2015 Year-End Festivals - Favorite Performances

It's my favorite time of the year; the annual year-end festivals! This time I even managed to catch two of them live (KBS' and MBC's) which never has happened before, and I was quite happy with the former and even more ecstatic about the latter. I never got the chance to watch SBS' on the 27th, but from what I've heard it was horrible so I'm not planning on either. Therefore there won't be as many performances included from that festival here, but even more from the two better festivals. MBC had the best one by far (and theirs have been my favorite for three consecutive years now), both in terms of staging, camera work as well as a good blend of special stages, regular stages and pre-recordings. Although it was long it managed to keep my interest up!

Top 10 K-Pop MV's Of 2015

I think that this was definitely the hardest category out of all of them because part of what makes K-pop so amazing are the many different kinds of videos, that are nothing alike those who are made in the West and where I come from. I often complain about videos being generic and sticking only to one formula, but truth is that compared to many western MV's they're still way ahead in terms of production value and quality. The K-pop MV is an investment as it's a highly important factor in what makes a group successful, and thus it's natural that there are a lot of great videos. After much debate I managed to select my top 10, but there were plenty more that I also enjoyed which are mentioned at the end. Enjoy!

SNS Friday #11 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Pink wishes fans a happy new year!

Glorious Photoshoots - December Round-Up

Suzy's shoot for 1st Look might be the best one she's ever done. I'm astonished by her beauty.

In The Midst Of Controversy, IU's "Twenty-three" Is Still A Stroke Of Genius

I consider myself an IU fan. Not the most dedicated one admittedly, because I haven't listened to all of her material and I only started liking her with the release of "Modern Times", but at the current stage in her career I do casually stan her. Not only do I think she's incredibly talented, sweet and beautiful, but I appreciate that there is a female idol that's also an artist and a songwriter. Either way I was mildly excited for her upcoming mini album because I love everything she's released since 2013, as she's taken a step away from typical idol pop music and started exploring new genres and sounds with her growing musical identity. Title track "Twenty-three" might be the most radio-friendly song on the album "Chat-Shire", but it has a brutally straight-forward message that makes it everything but ordinary.

Glorious Photoshoots - October Round-Up

Welcome to the October photoshoot round-up everyone! This month we've truly entered the fall season, at least where I live, and it does show in most of the included photoshoots as well. Above we have A Pink's leader Chorong, who looks gorgeous for Sure. 

Song of the Week #48

IU - Heart


"Heart" by songstress IU is a self-composed song that was released and served as an OST for her drama "The Producers", and also managed to take the number one spot on the singles chart in South Korea. The more IU has grown and started composing her own songs you can tell that she has a preference for these type of minimalistic, stripped-down tracks with focus on vocals and harmonies, and she excels in them. I personally love this song as I think it's sweet and beautiful but also very touching, as she truly reaches out to the hearts of the listeners.

5 MORE Female Idols That Rock Short Hair

Remember my "6 Female Idols That Rock Short Hair" post a while ago?
After some consideration I decided I needed to add some additional idols to turn it into a complete and fulfilled post, since the previous one was lacking a bit in quantity. The male version that I posted recently is packed with hotness and I thought the ladies deserved some updated sexiness too.

AOA's Choa


Although I really like her in longer hair her blonde bob has become her signature look, and for good reasons. Few people can be so captivating and look this amazing with this do.

Miss A's Min


Min has almost always had a shorter hairstyle, and it works magnificently well for her. The few times her hair has been long it looked awkward, but a guess a fierce girl needs a fierce hairstyle.

f(x)'s Luna


I still cannot believe how fantastic this blue-gray bob looked on Luna, and how happy I was that SM finally gave her a haircut that made her stand out like the star she is.

IU


Now I know that IU is a fairy princess that looks pretty every single moment of the day, but when she cut her hair I was in awe of how effortlessly she could transition from long to short.

Nicole Jung


Nicole of ex-Kara fame has worn many variations of hair length of the years, but I think she has had shorter hair for the most part and if you look at the pictures above, can you blame her?

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.

50 Most Beautiful Female Idols (50-41)

The time has finally come, guys. Now take in mind that these are all my personal opinions and if yours differ than that's fine. Remember that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.


50. AOA's Seolhyun


I certainly don't think she's as pretty as some people make her out to be, but definitely pretty enought to earn a spot on this list. I would say her personality helped a lot too, as I find her quite endearing, and her body is smoking hot.

49. Rainbow's No Eul


This girl is a lot prettier than what she gets credit for, which is shame, but than again the entire group falls under the same category. I really don't know too much about her either but she stood out to me right away when I first encountered Rainbow during their "Tell Me Tell Me" promotions.

48. Hello Venus' Nara



I'm not lying when I say her smile is one of my favorites ever. Seriously, she looks so radiant when she smiles it lights up the room. Now that Hello Venus has returned with two new members I'm hoping they might gain some more recognition, and I hope Nara will be officially acknowledged as Korea's new smiling angel.

47. A Pink's Hayoung


Not only does she have a unique face but she also has, by far, the greatest body out of A Pink which earns her major bonus points. Her strength lies in her easily distinguishable look that sets her apart from her band members. She's also a 96-liner like me, but that totally hasn't affected my decision at all.

46. Fiestar's Jei


Jei kind of looks like a hamster to me, a cute one of course, and especially when she smiles. I think it's the teeth that makes it. However, she is very pretty and stands out the most in her group that's full of pretty members. If only they where a bit more popular.

45. Crayon Pop's Ellin


Ellin is just crazy pretty. I don't understand why people aren't going nuts about her because she's the most gorgeous thing ever. Her smile is like kittens and unicorns and she has an amazing personality that's both funny and sweet.

44. AOA's Hyejeong


There's an obvious reason as to why Hyejeong is the second face of the group next to Seolhyun. I don't know if you've been put under her spell yet but if you haven't I can guarantee you it won't be long until you are.

43. IU


IU's image wasn't always a favorite of mine, but with her jazzy album "Modern Times" she really turned me into a fan. I loved seeing this mature, grown-up side of hers and I honestly think she's getting more and more beautiful each day that passes.

42. BoA


Life must run by so smoothly for this lovely lady. Can you imagine being that talented in dancing and singing and looking incredibly beautiful at the same time? No, me neither. God certainly doesn't create us all equal.

41. Rainbow's Woori


Is Woori hot? Yes, yes and yes. I was extremely upset when she cut her sexy locks off for "Tell Me Tell Me" as I didn't think it suited her image at all, but I think she's growing it out again. Such a beautiful woman deserves some long, sleek hair.

Best Of Kpop 2013 - Music Videos

Part of the reason that makes kpop so great are the fantastic music videos that accompany many of the songs. These are my top 10 mv's that were released in 2013, of those that I have seen (in no particular order).

Best Of Kpop 2013 - Albums

Since it's now 2014 and a year of kpop has gone by, I thought I would start with a summary of my favorite albums of 2013. (This is only full length albums, so I haven't counted in minis or single albums).