#mix of promo MV performances lives

[sanstropfremir]

are you ready? it's time for...

best stylings of 2022, first half!!

this covers my favourite stylings from january 1st to june 30th; which i am bolding and italicizing bc some people got on my ass last year about leaving things out when in fact they just did not read the title! so!! this is only half of the year!!

here's a rundown of the categories i'm using:

best overall - self explanatory: this covers cbs that were holistically well designed across the mv, music show stages, and any other promotional material that was released during the cb period

runners' up - this category is for ones that got it about half right; either they had a really good music video but the stages didn't match up, or they had really good stages but the mv was lacking. i also put mvs here that didn't get any other promotional materials

standout element - this is for one off stages or outfits that stuck out to me as being really excellent, but there wasn't the same consistency across the rest of the cb

ok, make sense? let's go!

best overall

i hate you - woodz

i'm not gonna mince words here, you all saw me go insane over this cb so there's no way it wasn't gonna be in first place. frankly i'm surprised i survived the promo period at all. i'm obsessed with the choice for them to shoot the mv in a modern art gallery (i THINK it might be the same one that cl shot her alpha performance video at last year) because i love when there's a meta acknowledgement of idols as artistic products and how they interact with different forms of art etc etc etc anyways here's all the links to stuff i went insane over you're welcome: mv behind, this jacket from its live, and honestly this one is about the backup dancers more than him but it's cute.

stages: mcountdown 220512, music core 220507, music bank 220506, the show 220510, show champion 220511

bsides: hijack the show 220510, show champion 220511

+

gingamingayo - billlie

they deserved to go viral for this, the mv is amazing, the styling is so consistent despite the fact that they did like a full month of promotions, and overall it's just a fun time. they set the precedent for all the ~quirky~ gg cbs that showed up after this. it has so much character and established the weird world that their story exists in, so even though it was very early on in the year, it claims one of my top spots.

stages: contour 220304, music bank 220318, inkigayo 220320, the show 220308

+

dice - onew

this was not a popular cb in my circles but too bad, i thought it was very fun and extremely well designed. great mv with a cute lil narrative and creative choices building on a very clear influence, plus some very fun costume pieces, some incredible stage design, and some gorgeous graphic design. 10/10.

stages: mcountdown 220414, inkigayo 220417, music core 220423

bsides: on the way music bank 220415, inkigayo 220417

+

bad news - tempest

an extremely strong debut that has definitely set a new tone for the incoming next generation of bgs for sure. everything about this styling is chaotic over the top mess reminiscent of early 2010s kpop mixed with a retro 90s feel that is always a joy to watch. we love to see a return to cheesy and bright boy group form and i have my fingers crossed that we're gonna start seeing it catch on beyond the flops in 2023.

stages: mcountdown 220303, music bank 220304, show champion 220309, the show 220308, music core 220305, music core 220312, inkigayo 220313, mcountdown 220317, music bank 220325, music core 2200326

bsides: just a little bit, bad at love

+

undercover - verivery

and i am including the japanese version in this, because it has the best outfit, which is kangmin's pink satin tracksuit that i may or may not think about every day. verivery doesn't usually catch my attention but i loved the prerelease single o from this album so it made me tune into the undercover cb when it dropped. this has been one of the few 'retro' stylings (there's been a myriad of 90s/00s revivals) that actually took some very recognizable silhouettes from the period and combined them with a contemporary flavour successfully and consistently. there's so much good texture and the sheer amount of satin they used is just (chef's kiss).

stages: the show 220503, music core 220514, mcountdown 220505, inkigayo 220501, music core 220521, music bank 220513, music bank 220506, the show 220517, show champion 220504, music core 220507, inkigayo 220508

o: mcountdown 220331, music bank 2200401

+

stupid cool - dawn

dawn once again proving that he and his team understand styling and fashion a lot better than most stylists working in the industy rn. he has such a strong sense of how to use silhouette and texture and i love how every new stage keeps you guess about what insane thing he's gonna wear next. this is also one of the few cbs where i actually think they should have just used the performance video for the final mv, bc its SO good. there's a few small things that i don't love which is why this doesn't rank higher, but there's still a lot that i do, so i kept from the runners' up category.

stages: mcountdown 220707, mcountdown 220630, music bank 220701, inkigayo 220703

+

devil - changmin

it was short but sweet, every look is a banger and i am going to include maniac and fever here as well, because it's also incredible. although all three of these songs have no aesthetic unity across them, this album very much was an exploration of genres that changmin is interested in and creating characters to embody each of those songs; we have the american gothic corrupt preacher with devil, the classic rock besieged horror heroine with maniac, and the capitalist victorian villain from an alw musical. i'd also recommend watching the jacket shooting behind to see more details from the looks in the concept photos, bc those are also excellent.

stages: music core 220115, inkigayo 220116

bsides: fever performance video - dgg

+

bring it on - oneus

bring it on had so much fun character and a great series of prologue films as well, and i feel like it didn't get the love it deserved. there are so many things happening in this mv and it's very busy visually, so for them to be able to keep it coherent despite the sheer number of sets is impressive. rbw has great creative teams and it's no surprise that a oneus mv ended up in my top ten.

stages: music bank 220520, inkigayo 220522, show champion 220525, mcountdown 220602

+

grey suit - suho

i might not have loved the title track as a song, but the mv is fucking gorgeous with some profoundly beautiful shots and like with changmin, the album as a whole is fantastic work and he produced a similar style goofy fun bside mv for hurdle that ended up being his go to concert song this year. both have really consistent design and colour palettes across the two of them, even though they're two totally different styles of song, which is a detail that i really admire. and the concept photos were gorgeous as well.

stages: music bank 220408, inkigayo 220410

bsides: hurdle mcountdown 220407

+

daydream - highlight

fantastic cb from them and excellent album in general, with some unusual silhouette choices. and they fully produced their album medley as well, which i don't think i've seen a group do to this same extent. it's beautiful, i highly recommend watching it. highlight has been quietly flying under the radar since their first post enlistment cb last year, and as the hag fan that i am i'm going to continue to remind everyone that they exist and are doing some of the best quality work in the industry atm.

stages: music core 220326, inkigayo 220327, music bank 220325,

bsides: night fog music bank 220325

+

runners' up

heart burn - sunmi

honestly this should rank higher bc it was such a good cb and everything about it was so well done, but there was just too much that came out this year and i had to bump some things down just because of quantity and the fact that tumblr limits how many links and videos you can put in a post. so please know this was in a top spot in my heart.

+

invu - taeyeon

i wrote a post about invu already so i won't expound on it more, but it got knocked down to runners' up just bc i didn't love all the looks, but i did love a lot of the dedication and thought and engagement they put into the cb as a whole.

+

dududu - tan

also already wrote an entire post about this styling, i love it i'm obsessed one of THE best debuts of all time etc etc etc you've heard me yell about them many times already. although i have to issue one addition: for some reason i didn't include inkigayo 220403 where they gave jiseong a gorgeous blue crushed velvet suit.

+

again - nu'est

this is only here because they never did any performances of it. the only group that's ever done anything good with hybe money and what did they get for it??? the nu'est disbandment is easily one of the most gutwrenching things to happen to me and it's double compounded by their disbandment song being called 'again'. what a fucking cruel joke. anyways this mv is fucking gorgeous even if it makes me feel like i'm eating broken glass.

+

epitaph - tvxq

yes this is a japanese release but they haven't done a korean cb in like four years at this point so i'm taking what i can get. incredible set design, great costuming, who doesn't loves some hot tall vampires?

+

feel my rhythm - red velvet

the mv is 100% the standout element here, it's so unbelievably detailed and full of art references. however i didn't love all of the costuming so the stages didn't really stand out for me. ok that's a lie, i really liked the styling for music core 220326.

+

love - monsta x

could i have told you what the concept of this cb was? no. was it chaotic and very fun to watch anyways? absolutely. i present to you: versace. kihyun's obliques. whatever this lace suit nonsense is. idk what a 'vibe' outfit is but they should have done a stage in them.

+

skinz - onlyoneof

i've talked about the mv for skinz before, but there have been a couple of stages that are just kinda batshit crazy, like whatever the hell is happening here, and this 220114 music bank with the cropped puffer jackets and kb's tshirt bodysuit. i'm not even convinced what kb is wearing here is even considered a shirt. honestly i could have ranked this cb as a whole higher because there were just so many weird suits and i did like the mv, but i did have to limit this list at some point.

+

cupid - dkz

we love a cb of just guys being dudes! i actually do like the mv but it doesn't tie as well into the stages as i would like, so it doesn't get the full honours. but i would like offer you a selection of: pink, jonghyeong's xxxxl shirt, kyungyoon looking like a caricature of a kid in the early 90s, and kyungyoon's sexy lil cropped green bomber jacket

+

11:59 - apr project

these are all former trncg members (a third gen bg that disbanded due to an abuse and mismanagement lawsuit) that are redebuting in a new group and honestly? good for them. this mv was made with about $30 but it's one of my favourites of the year specifically because of the context and the moment at 2:41, which is SUCH a strong image and not one i was expecting. this was one of my soppy emo ballads of choice this year. also wolf baby revival when.

+

standout elements

memem story films - purple kiss // memem is probably the weakest of purple kiss' title tracks in terms of both sound and design, which was bound to happen eventually. however the story films are PHENOMENAL and i absolutely recommend watching them (plus bonus recurring character cya!): #1, #2.

creature - e'last // once again, e'last with an excellent showing of dedication to the man crop top agenda and guys bein' slutty for no real reason. show champion 220511, music bank 220513, show champion 220504, the show 220503

beauty inside - nine.i // i love these denim suits with loopy flowers and shapes that match the flower petal motif in the choreography.

x-ray - ghost9 // these sparkly vampire outfits that never appeared in any of the other styling or design but fuck supremely.

tank - nmixx - costumes that accentuate the choreography? in my jype styling???

---

part two will hopefully be up in few days!

[mel-loves-kdramas]

Hi this is Exol Santa one more time!❄️💜 Sorry about the messages mix up! Luckily I had to draft the ask because I was trying to get it under the character limit so I still have part 2 saved. but also it looks like the character limit on asks was removed? Apologies for my incompetence in messages (I’ve been on tumblr for like 10 years lol you think I’d have the hang of it, but maybe that’s why I expect the worst regarding functionality)

Here’s what was in the second half of the message: I just got into Exo a couple years ago! I have a friend who was into SuperM and sent me a few of their videos and basically as soon as I saw Baekhyun that was it for me, and he’s still my bias. I was in covid quarantine for 15 days and binged Exo Next Door and then a bunch of performance videos and fell in love with all the members. I’ve been slowly catching up on ten years of content since then. Monster Dance practice is a GREAT first exo video. Do you have a favorite era/comeback? Do you have a favorite of Suho’s songs? (I still need to listen to Self Portrait!)

I hope that went through this time!

I’m also having a great time chatting so I can send you actual message replies in 10 days once I can come off of anon :P I started watching Stranger so I’ll definitely let you know how that goes! And I will say that I totally agree with you about the ending of Reply 1988 I was devastated.

I think I have an idea for what I want to do for your present, and I mostly make digital art so that’s what I’m planning, but I wanted to also ask if there’s anything you were really hoping for? I’ll probably have time to make a couple things so I can do my idea and a second, or add in elements if there’s anything you’ve been thinking about. I’m not much of a fic writer but anything else I can take a shot at: moodboards, gifs, lockscreens, etc!

Hope you’re having a good week! <3

Hi Santa,

Please, no need to apologize. Tumblr is so unpredictable with ASKs. Thank goodness you had a saved draft. I wonder if the length of messages goes larger with a "response" to an ASK? I have been on tumblr a little less than you, (8 years) and I still don't know much about this crazy platform. lol

I found my way to tumblr via the CW Arrow and The X-Files' Fandoms. How about you?

What Kpop groups were you listening to before SuperM? I was so lucky to see SuperM as my first ever Kpop concert. And Baekhyun was GLORIOUS live. I am surprised I survived seeing SuperM in person. I LOVE Kai (he is one of my bias wreckers), Taeyong and Ten. SuperM's first promo photos are burned into my memory. An EXCEPTIONAL concept. hahaha

Speaking of concepts......I CANNOT wait to see EXO's upcoming concept and new music. If it has any connection to their Season's Greetings concept I will be DEAD (in the best way possible) lol.

It is hard for me to narrow down a favorite of Suho's music, but perhaps I can give you a few favs off his more recent Grey Suit era. I loved the whole album, but Hurdle, Decanting and Bear Hug were extra wonderful to me. I hope you are able to listen to Self-Portrait. His voice is just so beautiful and the album is a lovely journey of falling in love, losing it, letting it go and appreciating it. Have you seen any of the live sessions mvs? THEY ARE ALL SO FABULOUS. O2 is particularly pretty with the water concept. I don't think we would have been given such a gift of mvs for every song of that album if not for covid. I guess that is one ray of sunshine through the horribleness of the virus. I am sorry you were in covid quarantine. Were you ill or just protecting yourself and others? I hope you weren't sick with it. As far as era looks - Suho during the Lotto Era was also wow. The strawberry hair, the pink shirt and neck ties' outfit for the lotto stages. Let me see If I can add a link of it.

What are some of your fav songs from Baekhyun? AND HE IS COMING BACK SOON!!

You are so sweet to ask about the secret santa gift. I am excited about anything you are inspired to create. Seriously, I don't like to hinder creators, so allow yourself to go in any direction freely. But please don't feel any pressure to make multiple gifts. Anything you come up with will be wonderful! I can't wait to see what you create.

Have a wonderful day!

[maklineluv]

Ni-ki Catch Up

[mysmorgasbordoffantabulosa]

What surprises could BTS be giving us on 10th September?

So yesterday BTS released this tweet...

Now a lot of ARMY think we might be getting a new album, and initially I thought the same, but now I think something else is up.

Side Note:

Did anyone else find the wording is weird and confusing? Are they saying the compilation video and more surprises are coming on 10th Sept or that we need to stay tuned video coming soon and on 10th will have more surprises? I'm inclined to say the former but the latter could be true also. I just don't think it's worded properly. Really it should have been written either:

Stay tuned for the upcoming compilation video, Sep 10 will be packed with more surprises!

Or

Stay tuned for the upcoming compilation video! And Sep 10 will be packed with more surprises!

Anyway... back to the topic at hand...

The first thing to remember about anything BTS related in September is likely to be linked to a USA promo tour. Why? Because they are attending in person at the UN General Assembly as a special envoy for the Korean Government on 21st Sept, and are likely to make a speech there. So whilst there why not booking some promotional performances and interviews. It's likely that:

They will perform and win at the VMAs on 12th September.

Could possibly attend the MET Gala on 13th September

Don't forget they are performing on 25th September for Global Citizen Live possibly in New York (though I suppose that could be back in Seoul however, I think they'll take the opportunity) and maybe debut their Coldplay collab there too as Coldplay are performing as well.

Whilst there, you're not telling me Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Today, GMA and others aren't gonna try and book BTS? Particularly because of the whole UN thing.

Ok with all that said, I still think an album is coming soon (possibly in October/November). Why do I think that? Well BTS have released either a mini-album or full album every year since its debut, and I highly doubt they're not going to release one now.

However, I think on the 10th we're gonna a more than one surprise. I expect to see some video content, online interactions and a VLive with the boys. In addition to this, I think we're getting a song, and it'll be either...

A remix of either Permission to Dance or Butter with featured artist.

Or they'll do a Black Swan and just drop a new 'pre-release' song/MV for their upcoming album at just after Midnight NYC time on 9th/10th. I expect a predominantly English song again.

It just makes sense to go with the latter, because it means you hype the upcoming album with a new song/mv with a month-long promo tour in NYC and a song that's likely to go No 1 again on Hot 100. I could see the following happen:

10th Sept - new single (album pre-release) (I expect it to go to number 1

12th Sept - VMAs will perform the new song on the VMAs

21st Sept - UN General Assembly Speech

25th Sept - Global Citizen Live

2nd Oct - BTS to attend FACT Awards in Korea

15th Oct - Coldplay releases their new album that includes their collab song. (I expect the song to do well in the charts possibly going number 1).

22nd Oct - I'd imagine this is when their album comes could along with another single. (I'd expect Butter and 10th Sept song to feature but not permission to Dance).

I think this album has been in development since last year and will feature a mix of English/Korean songs.

[berlinini]

hi clem!! i hope you’re doing well!

now that louis has officially announce there will be another album, when do you think it’ll be released? when do you think the first single will come out? do you think copy or change will be a single or do you think they’ll all be other songs? (sorry this is a lot of questions i just wanna chat lol)

Hello Sophia!

Thank you for these questions, which have sent me to Clown City and made me do the timeline post help.mp3 in order to properly think about it.

I have one (1) issue with AFHF and it is that Louis casually mentioned Change "going on the new album" and that's it!!! SIR!!! Give us details about LT2!!! (ok that's wrong, I have another issue, it's that he had the crowd sing my favorite verse in Defenseless and I will never forgive him for robbing us of hearing his perfect voice in this perfect song I hate him)

Now about your questions... I have no way to know so these are just 🔮thoughts 🔮

About Copyx3 being a single: I don't think so, and I don't even think it will be on the album - based on Louis' tweet saying he wasn't sure a studio version would ever exist. He performed the song in December 2020, which meant he has written it before. I think he's unsure how it would fit on LT2 and we know this man likes the album to tell a story. My guess is that he's "outgrown" the story of Copy and it would not fit with the theme of the new album.

About Change being a single: while this song breaks me every time I hear it, as I said here, it's not a favourite of mine. I personally don't think it would make a good single; it's too long (5 min) and a bit of a lackluster. But these criteria are based on a single having promo, including mostly radio, and we know how that goes for Louis... Also we know about the song now, so having it as a single wouldn't be a surprise. I'd much rather have new songs to discover!

About the timeline of LT2: look, I'm clowning very hard and strongly believe that we will get a music announcement during/at the end of the documentary on Saturday. Is it going to be about a single? An EP? An album? Who knows...

I don't know how much time Louis spent in the studio for Walls so it's hard to say if his studio days (that we know of) in 2021 are enough to make enough songs for an LP.

The theory of a EP makes sense - it gives music, you can have promo around singles, it gives him more songs to play on tour...

If Louis is working towards a proper album, I see potential 2 strategies:

- release the album before tour; making the tour's setlist a mix of Walls and LT2 (which would make me happy because he could finally drop the 1D covers but if I can't see him cover Beautiful War live I will cry). This would mean anytime between now and March 2022, which gives proper time for releasing 1 or 2 singles during the fall and maybe the album in early winter? Maybe the man got emotionally attached to January 31? haha

OR

- release the album after tour; but introduce some new songs on the tour's setlist. Album would drop in the summer 2022. That gives time to Louis to finalize the songs in the next couple of months before tour starts. In this case, I'm begging for a longer album - around 14-16 songs, to make it worth the wait. There could be a few singles released between now and the start of the tour.

I'm also still considering the idea of visual album (or most likely EP), because Louis mentioned "considering it" in a tweet and he never does anything for nothing ("odd change" my hated), because of his working relationship with Charlie, because he made 3 of his MVs for Walls into a mini-film, because Louis has a great sense for visual storytelling, because there's so much we don't know about 369 and the whole 369 merch drop's imagery was so intriguing (in the line of Walls MV). But making a visual album involves a lot of people, so it would be hard to keep it secret. So maybe it's a future project? I hope he does consider it, because I know it would be extraordinary.

There's a lot of possibilities... my worst fear is that nothing happen, in which case I will crumble. It would be mad not to use the momentum of the festival/stream event to announce some big news... we'd have to wait until tour starts and that would be really hard. At the same time, with the COVID situation, I believe everyone knows that worldwide tours are still a big question mark. I think the US leg of the tour will happen as scheduled. Anyways, what I meant is that if Louis knows that the tour is still up in the air, he's gotta work on other stuff and consider the timelines properly. Which could point to option 1 above.

Insert the meme of that crazy guy with papers on the board and the red strings and all.

What do you think will happen? Curious to hear your thoughts, and everyone's on the question!

[taekooktimeline]

Ask

Kayla will focus more on the latest VCR’s while Sara will do so on the one where TK appear under a blue light.

Kayla: Hello! 💜I miss questions like this🥺thank you so much for submitting it, and that means a lot that you appreciate hearing our interpretation of things💜I loved this question so much🥰

Before I start, as always, please keep in mind this is simply my interpretation of things! ☺️

I agree both VCRs seem to heavily hint to deeper things with taekook. Let’s start with Jungkook’s “my time”. He has said consistently this song is about his lost childhood and growing up in the spotlight. However, I do personally think there’s a secondary meaning. I understand some are sensitive to analyzing songs, and no not every song in a member’s solo discography is directed to his lover, but here’s what made me pause - the chorus - “I can’t call ya/hol’ ya” and then, at the end, it changes to “I will call ya/I will hol’ ya”. It fits his struggles in the spotlight - the inability to reach out due to multiple difficulties (busy schedule, saesangs, etc) and eventually he is able to reach out, call, touch. In this instance, the chorus could be considered towards relationships, like a special someone. I don’t normally like Quora, but Helen Xu, an interactor on the site, is very insightful and has said something I agree with. She directly answered a question about “my time”. Below are snippets but I highly encourage reading the entirety of her answer here - https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-My-Time-by-BTS-Jungkook-is-about-himself-I-respect-and-trust-BTS-what-they-say-but-I-can-t-help-but-feel-that-this-song-is-for-his-significant-other-I-really-hope-so-tho-because-I-love-that-for-him-but 

Keeping in mind this, we can examine the VCR a little more closely. Jk looks at a lot of clocks on the walls.

But only a handful are singled out and on a nightstand close by him. For me, this indicates great importance to these specific clocks.

One I am still working on figuring out is the one to the far left of Jk, right behind the phone. I can’t determine if it says 3:09 or 3:10. If it says 3:09… that’s very interesting, as it’s Yoongi’s birthday. Keep in mind, Yoongi wrote letters to only taekook in 2018 that, in Tae’s own words, made him cry for 10 mins. The members joked Jk’s letter must be a “copy paste” of Tae’s, meaning the same letter:

Jk singled out both Tae’s character, Tata, and Yoongi’s character, Shooky, to be the ones supporting Cooky directly in the ring for his 2020 B21 skit.

If the clock truly says 3:09, this is the second time Jk has directly singled out Yoongi in 2020, as well as Tae when factoring the other clock. Disclaimer - Please note this part is shaky since I can’t determine the time enough to feel confident. 

But what we can deduce - as a lot noticed, 2 of the 3 clocks next to Jk show his birthday, 9/1 - 9:01, and Tae’s 12/30 - 12:30.

The fact these are singled out from the other clocks and are closest to Jk imply to me great importance to him. He picks up the third clock closest to him.

This one has the time - zero o’clock. He holds it up and smiles at it, as if he’s embracing the new time.

Zero o’clock is about starting a new day and forgetting what troubles you. For me …factoring in the two clocks being placed in a prominent position (denoting Tae’s and Jk’s birthdays) + Jk then performs “my time” right after + my suspicions that align with Helen Xu, that the song has a secondary (hidden) meaning …for me, this indicates Jk has found his time. His time has come, he’s ready/at peace and he’s welcoming it. He’s leaving his former struggles behind and will live more freely, less restricted. 

The other part of the VCR was very interesting. Only Taekook paint their faces in black. I spoke to a few different people, who were firm that painting oneself with black indicated stigma, sin, being different, in their culture. It can also be viewed as their shadow, as BTS have discussed this extensively. Tae covers his eye while Jk covers his mouth. This reminded me of “see no evil, hear no evil” in the sense their differences/“sins” are not seen or spoken about by society. Society chooses to ignore what they’ve tried to show and say.

Jk paints his mouth black while Tae paints his eye.

After, both smirk.

For me, this indicates they’re embracing their shadow/difference. They are not bothered any further by society closing their eyes and mouths to their stigma. They have come to terms with it. They will no longer hide in their shadows/darkness. 

They also showed the shadow closing on Tae (going backwards, reverse effect, not fully closing since the door still opens for him) and the light opening on Jk - parallels of each other, and again, they are the only two with this symbolism.

What I find very interesting out of all of this is how taekook are singled out as different from the group. There is a reoccurring pattern. We saw it at MAMA 2019. Both were in blue light then, based on standing order, both were in black. (As a side note - i couldn’t find a capture that encompassed Jin in the below blue/red light):

The others are in white while Taekook are black, still hidden, in their shadow. 

We then saw them be singled out as different again in the On MV. Both were the only ones that had thorns, Tae’s on his neck and Jk’s around his wrist.

Thorns also can be symbolic of sin, just like the black paint in the VCR:

Jk even says he was cast out of society for being different.

My personal thinking which isn't necessarily applicable to the VCRs and heavy hinting: a taekook subunit is coming by the end of the year. We’ve said this consistently since about the spring, as noted in the main timeline, based on the first few vlives, some festa promo shoots and the order of the festa board.

There have been some other, more recent, indicators, but this has been my consistent stance - 1) Taekook 2) Yoonmin + Jin 3) Hobi and Joon. We’ll see! I know some have a differentiating opinion on this based on the BTS YT live with two subunits, not three + photo cards but my stance remains the same from spring. And if you disagree it’s ok! It’s only theory- it can be wrong or right. In asks I feel safer theorizing more freely since we don’t have to place as much importance on being “right”. Either way, even if I’m incorrect on the other subunit pairings, I still think Taekook will be a unit. 

BH is working to normalize - to some degree - TK after years of restricting on camera interactions. Part of normalizing, for some, will be a subunit. I feel strongly it’ll happen for that reason. Whether it’s on a BTS album, or KTH1 or JJK1, I’m not sure. But I think by December or, at the latest January, the subunit will happen on one of those three (if it doesn’t happen in November for BE). 

But I want to make it clear … I don’t think singling out Taekook from the group is solely for their subunit. Whether the subunit is on the BTS album or a mixtape, I feel very strongly we are getting one. But the reoccurring pattern of showing them as different from the other five members, with symbolisms of shadow/stigma/sin (and now embracing that)... to me indicates something even bigger is possibly brewing. I’ve got a lot of mixed thoughts I’m sorting through regarding the company’s stance right now so some of that conflicts and I just need to see in time where things go. 

Please remember this is merely MY opinion / theory on this topic, which is subjective and open to individual interpretation. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong :) theory is theory for a reason and I know some disagree on the subunit part (so please don’t flood the asks with stances - I know this is a varied opinion💜😅). All we can do is wait. 

——————————

Sara: I´ve never paid too much thought to concert VCR´s because I wasn't sure if they had enough substance...but now as I pondered I'm quite excited to share my findings. We all know Taekook were the only ones to have a blue light casted over them right? Well, this is extremely important and I’ll tell you why. 

BTS have made references to the blue & red pill dilemma from matrix on multiple occasions, the first time that I recall being in their MV for “N.O.” where they take the red pill & fight the system.

In sum, if you take the red pill you face the harsh reality while if you take the blue pill you stay in a dream-like illusion, a fake and perfect one. In the music video for “Shadow” you can see Suga singing on top of the scenario covered in blue light while everyone filmed him. This is his persona. The persona, for psychiatrist Carl Jung, was the social face the individual presented to the world—"a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual" = an illusion = blue pill.

  Afterwards, his shadow that was hidden among the crowd takes over and everything turns red as he faces his true hidden self = harsh reality = red pill.

What is the shadow? In short, the shadow is the unknown side. The shadow represents all the personal traits we have ignored, denied, or cut off from ourselves. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality, the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects that may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem, anxieties, and false beliefs). Being LGBTQ would fit into this last case as it’s not negative in nature. Jung’s concept is that the aim of one’s life, psychologically speaking, should be not to suppress or repress, but to come to know one’s other side, and so both to enjoy and to control the whole range of one’s capacities; i.e., in the full sense, to “know oneself.” That process is called “individuation” and a necessary step is to become aware of the shadow and integrate it’s hidden aspects into the consciousness.

At first the blinking blue light suffocates Tae who can be seen suffering, running around and hugging himself. Something in his interior wants to be set free.

At the end of the VCR Tae is finally standing calmly as he faces his truth, accepting it (red) -

That’s what Sinclair does in the book “Demian” that BTS based their series “Wings” on. He recounts his experiences with the two realms, two worlds of which he was aware at the time—one of darkness, and one of light, one of day and one of night. The realm of day was everything "good", straight, and Christian. The realm of night was the world of scandal and mystery, drunkenness and murder, deceit and illegal activity. The realm of light was the world of Sinclair's parents and sisters. Though living in the realm of light, he was curious about and attracted to the realm of darkness. He was tempted by Demian, who acted like an inner voice leading him to self-discovery and individuation. In the Below pic the black ink represents temptation and “sin”. Jk takes it to his mouth (in this 2016’s trailer for the Wings tour, other members use different symbolism like sinful apples, blindfolds, curtains, etc).

Jk takes a taste of this world of darkness in BS&T. The world of the previously unknown and denied shadows.

Dialogue from “Demian” that played in this scene from BS&T: “He too was a tempter. The evil world with which I no longer wanted to have anything to do”. The balloon is let go which represents lost innocence - surroundings covered in red.

As I said, the shadow is not always inherently negative, but it’s always perceived as such by either society, the individual, or both. The intro for “Wings” was “Boy Meets Evil”. When the lyrics give into the temptation the walls are painted red.

When performing this song in MAMA 2016 we can see the two realms on opposite sides. When we mix them we get a purple color representing the whole, the dichotomy of human nature (which tormented Sinclair until he accepted himself).

What are they trying to convey with this picture below?

Well, other members are letting their shadows be seen, but Taekook are showing us their carefully drafted public persona, hiding their truth. All of them do this to some extent, but this image implies Taekook’s real self drastically contrasts with the illusion that they create by wearing their masks. They have to conceal more than the rest, even if they already accepted themselves.  What you see is a pretty lie = blue. They only show us their “good” side. Just like “Fake Love’s” lyrics (a song directed to army): “Mold a pretty lie for you”, “Try to erase myself and make me your doll”.  Also, In Singularity Tae sings about silencing his voice and trapping himself into a frozen BLUE lake.

He wears a mask. The red part of his head (shadow, hidden truth) has an earring that reads “loved”. Forbidden, secret love?

Yoongi recently talked about this topic while In The Soop. He said that he talked with Bang pd nim and that, if someone has to do it (for a greater good), he himself would choose the red pill. He would sacrifice. The matrix is an ongoing theme.

About the latest VCR’s where TK have black paint, I basically agree with Kayla. They were introducing the shadow-themed section of the concert so every member was portraying the shadow in different ways but it’s definitely interesting that Taekook represented the shadow with the exact same symbolism put back to back - arguably the most visually impactful out of them - placed near the end of the VCR as it reaches it’s peak in intensity before slowly falling into quietness again. Taekook share a common aspect of themselves that is considered negative and carries a stigma and therefore - as their blue public colors indicate - is part of their red hidden shadow. They really highlighted Taekook’s scenes, so it indicates their shadow is of greater significance. It’s a bigger deal. As mentioned earlier, the black ink is related to sin.

Now JK’s VCR that introduced his song. “My time” by Jk is certainly about his crazy life while growing up in the spotlight. It’s not only about his lost childhood, but also about a “limited love”, losing the capacity to love freely during his teens and beyond. The chorus - the part of the song that delivers the main message - sings about a relationship with many physical limitations. The chosen words are pretty romantic: hold, touch, etc (discard fans as it’s a personal song). Since we talk about the spotlight, it can be understood that they can’t do those things while having eyes on them. He says “happy that we met each other” so it’s not about his family. He’s waiting for “the time” they’ll be able to love freely which he has promised will come (“I will hold ya and you know”). If we take the previous VCR’s into account it’s quite suspicious that Taekook’s clocks are placed right next to each other in the most important spot angle-wise. It does seem like a connection between Jk’s song and Taekook. 

What does all this ultimately mean? What’s the purpose of showing these hints? Well, not sure. Could be related to them coming out in the future and finding their time to live their lives as a couple without pretending, taking off their masks and revealing their truth. For the time being a TK subunit would be neat though :P 

[felixnation]

THE TOP 10 WORST KPOP SONGS OF 2020

(WARNING: I DON’T LIKE THESE SONGS AND WILL BE MEAN AT THEM. I DO NOT HAVE ANY PERSONAL BEEF WITH ANY OF THESE GROUPS OR ARTISTS SO DON’T COME FOR ME IF YOUR FAVE MADE A STINKER TRACK THIS YEAR.)

Ah, 2020. The year where disco came back, the 80s came back, and everyone was titling their songs after nonsense words. It was a good year for k-pop overall, with a lot of new trends entering the game towards the end of summer. However, there were some real clunkers that refused to get out of my head this quarantine and pissed me off to varying degrees each time I heard them. This list is an attempt to chronicle all of those.

So without further ado, let’s get this shit done.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

NCT 127 - PUNCH This isn't actually a bad song, hence it only making it to the honorable mentions section. In fact, I think this could've easily made the best list had it not been for one thing, and that's the presence of NCT 127, namely their rap line. The instrumental on this thing is absolutely killer and one of the best productions to come out of SM in a long time. The entire thing is bizarrely structured and incredibly gutsy, and therefore I think it's a travesty that an instrumental this incredible was drowned in ASMR-esque whispers and EYYYY WE BALLINs. There are a few salvageable sections, namely the first post-chorus, and we see glimmers of NCT 127's true potential, should they choose to explore this sound further.

CIGNATURE - NUN NU NAN NA Similar to Punch, I admire the production choices here - there are a few sections that blast you with 100gecs-esque womps, and that's always something I enjoy. The vast majority of the song rarely dips below decent territory, but since the entire thing hinges on the titular hook, it ends up falling apart right when it needs to bring the hype the most. I mean, building a hook around those notes was...an interesting choice, I guess. It reminds me a lot of fromis_9's FUN!, which also constructed the entire song around a terrible set of notes. Listen to them yell that hook at you and tell me it doesn't sound off. Most frustrating song of 2020.

ONG SEONG WU - GRAVITY Have you ever heard a drop this weak? I sure haven't. I hate the way he says DIVING INTO YOUR LOVE, the over-enunciation kills me and there's one syllable too many. Also, thanks Ong Seong Wu for giving CRAVITY the promo they deserve.

BTS - FLY TO MY ROOM I can't relax while listening to this, the beat is so sparse and has this nauseous sway to it that really makes me feel like I'm reliving these past 9 months of quarantine all over again. And just like quarantine, it really feels like this goddamn thing never ends. That final set of choruses is really a chore to get through, and I'm not the only one who thinks so - shout out to Taehyung for serving taste and I'm sorry Jimin convinced you to sing out of your natural range yet again.

TREASURE - MMM Ew.

I*ZONE - FIESTA It's a pretty standard girl group song up until that chorus hits and oh my god, who on earth produced this? Are they actively trying to trigger my psychosis? There are so many sounds happening that it feels like three or four demo tracks laid on top of each other, it makes me confused even trying to figure out what's going on here. And that post-chorus drop is horrendous, it's like the instrumental is literally screaming into my ear STREAM BLOOM*IZ!!! STREAM BLOOM*IZ YOU DUMB CUCK!!! YOU LOVE IT!!!

NOW FOR THE REAL LIST.

#10: TAEYEON - HAPPY

I do not like this. Taeyeon has one of the most powerful voices in the industry and instead of putting it to good use, she decided to put out the musical equivalent of eating a stick of butter. Bland, horrible texture, seems to go on forever and ever, you know you shouldn't be consuming it and you don't know why you're doing this to yourself, etc.

The MV contributed to my dislike, with Taeyeon whitewashed all the way into uncanny valley as she lounges around her beautiful apartment. Well of course you'd be happy if you lived in a place like that, I know I would. The sad thing is that there's some really nice vocal work here and there, but for the majority of the song, Taeyeon decides to serenade us in the most nasal tone that she can muster. I know she can sing better than this, and I'm disappointed in her for creating this and unleashing it on the world.

#9: WEKI MEKI - OOPSY

Whereas Picky Picky was annoying in the best way possible, Oopsy is annoying in the worst way possible. The instrumental legitimately sounds cheap, the drums sound so tinny and artificial that it's hard on the ears. Not to mention the hook, wherein the girls force their voices as high as they can go as they proclaim OOPSY! 

I'm a huge fan of cute concepts, but when it comes to putting out a high-energy sugary track like this, you're walking a fine line between adorable and irritating. Weki Meki didn't even try to walk the line, they just dove headfirst into irritating territory without a care in the world. It literally feels like the audio equivalent of having to hold a whiny toddler and then it pisses itself and the mom is just cooing about how her little darling made an oopsy.

#8: VICTON - MAYDAY

It feels like for most of the year, the vast majority of boy groups were stuck in a rut, knee-deep in sludgy EDM and leather harnesses. You know the songs I'm talking about, and I could've put any one of them here, but I chose this one purely because that chorus makes me feel like I have a concussion. I don't like this song nor the trend it's representative of - I spent most of quarantine having the same dark BG concepts thrown at me over and over and I'm glad things are starting to take a bit of a turn.

The bridge on this is actually pretty great, and the guys in VICTON do know how to sing, as can be seen in the final post-chorus. But man, there's just nothing fresh being brought to the table here, just the same stale trends in their worst form yet. The hook is so slow and drowsy, the same few notes just repeated over and over. I have not seen the MV because I feel like I can picture it well enough in my head just by listening. Are there harnesses? Don't forget those, boys.

#7: MCND - SPRING

Only Pentagon are allowed to do these concepts.

#6: HYO, LOOPY, SOYEON - DESSERT

This is genuinely unlistenable as soon as the drop hits, with a vocal stitching job that might be a horn synth, I'm not sure. That's how annoying it is. The producer is clearly incompetent and the performers are oozing with personality, though not the pleasant sort. The hook is  bratty and the raps here are beyond generic. After the halfway point, there are a couple interesting sounds thrown into the mix, but it's not enough to save things.   

Soyeon in particular sounds awful here, with her iconic nasally tone morphing into something genuinely irritating and borderline spiteful. Age up the toddler from the Oopsy comparison to around 7 or 8 and that's basically what you've got here. All I can hope is that this song is not influential in any way, shape or form, because I just had a vision of Blackpink imitating this production style and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

#5: SECRET NUMBER - WHO DIS?

I'm not sure how many Secret Number fans are out there, but I'm about to make all of em real mad at me right about now. However, it must be said.

This is basically Your Turn by Kaachi again.

I don't think I need to explain that hot take, just listen to the song. It's surprisingly amateurish, to the point where I feel like the vocals aren't in sync and they just used the first take they got from each girl. The raps in particular are awful, and I swear they even sound like they go off-key a couple of times. How this blew up in any aspect is bizarre to me. Anyways, stream Photo Magic and stan Kaachi.

#4: BAEKHYUN - CANDY

Did you want a k-pop version of Yummy by Justin Bieber? No? Well, Baekhyun decided to make it anyways! At least Yummy was sort of funny in how bad it is, this is just...a somber affair. Inexplicably, he manages to oversing the final third of the song, which I don't get the point of, but okay. Lazy, underproduced and overproduced at the same time, bland, boring, annoying...

Wait, did he just say...

Okay, I changed my mind, this is hysterical. Like Pop rocks, strawberry, bubble gum...

#3: (G)-IDLE - DUMDI DUMDI

I'm so sick of this group's 'ethnic' schtick, it's like they never learn. They just don't give a fuck - after a string of genuinely great tracks like Hann, Lion, and Oh My God, they just decide to put out this shit and expect me to listen to it? They're a group with a lot of potential, with some brilliant vocalists and the talent that is Soyeon (who really loves being on this list, apparently) but if they continue down the path of using different cultures as concepts I can't support them any further.

The song itself has salvageable parts, a recurring theme on this list, but the over-the-top tribal influences are so obvious and tropey that even listening to it feels gross. (G)-Idle have more creative control than most groups, and the fact that they're capable of creating works of art like Lion is what makes me harsh on them. Instead of moving forward, they continue to regress into their comfort zone of cultural appropriation.

#2 YOOA - BON VOYAGE

Speaking of cultural appropriation...are we gonna address this? Nah? Okay.

Oh My Girl, YooA's parent group, has a history of blatant cultural appropriation (and arguably some legit racist moments depending on how you look at it) and they seem like they're not changing anytime soon. That's why this particular song stings even more than it probably should. If you thought Dumdi Dumdi's tribal influences were a little too on the nose, take a listen to this chorus.

YooA has a bad voice, is wearing tribal face paint, and is running around the wilderness whitewashed into oblivion while a choir of nameless voices chant vaguely tribal things behind her. Even in an industry like k-pop, this sticks out as something in bafflingly poor taste, and I can't see how she got away with this in 2020.

#1 BLACKPINK & SELENA GOMEZ - ICE CREAM

Well, this is a predictable pick. 

I don't know why or how Blackpink thought they could get away with drip-feeding blinks content for 4 goddamn years in the lead-up to their first album, only to drop this big fat clunker on them. I honestly felt insulted by the song, from its cheap, tinny production to the god-awful lyrics. I don't know how anyone could find any value in a piece of music this soulless and hollow.

Lisa's raps are by far the worst part of it, with FIRE BARS such as "you're the one been chosen, play the part like moses" and "mona lisa kinda lisa". Unfortunately, these raps take up a good portion of the song, and there's nothing going on in the instrumental to distract you from them, save for that little ice cream truck jingle. (or at least I think that's what the producer was going for)

Selena is a non-presence and essentially blends in with the girls, who WAIL that awful hook like their lives depend on it. Also, there's some really cheesy innuendos here that're sung with all the sex appeal of the actual ice cream truck driver from literally your neighborhood. 

I loathe what this song represents - the only good thing about it is that the girls look stunning in the MV. And that's exactly the thing - this song represents the exact moment in time wherein Blackpink admitted to their audience that music is no longer their main focus. This is the peak of their influencer-ization, and only time will tell if they'll redeem themselves. (Spoiler: They sort of did, goddammit.)

[defdaily]

[TRANSLATION] Praew Magazine April 2019 issue x JUS2: time for 2

Ahgase! Right here!

Thailand's summer heat wouldn't be able to compete with hotness from the duo brothers, "JB & Yugyeom of GOT7. In the newfound unit, JUS2, they released a new single- "FoCus On Me- that makes the fans scream with interest to add this new single to their collection. In this issue, Praew took a flight to South Korea to collect photos of these 2 hotties for you before we took the chance to have a chat with them. Chatting with them in South Korea is really something. JB took the seat at the head of the table, followed by Yugyeom who greeted Praew staff around the table in Thai style with Wai and the word "Sawaddee Krub"

First of all, we would like to ask you how the leader of GOT7 and the youngest brother of the group form this new unit (a special Korean song project created by specific members), JUS2, together.

“In concerts, the two of us often sing together. So, we often talk about which kind of unit we would form next. In parties after concerts, the higher-ups would often talk about this idea as well and they thought having the two of us work together on a new song would be fun. So, the idea was developed from that point and became this duo unit today." JB replied.

"We also share similar favorite song genres, and we want to represent our characters with the music style which is totally different from GOT7. So, we took part in the production of every song in this project. We created some of the songs together, and created the others separately. For the promo song, we got help from a song writer named Cosmic Boy. We hope that everyone would love our songs." Yugyeom explained.

Can the fans expect something special from this unit?

"The first special thing that the fans can expect from us is stage performance. The second thing is the music which is going to be something that the fans have never seen from GOT7. We try to focus more on expressing emotions through the music in this unit, and we tried our best to present our characters through the MVs and the music style." JB answered.

You mentioned that you share similar favorite song genres. Which genre are they?

“I like R&B and Hip-Hop. So, I tend to go with these music styles when I write a new song. I mostly go for R&B, and mix Trap beats into the song sometimes. Do you know Trap music? It's a type of Hip-Hop which we can mix it with R&B. If you ask me who is my favorite singer, I’d say Chris Brown (R&B singer) and Travis Scott, a Hip-Hop singer" (smile). Yugyeom answered first.

“For me, I don't particularly fond of any genre. If it's a good song, then I like it. Same goes for when I sing. If I like the song and it's the song that can express my feelings with good music, then I can sing it regardless of its genre. If I have to pick my favorite singer, I'd say D'Angelo is my idol. It doesn't mean that I want to make my songs like his though (smile). I also like to listen to Toro y Moi and Kaytranada's songs lately." JB shared his thoughts.

What are the secrets or tips you use to write a song that can impress everyone?

"There's no secret in my work process. It just needs a lot of thought. I mostly find inspiration from my own experience or the stories I can find around me such as movies, songs, or books. I also have my past like everyone, my love experience or others, which I can take to present in my song. It's the same as making a movie (Scenario)." JB replied immediately

“I also get new inspiration from my surroundings as well, from my point of view on different things in my daily life. For example, when I saw a couple on the other side of the road, I would imagine what they're talking about, how happy they are. Or when I saw people living their life, I would ask myself what is their happiness, where do they find it, maybe their happiness is family or children at home."

“For me, Hmm...I don't think I do anything special. I just want to have fun with it. I may put my life experience and my imagination into the lyrics, but I mostly just create a good result if I enjoy the process and are happy with it." Yugyeom shared his thoughts.

It seems your processes are quite different.

"Actually, we share the same trait which is that we both like to work freely and have fun with it. The difference might be our standpoint. Yugyeom wouldn't think too much and tend to be easy-going, but I would focus on the point. If we have to make a decision, I make a clear decision while Yugyeom is struggled to choose" (smile). JB denied our mention.

Yugyeom gave JB a dirty look. "I’m not like that anymore! Like JB said, and as we mentioned about the way we work, you'd see that our thoughts are quite different (smile). However, this difference is what makes JB a good consultant since he can point out something I couldn't think of which is a great help to me.

"Another difference would be our preference for food. We aren't picky, but JB would prefer Korean or seafood dishes. He also likes Thai food as well. ("Tom Yum Kung is my favorite, and I also love Gaeng Keow Wan Gai" JB mentioned.) However, I would prefer western dishes and red meat. For Thai food, ld say Khao Pad is the best."

Since you've been working together for a long time, have you had any conflict?

“Never. We do have our different thoughts, but if it's my responsibility, Yugyeom would respect my decision. And if it's his responsibility, I would respect his decision as well. In terms of group decision, we mostly agree with each other. I think he has grown up. Looking at how he conducts himself nowadays, I can say that he has become more responsible. I can't tell you the detail since it's his private life though" (smile). JB said with confidence.

So, has the big brother JB done anything that makes him look like a kid?

Yugyeom looked at JB before bursting a laugh. "Sure! Everyone would say that he's like a very naughty kid when he pulls a prank."

Since you are in this industry for 7-8 years already, do you remember the goal you had on the first day you entered this industry? And how far is your progress toward it now?

"My dream is still the same, which is to be a dance singer. To this day, I still have a long way to go, for both dancing, singing, and stage performance. I think I could keep getting better if I keep practicing." Yugyeom answered clearly.

“I’ve never had a goal. I used to be a b-boy dancer and I want to have a full experience with b-boy and Hip-Hop culture, but I have never set a goal to become a famous singer. If I get famous, that's good for me. I just want to dance the way I like and write songs freely. I didn't do it to get famous. All I want is just to give my all to make good songs." JB said.

“I still think that I need to produce more quality songs. Further than that, I want to keep working on it every day. Not to repeat the same thing over and over, but to explore something new to improve myself and widen my world with the new lessons and discoveries I could find along the way."

Looks like you two have come so far. What makes you become who you are today?

"I think it's diligence. As time passes by, I grow more diligent because I often think of the past which makes me feel that I could do things better but I didn't. That makes me try my best to keep getting better at my work so that I have no regret. It's to the point that everyone sees me as a very diligent and determined person." JB replied immediately. Yugyeom agreed to JB. "Like what he said, we just try our best and keep it up every day."

Have you ever been depressed or struggled because of your work? And how do you deal with it?

"Generally, it's my physical condition like when I'm tired or lack of sleep. Sometimes, I sit alone on a sofa and ask myself, what am I doing or why do I have to do it, which I believe that everyone has moments like this no matter what kind of job they do. However, I'm quite optimistic and easy to forget. When I start asking those questions, I'd just ask them and stop thinking further (laugh). Yugyeom shares his experience.

"My problem is that I think too much. I would overthink things over and over until it sinks into my heart which makes me feel very bad to the point that I can't sleep sometimes So, I normally try to sleep it off. If I feel very down, I will go out and meet my friends so that I can forget about it. When I have something on my mind,I will not tell the others. I usually try to figure it out myself. I may tell my parents about the problem on my mind, but that's only when they ask. If they don't ask, I don't talk" JB told us seriously. “But if we talk about physical tiredness like when I’m tired from work, I will think of when we released the song Never Ever. It was very cold back then. The time we finished our work and got into a warm place was the best. This memory could help me Cure my tiredness.”

Yugyeom took this chance to conclude. "I think we just need to be positive because no matter what's the problem, we can go through it"

What about the good time? Is there any good memory you get from work?

"I love to perform on the stage. Doing concerts is the best time in my working life." Yugyeom answered first.

"I do like to do concerts like him and I like the time we release a new album as well, but I would be happier when I get good feedback from my work. When GOT7 returned from the Eyes On You World Tour and received a lot of praise from the company or when I wrote You Are and got a praise message directly from the company's president at night, I was very happy. It makes me feel like every effort I put into my work pays off the good result." JB shared his memories

May you give some advice to the people who dream to be a popular and successful singer like you please?

"First of all, you must understand yourselves the most you can. Ask yourselves if this is really the job you want. You need to think carefully because you might regret and lose your way if this job turns out different from what you expect, but if you're sure about it, then you must give it your all to make a success of your dream. Do your best every day, and don't cower before any obstacle." JB, as the group leader, gave his advice

You have visited Thailand so many times and you will pay a visit again in the near future. Is there anything in Thailand that impresses you?

“I really love Thai food, especially seafood with a lot of shrimps. For traveling, I like Phuket the most. I saw a lot of advertising about Phuket, then I travelled there and found that it's a really great place. (Yugyeom nodded and agreed with JB. "Exactly, Phuket is the best. ") Oh! There's another place I want to visit. It’s Phi Phi Islands which I heard that we need to take a boat from Phuket to go there." JB answered with a smile.

"If we talk about Thailand, I would think of Thai fans. Every time we visit Thailand, Ahgases would treat us very well. The event that impressed me the most would be during the Eyes On You World Tour in Bangkok. The fans on the 3rd floor arranged pink glow signs to form the word GOT7 Saranghae (We love GOT7)" Yugyeom answered excitedly.

"That's right. I remember that Bambam would report the number of audiences to us before the concert excitedly. He said, You know that this is Thailand, right? All the 12,000 seats are packed full, you know? (laugh) Our Thai fans treat us very warmly. If it's American or westerner fans, they would enjoy the concert with us, but Thai fans would give us their all." JB confirmed Yugyeom's opinion.

Is there anything you want to say to Thai fans? JB pleaded with the fans first. "We are JUS2, the special unit from GOT7. We hope that you would like and enjoy our new release, Focus On Me. We put our feelings into this song. And I want to thank everyone for supporting us all this time. Thailand would be really hot right now. So, please take care of your health" (smile)

"Everyone would have been waiting for us for so long. I do want to meet everyone soon as well. Please support us in unit JUS2. We made the song and created new moves for this unit ourselves and we hope that you would love it." Yugyeom pleaded the fans with cuter tone. “Rak na…“ (love you.)

Scans by ‪coconutverbena‬

For more pictures check out: https://twitter.com/coconutverbena/status/1113992114176528384

[goldstarnation]

APRIL 2019 GOLD STAR MEDIA SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of April 30 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly total).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on their monthly schedule.

Threads do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Overall Company

CEO Bang Sunyoung has recently collaborated with a trendy, up and coming fashion brand to release a line of men’s and women’s accessories and shoes with her name attached and all Gold Star artists have been tapped to help model the line in two different groupings this month for the brand’s summer look book. The idols will do group shots (if they’re in a group), individual shots, and some PD-chosen mixed groupings as well.

Important dates

April 7: Accessories line lookbook photo shoot (Gold Star Soloist 1, Gold Star Soloist 3, Aria, Impulse, Femme Fatale)

April 19: Shoe line lookbook photo shoot (Gold Star Soloist 2, Silhouette, Origin, Element, Fuse)

Gold Star Soloist 1

To tide fans over until the next comeback, Gold Star has decided she will be releasing a fun and bright summer-themed photo book, which she’ll be traveling to Jeju at the end of the month to model for, with pictures taken by a popular photographer.

Important dates:

April 20-25: Photobook photo shoots in Jeju.

Gold Star Soloist 2

She’ll be flying out to the United States at the beginning of the month to perform in a gig there, but once she returns, it’s time for her to buckle down and focus on the final month of her solo concert preparations. After a lot of talk and seemingly fruitless studio recordings, there’s also word that Gold Star is going to go ahead with giving her a comeback later in the year.

Important dates:

April 6: Performance at concert at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax County, VA, USA.

Gold Star Soloist 3

At the end of the month, he’ll be performing his first domestic solo concerts in four years, so that is the priority on his schedule for the month. The weekend before his concert, Gold Star is sending him out busking for publicity and he’s scheduled to do a couple of radio appearances in the week between for additional promo.

Important dates:

April 20: Hongdae busking.

April 21: Hongdae busking.

April 22: Guesting on COOL FM radio show.

April 25: Guesting on Arirang Radio.

April 27: I COLOR U concert at Blue Square iMarket Hall in Seoul.

April 28: I COLOR U concert at Blue Square iMarket Hall in Seoul.

Silhouette

Following the end of their music show promotions for “I Love You”, Gold Star has booked Silhouette a gig on Running Man as a group, which they’ll be filming amidst the tour preparations for their June Japan tour that the rest of the month will be focused on, with performance rehearsals and promotional photo and video shoots.

Important dates:

April 6: End of music show promotions.

April 9: Running Man filming (to be aired April 28)

Aria

Gold Star is very happy with the performance of their last comeback and are going forward with initial plans to throw Aria into the summer comeback and are also talking about fitting a third comeback into the end of the year to please investors. In the meantime, April is largely a vacation month as congratulations for a job well done for the group other than a performance at the Korea Times Music Festival to cap off the month.

Important dates:

April 27: Performance at Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Origin

Though the planned comeback date earlier in the preparation process was for May, Gold Star has pushed the comeback up to the last week of April to best accommodate overseas promotions for the new album. Origin will film their music videos during the first few days of the month and then they’re slated for two concerts at the end of the first week of the month. The group will fly out to the US on April 23rd after pre-recording a handful of comeback stages for Korean shows and will remain there to film promotional appearances content until they finish their comeback stage on Saturday Night Live on the 27th, after which they’ll leave immediately on a private plane to make it back to Korea just barely in time to perform at the SBS Inkigayo Super Concert and pre-record more music show stages before they leave back to the states on the 29th (after their press conference) for the Billboard Music Awards next month.

Important dates:

April 4: Interview and photo shoot for Entertainment Weekly magazine.

April 6: Love Yourself tour concert at Rajamangala International Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

April 7: Love Yourself tour concert at Rajamangala International Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

April 10: Release of pre-release MV for intro “Persona”.

April 24: The Fact Music Awards.

April 26: Release of title track & Map of the Soul: Persona, promotions continue until May 26.

April 27: Appearance as musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

April 28: Performance at SBS Inkigayo Super Concert in Gwangju.

April 29: Map of the Soul: Persona Global Press Conference in Seoul.

Impulse

Following their juniors Fuse and preceding their seniors in Silhouette, Impulse’s Japan tour will start next month, and that keeps them busy with stage rehearsal and other concert preparation this month like fittings and photo shoots. They’ve also been chosen at the new ambassadors for Est Cola in Thailand, so they’ll be flying there to film a CF near the end of the month.

Important dates:

April 20: Est Cola CF filming.

Fuse

Fuse’s Japan tour is this month, and they’ll be in Japan for the latter half of the month, save for a short return to Korea to attend an awards show. Before that, they’ll be scheduled for some form of concert rehearsal and/or Japanese lessons nearly every day. There’s some talk among management regarding a summer comeback to continue their success over the past couple of years during the season, but nothing has been confirmed and A&R are only in the stages of fielding possible songs.

Important dates:

April 21: Redmare tour concert at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

April 24: The Fact Music Awards at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon.

April 26: Redmare tour concert at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan. 

April 27: Redmare tour concert at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan. 

April 29: Redmare tour concert at Yokohoma in Yokohoma, Japan. 

April 30: Redmare tour concert at Yokohoma in Yokohoma, Japan. 

Element

With approval from the higher-ups, Element is set for a mid-May comeback and with it, they’ll be promoting a new song for the first time in eight months. Some back and forth within marketing and the company investors ended up with only a single approved for release, but the company is hoping to see good results nonetheless. The members will record the song in the studio this month and will spend long hours learning and perfecting the choreography. Gold Star is going sexier for this comeback than their last one, so more pressure will be put on the members visually. The pattern of VLives they fell into will be broken to focus on comeback preparations, but each member will be asked to film a solo cover video of some sort to upload on YouTube to keep fans engaged. The members are encouraged to lean into a sexy concept for the cover they either choose or are assigned, but it is not required.

Important dates:

April 24: 4lement tour concert at Shibuya Duo Exchange in Tokyo, Japan.

Femme Fatale

Now that filming for their reality show has wrapped, the members will be put into full focus on their summer EP. Gold Star wants their title track to be the hit of the summer and for it to make waves in a way that will justify their first tour and possibly even an American push in earnest in the second half of the year so the members are on a tight leash to maintain their collective it girl images. The members won’t make any scheduled public appearances this month in favor of spending time in the studio recording and learning choreography, but the plan is for this to increase buzz and hype about a potential comeback from them. A repackaged Japanese album will be released at the end of the month, but it won’t feature any new content from the members.

Important dates:

April 24: Release of Japanese repackaged album Re:Femme Fatale.

[bccity]

MARCH 2019 BC ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULES & REVIEW

Members may earn 3 points each (up to 6 points) for writing, by the end of March 31 KST:

A solo para of 400+ words based on their monthly schedule (does not count toward your monthly limit).

A thread of six posts (three per participant, including the starter) based on the monthly schedule.

Threads and solos do not have to take place directly during an important date listed on the schedule, but must be related to what the muse is mentioned to be doing in the paragraph explaining their schedule/the company’s schedule for the month and/or their thoughts on the mentioned activities or lack thereof.

These schedules may be updated throughout the month if new information needs to be added.

Overall Company

Four of the company’s six groups (Decipher, Lipstick, CHARM, and WISH) have quickly approaching tours, and another (Knight) is planned for a tour before the end of the year, so many of the staff of BC are busy with getting out overseas promotions and arranging rehearsals, concert mixes, and set lists. There’s not a lot going on on a company-wide level for the idols because of this.

Important dates:

March 11: Lotte World CF Filming.

March 18: Lotte World Mall & Aquarium CF Filming.

BC Soloist 1 - currently unavailable

BC Soloist 2

His first comeback in over a year happens at the end of the month, so the rest of the month is occupied by pre-promotional work, including a continuation of his radio appearances.

Important dates:

March 1: Guest on KBS World Radio radio show.

March 20: Guest on MBC Starry Night radio show.

March 22: Guest on Kiss The Radio radio show.

March 25: Guest on Youngstreet radio show.

March 29: Release of “Dayfly”, promotions continue until April 29.

Decipher

Decipher’s tour dates for their Can You Feel It? summer Asia tour have been finalized and will be announced this month to begin in May and end before their next comeback. This means preparations are underway filming greeting videos announcing ticket sales for each area they’ll be visiting (South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) with a promotional photo shoot and teaser video filming this month. They’ll also be spending a lot of time in the studios at the BC building practicing the set list, which will include releases from the last few years as well as their greatest older hits. On top of this, they’re continuing their variety show filming, which they’ll be finishing next month before embarking on the tour.

Important dates:

March 7-10: Tour promotional images and videos filming.

March 20: Filming of seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth episode of variety show. (links are references of format, flexibility of details is possible!)

              ↳ Decipher R & V

No schedules for the month.

BEE

Due to continuing attention from the success of “Something”, BEE have been chosen as new honorary ambassadors of Plan Korea’s “Because I Am A Girl” campaign, a campaign intended to bring awareness to gender inequality and encourage education for young girls around the world. They’ll perform a guerrilla concert with all proceeds going to Plan Korea as part of their ambassador appointment ceremony, and will take a three-day trip to Thailand at the end of the month to do (mediaplayed) volunteer work aligning with the organization’s mission. In the meantime, BC is also fielding demos to finalize a track list for BEE”s next mini-album, planned to be a summer release.

Important dates:

March 5: Guerrilla concert for Plan Korea in Myeongdong, Seoul (performing “Expect”, “Something”, “Loving U”, and “Give It To Me” and talking about the organization with the crowd)

March 25-27: Volunteer work trip to Thailand for Plan Korea (leaving very early on the 25th and returning in the early morning of the 28th.

Knight

Comeback promotions continue, and they’re doing well like Knight always does despite everything they’ve been through, but the title track and the album are doing less well than BC expected in a way that’s been noticed mostly only by antis and investors who still see Knight as a liability to the company (and are pushing to prioritize CHARM). They’ve been scheduled for a group appearance on Knowing Brothers, which is a big deal for the group, as their group variety presence has largely been withdrawn over the years to preserve their reputation. The focus of the episode will be showcasing their teamwork and group connection. In-dorm filming for their reality show also continues as it nears its close, with the members born ‘96 to ‘94 being tasked to cook a surprise dinner for the members born ‘93 to ‘90 earlier in the month, and vice versa in the latter part of the month, and are urged to reflect on their time living together in the dorms on camera.

Important dates:

March 1: Filming of Knowing Brothers episode (airing March 8), OneK Concert in Seoul (with Alien, 7ROPHY, Lucid, and Element).

March 2: Fansign in Seocho, Seoul.

March 4: In dorm surprise dinner cooking filming (’96 to ‘94 line cooking).

March 8: Fansign in Yeouido, Seoul.

March 16: Fansign in Seocho, Seoul.

March 21: End of “Love Shot” music show promotions

March 25: In dorm surprise dinner cooking filming (’93 to ‘90 line cooking)

              ↳ White Knight

White Knight have been scheduled for an encore of their 2018 Japan Magical Circus tour in May before the full group embarks on another tour later in the year, so the members of the sub-unit will be in and out of fittings, promo shoots, and tour prep this month to prepare for it.

Lipstick

Gun's lukewarm results have caused BC to push ahead on plans for a summer single release that they hope will see similar success to Lipstick’s past summer releases, though this risks infringing on the summer niche their seniors BEE have done well in for over the past few years and there’s an underlying feeling of BC trying to determine which of their senior girl groups will be most profitable in that market. Their second major world tour is planned to begin in June (their first world tour having been around three years ago), so the members will be in for costume fittings (for reference, costumes can be assumed to be similar in style to costumes found in this video and this video) a couple of days this month. Parts of the fittings will be filmed for behind the scenes concert on the planned concert DVD. Mid-month, they’ll hold a group live stream to officially announce the tour, which there have been many rumors of in fan communities, and they’ll do a Q&A with fans (without dropping too many details) to get them excited.

Important dates:

March 10: First costume fittings.

March 17: Group VLive to announce tour.

March 20: Second costume fittings.

              ↳ Lip Gloss

Lip Gloss has been tasked with recording an OST for the new drama “It’s Okay, That’s Love” that’s more in the style of their first few singles and will be officially released for streaming following the finale of the drama in May. The sub-unit will be in the studio for that, though further schedules for the unit are unclear.

CHARM

BC is releasing a pre-release MV before CHARM’s comeback to ramp up the hype, but their official comeback is on the 18th. High expectations continue to hang in the air with it being clear the comeback will be directly compared with Knight’s overlapping one on the higher levels of the company and failure to outperform their seniors in at least some areas won’t be received well by executives who’ve promised investors this will be CHARM’s big break to the very top of the boy group pack. For promotional activities, they’ll be holding fan signs and airing a VLive the day after their comeback to play a few live games of Mafia and talk to fans.

Important dates:

March 7: Release of pre-release “Getting Closer” MV.

March 17: Pre-recording for You Make My Dawn showcase.

March 18: Release of “Home” & release of (pre-recorded) You Make My Dawn album showcase videos, promotions continue until April 18.

March 20: Fansign in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.

March 25: Fansign in Gangnam, Seoul.

March 31: Fansign in Mapo, Seoul.

WISH

After a relatively relaxed February schedule, the focus for March is on their Japanese album release and preparations for their fast approaching spring Japanese Dome tour and May comeback. When they’re not in the studio or in meetings for their approaching comeback, they’ll be busy recording promotional content for the release of #WISH2 at the end of the month and filming a new Japanese CF for Y! Mobile.

Important dates:

March 7: “Likey -Japanese ver.-” release.

March 22: “What Is Love? -Japanese ver.-” release.

March 23: Y! Mobile CF filming.

March 31: Release of #WISH2 Japanese “best” album.

[ikonis]

iKON’s love for iKONICs (long)

Let’s start with the story behind our fandom name iKONIC. Why iKONIC you ask? Because iKON = iKONIC we become one with them

+ They even gave us a nickname KONIC

iKONICs Profile according to iKON:

Our birth date is the 2015.09.15 since that’s the day they released their first song + MV (My Type). Our Zodiac is virgo bcs of the same reason and our Blood Type is a heart for all the love we give them ♥️ 

why #iKONIC is My Life hashtag you ask? First time hanbin said it was when iKON won Seoul music award 2016

It became a sentence which the members often use/d since then. So iKONICs started to use the sentence “iKON is My life” instead.

June wearing a fan sign with ‘iKON is My life’ around his neck: 

Chanwoo holding a cupboard made by iKONICs <3:

they are surrounded by iKONICs, wearing fansigns made  by iKONICs and have slogans in their hands that were made by iKONICs

They named their official instagram account withikonic and use the hashtag #withiKONIC under every post 

iKON mentioning & thanking iKONICs in DVD photobooks 

iKONCERT in Seoul DVD (Photobook)

Kony’s Wintertime Season Greetings:

Kony’s Summertime Season Greetings:

MMA 2018 Ending Credits:

Privat Stage KOLORFUL Behind The Scenes Video:

The amount of respect, love, care, support and appreciation that iKON treats us with and shows us every single day

“iKON exists because of you”- Bobby

actual quotes from iKON members:

Hanbin talking about he wants to be remembered by iKONICs:

iKON giving out hot chocolate coupons and hotpacks to iKONICs

During their ISAC Recording they kept on asking if iKONICS have eaten:

The way Yunhyeong and Bobby hold iKONICs hands and bow to them<3:

Donghyuk’s & Hanbin’s reaction when K-iKONICs raised a fan with the words ‘I missed you’ during iKON’s debut concert

Bobby cheering up fans for their exams:

Hanbin forever showering us with love and love <3 “As much as the love I’ve received, I’d wanted to share it with you.”:

“Everyone, we can grow with your love” - Hanbin

after their Continue Tour Encore in Seoul Concert (which btw lastet for 4 whole hours + 10 encore songs):

Hanbin told a security guard to use honorifics when he talked rudely to iKONICs

iKON started their concert in Indonesia later, for the muslim iKONICs who had to pray 

Donghyuk posting the presents they got from arab iKONICs (after their interview with Al arabiya) he even asked the interviewer to help him with the arabic caption:

Hanbin bowing to vietnamese iKONICs before leaving 

Hanbin was so impressed by how many iKONICs came to the airport in vietnam to welcome them that he suggested holding a concert there

After iKON’s 2nd Daesang Win at the 2019 Golden Disc Awards, Hanbin posted this picture with the caption “iKONIC, it’s an honor to live as a part of your memories.” on Instagram:

after the speech Hanbin even went down on his knees to thank iKONIC

+ the other members thanking iKONIC on their instagram acc:

Yunhyeong:

Donghyuk:

Jinhwan:

Donghyuk smiling and shaking Indonesian iKONICs hand during a fansign event:

Yunhyeong replying to a fan on Instagram who had a very hard time: 

Hanbin added a sentence to the end lyrics of ‘Welcome back’ and repeated it over and over again ‘Let’s stay together until we die.’ 

Hanbin further talking about & explaining the meaning of the sentence “Let’s take it slow, let’s last real long.”:

Donghyuk carries the official iKONIC Card in his wallet TT:

Bobby posted a thank you message to iKONICs on iKON’s 3rd anniversary on instagram and added the caption ‘Let’s get old together’:

Bobby mouthing I-K-O-N-I-C into the camera during one of iKON’s promotional Love Scenario stages:

Donghyuk replying “I love you” to iKONICs who were screaming “We love you iKON��

June helping a nervous fan during a fansign event:

Donghyuk cheering up an iKONIC who cried during one of their fansign events:

Hanbin holding a fan’s hand who was being nervous at their 15114 fansign:

Hanbin once again calming down a nervous fan:

An Indonesian iKONIC asked Bobby to wish her luck to get pregnant soon and Bobby wrote “Don’t be hasty about girl from heaven.”:

Hanbin & Bobby encouraging fans who went through a hard time: 

part of hanbin’s letter at iKONCERT in Osaka:

Bobby telling iKONICs to do their best in their personal lives while cheering for iKON:

“Dont live your life just to live but live to do something you want to do.”

“Love yourself more than you love us.” - Bobby

“If you have time for iKON, please focus on yourselves first.” - Hanbin

“I’m just a person just like you. Please buy nice clothes, please eat something delicious. And if you happen to have 25,000 won left over, then you can buy our album. That’s when you should buy our albums.”

“I didn’t give up because I had my family and iKONICs.” - Hanbin

iKON & iKONICs feeding each other <3:

Hanbin thanking iKONICs once again for waiting

Bobby hugging an iKONIC & caressing her hair/head:

iKON thanking iKONICs on instagram for getting #1

Bobby froze when a fan fainted in the audience:

Helping iKONICs 

During the filming for SBS midnight TV in Hongdae a fan suddenly fell down and hanbin wanted to help help her, the manager said just leave, but Hanbin said how can I leave when the fan already fell down so he insisted to help her to stand up and said sorry to her. 

an iKONIC who’s sitting in a wheelchair came to one of iKON’s fansign events but there were stairs so Yunhyeong & Bobby went down to give her their signs:

when one of iKON’s biggest wishes to hold a dome tour finally came true:

Hanbin took a fan on stage and treated her like a queen

Donghyuk giving autographs after their concert in Jakarta:

Bobhwan never forgets the fanboys:

Donghyuk dressed as krunk to be closer to iKONICs:

Donghyuk reveiling that he was Krunk right after spending time with fans (another concert):

Hanbin chatting with fans on CH+ (he wrote a bit in English for the international fans):

Bobby taking selfies with fans when he visited his family in virgina, u.s in December 2018:

He even took a video for the sister of one of them:

Bobby replying to fans on instagram:

Hanbin drew the word ‘romance’ in a heart on his white jacket during one of iKON’s freedom promo performances, he previously said during a fansign event that IKONICs are romance to him, which means the heart and the word he drew on his chest represented iKONICs:

Donghyuk chatting with iKONICs on CH+ chat:

Yunhyeong planned a special event for iKONICs for ‘Awesome Feed’, he made dumplings and gave them out to them and signed the packaging:

Afterwards he even went out to thank all fans who came & chatted with them casually, here are some videos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |  5 | 6 | 7

Chanwoo promised iKONICs on his youtube account to make them the famous inkigayo sandwitches if his video reaches more than 500k views, since iKONICs broke that number he prepared the self made sandwitches at iKON’s Continue Tour Encore in Seoul with a personal message TT:

Bobby posted a picture of himself and iKONICs on instagram and replied to fans comments, urgh the trust!:

Hanbin once again accepting Fans presents at the airport even when he wasnt allowed to by the staff TT:

Chanwoo gave us a fan name for his youtube channel TT it’s Changu (mix between Chanwoo + Chingu which means friend in Korean):

Donghyuk saving an iKONIC from a ball during the 2019 ISAC recording:

June’s letter to iKONICs (ikoncert in Osaka):

Bobby wrapping himself in a fan sign:

Yunhyeong gave a fan his handwrist during their Continue Tour show in Jakarta:

during iKON’s performance for the MBN Hero Concert 2018 in Korea, Bobby went down from stage during their Dumb & Dumber performance and sat down on some fanboys laps to sing and dance along with them:

when iKONICs said ‘pls say you love us’

Bobby chatting wiht iKONICs on CH+ chat:

Hanbin gesturing a fan in the audience not to cry:

Bobby giving a fan his autograph on her Love and Fall album during iKON’s concert in Jakarta (even tho he wasn’t allowed to do it)

Bobdong promised a Vapp broadcast for iKON’s 300 Days anniversary, and they kept their promise like always:

Yunhyeong taking selfies with iKONICs who visited his parents restaurant:

never breaking their promises:

Donghyuk gave the stuffed toy he won to a fan: 

during one of iKON’s concerts:

during one of their Japan Tours after reading his letter:

dunring their iKONCERT in Chengdu concert:

an IKONIC met yoyo and june in japan and they bowed to him and thanked him:

Bobby flirting with iKONICs again:

Donghyuk flirting with a fan:

Hanbin cheering up a fan who was feeling stressed:

Bobby eating more when a fan told him ‘watching you eat makes me full’:

iKON members went down on their knees to thank iKONICs at their Continue Tour Encore in Seoul Concert:

iKON thanking iKONICs after their win at the 2019 Golden Disc Awards: 

Hanbin ONCE AGAIN thanking iKONICs (on CH+):

during a fansign event:

Bobby telling a fan who wants to lose weight to eat:

iKON talking about iKONICs:

never forget how hanbin apologized to his fansite for losing win

Bobby talking about iKONICs

Bobby recording iKONICs singing ‘Just for you’ at iKON’s 180824 concert in Japan:

Chanwoo used the normal vapp because he Is aware that there are iKONICs who can’t afford CH+ content TT:

Bobby talking about the issue regarding iKONICs boycotting iKON’s DVD in 2017 so YG would let them make a comeback again and treat them better:

Yunhyeong taking pics with fans at the airport before leaving for Law of the jungle:

Hanbin asking fans to wait for them on CH+:

Hanbin’s photocard Return album:

The way iKON looks at us like we are the most precious thing in the whole world:

June giving out free hugs to fans :

Yun receiving a fans letter <3

Bobby receiving a fan’s letter once again:

Bobby receiving a fan’s letter:

Bobby receiving a fan’s letter again <3:

Reading fan letters at the airport 💕

The amount of fanservice and skinship

Two little iKONICs went to iKON’s fansign event during their RETURN promotions and Bobdong went to them to give them their autographs, later that year duringig iKON’s Killing Me promotions, iKON held a pikonic day for baby iKONICs, and he remembered the little boy from before and gave him one of his bracelets:

Donghyuk meeting one of his biggest JPN iKONICs aka Mina:

He looked so excited waiting for his turn to finally meet her:

Scarlett, a 7yo iKONIC from the phillippines cried in one of her mother’s instagram posts and saying she wants to meet bobby, Bobby then made a instagram story gratulating her on her birthday:

Later the same year when iKON had a concert in the phillippines, Bobby finally met her and posted it on his insta story

iKON never forgets the international fans:

Chanwoo & Hanbin remembering fans:

lucky fans meeting iKON members:

Bobby & Jinhwan kissing an iKONIC’s hand:

more fanlove <3:

yoyo and dong took a fans handy and recorded a video

Bobby trying to get as close to fans as possible:

literally hugging iKONICS:

he might me awkward but super adorable:

Jinhwan stood up from his seat and decided to stay with iKONICs during their 190119 fansign:

Jinhwan going down to take pics with iKONICS at their 190119 fansign:

Hanbin showing a heart during one of their concerts:

Hanbin went down to take iKONICs hands at their 190119 fan sign:

Chanwoo, Hanbin & Yunhyeong took their fansisites cameras to take pictures of the members: 

Chanu taking pics with a fan’s phone:

Bobby accepting an iKONICs plushy and immediately holding it onto his cheek during their 190106 send off (encore concert in Seoul)

Hanbin caressing a fan’s face while singing his part from today ‘You’ve got perfect make-up on today’ (ikoncert in Seoul)

Donghyuk being a cute tease:

Donghyuk playing rock paper scissors with fans (link of three videos)

June taking selfies with fan’s phones:

+ Jinhwan, Chanwoo & Yunhyeong

Donghyuk invented DONGPARAZZI only for iKONICs. Just to show us unreleased and private pictures of the boys 

“No I put my fans first” 

Yunhyeong gestured to her eyes bcs she was crying and gave it to her to use it to dry her tears 

As an iKONIC you won’t be ignored

An italian fan commented “Remember me” in korean on Donghyuk’s real life broadcast & he remembered her 

Songs iKON wrote for iKONICs

Starting with “Wait for me” (When WIN ended)

The story behind the song

Most important lines of the song

“Time go faster, Time go to her so I can reach her.”

“Oh you and me, We’re under the same sky but we can’t meet, but believe in me, I’ll be there for you.”

“Wait because I’ll go to you right now. Wherever you are, I’ll go. 

“Thank you for making me live as the me right now.”

“I missed you, your voice, your face, even your soft breathing.”

“I won’t go anywhere now, I’ll be by your side. Even until the moment the world ends.”

“I can only breathe when I’m next to you. I’m ready for this, you alone are enough for me. I ain’t gonna leave, I promise you.”

“Wait because we’re gonna be forever now. Because I can’t go on without you.”

“I’ll run against time and go to you, Wait for me yeah, so she can remember me.”

Next “Long time no see” (Mix & Match ending)

Story behind the song

Most important lines of the song

“There’n no one like you. There’s only you.”

“My world I keep stopping when you’re not around. There’s not even a flower around me.”

“Long time no see. This is for you.”

“You were in the center of me – You are now buried in my memory.”

“To stand before you again. I always worked hard. The thought of seeing you again. It makes me excited.”

“I’m so used to calling your name. I talk about you all day. I don’t want nobody else.”

“I ran all the way, baby. Hold on just a bit more.”

“On the other side of my memory, you were waiting. I now stand before you.”

“Long time no see, How have you been? You’ve waited too long. I won’t go anywhere, baby don’t worry.”

“I longed for you a lot too. I got lost on the way to see you.”

“I made you wait crossed our little fingers,I made a promise to you. I didn’t keep it, I’m sorry.”

“Finally I am where I am now. And you are still beautiful.”

“Long time no see. I’ve missed you a lot.”

Next “Welcome Back” (Debut album)

Story behind the song

It’s a song to welcome back their fans and thank them for waiting so long for iKON. It’s also also the title of iKON’s debut album and the first song they performed at their debut concert. Welcome back os a really meaningful song to iKON & iKONIC’s. 

Most important lines of the song

“Baby oh! Welcoming you back here.”

“For me, I’m still the same guy that hasn’t changed a single bit. Except for the fact that I’ve realized how precious you are.”

“Seeing you again for a the first time in a while, It feels like my heart that hurt for so long is getting perfectly well again.”

“Your beauty and grace is still the same. My life without you was really lacking.”

“How were you doing this while? Who did you lean on when you were struggling?”

I found that I couldn’t stand for anyone but you. I mean, I never went searching but there’s not another girl like you in the world, for real.”

“It was really lonely, nothing was new. Every day by day was really just boring. What I want to say is thanks for coming back.”

Welcome back I’m glad you returned, I’ll treat you better now.”

Welcome back I really missed you. Now will you take me into your arms?”

“Without you i was all meaningless. Even my weekends were empty without you.”

When I saw those evening sunsets I reminisced those days with you.”

“I’ll treat you better, please don’t leave me. We’re definitly meant to be.”

“Let’s take it slow, let’s last real long (let’s stay together until we die) Welcome Back!”

Next is “M.U.P/Make You Proud” (Debut Album)

Story behind the song

In M.U.P, they promise that even if they don’t have much to show right now, they’ll definitely make us proud in the future & achieve more. They thank iKONICs for always being there for them & ask us to stay at their side forever. They talk about their struggles & how iKONICs helped them to get over it

Most important lines of the song

“Honestly the ‘me’ of as right now has nothing worth seeing. But I’ll promise to you that someday in this life, girl,  I’m gon make you proud.” 

“Within the trampled of life, I saw the one and only light (talking about ikonics) that illuminated my world. At those times when I couldn’t bear go on living, you whispered in my ear about the holiness of happiness, about the repentance of these 20 years (of his life) and I’m so thankful for you.” 

“It doesn’t matter that gravity’s pressing down on me like always. As long as it’s  with you, nothing better, nothing better.” 

“My goal was always to be your one top source of pride.” 

“Your two frail hands that pulled me into an embrace. You make someone like me want to live once again. I’ll be there at the world’s end, you just need to hold my hand.”

“When my hands were shaking, you took mine into yours. For holding my hand, I’ll promise, girl, I’m gon make you proud.” 

“Just stay at my side, just lean on my shoulder, don’t say nothing. I know that even if you don’t say it, it gonna be something.” 

The most recent song is ‘Just For You’ (iKON TV surprise release + New kids: continue album)

Story behind the song

Hanbin wrote the song a while ago and even talked about it on CH+ long before its release. He was worried that the song probably won’t ever come out. But as you can see he somehow made it possible so that the company would release the song as well as include it to their New kids: continue album later on.

Most important lines of the song:

“There is nothing I can give to you, there is nothing I can do just yet. Big promises, nice words, nothing comes to my mind.”

“But I hope that someday soon..I’ll be good to you and keep you safe, I’ll make you laugh as much as you’ve cried, I’ll be the star that lights you up”

“For as long as you’ve waited, I’ll be with you”

‘I’ll make good times for you and me’

“In this world, you’re the one I run to, but I don’t know if I can give you the world”

“Hand in hand, even if I can’t keep it, I promise for us both”

“You’re the one I want to protect in this uneasy world, you’re the reason I go on living, you’re my light in this never-ending darkness, The day will come to give us good laughs”

“We’ll be with you’, we’ll keep you safe” (ending)

+ BONUS: Hanbin answering why they named  iKON’s 2nd Album “RETURN”:

Those times they get surprised bcs of and by iKONICs

 hanbin’s reaction when iKONICs started to sing along to ‘wait for me’ (pre debut)

Bobby & Hanbin getting super excited and surprised when iKONICs started to sing along

J-iKONICs surprise event for iKON’s last showtime tour concert in Japan:

after the surprise event backstage  (another surprise event J-iKONICs prepared huge fan signs for them)

For iKON’s first debut anniversary, I-iKONICs prepared cake and started singing Happy Birthday for the boys 

For iKON’S very first concert in the Phillippines, PH iKONICs prepared 2 fan projects to show iKON how grateful and happy they are

1. Yellow Cloth Project: All iKONICs started raising a yellow cloth during iKON’s B-DAY performance:

2. Rainbow Project: 

iKON members even posted it on their instagram accounts

And last but not least some family portraits 💕

[maklineluv]

Jay Catch Up

[1direction-unpopularopinions]

About Zarry

I am neither a Harry nor a Zayn stan. Tbh I prefer pillowtalk over sott but they are both great songs just not as great as their stans made them out to be.

Concerning their respective careers, Z got a headstart and I was expecting better from his first era. MoM was quite good for a first album even though I was expecting better after hearing the comparisons to Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. One of the main issues of MoM was the watered down R&B mixed with Pop (he should have go full R&B) and some lyrics (It's you, she, fool for you) were too much corny like trying too hard to be some sort of mysterious Lothario and it fell flat. Also for someone blaming 1D for being generic pop and not 'real music', MoM was not really original and felt kinda generic. Plus the visuals were bad, he looked completely disinterested in all of his MV even when the song was good, he still had the same "idgaf/fuck this life" face.

But the one thing I was really bothered by was the lack of performances. I know about his anxiety around big performances but it doesn't justify the total lack of promotion. He started his era with a periscope session, he could have done another one featuring some acoustic versions of his songs. Or maybe some BBC interview with a Live Lounge, just him and his guitarists singing his tunes in a room. That would have been great but he snubbed his home country and didn't even promote in the US. Jimmy Fallon likes him, a small interview would have been great. Or at least a rendition of his lead single at some point. That album went gold but it could have gone platinum if he promoted that more. A lot of Z stans were cheering about how he went gold without promo, solely based on his hype. But now there is no hype left and his lead single (SGT) for Z2 didn't chart well and it's so generic it hurts. And it seems like he won't promote that second album either but he's hoping his Nicki collab will bring magical sales. I'm kinda disappointed on him and it's exhausting rooting for the under dog.

Concerning Harry, SOTT is a great song but not a masterpiece or anything equivalent to Bowie's artistic level. I wasn't expecting a ballad for his first lead single but it turned great and the song kinda grew on me since. I also liked that he took some risks and didn't bend his musical views for charts. He may not have started his era with a banger but he seems like a hustler. I hope he learned from Zayn's errors and don't repeat them. He's already booked for SNL+Graham and intends on actually performing his music. He will probably go on the US talkshow circuit (Ellen, both Jimmys, Corden) before his album drops. That's a good start and if Z doesn't start promoting his work and performing, Harry will surpass him in longevity and actually become the male Beyoncé (unless a Liam smash happens).

NB : For me, a banger for a first lead single in recent music history is for example Just Dance (lady gaga), Crazy In Love (beyoncé) or Pon de Replay (rihanna). Those songs are iconic and incredibly good for a debut single. That's really rare nowadays.

[ehhlien]

Honest question - what do you think of fifth harmony? I know a lot of lm fans don’t like them but I wanted to know what you think

First of all, let me just say this is very flattering; a person wanting to know what I think about anything is wild, so thank you for making me feel valid. 

And second, I will just start off by saying I think 5H fans are demons and don’t bring their girls justice because a bad fandom can turn people off. 

Um, alright, so basically I do not like 5H.. lol I think they have talent, but I think they’re very lazy, and it really shows in their performances. I don’t think they put in the same efforts as Little Mix, or as many other girlbands in general. The dancing is rough, the singing is rough, and the energy is just not there. 

I don’t know if Camila’s presence in the band is what helped them the most in terms of popularity, but I do think the successes of both Worth It and Work From Home have skewed peoples’ perception of just how good they are/how liked they are. I think their current sales and lack of MV views really goes to show that their fandom (and reach beyond their home country) is similar to Little Mix’s, if not worse. 

I think being America with a predominately American fanbase/showcases and two viral hits isn’t enough; they need to put in the effort. They need to better their singing and harmonies, they need to work on their dancing and being in sync, and they need to better their stage performance. Their fans complain too much about a lack of promo as a reason for their current lack of success, but I think enough time and enough youtube views have passed that it’s safe to say a lack of interest from the general public doesn’t come from people not knowing about Fifth Harmony and what they’re currently doing, and more so, the general public not caring or being interested in what they’re doing. 

Despite how corny a lot of Little Mix’s music can be, what really draws people to them is their crazy talent; their live singing, their massive stage presence and production, how they’re always in sync and confident on stage. So even when they’re performing a trash song like Black Magic, you’re still really into the performance, whereas with Fifth Harmony there’s no ~thing~ that really makes the band stand out. Yeah, they dance, but it’s sloppy. Yeah, they can sing, but it’s not mind blowing, or their harmonies aren’t always there. And now with that being said, I’m gonna back track a bit and say maybe Camila’s presence in the band did have some impact. A lot of people hated her, but as a soloist for all of five seconds, she’s already done considerably well. 

But anyways, yeah that��s how I feel. I wanted to mention my disdain for the fanbase because I understand I could, and probably am, mad biased. I also compared them to Little Mix so that I could kind of give them a standard. All in all, they sometimes put out a few bops here and there (Angel, their two viral hits, Reflection..), but I think they need to work more on like.. everything. 

[maklineluv]

Jake Catch Up

[maklineluv]

Heeseung Catch Up