Glorious Photoshoots - January

Park Se Young for InStyle.



Seohyun for Nylon. 



Park Bo Gum for Arena Homme+.



Girl's Day for Allure.



Krystal for W. 



Seventeen's hip-hop unit for Dazed & Confused. 



Monsta X for Cosmopolitan.



Eugene for InStyle.



Yoo Ah In for W. 



Park Seo Joon for Harper's Bazaar. 



Jessica Jung for W. 



Chaeyeon for The Star.



Song Ji Hyo for W. 



Shin Se Kyung for Marie Claire. 

15 Favorite Title Tracks Of 2016

It dawned on me as I was making this list just how many good songs were released this year. I never had the thought that 2016 would be such a good year musically as the year was passing, however in hindsight I can definitely say there's been many great releases. Additionally I did notice that compared to my "K-pop 2015" playlist there are many more tracks on this years', which also tells me that 2016 did deliver in that aspect. Like last year I'm going to make a separate post for title tracks and b-sides, just because it would be too difficult to cram the two into one ranking, as well as expanding the list to 15 tracks instead of 10. I listen to way too much music, basically. Let's go!


Red Velvet - Russian Roulette

Funnily enough I wasn't much into the song at all when I first listened to it, but after hearing it a few times I couldn't get it out of my head. I love the electronica-infused bubblegum-pop sound and the chorus is incredibly infectious.

NCT U - Without You

Every once in a while a song comes along that at first listen has an impact big enough for you to feel your life slightly changing. That was what happened with this track as it from the beginning made me feel something completely new and different, truly feeling every note deep inside my heart.

Produce 101 - In The Same Place

Out of all the songs B1A4's Jinyoung has produced for girl groups this year (and you will see many more, I promise) this one is my absolute favorite. It's sweet and feminine but at the same time mature, heartfelt and absolutely stunning.

Luna - Free Somebody

When a group member goes solo you always wonder what direction they will go musically, and boy am I happy that Luna didn't go down the ballad route but instead chose to show off her vocals in this dance track. Such a good song.

Taeyeon - Why

I didn't exactly love this at first either but after a while it did become my favorite song of the summer, with it's EDM-influences and dance-friendly sound. It's a new genre for Taeyeon and she pulls it off just as flawlessly as one would expect.

Block B - Toy

Another song that might have flown slightly under the radar this year is Block B's "Toy", and it almost did to me too had I not heard it live at Kcon. It's a really chill track with great rapping (as one would expect), great lyrics and heartfelt vocals sung to a beautiful melody.

BTS - Blood, Sweat & Tears

You wouldn't expect a BTS song not to be here, right? It's almost as if everything they touch turn to gold, which was proven once again with their comeback this past October. It does have a different sound from their past work but they pull it off amazingly.

I.O.I - Whatta Man

I know that this song was sampled and thus isn't exactly a new, original song, but the arrangement of "Whatta Man" did kind of blow me out of the water. The power, attitude and fierceness is real with this track and I love every bit of it.

GFriend - Rough

It was difficult to chose between this song and "Navillera" as both were great tracks, but I think that at first listen I liked "Rough" a tiny bit better. It's a song that's very "GFriend-esque" but showcased a slightly more mature sound to round up their successful schoolgirl trilogy.

B.A.P - Skydive

"Skydive" provided me with the kind of content I've been wanting to see from B.A.P since like 2013, and that's not an exaggeration. I absolutely love the song and its raw power and force, with great rapping, vocals and a chorus that gets to me every listen.

EXO - Monster

Here as well I found it hard to pick between "Monster" and their other fantastic title track "Lucky One". However this one came out on top due to it being slightly more powerful, with a chorus that hits so hard it's impossible to forget.

Monsta X - Fighter

With Monsta X I once again had to choose between the two great title tracks they've released this year, but as much as I loved "All In" as a comeback I actually liked and listened to "Fighter" more, at least when looking at my top hits of 2016 on Spotify.

WJSN - Secret

This comeback did kind of come out of nowhere in the sense that I didn't expect it to be of such high quality. The title "Secret" isn't groundbreaking or without flaw but it still stuck on me and I have been listening to it countless times since it came out.

Boa & Beenzino - No Matter What

SM's "Station" project did provide some great material throughout 2016, but my absolute favorite has to be this electro-pop track by BoA and Beenzino. It has a very fresh and modern sound that I could definitely see being popular even in the US and Europe.

Dal Shabet - Someone Like U

Last but not least we have arguably the most underappreciated jam of 2016; Dal Shabet's "Someone Like U". It's a great 80's influenced pop track with a catchy melody and vocals. I do wish they would've gained some more fame with it because the song is that awesome.

Honorable mentions:

GFriend - Navillera

EXO - Lucky one
Taemin - Drip Drop
K.A.R.D - Oh NaNa

I.O.I - Very very very

Day6 - Letting go

Berry Good - Don't believe 

SHINee - Tell me what to do

BTS - Fire
Monsta X - All In

10 Favorite Music Videos Of 2016

As the year of 2016 is coming to an end I'm left with conflicting feelings. This year has really been coming for 2014's title as the worst year in K-pop year ever with some of the best veteran K-pop groups like 2ne1, Rainbow, Kara and 4Minute splitting up, members leaving groups and countless other scandals. Thus 2016 has also marked a change in the field as most of groups that are active are now from the newer generations, and it's quite strange to witness that transition. The players are completely different now compared to even three years ago, and although I like the new groups a lot I've been around long enough to be able to compare the music scene now to what it was back then. On the other hand I do think 2016 has provided us with good music from many different groups, and as usual I'm going to present my favorites of the year through different posts.

To make things more fair I've decided to only allow each group one entry per list, and that goes for all the other rankings for this year's favorites. Had I not some groups would have been quite over-represented because there is quite a gap between different companies and their conditions. So without further ado I give you my favorite music videos of 2016 in no particular order.

GFriend - Rough 


GFriend kicked 2016 off with a bang, as their song "Rough" killed the charts and remained in the first place for weeks without interruption. The video for the song was equally stunning with it's genuine and vulnerable portrayal of friendship and trust as well as growing up, growing apart and finding your way back to each other. "Navillera" was awesome as well,

NCT U - Without You


SM's new boy group project made everyone confused with it's concept of never-ending members and units, but one thing it didn't do was put out a less-than-stellar music video. One of the title tracks for NCT-U's debut, "Without You", had me feeling all sorts of ways when watching it along with the fantastic song. This too tells a story of love, friendship and adolescence with spectacular visuals, effects and camera work.

Wonder Girls - Why So Lonely

Wonder Girls truly found their way back to the Korean public's hearts this year with the release of reggae-inspired "Why So Lonely", and along with a amazing song the video was also a great follow-up to last year's great MV for "I Feel You". It has everything from a great story to fantastic use of sets and props as well as gorgeous visuals.

Winner - Baby Baby

One of the groups to suffer a member loss in 2016 was Winner whose lead vocalist and composer Taehyun is no longer with the group, and it was his contribution that made this release possible. "Baby Baby" is in itself a wonderful song but the video truly made it come to life in a completely different way. It's just astonishingly beautiful and touching.

Red Velvet - One Of These Nights

It was hard choosing my favorite between "One Of These Nights" and "Roussian Roulette" as Red Velvet's best video this year, but at the end it came down to which MV moved me the most, which seems to be a common theme in the video's I've picked for 2016. Although this comeback wasn't as successful the song and video are both gorgeous, with the MV being one of the most beautiful pieces I've seen in a long time.

Taemin - Press Your Number


With Taemin's solo comeback and the video for "Press Your Number" I felt that SM truly showed just how much they're capable of in terms of making music videos, as they've stepped up their game tremendously in just the last year or so. This MV really momentarily turned my world upside down with its fantastic storyline, visuals and production value.

Oh My Girl - Liar Liar

Oh My Girl had many great releases this year and although I liked the video for "Windy Day" it was clear that "Liar Liar" was the superior MV. I adore the concept, the camera work and editing as well as the sets, styling and plot. There wasn't really much I disliked about this video, to be honest, and I truly wish Oh My Girl could return to this style for next year.

Cosmic Girls - Secret

Starship makes a great move with the video for WJSN's first comeback "Secret". I adore everything about this MV; from the cosmic concept to the gorgeous scenery, visuals and element of mystique and space oddities. Compared to the lackluster debut this MV certainly suits their group name and gives them a new and improved image.

Monsta X - All In

Although the video for Monsta X's "All In" in itself wasn't perfect the impact it had on me was much greater. It made me confused but also curious, excited and intrigued, and marked a new era for this group. The story had me engaged from the start and the visuals were also beautiful and I'm starting that Starship must've hired a new creative director. Wise choice.

BTS - Blood Sweat & Tears

Last but not least we have everyone's favorite group of 2016 (me included); BTS, and in particular their comeback with "Blood Sweat & Tears". Although I'm not keen on the interlude in the middle of the MV as it kind of ruins the flow the rest of the video has very little to be criticized. Beautiful, thoughtful and extremely well-made sums it up pretty nicely.



Honorable mentions:

GFriend - Navillera
Red Velvet - Roussian Roulette
Winner - Sentimental
Twice - Cheer Up
Luna - Free Somebody
EXO - Lucky one
Astro - Breathless

Monsta X Continues To Impress With "Fighter"

Monsta X's first year wasn't very good, let's be honest. Their debut track and second single, "Trespass" and "Rush" respectively, were both quite forgettable and failed to make me take any kind of interest in the group. My eyes were first opened with the follow-up track for "Hero" which made me interested in their comeback earlier this year with "All In", which I realize in hindsight kind of turned me over completely into a fan of theirs. I enjoyed both the song and the video as well as the mini-album, and the concept they were going for with "The Clan" series. Now they've come back with the second part and a title track called "Fighter", and it's just as good.



It's obvious at first watch that this MV is connected to "All In" as there are a lot of similar themes, with the blue flowers being the main connector. Their function still remains unknown to me but it's becoming clear that the boys are all part of some clan that are in some way doing business with the flowers and their produce. The purpose or motive is however still unclear and I don't know how this video relates to the other in terms of chronology, because a lot of the questions that were raised earlier this year weren't answered here at all. Instead even more questions pop up; like what's the deal with the hospital, what is Wonho building and why are I.M. surrounded by Teddy bears? It's quite tricky to try and tie the two videos together with everything being so vague and confusing, but aesthetically it's more obvious that the two belong.

The production value is once again super high and anyone can tell that it's a video that took a lot of time and effort to put together. It really has a similar aesthetic to "All In" both in terms of camera work, editing as well as the set production. Additionally this video doesn't have any choreography either which I actually think is a good move. The music is better expressed through the plot of the MV and makes it look a bit cooler and a bit edgier in my opinion. Although I don't have a great idea of exactly what's happening I still appreciate that they are trying to think outside the box and not resort to a "typical" K-pop MV. 

Furthermore the song itself is amazing, at least in my opinion, and like with "All In" it sets itself apart from Monsta X's debut sound which wasn't any kind of amazing. This is certainly a rockier kind of pop track which I'm all for, and the balance between the rapping and singing is perfect, also unlike their debut stuff where the vocalists weren't made use of much at all. Kihyun sounds fantastic as always and Shownu is doing his job well too, but the biggest surprise of all is Wonho, who suddenly has as much lines as the other two. He sounds great too, which makes me wonder why they kept giving him so few lines previously. The rappers are, as expected, spot on with their parts and Minhyuk and Hyungwon are, well, very pretty boys. But they all look super hot in this video to be honest, and as ridiculous as it may be I very much enjoy Wonho's crop tops (and piercings for that matter).

The accompanying mini album is definitely worth a listen too, and so much so that I consider it one of my favorites so far this fall. Not only is the title track great but the B-sides are all super catchy too, with my favorites being "Blind" and "Queen". Their previous mini showed huge signs of progress and this one almost even more so. They're starting to find a sound and style of their own as well as producing songs that have great melodies, rapping and singing. As you can tell from my praising I do think I've become a fan of theirs with these last comebacks, maybe not so much that I would say I stan them, but definitely a fan of their music. I only wonder what the next (and possibly final) part of this series will bring, but I hope it's as awesome as this.

MV: 3,8/5
Mini Album: 3,9/5

Monsta X Intrigues (And Confuses) With "All In"

Monsta X is one of those groups that I kind of have a hate-love relationship with, as I'm generally torn between my dislike of their music and my love for the members. They're still fairly new as they debuted only a year ago, but already they've managed to carve out a signature sound that they're making sure of sticking with. EDM-influenced songs with lots of electronic beats and samples in addition to a lot of rapping and instrumental breakdowns has become their thing, and it's honestly not my cup of tea. I've never so far liked their title tracks ("Hero" being the exception although it was actually a follow-up track rather than a title) and although I love watching their variety shows I can't stan them 100%. Now they've come back with "All In" and judging from the teaser pictures it was difficult to make out what concept they were going for, but boy was I surprised when I pressed play on their brand new MV.

Glorious Photoshoots - February

Two of SM's most famous visuals; Yoona and Kai, shoot together for Elle and look amazing.

SNS Friday #19

Ett foto publicerat av 레인보우 지숙 (@jisook718) Feb 23, 2016 kl. 9:33 PST

Welcome to this week's SNS photo spree! To start off this post we have Jisook and Woori being cool cats.

SNS Friday #18

Ett foto publicerat av Jisoo (@actor_jisoo) Feb 11, 2016 kl. 10:14 PST

It's a visual overdose when actors Ji Soo and Nam Joo Hyuk come together for a selca.

Favorite Award Show Performances - 2016 SMA & GDA

I do love award shows, and although I love watching my favorites win what I like the most are the many enjoyable performances these shows often offer. Admittedly many of my faves do win awards, but that's just an added bonus. Another enjoyable aspect are the interactions that occur between different group members, and watching them dig and jam along to each other's music. I didn't quite have the will to do a full recap of these award shows, but I did find the time to at least present to you some of my favorite performances.