, he still managed to be placed ahead of everyone this year. Zico (Block B) took out Honourable Mention for his active year. Interestingly enough, both selected artists had someone featuring in their song.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST VOCALIST
When there are rappers, there are also singers. 2015 also saw new programs (and our old favourites) made specifically for the vocalists of all groups. Some vocalists we know have always amazed us, but others have just emerged and became trends for 2015. Based purely on what they sound like, here are the nominees:
I think this category has the most obvious winner, Taeyeon (SNSD). Yeah, she was quite active as an artist, but her debut for I blew everyone away. As for honourable mention, it goes to Solji (EXID). Her performance of Maria still replays in my head. Her powerful vocals in EXID’s performance are also quite amazing.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST MALE SOLOIST
While the above category looked like at vocal performance, the Best Male Soloist looks at their vocal performance, song, impact and dance (if applicable) – i.e. their comeback or debut as a collective. To be nominated, the artists must have been active as a solo artist this year (while the above also included group vocalists). The nominees are:
There is only one artist on this list that managed to wow me the very moment I listened to the song and that artist is Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite). His whole album did wonders and is an album that I am continuously going back to. As for honourable mentions, Lee Hong Ki (FT Island) wins that. His solo debut song was well received and I reviewed it as an amazing ballad.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST FEMALE SOLOIST
While the above category(Best Vocalist) looked like at vocal performance, the Best Female Soloist looks at their vocal performance, song, impact and dance (if applicable) – i.e. their comeback or debut as a collective. To be nominated, the artists must have been active as a solo artist this year (while the above also included group vocalists). The nominees are:
Once again, I am going to give it to Taeyeon (SNSD). Vocally, stunning. It was memorable and lovely to listen to. Honourable Mention was a close call, but Amber (F(x)) stole it from Gain (Brown Eyed Girls). So catchy and bright.
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
And that is it for Part 1 of the BOBs. Check back tomorrow, where I will post the second part of the BOBs, with Best Song, Best Male and Female Rookie; and Best Male and Female groups (plus a few more categories).
*All images and gifs belong to their owners/creators. Only those tables are mine.
Probably one of the most sought after comebacks for a very long time. It has been over two years since we heard anything from the Wonder Girls, and now they are officially back with a brand new member. I kid. A former member, Sunmi, who we all probably know as the artists who sang 24 Hours and Full Moon. She left the group a while back and has returned as the fourth member. Why fourth? Well, Sunye and Sohee both decided to leave the band officially after a lot of speculation with their departure. Sunye now has a child and Sohee says she wants to focus on an acting career. Fans did get a little Wonder Girl’s feel when Ye-Eun made her solo debut last year with Ain’t Nobody, as HA:TFELT. And beside all of that, I haven’t heard much from the band themselves in the past 2 years. But they are back with a brand new concept and new album for fans to listen to.
This time around, while they were known for their dances, Wonder Girl’s had gone for the band concept. Interesting. Regarding the song, it is totally their style. These girls have retro down as if it was child play and they once again proved to the audience why they are so great at the retro sounds. Honestly, I love this song. It is damn catchy and addictive. The instrumental, while there really isn’t anything that grand within it, managed to blow my mind away. The drum beat and the electro sounding keyboard was a pretty nice combination. The guitars were a little more subtle, but they managed to tie everything together quite well. The vocals, that we know pretty well, was pretty good as well. The rapping fitted into the instrumental/song pretty well. However, the vocals. While they are good, they really feel like they are holding themselves back. While I cannot point to a certain style, I felt this song limited their abilities and failed to show off who they really are. Particularly Lim, she definitely held back the most, as we know her vocal capabilities, but there was none of it here. And I am going to be honest, I might have the slightest belief that this song may be a little too dry, compared to their past releases. But still, great song.
As for the music video, tick for retro. Everything from the stage set and their clothing looks pretty retro. Minus their instruments. They do look a little too modern, particularly the drums. That start though, with Sumni, unzipping her shorts, and then there is a massive zooming in effect, really took the cake for me. Was that seriously necessary? I thought back in the day, they opened doors for that sort of effect, not unzip pants. Also, they looked very bored. They don’t seem to enjoy themselves. One stage and in the video. I am not expecting them to be having the time of their lives, but their facial expressions tell me that they rather be somewhere else. Their instrumental playing, kind of ruined their performances. While I do understand that the performances were not live instrumental performances, at least some effort to give off the illusion would have been nice.
It was a nice retro return for the retro queens with a great song. However the music video, hmmm… Maybe not so much. 8/10 (I am being too nice).
Wonder Girl’s is finally back in the form of one member. OMG. Only joking. Yenny has returned as a solo artist under the stage name HA:TFELT, but for simplicity and efficiency reasons (and avoid using the colon), I will be referring to her as Yenny. This is the like the first major production that involves Wonder Girls, since leader Sunye got married and gave birth to her child. Since that time, former member Sunmi made her debut with 24 Hours and returned with Full Moon. Some time later, member Sohee announced that her contract with JYP ended and that she would be perusing acting, just under a different company, which resulted in the departure of Sohee from the band. Despite the future looking quite bleak from anyone’s eyes, Yenny has returned to give some hope to her fans.
This song is spot on. I don’t think anything can be compared to this song. I think it has to be one of the best songs to date for the year. It basically takes a ballad, but it mashes it up with a dubstep drop. It is a pretty interesting concept and it may sound awful, but this is one type of the song that works out. I don’t think there are any flaws at all. I also think for this song “drop the beat” is an appropriate way to describe the song. ‘The song “drops the beat'” – I quote myself. The start is slow and ballad like. But then when you get to the chorus you gets this huge punch in the face with the change in instrumental. Then it slows down and goes back becoming a cycling. I particularly like the lyrics. Though for a group that speaks fluent English, sometimes the pronunciation gets to me a little bit.
The music video is pretty cool. I really like the symbolism at the start. I think the butterfly at the start symbolised her boyfriend. When she careless broke the jar, letting the butterfly go, it kind of tells us that she was on one part careless and that a part of this problem is her fault. The images of the people that she walked past down the street was quite similar to a trip down memory lane. The nights waiting alone and the nights where they fight are all in this “trip down memory lane”. Though I don’t see the reason why someone that sad would start dancing on the street when she was just seconds from being run over. I think for the music video, when the song breaks into the second chorus the phone really needed to be shown cracked or something. It would fit the hype of the song, to be honest. The ending was pretty creepy. She stops before her ex boyfriend’s room, to which the doors open and the music video cuts out. Only moment before did she struggle getting up the stairs of the apartment. Hahaha…
The dance is where I want to focus on. Did any of you guys notice, particularly for KBS’s Music Bank stage, the set was distinctively (well exactly) the same as Sia’s Chandelier for her live stages? The bed, the table. It just looks the same to me. The only difference was the star of the dance. I like the normal stages where she just stands up on stage by herself. Much better. Though I for the time being, don’t use playlists any more, I shall link each of the videos down below for you guys.
Beside the dance, I would have given the whole comeback a 10/10. Though for the time being, I think I shall dock two rating points off for the dance. You will see why. 8/10
Sunmi, a former member (or is she still a part of the band JYP?) recently made her solo debut and her first comeback since leaving the band in 2010, making this her first comeback to the stage in 3 years. Regardless of whatever has happened, she made her comeback with 24 Hours on the 20th of August and became an instant hit with fans, with many “Wonderfuls” supporting her with her debut. Since she has achieved her first all kill on all the major charts and definitely she has deserved it. Seriously, after 2 weeks full of EXO awards, I think it is time we “dethrone” them and give fans the chance to vote for new songs. So many other bands, particularly Sunmi, because she has my vote, deserve this week’s award as best song. Come on! Who is with me?
The song really has that dramatic feel that got fans loving the song. Really, the whole song was just amazing. True, JYP have not been doing as well with 2PM and 2AM and all of the other artist, but I think this is the song well done. Like Nobody, by the Wonder Girls was amazing as well. I love the chorus. She has this husky voice that I think only Gain has as well. It fits the song really well. I really love the tango breakdown in the song, it must be one of the best breakdowns ever. Seriously, I love this song. I think I am rambling on a bit too much. The song basically talks about how a girl should not miss out on her lover for more than 24 hours. Talk about being in love. The instrumental was pretty cool and those “Baby” voices throughout the song song were pretty cool as well.
The music video was okay. Not exactly thrilling as I expected, but it did the job. We see a girl who is turning back the time so she can be with her lover again and then things started to go a different direction. It seems to me when that she is a jumper, or whatever you call them. Her or her boyfriend. Because they jump from a rain storm to a rip off to Las vegas, to the wall, to their bed in what less than 10 seconds? And then she starts touching her boyfriend’s defined back and I guess the rest is self explanatory. 😉 . As for that tango break down part of the song, I really love the set for it. It is basically simple, nothing that complicated. Actually I like all the sets in the video, mainly because they look cool. But I am quite surprised of her and her dancer transition from wearing white to black. A bit of X-Man in there as well. At the end, she goes back in time, to which her clock has been set to the previous 24 hours, which is also pretty cool.
The dance is pretty amazing. It is ballet, I think she or someone mentioned in an interview and I love it. Especially the part she stands on her back up dancer’s thigh. Not sure if it is sexy or anything, but damn move those hips. It looked so cool. Also, the guys joined in as well. And the watch motion. Woo!
10/10. Have not be impressed by a JYP song so far, so this is pretty cool. Yay!!!
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.
Well, the girls have finally made their Japanese debut after what has felt like years of rumours, confirmations and waiting. They used their chart-topper Nobody as their debut song, which was a really good idea, since it made many international fans wary of their existence when they made their American debut. But how they named the song was kind of weird? Well, time to explain why I think so. Nobody is Everybody is like having the denominator of 0, which means there is no real answer. But if it was the other way around (Everybody is Nobody), it really does not work as well, but it sounds like the 0 is the numerator, meaning the answer is 0.
The song is really the exact copy of the Korean version, just in Japanese. It is kind of catchy, but when I first heard of it, I found it really catchy. It is much calmer and gives a different image to their other songs like 2 Different Tears, and Be My Baby. I think I like the Japanese version is better than the other 2 versions because it sounds less awkward and weird. Most of the Korean songs translated and made into Japanese songs sound awkward (ie. Tick Tack by U-Kiss). This is much different, in my point of view. I think it would’ve have been fair for the original song to have a rap sequence a bit earlier, than putting it at the end of the song for Yubin. But thinking back, I don’t the rap was actually needed in the song.
The music video was completely remade, which is pretty good. I think the music video is much better than the Korean or English version. There is only one reason: JYP. I really cannot stand his acting, and he puts me off watching their videos. I don’t hate JYP, but I just find it weird that he is in a music video, when he is the CEO of a famous company in Korea. Product-placement much?
The dance is again really catchy and the girls look pretty good on stage. 🙂
Now, I have to admit. I had mixed feelings about this song. This has to be an epic song. It is a clear dance track that tells people to dance, not make them dance. Two different things. The lyrics in the rap and the chorus makes the song quite fun, which sets this song a part from the others.
However I have to say this: I think the girls held back too much. Be My Baby had great use of their vocals and rap. Here the rap is just fine, however I felt the others held back. Even Sohee sounded a bit corridnated in a song that is just meant to be all fun and party, but the vocals in this song is not that outstanding. I understand Sun’s side of the sotry, as they recorded and held all their comeback stages sick, but seriously the other girls. But this is still a really good dance track. YAY!!
Music Video
This music video is nothing but a big flash mob. Though I think many of the parts were filmed as an actual music video, I still think it a very original idea. From my experience, nothing made the music video more epic than the idea of the flash mob.
Beside that, there is nothing much to say about this song, beside the fact that there is a lack of colour in the video. Dunno if anyone has noticed, but the music video looks dull when the song is very colourful and loud.
Live Performance
I love this dance. Though the start of the chorus bit I am still trying to master, the dance is pretty good. Its fun and very “up there”.
And The Rating?
9/10. If the girls did not sound like they were held back and the music video had some more oclour in it, then it would’ve been better. However it is still a good song. “Like This Yo, Like This”.
A very dance worthy song. The dance has a really good electro beat to the song that is much different to like Nobody, The Boys, Love Is Move. Anyway, I really love how the English in the song is wrapped around the Korean words to compliment it. I think the stand out for this is Yubin. She has a decent amount of vocals compared to Sohee or Lim who usually get more than Yubin herself. But as I always say with the Wonder Girls. Great Vocals.
Live Performance
Okay, this performance is actually pretty basic. Nothing too hard. Just people dancing. Like at a club.
Wow, wow wow wow. I have been looking forward to this song & music video for sometime now and so far the song has been a big hit. It has been a long time since I heard this girl group sing and wow have they improved. “Nobody” is old. “Be My Baby” is the new look. The vocals in this song is superb. The rap in this actually fits in. Many people have been saying that this song should not had have the rap in it cause it ruined it, but I find the rap pleasing. This is a song that raises the bar on k pop songs nowadays. LOL. I have too many expectations.
Music Video
I thought JYP had said they would not go with the retro theme. Hmmm… Maybe I have been hallucinating. (Using big words for my upcoming exams, one of the words which will be on the exam). Anyway, the set of this music video is really cool. The moving floors, that large staircase (to be honest, if I had that staircase in my house, it would creep me out especially when JYP appears on it). The lighting makes this music video ,ummm…., oh and the hair oh and the dance movies oh and the clothing. Hmmmmm… Come to think of it it looks exactly like a Single Ladies type of music video sung by Beyonce.
For your information, I do know that JYP hired the exact same person or people (unsure) to make the Be My Baby music video who made the Single Ladies video. I am not dumb and oblivious like many others. Curse you haters/antis.
Live Performance
The dance for this song is really good and easy to follow. I especially like how they incorporate the pyramid circular thingy into the dance by running around it. LOL, feel sorry for those moving at the bottom, they had to run extra fast. But you must agree that the choreography for this song is really good.
Anything Else
To be honest I was looking forward for Me, In as their promotional track cause I loved their first teaser. I also like G.N.O much more than Be My Baby. Maybe I’ll do a review for performance of G.N.O.
And the Rating?
Hmmmm… this song was really good. But this song was not what I wanted. I want them to have a new look nowhere near retro. I want them to be modern. But anyway to rate this song I would give it a 9/10.
Out of all the comebacks nominated, the one that fitted the criteria the most would have been 
KPOPREVIEWED 
