Hwasa Conquers Her Inner Struggles In “María”
Mamamoo member Hwasa released her first solo album “Maria” with a title track of the same name.
Review (daebakwhovian): *See a track-by-track review and explanation of the album here!* The queen is back! I absolutely love this album. The title track is one of those songs that sound upbeat but hide a deeper and more somber meaning. In that way this has a similar feel to last year’s single “Twit”, and both make good use of Hwasa’s deep tone and carry a ‘totally unbothered’ (but also kinda sorta bothered) attitude in a way that few but Hwasa can pull off. The bass in the background builds up in the pre-chorus to a charismatic hook with an addicting groove. Some may feel like the dance break came out of nowhere, but the Latin-inspired shift was foreshadowed a bit in the instrumentation and chord structure. Was it necessary? Maybe not, but it was unexpected and different. The choreography is also captivating and unique from what many K-pop solo artists may tend to do. Overall: Hey Hwasa, I think you may have dropped this 👑👑👑
SUNMI Lights Up the Night In “pporappippam”
Former Wonder Girls member turned solo artist SUNMI released the single “pporappippam”
Review (daebakwhovian): Two queens releasing hits in one week? What’s a multifandom blogger to do? To me, SUNMI has a monopoly in the market of ‘quirky pop’. Her (arguably?) biggest hit “Gashina” (everyone knows that finger gun dance) followed by “Heroine”, “Noir”, and “Lalalay” have 2 things in common: they’re all bops, and she’s weird in each one of them. It’s a unique style that totally works for her. This newest release is also unique, with its ‘new-tro’ instrumentals and styling, giving off a fantasy dream sequence vibe with equally dreamy lyrics. It feels like “Video Killed the Radio Star” meets “We Are Young.” It’s interesting that they chose to write out the Korean title phonetically instead of translating it (보라빛 밤 means purple/violet night in English), but hey, I don’t make the rules. I don’t find this as memorable as her other singles, but I definitely wouldn’t skip over it on a playlist either. Overall: Aesthetic and quirky, just like SUNMI.
Other Updates:
- PENTAGON released a performance video for their Road to Kingdom stage “Basquiat,” a reference to artist and cultural figure Jean-Michel Basquiat. Although I still can’t get over the live vocals of member Hui’s high note in the original performance, the video’s blockbuster move vibe and directing match the fierceness of the lyrics and choreography. This song is the perfect amount of intense, and I feel like casual fans who only know the group from there 2018 hit “Shine” will be pleasantly surprised. I’m still bummed that PENTAGON (spoiler alert) didn’t win Road To Kingdom, I hope this release will earn some attention for this underrated group.
- AB6IX released their second mini album “VIVID” and a music video for “The Answer.” This comeback was pushed back due to the recent departure of leader Lim Youngmin. Despite the member change up, the album stays true to the group’s sound. I actually find the b-side tracks a lot more interesting than the title track (“Red Up” would be a better choice in my opinion). Here’s hoping the rest of the members can continue strong!
- Seven-member girl group Weeekly (no, that’s not a typo) from PlayM Entertainment (home to Apink and Victon) made their debut with the song “Tag Me”(@Me).
- Former girl group member turned R&B soloist SAAY released her new digital single “I’m Okay”. Check out the live version here.
- Three-member girl group 3YE (pronounced ‘third eye’) released their first mini-album “TRIANGLE” and an MV for the title track “Yessir”.
- Former Produce X 101 contestant and X1 member WOODZ (Cho Seung Youn) released his first EP “Equal” with the title track “Love Me Harder.”
- JYP Entertainment’s NiziU (a Japanese girl group formed by the survival show Nizi Project) released a pre-debut mini album “Make You Happy” before their official debut later this year.
- Zico released his new EP “Random Box” with the title track “Summer Hate” (Feat. Rain). It’s not as catchy as his viral hit “Any Song”, but I am always up for seeing more of Rain, who apparently never ages.
- EXO’s Baekhyun made history by becoming a ‘million seller’; his solo album “Delight” is the first to sell over a million copies in nearly two decades. Check out our review of the album here!
- You may be extra, but are you Big Hit Entertainment and TXT level extra? TXT released a 20-minute ‘music video’ (it’s literally a movie you guys) for the B-side track “Eternally” off of their latest album. Big Hit is known for their complex music video storylines with BTS…which I have also never been smart enough to decipher. It sure is pretty though. (Check out a pretty good theory video here).
- Enlistment news:
- Dojoon, member of the 4-member band The Rose, confirmed he will enlist in the military on July 6 through a handwritten letter.
- VIXX member Ken will also enlist July 6 and released the goodbye ballad “Counting One By One” on July 4.
- Actor Kim Min Suk was discharged early (due to COVID-19 procedures) from the military on July 5.
- *Content warning: bullying, self-harm/suicide* If you or someone you know is in danger, or need someone to reach out to see this list of international suicide and counseling hotlines.* This week former member of the girl group AOA Kwon Mina revealed on her Instagram (again, content warning if you choose to visit her page) that she had been persistently bullied for years by a member of the group. She cited specific examples, including an incident where the member (who was unnamed initially) dragged her to the closet and told her not to cry over her father’s passing because she was ‘ruining everyone’s mood.’ As a result, she turned to sleeping pills and attempted suicide. Because she mentioned the offender’s father had recently passed, people speculated that the unnamed member was AOA leader Jimin. Jimin posted (and soon deleted) an Instagram story with the word “Fiction”, to which Mina shared another series of posts this time naming Jimin, showing pictures of her wrist scars and asking for a sincere apology. She also stated that FNC Entertainment (AOA’s company) knew about the situation and did not listen to her. She later posted in reply to Jimin’s Instagram apology and her in-person apology. Both FNC Entertainment and Woori Actors (Mina’s agency) released official statements. Ultimately, FNC announced that Jimin would be leaving AOA. This is not a topic to gossip about or speculate, so if you just want to read the facts of the situation I would recommend Soompi’s articles on the matter.
K-drama Corner:
- Cable network tvN released a teaser for the second season of Forest of Secrets (aka Stranger on Netflix)!!! I’m beyond excited to see a continuation of one of my favorite dramas. The first season followed the emotionless prosecutor Hwang Si Mok (played by actor Cho Seung Woo from God’s Gift-14 Days) as he teamed up with no-nonsense police officer Han Yeo Jin (actress Bae Doona, Kingdom) to solve a serial murder case and fight against corruption. Confirmed for a second season last year, the first script reading took place in January. Season 2 is set to premiere after It’s Okay to Not Be Okay in August. You can watch the trailer here.
- Tvn drama Oh My Baby finished its run this week. This drama was definitely stronger in its first half, but the ending was satisfying and I will remember it for it’s well-written characters. You can read our mid-way point review of the drama here.
- Any fellow sci-fi fans? MBC released a new poster and teaser for sci-fi project SF8, an anthology series by eight different directors helming 40-minute films. The series will start airing on MBC in August.
- Lee Joon Ki (Lawless Lawyer, Moon Lovers) and Moon Chae Won’s (Good Doctor, Criminal Minds) new tvN drama Flower of Evil released new teasers. The show will follow the pair’s seemingly perfect family life as the detective wife (Moon Chae Won) starts to suspect that the father of their child is hiding a dark secret.
- Other dramas premiering this week include Hwang Jung Eum’s rom-com Men Are Men/ To all the Guys Who Loved Me and office drama Into the Ring starring former After School/Orange Caramel member Nana.
What were your favorite headlines this week? Let us know in the comments!