Kang Daniel Makes Waves In “Magenta” EP
Former Produce center turned Wanna One member turned CEO turned solo artist Kang Daniel released his mini album “Magenta” with the title track “깨워 (Who U Are)”.
Review: The controversial Produce competition series in general seems to be a double-edged sword. On one hand you can get immediate recognition from the general public even as a trainee. On the other hand, there often is a lot of behind-the-scenes drama that happens between stepping off the show’s stage and the participant’s actual career. Which is why I’m so impressed by Kang Daniel. After fighting legal battles with his former agency and returning from a mental health hiatus, he has made his own company, released two comebacks, and is already one of the highest selling agencies (in album sales, this year at least) despite having only one artist signed-himself. Background aside, I really like this concept of using different colors to represent different sides of himself as an artist. His last release, “Cyan” showed his mellow side- maybe a bit too mellow? “Cyan” was a decent album, but didn’t make him stand out to me. “Magenta” grabs your attention with each track. In “Who U Are”, I like the contrast of the more intense and trendy backtrack with Daniel’s smooth delivery. The sleek sounding pre-release “Waves” (feat. Simon Dominic & Jamie) could have easily been a title track. And the laid-back “Night” makes you want to look up at the stars while feeling sentimental. Overall: Long-time supporters will be happy to see more of Kang Daniel rapping and performance skills, and casual fans will be able to see a different side.
(G)-IDLE Turns Up the Summer In “DUMDi DUMDi”
Six-member girl group (G)-IDLE released their single and a music video for “DUMDi DUMDi”. Leader Soyeon co-composed and co-wrote the lyrics.
Review: Ah, Summer. Sunny days, warm nights spent with friends, cowboy boots…? I don’t know what’s up with the trend of western themed music videos, but (G)-IDLE manages to pull it off. This comeback is a huge switch from their last title track, the haunting “Oh My God”. It’s obviously meant to be a summer song, showcasing the group’s lighter side and making the listeners dance along. If you told me it was the ending them of a Disney channel original movie, I would totally believe you. It also shows the versatility of the members, and their range in being billed by fans as a self-producing/composing group. The lyrics aren’t super deep, and the track in general isn’t anything new, but the music video is cute, the song is fun, and I think they accomplished the vibe they were going for. Overall: The girl group summer song you’ve been waiting for. With extra cowboy boots.
TREASURE Wants To Be Your Boy In Debut Single
After making us wait, announcing a debut month, and then making us wait some more, YG has finally debuted their new boy group TREASURE with the EP “The First Step: Chapter One” and the track “BOY”.
Review: I’ve already expressed my dissatisfaction with how YG handled this group, so I won’t rant again here (I want to, but I won’t). I think there was so much build up and expectation for this release that perhaps there are higher standards than for your typical rookie debut. Did this release live up to all the hype? Yes and no for me. The song itself sounds like a boy group debut song (not necessarily in a bad way). It’s energetic and trendy, and shows off the group’s dance skills and visuals. It’s not exactly anything new, but that’s okay. Something about this music video and the effects used sort of reminded me of YG’s other big name boy group BIGBANG (except with less heavy eyeliner and fur coats and 10 years younger). But it’s not exactly a song I’m likely to replay over and over again without it getting a bit repetitive. And for casual fans who didn’t watch the formation of the group on Treasure Box, I don’t know if this would stick in their mind as distinctive (especially without seeing the choreography). That being said, if I didn’t know anything about the group, I probably wouldn’t know that they were rookies. And despite having 12 members they work together well on stage and I’m impressed by their live performances and presence. I think they will continue impress in their next release as we hear different styles. Overall: A decent debut that shows lots of potential. Now let’s just hope the next comeback is sometime in this century.
Other Headlines:
- SHINee and
avengerSuperM member TAEMIN released the pre-release single “2 KIDS”. At this point, is it even possible for Lee Taemin to release a bad song? With his record of being in one of the most iconic K-pop groups in history along with his impressive solo career, I think there may be songs that people may like more than others, but his professionalism and talent make the chance of an actual bad song extremely unlikely. Fangirling aside, I really enjoyed this release. The lyrics and tone were just the right amount of angsty mixed with the EDM and reverb backing. I also loved the MV with Taemin freestyle dancing on the streets of Paris. I’m glad that he got a lot of input into this release, and that makes me excited for his upcoming official comeback. There’s a dramatic theme to this series, with this as the ‘Prologue’ and the main releases being split into ‘Act 1’ and ‘Act 2’ of the third album “Never Gonna Dance Again”. His other group, SuperM, is also getting ready for a comeback later this month and an album in September.
- Five-member girl group Saturday released the EP “DBDBDIB”, a cute reference to the Korean gesture game often seen played on variety shows. They come from a small company, and the CEO even put out a statement basically apologizing for having to work with a low budget (not to mention their Instagram account being hacked) but that he wasn’t going to give up on the group and he sees them as his daughters. I’m rooting for these underdogs!
- Rocket Punch released their third mini album “Blue Punch” and an MV for the extremely bright and happy title track “Juicy”.
- Singer/rapper solo artist MISO released the single “Blessed”
- Interesting: SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, two out of the so-called ‘Big 3’ (or 4 depending on what era you got into K-pop maybe) are teaming up to launch the online concert company Beyond LIVE Corporation. SM has been working with Naver (who owns the VLive platform) to make its Beyond LIVE concert series this summer, and JYP recently had TWICE perform via the platform as well. I’m assuming this partnership between this trio of power companies comes from the increasing popularity of BigHit Entertainment’s (BTS’ company) WeVerse app and wildly successful collaboration with streaming companies. It’s like the old-money-versus-new-money set-up in the dramas. Hopefully these partnerships will mean more quality content and interactions for fans until we can see our favorites in-person. (Have I mentioned how much I miss concerts?)
- Teen Top’s Chunji will be the first member to enlist in the military on August 10 following their live concert.
- JYP announced that band DAY6 will make a comeback as a unit made up of members Young K, Wonpil, and Dowoon. After their May comeback, the company announced that they would not be participating in promotions to focus on members’ mental health. Check out the group’s latest MV here and listen to Young K’s most recent cover here!
- Jellyfish Entertainment announced that VIXX member Hongbin has officially left the group and they will continue to promote as five members. This is following an incident in February where he made controversial comments on his Twitch stream about other idols/songs. Whether it was really his decision to leave the group or not, I’m not totally convinced that the agency handled this entire situation that well (especially with how poorly they manage their other group, the neglected Gugudan) and I feel for long time fans. It’s just speculation that he left solely because of this though, and although the stream was definitely not a good idea, it’s also probably not worth his entire career either. Here’s to wishing the best for both VIXX and Hongbin.
- *Content warning* Former AOA member Kwon Mina was rushed to the hospital after concerning Instagram posts calling out certain AOA members and their agency FNC Entertainment for mistreatment and suggesting suicide attempts. Mina’s agency made a statement assuring fans she was safe and being treated at a hospital and FNC also made an official statement on the matter. One of the only things worse than suffering from depression is having to go through it while dealing with the public and media picking you apart at the same time, so that’s all I’ll write on the subject. You can read the statements here. And if you or someone you know is struggling, remember you don’t have to deal with this alone. Click here for a list of international hotlines.
K-drama Corner:
- Ooh, this plot sounds interesting: upcoming tvN drama Mouse is in talks to cast actress Park Joo Hyun (Extracurricular). If she accepts, she would join Lee Seung Gi (Vagabond, Hwayugi) who plays an upright rookie police officer. In this drama’s universe, psychopaths can be identified by DNA tests even before birth. Lee Seung Gi’s character confronts a psychopath killer and his life is changed. The drama is set to air in the first half of next year. (Source)
- NCT’s Jaehyun is positively considering an offer to star in Dear.M, a spin-off of the web series Love Playlist. The series is from Playlist Studios, creators of another popular web series A-Teen. Jaehyun would be playing the male lead, possibly appearing with the main characters from Love Playlist 4 who will reportedly be making an appearance in the spin-off. You can read a series synopsis here and watch the most recent season on their YouTube channel.
- The nation’s MC Yoo Jae Suk and former Running Man PD Jung Chul Min have a new variety series coming up called The Sixth Sense premiering on September 3. The fixed cast includes actress Oh Na Ra, Jun So Min, singer/rapper/songwriter Jessi, and girl group Lovelyz member Mijoo. Poor Yoo Jae Suk already looks hilariously overwhelmed and outnumbered by the women. Check out the chaotic trailer here.
- Startup, the upcoming tvN drama that takes place in Korea’s fictional Silicon Valley, announced its main cast members. The drama will star former Miss A member turned actor Suzy (Vagabond, While You Were Sleeping), Nam Joo Hyuk (The Light In Your Eyes, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo), Kim Sun Ho (Catch the Ghost, Welcome to Waikiki 2) and actress/radio host/ Running Man regular Kang Han Na (Designated Survivor, Familiar Wife). I’m not always the biggest fan of Suzy’s acting, but hopefully the role fits her well like it did in While You Were Sleeping. I love the rest of the cast and it has the writer from I Hear Your Voice and the director from Hotel Del Luna. Startup premieres in October.
- Upcoming MBC drama Kairos had its first script reading with stars Shin Sung Rok (The Last Empress, My Love From The Star), Lee Se Young (Memorist, The Crowned Clown), and Ahn Bo Hyun (Itaewon Class, Her Private Life). In the time-traveling drama, a successful businessman makes contact with a hard working woman whose mother suddenly goes missing. The catch? They’re existing one month apart from each other. Kairos premieres in October.
- Currently Watching:
- It’s Okay To Not Be Okay: I have so many feelings right now. This finale went above and beyond my (very high) expectations. Each character had such a satisfying arc. The fact that every side story also had a conclusion showed that each character interaction was intentional and so well planned out. There were many great themes discussed in this series, and there were certain lines in the last episode that made me simultaneously cry and cheer at seeing how far each person has come and all the lessons we’ve learned together. At this point, the ‘Moon’ family feels like our, the viewers’ family. I’ll miss seeing this delightful cast (and Kim Soo Hyun’s infectious smile) grace my screen each weekend, but I’m satisfied in knowing each character is going off to live their best life after the credits end.
What was your favorite headline this week? Let us know in the comments!