Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Chuu – Back in town.

This perky little song complements “Only cry in the rain”. I’m so glad that Chuu’s solo path has not been that of the “Seoul snoozer” ballad. I wish she had her hair in bangs for the MV, but I suppose we should just count ourselves fortunate for getting a second MV from the album. “Kiss a kitty” will, I suspect, never be given an MV, but if fan fantasies could be assigned viewing figures the numbers would be record breaking...

https://youtu.be/AwSeVU6ix78?si=K-LyWOSJ57vwbfmF

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Chuu #BackInTown

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Jonathan Emmesedi @jemmesedi

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Hearts2Hearts -- Butterflies +The Chase Fancam.

The "Butterflies" video I was planning to post has been taken down , so I'm posting this fancam instead, which includes "The Chase" as a bonus.

I find Kpop RnB can on occasion be forgettable, but when it works for me, as it does in these two songs, I fall in love.

https://youtu.be/V9g6tyg38ic?si=q2U9H8ngX_vFy-As

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Hearts2Hearts #Butterflies #TheChase #GirlGroups

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Chuu -- Only cry in the rain.

This is my favourite Chuu release. I love its bittersweet sound, and this is one of those times when I appreciate the MV. I don't think it matters whether or not there is a coherent narrative, as the filming captures so much of the pathos attendant on moments of reunion, shared joy, and parting. Was it shot on 16mm? The look is so appropriate for the song.

https://youtu.be/NhoZ_BYqp0I?si=I_jGPjc-EjHQI9_R

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Chuu #OnlyCryInTheRain #MV #MusicVideo

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Kwon Eunbi – Hello Stranger.

Kwon Eunbi does this kind of dance pop very well, so I am not all bothered by it sounding similar to “Underwater”. I liked the colours and overall look of the MV, although I am not quite sure what is going on with the flute. Kwon Eunbi herself looks, as always, magnificent.

https://youtu.be/xQn_Jz2hKKs?si=3Bg8QEf_v58nC7ry

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #KwonEunbi #HelloStranger

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen ifeye – Nerdy.

This track has so much that appeals to me – the prechorus, chorus, vocals...I hope the group releases more with this sound.
Although the MV had its charming moments, this dance video has captured more of my attention, in spite of my finding some moves odd and some outfits off; I suppose the perfect Kpop video, like the frictionless mechanical system, exists only in theory.

https://youtu.be/n2GTS3s8rMg?si=gMVk3ZY3Helgr3p6

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ifeye #Nerdy #GirlGroups

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Solar – Want.

One of Kpop’s best vocalists delivers a stage brimful of performance energy. As well as sounding great, Solar looks on point from bangs to heels. Some have criticized the song itself, which puzzles me, as it seems an excellent vehicle for Solar’s voice. I don’t always love fan chants, but here they add to the excitement of the performance. All in all, a stage that fills me with joy and makes me happy to be a Kpop fan!

https://youtu.be/f2f3e-i0FlQ?si=P4ggzh6dBr77-heP

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Solar #Want

@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

With Kpop, I quite often post performance videos and stages rather than MVs proper. Most of the time, this choice reflects nothing but my personal preferences and preoccupations, so rarely does the question of whether an MV, a PV, or a stage is "better" arise.

When it comes to Le Sserafim -- Come Over, however, the question does arise, and an answer can be given that is not merely an expression of purely personal preference : the music show stages really are better than the MV.

Judging by the gushing comments on r/kpop, I think many will disagree with my judgement, so I ought to offer some justification. "Come Over" is a fun but repetitive bagatelle considered just as a piece of music. What makes it more than a forgettable trifle is the unusual and distinctive choreography, as I pointed out when I selected a Music Bank stage for #KpopOfTheWeek a fortnight ago: https://c.im/@jemmesedi/114170071321400525

One would have hoped that a good performance video focusing on the choreography and the retro fashions that complement the choreography so well would have been released. Alas, no. What we get instead is a hybrid MV and CF for Android that actually omits some of the most striking dance moves, such as the opening sequence of high kicks. The synchronized swimmers are poor compensation . To make things worse, AI has been employed to incorporate a sequence of two group members' enlarged heads emerging from interior walls in a sequence more appropriate for a horror film.

What a missed opportunity this video was!

https://youtu.be/z_uqieM8VGM?si=O68Pk89J3c9H-WL8

1/3

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen STAYC – Bebe.

I’m not too sure about some of the vocals, but on the whole this is a piece of dance music I find most appealing. In spite of some significant musical differences, “Bebe” reminded me in both sound and looks of aespa’s club banger “Whiplash”; I’ll append a
stage of that song as response to this post.

I will also append a picture of STAYC in the outfits they wore for today’s Inkigayo. If I were to say which set of outfits I like better in general, I would pick those of Inkigayo -- Yoon in those gloves! – but I have chosen to highlight the Show stage because I think those outfits suit the music so well.

https://youtu.be/ETLu7WiAeUc?si=Ci_i2_lCB_cT3pgX

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #STAYC #Bebe #aespa #Whiplash #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

I've been posting a lot about Kpop recently.

This frequency was not my original plan when I started on Mastodon. In fact, I started #KpopOfTheWeek with a resolution to confine my kpop posting to this once a week schedule. By limiting myself, I hoped to achieve three objectives.

In the first place, I hoped not to swamp the timelines of people who follow me but who have no interest in kpop. I also wanted to put a ceiling on the amount of time I was devoting to idols, comebacks, choreo videos and all the rest of it. Finally, I hoped that forcing myself to pick out just one MV or stage each week would oblige me to discriminate in the best sense of that word: to make thoughtful and careful choices.

My plan for self restraint hasn't quite worked out; as the charmingly unidiomatic title of that excellent Twice song puts it, "I Can't Stop Me". I dread to think how many non kpop fans have muted or blocked me, and I do worry at times about the hours I am devoting to kpop. On the other hand, I have found that selecting just one YouTube for #KpopOfTheWeek and writing a line or two to explain my choice has helped me think more clearly about my Kpop preferences and has saved me from mindless thumbs uppery.

Aaah! I had to get all that off my chest. Now please enjoy the Twice Studio Choom!

#Kpop #SocialMedia #Twice #ICantStopMe #StudioChoom

https://youtu.be/vWAC8Wkt9ok?si=5EEllgTfr_xfrW8I

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen ILLIT – Almond Chocolate.

So much Kpop has caught my attention in the past week that it has been difficult to choose a single song or stage. I ended up going with “Almond Chocolate” because I love the strings, synthesizer, and girl group vocals combination. It’s a song in the same space as early Lovelyz, and it’s a sound I adore. Just like almond chocolate, it’s sweet with a little bitterness too.

The song was originally in Japanese and will be used in a Japanese film. As I’ve noted before, we shouldn’t underestimate the importance and complexity of the Korea-Japan dimension in kpop.

I chose this stage because I like the coordinated but not identical white outfits. Minju (braid, skirt, long sleeves, ending fairy) is adorable!

https://youtu.be/DDzxfRX1FFE?si=8TJyRJFBO8ZU1-dJ

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ILLIT #AlmondChocolate #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Le Sserafim – Come Over.

Let me make it clear right away that I don’t think “Come Over” is a song for the ages. I don’t even think it’s the best song on the album, as I found both “Ash” and “So Cynical” more engaging musically; “Hot”, as so often is the case with Le Sserafim title tracks, left me cold. No – I’ve chosen this “Come Over” stage because of the choreography, which is strikingly different from the girl group norm. As a bonus, the wave hairdos look good and Eunchae (fun fur top) unselfconsciously confirms my belief that she is one of the prettiest idols.

https://youtu.be/JtJwVC-s27o?si=uL5B5SyCZu3H8NJJ

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #LeSserafim #ComeOver #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen STAYC – Beautiful Monster.

Although this concert took place more than a week ago, this video has only recently been uploaded. The song itself is much older, being a title track from two years ago. I haven’t looked at the sales figures, but I do know that it was less successful than their previous title tracks. Perhaps STAYC were overshadowed by the emergence of New Jeans, or possibly the group’s breaking with the “teen fresh” sound explains the relative lack of success. I love it; like so many pop songs I enjoy, it has a bittersweetness to it. Yoon has said it remains a favourite with the group themselves.

I find the song well suited to live performance, because the electronic aspect of the production is not absent, but what stand out are the distinct acoustic elements like the guitar and flute. In addition, the vocals carry an emotional weight for which a live stage is appropriate. I remember criticism of Yoon’s singing, but I love her distinctive voice here. I also thinks she looks so stylish in those flared pants and boots.

https://youtu.be/UYxXwnqu3i8?si=gsvVpG6ExP2Cwxf3

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #STAYC #BeautifulMonster #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Hearts2Hearts – The Chase.

I don’t know how successful this debut has been as far as sales go, but online I have seen much unfavorable commentary, with words like “underwhelming” and “nothingburger” being flung around. On the other hand, some have fallen in love with “The Chase”, and I am of that number. For me, the vocal harmonies, the bass, the adlibs, and the bridge come together to create a song that is not dark yet still dreamlike, mysterious but not menacing...“I love the way you love the chase”.

To return to the business side – some have questioned the wisdom of putting out a song like this as a debut. I’m not sure; perhaps SM have enough company stans and oomf in general to pull this off. What SM will do next with the group, Naevis only knows!

I chose to feature this showcase stage even though the video quality is dodgy because I love the outfits, especially the cardigan tops. Jiwoo in the white, pastel pink, and charcoal grey combination looks adorable. With the bob, she was almost down as my bias, but then Carmen’s distinctive voice and looks won me over.

The outfits here complement the tightly synchronized choreography. Looking at Inkigayo today, I think the ending pose has been tweaked to prevent the awkward concealment of a member that so often happens with even numbered groups. I wonder why SM did not make this a nine member group. It would have obviated choreographic awkwardness and also given them the opportunity to internationalize the group still further, by including a member from Japan or China. Perhaps this inclusion didn’t happen because SM, mindful of Jessica’s unhappy departure from SNSD, feel that nine member girl groups are jinxed.

https://youtu.be/xtPO_fTX-es?si=k8NXvfHgJygQAYFU

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Hearts2Hearts #TheChase #GirlGroups #SM
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen H1-KEY -- Letter

This was a B side for the comeback when the pop rockish “Let It Burn” was the title track. This stage has only been uploaded recently; I’ve never seen it performed before. I think they’re singing live – but do I really care? I might if I’d paid a lot to see them perform…

I can imagine Lovelyz singing this; it’s a style of kpop I find pleases me very much.

Riina , who is on the extreme left with the high ponytail, has been my bias, but recently I have been wrecked by Yel, who is on the extreme right in the black and white crop top.

https://youtu.be/emubOyOHYDo?si=0JBq15wx0bzeqSKp

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #H1Key #LoveLetter
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Chung Ha – Stress.

This week I have been spoiled for choice with the Hanteo Music Awards, wonderful RESCENE performances at both music shows and fan signs, and some cute concept girl groups at the Music Chocolate Festival. In the end I decided to go with this Chung Ha Music Core stage of Stress.

Although “Stress” is hardly innovative musically, this lack of innovation will be a problem only for those who fetishise originality. For a piece to be original in form might be an aesthetic virtue, but it is not a necessary condition of excellence. “Stress” works as a well executed dance piece, and is none the worse for being generic.

Some of Chung Ha’s recent releases have not hit the spot with me, but this most definitely does! I imagine hearing it late at night in a club coupled with a Hello Gloom track…

This stage captured me because of its yoga opening, Chung Ha’s styling, and , of course, the choreo!

https://youtu.be/Mluq3_ThOVs?si=Z8YbuYX7ZjejL5iU

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ChungHa #Stress
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

I first became aware of Kpop when some students gave a presentation on it, including a dance cover of Super Junior -- Sorry Sorry.

That presentation piqued my curiosity , a curiosity which became a passion once I discovered Girls' Generation.

I think there is a considerable degree of overlap in our Kpop tastes. I don't know, though, how open you are to "cute" kpop.

Anyway, you can get a better picture of what I like by following my #KpopOfTheWeek hashtag.

Once again, thanks for talking about how you got into Kpop. i don't have anyone beyond social media who's interested in discussing this.

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen RESCENE -- Crash.

I enjoyed the title track on the "Glow Up" album, but this is my favourite track. I love not just the vocals in themselves but also their arrangement. "Crash" is absolutely my Kpop cup of tea! I hope they release a performance video in the next few days.

RESCENE make me so happy...

https://youtu.be/8kRucJDItlQ?si=Q-HsmchYH8UF87Q-

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #RESCENE #Crash #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Yoon, J, Rei, and Liz-- Rock U (Orig. KARA).

Normally I am not so keen on chants, but what precedes and follows here is some wonderfully melodic writing from Sweetune, providing a context that makes that chanting quite winning. I love the production, and think all the girls’ voices work well together here; Yoon and J are always favourites of mine. For this stage, the school uniform look echoes without replicating the the KARA stages of long ago.

Where would Kpop be without school uniforms, especially the “Clueless” variant? There’s probably an article, or even a book, to be written on this topic.

https://youtu.be/puQ9jG6ek_g?si=SxH6sV__uCqg9CAF

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Yoon #J #Rei #Liz #RockU #KARA #Sweetune #GirlGroups #SchoolUniforms
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen BBGIRLS -- Love 2.

I was looking forward to this BBGIRLS release and was not disappointed by the city pop sound, the urbane midtempo maturity of which suits this group so well. There was so much to love about the outfits here too, not least the colour coordination. I just wish the song were longer!

https://youtu.be/zG5xQjW8sx8?si=Ve7RpR7m_kSNJaLj

#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #BBGIRLS #Love2 #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@kpop@fedigroups.social @kpop@a.gup.pe

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Red Velvet – Run Devil Run --Arranged by Simon Petrén.

I found it difficult to decide this week, as I enjoyed the BB Girls comeback and the GFriend Season of Memories concert.

Ultimately this RV performance won out, for three reasons. In the first place, the SNSD MV has a special place in my affections, as it helped me through a period of poor health, so I was naturally attracted to this reworking of the song. Secondly, the distinctly adult sound of this arrangement appealed to me. Finally, all three (what happened to Yeri and Wendy?) impressed me visually, with Joy in particular looking absolutely gorgeous.

If I weren’t so tired I’d elaborate on that last point by writing more about why the visual and performance aspects of kpop matter, but those thoughts will have to wait for another time.

https://youtu.be/h8AA-_Ky4GY?si=_ylDxbhBdanXeTuX