KPOP Update

NCT and SuperM member, Mark Lee, has finally made his solo debut. The melancholic and somber song, “Child” was released on February 4th. Mark fully produced this song himself, so fans got to see a side of him that they had never seen before. One important scene is him waking up on the ground as a strong bass synth sound is introduced. Mark then declares, “I’m a child, I can’t be who you want.” As the song launches into a heavier, rockier chorus, Mark takes off running. As he runs, he’s chased by a group of strangers wearing all-black. What Mark is running from exactly is open to interpretation, but it’s clear that the song itself is candid and personal, with its lyrics telling the tale of a young idol seeking to understand himself while working hard to achieve success. The song is Mark’s way of showing us exactly what the fame he’s achieved so far looks and feels like to him – and to his inner “Child.”

Wonpil, from Day6, has released a 10 track album, “Pilmography”. Finally the awaited solo debut has arrived. His latest release is “Voiceless”, a sentimental ballad with underlining waltz and blues tones, giving the track a melancholic essence. The song is all about calling off an empty relationship. It has lyrics such as “This is my confession, hoping for your happiness/ Let’s put an end to us, Let’s not see each other again.” The song is also loosely based on the Little Mermaid, the love between a mermaid and a man. However, as the mermaid exits his life, the man daydreams about reuniting with the creature and leaves reality. This is a possible metaphor of how Wonpil has little control over his life.

On February 8th, the historical romance drama, “Moonshine” released a new addition to its soundtrack: “Someday” sung by Miyeon from (G)I-DLE. The OST is an emotional ballad which captures the heartache of longing for a lover who is far away. This is also Miyeon’s first time singing to a soundtrack of a historical drama. Miyeon says, “Ever since I was young, I’d had the vague thought that I really wanted to sing a song for a historical drama OST someday. Thankfully, a great opportunity came my way, and I was overjoyed and excited to be able to sing for the “Moonshine” OST.” She also said, “I was particularly touched by the lyrics and melody, which captured the feelings of heartache and missing someone. After this song was released my members gave me feedback and my fans also really liked it, so I was happy. I Think “Someday” will remain a song that I always feel proud of. Miyeon then concluded by saying touching on her group's upcomings promotions for the year ahead. I hope you all look forward to more that (G)I-dle will bring and listen to “Someday”.

The highly anticipated trio, Eunha, SinB, and Umji, have re-debuted into the group Viviz. They debuted with a mini album called “Beam of Prism” which has seven songs. The three used to belong to a favorite group called GFriend however the group had shockingly disbanded due to not renewing their contract. The members have now signed with different companies and will hopefully return to the K-pop scene. Viviz’s debut song is called “Bop Bop”. Like, the title of the song, it is a bop! It is described as a hybrid pop dance genre track with Latin rhythms and disco elements. Viviz’s successful debut has gotten a lot of attention, support, and love. The songs are surely something to enjoy, the members' vocals are no joke, after all they were from GFriend!

Apink made their first comeback in a year and 10 months with the album “Horn” on February 14th. The title song is called, “Dilemma”. The group worked with Black Eyed Pilseung, who helped change the group’s concept. “Dilemma” has an addictive hook and an inescapable melody. This is a song that portrays the dilemma humans feel when you feel like you can’t go one way or the other on the verge of a breakup. The chorus captures the feeling of the title with corresponding choreography. Since it was the group’s first comeback in almost 2 years, all of the members had a big part in writing the lyrics and wanted more people to approach their music. Even though the song was a hit, there was a bit of controversy of how the pronunciation of “dilemma” sounded because it sounded like a curse to Cantonese speakers. It was brought to the attention of the group during a fan sign. The group was overall shocked and seemed like they never meant for it to be disrespectful. With that aside, the comeback was overall successful and Apink is truly coming back.

One of K-pop’s favorite soloists, Taeyeon, is back with a new album called, “INVU”. The title track is also the same title as the album. “INVU” is a house based pop song that envelopes the album with a soft and dreamy synth. There are 13 songs in all. The range of the album consists of ballads to dance and pop songs with its distinct and complex feel to it. One of songs, “Can’t Control Myself” was pre-released to give fans a look into what the new album will sound like. The song has its own music video that shows the struggles of a toxic, yet addictive relationship. Also, “INVU '' is the first song of 2022 to achieve a perfect all-kill. A perfect all-kill is a song that has topped iChart’s weekly chart. Taeyeon’s songs are something that is always great to listen to so please listen ahead!

On February 15, Treasure released their new mini album, “The Second Step: Chapter One” along with the music video for the title track “JikJin”. The members, Hyunsuk, Yoshi, and Haruto help participate in composing and writing the lyrics for “JikJin”. In Korean, “Jikjin” means to go straight which clearly shows the group’s determination to proceed and tackle different challenges. “JikJin” is a powerful and dynamic hip-hop influenced song that is believed to fit the vibe Treasure wanted to portray. The group was so excited to put the song out that the music video cost 500 million won ($420,000). This is due to the array of supercars that bring the sense of speed and luxury. The cars brought the tired members to life as soon as they saw it! Overall, the hard-working members wanted to achieve more success like getting No.1 on music shows and even going on world tour. In fact, the group is set to have their first ever concert on April 9 and 10th at the Olympic Hall located in Southern Seoul.

“Eye on You” is the title track for the single album “Obsession” by the kpop idol, Wonho. There are two songs, the other is called “Somebody”. The two songs may be some of Wonho’s best work which fits right into his discography. This particular comeback has a mature concept to it. The EDM song has a hard beat that contrasts with his falsetto tones, creating a blissful sound. Wonho showcased his ability to pull off more mature themes but to do it effortlessly. In the production of “Eye on You”, Wonho revealed that he had help from four particular people, including Seventeen’s Hoshi. “Somebody” is an all English track with a killer bass and more pop-alternative sound. It is an emotional song with straightforward lyrics. “Obsession” is a wonderful release as it shows that Wonho’s talent continues to grow.

BTOB’s new song is titled “The Song”! It is the lead single of their newly released third studio album “Be Together”. Aside from “The Song” the album has 12 other tracks which were co-produced/written by the members, Hyunsik, Minhyuk, and Peniel. This comeback was one of the awaited ones due to nearly four years since their last music release as a complete group. The long hiatus was due to the government-mandated military requirements that the group had to complete. The remaining six members out of eights have finished their requirements and are back to idol life. The other two however are still on their two-year military consignment. BTOB also has released music that is under their subunit BTOB 4U which has participated in the show, “Kingdom: Legendary War”.

The six members group, StayC, has returned with their second mini-album “Young-Luv.com” along with their title track “RUN2U”. “RUN2U” is a song with exciting beat drops and brass sounds that boldly captures the feelings of chasing fearlessly towards someone you love no matter what people say. The entirety of the album has 5 songs (excluding RUN2U). For their title track, the group wanted to have a “high teen” aesthetic. They achieved this by wearing vibrant and playful Y2K fashion. The song is also a continuation of the group’s concept of falling in love. The chorus is the catchiest part of the song and overall it shows how the girls will become to grab the attention of the crushes.

JYP’s new girl group is finally here! JYP is known for creating world famous groups like Twice, Itzy, Got7, and Stray Kids but today is all about NMIXX. The group debuted on February 22 with their debut song O.O. The group also had a B.Side song called “Tank”. The teaser for “Tank” was released first and it started the talk about what the group will be like. The teaser had the members do some voguing choreo while singing, “I’m so freaky, freaky, fishy. I’m so freaky, freaky, fishy”. This made fans think that the song JYP had made is a flop and most of them were sad that the girl’s talents would be wasted. However, later the real trailer for “O.O” was released and it shocked most fans and brought more attention to the upcoming stars. But then again there was some debate about the debut song. It was very confusing to listen to as the lyrics sometimes made no sense, the different parts of the song didn’t match up, and overall the debut seemed like it wasn't good. Some fans disagreed though since it may have been weird but it was surely addictive. The girls' visuals also brought the fans to look at them. In all, the debut was debatable but in the end it’s all about preference.

On February 23rd, Billlie released their second EP, “The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter One.” The comeback featured their title track to be “GingaMingaYo'' which translates to “the strange world”. The song expresses the questions asked in the process of becoming adults, conveying the message that there is no need to reach a decision on what is right for ourselves as we grow up. As this group is considered underrated, a particular member’s facial expressions brought more popularity. The member, Tuski, went viral for the expressions she made on stage when performing live. Fans state that they are living to see it!