Glorious Photo Shoots - January Round-Up

With the lovely Junho taking the lead, I know we're in for a good year.

It's A Not So "Drama"-tic Comeback For Nine Muses

God knows I will get on my knees for anything 9M related, so to think I would be missing out on doing a review of their latest mini album "Drama" would be a scandalous thing to think.

Nine Muses has always had a very defined sound, well almost always (let's not count "No Playboy", shall we?), and with their first full length album in 2013 they brought that sound to the next level. Now, after approximately one and half year of nothing, they're back for world domination.

Nine Muses Are Flawless For "Drama" Comeback

Finally, the day we've all been waiting for. I cannot believe this group didn't do anything at all last year except loosing members, and as a fan it was difficult to endure the absence. Having in mind that 2013 was the year of Nine Muses, having made four perfect comebacks with all great tracks, this awaited return to the scene was much needed.

Apparently I'm Crazy For Rookies Now: Legend's "Trace"

If someone could tell who these boys actually are, I would be eternally grateful. Up until this point in time, I had never even heard of Legend. Not like with most rookies whose names I've seen in a haze but don't know anything about, I literally have no recollection that this group even debuted in the first place. I know now that they haven't promoted much and since they hail from such a small company, they managed to fly past my radar.

Song of the Week #36

JYJ - 2.30 AM


This is probably my favorite song from their latest album "Just Us", which was a brilliant album in itself, but this track in particular stood out to me. There are so many things about this song that just works, and I'm sure you'll understand what I mean as soon as you press play.

G.Soul Is Finally "Coming Home"

What an appropriate title for G.Soul's first album, don't you think?

If I'm being completely honest here, which let's be real, I tend to be, G.Soul's mere existence had managed to pass me by. Until I saw the news of him releasing an album I had never heard of him before, but there's actually a good reason why. G.Soul is known for having been with JYP as a trainee for over 10 years, but he has been in the US for quite some time and was actually meant to have his debut over there. When things didn't go as planned he return to South Korea and continued to study music for a few years, and now he's finally released his music. You can even read JYP's tweet about the many hardships he went through to get to where he is now, and understand that this man's solo album has had a long time coming.

GFriend Debuts With "Glass Bead"

Would I have written this review normally? Probably not. However, as a second new year's resolution of mine is to write more reviews and include more groups into my repertoire, I thought I'd give this new girl group a try. I've been kind of girl group crazy lately, but I generally feel like the girls have been bringing it much harder than the boys and I've been getting into them more and more. I actually hope I can discover some new male groups as well, but I'm a lot pickier with them too.

Anyhow, this six member group got on most people's radar by having a Jessica Jung lookalike on the team, and I agree that the resemblance is uncanny. They've also received many comparisons to the newly debuted Lovelyz, as well as A Pink and of course, Girls' Generation.

High4 Get Gloomy in "Day by Day"

4-member boy group High4 debuted last April with the bittersweet "Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms" as a collaboration with highly popular songstress IU. The song skyrocketed to the top of the charts and won the hearts of fans and non-fans alike. I personally really liked it as well, even though it was a song I normally wouldn't pay much attention too.

However, IU is known for charting high with whatever song she's featuring on, so to say her involvement didn't have anything to with the track's popularity would be a lie. Since then, High4 has worked with Lim Kim as another attempt to get their own name out there, and now they're back with no one other than themselves.

Song of the Week #35

Loco - Thinking about you (Feat. Jay Park)


As one of my K-pop new year's resolutions is to widen my areas of musical interest, I am really starting to gain more interest in the hip-hop scene. This song may be from last year, but it it's seriously good and I love it whenever Jay Park is singing.

2014 End-year Review - Best Styling

When K-pop idols look good, they look good. Here are some of the acts in 2014 that I thought had the best overall styling. Enjoy!

Jonghyun Shows His Colors in "Base"

I suppose there isn't much of a need to do an introduction here, keeping my previous rant in mind, but I do feel the need to express how happy I am about this whenever there's an opportunity. Jonghyun is such a multi-talented artist, and his passion for music is one that not too many idols can compete with, even those who are involved with their group's music. If there's one person in SHINee that I always wanted to go solo, it's him, just because I know how much he wants to do his own thing. Now it's finally here, the mini-album we've all been waiting for. I do find the title a bit funny, especially considering the name of fellow member Taemin's album, and it has sparked some funny ideas about what the rest of the group's solo albums would be called.

Jonghyun's personal style has always been slightly different from what his group's musical identity is, or more like a lot different. In this album, you can hear loud and clear what kind of sound he's going for, but if you are a die-hard blinger like me it shouldn't come as a surprise.

2014 Year-End Review - Top 5 Albums

Back in August I named my 5 favorite albums (both full and mini) that came out during the first half of the year, and now I'm naming my 5 favorites to have come out during the second one. I've said this before, but next year I'll probably skip the mid-year reviews and only do one big at the end of the year. I mean, it's a lot more truthful that way. In this particular category I think I'll also do two separate ones; one for mini-albums and one for full-length.

Anyhow, done is done for this year so here are the albums I enjoyed between July and December 2014.

Song of the Week #35

Kara - Story


Kara's latest mini "Day & Night" was full of enjoyable beats and upbeat melodies, but this bittersweet ballad completely stole the show for me. Sure, it looks and sounds like your standard breakup son, but knowing that the three original members of the group, Gyuri, Seungyeon and Hara, wrote the lyrics makes it all the more heartbreaking. It's not too far-fetched to think that it's about the recent loss of Nicole and Jiyoung, and suddenly the song comes to life in a different, more personal way.

Jonghyun's Solo Debut Post Coming Through!

Well well, who do we have here if not another SM solo project? I'm honestly not complaining even a tiny bit about some of my favorites getting some time alone in the spotlight, but I do think there needs to be a limit somewhere. It feels like literally everyone everywhere is getting a solo these days, and not only SM idols. CNBlue's Yonghwa and Teen Top's Niel are scheduled for solo debuts, as well as Crayon Pop's Soyul. It has become a trend, just like with sub-units a few years back, and that means I'm pretty much jumping ship because nothing kills it for me more than than that kind of hype. If everyone's doing it, it means that it's not really coming from a place of genuineness but rather just from jumping on the bandwagon.

Also, far from everyone has the capacity of standing on their own as a solo artist. If you've always been with your group and learned how to work together in a team, facing promotions all by yourself is a challenge not many will pull off as good as they might have if with their group mates. SHINee's Taemin went solo back in August, and managed to do a fairly good job, but that was mostly because of his phenomenal skills as a dancer and improved singer. When I heard that my darling Jonghyun would be next in line though, I felt nothing but joy and anticipation. I personally find him the most well-rounded in the group, as well as having an amazing presence on stage and a burning passion for composing and performing. 

2014 End-year Review - Worst Styling

What's truly wonderful about K-pop, and the music industry in general, is the styling that can be both hit or miss. What I found most surprising about K-pop at first was how different the idol groups were styled compared to many western acts, that usually stay within the trends. Going outside of the fashion norm was a standard rather than an exception, and that still stands today, more or less. Sometimes though, it doesn't look quite right.

2014 End-year Review - Top 5 Debuts

To be honest, I haven't been very good on keeping track of new groups this year. Honestly, I haven't been very good on keeping track of a lot of established groups either, and one of my new year's resolutions is in fact to pay a bit more attention and write a bit more on this blog too. However, there has been some debuts that did catch my eye, so I thought I might mention them here and explain to you why they captured my interest.

A 2014 Year-end Festival Review - MBC Gayo Daejejun

The very last year-end festival of 2014 took place on New Year's Eve itself, as it has done plenty of times before. I actually find it really sweet and special to ring in the new year with both musical performances but also the fellowship of all the idol groups present. Although I can imagine that a lot of them would have wished to spend the evening with friends and family, it's still a special moment to do so with your teammates, on the stage in front of your fans.

1 Year Anniversary Party

At this exact day, one year ago, I made my first post on this blog. Much has happened since and much has changed, but I still feel like I'm onto something good with what I do. I know the quality of my writing leaves room for improvement, and the structure of my articles aren't always the best, but I'm working on it!

Honestly, the primary reason I started this blog was so that I could rant about K-pop as much as I wanted, as I have pretty much no friends in real life to talk to about the subject. It sucks, I know. That's why I found it so enjoyable to have this platform to express my opinions, and I still feel that way, more or less. Of course there are times when your motivation falters, or when you just can't seem to get the words right, but there are also times when your imagination runs completely free and unlimited.

If you're reading this right now and have taken your time to visit my amateur attempt at a blog, I'm really thankful. I don't care much about readers, but it's still nice to know that people find what you do interesting and worth spending time on. I also want to thank myself, true Seungri style, because I've managed to keep the blog running, although sometimes barely. It's something that I truly care about, so I'm glad I never gave up entirely even though it got rough at certain points.

Have a wonderful day, everyone. And thank you.

Glorious Photo Shoots - December Round-Up Part 2 (Ladies Turn the Heat Up)

And so the second part of December-goodness begins. Take it away, Bora!

Song of the Week #34

IU - Sogyeokdong


I heard this song like literally two days ago, and I'm not kidding when I say I'm head over heels in love with it. I would like to express my thanks to Seo Taiji for composing this wonderful synth-piece, and of course songstress IU for providing her own special vocals to make it even lovelier.

A 2014 Year-end Festival Review - KBS Gayo Daechukje

Last year, the KBS Gayo was a huge disappointment both for me and many others. It was just dreary and boring and never really went anywhere, and I know that this broadcasting company in particular has had a reputation for being just that for a very long time. After the SBS one however, I thought to myself that it really couldn't be more boring than that one, so I guess I hoped the show held on the 26th would bring some more energy.

2014 End-year Review - Top 5 Choreographies

I love me a good dance routine, and I know I'm certainly not the only K-pop fan who does. This industry may produce lots of generic music, but on the dancing front they're way ahead of any western music industry. Below I've gathered five choreos by different groups that I liked the very best during 2014. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

A 2014 Year-end Festival Review - SBS Gayo Daejun

The 3 year-end shows hosted by KBS, MBC and SBS respectively are one of the big highlights of the year. While I think they used to be heaps better in the past (could be because K-Pop had a quite different approach back then though) I still enjoy them immensely. I get to see a ton of my favorite acts all together in one show, they get to perform remixes of their tracks, show of some special dance moves or even do collaborations with other idols. It's literally a fangirl's dream come true. Well, at least mine.

I didn't get to watch any of the shows live because I didn't have access to a computer or high speed internet, but that meant I could engage in a festival marathon instead and that's not too shabby either. Last year I was kind of disappointed with all three of them, as they all had some downsides and issues. A reoccurring problem is sound, which seems to always falter, as well as camera work and generally boring stages. The MBC one was probably my favorite though, with SBS coming second. This time I haven't had time to build up any expectations, and with all the drama that's happened this year I wondered how these festivals would turn out.

Glorious Photo Shoots - December Round-Up Part 1 (Bring the Boys Out)

SHINEE's BACK! Well, at least in the world of photoshoots but that's better than nothing. By the time this is posted Christmas will have passed, but these glorious pictures below are sill full of winter and holiday spirit. Also, this month had so many great photoshoots that I had to make two separate parts. No complaining though!

2014 End-year Review - Top 5 Videos

Part of what makes K-pop so great are the videos that accompany the many title tracks. I think a music video of any kind is a great complement to a song, but in South Korea the videos certainly have their own style. Not to say the industry hasn't been getting more and more westernized lately, but there's still something about them that stands out. Below you will find the videos that stood out to me in the second half of the year, for multiple reasons.

JONGHYUN SOLO TEASERS ARE HERE

What.

How????

WHO ARE you?????

Consider me ready baby. 2015, bring it on!

[Updated]

Seriously Jonghyun, are really you doing this to me? My poor heart can't handle this.

And Thus Begins The Year of 2015

Photo Credit: Me

Hello everyone! I know I'm a bit late with my New Year's greetings, but in my defense I was barely home at all yesterday and unlike my Christmas post I forgot to schedule it beforehand. Anyhow, I hope you all had a wonderful evening together with friends, family and other close ones, and I sincerely wish you all a happy 2015.

This year has been quite a whirlwind, but for me personally and most certainly in the K-pop industry, but not everything has been bad. Although there have been ups and downs I think for everybody, there have been moments here and there were you felt like it wasn't so terrible after all. I wish for myself that this new year will bring more of those moments, and I wish that everyone I know will feel the same way.

I hope you all will be safe, healthy and happy.
Jess