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.
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.
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.
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.
God Bless Ryu Sera. She's been off the national Kpop grid for a long time and been doing small independent work and uploading to her Youtube channel. There's a little of everything here: new music, covers, reactions, language videos...hell I even saw a mukbang too. I chose to link the above video because as a strong fan of 9MUSES during their glory days, it's nostalgic and bittersweet watching Sera go over her past with her perspective and comments. Also helps that she is hilarious and adorable with her reactions and mannerisms throughout. And she and I are the same in that we both cringe watching videos of our own performances haha. Watching her being so emphatic about "Dolls" and saying it was her favorite after "Last Scene" really proves that it was an underrated legend of a track. If you were a fan of hers during her group days, this is 100% a must-watch. Maybe a 9MUSES retrospective post is in order one of these days because this group really didn't get enough credit during their ridiculous 2013 campaign. Obligatory fuck Star Empire for what they did to these girls both before and after debut. I don't watch much Youtube content for Kpop nowadays, but standouts like Sera and Dara may change that in 2020.
With Sulli and Hara's news I had to delay this quite a bit. Seemed too prickly to post about biases after something like that. Then apparently my spreadsheet with all my Power Ranking information got corrupted? Or at least the Bias Power Ranking section did? I don't know what's going on. So while I'm remaking that page from scratch, there's also gonna be a change in format. Previously the top 12 members were included but now I'm cutting that down to 10. It was originally for the artwork purposes, but ten is a much cleaner number plus I'm getting lazy and less invested in following these members super closely. These lists will likely be made twice a year from now on, and depending on how long this blog goes on maybe even just once a year will suffice.
Taking a huge tumble downward is Jennie, in the same manner that her group and label have done over the course of 2019. Supposedly there's a comeback around the corner from Black Pink but with all things YG (and Kpop in general), I'll believe it when I see the actual music video. For now I will place enough respect with her to keep her on the cut down list. Somin rises mostly due to Jennie's fall, as KARD have failed to impress me with their last couple comebacks. On the other hand AOA's "Come See Me" was a decent but more importantly welcome release showcasing the group as five, explaining Hyejeong's jump. Olivia is the new hotness on the prowl as Loona continues to gain momentum - this next comeback is fucking huge - so she'll blitz up the ladder as a result, though not nearly enough to topple the veteran Eunji's position. She has been a stalwart of the middle ranks and it'll be hard to make that change.
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.
Damn, November is half over already. What's been happening? Kpop has not been my priority as of late with work (both current and trying to find new), new games (Legend Of Bumbo and Pokemon) and adopting a cat (I'm in love). But this does not mean the end is nigh. In fact, if I don't publish anything else this year it would still be 3rd place in terms of number of posts, and I definitely have more in the tank for the blog in 2019. With that business out of the way, how did Mamamoo fare after giving me a glimmer of hope during the teaser?
Mamamoo is coming back before winter rolls around, and I for one welcome them having a chance to fight Twice for the end of the year stuff. This teaser is a culmination of their plethora of previous teasers, all of which were classic Mamamoo in how quirky and goofy they are. It'll be interesting to see how they incorporate all the teasers into the music video, since there were a lot of teasers. Solar was a weird alien princess and a boxer, Moonbyul was a videographer / director and choreographer, Wheein was a painter and protestor, and Hwasa was a broadway performer(?) and mom. That's...eight personalities to incorporate into a MV, on top of the other dance scenes and outfits we see here. These new visuals are as tacky as the members are, and I definitely don't like Solar's weird hair. The song sounds good at a glance, paired with an interesting-looking choreography. As always I look forward to eating well as a Mamamoo fan. My expectations have been raised slightly. Please do not come back to bite me on this, I'm begging you.
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.
The queen is back. Taeyeon has returned with a new album "Purpose." If I was a true fan, I'd go and review the entire album but I know myself: I'd try and give up halfway through because I'm a lazy piece of shit. To that end, here we have the title track of this album, "Spark." Because I'm true Taeyeon trash I exposed myself to the music video teasers (and highlights from the album, too) so I was feeling pretty good about another solid Taeyeon release. Here's what I think.
Touted as one of my favorite / best Secret songs back in the day, "Love Is Move" was never reviewed - because my Kpop blogging experience started in 2012. Nonetheless I had fond memories of the upbeat dance track. So much so that when I made a (very) belated Best Of 2011 post three years ago, I had it ranked as the #11 song. Time to take a throwback look at one of Secret's premier title tracks. There's the intricacy of reviewing an old song. Am I going off how I perceived the song then and comparing it to now? Should the current state of the group and or the industry factor in? Nobody knows the answers to these questions and certainly not me.
In honor of Twice's fourth anniversary, let's take a look at "Like Ooh-Ahh" and how the Kpop world was introduced to their newest girl group overlord and my reaction to their first song. Also holy cow it's been four years already since this debut. Help me I'm old.
Before this debut though, my honest opinion is that Twice doesn't have to try very hard. Miss A has yet to establish themselves as a top tier girl group, plus the general inactivity has left a gaping hole in JYP's girl group roster. Anything from a decent to average song will suffice.
Imagine telling 2015 fans that Twice would not only be the best girl group ever seen out of JYPE, but one of the top girl groups of all time in three to four years. Not to mention that both Wonder Girls and miss A would be out of order shortly after this debut. "Like Ooh-Ahh" matches up favorably to "Irony" and "Bad Girl Good Girl" and serves as one of JYP's best debuts to date.
My birthday was yesterday...I'm on the wrong side of my 20's now, ugh. I woke up to this video in my subscriptions and was almost crying immediately. 2NE1 will always be one of my favorite girl groups of all time and this is super sweet even though it's only half the roster (kinda like the "Spring" song). Listen to those Dara vocals! Admittedly I need to catch up on her Youtube content. Bom has been on Queendom and has a couple releases to her name now. Minzy has been pretty quiet on the music front last I checked, and CL is still with YG (hopefully not for long). Even if it's informal, there needs to be a reunion on their futures. Please. Blackjacks around the world need it. More content next week, 'cause for now I'm enjoying the long weekend. Hope y'all do too.
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.
This is blog post #500(!) and I finally have another edition of Girl Group Power Rankings. I'd love to say this was all part of my grand scheme for delaying this for so damn long but we all know that's bullshit haha. It's been a while so this will serve as a refresher course for the Power Ranking posts. Group Power Rankings are all about what a team has done lately, what talents they bring to the table, and how consistent they are / could be. They're all subjective lists anyway but I like showing the criteria I use, if only to keep my own rankings consistent over time.
Even though it's been a while, I still reference the previous list which was nearly one year ago (yikes), but also treat 2019 almost like a brand new year. Older groups that previously were on the list due to legacy but have since disbanded or "gone on hiatus" will not be making an appearance, so you won't see names like Girls' Generation, EXID, or Girls' Day on here. Though it should be mentioned that Brown Eyed Girls is having a comeback soon but their veteran status is so lofty it wouldn't feel right putting them here with these youngsters. In a similar vein, shoutouts to AOA for their participation in Queendom. They've handled well as a group of five.
Previous installments have included a "new releases" tab where I showcase some of their work between ranking posts and that trend will continue. No auxiliary releases though: only main Korean comebacks and other noteworthy efforts - there will be no OST work or Japanese promotions. Is that enough rambling? Alright, onto the list!
Honorable Mention: Black Pink * New Releases: Kill This Love
In a company battle reminiscent of the late 2000's, YG's Black Pink barely edges out JYP's Itzy for the last honorable mention. They're contrasts to each other in many ways: BP has better rappers, Itzy has better singers, and both groups are known for their choreography. Itzy is a newcomer with a pair of meh tracks to their name so far, while Black Pink has been around with enough inactivity to kill a cow. Speaking of killing, "Kill This Love" was touted as the worst Black Pink release during my review back in April. While that statement still stands true I have thought better of it upon scarce listens since, plus it eases expectations for their next comeback in the year 2021.
Like Seventeen, Dreamcatcher is making their first song review appearance on this blog and came off a Best Of 2018 placing. Unlike Seventeen however, I have always had my eye on Dreamcatcher (since the rebranding anyway). Their style is unique among the sea of copycat girl groups and they've justly picked up a strong following. "Deja Vu" continues their 2019 campaign after "Piri" and some miscellaneous material like "Over The Sky" and a Japanese promotion.
Seventeen have primarily enlightened me through dance, so I have never reviewed any of their songs. Even when I was in school and my crew covered many a Seventeen song, it wasn't until I personally started learning their dances through covers that I took notice. Outside of "Thanks," which ranked as my #3 song in 2018, they've mainly been average on a good day. None of their other title tracks appeal to me and that includes "Getting Closer." Sure they have some decent tracks here and there and almost always deliver with their choreography but the songs by themselves leave much to be desired from a group with so many members. Let's see how their inaugural review appearance with "Fear" goes.
Who let BM name this track? Seriously, "Dumb Litty?" The man is a meme machine...and I love it. After "Bomb Bomb" failed to produce hype for me, this is their chance at redemption. They've certainly proved they are no fluke since debut, but having a shaky sequence of title tracks would not be doing them any favors. Since there's no similar group competition (per se) they have to make every comeback count. They've yet to snag a major win right? The time is nigh my KARD friends.
Teasers for "Dumb Litty" have looked promising, with an inherent god / goddess theme and a hard-hitting sound that we've come to expect from KARD. Jiwoo and Somin look amazing as always, with Jiwoo gaining the post-teaser advantage. Not sure if it's the makeup (or Somin's own being less good) but she is as striking as always. The dance teaser that was released yesterday showed some more audio - and framed awkwardly might I add - so we know more what this track will be like once it's out on the 22nd. If the chorus is anything to go by, then consider me unenthused. It's the standard mixture of repetition and English which aren't that exciting, much less coming from KARD. At least the choreography looks pretty sweet, and as you've all heard me rant before, I'm dying for some good choreo this year. Should the verses and rapping hold up to their standard, it may be enough to salvage the poor chorus.
There hasn't been a lot of time to write, but over the next week I plan on writing my thoughts on the DAY6 concert, with reviews for Dreamcatcher and Seventeen. Then throw in a retro or more realistically, a fluff piece before god forbid I publish an actual power ranking list for the first time in three months.
Heading to my first DAY6 concert tomorrow, it's time for their Best Of edition. Fun fact: you can look back to songs released in 2017 and find Youtube comments stating "this group has no bad songs." These statements still hold true to this day (heh). JYP has never had an artist as consistent as these dudes - if you conveniently ignore the Junhyeok departure,which to be fair happened early on in their career. As a result, I am overly excited for tomorrow's concert despite it being on a Sunday. Here are my picks for DAY6's best.
#10. You Were Beautiful
When I reviewed "Hi Hello," I talked about how I prefer they play more high tempo material. The energy inherent within a band's instruments should always be utilized. That being said I can appreciate the slow jam gem every once in a while. "You Were Beautiful" is a romantic nostalgic ride (for some of us anyway) with a gorgeous chorus that's equally exciting on both the vocal and instrumental fronts. The bridge is juicy and leads well into the final chorus. More importantly, there's no rapping from Brian here. You may expect to find this sentence in many of the songs on this list. Also shoutouts to the English version of this track, as when these are crafted well they're always a treat.
#9. Congratulations
Considering that "Congratulations" only ranks 9th, and coupled with the idea that DAY6 does not have bad songs, and that's mighty impressive. Like "You Were Beautiful" there's also an English version of "Congratulations," and both versions of the latter trump the former. Both songs are about an ex-lover but the energy in "Congratulations" is better and more infectious. This song showed everyone a glimpse of what DAY6 brought to the table with their instrument prowess and exciting voices. In the hall of JYPE debuts this is one of if not the top candidate. Ironically, both the Korean and English versions have Young K's best raps in their discography. So unlike their songs which got better and better, any rapping got worse and worse.
#8. Dance Dance
Honestly I'm gonna end up writing the same shit over and over for a lot of these entries. Oh well, whatever. "Dance Dance" brings high-octane fun for every listener. The harmonies (and to a lesser extent the chanting / audibles) throughout the chorus are DAY6 staples that will never go underappreciated by me. The middle section of the song (and the repetitive nature of the final 30 seconds) is considerably weaker (for rapping-related reasons) but that's more credit to how the rest of the song shapes up. "Dance Dance" does its job at making you want to get up and dance.
#7. Time Of Our Life
DAY6 the band made their latest title track an anime opening. Fans of both have been hella pleased. All the typical ingredients of a DAY6 classic are here: the driving drums and guitar, the uplifting vocals, the harmonies, and especially the lack of rap. By the way the "won" in Wonpil stands for "wonderful" because his voice is really something special. If I ever make an extended version of Boy Group Vocalist Power Rankings he'd be a lock for at least B tier. I've honestly really enjoyed this newest track over the last two months but I cannot give it any higher a placing than 7th. That'd be rude to the other selections at the top end of this list.
#6. I Need Somebody
The only other slow song finds its way onto the ranking, "I Need Somebody" is a masterpiece of an emotional jam. "Why am I alone?" is the question hounding throughout the choruses and the powerful voices of Young K and Sungjin really drive it home. And do you hear that bridge? The feels man, the feels. This is what I classify a "power ballad" with the naturally slow elements of a ballad intertwined with the emphatic backing instrumental and strong vocals. It's a beautiful track that quickly became a staple of my sad_zone playlist.
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#5. Somehow
Back-to-back B-side appearances on here! "Somehow" might actually have the best chorus of the entire list which is a damn bold statement to make. Sungjin and Wonpil did not play around with those high notes at all. The song flows extremely well from the light verses to rising prechorus and finally the magnificent chorus. And speaking of high notes, how about respect for my man Brian with his own during the bridge? I wanted to include the studio version but instead I found something better: fucking look at Dowoon's face during the first chorus. Should I witness something of this caliber tomorrow night I will consider it an absolute victory. Let the memes flow.
#4. Shoot Me
First it was back-to-back B-sides, now back-to-back selections from the same album. This is where things get really interesting. DAY6 and "Shoot Me" landed at #8 on the Best Of 2018 which is the best of their two entries on any Best Of 20XX list. Find out who was able to outshine this placing shortly afterward. To reuse a quote I've said about this song before: "Shoot Me" is full of energy and is exactly what you want out of these instrument-jamming kids. Jae has been as consistent as the band itself, but I consider this one of his best outings to date. It's only fourth here, but I imagine come tomorrow I will have jammed out to this song the hardest.
#2B. How Can I Say
Yep. I'm a mad lad. I couldn't decide between the bronze and silver medals, so I designated them as 2A and 2B. Sort of like the Minnesota Vikings with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs: both are really good receives and are WR1A and WR1B as opposed to WR1 and WR2. But anyway enough football what can I say about "How Can I Say?" The high-rise energy is there, the powerful drumming is there, and so is everything else you'd ever want from these guys. When this song could be considered a fucking baseline for their library, you're doing something right. And since this was released in early 2017, they have kept up with the good work.
#2A. I Wait
Everything fell into place rather quickly when drafting this post, but the battle between "How Can I Say" and "I Wait" was legendary. Truth be told I was nearly about to flip a coin to determine who got where before the NFL analogy came into play. "I Wait" is more of an earworm and the instruments are really fucking good - moreso than usual since we're talking about this band. Meanwhile, "How Can I Say" houses a more active chorus and is faster paced overall. You really couldn't go wrong with either song if you were forced to pick at gunpoint (which may or may not be how I felt while writing this).
#1. Letting Go
"Letting Go" is damn good. No more words are necessary to describe the beauty of this song, but alas we must go on. The sentimental value of this song is important as this was released shortly after Junhyeok departed for greener? pastures. Apparently according to Wikipedia, this was also the song that coincided with their first official stage debut. Plenty of historic songs have had their status amplified due to emotional significance whether early or late (think Super Junior's "Sorry Sorry" or Lee Hi's "Breathe"). A question I asked myself was how "Letting Go" compares to "Shoot Me." The former was #15 in 2016 while the latter was #8 in 2018. Considering the level of competition in 2017, the #15 spot is arguably more impressive than "Shoot Me" getting 8th last year. Plus, "Letting Go" was their second release - they had not perfected their craft quite yet back in 2016. Additionally, there's a rebooted version which erases Brian's rap in favor of a traditionally excellent DAY6 bridge, which gives this song even more points. Only putting the rebooted version would be disrespectful to the original, which was near-perfect in the groundwork. If I can only hear one song live at concert, it'd be this one no doubt.
#10. Jennie (-4) / #9. Somin (+1) / #8. Hyejeong (+1) / #7. Olivia (+3) / #6. Eunji (+1)