Kpop 2018

Her album this year is beautiful

I've been listening to a lot of Lee Jin Ah on my jazz(y) Kpop odyssey this year, it's bubbling up from the Korean underground to the idol scene.

Random is my favorite Lee Jin Ah track.

yeah her album was quite enjoyable too

Working toward a theory of how these idol groups are positioned for an audience... not just on a cute/sexy axis for girlgroups (or a puppy love/possessive love axis for boygroups), but thinking about that axis in terms of the (sexual) agency allowed to the artist (the x axis), and also adding another axis for the age/sophistication of the target audience (the y axis).

So you can have a group with a pretty sophisticated presentation, using sounds from the indie scene or otherwise outside the idol scene, with MVs that use indie film tropes (clever transitions, artsy black and white, unexpected juxtapositions, or maybe tried indie tropes like filing at the laundromat), but because the artists are young, the target audience is also young (or are people who are into "young") - so the portrayal of the relationship will lack agency on the part of the artist, and they will be in the bottom left corner of the graph. (Ex: Infinite forever complaining about how they are controlled by Bad Girls, IU adding musical complexity while still appealing to the uncle fans, Stellar going meta about how they are objectified while being poked by computer mice in the music video).

The ultimate goal of this exercise is escape to the quadrant in the bottom right, where you can have a sophisticated image (y-axis) AND sexual agency (x-axis), the only way to retain fans after aging out of your original image, whatever it was (young and sophisticated, young and cute, or sexy but in a simplistic, 1-dimensional way). Because as an older artist, you not only want to be more true to your actual lived experience, but you also can't compete with the younger artists to be MORE cute or MORE inexperienced or in a MORE kdrama-rama relationship, right?

This isn't to say that the bottom right quadrant is actually more sophisticated or sexy, more that it's a Justin Timberlake going to "Suit and Tie" type of deal, where you successfully keep your audience into adulthood.

So examples of artists who succeeded here might be G.o.D, IU, Suzy from Miss A (and actually, Miss A as a whole, although they disbanded shortly thereafter), Taeyeon from Girls Generation, EXO-CBX and the other EXO subunits, Red Velvet, VIXX, Minah from Girl's Day, Sistar both as a group and as individual artists, Big Bang (maybe, they can also be self-reflective without being emotionally mature).

Just a thought, and since the pop culture website I used to write for went under, I figured I'd put it here.

ANyway in the young but sophisticated (but lacking agency) quadrant we have MXM, who I am enjoying quite a bit these days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFszwM0WhNg

Or it could be that this is the new young-and-cute puppy love quadrant, updated with what the kids are actually into these days.

And speaking of that sexy/tasteful quadrant, here's another one for the Continued Mainstreaming of Jazz Piano Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwJvgs53Ng

Interesting theory, but time to get to paint and start filling in the names so we can tell you why we disagree

Much as I dig Red Velvet not sure they've escaped to the bottom right just yet? Sophisticated presentation, but lacking agency, a bit all over the place, still very much dancing at the whims of SM. They're also just a few years old.

Lee Hyori is/was the ultimate example, I guess, going from a squarely cute 'n innocent concept group to major success in the mature phase of her career as something completely different and now in the 'do what she pleases' phase. Although she's mostly done with music by now.

Yeah, for Red Velvet actually I think you are right, they are bouncing back and forth between the top left (cute & upbeat) and top right (sexy bad girls) as a group, as planned from the start of their careers. Because when you establish from the beginning that you're going to be switching up your image, it makes the final transition easier & more credible.

Seulgi as a solo artist might be a better candidate for escaping to the bottom right, and SM Station in general seems to be an outlet for SM artists to try out some different sounds and maybe gain credibility as mature artists so they can escape whatever image they started out with.

For boy groups, I think the textbook example would be VIXX - they were video game characters at debut, then did some Jekyll/Hyde concept switch stuff, and now are playing up the 'sexy, mature, tasteful, and/or musically adventurous' image both as a group and in their solo releases.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM0xDI5R50E

Subbed, but IU's difficult to translate, puns and poetry aplenty

The song is great. Surprisingly catchy.

^ i love this one! thanks for pointing it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-e5rvmtas

APRIL have moved away from their usual cutesy innocent sound here with great results. 80s-influenced but still pretty distinctive in sound and it flows fantastically

woo

https://youtu.be/AX3Bsiq-13k

oh it didnt embed, but ^ thats the new dua lipa x blackpink song

wow that song really sux

duua lia x blackpink obviously, not APRIL or IU. We don't even get Lisa rapping in English! Total money grab.

The John Legend x Wendy rnballad is superior in every way and an actual collab.

The APRIL song is really good... the production is hypnotic and it really suits their (lighter) voices.

The song kind of sounds like something Wondergirls or TWICE would do, with a vaporwave (or the 80s Jpop sound that inspired vaporwave) sensibility and updated with modern production.

re APRIL: love how movie trends tend to permeate throughout k-pop - a few years ago, it was all the Batman stuff, now clearly it's Clueless (see also, LOOΠΔ/yyxy's look/MVs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tBlQ5yTwY

I've actually never heard of this group - came across via Youtube autoplay. Extremely enjoyable!

They're from the survival show Idol School, I think. Kind of CJ E&M's answer to Mnet's Produce 101 or KBS's The Unit, but not as popular as either of those. I think this is the first fromis_9 track that's gotten any traction with the general public.

Love Bomb is quite good, much better than the previous fromis_9 singles i'd heard which i barely remember at all

the Batman trend in kpop videos was really so odd

EXO doing some crowd-pleasing current hip hop trends, but then there's an extended barbershop call and response bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwd8N6K-sLk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAKsZ26SabQ

new TWICE is fun, certainly one of their best singles. feels kinda Kylie-ish?

Really like 'Tempo'

Me too Frederirk, me too.

I think TWICE might repeat the chorus many one or two too many times, but it's pretty enjoyable. TT is their best song I think.

Speaking of songs that will please fans, Key x Soyou is everything you'd want and expect from that collaboration, they both have such nice/contrasting voices and the song sounds like it could have been a b side on the last SHINee album.

https://youtu.be/BJUjR2N0aEM

Also, my boys MXM out there doing their MXM thing, I love how consistent they are with the shout vocals, simple hooks and indie visuals:

https://youtu.be/_Xgyys2zZc8

Both songs are simple but I like them.

Forever Yours is fun!

my top three TWICE singles are pretty easily Likey, Yes or Yes, and What Is Love?

I'm really glad Key is doing well in this post-Jonghyun world - for a while there, it seemed like he might have been the hardest hit by the loss.

Yes or Yes is great, and more Clueless-esque plaid skirts and berets! I like Tempo too, not least because SM has finally realised how popular Sehun is and decided to give him double the number of his usual lines haha.

Have I mentioned before that I'm into the jazz trend in Kpop? Because I'm into the jazz trend in Kpop. US producers, you need to get on this.

That's a collab between Park Jiyeon (ex-GLAM) and Park Kyung, by the way.

EXID come back with one of their best earworms yet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAdmzjsFVQo

NCT putting melody in their hip hop again, the producers have nailed the formula, this is really good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arjy2v7zEI0

It kinda has a similar aesthetic to EXO's tempo, but younger / edgier / trendier.

Really like Hani on the bridge of that EXID song

For those of us who miss old school BAP... plus one of these guys has a really impressive ability to shout on pitch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It8JCNyFW38

If 5 minutes is too long for you, they shortened it to 3 1/2 for the broadcast version (this is worth watching IMO): https://youtu.be/FA_yq0mLgHw

So have there been any consensus stand out hits this year? Out of curiosity and also, of course, looking forward to the ilx best of the year voting.

nothing's been quite as exciting as last year's highlights in LOONA's amazing run, and Red Velvet, Twice and Blackpink all releasing their best singles but there's still a lot i like

a quick list of some favourites:
BTS - Idol
Oh My Girl - Remember Me
NCT U - Baby Don't Stop
NCT 127 - Touch
LOONA/Olivia Hye feat. JinSoul - Egoist
(G)I-DLE - HANN (Alone)
Sunmi - Siren
Yubin - Lady
Apink - I'm so sick
Red Velvet - Bad Boy
Red Velvet - Power Up
Brave Girls - Rollin' (New Version)
Hyolyn - See Sea

out of those, i'm certainly voting for "Idol", "Remember Me" and at least one NCT track, and maybe a few of the others

I could support GIdle, maybe Sunmi, BTS, well, they've had a year anyway. Will probably add IU, though still disappointed we didn't get her top 77 last year. I'll be voting for BoA's Woman in the album poll.

'power up' for me

Merry and happy 2018 from Twice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfUGjK6gGgs

That's a great list, ufo... I'm down to vote for everything on it up to Siren.

I'll add:
Momoland - Bboom Bboom
Pentagon - Shine
Seventeen - Oh My
Chungha - Roller Coaster
GFriend - Time for the Moon Night
Dean - Instagram
Lee Jin Ah - Run (with Gray)**
NCT 127 - Boss
NCT 127 - Simon Says
Minseo - Zero
The Boyz - Giddy Up
April - Oh My Mistake
SHINEE - Countless

Other songs I'm thinking about but don't feel strongly about:
ONF - Complete
Got7 - Lullaby

And the ones no one else will vote for:
Brand New Boys (MXM) - Ya Ya Ya
Soyou - All Night (with SIK-K)
Day6 - Shoot Me**
UNB - Black Heart
SHINEE - Lock You Down

**Mostly as a stand in for the songs from these artists I wish I'd nominated last year lmao, but both songs are pretty hooky.

Also, this is separate from my year-end list, but here's my JAZZ WATCH 2018 list for those who are interested:

Lee Jin Ah (with Gray) - Run
Dean - Instagram
Soyou (with SIK-K) - All Night
Minseo - Is Who?
Brand New Boys - Ya Ya Ya
UNB - Black Heart
April - The Blue Bird
Fromis_9 - Dancing Queen
SHINEE - Retro
BTS - Pluto
Heize - First Sight

Fully expecting this trend to jump over from Korea to the US at some point, or maybe that's just my wishful thinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhXDFl6tmVY

To let you guys know how serious this is, we have two local very good jazz stations these days they are the only thing I listen to on the radio.

Basically last year would have been a great time to nominate some jazzy Kpop

(example:
Heize - Jenga
Lee Jin Ah - Random
Day6 - What Should I Do)

and these songs have grown on me a bunch, so this year is my chance to make amends.

Also add CLC - Seventh to that JAZZ WATCH 2018 list, I think I might nominate all the tracks on it just for laffs.

i could definitely get behind 'Run' and 'oh! My Mistake'. i'd forgotten about 'Run' but it's excellent

Since I feel so strongly about this, I went ahead and made an 8tracks playlist for ya'll. Some of the songs on it are from 2017 tho:

https://8tracks.com/subdee/jazz-watch-2018.