[Bonus] 2020 Kpop Awards

What, you wanted some sort of introduction to the 2020 Kpop Awards? C'mon now have you been reading anything I've posted this year? I stopped paying real attention to the scene back in late February and have been barely coasting by since then. So we have seven total awards of...exciting caliber. Who will take home the most lackluster titles to date, let's find out.

Best Girl Group: TWICE

The carousel of this award continues to spin round and round. Twice are back to winning this award after doing so in 2016. Coronavirus did not slow them down because they continued with another huge slate of releases both in Korea and Japan. While I wouldn't say that every single title was spectacular - especially because I don't give a shit about Japanese releases - their track record simply outperforms the competition. "More & More" was alright (though hella repetitive) but it was "I Can't Stop Me" that bolsters their position. Ultimately their production and falloff from their rivals leads them into a second Best Girl Group award.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Imagine thinking anybody besides BTS would be here. Imagine also thinking I'd really evaluate the landscape of boy groups this year. Fun fact: the first time I heard this song was in some random Samsung commercial and I didn't even realize that it was a BTS song. And no, it wasn't because of the English. Like this is the BTS award by now, with this being their sixth win in the category. I'd have loved to give another group a chance but the trio of "Black Swan," "Life Goes On," and "Dynamite" shut down many arguments. The numbers don't lie, and BTS are writing the books themselves.

[Bonus] Best Of 2020

Since I didn't follow Kpop much at all throughout the year, I originally only had 12 tracks on the ballot which wasn't enough to justify a separate post for honorable mentions. Thus, two songs ended up getting cut from the final version which is unfortunate but hey that's the theme of 2020. Also I am once again bitching about the formatting because it won't every align everything properly or the way I want. I will continue to be tilted about this shit as long as Blogger keeps it up. Or I eventually stop writing here...

#10. K/DA - More

Damn if K/DA doesn't release powerful music consistently. Last month I talked about the 1million cover, but this month it's time to talk about the song. And yeah, I'm never getting to that album review... Anyway, Soyeon continues to put in work. Her verse is incredible at setting the tone and pace for the rest of the track. Lexie Liu's Mandarin bridge was also delightful. K/DA have shown their talent at mixing multiple languages seamlessly. What can I say, I'm a sucker for multilingual music, and "More" uses all three extremely well.

#9. Suhyun - Alien

Kinda wild to think that Akdong has been active since 2012, yet we only got a true Suhyun solo release this year. "Alien" is distinct from the usual AKMU sound yet Suhyun utilizes her talent to still give it a typical feel. Her voice glides through the song and is a nice compliment to the more harder-hitting instrumental. Also I didn't know this but their channel literally posts the lyrics in the video description. Suhyun edges out Chungha for representation here. Retro groove drives "Alien" forward, something it shares with the next song coming up.

#8. Seulrene - Naughty

It's a good thing these lists are for music only, otherwise there'd be an Irene-sized can of worms to discuss. Anyway, "Naughty" has that right combination of groovy powerful instrumental, electric choreography, and soothing vocals. Tutting has always been rare in the dances of Kpop so seeing it as the center of "Naughty" is really cool. Of course that's because of the execution by Seulgi and Irene. The chorus is pretty bland, but overall the pieces fit together very well. This track surpasses their other release "Monster" because of its polish.

[Bonus] Best Of Karaoke Songs

November really do be ending soon huh. And I've done jack shit for wiring this month. The good news is that even if I never published another post the remainder of the year, 2020 would still be on the top half of all years regarding number of posts. So maybe we'll set a soft goal of 80 posts before December comes to a close. In theory that should be doable, as we still have two Late Reports, Best Of 2020, Kpop Awards, and then three song reviews next month would put us right at 80. Anyway, here are some of my favorite songs to sing. Treat this as a slightly modified shitpost.

#7. Baekhyun - UN Village

There's a soft spot in my list of favorite songs to sing from the EXO squad because they have consistent quality tracks and simply put, I enjoy singing their tracks. Mostly the slower ballads and the like, as "What Is Love" barely missed the cut. "UN Village" is fucking smooth and I wish I memorized the lyrics to this song. Baekhyun really shines in this element and yeah that's all there is to it.

#6. INFINITE - The Eye

Rarely does an energetic dance number like "The Eye" become a primary karaoke target, but this is a special case. Back in my college dance crew days we covered this song and I was on this team, and I have memories of singing along at practices to help get the timing down. Most people know it's difficult to sing and dance at the same time, and being a part of this song really hammered that thought into my brain. Shoutouts to another song that we covered: Madtown's "Emptiness" that also was similar in terms of the singing plus dancing combination.

[Bonus] The Late Report: August 2020

August wraps up with a pretty hefty edition of The Late Report. Let's check out what the last month had it store for us. Spoiler alert: there's actually some interesting stuff to go over so that's exciting. From serious to memes, good music to bad, variety is the spice of life.

JYP & Sunmi - When We Disco

And you know I'll start with memes! Twice? Itzy? Nah JYP is the comeback of the month because he's still got the moves even when he's almost 50 years old. Sunmi is of course spectacular in both voice and visual, and it's funny how she got to collab with him after leaving the label. The other funny aspect is the idea that these two put on a very simple choreography display for us after Red Velvet's tutting broke everyone's arms. How thoughtful of the legend.

Lee Hyori Assembles The (Female) Avengers

Holy shit you thought SuperM was a hype ass group? This quartet has it all. Lee Hyori, Uhm Junghwa, Jessi, and Hwasa. That is maximum bad bitch energy right there. That is combined decades of experience, talent, and wisdom all working together. And I expect something magical from this squad. My favorite comment was the in the r/kpop thread where someone said "Lesbians. It is our time." But yeah man I'm really interested in seeing what these four can bring to the table together.

Taemin - 2 Kids

Never have I pretended to know anything about choreography and that isn't changing anytime soon. Especially in my post-dance crew years. Anyway Taemin continues to produce art. That's all I really have to say. Watch the man work.

[Bonus] The Late Report: July 2020

Well shit, The Late Report is late once again. Unfortunately for my OCD's sake I refuse to cheat and place this post at the end of July. Over the next couple of days I'll have an update type of post trying to streamline the plans for the remainder of 2020. This year has been all sorts of fucked up, and my blog has been no exception. Anyway here are some treats from July that I'm sharing in August.

Chungha - Play (feat. Changmo)

I feel like I've said Chungha's name a thousand times over the last couple of months. She's been working hard and the results speak for themselves. "Play" was quite the loud comeback and I gotta say that I didn't really dig the song at first. However after a few more listens, the artistry and choreography got me hooked and even though I haven't been listening to too much Kpop in recent months this song got repeated a few times. Props to Chungha for continuing to develop herself as a singer, dancer, and artist. Through her work and talent she has joined the pantheon of great female solo acts.

[Bonus] Girl Group Power Rankings XI: Summer 2020

So it's been a long time since the previous installment of Girl Group Power Rankings. As such, this probably won't be as polished as I'd like. Plus, my waning interest in the girl group landscape (especially for newer groups) makes it difficult to rank groups, even with subjective opinions. Regardless I will do my best because that's what this blog is all about. The next ranking will be out before 2020 ends at least so there's some continuity available.

Honorable Mention: Black Pink
* New Releases: How You Like That
God it pains me to keep putting Black Pink here. Not only because they keep putting out shitty music, but because none of the young blood has piqued my interest enough to justify putting them here in BP's place. That and my status as a Jennie and Jisoo fan are keeping enemy groups at bay. "How You Like That" was completely disappointing at best and absolutely atrocious at worst. Their first ever studio album (literally called "The Album") has been delayed to October in traditional YG fashion so we'll see what comes of that later.

[Bonus] The Late Report: June 2020

Man, these are...not getting hard to write per se, but given the record lows of investment and attention I'm giving the Kpop world, I certainly have never felt more lost while making these posts. Thus it's more refreshing than ever to dig around and find out what's been buzzing in these ecosystem every few weeks. I don't plan on retiring this series just yet so we'll see what happens over the next couple of months. If the Late Report can keep chugging along until its two year anniversary in November, I think that'd be pretty cool.

Sunmi - Pporappippam

Everyone rejoice, for she has done it again. Weird title aside, Sunmi has returned with another electrifying dance number. The instrumental is beautifully powerful without being overbearing, and Sunmi's delightful vocals continue to do work. Redditors were saying how the opening was reminiscent of a Legend of Zelda OST. For some reason when I checked out the teaser I didn't agree, but my ears have fully opened and it's definitely out of a video game soundtrack. The rest of it is - as previously advertised - brilliant and the combination of the synths and Sunmi kills it again. Now that I've looked at the lyrics, don't the Korean words translate to "Purple Light Night" or something along those lines? You figure even a slightly scuffed translation would function better as a title, but who knows how the minds of these producers and songwriters work.

[Bonus] The Late Report: May 2020

I don't know what I'm gonna write here. There is...a lot going on in this world during 2020 and not much of it is pleasant. Music has not been as much of a getaway as it used to be and I default to gaming more often than not. Between Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem, it's got my bases covered. Anyway here's what was interesting in May.

DAY6 - Zombie

Man is it hard to avoid the music from this group when both my sisters only put their albums on repeat. Obviously it's still great music but I was never the type that could listen to the same thing over and over again. "Zombie" is the latest out of the band and it's another powerful piece. This coming off the heels of their break due to anxiety and other mental health concerns, is a proper and emotional track. There's also an English version of the song, which functions equally well.

[Bonus] The Late Report: April 2020

Ah, shit. I forgot that there are only 30 days in April. Oh well, we own our mistakes here. If you thought I didn't keep up much with Kpop before the pandemic, then boy this edition is gonna be shorter than Sunny. Let's see what I manage to scrounge up this time around.

Apink - Dumhdurum

One of the oldest surviving groups returned with yet another twist on their more mature sound. Gotta say that I am definitely loving their shift and the songs themselves are pretty solid. Unfortunately, they decided to ruin a completely viable song with the cursed rap line. In three seconds they committed three fouls: had a bad rap, had someone unfit to do said rap, and used the lame rising inflection at the end. The bridge is also pretty mediocre as far as Apink songs go. My sisters asked if I think Naeun had some surgery done, to which I responded "that's pretty much every idol though" and I stand by that. Although if anyone from Apink did something lately, I have a feeling it's Hayoung.

[Bonus] The Late Report: March 2020

With the world suffering under the wrath of coronavirus, the social distancing and quarantine shenanigans are out in full force. I've had more time to write but also more time to sleep or play Animal Crossing or do absolutely nothing. Nonetheless, March comes to a close with a very basic Late Report to go over.

LOONA - Sorry Sorry

You cannot escape the power of Loona. They have an extremely impressive collection of high-quality dance covers under their belt. And with Lee Sooman participating in album production, perhaps something like this was inevitable. Loona display chemistry and class with a cover of "Sorry Sorry," and even though there's autotune you can't deny the girls sound good. The choreography is also clean (as expected) and Yves does fantastic work as the center. If LSM sees potential this group, then you know they're doing something right.

[Bonus] The Late Report: Februrary 2020

February has come and gone, now we head into March. This was one helluva month, with comebacks galore and an extra 29th day to boot.

Everglow - Dun Dun

Dun? Done? Dumb? Which is it? I think it's actually a mixture of all three, but you can imagine my confusion on first listen. "Dun Dun" is Everglow's latest project and probably their most well-rounded of their three tracks so far. Thus, it's the one I like the best even though I'm not entirely sold on them yet. Everglow's trademark appears to be exhilarating dance tracks with impactful choruses that are loaded with lots and lots of energy. But for me it's the little things like the sly harmonies of each chorus that edge out "Adios" and "Bon Bon Chocolat." Aisha shows promise as a rapper with her voice and flow, I'm excited to see more of her.

Yezi - My Gravity

Hang on, this is Yezi...singing. What timeline am I in? Don't get me wrong, this is a gorgeous display of her vocal abilities, I simply was not expecting said display. This is the same girl that raps like a crazy dog and had a badass attitude on Unpretty Rapstar. The sheer surprise factor of how "My Gravity" is a ballad made me forget how I tend to really love the idols who are multitalented and Yezi is certainly showing she wants a place on that list.

[Bonus] The Late Report: January 2020

Whoops. Sometimes you just forget things. And I forgot about December's Late Report. Thus we'll have a super mega awesome combined deluxe version for this month (even though it'll mostly be for news from January regardless). These will also come out at the end of the month instead of the start of the following month, so this edition makes its debut on the final day.

Younha - Winter Flower

Alluded to in my review of "Dark Cloud," "Winter Flower" is a sensational track that features the brilliance of Younha's powerful voice with an electrifying instrumental and RM's appearance. Obviously he's a little busy as of late so he wasn't able to join her in this performance. No idea who BX is but he did a solid job stepping in for RM here. His voice is too nasally for my ears on a first listen but he keeps pace with the original, so props. I like this song so much that I'm trying to learn it on the piano. This will be the first time in almost a decade since I've touched a piano ha, should be a fun challenge.

BTS - Black Swan

Speaking of, here's BTS performing on the Late Late Show with James Corden. Considering that I did not look at any of the "Black Swan" releases of any form, I didn't know what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that this is very much modern BTS with the dancing and style of the song. Not surprising since this formula has been relatively untouched since their meteoric rise. The second thing I noticed was that they weren't wearing shoes. That couldn't have been easy. Shoutouts to the show and all because the whole setup was phenomenal: stage, scenery, lighting, etc. It's a great teaser for their upcoming album, that's for sure.

Red Velvet - Psycho (Remix) (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Kpop remixers really out here trying to add Nicki Minaj to every song. When it's this well-done, can you complain? No, you can't. Given that she has collaborated with BTS before, you could show this to someone new and they'd probably think this was legit. Okay given Nicki's lyrics probably not but you get the point haha. Since we've yet to see the rumored English version of "Psycho," a remix like this will have to do for now.

[Bonus] Cube Entertainment Girl Group Member Tier List

What better way to get rolling in 2020 than with some tier lists? EXO featured in my pilot episode and now we have a conglomerate of Cube girl group members, both active and disbanded. The five members from 4minute, the seven members from CLC, and the six members from (G)I-DLE will compete to see who will take the inaugural tier list of the newest year. We shall start from the bottom and work our way up.

D Tier: Sohyun, Shuhua, Yujin
The inhabitants of D Tier all share something in common: they're the awkward member of their respective groups. Not only that, they're all the forgettable awkward members of each group. Compared to the other idols they seem the least settled in their roles and coincidentally provide the least vocal utility on average. I also thought that Yujin was the maknae of CLC for the longest time but she's straight up like the 3rd oldest. That's how lacking I find her presence... Shuhua only recently broke out of the whole "sing one syllable in every song" phase so she has the most potential to escape this tier, but Sohyun's long career with 4minute takes precedent for now.

[Bonus] 2019 Kpop Awards

The coveted 2019 Kpop Awards are here, and actually in December no less. Just in time I say! The previous two years' awards were posted in January which should have been illegal. But hey we're almost at a new year, so new-ish me. These are always fun to write looking back on the year as a whole, and the narratives from other years makes for a fun clash. Here are the nine magnificent awards and their glorious, resplendent recipients. This may or may not be split into two parts.

Best Girl Group: Red Velvet

This was a competitive year between the usual top three dogs: Twice, Red Velvet, and Mamamoo. Each of them have taken home this title once in the last three years, and now Red Velvet are the first to grab their second award of this name. Mamamoo have been the most active, and Twice likely have the best numbers, but Red Velvet were not far behind in many of these aspects throughout the year. We don't speak of their first showing in 2019 but "Umpah Umpah" was a good summer jam while "Psycho" made plenty of good impressions with such a late release. Ultimately I believe that Red Velvet is most deserving by remaining the most consistent girl group showing marked improvements with each subsequent song.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Death, taxes, and BTS winning the Best Boy Group award. They've fully monopolized this category since the series debut in 2015 and until their military service fractures their production it doesn't seem like they'll stop. Their achievements, statistics, and legacy are overwhelming at this point considering all of the impact they've had (both the good and bad). Compound this with the fact that other groups of this generation simply cannot match BTS' output at an individual or group level and it's easy to see why they've had a iron grip on this award. Also worth noting is that they were unparalleled in the meme department as well. From "Seoul Town Road" to "Chicken Noodle Soup," BTS were firing on all meme cylinders.

[Bonus] Best Of TeryReviewsKpop

As we look onwards to 2020, the final post of this decade will be a retrospective of sorts. It's been eight years since I started writing about Kpop. Lots of reviews, rankings, and lists. Over the years more fluff and less serious-type stuff has also made appearances which I think has helped me sustain the brand. It's been lots of fun because despite not having a huge audience, the writing is what keeps me going with a useful hobby. Either that or smoke crack. So with another year behind us, and potentially more to come in the next decade let's take a look backwards. Here are my picks for my top five posts of all time on this blog. They are simply ordered in how proud I am of each post - whether it's the writing style, presentation, or overall feel. If I had to make a blog-related resume for some writing job, I would place these entries on there (maybe but not actually).

[Bonus] Kpop Free Agency: Soloists (2013)
During my extremely short stint doing some work for Seoulbeats, I churned out this piece regarding where some female solo acts would go if they could join a group. The writing itself wasn't spectacular but I thought the concept was well-done. Plus it was only a year into my blogging "career." This was pretty neat since it was the first time my writing was ever published outside of my blog. Granted that was the only time but still! Gotta take my small victories when I can.

[Bonus] Best Of 2019

Last year, the Best Of 2018 post was released Christmas Eve on which I worked. This year's Best Of 20XX will be released on Christmas Day. Can you guess if I worked yesterday? Hope you said yes because I'm drowning myself in alcohol over the next few days. These are my picks for the top tracks in 2019. Remember, it's just an opinion bro.

#10. Taeyeon - Blue

Starting off with a B-side? You goddamn right I am. Taeyeon has made more progress to her career this year, but none better than this somber and soothing ballad. Don't get me wrong, "Four Seasons" and "Spark" are both excellent additions and showed yet more of her brilliant versatility. Combined with her Japanese release "Voice," they make for a fine 2019 trilogy. However, the simple beauty of "Blue" rises above the rest. It definitely feels weird to have a B-side on the Best Of 20XX series but hey it's been done before. Hell, I'd argue that it's kinda surprising that none of her title tracks were better, though that may be because of her high standards.

#9. Mamamoo - Gleam

Mamamoo have had a year of ups and downs. Activity and popularity-wise they have been rolling, but between "gogobebe" and "Hip" nothing has really knocked my socks off. Then I remembered that they released "Gleam" which was more a promotional CF of sorts kinda like "Woo Hoo" was for some Samsung phone. The fact that it's an ad for (sun)glasses makes it better. It's the most polished Mamamoo track despite "Hip" being solid thanks to its simplistic nature. Shoutouts to the bowling alley dance floor. First a B-side and then a promotional song, what a weird start to this year's best.

[Bonus] Best Of 2019: Honorable Mentions

Christmas is almost here and that means the Best Of 2019 are also almost here. But before that, let's check out some of the songs that almost found their spot on that prestigious list. Some of these songs will be very familiar, as will some of the final set that drops on Christmas day. Nonetheless they are all here for a reason: quality tracks with a plethora of positives. Might not necessarily be the best of the remainder (when is it ever) but all are worth mentioning.

I'm actually going to go out of my way and list some of the songs I've previously talked about throughout this year. Since this is not a valid strategy for the actual Best Of 2019 post I'm utilizing it here. The leading lady of this group has to be Twice and "Feel Special." If these were ranked, their best work would surely have been #11. Such a fantastic dance number with many boons and a refined mature sound that they have been working toward all this time. Jihyo is god tier, and the members make solid contributions paired with a blessed instrumental. Had this been any other year it'd have been good enough for a higher placing but the competition in 2019 is super tough.

[Bonus] The Late Report: November 2019

My blog and random breaks, name a more iconic duo. It's been a rough time across the holidays...I won't front, my mental state has been in disarray for a while and even before that. Still, I'm gonna keep fighting and writing, as the latter is one of my most surefire ways to focus and recenter. I have some typical end of the year stuff to wrap up 2019, and we'll start December as we should any month: with the Late Report.

(G)I-DLE - Lion

I dread writing this group name every. Single. Time. Anyway "Lion" is their most complete work in their short careers thus far. The usual contributors are doing their thing: Yuqi and Soojin have their beautiful voices, while Soyeon drops yet another bomb rap break. But then the surprises like Miyeon rocking the chorus and sounding her best since "Pop/Stars," Minnie getting her chances to shine, and Shuhua getting more lines! This is as balanced a performance you'll ever see, and they continue to improve with every subsequent release.

[Bonus] The Late Report: October 2019

With this, a full year of Late Reports have been filed. I can safely say that I like this series' inclusion on the blog: it helps take any pressure off having to write multiple reviews frequently, is clean and easy to format and write, and is super resourceful when it comes to Best Of 20XX and any compilation posts. Very glad I decided to do something like this. Here's what caught my eyes and ears during the month of October.

Tiffany - Run For Your Life

It's been a hot minute since I paid attention to what the non-Taeyeon girls of SNSD are up to. Tiffany strikes fear into the hearts of fans with this freaky MV. Halloween came early with these music video because she's got some curious outfits and styling present in "Run For Your Life." Those distorted leg shots are unsettling to say the least. Everything visual appears inspired by the works of a young Lady Gaga, and so does some of the sound. In particular, the way the autotune (or whatever mixing is involved) and her pronunciation of "glitter" is what reminds of Gaga's older material.

[Bonus] The Late Report: September 2019

October is already here, yikes. Theoretically I should be able to match post count from last year but with me you're never too sure. Nonetheless, we move into a new month and that means a new edition of The Late Report. Here's what September had to harvest.

Twice - Feel Special

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Twice's "Feel Special" is definitely their best song to date. Like I mentioned in the previous post, there's many things to like about this comeback. The vocals, the setup, and upon further review the choreography is super clean too. The evolution of their style over the years has reached its peak with "Feel Special," and it appears all too likely that Twice have made their position on the Best Of 2019 clear: they'll be there in December when it's all said and done.