#Shinhwa Comeback: 2018

[narniacloud]

'Sortie D-1' Shinhwa WDJ, special showcase at 'CheolpaM'... First release of new album

Shinhwa WDJ (Lee Min-woo, Kim Dong-wan, Jun Jin) announces their sortie with a unique showcase.

On the 6th, Shinhwa WDJ will hold a special showcase to unveil all songs from their first mini-album 'Come To Life' through SBS' 'Kim Young-chul's Power FM' (hereafter referred to as 'Cheolpa M').

Shinhwa WDJ is about to release 'Come To Life' at noon on this day. Prior to this, they plan to release various spoiler contents to raise the comeback fever to the peak.

Shinhwa WDJ, which announced an unprecedented radio showcase with 'Cheolpaem', will release the title song 'Flash' as ​​well as b-side songs 'Shape On Body', 'Guest', and 'Rumble' for the first time. signal the start of an activity.

In addition, at 18:00 on the 5th, the music video teaser for the title song 'Flash' will be released, and it is expected that the album will herald not only musical transformation but also visual transformation.

In addition, the colorful participation of Shinhwa WDJ's first mini-album 'Come To Life' is also attracting attention. In particular, Choi Young-joon of 1 Million, who recently appeared on Mnet's 'Street Man Fighter' (hereinafter referred to as 'Smanpa'), is drawing attention by directing a performance.

Also, in the case of the music video, Shinhwa's 'TOUCH'. Director Lee Ki-seok of Johnny Bros, who has produced music videos for numerous K-pop artists, including 'All Your Dreams (2018)', took the megaphone and improved the perfection. In addition, popular photographer Cheon Young-sang, who has been in charge of albums for various artists such as Seventeen, Twice, Kang Daniel, and Kang Hye-won, participated.

The first mini-album 'Come To Life', which was created as an alum by collaborating with various talented participants, will be released on various online music sites at noon on the 6th.

Source: Xports News

[shcjfrance]

Shinhwa Company’s Update:

[NOTICE] SHINHWA TWENTY GIFT SINGLE ‘All Your Dreams (2018)’ M/V TEASER

ONLINE RELEASE 2018.03.26 12PM

[msmemaaaa]

Shinhwa 2018 Comeback guide

All about Shinhwa album ‘HEART’ and ‘Kiss Me Like That’ promotions.

▶️ YouTube playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrfyfYq1u9CBo2bStYIh8CCxpAQuVYgkL

 includes:

All Shinhwa performances on music shows - Kiss Me Like That / Don’t Leave Me.

‘Kiss Me Like That’ teaser, music video, MV making. 

Shinhwa Special Album ‘HEART’ Press Conference.

Album ‘Heart’ songs - official audios.

Album ‘Heart’ jacket making.

Official Kiss Me Like That Karaoke version.

Shinhwa performances on Korean Music Wave Festival KMCF

▶️  Shinhwa Twenty Special Album 'Heart' on itunes.

▶️  Shinhwa Twenty Special Album 'Heart' on Spotify.

▶️ Eng Subbed Videos:

Shinhwa Special Album ‘HEART’ Press Conference. (subs by malpabo)

Shinhwa Special Album HEART VLIVE

Shinhwa Comeback interviews on Mcountdown, Music Bank, Music Core.

[180911] Shinhwa backstage interview on Show Champion

[180916] Mnet Japan MCountdown backstage - Shinhwa 

[180918] Shinhwa backstage interview on Show Champion.

▶️ RAW Videos: 

[180905] Shinhwa Comeback interview on Show Champion.

 [180915] Shinhwa Weibo Live Broadcast

▶️ [Fancams] Shinhwa HEART Fansign events:

180909 Fansign 1

180915 Fansign 2

180916 Fansign 3

▶️ [Eng Subbed] Compilation of Shinhwa variety shows in 2018

*Eng subbed videos will be added when they come out.*

[ericmun]

2018 Shinhwa’s Comeback Stage Performance - Eric #2

Credit as on photos

[shinhwa-updates]

[180820]  Shinhwa Company update:

[NOTICE] SHINHWA TWENTY SPECIAL ALBUM HEART - CONCEPT PHOTO RELEASE : 2018.08.28 6pm PRE-ORDER : 2018.08.16~

[kpoptimeout]

Legendary boy band SHINHWA is back in “Kiss Me Like That” MV!

Are you a fan of their 20th anniversary track?

[lassieceit]

SHINHWA (신화) - All Your Dreams (2018) [Music Bank Special Stage / 2018.0...

[muselin]

Muselin 101

Who am I: You can call me Muse or Muselin. She/her. '93 liner. Expat. Forensic psychologist and escapist leading a double life. Kpop fossil.

What my blog is: Kpop fandom and fiction blog. Hard hours, smut scenarios, headcanons, reblogs etc.

What my blog is not: A fluff blog. A child-friendly blog. Kiddies please leave.

Who I write for: Super Junior (current active members), SHINee, Tomorrow x Together (TXT), Ateez, NCT 127/WayV. They are my main groups. I also write for Stray Kids as part of the @skzseasons events.

I also like and am familiar with the following groups/idols, meaning you can gush and chit-chat to me about them anytime but I do not write for them currently: Shinhwa, BTS, Monsta X+Wonho, KARD, (G)-Idle, Everglow, Sunmi, MAMAMOO, BIGBANG, Ha Sungwoon, KNK, Omega X, OnlyOneOf, Woosung (The Rose), Seventeen, Enhypen. VIXX used to be one of the four main groups I wrote for, but due to them not having had a comeback together since 2018 and losing two members since then, there has been a complete lack of interest in the fiction community. I will always love and support VIXX and if any requests or asks come in, I will be happy to discuss.

Asks: you can chat to me any time about any of the groups and things I write about, you can send me your dreams, fantasies, guilty pleasures, whatever fun stuff you want and we can have fun together :)

Requests: I will take these if I can but this is primarily not a request blog. I have a very demanding full time job and I can't keep up with many requests. When I do have requests open I will announce it, look in my pinned post for this. If I cannot do something, I will respond to your request and let you know. If you are requesting anonymously, I encourage you to please, please give yourself an emoji or an anon name so that when I answer your ask you can find it more easily and I can create a # for you.

Green Light (What I do write): soft smut, hard smut, explicit smut, angst, smutty reactions, headcanons, short suggestive or smut scenarios, kink fills, NSFW alphabets, Idol/Reader, Male Idol/Male Idol, threesomes and moresomes, light to intermediate BDSM (think light/intermediate bondage, impact play, some pain play), knifeplay/edge play, dubious consent, step-siblings (no blood relation), piss kink/omorashi, drunk sex/high sex(weed only), cheating/cuckolding, toxic relationships.

Yellow Light (I might consider writing this but we need to discuss it): true incest (not just step-siblings), consensual non-consent, drugs other than alcohol, caffeine or weed.

Red Light (What I do NOT write): OCs (anymore), pregnancy related, milf/dilf scenarios, weddings/marriage, domestic violence, aging characters up or down significantly, mutilation, scat/defecation, severe mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia), rape, extreme BDSM (e.g. needle play, mummification), character deaths, murder, yandere.

Anything for a kpop idol born 2005 or after (legal age in Korea was 20 in Korean age, 19 chronological age. And yes, I am very aware that legal age and age of consent are different things. The age of consent in Korea is actually 16, however, the vast majority of fandoms are unaware of this and view smut writing as pornography, therefore the general consensus is that we take legal age as the minimum acceptable age when it comes to writing about idols). As of 2023, Korea is now no longer going to be using their own age calculating system by which a baby is considered 1 year old already even at birth and a year is added to their age every time the new year comes around. Korea will calculate age the same way as the rest of the world does, meaning people born in 2004 are legal adults.

What I don't write Part 2: trans!reader, trans!idol, male!reader (As a cis, mostly straight female I do not have any lived experience of this and don't want to cause offence by misrepresenting). Specific physical, neurodevelopmental (e.g. ADHD, Autism) or intellectual disabilities (while I have a lot of knowledge about these and work with many people who have them due to my IRL occupation and qualifications, I do not have any of them personally and I do not feel I could accurately portray the experience of someone who does. I simply don't want to offend anyone).

About Muselin: I’ve been a fanfiction writer since 2008. Before I started writing for kpop I have written for Naruto, Mass Effect, Warcraft and Star-Crossed Myth. I first became a kpop fan in 2009, with Super Junior’s iconic “Sorry Sorry” and SHINee’s “Ring Ding Dong”. I became a kpop fiction writer in 2020. Kpop concerts I’ve been to: BTS June 2019 at Wembley, Super Junior online concert May 2020, Everglow online concert July 2021, Super Junior Super Show 9 Beyond Live 2022, Sunmi in London 2022, aespa online concert 2023, WayV London fanmeet 2023.

[rkgray]

♥ PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE.

Not too sure if I ever did this on GRAY, but since this year was already a turbulent one for him, I felt like doing it. A big thanks to Cherry (@rkjimin) for letting me use their template!

♥。PUBLIC INFORMATION. this information is publicly known / is fairly easy to find out.      ⇢ GENERAL. some basics from his kt profile such as ⇢ stage name — (unofficial) gray ⇢ birth name — lee seonghwa ⇢ trainee title — kt's ahjussi kt's black knight ⇢ birthday — 24th of february,1990 ⇢ height — 174cm ⇢ weight — 65kg ⇢ birthplace — jamsil, south korea ⇢ trainee status — public kt trainee since december 2016 — re-signed the contract in december 2018      ⇢ SOCIALS. twitter — @grayster [inactive] instagram — @grayster      ⇢ OFFICIAL PUBLIC APPEARANCES BY YEAR. | 2015. | ⇢ starbright casting '15 ⇢ starbright callback from sphere      。 peformance with self-composed song: the pursuit of happiness | 2016. | ⇢ mnet global audition 3      。 round 1: performance with self-composed song: champion      ⇢ #3012 kt team! coach haseul      。 group performance 1: pillow      。 group performance 2: lollipop      。 coach and mvp performance: angel      。 group performance 3: once again      。 group performance 4: comeback again      。 was eliminated in the finale and didn't received a contract ⇢ kt royal contest      。 november 27, 2016 [round 2 rappers]      。 performance with self-composed song: halyang dream      。 was a runner-up + offered a contract by kt entertainment | 2017. | ⇢ gangnam car show performance      。 july 30, 2017      。 performed lc9′s “1 of 1″ and “tell me what to do” + shinhwa’s touch with ktboys      。 also helped to pass out water bottles because of the heat ⇢ samsung galaxy a7 commercials      。 started airing on december 1st      。 aired locally, on youtube, and — on the rare occasion — tvs worldwide 。 appeared in the “#beinspired” versions of the commercial ⇢ seoul plaza festival performance      。 december 24, 2017      。 a charity-type event made to encourage donations from the community for childfund korea      。 only a small audience attended      。 participated in performances of “wish tree” and “santa u are the one” with ktboys | 2018. | ⇢ ktrookies shinhwa flash mob      。 march 24, 2018 around 3:00 pm      。 took place at the seoul chocolate convention (chococon) at the coex convention center      。 performed a mashup of shinhwa songs to celebrate shinhwa’s anniversary      。 a video of the flash mob was uploaded to the ktrookies official youtube channel | 2019. | ⇢ samsung new year’s show 2019      。 january 12, 2019      。 the large and highly-anticipated show took place in jeju and was broadcasted      。 performed in the kt trainee’s special dance stage “kt is gold” | 2020. | ⇢ s-pop trainee mc "after mom is asleep, february 2020      。 every monday episodes of the show are released on the new samsung youtube channel      。 in this setting, idols will pretend to be awake later than usual and will have to go through various situations in which they may not make noise. In case they pass the 70dB mark, that’ll wake their asleep mother (gray) and they’ll receive a penalty. ⇢ speak up! project      。 was chosen as a trainee assistant for the "songwriting"-workshop on may 30th, 2020 ♥。PRIVATE INFORMATION. this information is not widely known to the public for now and will be hard to find without lots of digging.      ⇢ GENERAL. ⇢ family situation. ⇢ current residence — dongdaemun-gu, seoul ⇢ former university & degree — Bodyguard Trainee at Yong In University, Security and Protective Services Degree ⇢ former occupation — former Bodyguard & Security Guard (in Gangnam-gu) 3 years experience (material arts background) ⇢ enlisted after graduating highschool ⇢ auditioned for a lot of companies, sent in many demos, but failed everytime. ⇢ applied for both ktrookies rounds, but wasn't chosen both times ⇢ was offered the spot of a lead rapper in nsg 127, but ultimately declined for several reasons ⇢ former underground rapper, part of underground association re:∀CTIVE ⇢ has composed/written and recorded 100+ songs, a few of them under his contract with kt, but never got to release or publish them      ⇢ SOCIALS. ⇢ soundcloud (@CallMeGRAY🔒) contains a few of his songs

[bangtan-translations]

Las 21 mejores presentaciones de BTS a través de los años que serán iconicas por siempre

Estados Unidos solo ha visto un poco de lo que BTS realmente puede hacer en términos de sus presentaciones en vivo. Claro, BTS ha actuado en programas como Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live !, y Good Morning America, así como en programas de premios como los American Music Awards y los Billboard Music Awards, pero esas solo fueron las presentaciones en Estados Unidos de BTS en el los últimos dos años.

BTS ha estado haciendo lo suyo durante más de seis años, lo que significa que tienen más de seis años de presentaciones alucinantes de todo el mundo. Confía en mí cuando te digo que BTS se convertirá en uno de los mejores intérpretes en vivo de la historia, porque son tan buenos. BTS nunca hace lo mismo dos veces y eso es lo que hace que cada una de sus presentaciones sea tan única.

Aquí están las 21 mejores presentaciones en vivo de BTS a lo largo de los años que creo que reflejan con precisión la increíble presencia en el escenario del grupo. Para mis queridos compañeros ARMY, fue muy difícil elegir solo 21 de las mejores actuaciones en vivo de BTS, pero logré hacerlo. Por supuesto, hay muchas otras grandes actuaciones de BTS que no están en esta lista, así que si no ves tu favorito, sé que estoy tan triste como tú porque no está aquí. Entonces, sin más preámbulos, aquí están las 21 mejores presentaciones en vivo de BTS.

1. BTS “No More Dream” Debut en M Countdown (2013)

¡Vamos! No puedo tener una lista de las mejores presentaciones de BTS y no incluir la primera actuación en vivo de BTS como grupo. Aunque BTS eran novatos en la industria de la música cuando se presentaron en M Countdown el 13 de junio de 2013, su presencia en el escenario era innegable. (Además, la revelación de los abdominales de Jimin en el minuto 2:26. Un clásico).

2. "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2," "Danger," y "Boy In Luv" Medley en Music Bank (2014)

https://youtu.be/6oUxoXQuDcw

Me quedo sin aliento solo viendo el medley de BTS de 2014. ¿Cómo tiene BTS tanta energía para interpretar canciones coreografiadas de alta intensidad de manera consecutiva? Se necesita mucha práctica, por supuesto.

3. Batalla de Baile con Block.B en MAMA (2014)

¡Hablando sobre poder! En los Mnet Asian Music Awards de 2014, BTS mostró su lado competitivo al luchar contra el grupo K-Pop Block.B. Tuvieron una competencia de baile, pero para cuando Jimin se quitó la camisa, en mi opinión, todo había terminado.

4. "I Need U" & "RUN" en MBC Music Festival (2015)

https://youtu.be/-AOfgth8twI

He visto este clip de BTS en el MBC Music Festival 2015 mucho en mi Twitter y me encanta cada vez que lo veo. La presentación de BTS comienza con Suga tocando el piano y Jungkook realizando un hermoso baile antes de hacer la transición para cantar "I Need U" y "Run". RM estuvo ausente para esta actuación, y aunque fue extrañado, la forma en que BTS ofreció una actuación impecable, incluso en su ausencia, muestra cuán dinámicos e imparables son realmente los chicos.

5. "Perfect Man" en MBC Music Festival (2015)

"Perfect Man" puede que no sea una de las canciones de BTS, pero vaya, ¡la interpretaron como si fuera! La versión de BTS de "Perfect Man" de Shinhwa te dará unas vibras de boyband de los 90.

6. "Fire" en MAMA Hong Kong (2016)

https://youtu.be/cbSy36fu6Pk

Nadie, y quiero decir que nadie tiene mejores intros que BTS. Hay algo acerca de sus intros que entusiasma totalmente por su desempeño. Solo echa un vistazo a la presentación del grupo en 2016 de "Fire" en MAMA en Hong Kong. El escenario puede haber sido enorme, pero BTS tomó el control y lanzó fuego absoluto.

7. "Boy Meets Evil" P1 y P2 + "Blood Sweat & Tears" en MAMA Hong Kong (2016)

No, todavía no he terminado de hablar sobre BTS en MAMA 2016. En este video, puedes escuchar a RM haciendo una voz en off (que, honestamente, debería ser el primer indicador de que la actuación de BTS será dramática) y ver a J-Hope y Jimin interpretando una colaboración de baile épica en el escenario. Mi boca literalmente cae en asombro cada vez que veo este clip.

8. "Mic Drop" en Mnet Comeback Show (2017)

https://youtu.be/pvPBiKxl2Lg

Chicos, absolutamente vivo para los shows de comebacks de BTS porque generalmente es cuando los fans ven a BTS tocar sus nuevas canciones por primera vez. Cuando BTS debutó su interpretación de "Mic Drop" para su especial de comeback de Mnet, los fans perdieron la calma al ver a los chicos volver a sus raíces de hip hop, y la parte más emocionante fue ver la coreografía de la canción por primera vez.

9. "DNA" en KBS Song Festival (2017)

Todos han oído hablar de la canción pop de BTS "DNA", pero no todos han oído hablar de su versión rock. En el KBS Song Festival 2017, BTS actuó con una banda en vivo que hizo que "DNA" sonara completamente diferente de lo habitual. Simplemente demuestra que BTS literalmente puede llevar a cabo cualquier género.

10. "Cypher Pt. 4" y "Mic Drop (Remix)" en MAMA Hong Kong (2017)

https://youtu.be/nVHcXZK7pKs

BTS son reyes absolutos, te lo digo. Para su actuación de MAMA en 2017, RM, J-Hope y Suga comenzaron con "Cypher Pt. 4" antes de unirse a V, Jimin, Jungkook y Jin para una actuación súper épica de "Mic Drop (Remix)". ¡BTS no tuvo uno, ni dos, sino tres dance breaks en esta actuación!

11. "Go Go" en MBC Music Festival (2017)

La relación entre BTS y ARMY es tan adorable. BTS dedicó su actuación del MBC Music Festival 2017 a sus fans y les mostraron algo de amor al usar corazones durante su actuación de "Go Go", que honestamente fue tan dulce.

12. "Fake Love" en los Billboard Music Awards (2018)

https://youtu.be/-LnEhbdAMcI

Normalmente, BTS hace sus comebacks en los programas de música coreanos, pero en 2018, los chicos llevaron su comeback a otro nivel al debutar "Fake Love" en los Billboard Music Awards. Los fans nunca antes habían escuchado la canción, por lo que estaban muy emocionados de ver a BTS tocarla por primera vez. La revelación de abdominales de Jungkook fue solo la cereza de pastel de una actuación ya increíble.

13. "Fake Love" en M Countdown (2018)

La presentación de BTS de "Fake Love" en M Countdown sigue siendo una de las actuaciones más queridas por los fans del grupo. ¿Quieres saber cuánto le gusta a ARMY este clip? Según Koreaboo, las fancams en solitario de Jimin y Jungkook de esta actuación son las fancams N ° 1 y N ° 2 con más vistas respectivamente.

14. "IDOL" en 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' (2018)

https://youtu.be/a-9iKcMVskY

La presentación en vivo de "IDOL" de BTS en The Tonight Show con Jimmy Fallon fue realmente tan impresionante porque BTS lo hizo genial incluso mientras realizaban una coreografía tan intensa en la televisión en vivo. Pero en este punto, ¿quién está sorprendido? BTS lo hace increíble en todas y cada una de sus actuaciones.

15. "Fake Love" en MAMA Japan (2018)

Esta presentación es exactamente por qué la era de "Fake Love" de BTS es mi favorita. La actuación de BTS en MAMA Japan fue muy espeluznante y me dejó con escalofríos. El breakdance al final fue perfecto y muestra por qué BTS es considerado la mejor banda de chicos del mundo en este momento.

16. "Fake Love," "Airplane Pt. 2," y "IDOL" en MMA (2018)

https://youtu.be/a-9iKcMVskY

Creo que ARMY estará de acuerdo conmigo en que nada puede superar a BTS en los Melon Music Awards 2018. Nunca podré encontrar las palabras correctas para describir esta presentación porque es tan épica. Los últimos minutos de esta actuación en particular son algunos de los mejor que he visto en la TV. Al final, la actuación básicamente se convirtió en una gran celebración de la cultura coreana.

17. Solos y "Fake Love" Medley en KBS Song Festival (2018)

La actuación de KTS Song Festival de BTS fue tan icónica porque fue básicamente como un mini concierto de BTS. El grupo interpretó "Fake Love" y una mezcla de sus canciones en solitario de sus álbumes Love Yourself. Antes de esto, los fans solo podían ver a BTS tocar sus canciones en solitario durante sus conciertos Love Yourself, por lo que los fans estaban tan contentos de ver finalmente que BTS llevaba sus canciones en solitario a la televisión.

18. Version en vivo de "No More Dream" en ARMYPEDIA SHOW (2019)

https://youtu.be/9o3RQuKGXR4

Soy fan de las actuaciones en vivo de BTS. Simplemente le dan a sus canciones una nueva sensación y esta interpretación de "No More Dream" no es diferente. (Comienza alrededor del minuto 9:40). En lugar de dedicarse a la coreografía, BTS se sienta para su presentación y le dio a "No More Dream" un ambiente totalmente relajado.

19. "Dionysus" en M Countdown (2019)

La coreografía de BTS para "Dionysus" es, con mucho, una de las más desafiantes porque implica mucho movimiento rápido e interacción con utileria y escenario. Puedes imaginarte lo asombrados que estaban los fans cuando vieron a BTS interpretar "Dionysus" por primera vez en la televisión (¡o a través de una transmisión en vivo para fanáticos internacionales!).

20. "Boy With Luv" en 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' (2019)

https://youtu.be/BtLD72Uro8U

La presentación de BTS de "Boy With Luv" en The Late Show con Stephen Colbert pasará a la historia de la televisión porque los muchachos rindieron homenaje a The Beatles. La presentación es genial porque el video fue estilizado para que parezca que fue directamente sacado de los años 50.

21. "Boy With Luv" en los Billboard Music Awards (2019)

https://youtu.be/W0u1R2H1iHQ

Las actuaciones de los premios Billboard Music Awards de BTS mejoran cada año. En mayo, BTS presentó "Boy With Luv" con Halsey por primera vez y a los fanáticos les encantó cada minuto. BTS y Halsey dieron vida a su video musical "Boy With Luv" y fue increíble verlo en la televisión.

BTS son unos de los mejores artistas que he visto y fue muy difícil limitar esta lista a solo 21 de sus mejores actuaciones. Solo viendo estos 21 clips, me siento inspirado para ir y ver algunas de las otras actuaciones de BTS a lo largo de los años porque hay muchas buenas. En realidad, cada actuación de BTS es lo mejor. ¿Tengo razón o tengo razón?

Liv💗

@BangBangtan_Esp

©️Elite Daily

[baosam1399]

“Thế hệ thứ 2 của Kpop chính thức khép màn, tạm biệt những công thần một thời hoàng kim”

Những đứa trẻ một thời mê mẩn thần tượng Kpop thế hệ 2 nay đã trưởng thành, còn những sân khấu đầy đủ thành viên của bất kì một nhóm nhạc KPop thế hệ 2 nào cho đến lúc này cũng đã trở thành xa xỉ.

Nếu thế hệ đầu tiên của Kpop với H.O.T, Sechskies, Shinhwa… đã đặt những viên gạch đầu tiên, thì thế hệ thứ 2 với DBSK, BIGBANG, Super Junior, SNSD… lại khiến cho Kpop trở thành cả một đế chế giải trí hùng mạnh hàng đầu châu Á. Hơn một thập kỉ sau, khi những đứa trẻ mê mệt lớp thần tượng thế hệ 2 của Kpop ngày nào đã trưởng thành và vẫn ôm trong mình nhiều kí ức đẹp về một lứa thần tượng hoàng kim, những nhóm nhạc ngày nào lại mải mốt đi tiếp với sự nghiệp ngày một nhạt nhòa, đối mặt với những cuộc kiện tụng, những sứt mẻ đội hình và thậm chí là những scandal chấn động.

Idol thế hệ thứ 2: Những công thần đẩy Kpop đi xa khỏi biên giới

Năm 2003, nhóm nhạc DBSK chính thức ra mắt trên sân khấu "BoA Kwon & Britney Spear ShowCase". 5 gương mặt non nớt vẫn còn nét lo lắng, Xiah Junsu quên cả… hát nhép vì vô tình trượt chân trên sân khấu phun đầy tuyết giả đã trở thành gạch nối đầu tiên giữa Kpop thế hệ 1 và 2.

(DBSK của rất nhiều năm về trước)

Năm 2005, SS501 debut và ngay lập tức trở thành đối thủ lớn nhất của DBSK khi có ngoại hình long lanh không kém. Cùng trong năm đó, 12 thành viên của thế hệ đầu tiên trong dự án Super Junior cùng nhau chen chúc trên một ô vuông nhỏ của SBS Inkigayo để biểu diễn ca khúc debut tên là "Twin". Năm 2006, "vụ nổ" đầu tiên của BIGBANG đã diễn ra trên sân khấu Music Bank, với một màn… khoe múi rất đáng quên trong khi trình diễn "La La La", ca khúc đến từ một nhóm nhạc thần tượng nhưng lại mang đậm chất hip hop.

(Super Junior thuở "đất chật người đông")

Năm 2007, JYP gia nhập cuộc đua sản xuất nhóm nhạc bằng đại diện Wonder Girls, nhóm nhạc sau này trở thành biểu tượng của "giấc mơ Mỹ" trong lòng Kpop. Cũng trong năm đó, 9 cô gái SNSD đã khởi hành chuyến bay đầu tiên của mình vào vũ trụ Kpop với "Into the new world", một chuyến bay không hề suôn sẻ khi ngay lập tức gặp dông bão đến từ liên minh các fandom tiền bối. 

Năm 2008, bộ đôi 2PM và 2AM được ra mắt từ nhóm nhạc One Day: một bên là 6 thần tượng quái thú, một bên là 4 hoàng tử với những ca khúc ballad dịu dàng. Tiếp theo sau đó là B2ST, T-Ara, Miss A, SHINee, F(x)…, những cái tên sừng sỏ của Kpop lần lượt ra đời.

Không phải vô cớ mà người ta vẫn thường nói rằng thế hệ 2 của Kpop là một thế hệ hoàng kim. Những thần tượng đơn lẻ của thế hệ thứ 3 với EXO, BTS, Twice, Black Pink… vẫn đang thi nhau xác lập và phá vỡ kỉ lục của chính mình từng ngày, nhưng hoài niệm về Kpop thế hệ 2 là hoài niệm về cả một thế hệ với những bản hit chưa bao giờ cũ. Số lượng nhóm nhạc ít ỏi không ảnh hưởng gì nhiều đến sự đa dạng về hình tượng hay thể loại âm nhạc mà các nhóm nhạc Kpop thế hệ 2 theo đuổi. Nếu đem so sánh những ca khúc được gọi là "hit quốc dân" giữa 2 thế hệ gần đây nhất của Kpop, có thể thấy rằng tầm ảnh hưởng của những bản hit vào thời điểm thịnh vượng của Kpop thế hệ thứ 2 sâu rộng hơn, xứng đáng với tên gọi "quốc dân" hơn là những sản phẩm sau này.

Thật khó để liệt kê hết tất cả những bản hit mà những nhóm nhạc thế hệ 2 đã đóng góp trong vòng mười mấy năm qua chỉ bằng vài dòng ngắn ngủi. Fan Kpop đều có thể thuộc nằm lòng giai điệu hay vũ đạo của "Haru Haru", "Lies" (BIGBANG), "Sorry Sorry" (Super Junior), "Gee", "Genie" (SNSD), "Fire", "I am the best" (2NE1), "Mirotic" (DBSK), "Roly Poly" (T-Ara)… mà không cần một chút cố gắng nào bởi những ca khúc nói trên luôn được phát tự nhiên với tần suất dày đặc, và quan trọng hơn cả là điểm nhấn nằm ở giai điệu gây nghiện luôn luôn khác biệt.

Không chỉ biến Kpop trở thành một "hệ sinh thái" hùng mạnh tại Hàn Quốc, dàn thần tượng Kpop thế hệ 2 đã có công lớn trong việc đem Kpop ra khỏi biên giới quốc gia. Wonder Girls quay về sau khi giấc mơ Mĩ thất bại, mang lại bài học đắt giá về việc chỉ một giấc mơ và vài bài hit không phải là cách để làm nên chuyện tại xứ cờ hoa. DBSK bỏ lại sau lưng hào quang đã đạt được ở Hàn Quốc để bắt đầu lại tại Nhật Bản từ vị trí của một nhóm nhạc vô danh để rồi 4 năm sau, 5 chàng trai được cùng nhau khóc trước hơn 60 ngàn người hâm mộ tại Tokyo Dome – thánh địa mà chưa nhóm nhạc Hàn Quốc nào có thể đặt chân đến. Super Junior hướng về khu vực Đông Á và Đông Nam Á, thương hiệu "Super Show" của nhóm đã đi qua 7 mùa với tổng cộng 134 concert lớn nhỏ. SM Town, YG Family concert mang nghệ sĩ của mình đến với châu Mĩ, châu Âu, bước đầu đánh dấu sự tồn tại của Kpop trên bản đồ âm nhạc quốc tế.

(DBSK, hay đúng hơn là THSK, trong lần đầu tiên đặt chân vào thánh địa Tokyo Dome)

Đoạn kết của một thế hệ hoàng kim  

Ở thời điểm mà các sân khấu ca nhạc tấp nập rộn ràng những gương mặt quen thuộc với công chúng, những bài hit vẫn ra mắt hàng ngày, dường như không có một ai nhớ đến sự khắc nghiệt của bài toán thời gian. Như một quy luật tất yếu, những thứ đi đến đỉnh cao tất nhiên cũng sẽ có lúc thoái trào. Nhưng trong hàng trăm cách kết thúc, hàng chục kịch bản chia tay êm đẹp, phần đông những nhóm nhạc Kpop thế hệ thứ 2 lại chọn cho mình những kịch bản thừa sức hành hạ trái tim của người hâm mộ, những người đã coi Kpop thế hệ thứ 2 là một phần không thể thiếu trong những ngày tháng thanh xuân của mình.

Năm 2009, 3 thành viên của DBSK đột ngột tuyên bố kiện công ty chủ quản ngay khi nhóm đang đứng ở đỉnh cao sự nghiệp. Sân khấu cuối cùng của những vị thần phương Đông nặng trĩu khi 2 người ở lại với cái tên DBSK im lặng quay đi không nhìn 3 "kẻ phản bội" cúi chào khán giả. 

Trở lại sau cuộc chia cắt đau lòng bậc nhất lịch sử Kpop, âm nhạc của DBSK không còn có sức ảnh hưởng nhiều như trước. Dù thắng kiện SM Entertainment để hủy bỏ bản hợp đồng nô lệ, Kim Jaejoong, Park Yoochun và Kim Junsu vẫn phải chịu thua trong một cuộc chiến ngầm khác: JYJ bị cấm vận hoàn toàn trong những hoạt động quảng bá âm nhạc trên các đài truyền hình. Thành viên duy nhất còn cơ hội xuất hiện nhiều trên màn ảnh nhỏ là Park Yoochun với vai trò diễn viên, nhưng scandal xâm hại tình dục vào năm 2016 đã đẩy Park Yoochun trở thành tội phạm vĩnh viễn của dư luận dù anh đã được tuyên vô tội trước tất cả mọi cáo buộc.

(DBSK trở thành DBSK và JYJ từ năm 2009)

Cũng trong năm 2009, sân khấu của Super Junior xuất hiện khoảng trống đầu tiên. Hangeng, nam thần tượng người Trung Quốc rời nhóm vì những áp lực cá nhân và bản hợp đồng nô lệ. Tháng 12 năm 2017, trên sân khấu Super Show lần thứ 7, trưởng nhóm Lee Teuk nghẹn ngào gọi tên cả 13 thành viên Super Junior trong nước mắt. Scandal gây tai nạn khi say rượu vào năm 2009 buộc Kangin tạm ngừng tất cả hoạt động, rồi lần lượt các thành viên khác cũng đến tuổi thực hiện nghĩa vụ quân sự, những khoảng hở trong đội hình khiến cho 12 thành viên còn lại của Super Junior cũng khó có dịp đứng cùng nhau.

Năm 2012, T-Ara vừa gây sốt khi trở lại với bản hit "Day by day" đi kèm một MV vô cùng kì công thì đã bị nhấn chìm trong scandal bắt nạt thành viên Ryu Hwa Young. Suốt 6 năm sau đó, 6 cô gái T–ara chật vật hoạt động dưới sự bảo vệ của những người hâm mộ còn sót lại và hứng chịu sự công kích không ngừng của công chúng Hàn Quốc. Sự thật về câu chuyện bắt nạt đã được làm rõ vào năm 2018 khi kẻ tưởng chừng là nạn nhân lại biến thành tội đồ duy nhất, nhưng hào quang của T-Ara 6 năm về trước đã vĩnh viễn không thể quay về.

(T-Ara bật khóc ngay tại concert "Dear My Family" vào năm 2014)

Năm 2013, Park Bom – giọng ca chính của 2NE1 vướng vào nghi án sử dụng thuốc cấm. Hoạt động của 2NE1 gần như bị đóng băng từ scandal của Park Bom cho đến 2 năm sau. Vào tháng 12 năm 2015. 2NE1 ngẩng cao đầu trở lại trên sân khấu MAMA 2015 với đầy đủ 4 thành viên, nhưng không ai có thể ngờ rằng đó lại là sân khấu cuối cùng mà người ta có thể chứng kiến 2NE1 tỏa sáng trên sân khấu với đội hình 4 người. Hành trình của 2NE1 trên đường đua Kpop chính thức dừng lại vào năm 2016 trong sự tiếc nuối và hụt hẫng của không chỉ BlackJack – fandom của 4 cô gái nhà YG.

(Sân khấu cuối cùng của 2NE1)

SNSD từng mạnh mẽ đứng lên sau biển đen im lặng, suốt nhiều năm liền giữ vững vị trí nhóm nhạc nữ hàng đầu Kpop, cuối cùng cũng không thể hạ cánh với đầy đủ 9 thành viên. Năm 2014, "nữ hoàng băng giá" Jessica rời nhóm. 3 năm sau đó, SNSD chính thức kết thúc hợp đồng với SM, và dù vẫn luôn khẳng định rằng SNSD vẫn chưa từng tan rã thì mảnh vỡ mang tên Jessica đã khiến cái tên SNSD không còn toàn vẹn.

(SNSD đã không còn là "S9" khi Jessica rời nhóm)

Ngày 18 tháng 12 năm 2017, SHINee cùng biển xanh ngọc của mình quỵ ngã vì sự ra đi mãi mãi của Jonghyun. Đằng sau nụ cười thiên thần của Jonghyun là một nghệ sĩ âm thầm vật lộn với căn bệnh trầm cảm và luôn trăn trở về âm nhạc. Lời cuối cùng mà Jonghyun muốn nghe chỉ là một câu "bạn đã làm rất tốt", nhưng anh không còn có thể lắng nghe khi hàng trăm ngàn người khác muốn nói để anh nghe.

(Jonghyun (SHINee) qua đời ở tuổi 27)

Sulli rời khỏi F(x), 4 thành viên còn lại cùng người hâm mộ vẫn đang tuyệt vọng trông chờ những kế hoạch comeback. B2ST không thể giữ được cái tên của mình sau tranh chấp với công ty, chấp nhận rời đi với 5/6 thành viên và lập ra một công ty mới. Miss A tan rã khi danh tiếng của Suzy lấn át hẳn danh tiếng của nhóm, để lại nghi án "cơm không lành canh không ngọt" giữa các thành viên. Những nhóm nhạc thế hệ 2 khác cũng dần dần trở nên im hơi lặng tiếng. 

Cho đến năm 2019, thật khó để tìm thấy một cái tên quen thuộc của 10 năm trước trên những trang tin tức về âm nhạc, dù không ít người trong số họ vẫn đang chăm chỉ hoạt động. Nếu xét riêng về mặt doanh thu, không một ai có thể qua mặt DBSK với những dome tour vòng quanh Nhật Bản, 2PM vẫn chiếm một phần lớn trong thu nhập của JYP trước khi Twice nổi đình đám. 

Tuy nhiên, doanh thu chưa hẳn là yếu tố quan trọng nhất chứng tỏ thành công của một người nghệ sĩ mà những sản phẩm âm nhạc mới là tiếng nói có sức mạnh lan tỏa hơn bất cứ con số nào. Đã bao lâu rồi fan Kpop chưa được thưởng thức một bản hit đến từ một nhóm nhạc ra mắt từ hơn 10 năm trước? Lần lượt DBSK, Oh!GG, Super Junior... đều comeback, nhưng tên tuổi của những huyền thoại một thời cũng không thể nào giúp ca khúc của họ chống chọi được lâu trong cơn lũ âm nhạc Kpop luôn được làm mới mỗi ngày. 

Khi DBSK với đội hình 2 người chỉ còn xuất hiện trong những bản báo cáo về doanh thu khủng và giấc mơ 5 người càng ngày càng trở nên xa tầm với, khi con số 13 của Super Junior vẫn còn là niềm tin của E.L.F còn con số 5 của SHINee sẽ vĩnh viễn khuyết đi, khi tất cả những lời xin lỗi không thể trả lại cho T-Ara và Queen’s 6 năm tuổi trẻ, khi thủ lĩnh 2NE1 công khai đối đầu với ông chủ YG nhưng chỉ nhận được sự im lặng, nhóm nhạc duy nhất vẫn còn giữ nguyên sức hút suốt 10 năm chỉ còn lại 1. Sau hàng loạt scandal, BIGBANG vẫn là một thế lực không ai có thể coi thường. Nếu như dấu ấn âm nhạc của các nhóm nhạc thế hệ 2 dần phai nhạt thì BIGBANG vẫn là "hit maker" đúng nghĩa, chưa từng có một ca khúc nào của BIGBANG ở trong tình trạng "flop" khi phát hành.

(BIGBANG - đại diện duy nhất của Kpop thế hệ 2 còn cạnh tranh được với đàn em ở thành tích âm nhạc)

Những ngày qua, BIGBANG đã trở thành một "vụ nổ lớn" theo đúng nghĩa đen chỉ vì một cái tên duy nhất. Từ "BIGBANG Seungri" trở thành "Burning Sun Seungri" rồi sau đó là "nghi phạm Seungri", em út của BIGBANG đã chính thức rút khỏi nhóm, để lại một khoảng trống lớn sau 13 năm BIGBANG là một nhóm nhạc 5 người. BIGBANG có giá trị như một biểu tượng lớn của Kpop, một biểu tượng chưa từng suy chuyển suốt 13 năm. 

Cái tên BIGBANG là minh chứng cho việc không hề có giới hạn nào trên con đường duy nhất làm thần tượng, giới hạn duy nhất là tài năng mà mỗi thần tượng sở hữu. Sau 13 năm người hâm mộ ngẩng đầu kiêu ngạo với chiếc lightstick hình vương miện nói thay cho vị trí của những ông hoàng thực sự, lần lượt từng scandal một ập đến biến Seungri và sau đó là BIGBANG trở thành ví dụ của những thần tượng dần mất đi nhiệt huyết ban đầu, đem danh tiếng tích góp được từ tình cảm của người hâm mộ đổi lấy những tư lợi cá nhân.

Seungri chính thức trở thành cựu thành viên của BIGBANG vào ngày 11/3 vừa qua

Khi thần tượng ít nhiều đã đánh mất đi nhiệt huyết của những năm tháng hoàng kim, những đứa trẻ cuồng nhiệt mê mẩn Kpop thế hệ 2 ngày nào cũng trở nên bỡ ngỡ và mệt mỏi trước những cách thức cày view Youtube, ít hô hào trend hashtag để tăng mức độ nổi tiếng cho thần tượng, bỏ cuộc trước những chiến dịch bình chọn giải thưởng tốn nhiều hơn 3 bước đăng kí thành viên. 

Ai rồi cũng lớn, những tín ngưỡng và giấc mơ của 10 năm trước đây phải cất sang một bên để nhường chỗ cho cuộc sống thực tại. Đến khi thành trì cuối cùng là BIGBANG cũng đã dần sụp đổ, người hâm mộ các huyền thoại thuộc về thế hệ thứ 2 của Kpop đã phải ngoái đầu nhìn lại mới có thể tìm thấy hào quang một thời.

Tròn 1 thập kỉ kể từ năm 2009, giấc mộng được trở thành một chấm sáng nhỏ trong concert của DBSK, SS501, BIGBANG, SHINee 5 thành viên, Super Junior 13 thành viên, SNSD 9 thành viên… của người hâm mộ Kpop thế hệ 2 lần lượt trở thành những giấc mộng viễn vông.

Thần tượng tan đàn xẻ nghé, fandom sống bằng kí ức và hoài niệm, liên tiếp bị phản bội bởi những scandal động trời và chật vật trước những cuộc chia tay, đó là giây phút ta phải chấp nhận rằng sân khấu rực rỡ của một thế hệ Kpop hoàng kim đã tới hồi khép lại.

Bài viết được copy từ kenh14.vn

[shcjfrance]

Blackboard details on “GRADUATION. “A NEW START” Teaser

Cr: xsterois, ichashinhwa, shinhwaRM Made by SHINHWA CHANGJO FRANCE (SHCJ_FRANCE)

[msmemaaaa]

Shinhwa ‘Kiss Me Like That’ MV Teaser.

[shinwhoohoo]

Contract Megapost

My Honest Thoughts ✍️

With the dozens of asks I’ve received following the initial news that B1A4 was: firstly, extending their 7-year contracts by two additional months, followed by, secondly, WM Entertainment (WM) announcing that Jinyoung and Baro would be leaving the company while CNU, Sandeul, and Gongchan were re-signing to stay with WM, I’ve always tried to remain as neutral as I possibly could when writing my responses, even when I’ve personally felt, and wanted to say, more.

This was done purposely on my part-- with the news still so fresh, I wanted to try and create a ‘safe space’ of sorts, where people could come and fully express how they felt without judgement. Also, I didn’t want to contribute any additional negative thoughts or energy then what was already out there, since many were so sensitive, hurt, and confused by the entire situation. I was certainly part of this crowd, but I did my best to keep (most) of my feelings at bay, instead just answering or commenting on what was directly submitted in my asks.

With months having passed, each of the five boys involved in their own projects, and the fandom seemingly much more calm about what transpired, I’d like to now actually take the time to fully write out my thoughts and opinions without feeling like I need to hold back. This isn’t to say what I had previously written wasn’t what I felt, but now it is just... complete.

(likely unnecessary but putting it here anyway #1) DISCLAIMER: Everything from here on out is 100% my opinions and thoughts and by no means accurate. While I appreciate many of you coming to me for my opinions, I by no means am more qualified than anyone else here-- in other words, my guesses as to what happened are as good as yours.

(likely unnecessary but putting it here anyway #2) WARNING: Major, MAJOR word vomit ahead. So, apologies in advance for those who aren’t able to make it all the way through 😅

I’m going to attempt to write this in the most chronologically-sound way, since that format makes the most sense in my mind. With that said, let’s start at the beginning (or at least, the beginning of what matters in relation to all of this):

One side of the equation we need to look at was WM’s management. From B1A4′s debut up until WM debuted Oh My Girl (OMG), 100% of the attention was given to the boys. And it showed in the appropriate choices management made, allowing the boys to promote in a timely manner without ever overdoing it, giving them health breaks when needed if they were sick or injured (for example, when Baro injured his leg during What’s Happening promotions-- they decided to cut promos short), as well as allowing them to individually try out acting, composing, and guesting on variety shows, and having the boys star in their own variety shows. The timing seemed great when they ventured into the Japanese market, putting a focus on just releasing translated versions of their Korean singles before expending the resources to actually create new J-songs/singles.

Another side that is important to note in this is the boys’ inner relationships, not only with WM but amongst themselves. B1A4 were never shy in describing how good their communication with one another were. They detailed about their meetings they conducted the end of each week, to go over the ups and downs of what transpired. They admitted that this was a big contributor in preventing them from having legitimate arguments vs. normal disagreements that everyone has. And this closeness showed-- I know many non-fans who would comment (to me or otherwise) on how real their relationships seemed, that it wasn’t just a ‘show’ for the fans or for ‘business’. The boys would even comment about how they wanted to last a long time and be like ‘Shinhwa’. So with these two main points addressed, what happened to cause a shift? When did these shifts actually happen?

Let’s look at WM’s management first, because in all honesty it’s the easier of the two and I’ve admittedly already ranted a good deal about it, so my thoughts are more organized and collected.

To quickly go through my thoughts about the downfall of good management choices at WM, I’ll summarize points I find note-worthy from the last few years:

Following ‘Solo Day’ in 2014, the boys go on their longest hiatus (up until that point in time) of a full year with no real news of updates on the next comeback cycle.

With the debut of OMG in 2015, it is noticeable that there is a lack of focus with B1A4′s next promotional cycle of ‘Sweet Girl’. This is reflected in basically no promotions leading up to it, as well as little to no appearances during the actual promotional cycle.

Not specifically related to management in an of itself, but also at this time, the boys find themselves in a bit of a conflict regarding their stage and concert outfits; they had resembled SHINee’s outfits too much.

When it came time for their 5th anniversary celebrations in 2016, WM makes the choice to host a venue in Korea but specifically only for J-BANAs to attend (with a guest). K-BANAs start boycotting. 

Issues arise with Pony Canyon, and how their Japanese promotions are seemingly given precedence over their Korean promotions (fans were also complaining that their Japanese albums looked cheaply designed and made).

Sandeul is announced (with very short notice) to be given a solo album in October of 2016. Shortly into his promotion cycles, he falls ill and has to skip scheduled shows and appearances. Jinyoung helps fill in, as he has been involved with his biggest tv-role to date, along with producing songs for other girl groups (OMG, I.O.I).

Announcements that B1A4 are coming back with extremely little warning occur in the midst of Sandeul’s promos; their comeback begins at the end of November 2016. While the promotional cycle for ‘A Lie’ is fairly short, it seems to be a bit more organized than what we saw during ‘Sweet Girl’ (which was over a year prior at this point).

The following hiatus between ‘A Lie’ and when ‘Rollin’ is released in the Fall of 2017 sees the least amount of schedules for the boys as a whole. Little to nothing is done as a group following their ‘Four Nights in the US’ and 'Live Space’ concerts; CNU is involved in ‘Hamlet’, Sandeul in ‘Thirty Something’, Jinyoung dabbles more in producing for other groups (such as for the ‘Idol Drama Operation’ team), Baro does a short web-drama and acts in ‘Manhole’ (the latter being not well-received or popular) and Gongchan... chills. Oh! Gongchan did that virtual dating game... thing.

Again, much like with ‘A Lie’ and ‘Sweet Girl’, the comeback for ‘Rollin’ gets announced in a rush, with the boys having not even filmed their MV yet when the news gets dropped this time. They take the flight to Australia, film for the next 48-hours, then fly back. The lack in production quality is evident, myself being witness to many commenting on the seemingly low budget and little to no creativity involved in the MV-- I still agree, it leaves a lot to be desired. Teasers are literally released by the boys themselves, on their instagrams. (And look tacky as hell lmao).

With barely a week into promos, Jinyoung falls ill and has to sit out of promotions and appearances. The promotional cycle ends almost as quickly as it started, with a couple appearances (very few with all five however-- Jinyoung or Baro seem to be absent for some), and very little fanfare as a whole.

Following the end of this last comeback cycle, again we seen very little appearances with all five. They don’t have any concerts for fans (something they did following almost every promotional cycle since their first BABA concert), instead just guesting for a few random concerts. 

During this hiatus, we hear the same comments from the boys that we’ve been hearing now the last few years: That they have been working on new music, and that they’d like to comeback as soon as possible.

During one of their few vlives as five, they play a game where they guess what different words are. Confused at one of the hints, a staff behind the camera makes a tasteless joke of the word involving around ‘loli’ or ‘lolita’. This gets picked up by a few news sites. 

Other, larger controversies arise when Sandeul’s name get’s wrapped up in a sexual assault conflict which WM (luckily) quickly denies. However, when Baro gets involved in a ‘lovestagram’ conflict, WM stays mostly silent, and Baro instead has to release two letters himself denying it, along with apologizing for his ‘attitude controversy’ that seems to keep resurfacing.

No fan meeting is scheduled for their 7th anniversary when April 2018 comes around; instead, WM announces that their contracts have been temporarily extended for two months and talks of renewals are still up in the air. 

A vlive is held. Sandeul cries when he makes his ending statement about their 7th anniversary and ‘moving forward’ as a group. He makes a point to comment that “[B1A4] will always be with you”.

A compilation album of their Japanese singles is released with no promotions or appearances by the boys.

At the end of the two month extension, WM announces that Jinyoung and Baro are leaving the company, not before Jinyoung posts the emotional lyrics of ‘Together’ to his instagram. Jinyoung, and eventually Baro, release statements confirming their departure. Sandeul releases a statement making clear his confusion of what’s going on, and CNU takes almost two months to make his statement, again expressing confusion and a lot of emotion over what happened-- but this we’ll get into more next when talking about their relationships.

So... wow. It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? I’m of course not remembering every single detail of what happened that was questionable in the last few years. In fact, I’m sure there’s still quite a few moments going back to 2015 and early 2016 that I’m leaving out. But, the point in laying it all out here like this is to show that there has been a decline in the company’s management, and it’s been occurring over the last 3~4 years.

This isn’t out to paint WM as the enemy here, either. They didn’t want this to be how things ended with B1A4. B1A4 was their money maker, their source of income, their ability to purchase a seven-story building. And, looking at it in a less cynical way, B1A4 was the boys that WM founder Wonmin and director Jimni took in as teenagers, having been there since the beginning-- likely acting as foster parents to the boys that moved away from their actual families. Why would they want to disappoint them? Why would they want to do anything but give them all they could to succeed? 

It’s in these questions where the real tragedy lies surrounding WM and the boys: WM didn’t want this to happen, but in their goals of continuing to grow, expand, and debut more groups, they let it happen unknowingly. I believe they even tried to right some wrongs towards the end, such as finally dropping Pony Canyon and signing with the more revered Universal for Japanese promotions and productions, literally giving the boys an entire floor to themselves to freely produce, and attempting to extend their contracts in a last-ditch effort to get them all to stay. I could only imagine how hard it was for Wonmin, Jimni, and other senior-leveled staff (as well as their day-to-day managers) to see Baro and Jinyoung walk out the door after 9+ years. 

But the fact of the matter still stands that WM dropped the ball. To dive into my own personal opinions of what happened behind the scenes, nothing seemed more apparent regarding the lack of management when looking towards appearances and gigs outside of the company. I feel that a good majority of the acting roles that Jinyoung and Baro landed (barring maybe their initial roles) they got based on their own merit and networking. I have a hard time believing that they had the support of the company behind them in helping them land these jobs. If they had, I think there would have been more articles and interviews lined up helping them promote their roles. I point out these things particularly that WM could have done and not necessary more roles because I also can believe that WM didn’t have that much pull in being able to do that (i.e., land them bigger roles). Which just subtracts another point towards them, especially where Baro and Jinyoung would be concerned. But in other words, WM did have the power, and could have, promoted them better in the roles they did land.

Additionally, it was apparent that there was some unhappiness with the organization surrounding comebacks, and the planning for their comebacks. To have the boys themselves point out so often how they wished they could comeback sooner, and that they were always in the studio making more songs-- what happened to prevent these comebacks from happening (or happening sooner)? Where did all these songs, and the time spent on them, go? With a group as involved in their productions and compositions as B1A4, I’m sure this was a big annoyance to them, and Jinyoung, in particular. With Jinyoung, he quickly was given charge in the groups’ musical sound and direction. Initially, I’m sure this was seen as a huge gift to him that would not likely have been allowed if he had been in a larger company; But what happens when the same company that once gave you the freedom to compose the groups’ songs now makes it a challenge to let these songs see the light of day? I bet there was a bitterness that began to build up, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he began to question how much more more well-off he could be if WM backed him up more in composing (and going back to my prior paragraph, in his acting).

Jinyoung got his first tastes of popularity when his songs ‘What’s Happening’ and ‘Lonely’ became hits. This coincided with his movie ‘Miss Granny’ doing quite well, but following ‘Solo Day’, seen in the events listed above, he (along with the others) fell into a bit of a lull for a while. I personally think this could have been a bit of a turning point for Jinyoung, catalyzed even more when he did get back out there with ‘Moonlight Drawn By Clouds’ and guesting/producing for ‘Produce 101′. I think once he saw that the public was interested in seeing what more he could do, it was a no-brainer for him to begin reaching out and drafting what would soon be the beginnings of ‘LINK8 Entertainment’ (LINK8). He wanted the freedom to do what he wanted, on his own terms, and he created that with LINK8... which I’ll talk about more later. 

Moving on to Baro, admittedly his shift was a bit harder to pin down. While I may be going out on a limb here, I wouldn’t be surprised if Baro’s true interests never quite lied with rapping, or even being part of an idol group. While he was a natural from the very beginning at being on stage, his always seemed to shine brightest on shows or acting. I’ve always felt that Baro was actually the best actor out of the boys, and would at times find myself questioning why WM wasn’t putting him in more roles. Looking back, and like I already mentioned, it was just likely because they didn’t have the pull to get him roles. But I also think that Baro would have really benefitted from WM at least promoting his roles more than they did. When we found out Baro was moving to an acting-centric company (Hodu&U Entertainment (Hodu) ), I wasn’t surprised at all, and in fact, thought that this was what Baro likely wanted from the beginning.

Something I’d also like to point out about Hodu is that they seem to be a bit of a mystery, kind of like a fortress in a way compared to WM. And I think this is important because they seem like they’ll offer a bit of ‘protection’ compared to WM from critics/trolls. And I think this is important because I feel that Baro was deeply affected by all the comments that were made about him and his ‘attitude’, and the fact that those comments seemed to resurface every few months with WM not releasing a statement that was good enough to quell them. Add to this that WM literally said nothing when his next ‘controversy’ broke about his alleged girlfriend with his own ‘fans’ attacking him... I’m sure this was a last straw. When I read the letters he posted, I can remember how sad I was, with his disappointment and pain quite tangible. At the time, I thought it was just disappointment in himself, but looking at it now from a broader perspective, I think he was just 100% ready to move on and shed his past image (and company).

In discussing the relationships between Baro and Jinyoung (Bayoung) with the others, I’m going to begin by making the (possibly polarizing) statement that I do not think they let CNU, Sandeul, or Gongchan know ahead of time that they were planning on leaving WM. I believe this is apparent in the tidbits of information that was hinted at in Sandeul’s statement to the fans immediately following the news, and later reiterated by CNU when he finally made his post weeks later, in that they were surprised, confused, and overall upset over the whole situation.

Going back to what I said in the introduction, this is an alarming shift from the group that would hold their weekly meetings to discuss and air everything out between one another. I can’t say I have an exact idea of what lead Bayoung to not openly discuss it, but I’m sure relationships started to shift and change going back to when they first moved out into their own apartments by the end of 2015. Factoring in the mismanagement of what I explained in the previous section, I’m sure this also caused possible issues between the members, particularly when it came time for recording together. I don’t think any actual fights happened, but I could see possible strains between Jinyoung and CNU over what, and when, they wanted to record (with CNU pushing to try to get into the studio more, whereas Jinyoung starting to focus on producing for other groups and being involved in ‘Moonlight’ around this time); And of course with Baro, his natural progression of falling out of interest with the lifestyle would affect his relationships with likely all the members, to differing degrees. 

I’d like to think Baro still keeps in some contact with Sandeul-- I don’t think for a second that their relationship was nothing but a true friendship. I’ve talked about all the member’s strongest points before, with Sandeul’s being forgiveness, and this above all else is likely what would allow him to see past the secrecy of Baro’s final few months with the company and not let it get in the way of their friendship. As far as Baro with Gongchan or CNU, I’ve also said before I never personally felt that he was particularly that close with Gongchan, so I’d doubt if they keep in regular communication. As far as with CNU, I think time will be their biggest helper in moving past this awkward rift they probably feel. In an older post I made a comment that Bayoung possibly spoke to each other in the weeks leading up to contracts ending, but as time has passed, the more I feel that this was not likely either, with instead them both just announcing it for the first time to each other, and everyone else, during negotiations back in April.

Jinyoung’s current relationships are a bit trickier for me to try and guess... honestly, I could see him trying to stay in touch with them all, even if it’s just a text here or there, but I also could see the communication being severed, which, if true, would be unfortunate and I know very upsetting for us to accept. But the relationship between Jinyoung and the rest of the members wasn’t quite the same as Baro’s was. Jinyoung had his role as their leader, which always put him on slightly different grounds than the rest. Plus, as the main musical composer of their sound, it also followed that he was very important to the group’s central style and vibe. Which would be why, if he did not say anything to the others, it’d be all the more shocking and hurtful for the members to swallow. As someone who had always acted as the pillar of the group, it of course would be upsetting for them to comes to terms with, and accept. If I had to pick between the two, I’d hate to say it but I don’t think Jinyoung is in much contact with them at this point in time.

Also worth mentioning here is CNU’s newest comments he made during the BANA 5th fanmeet about the situation-- he made it clear he felt a lot of blame in not being able to keep all five together. While we know he was always one to shoulder the responsibility, being the eldest member and titular ‘mom’ of the group, I think it’s worth questioning if there’s a bit more to it. I think CNU knows he’s not really to blame in regards to the split... but, I think, maybe reading between the lines a bit, that it was possible that when Bayoung announced their disinterest in staying with WM back last April, CNU may have tried to personally talk with them, to get them to reconsider. Obviously, I think Bayoung’s decisions were already made and the extension as I had mentioned in posts before was likely just due to the release of their final Japanese album; But, CNU maybe had seen this extension as a true last chance to keep B1A4 together, and with Bayoung going their separate ways in June, saw this as a failure on his part.

I feel like at the time of the split, and when I was receiving the bulk of messages regarding the event and Bayoung, I was legitimately more optimistic of them all still being communicative and on decent terms. But as the months have passed with not so much as a mention of each other (admittedly, I don’t think WM would be mentioning Bayoung, but I also don’t think WM would prohibit A3 at this point from doing so, even if it was just liking or commenting on each other’s posts) my optimism has waned. I suppose it’s realistic after all; I’m sure none of us would be too happy if someone we’ve known for 10 years and shared such hardships and memories with decided to leave so suddenly. Gongchan’s recent instagram erasure (and unfollowing of everyone) could be something that hints of this.

To take it a step further in my thoughts, I’d also have to be honest and say time has not been as kind to Jinyoung for me as it has been to Baro. By this I mean, initially I felt equally supportive of them both, and respectful in their decisions and paths they chose. While I still respect their choices, and understand full well that they had every right to choose what they did, I suppose my support now, particularly for Jinyoung, has started to falter. I guess the reasons that I felt Baro may have left (i.e., sick of being an idol), seem to coincide with his choice to sign with a non-idol, acting company. Jinyoung’s reasons... don’t seem quite to fit as much. At this point, it seems that he just wanted the power and control that starting and heading a new company would bring. He wants to be able to create the music he wants, without having to necessarily confer with four other members and staff, plus the ability to choose what acting projects he wants, when he wants them. Is it a bit selfish? Yeah, if I’m being honest, I do feel that it is. There was a good possibility he could have haggled with WM enough to be given what he wanted instead of just leaving. But again, he fulfilled the duties he had under his contract with WM, so it is his every right to do what he wants, even if it comes off as transparent.

I think this ‘transparency’ is where my main issues with Jinyoung come in. With every post of his or LINK8′s, every video, every ‘#wewillnotstaysilent’, I just find myself reading right through it. Their motives seem to be very obvious, in wanting to make sure they make it known that they are pushing Jinyoung every single day as much as they can, e.g., giving him the fanmeet very soon after he officially left WM, making him a Season’s Greetings, all the acting gigs he’s been a part of in the few short months they started, the whole ‘J.GROUND’... It’s A LOT. Almost so much, that it can come across as a bit competitive towards WM and A3 in what they post and do. While I hope this isn’t the case as this would just eventually cause more of a divide, there has yet to be any reaching out between the two parties to placate any thoughts over this. 

One last point I’d like to make towards Jinyoung and LINK8 is that companies just don’t sprout up (excuse the BANA pun) overnight. Jinyoung didn’t decide to finally leave WM in June, and in the span of a week (or however short of time it was before it was announced he ‘joined’ LINK8) create this new company; he had to have been putting this in the works for months, if not the better part of a year prior to leaving WM. He had to find staff to work with, find a building, create a whole image/vibe he was going for, create and file the name and logo... and a lot more. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt that people approached him, he still would have been involved in getting LINK8 off the ground for quite some time. And, pairing this with the likely idea that he hadn’t told the other members? ...Imagine not only find out your leader has decided to leave the company, but has also been putting all his time and resources into creating this entirely new company behind the scenes instead of working to try and keep B1A4 together. I can only speak for myself but shit, I’d be hurt. Again, it is a striking contrast to Baro, who just cleanly left and joined an already established company (whom had likely just approached him around the time of contract negotiations).

It’s difficult still for me to quite wrap my feelings around Jinyoung in the months that have passed. I am hurt by his actions, and the possibility that some shady things may have went down behind the scenes. While this hasn’t (or may never be) confirmed, I think the fact that a good majority of us feel the same way, speaks for itself.

That being said, I do support him. I always will. Jinyoung will always be the goofy, dorky leader that I first stumbled upon seven and a half years ago. Nothing will change those soft feelings I hold for him. He did a great job as a leader, just as Baro did a great job as their rapper and mood-maker. I’ll always adore them, and wish them nothing but the best as they venture into their new life paths.

As for the remaining members that stayed to carry on B1A4′s legacy, my heart goes out to them. To CNU, Sandeul and Gongchan, I am so grateful that they continued on. It is heartbreaking in many ways to see that this was the outcome after seven years: two members leaving, with three staying to try and continue on, except another member suddenly getting pulled away via a draft sentence from the army. But it’s also important to note that this isn’t the end. Regardless of how long I still stay in kpop, I always know that I’ll be able to come back and see these three together. And of course, I’ll always be able to look back at the years that I did spend with them, together as five, as some of the fondest memories I have. I’ll always be so thankful and appreciative to them all for making me happy each and every day.

At this point, I’d like to thank anyone who took the time to read this. It’s been a difficult past couple months, with the recent news of CNU’s draft notice not making anything easier. But I’m proud we have such a tight unit here that we can turn to each other during hard times, and discuss our feelings so freely and openly. So as always, I encourage anyone to share their thoughts, and look forward to hearing from you all~ ♡

[shinhwa-updates]

[180814] Shinhwa Company update - Special album “Heart” track list

[NOTICE] SHINHWA TWENTY ALL YOUR 2018 SPECIAL ALBUM 'HEART' TRACK LIST OPEN SPECIAL ALBUM RELEASE 2018.08.28 6 PM KST

[kpoptimeout]

Top 10 Most Underrated K-pop Songs of 2019 (Idol Edition)

2019 has come and gone before we knew it.  

Continuing with the K-Pop Timeout Tradition (see 2018 Ver) of listing the Top 10 Most Underrated K-Pop Songs because all the other sites are just bothered with the Top 10 that pretty much everyone will have heard of/have fan wars over, below are our top 10 picks of songs that did not rank high but deserves your attention!

Like last year we have a separate post for Top 10 underrated non-idol tracks. Unlike usual years where there is a separate post made for Top 10 underrated K-Drama OSTs, this year there is instead posts for the Top 20 most underrated K-Pop songs of the decade.

Some of the artists have escaped the list in recent years to stardom (like NU’EST, N.FLYING, and OH MY GIRL), so hopefully, it happens again!

This is in alphabetic order NOT in the order of awesomeness because all of them are awesome. Also, all MVs are linked in the song titles because Tumblr won’t let me share that many videos in one post.

1TEAM “Vibe”

After braving through the shitshows of Mnet’s BOYS24 and YG’s MIXNINE, these talented boys finally debut as 1TEAM under Liveworks Entertainment (the label for the solo promotions of SHINHWA’s Hyesung and Minwoo). This debut song of 1TEAM highlights some of the key strengths of the group - their extremely laid-back retro sound and also addictive hooks. With K-Pop boy bands going for increasingly dramatic and over the top complex sounds due to the popularity of hype bops among overseas fans, it is a breath of fresh air to see 1TEAM deliver such a chill and amazing song and it is unfortunate they have yet to receive more attention both in South Korea and overseas. They continue this sound in their comeback “ROLLING ROLLING” and went more mature and sexy while still simple and retro in “MAKE THIS”, showing that they will continue to develop this unique sound. If you like the relaxing summer sound of WINNER, you would also love 1TEAM’s “Vibe”! 

3YE “OOMM (Out Of My Mind)”

After not getting much attention as Apple.B under GH Entertainment, 3 of the original Apple.B members Yuji, Yurim, and Haeun re-debuted as 3YE. And this was the right re-debut to make as the girls went from generic cutesy to edgy and hard in the most unexpected way. “OOM (Out of My Mind)”, their first comeback track, is definitely a powerful bop but what makes it stand out from other hyped-up party tracks is the structure of the song. The first verses were typical powerful girl group song sounding (a mixture of RnB vocals and rap), but things change up quickly at the bridge. The song suddenly becomes very melodic and sounding like something you would expect from a quirky girl group track. Then the song changes again, creating a dark and breathy build-up reminiscent to Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” and “all the good girls go to hell”. Only then do we get the beat drop you would expect from a lit girl group track and the adventurous path to get there makes the drop all the more enjoyable. Also, all three girls’ have amazing stage presence to carry the powerful choreo. If you love powerful girl groups like BLACKPINK and EVERGLOW, you should really check out 3YE’s latest song!

A.C.E “UNDER COVER”

After stints on KBS’ “The Unit” and YG’s “MIXNINE”, the boys of A.C.E have definitely increased significantly in their international fan base and have the makings of a small but dedicated Korean fan base. However, these boys really deserve a lot more attention, especially with “UNDER COVER” being one of the best and also most underrated tracks of 2019 K-Pop. After attempts with artsy edm music in their debut era and later a cuter sound in “Take Me Higher”, the boys and the label seem to have finally found their sound. It is dramatic, it is powerful, it has a strong rock influence combined with hip-hop and RnB. Honestly, this is what I would expect TVXQ to sound like if they debuted in the late 2010s (cries thinking about OT5 early days and their rock influence tracks). This song also clearly highlights the strength of every member - Byeongkwan’s playful rap and diva-like stage presence, Wow’s more relaxed rap and sexy charms, Chan’s boyish appeal and perfect complementation of other members’ sounds, Jun’s attractive vocal colour and Donghun’s emotive voice and wide vocal range. If you love the dramatic and powerful boy band tracks like the bops of B.A.P, it is time to stream “UNDER COVER”!

fromis_9 “FUN!”

After the amazing comeback with “Love Bomb” last year, I really did not know how fromis_9 can top that but they really did with “FUN!” They continue to go for the really quirky, really weird and playful cute girl group sound they perfected in “Love Bomb” to bring an amazing and refreshing summer track. “FUN!” has a ridiculously catchy hook and like other fromis_9 songs have beautiful bridge parts to also showcase the members’ amazing vocal abilities and harmonies often hidden under their hype and wild choruses. Also, the music video is a delight, with the girls’ parodying various CFs. The album for this song peaked at #2 on Gaon Charts but somehow this amazing title track did not rank at all on Gaon and only peaked at #94 on the K-Pop Hot 100 of Billboard. If you love the addictive, fun and weird side of girl groups like Red Velvet and Oh My Girl, you would really enjoy fromis_9′s “FUN!”

GWSN “Pinky Star (RUN)”

After a unique debut and a string of consistent bops, it is unclear why most K-Pop fans are still sleeping on GWSN. “Pinky Star (RUN)” is an amazing song, showcasing GWSN’s indie video game-like sound which is heavily electronic and 8-bit like yet has all the K-Pop high notes and dance breaks you would also expect. This perfect blend of the girls’ unique sound and a seasoned K-Pop style production makes the song all the more amazing and it all the more infuriating they are still quite a nugu group in South Korea. The MV is also beautifully shot, with amazing sets and smart use of the aspect ratios. If you love to see the artsy pop vibes of BOL4 and IU married with the quirky girl group sounds of Oh My Girl, you would love GWSN’s “Pinky Star (RUN)”!

JBJ95 “Awake”

After PRODUCE 101 Season 2 and the success of JBJ, JBJ members Sanggyun and Kenta continue as duo JBJ95 and continue delivering quality music. One of their best songs and one of the best of K-Pop this year is arguably “Awake”. The song excels in having this bright and dreamy texture to it, which blends perfectly with the concept of the song and the Bauhaus-styled MV set pieces. Those listening to the song which literally feel woken up by the upbeat chorus which incorporates some dancehall beats into this electro-pop song. While JBJ95 are without a doubt doing quite well out of the post-PRODUCE 101 groups with variety show appearances and web drama roles, this song did not win any awards albeit its superb quality. If you are a fan of SHINee’s more fun and dream-like tracks like “Why So Serious?” and “View”, you would love this song!

KNK “Sunset”

Last year was extremely annoying when IN2IT’s “Snapshot” and SF9’s “Now or Never” flew under the radar of most K-Pop fans and the Korean public in general for their sexy supermodel runway sounds. Apparently, people have still not learned their lesson this year with the spectacular release by KNK in the form of “Sunset”. These talented men are back again with one of the best concepts ever - the song is just a 90s house bop that serves expensive runway model realness. The chorus of simply just Seoham saying “Sunset, for-for y'all” again and again in his deep voice is definitely one of the highlights of the song along with the classy and mature choreography. The MV of this absolute bop is also an example of how low-budget MVs can look expensive if there’s good camera work, creative lighting and smart editing choices. So if you liked IN2IT’s “Snapshot” and SF9’s “Now or Never” last year, and love yourself some good mature and sensual choreo like Taemin’s, “Sunset” is the song for you!

ONF “Why”

At this point, ONF is just one of the best-kept secrets in K-Pop. All the members already showcased their immense talent on YG’s “MIXNINE” but somehow South Korea still does not seem to know they exist. And it is infuriating that after a masterpiece like “Why”, they are still swimming in absolute nugu-dom. This song sounds ridiculously dramatic, with beautiful high notes and sentimental harmonica/synth instrumentals in the chorus. One of the highlights of the song is Wyatt’s deep-voiced speed rapping which was layered with multiple effects so that it sounded like it was being received through a device from afar and also serves to make it so much more grungier. Basically, the song sounds like it could be the OST for a high-budget Netflix dystopian sci-fi series and the MV shot in Moscow actually gave us some very expensive looking CGI and effects. It is difficult for me to find a song to compare “Why” to but if you love yourself a dramatic boyband track, you should really check it out!

SAAY “ZGZG”

This song just hits hard in a very unique way. Following her departure from EvoL (a highly underrated girl group), Kwon Sohee/SAAY has mainly worked as a producer and songwriter, penning bops for SM Entertainment and often working with Super Junior M’s Henry Lau. As a solo artist, she shows that she has a lot to show in “ZGZG”, which honestly would not be such a great song if not carried by her off-the-charts amount of charisma. The chorus is just her swag-filled mumbling of the word(s?) “ZGZG” and it works because of her attitude. She also belts high notes and delivers smoking hot bars when she raps in the song too. If you are a fan of confident female solos like Hyuna, Sunmi, and Chungha, I now urge you to check out this amazing song by SAAY!

UP10TION “Your Gravity”

UP10TION is an extremely talented group but have failed to make a mark in the K-Pop industry due to years of TOP Media’s mismanagement. One of the biggest mismanagement moves, in my opinion, was giving UP10TION good but extremely generic K-Pop title tracks. There was never a song that screamed: “this is an UP10TION-only track.” I can go on forever about TOP Media’s poor management of all its groups but now is the time to focus on what a brilliant song “Your Gravity” is - UP10TION has finally found a unique sound and they really owned this song, making it arguably one of the best and most underrated songs of the year. The song plays on an addictive synth hook and good use of diverse beats. The whole song just sounded super fresh yet not cutesy but high energy at the same time - a rare example of balancing freshness and coolness. The MV is also filmed very well, with shots from very interesting angles and great use of a few set pieces in a variety of ways. The closest comparisons I can make would probably be WANNA ONE’s “Energetic” era. If you love a powerful and feel-good track, UP10TION’s “Your Gravity” is the song for you!

Special Mentions of Underrated Debuts:

There were many strong debuts this year and I would like to mention 2 underrated rookie groups to look out for in 2020!

Male - 1TEAM “Make This”

I have already discussed 1TEAM’s greatness and music style above, but the reason I also chose them as the most underrated male group debut is because out of all the underrated male idol debuts this year, 1TEAM is the only one that have already showed us their consistency and duality. “MAKE THIS” continues 1TEAM’s retro sound and aesthetic - the song sounds like how people in the 80s think future sexy music would be like and also how people right now thought 80s sexy music remade might sound like. So even though 1TEAM went from soft and cute in their first two title tracks to mature in this latest comeback, they still stayed true to their retro sound. The MV is also delight due to the very “2001: A Space Odyssey” inspired looking set pieces.

Female - BVNDIT “Dumb”

MND Entertainment’s newest girl group and basically Chungha’s younger sisters, BVNDIT may have been overlooked as they debuted in the same year as JYP’s ITZY, HINAPIA which features PRISTIN members, and a string of post-PRODUCE 48 girl groups like EVERGLOW, CHERRY BULLET and ROCKET PUNCH. However, BVNDIT has a lot to offer and has likely one of the most standout sounds and looks. The girls all have confidence and stage presence unlike any rookie girl group and this really shined in their songs following the safer pop song debut with “Hocus Pocus.” The south-east Asian and Latin American influences in the drums used in their songs like “Dramatic” and “Dumb” also gives them an opportunity to attempt more powerful and mature choreography than some of the rookies, giving them an additional edge. With the company now starting to use a “Chungha-like budget” in their production as seen in the “Dumb” MV, I believe we can expect a lot from BVNDIT in 2019.

Which idol songs do you think were underrated this year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and let the song sharing begin!!!