[Misc] Thought Corner: Kpop Hopes In 2021

It's been tradition over the last four years to start the blog off with this type of post, so despite less attachment to the Kpop world, here we go. Linked is another SM rendition of "Hope" with their current roster, and man... It feels me with equal amounts nostalgia and depression seeing all the people who are no longer there. Heechul (and Sungmin) not there. Taeyeon and Taemin the only representatives of their groups. EXO with just Kai and Baekhyun. No f(x) at all. NCT members are like 40% of the entire present roster, and I'm pretty sure there are more of them that aren't in the video. It's crazy seeing the evolution and passage of time within a company, and in general. No BoA is omega cringe, but at least Kangta was there at the end. Anyway that's enough of that. Now let's look back at what I looked forward to during January of 2020, before the world-shattering events.

[Misc] American Kpop Idol Hall Of Fame

Today we shall take an objective look at the top ten Korean American singers of all time. Of all time! These male and female artists proudly represent the United States of America on this hallowed special day. We'll briefly discuss their talents and accomplishments maybe, though that seems pointless. If it wasn't obvious, this shouldn't be taken seriously at all. Five female candidates and five male candidates because I'm not sexist. Here we go, happy 4th or something.

Tiffany

These aren't in any order, but when it comes to Korean Americans in the industry, Tiffany is the first member that comes to mind. She also was randomly generated into the first slot, so the number manipulation knows what I want. Of course she was part of Girls' Generation and had many a solo and group endeavor since those debut years. You know there really isn't much to write for these entrants, it's all fluff and humor anyway.

Jae

One of the newer generation of idols, Jae represents them with his position here. There are others, like a couple Seventeen and NCT members, but Jae takes the spot with additional flair of being in a band. DAY6 has plenty of official releases that have flawless English versions and he's certainly a reason for it. Jae also does an online podcast primarily in English, which is cool.

Ailee

There are gonna be a handful of soloists here and Ailee's appearance should not be surprising to anyone. Sassy and supreme in vocals, Ailee has done great work across the decade. Hell, years ago she was the likely candidate to take a campaign to the US and succeed.

[Misc] Thought Corner: Kpop Hopes In 2019

Welcome to 2019. Kpop Hopes takes over as the first post of the year, and I'll begin to reclassify some of the older blog posts as Thought Corner posts. Kpop Awards are coming, but first let's look at predictions from the past and for the future. It's always hilarious to look back and see exactly how dumb I can be. This is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill. We're going hard or going home. Before we look ahead, we'll take a look backwards at my 2018 predictions.

[Misc] Top 10 Girl Group Members Of The Future

Not sure how I'll categorize this post. Anyway I'm going to highlight the next big stars in the Kpop world. This will talk about ten girl (group) members who I believe will hit jackpot over the early years of their career. Whether it's to the level of IU and Suzy, or to general acknowledgement as one of the best / talented group members, the girls on this list all can make a claim. I'm pretty much calling my shot with some of them. When they are super popular in a few years I can look back here and claim I was a prophet.

Yuju
We'll get some obvious members out of the way first. Yuju made quite the impression early with GFriend, and has continued to be the driving force in their music. As one reddit user put it best, "it's not a GFriend song until Yuju hits the sixth octave." Yuju is currently a top 10 girl group vocalist, and definitely the #1 of the current generation of idols. She might not end up being the most hyped on the list but she'll always have plenty of power behind her.

Soyeon
As far as new rappers go, Soyeon ranks pretty high up there. Of course her debut just missed the latest installment of Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings, but I'd estimate she would be in the top 12. Her skills are reminiscent of LE, and her charisma of CL. Those are two names that any rookie wouldn't mind being attached or compared to. Soyeon is the carry of her group (not gonna type their name out) and that will come with both the good and the bad.

Tzuyu
This is a lil' bit of a cheat, as Tzuyu is arguably on that pedestal level already. Her youthful beauty lends to her popularity and if she isn't on the same realm as Suzy, Hani, and Seolhyun then she's only a little behind. She's certainly got the looks to compete, and being in such a popular group like Twice only helps her. Other members might be more talented than her, but the one with breakout potential will always be Tzuyu.

[Bonus] Wild Kpop Episode II: EXID & BESTie Edition

"What if BESTie went viral in 2014?"

This series is inspired by the Reckless Speculation posts over on the NFL subreddit, which in turn was inspired by the "N-if-L" series by Dave Dameshek. The "wild" is a reference to the wild format of Hearthstone where any and all cards are available. In short, it theorizes how a single decision or event being altered would create a series of domino effects and change the future. Granted, the world of Kpop is more rigid than the world of football (there's no free agency, different contracts, etc.), but it's all for fun speculation and puts my imagination to the test, and that's precisely why I decided to take a crack at it. In today's episode (that's been sloppily pushed back month after month), we look at what could've happened to the careers of two "sister" groups if some fortunes had been reversed.

[Blog] The New Guard

By time of writing, there are some 10 girl groups who have disbanded, will disband soon, or are as good as disbanded. Groups in the first category include KARA and Wonder Girls, groups in the second category include Sistar and T-ARA, and groups in the third category include miss A and After School. I'm really sad - stop taking them away! Frankly, it's harrowing to think so many of the girl group staples are never coming back. If you looked at a list of girl groups pre-2010 and their status in 2017, it paints an extremely depressing scene.

[Blog] The Argument For Subunits

Yeah, I know. Two consecutive blog posts, especially given the duration between posts is certainly unexciting. Even more dull (or annoying, depending on your perspective) is that I'm going to be talking about subunits again. The last time around I devised some subunits for girl groups I'd like to see, and that happened not too long ago. Do I feel cheap for doing so? Yes, but at the same time it's been busy busy busy for me (not to mention this is only the 7th overall blog post of this season) and this will be refreshing in some way. Upon closer inspection, I last wrote about subunits in November so it's not too bad.

[Bonus] Girl Group Subunit Theory

I'm finally on Thanksgiving break - which for some reason is an entire week this semester - but hey that means I have more time to kick back, relax, and do pointless writing. Today I'm going to list my five most desired subunits I'd like to see. The possibilities of these actually happening range from possible to ridiculous, but it's all for the fun thinking. I'm not going to come up with names for these theoretical subunits, because quite frankly name creativity is not my strongest suit, but I'll talk about each one and what I think they'd bring to the table.

Sistar: Hyorin and Soyu
Alright so it's not like Hyorin needs any more proof that she carries Sistar. But since Sistar19 seems to be buried under 200 feet of concrete, a new subunit could be sweet if nobody else from the group is to go solo. They are contrasting singers that could tackle almost any genre together, simply due to the greatness of Hyorin. Alternatively, you could ruin the lives of all Bora fans by making Soyu the main vocalist and Hyorin as the rapper. That would be awesome and disheartening at the same time.

[Bonus] Kpop Free Agency: End Of The Rainbow

Another group bites the dust. Rainbow is the next act to say goodbye, and with that it is time to debut a new series called "Kpop Free Agency." It will explore the landscape of Kpop groups and member changes, if only to appease my desire to make the industry more like a game. Though technically, this isn't the first time I've ever written a piece like this (though it is ancient). Also, these will be much easier to write than reviews. But rest assured, those are still coming! There are a handful of November comebacks on the way and I'll try my best to not miss many. Anyways, I'm going to pick a few names from disbanded groups and try and place them into new groups. Mostly for fun, but some decisions will be more serious than others. Let's start!

Youngji to April
Look, by now DSP is a relic of the past. KARA is finished, and Rainbow has now joined them. Youngji made her way to stardom by becoming a member of KARA, so joining April - the last surviving DSP girl group - makes sense logically. Sure, there'd be a pretty significant age gap between her and the youngest member, but that isn't something foreign to groups anyway. Plus, Youngji is certainly capable of turning to the bubblegum pop side. I'd never like it if that actually happened, but hey this is all theorycrafting anyway.

[Misc] New-ish Girl Group Member Spotlight

As usual, production takes a dive as school gets into full swing. I'd like to review Jieun and A-Pink's newest songs if time allows, but meanwhile, here's a quick piece to satiate my writing desires until October. With my 7th year in Kpop in full swing, it's time to take a look at the new generation of groups and members. This is basically a Bias Power Ranking but only for the relatively recent wave of (girl) groups. Anyone that debuted during or after 2014 is fair game. To avoid seeing too many familiar names from the true Power Rankings, I've restricted one appearance per group. This serves as a reminder to names I'm invested in as their music develops.

Wheein / Seulgi / Momo / Jennie

It's no surprise to find Wheein here. She's quickly gained traction in the group with her adorable personality and soothing vocals. Wheein was the first member I was truly smitten by when watching "Mr. Ambiguous" and that trend easily carried over across subsequent releases. Irene may be Red Velvet's star visual but Seulgi is not far behind (excluding her orange appearance in "Russian Roulette"). She's a fierce dancer and an underrated vocalist in a group gaining momentum. Speaking of, perhaps there is no single member who is hotter right now than Momo of Twice. She leads the J-Trinity and is an incredible dancer - watching her dance is a treat. Jennie makes headlines for being a long-time trainee, but she possesses talent, too. She could easily become the next Minzy for YG, as her rapping, singing, and dancing are all solid and will only get better as time passes.

Yuna / Chungha / Elkie / Yuju

I never said the members here had to be from active groups, heh. Yuna got shafted by the collapse of The Ark, but her rapping is no joke and if there was any girl I wanted to get a second chance with a group, it would be her (I've given up on the Jucy train). I still don't fully understand I.O.I, but what I do understand is that Chungha is so charismatic and intense it hurts. She's got a killer gaze and killer moves, easily the main member of the group in my eyes. Elkie is from Hong Kong, so I have a natural instinct to be curious about her, as we both speak the same languages. She also has potential to rise as a singer if CLC ever branches out into different genres. Lastly, leaving out Yuju would be so disrespectful, so here she is. Yuju is the premiere (female) vocalist of the new generation of Kpop, with enough power for a small country, probably.

And there you have it. There are plenty of other noteworthy individuals, including but not limited to Mina of Twice, Mimi of Oh My Girl, and all of Purfles. There is no lack of talent in these new generation girl groups, and it should be an exciting time to observe them all, or try to anyway. As long as they all avoid extreme bubblegum pop songs...

[Misc] Girl Group Member Hall Of Fame

What would a Kpop Hall Of Fame look like? This was a fun thought I had been toying around with over the last few days as I was shamelessly delaying reviewing WJSN's "Secret," as well as reading too much NFL-related material. If we had to construct a Kpop Hall Of Fame or a Mount Rushmore, who would belong in it? Let me first list some points of order regarding my thought process. For starters, this will be a group member HOF, so no soloists. That will unfortunately leave out legends such as BoA, Hyori, etc. whose careers are extensive. Conversely, I'd be looking at the industry as if it stopped existing after today (like a meteor was about to destroy the planet or something). This means it's unlikely to include members from newer groups, which is unfair but we're looking at the complete body of work which will naturally favor veterans. Without further ado, here is my suggested list of 12 members (because formatting), presented in alphabetical order.

CL (2NE1)

CL is perhaps in many ways a no-brainer for a list of this kind. Upon debut, she separated herself from the crowd of girl group rappers with her fiery energy (pun most definitely intended). Her stage presence is insane and is (was?) the driving force behind 2NE1. She had strong raps throughout her career, and is gifted in the vocals department, too. In Kpop's heyday she made a name for herself as both a rapper and as the iconic fearless leader of one of Kpop's most badass girl groups.

Erin (9MUSES)

It's without a doubt that a cornerstone of success for 9MUSES during the 2013 era was Erin's rapping. Her rap breaks displayed all her talents: flow, speed, charisma, etc. "Wild" was the best song in all of 2013 and Erin's rap is a top 3 girl group rap of all time. The consistency she showed with 9MUSES is nearly unmatched by any other girl group rapper, and only now do they get a chance with her no longer being active in the industry. She'll always be in the discussion for best girl group rapper of all-time.

[Bonus] Wild Kpop Episode I: Wonder Girls Edition

"What if Hyuna stayed with the Wonder Girls?"

Welcome to a new series I've decided to call "Wild Kpop." This post is inspired by the Reckless Speculation posts over on the NFL subreddit, which in turn was inspired by the "N-if-L" series by Dave Dameshek. The "wild" is a reference to the wild format of Hearthstone where any and all cards are available. In short, it theorizes how a single decision or event being altered would create a series of domino effects and change the future. Granted, the world of Kpop is more rigid than the world of football (there's no free agency, different contracts, etc.), but it's all for fun speculation and puts my imagination to the test, and that's precisely why I decided to take a crack at it. In today's pilot episode, we explore the status of three girl groups if one member decided to stay with her original group.

[Bonus] Girl Group Soloist Theory

1. Minzy (2NE1)
Minzy. Needs. A solo debut. This girl is a premier girl in Kpop when it comes to being a jack of all trades, master of none. Minzy possesses a stable lower register, flighty rapping skills, and is a top notch dancer. That's the complete package, and if that isn't worthy of a solo debut I don't know what is. Minzy could easily have a more dance-oriented number as the title track, and have other songs on the album like a slower ballad and more poppy tunes like some 2NE1 stuff. Unfortunately, this will either not be happening soon or at all, with CL's impending march onto the American market, any other 2NE1 related activities will be on hold.

2. Taeyeon (Girls' Generation)
Rumors are this is already going to be happening, but Taeyeon obviously would excel as a solo artist. She's pretty much perfect for ballads (something along the lines with Kyuhyun's "At Gwanghwamun" for example) but has proven she can do pop and other genres, as seen in Girls' Generation's variety of music. Taeyeon is already the #1 of Girls' Generation in so many aspects, giving her a solo debut on top of the subunit might make up for the fact that 2014 was completely disastrous for GG. Oh and while we're at it, let's not have troll teaser concept photos either. Please and thank you.

3. Soyu (Sistar)
Now Soyu had a pretty busy 2014. While a plethora of collaboration projects is nice, that doesn't substitute for a full length solo album release. Soyu has a beautiful stable voice. Her range is far lower than Hyorin's, but she's very consistent and I've never heard her strain for notes (though perhaps that's because Hyorin takes all those). Each release has utilized her graceful vocals so a solo debut would be no exception to this. I think that Soyu's best song this year and a half was "The Space Between" with Urban Zakapa, which really capitalized on her smooth voice. Something similar would do her (and Sistar) a lot of good.

4. Eunjung (T-ARA)
Jiyeon, Hyomin, and Eunjung are perhaps the biggest names in T-ARA, and logically Eunjung should have her chance at a solo debut next year, following the footsteps of Jiyeon and Hyomin. Eunjung is similar to Minzy in that she's a very well-rounded idol. No specific strengths (outside of looks heh) or flaws, and if Jiyeon had a fantastic release that brought out her talents, then Eunjung can surely be just as good if not better. T-ARA had a good year with "Sugar Free" and Jiyeon's "Never Ever" (both songs just missed out being on the Best Of 2014 at #21 and #23, respectively), An Eunjung solo should help wipe the memory of the other T-ARA member solo that we don't like to talk about as having happened. Seriously.

Just Outside: Sera (ex-9MUSES)
I actually want this comeback the most, especially since we've seen Nicole leave her group to return with a produced solo, I'm hoping something like this is in the works for Sera, though I don't think she's signed on with any label. She's been uploading clips to Youtube relatively frequently. If this is the fate she's left with then it's a shame. Sera's got one of the clearest and purest voices in Kpop alongside Secret's Jieun. Would be unfortunate to see that go to waste.

Just Outside: Luna (f(x))
This nomination is also technically a stretch, given how unlikely f(x) activities will occur in the foreseeable future. Still, Luna is amazing and her versatility could also come into play, letting her tackle electronic dance pop, while still having a reliable beautiful voice for slower songs. Luna is the only person keeping f(x) relevant in terms of music, so give this girl a chance at the solo stage, I'm sure she'd kill it.

Honorable Mentions: Bohyung (Spica), Seungyeon (KARA)

[Bonus] Kpop Free Agency: Soloists

We’ve all imagined idol group shuffling, where members get exchanged for some dream, interesting, or just downright wacky new groups. But what about solo artists? What if they had the choice to join groups? Would they go for something that they’re right at home with, or try something entirely different?
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Ailee

There’s no secret that Ailee wouldn’t mind being in a group. Ailee has stated in interviews that she gets lonely at times and thus would love being in a group. Ailee named 2NE1 as the “dream” group she would like to be in. While Ailee’s powerhouse vocals and fluency in English would certainly help out 2NE1′s foray into the US (and the thought of listening to her in songs like “I Am The Best” and “Falling In Love” are highly entertaining), there is another group more tailored to her skills. Imagine if you will, Hyorin and Ailee the powerful juggernaut vocals of Sistar’s music, with Dasom and Soyu providing supportive transitions with their lighter voices. Ailee’s addition into Sistar would not only improve the already excellent vocal quality of Sistar, but also bring some more diversity in terms of the rapping. Bora and Ailee can share parts, which will either bring more exposure to Bora or force Starship to give Bora some singing lines.

IU

While a little behind on the timing, IU’s maturity from (bubblegum) pop to more serious songs really strikes a tune with Girl’s Day’s transition to “Expectation” and “Female President.” Girl’s Day has always been one of the girl groups with better line distribution, so including IU in the mix will not leave her overshadowed or underrepresented at all. IU’s voice brings another layer to Girl’s Day’s vocals, with her higher register meshing well with Minah. IU’s distinct voice will also provide a blend from members like Sojin and Yura who have lower voices. The primary difference that would result from being in a group like Girl’s Day is the outfits in MVs which are more revealing in contrast to IU’s more conservative outfits. All in all, IU’s unique voice and charm could help bring Girl’s Day into the spotlight with the recent releases.

Lee Hi

When first brainstorming this topic, Ailee and Lee Hi were the first two that came to mind. Ailee easily found a home with Sistar, but for Lee Hi, something was different. Her rich voice certainly appeared to be a valuable asset and could appeal to any group, but when you look at her music, it is so very much “YG” that it was difficult to think of a complementing group. A group like Brown Eyed Girls would bring challenges for Lee Hi as she tackles different genres, but joining 15& would accentuate the distinct voices of the girls already in the group. Something not yet mentioned thus far is age, which Lee Hi not only fits in age-wise, but also by the age of their careers, both having debuted in October of 2012. This also was the more interesting choice since she’s going from YG to JYP, but Lee Hi’s proficiency in English enunciation will only help her with the plethora of English found in most JYP songs.
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This was just a few ideas amongst a multitude of solo artists. I didn’t mention more seasoned singers like BoA and Younha, while neglecting male solo artists like Huh Gak and Se7en entirely (although for the latter, that may the better choice). The world of group theory is a diverse and interesting one. Who are some solo artists you could see fitting into groups, and which groups are they?