KPop - aka Only Scott Cares - aka Not as Good as Metal

Music
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There have been so many releases that I haven’t posted about. A lot of artists I really like such as Chungha, Sunmi, VIVIZ, and even BIGBANG put out music that failed to interest me musically. I think it’s some combination of the songwriting trends changing, and my ears getting tired of it. You can only get caught by similar hooks so many times. These days I’m listening to DJAJ stream jazz in the morning more than I’m listening to KPop.

One thing I think I can’t ignore is the strength of LOVE DIVE. I’m not a huge fan of this song. I don’t listen to it in purpose, but it is absolutely enormous. This shit came out in April, but is still on top of the charts. 124-125 million views don’t lie.

The group behind this song is IVE, a very new group. I think this is their second release. They are from Starship entertainment. Starship has been a very interesting company. They’ve never been considered as a top-tier KPop company like SM, YG, JYP, and now HYBE. Most of their success came from SISTAR. After Sistar ended they had some moderately successful groups with Monsta X and WJSN. WJSN is late in their careers now, but somehow making a slight resurgence, especially after winning a TV competition show. I thought they were on the downswing, but they really turned it around. The Starship is taking off again.

Of all the songs that have come out in recent memory, I think there is only one that has actually gotten stuck in my head, and that is POP!. Nayeon is a member of TWICE. Somehow ever member of TWICE renewed their contracts to extend the group’s life. Very unexpected. I was so sure that they were done, especially since they are less popular than they were at their peak. POP! was Nayeon’s solo debut, the first time any member of TWICE had an official full-on solo release.

Another song I want to give a shout out to is #MOOD by MCND. These guys I think are finally getting a deserved rise in popularity. The company they are from has a lot of problems. Regardless of the drama of their agency, these dudes have talent. Their biggest strength I think is the combination of their concept and attitude. They always look like they are having a fucking great time performing. A lot of other idols are really stiff just perfectly executing what they have practiced. On stage MCND always has the enthusiasm of a genuine rock band. They’re either truly feeling it, or very very good at faking it. Either is admirable.

Last, but most, the time is nearly upon us. We waited five whole years, and we didn’t wait for nothing.

https://twitter.com/GirlsGeneration/status/1551220661015547904

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When it rains it pours. Go from not posting here in awhile to posting too much.

For as long as YouTube and KPop have been a thing, groups have been uploading dance practice videos to their official channels. At first just a few did it, but it eventually became customary. The videos serve a lot of purposes, get a lot of views, and are generally interesting. I really enjoy them, and watch them more often than I watch actual stage performances.

Well, SM Entertainment is sort of the exception. They were really late to the trend of uploading dance practice videos. Even when they did it, it was only for some songs, not for all. It was really noticeable since other companies were reliably uploading the videos for every single release.

Well, SM is making up for lost time with a whole new YouTube channel called SMP Floor.

They started this channel just three weeks ago, and it’s already paying dividends. We’re not talking about just normal old dance practice videos. There are all kinds of videos that we know companies are recording for production purposes, but never see public release. Now that is changing.

Not just dance practice, but also covers, camerawork guides, and most exciting of all, choreography drafts! The process of developing choreography is partially revealed. This is extra extra behind the scenes stuff. We get to see the ways different choreographers interpreted the same song and how the company mixed all of their work into the final product. We also get to see the performances of some elite level choreographers that is otherwise almost always hidden from public view.

As a sample check this out.

Draft 1

Draft 2

Draft 3 (Kiel Tutin!)

Final Product

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Interesting you posted that today.

Captain Disillusion just published a behind-the-scenes mini-music-video/visual FX explainer with a (J, not K, but still) pop girl group:

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This popped up in my recommendation again and just in case someone here has not seen it here it is. It’s an old one but a good one.

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We waited 5 years.

Also

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I really like this piece from the New Yorker.

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I mentioned IVE - Love Dive before and how the song had taken off. Well, even though the group is very new, they are becoming absolutely huge. Despite how their new song so brazenly samples Gloria Gaynor, I can’t deny it’s a catchy one.

It’s funny. People like to split up KPop groups roughly into different generations. First generation is the late '90s early ‘00s with ancient groups like H.O.T. Second generation was peak KPop for me with Girls’ Generation, BIG BANG, 2NE1, etc. Third generation was EXO, BTS, Red Velvet, Twice, and Blackpink. Fourth generation is what we’re in right now.

And what’s interesting is that in the third generation it felt like such a large percentage of groups, even from big companies, did not achieve the popularity that was expected. Was it because the second generation groups were still around and suppressed them? Was it because some of the groups were just so enormous, like TWICE and especially BTS, that they sucked all the air out of the room? It was very surprising to see groups from big-ish companies like WJSN (Starship entertainment) and CLC (CUBE) not achieve close to the popularity of their predecessors. There were lots of solo successes during this time period as well.

Well the fourth generation has been a huge course correction. It seems like new groups are coming out of the seams, and so many of the girl groups especially are hitting the charts. G-IDLE started it off by succeeding where CLC had failed. IVE absolutely crushing it where WJSN had been only mildly successful. Aespa coming strong out of the gate where Red Velvet took a little time to get going. Itzy doing quite well for themselves. Le Sserafim and NewJeans both getting positive attention despite deserved controversy. There were even some others like Weeekly and Everglow that were doing ok, but have since been overshadowed by these even bigger groups.

I don’t know the reasons for this, but I absolutely did not see it coming. My gut told me there were just too many groups and they can’t all succeed, but every one that appears just seems to hit it out of the park. There are a couple like Cherry Bullet and Rocket Punch that may be not doing so hot, but obviously not every single group can be a smash hit.

I don’t know the reason for this, it’s just an observation based on my perception and not quantitative in any way. I just feel like an old man now. Groups I felt were young before are now old, and these newer ones are even more freakishly new. Also, the percentage of music from the new groups that I’m into is diminishing even though their success is rising. The styles I enjoyed are going out of style. That’s life!

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SHINEE KEY came back with a solo release. I don’t think the song is very remarkable, but the costume design is way out there. Reminds me a lot of ridiculous stuff you see people wear at the Met Gala. Yet, he’s dancing in it no problem.

Also, here’s a pretty good article about KCON.

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What is this?
The description says

Imagine you had one shot to give the performance of a lifetime
Renowned artists take center stage live
With a song of their choice
Witness dreams come true
All in a single take
TAKE 1 | October 14, only on Netflix

They got some top-tier artists in there. Definitely want to see Rain, MAMAMOO, and AKMU.

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OMG

It just keeps happening. Old groups that everyone thought were completely done just get back together and not only perform, but also release new music.

EXID is also somehow coming back. Unbelievable.

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Let’s talk about ADORA.
I had never even heard of ADORA until one day this song just got released to little fanfare. It only caught my attention because it was a duet with Eunha of GFriend/VIVIZ.

AFAIK I had never heard of ADORA as being a trainee, on a competition show, in a failed idol group, or anything like that. So where did she come from?

Apparently ADORA was a KPop fan and a songwriter from a young age. At age 13 she wrote a fansong for the group HIGHLIGHT (formerly BEAST). Soon after she did become a trainee, but went down the songwriting path instead. From the ages of 19-23 she had an actual job as a songwriter at BigHit! She co-wrote many songs for BTS and TXT. Wow.

Why was someone with such a hugely successful songwriting career suddenly making a debut as a performer? Apparently she had thyroid cancer and beat it. She apparently really wanted to be a singer, and that understandably changed her outlook. So she YOLO’d and went for it.

Her new song just came out today. I really like it. It’s musically interesting, not just some cookie cutter deal. Conceptually it occupies a fun and joyful space somewhere between Choi Yena and Red Velvet. The choreography isn’t particularly lavish, she’s not a super pro dancer after all. Yet, it is full of interesting and eye catching details that make me want to watch it again. It also hearkens back to a time when KPop had a lot more in common with musical theater.

Her career right now really reminds me of where IU was many years ago, and you can’t be on a better course than that.

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Usually I won’t bother posting a mere teaser, but JYP and… Shindong!?

Nobody was ready for this.

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There’s a first gen (late '90s → mid '00s) KPop group known as Baby V.O.X. If for some reason you want to learn about them, WIkipedia exists.

Anyway, their music has not be easily available here before. Somehow recently it appeared on the streaming services.

Let’s be honest. Most of the music is… not good. These are the kind of tracks you might expect to be in DDR 1st or 2nd mix, but also be unpopular and rarely played. Still, they are still quite legendary, at among Koreans. They do have one huge hit song that I like even though the song is not actually that good. Let’s enjoy this very old “live” performance video.

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There has been much ado about whether BTS will enlist in the military, as almost all able-bodied male Korean citizens are required to do. The government has been wishy-washy deciding on whether there would be an exemption for people who were important enough to the culture and economy of the country. The idea being that they serve their country better by continuing to work than by enlisting in the military.

Well, BTS waited a long time for them to decide, and gave up on waiting. I guess they figure that if they keep waiting and the exemption doesn’t come through, that would be a pain in the ass. But if they just enlist, they can’t screw up from a legal or from a PR perspective. They can also control the timing to minimally hurt business.

They just had a huge concert in Busan, which serves well as a send off. The members are going to enlist sequentially. Since the required service is two years, they will all be done in 2025. Even during that three year period, there shouldn’t be much time where all members are enlisted simultaneously. There can be plenty of solo or sub-unit stuff happening up until the point where the last member enlists and as soon as the first one completes their duty.

From my perspective it’s just nice that we won’t have to see more articles about whether they will or will not enlist. They’re doing it, the end. Instead we’re going to see articles about which ones get special treatment, etc. Historically lots of big KPop stars have been assigned to the military band or other positions that are less dirty, dangerous, and difficult. But if that same good favor goes to BTS, it will probably be made into a big deal despite it being a long-standing practice.

I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one or more members works hard, gets promotions/commendations, etc. resulting in even more positive PR.

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It was already most of the way there, but now the fourth generation of KPop girl groups has fully taken over. (G)I-DLE is the group that marks the exact borderline between previous and current generations. Their current song is absolutely dominating the number one spot. I’m not a fan of it at all, but here it is anyway. Good for CUBE entertainment to have survived through a rough patch and have success again.

The rest of the charts are full of other new groups. IVE, lesserafim, and NewJeans just taking over. Aespa is also huge, but they don’t have a song right now. I presume they’ll be back soon(ish). BLACKPINK is the only previous older group I see with a charting song right now, and it’s just one song.

Unlike in the past when older groups would call it quits, we are seeing several of them break the seven year curse and keep trying.

Seulgi from Red Velvet came out with a solo release.

MAMAMOO just came back as a full group despite one member having moved to a different company. They did what they usually do. One song right in their usual hit wheelhouse, and a fun and funky one for the fans. Not all time greats, but I like them more than anything these other groups are doing.

The Girls’ Generation song that came out in August was on the charts for a little while, but now it’s long gone.

All these songs in the older KPop style are popular among fans of the groups in question, so they bring in some amount of revenues. But the general listener base is just not keen on them at all anymore. They’ve moved on. Older groups might have to produce music outside their comfort zone if they want to top the charts again.

Sadly, I’m really not a fan of the newer music at all. All the things I liked about KPop music to begin with are no longer present. At least in my ear the new stuff sounds sparse. No showtunes-esque projection and power. No catchy earworm hooks. No banging EDM dance beats and drops. Most of all there’s no more of the tongue in cheek corny kitchy vibes. Everyone is trying to be sincere and serious, and failing.

These are so big right now, and I don’t like them at all.

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I may have mentioned it before, but there is a digital video service called V Live. It’s a video streaming app sort of like Twitch, but the only people who can stream on it are actual KPop idol groups. It’s not a high bar to entry, as even small unpopular groups could be on there.

Most of the usage was KPop idols who were just chilling during downtime would start streaming on their phone and chatting with fans randomly. The actual content of these videos were really nothing. Just like saying hello, asking what they did today, smalltalk nonsense. But it strongly bolsters the parasocial relationship fans have with the idols.

It also had subtitles for most/all of the video in several languages, to reach a worldwide audience. Some things even got subtitled live.

VLive was created and owned by Naver, which is basically the Google of Korea.

Meanwhile, HYBE (the BTS company) started a thing called WeVerse. This is basically an all encompassing fan engagement platform that includes the functionality of VLive and more. Most artists have moved to WeVerse.

In early 2021 they announced that VLive and WeVerse will merge.

Now they have announced that at the end of this year, VLive will be gone.

The main concern here is the archives. Fans are out there archiving all the video from their favorite groups. But some huge groups have so much video, like streams every day, that it may be difficult or impossible. Other groups that aren’t popular or forgotten will just disappear.

You know me, I want to preserve everything, no matter how trivial.

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More VLive info

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I saw this the day it came out. On the one hand it’s extremely formulaic. On the other hand, it’s such a precise execution of the formula. It’s like picking up a coloring book to find that someone has colored within the lines with masterful precision.

Of course, I would never want to actually listen to this. It’s just good that it exists.

In other news, somehow KARA is miraculously coming back for their anniversary. There are just teasers and such for now. I will post when it’s actually out. Red Velvet is also coming back soon.

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We went to see KPop the musical. I was going in with extremely low expectations. These kinds of shows are usually really corny. Why go see it then? The biggest reason was that they have some actual KPop stars in the cast that I wanted to see, but also the tickets were ultra discounted. Living in NYC also makes it much more reasonable.

Who were these stars in the cast?

Min from Miss A. Miss A was a big deal when it existed, but they didn’t last long or release a large quantity of music. They had the problem where one member is super famous and the others were not at all. Bae Suzy was the famous one. Min is the very talented dancer who never got enough attention.

Kevin Woo from U-KISS. U-KISS is a group I never knew much about, and never seemed that popular. Kevin is a guy who, thanks to being from California, became a prominent figure in the US KPop scene. He was an actual idol from the US before that was as common as it is now. This dude has been in the industry so long, he debuted before Girls’ Generation.

Kim Bohyung was a member of a group called SPICA. SPICA was an incredible group with immense vocal talent. IMHO they had everything MAMAMOO had, and they debuted earlier. They just had a mere fraction of the success, which I think just comes down to a matter of luck. Here’s a SPICA music video for you.

And the star of the show, and the main reason I went to see it, is Luna. This Luna.

The Luna from f(x). This f(x).

The rest of the cast were nothing to sneeze at either. They are all very talented performers. They are just people who come from a theater background and not a KPop background.

How did the show match up against my low expectations? It exceeded them!

The plot of the show isn’t that compelling. Only two of the characters managed to make me care about them. It was nice to see some criticism of the KPop industry, but they stay away from the truly dark reality. The concept and staging had some clever aspects which I appreciated from a smaller production.

The story revolves around this small KPop company, its struggles past and present, and a documentary filmmaker who has been hired to shoot their showcase performance in the US.

The company has a boy group named F8, a girl group named RTMIS (pronounced Artemis), and a soloist named MwE (Luna). Each of the three groups has some drama. The three groups take their turns on stage. Each one acting out a small scene depicting their conflict and then expressing that conflict with a musical number.

The story of the girl group is the weakest. It’s really just an excuse to have a girl group in the show. The story of the boy group with the one outcast member is actually pretty good. They won me over. Brad is absolutely the crowd pleaser.

The driving force is really MwE’s life story. All her scenes are flashbacks which provide the context for the otherwise unexplained drama the audience sees unfolding in the present.

It being a musical, music is the part that matters most. They covered all the typical KPop sub-genres, and none of the songs were truly bad. Some were forgettable at worst. Others were actually legitimately good. The final song the boy group performs in the show is an absolute banger. I want the OST just to hear that song.

As expected, holy shit Luna can really sing. That’s what got me in the door, and she delivered. Since that was all I expected, the fact that the rest of the show wasn’t to shabby, I consider this a win. I would recommend it to anyone, even people who aren’t KPop fans. I was surprised that most of the audience did not look like KPop fans. Lots of Broadway people and tourists in there. Shout out to the one person in the back who brought their BTS Bomb light stick.

Of course, when I say that someone should see the show, I assume they are already in NYC, and are getting discounted tickets. It’s not worth a full price ticket, and not worth a special trip to NYC from far away.

Realistically, I don’t see a big future for this show. It hasn’t been open that long. While it was almost full, the small theater was not sold out. It’s safe to assume it will close sometime next year. If somehow it lives on, there’s no way this original cast stays on beyond whatever their current term is.

Here’s a clip from the show’s official Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Clcr_7Lrcn-/?hl=en

Here’s a promotional performance. It’s the opening number, which is honestly the weakest song in the show. It’s also the least KPop-ish song. The rest of the score is much more KPopping.

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