radlisette

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Listening To ... (March Part 4)

GiGi/ 劉雪婧 - 見愛不就（字幕版）

A sweet song to go along with GiGi’s sugary vocals. The music video is so girly and feminine.

MONKEY MAJIK / Tokyo lights

Monkey Majik is one of those Japanese groups that has always fascinated me and I am surprised that they are still making music (I have vivid memories of listening to their 2006 single ‘Around the World’ back in middle school).

A catchy and upbeat song … and the video is a lovely showcase of Tokyo - cinematography at its best.

YonYon, Taichi Mukai - Period 

YonYon and Taichi Mukai have great synergy in this release that features both Korean and Japanese. Produced by Slom.

顏力妃 QueeNa -【月半女神】Chubby Goddess

Queena Yan’s latest release focuses on confidence and being body positive. The song incorporates Indian instrumentals and the video juxtaposes two different body types against each other.

Phum Viphurit - Lover Boy 

I love Phum’s relaxed and chilled out style of music. He is a Thai artist who releases songs in English (he grew up in New Zealand). The video is a lovely stroll through the boardwalk of a beach in Thailand and the girl in the video has amazing hair. “Darling, I got my trust issues …”

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Listening To ... (March Part 3)

 陳欣斈 Janet【Who You Are】

Janet showcases her gorgeous vocals in this Mandarin single. Those silver heels in the music video are beautiful!

陳零九 Nine Chen【浪浪別哭 Stray Don't Cry】 

Nine Chen’s soothing vocals are a treat in this slow-paced Mandarin release.

Shiny 姚亦晴- 預備浪漫 

A sweet, cute song from Shiny, a Taiwanese singer.

MoonMoon(문문) _ Eden(에덴) 

MoonMoon is a Korean indie artist to keep on your radar … he has a great voice and interesting releases.  Eden is a lovely release that tells an actual story and the lyrics make me emotional.

林俊傑 JJ Lin - 聖所 Sanctuary

I don’t understand what it is but this song is on repeat in my head. JJ Lin is a fantastic vocalist and this song is more upbeat from the usual ballads that I listen to by him.

[radlisette]

Listening To ... (March Part 2)

Tor Saksit feat. 劉明湘Rose Liu 《只想愛你呢 Falling Into You》

Tor Saksit is a Thai pop pianist who collaborated with Rose Liu for this Mandopop single. This is a sweet song that highlights Tor’s piano skills but there is nothing new or innovative in its sound or arrangement. 

方大同 Khalil Fong －Ten Reasons 

I am biased towards Khalil Fong. I love his smooth and innovative form of R&B music and this song is no exception. It’s gorgeous with its string arrangements, the beat,  and vocal layering.

BIGBANG - 꽃 길 (FLOWER ROAD) 

Sad that it will be some time before Big Bang as 5 will reunite on stage again. One thing I realized while listening to this song is how distinct each member’s vocals are to me. There are countless kpop boy groups where members are distinguishable from one another. Big Bang always stands out in this regard.

NCT 127 엔시티 127 'TOUCH'

My latest jam! It’s smooth and flirty. It incorporates all the audio and visual pieces that I love. Also, how cute and smiley are NCT 127 in this music video?

FTISLAND - Hold the moon

FTISLAND are back! Their Japanese releases never disappoint and this is no exception. The song has a bit of an EDM touch to their usual rock sound. Hongki (a very underrated vocalist in South Korea) sounds wonderful as usual.

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Listening To ... (March Part 1)

Ann One _ This Ain’t Love

An amazing comeback for the soulful artist Ann One. She has spent quite some time away from the Korean music scene. And she has made her presence known with this her unique vocals on this song ... Welcome back Ann One!

Sojung/Ladies’ Code 레이디스 코드 소정 - "Crystal Clear"

Yay for Sojung’s solo releases! I am really enjoying Sojung’s vocal color on this experimental-style ballad.

소정(LADIES' CODE/SOJUNG) "Stay Here"

Just another gorgeous song - well produced and amazing vocals from the lovely Sojung of Ladies’ Code. The verses are minimal and the song rises to an impact-filled chorus.

마마무(MAMAMOO) - 별이 빛나는 밤(Starry night)

That guitar intro at the beginning had me hooked. As usual, Mamamoo delivers vocally. This is quite a different sound for them (they usually do loud, brash, jazzy numbers) but I like that they are trying different sounds.

[STATION] 수호 (SUHO) X 장재인 'Dinner'

Okay, this was a collaboration that I never imagined - Jane Jang with Suho - but these two with their unique vocals make this single sound great! Once again, SM Station does not disappoint.

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Listening To ... (February Part 3)

NCT U 엔시티 유 'BOSS' MV

Epic beat. I love the pre-chorus. The choreography is aggressive and fits the song perfectly - it’s choreographed by RIEHATA.

徐佳瑩 LaLa【現在不跳舞要幹嘛 Just Dance】

A fun, retro sound and style for LaLa Hsu, a Mandopop vocalist who usually does ballads. The music video is hilarious (watch to catch LaLa dabbing!).

VROMANCE (브로맨스) _ Star (별)

Vromance’s vocals are stunning in this minimal, simple song. They are label-mates with Mamamoo and deserve more recognition for their talents.

[STATION] TRAX X LIP2SHOT 'Notorious (Feat. Sophiya)' 

SM Station is back at it again. It’s great to hear from TRAX again, even though I miss their more traditional rock sound. Trax and LIP2SHOT have put together a nice track. And Sophiya who I was introduced to in 2017 is lovely as usual in this release.

djfriz - Dive (Feat. 마샬(MRSHLL), 메건리 (Megan Lee)) (Korean Ver.)

MRSHLL and Megan Lee sound lovely together in this release and the animated music video is gorgeous.

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Listening To ... (February Part 2)

Planetarium Records - BLIND

Planetarium Records is doing very well for a small label in South Korea, with this second release in 2018!  Interesting production - lovely beat and the resonance really stands out along with smooth vocals. Been on repeat ever since my first listen.

RIRI - That's My Baby

No, this Riri is the Japanese pop/R&B singer! She’s an amazing vocalist and her style is quite Western compared to what’s in the Japanese pop/R&B scene.This single is catchy and has a lot of international crossover appeal.

Ayaka 絢香＆Miura Daichi 三浦大知 / 「ハートアップ」 

This Ayaka and Miura Daichi collaboration sounds amazing. I am a huge Ayaka fan - love her vocals. This release reminds me of the Japanese music that I listened to the early 2000s.

BBT - 矢量青春 Infinite of Youth

A lovely single from Chinese Mandopop boy group BBT. Really enjoying this slower sound from this group!

민경훈 (Min Kyung Hoon) X 김희철 (Kim Hee Chul) - 후유증 (Falling Blossoms) 

Okay, this is one of those releases that I would recommend watching the music video with full attention. Music videos that tell a story (like a mini film) used to be quite present in Korean music a few years back. 

As a song this is lovely and heart wrenching all at once. Soaring vocals and instrumentation soar with the emotions that it evokes.

[radlisette]

Listening To ... (February Part 1)

D-118 (No Gravity) - 윤미래(Yoonmirae)

Queen Yoon Mirae is back! A smooth, soothing release featuring Ann One and MRSHLL in the chorus. Great vocals and rap.

100% 『Song for you』

I keep coming back to 100% because I am a huge fan of Rockhyun’s vocal color … one of the most distinct male vocalists in kpop boy groups. A showcase of the jpop material that 100% puts out - sweet and smooth. R.I.P. Leader Minwoo - you will be missed. 

SEVENTEEN(세븐틴) _ THANKS(고맙다) 

Amazing production value. A gorgeous song in every aspect - vocals, production, visuals.

DAY6「If ～また逢えたら～」

What makes DAY6 stand apart from other bands - they have a nice pick of vocalists that can add a sense of variety to their great music. Lovely song to debut in Japan with.  

다이나믹 듀오 (Dynamic Duo) - 봉제선 (BONGJESEON) (Feat. 수란 (SURAN))

Okay, this song is so my taste. I love the aesthetics and the music video is just my style. I’ve always enjoyed Gaeko’s rapping but this move towards singing is just lovely. To be honest, I barely noticed Suran’s feature in this song.  Quality release from Dynamic Duo.

[radlisette]

Listening to ... (January Part 4)

최재만 (Feat. 김이지) - 'Glow' (1/5/18)A duet between Choi Jaeman and Kim E-Z

Gorgeous Korean indie music. Great vocals between Choi Jaeman and Kim E-Z. Lyrics are great (thanks for the English subtitles!). And the music video is lovely.

iKON - ‘사랑을 했다(LOVE SCENARIO)’ 

A simple song with pleasant production. I can see why it topped charts in Korea. The video really highlights the gorgeous choreography. The song builds towards an intense, lovely end.

Red Velvet 레드벨벳 'Bad Boy' 

Red Velvet has really been stepping it up. An amazing start to the year for kpop girl groups. Great song - lovely vocals and production. The styling is great - Joy is stealing the show!

呂薔Amuyi –不退No Retreat

The song highlights Amuyi’s lovely vocals in the best way possible. Part of the OST for Taiwanese drama “Lion Pride”.

HENRY 刘宪华 'Monster' 

SM Entertainment/SJ Label released both a Korean and a Mandarin version of “Monster” by Henry but I inserted the Mandarin version because I feel that Henry needs to release Mandarin album as soon as possible!

Henry sounds soothing in this single - I like the minimal production and the guitar complements his voice well. So proud of Henry and looking forward to even better work from him in the future!

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Nathan and Karen basically adopting each other is my new favourite thing

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Sincerity is attractive ❤️ 

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Yuzuru Hanyu, “From now, I hope that this can be an opportunity to lead to more use of music from my own country or utilizing aspects of unique cultures in the music of competitions.” (FCCJ Press Conference 2018)

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Figure skating on my mind. Please excuse all the Yuzuru Hanyu and Uno Shoma reblogs.

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The prince became a king.

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Yuzuru Hanyu at the Men’s Single Victory Ceremony of PyeongChang 2018

Bonus: Him being a mom

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The best glow up

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Listening to .... (January Part 3)

Amei ft Lala Hsu & Eve Ai - Catfight (01/17/18)

A collaboration between three very popular Taiwanese solo artists: Amei, Lala Hsu and Eve Ai. The song is great … it has a sultry and fierce vibe. Amei and Lala sound great together … definitely a song that I cannot get out of my head! 

Chungha - Roller Coaster (01/17/18)

A fun start to the new year for Chungha… this retro style suits her a lot. The song is catchy and I appreciate the lack of a rap section. The music video highlights Chungha’s beauty and dancing skills!

Girls on Top - Hola Hola (01/18/18)

This trio of lovely vocalists from Danal Entertainment remind me a bit of Mamamoo. There is no music video but the song sounds amazing. Hope this release gets them some more recognition in Korea, they deserve it! 

Nicky Lee - Fake (01/22/18)

Nicky Lee sounds emotional and tender in this release and it highlights his vocal color in the best way possible.

Boon Hui Lu - My Present Is Not a Dream (01/24/18)

I love the contrast between the electric guitars and Boon Hui Lu’s sweet, clear vocals. It seems to be a promotion for HBL in Taiwan and it sounds great!

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Listening to ... (January Part 2)

N.Flying - Hot Potato (01/03/18)

So ... the song title is pretty funny. The song is representative of what N.Flying does well ... loud and peppy pop-rock. Yoo HoeSung’s vocals are amazing and the music has that familiar silly vibe. Overall, a fun song!

Infinite - Tell Me (01/08/18)

The song is nice but comparatively, not their best work. Nice to see some of the older male groups still putting content out. The highlight of the song is Sunggyu’s lovely vocals.

Ashmute - Ghost (01/11/18)

Beautiful production and lyrics. Ashmute has lovely, delicate vocals. It has a dream-like quality to it that I enjoy.

Jung Joonil - Say Yes (01/16/18)

I love Joonil’s husky voice. The song is quite simple and the chorus is repetitive … but the song works for me. It’s got simple instrumentation's and Joonil’s emotional vocals carry the song.