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

Music
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Fifteen years a go a KPop group named KARA debuted with the song “Break It.” The music video did not age well, but IMHO, the song is still so great.

This group became a huge success. They were pretty big in Korea, but they were absolutely enormous in Japan. In 2013 they even had their own anime mini-series. This success was well deserved because they have just so many amazing songs. I have a hard time thinking of a title track that wasn’t a hit.

Sadly, the group faced a lot of drama. They suffered a lot during the time before they became successful. Their label was not good. Members were leaving and joining. And after the group was basically disbanded one of the members, Goo Hara, passed away under tragic circumstances. If you want all the details, I see no reason for me to rewrite the extensive Wikipedia entry.

The one positive part of their drama was the addition of the youngest member Hur Youngji. At one point the group was down to just three members, but they decided to hold a competition survival TV show to let fans vote for a new member. Youngji ended up winning. The group only really stayed together with Youngji for maybe two releases before calling it quits.

Youngji was the only one left on contract with the company. Despite that, she kept on carrying the torch. She learned to perform the songs the group released before she joined. She performed the group’s songs all alone on several occasions. She went on to have a successful career, mostly doing television. The best thing was that even though Youngji was in the group for such a short period of time, the other members did appear to accept her as a full member. Normally you would expect someone like that to be treated as some late-coming outsider.

That brings us to today. KARA as a group hasn’t been seen or heard from since 2016. The members were all just doing their own thing. None of them in contract anywhere.

Meanwhile, the awful company, DSP, got acquired by RBW (the MAMAMOO company). And somehow, on this 15th anniversary, the group has miraculously reformed. Every living member is together. They have a new release with four tracks. They have a new music video. They are appearing on all kinds of TV shows and YouTube channels. And they even performed yesterday on the first night of the MNet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).

The new song is honestly probably the weakest song they’ve ever done, but still. WOW. This is some serious necromancy. It’s hard to think of a group that was more thoroughly disbanded than KARA. If they can get back together for one more rodeo, anyone can.

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Your friendly frequent reminder that despite not being North Korea, South Korea is an incredibly conservative and backwards place in a large number of ways.

EDIT: After public outcry MBC pulled a reversal and says the song is now fit for broadcasting. They got the right decision in the end, but the fact this even happened to begin with is still a huge huge problem.

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We have a new entry in the category of S-tier KPop light sticks. DKZ has one now, and it’s both the letter D and also sort of a tamborine.

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In terms of KPop companies, I’m old enough to remember when people talked about the big 3. SM, YG, and JYP. At any moment in time you could point to multiple active top-tier groups from each of those companies. There were other notable companies to be sure, but they did not have the level of consistent enduring success with multiple groups that allowed them to have control over the industry the way the big three did.

Things really changed a lot when BTS hit. Sure, the BigHit/HYBE company didn’t have any other success, but their one success was so big, they moved right to the top. That makes a big 4.

Meanwhile RBW was one of those mid-tier companies that had only one successful group, MAMAMOO. Their other groups all flopped. Even right now their group Purple Kiss that debuted in 2020 is not doing so hot. Despite this, they got enough money from somewhere (investors?) to buy WM entertainment and the remains of DSP. I don’t want to put RBW into the top-tier category just yet, but they are on their way. The strategy of merging several mid-tier successes together into one company seems like it could work out. The success of KARA’s comeback makes that DSP purchase look like genius. In fact, it may have been exactly what enabled that comeback in the first place. I don’t think we see that if DSP was still standing alone.

But over the past few days we have seen something that I thought was coming so many times, but it never came. For the first time in my history of KPop fandom one of the big companies might be no longer big!

I thought YG was done so many times. So many absolutely enormous scandals. YG himself resigning. Yet somehow that company always has successful groups that still bring in the big money. Until maybe now.

BIGBANG Taeyang is moving to the YG sub-label, The Black Label. Daesung left YG entirely. Only the golden boy G-Dragon remains. Who knows wtf T.O.P. is doing. The group iKON is leaving the company, but staying together as a group. BLACKPINK’s contract renewal time is coming up, and there are lots of rumors and indications that they’re not going to carry on, at least not as they have.

They don’t have that many other groups left, and they aren’t top-tier. Treasure does not seem to be hugely successful.

It seems like YG has decided to use the end of the year to post all the news about what they’ve lost. They’re going to start the new year with what they’ve added.

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Seems like they’re going all in on this 7 member group to literally ring in the new year. On the one hand this has to be a success right? YG has basically never failed to make a huge successful girl group. People are going to be so hype for this. On the other hand, the market is so crowded right now, and they are late to the party. The 4th KPop generation already has so many very successful groups, is there room for one more?

Even if this new group is a hit, all of YG will be sort of resting on them, and what else? I think the company will still carry power in the industry due to its brand and history, but I don’t think they can be considered one of the bigs anymore unless this group is an absolute sensation.

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I’ve mentioned before how all the TV stations in Korean have big holiday and end of year specials with all kinds of awards, performances, etc.

Since 2015 the host of the MBC Gayo Daejejeon has been Im Yoona from Girls’ Generation. The co-hosts have been changed up, but she has consistently had the job. Pretty sure she’ll have it until she gives it up.

Last year one of the co-hosts was Junho from 2PM. Suddenly there was a situation where two of the MCs were idols. Usually the other people are comedians, announcers, etc. They decided to do a short duet dance performance.

And this year they did it again! And this time they allowed an audience of fans, which really makes it a lot more enjoyable.

It would be really cute and wholesome if they could stay hosts and keep this going for a long time.

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Welp, couldn’t have been more wrong about YG falling off. Apparently they pulled a shrewd move. Right before the end of the year they put out all their bad news. Then as soon as the new year hit, they put out all the good news.

Basically all the people they still have are coming back strong. Taeyang is coming soon, and GD is definitely doing something this year.

Meanwhile the new group they teased is called Babymonster and got a huge amount of followers immediately, despite having nothing to show yet. I guess it’s going to be a huge deal, but I’m not happy about it. First, all the members of this group are freakishly young. One of them is still a month away from turning 14. Second, after all the scandals and crimes, somehow YG himself is back. He personally appeared in the promotional video for this new group.

EDIT: Yep

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One of the newer very popular groups named NewJeans has pulled way out front. I’m not 100% sure, but their success level right now could be at IU/BTS levels. If they’re this big right after they got started, then that’s where they could very easily end up in the future.

Their hit song that came out in December “Ditto” currently has perfect all-kill status. Not only that, the song has hit perfect all-kill status 263 times since it came out. That is an all-time record. No other song has been #1 on all charts simultaneously for as long as this song has. At least not since tracking songs on charts was a thing. Here is that song.

But wait, there’s more. The second and third positions on the charts are also occupied by NewJeans. In second place is a song they released on January 2 called OMG. And the third spot is their older hit song Hype Boy.

I may have said this before, but I just don’t get it. The musical style of KPop has changed and has passed me by. Their music isn’t bad or painful to listen to, but I also don’t see why I would want to listen to it. It’s absolutely not for me. Where is the earworm? Where is the catchy hook? Where is the theatrical grandeur? They’ve got a song called hype boy, but their music is not hype at all. It’s not even strong enough to get customers bopping in in a clothing store.

But I guess this is what the kids are into these days.

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Somehow BLACKPINK is literally the headlining act on Saturday. KPop sure has come a logn way. Jackson Wang’s name isn’t small either.

Also, non-KPop, but the Linda Lindas are on there. Way to go!

In similar news, Aespa is going to be at the Governor’s Ball.

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Oh shiiiii

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This song has been available for a little while because they performed it at a concert, but the music video and album came out today.

Making these all-start groups and having them actually come back regularly is a pretty strong move. They say that Super M is going to come back soonish also.

Yena also had a new release. She has changeda way from her usual concept to do another one of those typical KPop duet deals.

I don’t know if it counts as a genre, but the KPop makes these kinds of songs a lot. Chill songs that almost always have a woman vocalist with a man performing a featured rap on the bridge. Granted, this new entry from Yena is sonically chill, but not lyrically.

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While waiting around in the mall I noticed that Barnes and nobles now has a small end cap to j and k pop artists and their cds.

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The New Jeans song “Hype Boy” now has the most total streams on Spotify in South Korea. More total streams than any other song period. I have to repeat this. The song was released in July 2022, and its total stream count in the country of South Korea is higher than that of any other song, period. “Butter” by BTS is in second place, and it is an older song that has had more time to accumulate streams.

Granted, Spotify is not the number one streaming service in that country. That would be Genie, and also Melon.

However, their songs currently occupy the first, second, third, fifth, and fifteenth spots on the aggregated / real-time music charts.

I have never seen this happen before. Groups that have had sudden explosions like this were typically one hit wonders. This group isn’t even a year old, but they have pulled so far ahead of the pack. Every single track they put out is at the IU/BTS level, and perhaps even beyond.

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I just found out about a group called FIFTY FIFTY. They debuted back in November. They have one album with four songs. They are one of those insignificant “nugu” groups from a tiny company with not many fans and not much money. Their choreography and music video is average good enough. Their music is exceptional.

The four tracks are four different styles of KPop. “Tell Me” has City Pop vibes. “Log In” is very dark.
Some of them sound like they were meant for soloists, and some of the members have voices that sound like they were meant to be soloists. This is not a bad thing. I think this group has a lot in common with f(x) and The Ark. They are playlist worthy, and I hope they somehow keep existing to make another release in the future.

In other news, VIVIZ came back, and WOW. A very exciting new concept. These three former GFriend members haven’t really seen as much success since going out on their own. I hope this hits, because it deserves to.

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I saw Dreamcatcher live in concert recently and talked about it in the concert thread. Cross-post.

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This is maybe the best most candid and honest interview of any KPop artist I have ever read. Real questions, real answers. Still not yet thirty years old, RM has lived a truly unique life and has clearly gained some wisdom. Exciting to see where he goes from here.

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This is such a wild story, and I love it. It’s really simple to explain, also.

Joe Biden is going to visit South Korea. During preparations for the visit, Dr. Jill Biden suggested that they arrange to have a joint performance of Lady Gaga and BLACKPINK at the state dinner. The people on the Korean side simply didn’t give a response even after the US side was like “hey, did you get my message?” TL;DR: a national security advisor was forced to resign for not replying to e-mail quickly enough.

GOOD. Let that be a lesson to you all. Do not leave people on read, especially when it comes to your job. At least reply with something in a prompt manner, always.

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HEIZE has a new song and music video.

The music video is very interesting indeed. It’s both vertical and horizontal. The video starts with some instructions and then there are little notices that tell you when to rotate your phone to view the video as intended.

I wonder how timeless this will be. It’s already annoying trying to watch it on a PC. YouTube should add a button to the player that lets you rotate the view on PC.

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For quite awhile SM has been remastering old music videos and uploading them to their official YouTube channel. It’s really cool because a lot of old MVs were very low resolution. Fans trying to upscale them on their own can not get great results. SM has the original master recordings and do a great job.

But today something shocking happened. They uploaded a remastered version of f(x) debut track, LA chA TA.

Since the passing of Sulli (RIP), SM has basically pretended that f(x) never existed. They almost never mentioned them. The members all moved on to do other things years ago. A legendary group with a discography that stands the test of time. Their own company gave them a raw deal, but now in 2023, they at least acknowledge that f(x) existed and has a music video worth remastering.

I swear, if this group debuted today with these exact same songs, they would be #1 by a landslide.

Too bad this is just the music video. One time they famously performed this song out in the pouring rain. That video is harder to find these days.

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R.I.P. Moonbin

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For the first time in my decade+ of KPop fandom, I got a light stick. It’s the MAMAMOO “moobong”.

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It’s the official one, since I ordered it from Bizent, their official store. It’s version 2.5. Yes, these things have versions.

I got this for a few reasons. First, IMO, this is still the number one s-tier lightstick of all KPop groups. The word for radish in Korean is “moo”. People who are members of the Mamamoo fan club are known as moomoos. And that’s how come the group mamamoo has a radish for a light stick.

Mamamoo is also one of my favorite KPop groups. Not number one, but they’re up there. The thing is, the groups I like more than MAMAMOO are either disbanded, or dormant. They also have really weak light sticks. Let’s be honest, the Girls’ Generation light stick sucks. D-tier at best. Do not want.

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Lastly, after waiting for 9 years, Mamamoo is finaly on tour in the US. They’ve done a few small performances here before. They were at SXSW one time. They also were at KCon a few times. But this is their first full headlining concert here. It could also very well be the last. It might not be possible to get the light stick at the show due to short supply, but I managed to order one from the limited run they did just to get sticks over here before the concert in two weeks.

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Now, depending on which city you are in, the venue capacities differ. None of them are completely sold out yet, but they are getting close. Some, like NY are in arenas with almost 14k seats. Chicago and Nashville are in smaller places with fewer than 7k seats.

Should you go see this show? If it’s one of the smaller venues 100% yes. Even if you don’t like or care about KPop. I promise you, MAMAMOO is an incredible live performance for anyone who likes music of any kind. Go to YouTube and see if you don’t believe me. If it’s a larger venue, I can’t say yes so easily. Even though I am confident the performance will be top notch, it might not be worth it to sit far away and watch from so far away. Depends on the price, your budget, and how you feel about arena shows.

Personally I don’t like arena shows. I feel like there’s no point in going to see a concert if you are going to be looking at a screen the whole time. Better to get the concert video and watch it at home.

That said, I have been waiting to see this group live a long time. I know from watching tons of YouTube that their live shows are unbelievable. Maybe the best in KPop for many years now.And we also dished out big money to get seats in the 12th row. So even if there’s a bunch of people sitting behind me, maybe it will feel more like a smaller show since I’m close. I’ve never sat that close for a big arena concert before. I figure this is the time to do it and see if it’s worthwhile. Not going to be a regular occurrence.

So what about the stick itself? It’s very light and made of cheap plastic. I guess that’s a good thing since you are going to be waving it for several hours. The wristband seems silly, but some people wave these things pretty fiercely, and you don’t want one flying in the crowd. Especially not when it’s hard to get a new one.

In terms of the light part, it’s ridiculously simple. You press the button to cycle through colors. Then you can double tap the button to cycle through light modes. They’re pretty simple like solid, blinking, fading in and out, etc. One of them is a very fast blink that needs some sort of seizure warning. It’s not as fast as a strobe light, but still.

When you are at the concert, they will have a device that sends out an RF signal to control the sticks. You don’t have to do anything. The presence of the RF signal will disable the manual controls and the lightstick will be controlled by the lighting crew.

I think it would be pretty cool to figure out that RF protocol and control the light myself, but that seems more trouble than it’s worth.

It takes 3x AAA batteries. The LED is significantly bright to be seen, but not good enough to be a flashlight. Even with the brighest possible setting, it doesn’t hurt to look at it. The plastic is pretty thick and frosted, and that keeps the lighting mostly even and pleasant. It says that the batteries should last 4 hours, which is long enough for the concert for sure. I’m bringing extra batteries just in case.

Lastly, the light came with stickers? There are 8 stickers in total, 2 for each member of the group. 4 of the stickers are just eyes, presumably matching the eyes of the members. The others are identical, but also include mouths. Are you supposed to put these stickers on the light? I can see how that kind of works. Not doing it. That’s a weird KPop thing for sure.

Should you buy a KPop light stick? I’ll let you know after the concert in two weeks.