#my top artist is ofc also bh

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hey BPP! I hope you’re doing well 😊

I was wondering which artists’ work are you looking forward to in 2023? Aside from the remaining BTS’ members’ solos.

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Ask 2: BPP I don’t consider myself a New Jeans fan as their music hasn’t grabbed my attention yet but you sparked my interest in them so I’ve been keeping my eye out as an outsider. Holy shit their numbers are amazing considering this is their 1st comeback?? They will definitely be dominating SK this year as the Korean GP seems to like them and are paying attention to what they’re putting out. Hype Boy did amazing in the US too even though it was hardly promoted over there. Maybe this is a little too early to predict but I feel like in a year or too they will start dominating the GG scene and maybe even give BP competition internationally if their still active by then???

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Ask 3: Seeing Hybe’s trajectory is crazy. From a struggling company barely able to support their artist to now having not just the biggest band in the world BTS but also New Jeans who has been a sprinting since debut, getting the 2nd fastest song to debut in Melon 100 after BTS. I’m not a fan of NJ but damn Hybe is killing the game. In just a few years they’ve established a pretty great roster of artists in Korea not even counting BTS’ global dominance and now they’re also slowly building up their artists base in Japan too. Hybe’s name carries a lot of clout now (ofc thanks in a large part to BTS) to be able to sign Techi and snatch famous former Prod48 artists. They hav stumbled a lot especially last year with LSF and trainee a but it still hasn’t changed the fact that they’re growing at a fast rate. No wonder kpop stans hate the company. I know armys joke a lot about how BH planned BTS’ career hundreds of years ago by the way that they plan albums and concepts months even years in advance but seeing the company slowly reveal their plans and acquisitions is surprising, I remember how shocked everyone was when they acquired Ithaca. It will be exciting to look back in a few years to see what they turn into and how they influence the industry.

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Ask 4: I'm a little in awe about your insight into kpop. You were the first Army blogger I saw talk about NewJeans, supporting them in spite of the controversy and everything you said is what has happened. Forgive me for asking but do you work in the industry?

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Ask 5: Now I see why you said NewJeans reminds you of rookie BTS. They are monster rookieing like nobody else rn

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Hi Anon(s),

Anon in Ask 1, aside from BTS members, the artists I'm most looking forward to in 2023, are NewJeans and Esperanza Spalding. Since NewJeans is likely more relevant for my readers in this space, I'll explain why I'm excited about more music from them this year, and I'll be using comments in all your asks as touchpoints.

"Now I see why you said NewJeans reminds you of rookie BTS."

They aren't directly comparable of course, but there are parallels. Three things made me notice BTS when they debuted in 2013:

Their music

The cohesiveness of their storyline/concept

The reaction of wider k-pop fandom/industry to the group

All three bulletpoints for BTS also hold true for me with NewJeans, and is the reason I've been into them since July 22, 2022, and why I'm excited for them in 2023. I'll work my way from bottom to top.

The Reaction of Wider K-pop Fandom / Industry to the Group

Some people think BTS weren't well known and loved in Korea until their breakout in 2016, but the reality is the reaction to BTS from nearly everyone was overwhelmingly positive. Comments from an old forum:

(this particular user was still active on the forum until 2019)

"They will definitely be dominating SK this year as the Korean GP seems to like them and are paying attention to what they’re putting out. "

BTS were the definition of monster rookies, they won the rookie awards etc, and most everyone (peers, gp, and industry leaders), took notice of them and loved them. People talked about how they had a different sound, more engaging performances, and an interesting take on the school concept with songs that appealed to their age group and others. But if there's one thing to never forget about k-pop, it's how insanely hyper-competitive it is, and we all know what happened to BTS between 2013 and 2018 at the hands of k-pop stans who at BTS' debut had loved them. The stakes are higher for k-pop stans in 2023 than it was in 2013, so for anyone reading this who genuinely loves NewJeans, just be prepared. You've all already seen that NMIXX, IVE, Classy, Lapillus, etc all debuted in 2021/22 with members aged 13 - 15 under the management of a 'creepy/pedo' CEO (and ad infinitum for groups debuting in previous years), but no group has gotten more controversy for it than NewJeans, curiously only starting after their debut album pre-order numbers were released. K-pop stans are predictable because of the incentives that drive them, so for the girls' sake and your own peace of mind, try as much as possible to engage only positively in the fandom and with others.

Don't engage with the noise, which will only be amplified after YG debuts their new girl group this year. Just keep receipts. Believe me you'll have a lot of it before the year is over. And you'll need it.

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The Cohesiveness and Execution of Their Storyline / Concept

(this section includes spoilers)

The biggest clue to whatever NewJeans is, is their icon: the white rabbit.

It's everywhere - in their MVs, in their outfits, in their lore and concepts, their fandom name, and in their sound which is notably both dreamy and bouncy/groovy. The way NewJeans expresses this motif in every single thing they do is easily one of the most brilliant things I've seen in k-pop. And this is partly because of how both subtle and obvious it is, and how they've taken an old tale and modernized it so it feels familiar but also self-aware.

What is this concept I'm talking about?

It's Alice in Wonderland.

Doing a full analysis of their discography so far would make this post too long and analysis isn't my forte anyway, but if NewJeans' summer release introduced fans to their sound, gifting bunnies a 'Cookie', then in their winter release NewJeans are inviting people to follow the white rabbit into their maddening, dreamlike universe. The wonderland of NewJeans is one of eternal youth and good vibes, and not necessarily Y2K as is widely believed. In my opinion.

Every group from debut Itzy to Red Velvet to XG to Triple S has tried a Y2K aesthetic and not one of them feel as nostalgic or youthful as NewJeans. Why?

From the straight unadorned long black hair, to the inclusion of Black and queer characters into central storylines about young love, to using the bunny as a metaphor for playfulness and awareness, the expression of youth and fantasy in NewJeans is so subtle and yet pervasive to me, it's obvious it has come from the mind of someone obsessed with the idea, someone who has studied what makes someone youthful beyond the temporal sense.

Much has been said at this point about the end scene in OMG and how that is Min Heejin clapping back at her detractors (lol, k-pop stans make me laugh on a daily basis y'all), but for anyone who has actually watched the MV, it's clear that everyone (including the doctors) is said to be mad or a little insane or inside this 'dream-like reality'. Everyone, including the viewer. In Ditto and OMG, NewJeans' not only break the 4th wall, they demolish it completely. You're left wondering what is real and what is an illusion. And that's the point. With that final scene in OMG with Minji bringing the hater with her into the insane asylum, and the final scene in Ditto where an Inception-like flip happens when Ban Heeseo watches her old tapes (Heeso being a representation of their fans), the creative team at Ador has brilliantly conveyed the reality of para-social relationships fans develop with their idols, as well as enclosing their fans in their own universe and memories. Not even their haters are exempt.

It's genius.

And the really exciting thing about NewJeans is they're only getting started.

I've said before that HYBE is best at storytelling, and nowhere is this more evident than in NewJeans and BTS.

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Their Music

One way I like to describe NewJeans' sound is: a return to basics.

Like BTS, NewJeans' debut style in music and choreography is primarily influenced by old school (or 90s) hiphop. The primary difference between the two groups in terms of music is that NewJeans also incorporates the mirror sound (R&B) more than BTS did at debut (BTS leaned more into R&B in 2014 and 2018), and without unnecessary rap verses typical of k-pop girl groups. In other words, NewJeans is more Aaliyah (lol) than they are Janet Jackson, but the effect of listening to their music is the same.

For example, I heard OMG and immediately thought of Paradise by BTS, a song considered by a lot of ARMYs to be the tannies' best song (it's not lol, that title belongs to UGH, or HOME if you hate the sound of gunshots). OMG has a UK Garage type beat, and Paradise is the trap + lofi expression of the same idea. For the nerds like me, Paradise's producer recently did a breakdown of how he made that song and it's worth watching.

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Neither 250 nor Jinsu Park have done a similar breakdown of their process for NewJeans but I'll post it here soon as they do. :)

"I’m not a fan of NJ but damn Hybe is killing the game. In just a few years they’ve established a pretty great roster of artists in Korea not even counting BTS’ global dominance and now they’re also slowly building up their artists base in Japan too."

I don't think there's anybody who disagrees with you Anon. The company has had time to prepare for BTS' enlistment and it shows. What I've always enjoyed about how BigHit manages BTS and TXT, is how they seem to prioritize music production and go in the opposite direction of where their peers are heading in terms of music/styling/concepts, and even the few times there's directional overlap, it still feels 'different'. A lot of groups will be returning in 2023: the entire SM roster, Zico, Stray Kids, etc, and I'm curious to see how HYBE will differentiate themselves without BTS.

Anon in Ask 4, no I don't work in the industry.

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Updated song ranking:

Hurt

Cookie

Ditto

OMG

Hype Boy

Attention.

[arealcrow-archive]

i wanna know ur number 1 song

1998 truman by brockhampton

my top 5 songs on my 2018 wrapped were all brockhampton songs lmao

[pwrlessobvious]

hey there’s a long ass opinion about PTD under the cut bc apparently it triggered something in me, if you don’t care about bts and/or are here to hate don’t interact *mwah mwah*

don’t get me wrong i would DIE for bts and up until now i loved their american songs, i was the biggest apologist when my army friends were shitting on them. the american songs are funky and cool and give me serotonin and that’s all that matters tbh buttt. this has got to stop now for realsies.

i applauded hybe/bh and bts for wanting to prove that america is in fact racist and xenophobic (shocker) through releasing songs in both korean and english and seeing how they chart. of COURSE the english songs charted higher and are charting right now, Butter has just stayed its 7th week on #1. it’s a huge achievement and what they did with Dynamite was a big deal as well, so they have proved to the world the ugly truth that the language and the way the song is built do matter if you want to be as successful as white american artists and i LOVE that and i support that. both Dynamite and Butter have a simple structure, clear verses, bridges and chorus that are easy to identify, simple beats, the sound is similar to what america has known for decades, etc etc. they were both made to be played on the radio, they were both made with becoming summer anthems in mind, they are both simple and cheerful songs that people could listen to and smile and forget how horrible the world is right now, y e s. it’s fabulous and bts have given the people what they needed to hear. with PTD I understand that they wanted to make a song that would celebrate the end of the pandemic - that way, what started with Dynamite could sort of evolve and come to a close in a natural way. in that sense i can totally see why it needed to come out. but i’m mourning one thing and that’s the loss of quality.

there are fans who hated Dynamite, then they hated Butter even more and now under no circumstances can they get through the entire 3 and something minutes of PTD. i was a fan who really enjoyed Dynamite, liked Butter even better and now is extremely disappointed. so while some could say that it’s been getting progressively worse, i would say that none of the three were top notch bts we’ve been used to for the past 8 years but they weren’t tragic until now. with Dynamite, it was preceeded by MOTS7 that redefined what music is (except for the Sia feature) and brought the best bts song of all time (Black Swan). Dynamite was followed by BE, an entire comfort album of straight bangers. Life Goes On, like Dynamite, was made to comfort people, but it was written and done in a way that didn’t lack the typical bts vibe and artistry - not saying that Dynamite was bad, but just very different. more party and good time, less actual in-your-face “it’s going to be okay.” both were needed, both were needed to co-exist. made total sense.

then we got Butter and Butter is the PERFECT summer anthem and it would have been stupid of hybe not to want to follow their biggest US release thus far with another one for the summertime when chances of success are the largest. and it turned out to be really freaking cool; maybe the lyrics are a bit questionable but the sound makes up for what they lack. so: MOTS7 - Dynamite - BE - Butter. one proper comeback, one american single, then again and again. makes perfect sense. aaand now we got PTD. i’m not saying they’re jinxing the end of the pandemic but they totally are - i’m kidding ofc but ..also not? i just don’t get the timing. even the mv says 2022 and we’re currently halfway through 2021, so why was the song released right now? it feels like there’s a logical error here somewhere. maybe i’m missing something and need someone to enlighten me, but while the US has been successfully rolling out jabs, many if not most parts of the world are still hecking struggling. whatever progress there is, it’s small. but there is hope now bc of the vaccines, unlike last year, so yeah, okay. let’s sing about that hope for 2022 then. but I don’t get a hopeful vibe from the song at all. it’s like everything is over in the world the mv and the lyrics are presenting and suddenly everyone can go out and party and kiss each other and whatnot, and that’s simply not true. i know it probably sounds a bit ridiculous but that genuinely bothers me lol especially since both of the previous songs had a clear reason as to why they came into existence.

i guess i want that clear reason from PTD as well because I need to be reassured that this is just a phase, the american songs, the american lyrics, the american song structure, the exclusively american promo. you can make positive, light-hearted, funky songs and they can be good, but PTD just isn’t. and bts in my eyes are next level artists when it comes to sound, lyrics and choreography, so when i’m faced with the kind of creation that is PTD i can’t help but be disappointed, especially when we saw the light-hearted stuff twice already, three times if we include boy with luv.

let me be clear - i’m not expecting bts to be at the top of their creativity and the artistry that we’re used to all the time. i’ve always said that the world needs simple party songs, and i sincerely hope and believe that while bts release and promote these songs (that were not written by them as well) they get to rest and recharge to later release something that our brains won’t be able to comprehend after just one listen bc it will be that good. i want nothing more than the general public finally realising that bts are a bunch of super talented dudes who can dance super intricate choreos and sing the highest notes and rap the most quality verses, so when they succeed the most with and thus become most popular for songs like the three english ones, it really upsets me because i know what they can do. maybe the american general public have seen what they can do when they were promoting MOTS7, ON and Black Swan, maybe. idk, i’m not a specialist in the field, i’m not even american, but something tells me that no, they know them bc of Dynamite and now Butter. and i don’t think it’s good to be known for songs like that only. i’m afraid that they’ll need to redeem themselves one day because people will end up thinking they only do silly dancey-dancey songs and that’s really not fair. and ughhh it feels like armys look a bit stupid now because we’ve always said that we value bts for what it stands for, the message and the art and all the deep stuff, and now the general public will hear that and go ‘is that what you call art and deep lyrics?’ yeah. anyway, i know for a fact that this will not last forever and we will be getting a regular comeback soon. i’m happy that they get to rest creatively. i’m SO happy that they’re receiving the recognition they deserve, finally. i just hope people will be there to chart their korean songs when they release some too.