How to Build a Kpop Girl Group

Here at CriticalKpop, we love our girl groups. From cute to sexy to everything in between, girl groups have tried almost everything to stand out in a world of Generations, Brown Eyes and Wonder. As the public jumps to Melon and Olleh for catchy songs and fans crowd concert venues and record stores, the question must be asked — what makes a Kpop girl group stand out?

Is it a catchy song? A pretty face? A killer choreography? Maybe a great vocal? How about a variety star? The problem with that question is, well, the answer could be anything. Girls’ Generation slayed with a cute tune and some skinny jeans, while EXID became relevant with a fancam, of all things. Considering these facts, we should probably revise our question — what sustains a Kpop girl group? What builds a fan base, and keeps them interesting comeback after comeback? And there’s only one answer to this question: everything.

That’s right — dynamic is the true key to a girl group’s success. Every member brings something, whether it be talent, personality, or visuals, to make the group well-rounded and likeable across the board. Without it, the group will undoubtedly flop after that one catchy song falls off the charts. The importance of group dynamic seems to be a constant over the years, from legends like Girls’ Generation to new trends like TWICE. Let’s take a look at how dynamics have affected groups, both in success and failure, over the years.

Girls’ Generation making their debut with “Into the New World” (Image Credit: AllKpop)

From August 5th, 2007, it was clear that Kpop had a dynamic rookie monster in its hands — 9-member Girls’ Generation, who would, a few years later, become Kpop’s most powerful group, transcending music and permeating into Asian culture itself. But it wasn’t just good looks or “Gee” that made them the girl group they’ve become. The group was designed to succeed, with four strong vocalists (Taeyeon, Jessica, Seohyun, Tiffany) all with varying ranges, specialties and tonalities, four talented dancers (Yuri, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Yoona), an in-between who specializes in aegyo (Sunny), variety talents (Hyoyeon, Sooyoung, Sunny), and mind-blowing visuals (Yoona, Taeyeon).

The group could handle almost any song, from using lollipops on stage in “Kissing You” to rocking caps and ripped jeans in “I Got a Boy,” because of the wide display of talent and ability. Members of the public were bound to be interested in one way or another — if you didn’t like their song, you might have liked the intense choreography, Yoona’s latest CF or Sooyoung’s recent variety appearance. The group had a monopoly on what Kpop was all about: charm. Not just talent, but charm — the ability to captivate an audience through whatever means available. And that charm didn’t leave with Jessica in 2014. The group was not only so established, but also strong enough with the mix of personalities, vocals, and dance that it could carry on without one of its central members just as successfully as it had before. SNSD is the poster child of group dynamics, gathering both public recognition and a gigantic fan base in the 8.5 years since that fateful August.

2NE1 reintroduce themselves at the 2015 MAMA Awards

Fast forward to 2009, and you get a slightly different story. 2NE1 debuted to immediate success, with all-around talents from CL and Minzy, vocals and long legs (they were so notable that they seem to serve as a charm of their own) from Bom, and visuals from Dara. Despite horrible management after 2012, the group was able to make its notable share of accomplishments through a well-rounded display of talent, as well as a ton of personality through 2NE1TV, one of Kpop’s most-watched reality shows.

You also have f(x), which is another dynamic masterpiece and consequential success, with vocals (Krystal, Luna), visuals (Krystal, Victoria, Sulli), and rap (Amber, occasionally Sulli). The group has repeatedly received heat, however, for Krystal’s seemingly cold personality, and Sulli’s alleged lack of professionalism. Seven years in, f(x) has seen some loss in popularity as a result, losing “trend” status to newer groups like Girl's Day and AOA. It ultimately demonstrates that showing weakness in one of the many components of a girl group’s charm can significantly affect success. Following the same line of logic to 2010, Miss A can push Suzy’s charms all they want, but she alone can’t make 4-member Miss A one of Kpop’s legendary girl groups — a claim proven by their repeated hit-or-miss comebacks over the years. Despite the other member’s talents, they don’t make a dynamically full girl group in the public’s eyes, which hurts their album sales and chart rankings time after time.

If we keep going forward in Kpop history, the trend is continuously prevalent. Yeah, Hyeri can act herself to fame on Reply 1988, but Sojin’s vocals, combined with visuals from Minah and Yura and a newfound sexy concept, maintained interest in the group for years to come, ultimately making them one of Kpop’s biggest success stories. SPICA’s vocal-heavy lineup works well for the ear, but doesn’t do much for the rest of their appeal, which shows in their long hiatuses and lack of top 10 hits. Hani can “wi arae, wi wi arae” to her heart’s content for the fan camera, but it was ultimately great music, Solji’s vocals and the group’s unique variety color that gave them notoriety instead of disbandment.

TWICE: the ultimate package of Kpop charm (Image Credit: wowkeren.com)

As we dive head-first into a new year of Kpop, the same pattern unfolds before us, but even more noticeably than before. TWICE was designed almost exactly like Girls’ Generation (arguably better, depending on who you ask). You have one power vocal at the center (Jihyo, like Taeyeon) with two other strong singers (Jeongyeon and Nayeon, like Tiffany, Seohyun and Jessica), great dancers (Momo and Mina, like Hyoyeon, Sooyoung and Yuri), an in-between that knows how to put on a show (Sana, like Sunny), and a beautiful visual (Tzuyu, like Yoona). The slight differences actually make TWICE even stronger as a dynamic group, with versatile rappers (Dahyun and Chaeyoung) and multi-national members from both Taiwan (Tzuyu) and Japan (Momo, Sana, Mina). And the incredible dynamic in this group is bringing them incredible success — their debut song “Like OOH-AHH” lurks at the edges of real-time top 10 on Korean charts 5 months after release, and their mini-album, The Story Begins, has sold 55,000 copies, more than albums from more established groups like Red Velvet have ever sold.

GFriend in recent hit release, "Rough"

GFriend is another new girl group finding success, becoming the year’s first act to hit a perfect all-kill with their song “Rough.” But the difference between GFriend and TWICE is clear — TWICE is getting known for its wide variety of members, building a large fan base and public popularity in the process, while GFriend is getting popular off of a few slips on stage and a good song to follow. GFriend’s success is nothing to laugh at right now, considering that even Taeyeon came nowhere near climbing over them on the charts this past week, but their continued relevance is questionable. Without members being known to the public, will the world get bored of their musical color (which notably takes after Girls’ Generation’s iconic debut song) and look for a group with a more exciting dynamic (a group possibly like TWICE)? A seeming lack of dynamic endangers GFriend’s popularity in the same way that a strong dynamic ensures TWICE’s success.

So, if you ever had a slight inclination to, oh, I don’t know, build a Kpop girl group from scratch, be careful. Don’t pick just anybody — make a group that catches your attention with not just one gimmick set to expire in a comeback or two, but everything. In the world of Kpop, a girl group that defines a Generation, one that makes you think about them Twice, can sing into a microphone, dance under the lights, pose for a camera, laugh on screen, and much, much more.

Kushal Dev is an Indian-American writer based in New Jersey. He discovered K-Pop through friends and YouTube, and has been an avid follower of Korean entertainment for 4 years. He biases 2NE1, Girls' Generation, f(x), MAMAMOO and EXID.

What the Heck is Going On at SM Entertainment?

NCT? STATION? ScreaM? If you’ve been following Kpop news, you’ve likely come to the realization that something major is going on over at SM Entertainment. With so many press releases, stories, and rumors coming down the wire, it’s necessary that we take a step back and try to sort through this. There’s got to be some good news in here, right?

New Group - NCT

Teaser 1: http://tvcast.naver.com/v/714736

NCT, or NEO Culture Technology (neo from the Greek, “neos,” meaning “new”), should debut in Spring of 2016. Putting aside the awkwardness of NCT’s name, the real awkwardness comes from calling NCT a “group” at all. NCT is not so much a group as a way of doing business. It’s a (potential) model for the future of Kpop that would change the way we think about individual membership in groups. The best description for NCT is that the group “will have no limits on the number of members, nor limits in nationality, and they will take the stage all around the globe” (source). There’s three pieces of information there, and if it helps, imagine Lee Soo Man giving a PowerPoint presentation on stage going through each bullet point, because that’s basically what happened.

First bullet point: no limit on members. This is where the traditional Kpop model starts to bend. And there’s more to this comment than meets the eye. Even though there were 40 masked members on stage during Lee Soo Man’s presentation, SM Entertainment isn’t trying to create just another mega-group; they are trying to introduce the concept of fluid group membership. We’re used to our groups having set lineups. Disaster seems imminent any time membership changes are made. But SM obviously believes this is the old way. Just like many of us were dragged into the streaming era of music kicking, screaming, and clutching our compact discs, SM here is asking us to let go of this obsession with static group membership. There will be many NCT groups, and SM seems to be asking us not to think about them as subgroups either. With many opportunities for collaboration between the groups, SM will allow for “movement of members” (source). Those potentially exciting collaborations and member changes seem to be the big selling point here, but will something be lost in all the changes? If we had to guess, we’d expect this new model will focus fan attention much more closely on individual performers. After all, if there’s no set NCT group, then fans will need to find their favorite members to latch onto.

Second bullet point: no limit on nationality. This is where the traditional Kpop model starts to break. Even though we’ve gone to great pains to suggest that Kpop is a genre of music above all else, there is no escaping the fact that Kpop has a racial element. Up until now, there has been an unwritten rule that Kpop artists must be Korean, and if not Korean, then Southeast Asian (Rania’s Alex may have been the first indication that this rule was on the way out). The majority of artists being of Korean descent makes a certain sort of sense so long as the market for Kpop rests in Korea and Southeast Asia. It makes much less sense if the market is global. Which brings us to the third bullet point.

Third bullet point: members will take the stage all around the globe. Let’s get one thing straight here: Lee Soo Man is not talking about a random, once-off tour organized by fan votes. SM Entertainment is suggesting that members of NCT will perform across the globe as a matter of course. The first NCT group will focus on Korea and Japan, with the second group in China. But Latin America was called out as a future target as well. The market for NCT will not be Korea, but the entire planet. A lofty goal, to be sure, and one that could easily be emblazoned on the masthead of any Kpop entertainment company. But there’s an actual plan here, and to get into it, we need to move to slide two of Lee Soo Man’s presentation (transition: dissolve).

Teaser 2: http://tvcast.naver.com/v/714755

In slide two, Lee Soo Man gives us his three-step system to “truly localize Hallyu.” Put a pin in that word localize for now so we can focus on the program more generally.

Step 1: advance Korean stars into the international market

Step 2: collaborate with local companies to bring international stars into the domestic Kpop market

Step 3: collaborate with local companies to enable Korean groups to debut in the local market (source)

This, if you’re an accountant, is the most interesting part of SM’s plan, because here we see the framework of a business model for the whole NCT venture. TL;DR: SM plans on making money, accountants rejoice! But the details might not be transparent to you yet, so let’s try and break this down further. SM Entertainment is creating NCT as a loose collection of individual artists. Those artists can then be grouped and portioned out to various markets across the globe based on their talents and, presumably, language skills. Much like Exo before them, NCT will sing one song in many different languages (source). But this goes much further than Exo ever did, because Exo was based on the old model: identify a market and try to corner it. NCT will have the flexibility to target any market their sponsor wishes. Wait, what?

Exo, and every other Kpop group out there, exists mainly to sell music under the direction of SM Entertainment. Everything else (advertising deals, product placement, etc.) is cream off the top. NCT will create great music as well (and I plan on buying the hell out of their best stuff), but NCT, and how do I put this kindly, will exist to earn sponsorship deals. As an example, if a Brazilian company wants to sell their new sports drink, a NCT group may pop up in Brazil. Make no mistake, this scenario is only possible with the creation of a new kind of Kpop group with fluid, international membership. NCT will perform their music, sure, but they’ll also be there to sell. And it might not be so insidious as it sounds. Maybe they’ll produce a few episodes of a reality show where they play a lot of shirtless volleyball on the beach (OMG, abs.), and who wouldn’t appreciate that? There will just happen to be a lot of a certain brand of sports drink in the episode.

That’s where this whole idea of localizing Hallyu comes back into play. When Kpop companies talk about being international, they’re talking about convincing people across the globe to buy a product that is designed for someone else (Koreans). To localize Hallyu means to develop a product specifically for those various regions. NCT will “produce content especially tailored for their particular markets,” and they are expected to engage in “joint ventures” with local companies (source). According to Lee Soo Man, "this is the last stage of the Korean wave.” Indeed.

With so much focus on the economics of NCT, it’s important to take a step back and recognize that all pop music is designed to sell something. If you’re a proponent of capitalism, there’s nothing wrong with that. And if you’re still drooling over the thought of NCT members playing volleyball in swim trunks, you’re probably just wondering how to get an oppa based in your city, ASAP. But if NCT works, and if it takes the world by storm, we could be witnessing the start of a truly globalized music with a completely centralized command structure. For a fatalist, this might suggest a possible future in which all culture is determined by a handful of “taste-makers.” Do I sense the plot of the next great dystopian novel?

All doom and gloom aside, the first NCT group with debut in Spring of 2016 with a team centered in Korea and Japan. A Chinese group will debut in late 2016 with more locations and groups to come. NCT is about to burst onto the scene, ladies and gentlemen, so hold onto your butts!

STATION Project

In that very same presentation on January 27, Lee Soo Man also released information about STATION, a digital music channel where SM will release a new single once per week, for 52 weeks. Next to NCT, this announcement is not nearly so groundbreaking. There’s plenty to get excited about, yes, but Lee Soo Man’s description of STATION as “overcoming the existing system of singles…[to] create a new ecosystem of digital songs” is a bit of an overstatement. (source)

One aspect of STATION that a lot of fans are making a big deal about is the information that each of the 52 singles will be released on a specific day of the week (so far there are only rumors about which day). This isn’t new or surprising, though. To be eligible for weekly music shows, Kpop music release dates were already constrained. Worldwide, there have always been recommendations for which day of the week new music should be released (in America, music Tuesday recently changed to Friday to increase sales). Releasing music on the same day each week is...very normal. In fact, it’s the only way to ensure an accurate system to chart the most popular music (something Korea has long struggled with). Likewise, the promise of 52 weeks of new music is...surprisingly specific, but also not that exciting. Will STATION disappear exactly one year after it starts? Probably not. 52 is just a number.

Taeyeon - “Rain” Teaser

What should get you excited about STATION is the focus on solo releases and collaborations. SM Entertainment is overflowing with talented artists, and more music is definitely something to get excited about! The first to release new music on STATION will be, duh!, Taeyeon, with her new single, “Rain.” It’s hard to imagine a better ambassador for a new product or one with such seemingly assured success. Based on previous reports, we can guess at some other STATION releases. SM previously reported new solo releases by Super Junior’s Ryeowook (source) and f(x)’s Amber (source), so those seem like easy bets. Hints of solo activities from SHINee and EXO have also made the rounds. I’m sure we’ll hear more from SM in the near future about which artists and collaborations we can expect on STATION.

ScreaM Records

Finally, and almost as an afterthought to the major news above, SM is creating an EDM record label that will house DJs and producers. As a news item from an entertainment company, this isn’t big news. It’s a way to organize company assets to ensure focus on a specific division. Yes, expect more EDM from SM in the future! End of press release?

As a way to make this very pedestrian announcement sexy, Lee Soo Man let it slip that they would be working with Skrillex to create some collaborations with SM artists. If that gets you going, cool. If not, no big deal. Nothing life-changing here.

Our Kpop Predictions for 2016

Happy New Year, everyone! Much like last year, we want to give our writers and editors the opportunity to make their Kpop predictions! Will 2016 be as bright as 2015? Or will we return to the dark ages of...2014? Let's consult our respective oracles and get started already!

Sarah

2015 was a blast for sure. We saw the unexpected rise of the old powerhouse groups like Girls Generation and Big Bang. For me, 2016 is going to be the make or break for a lot of mid-tier groups. This is when they’re either going to rocket to success or just burn out. This is the year when quality will replace quantity. Although there has been a barrage of group debuts, a lot of them have hovered below the radar for a long time. If Hallyu is going to continue to be a cultural export, it will have to become relevant and polished. I think that the trend of “viral” Kpop is going to go away, since it’s pretty common place now and appeals to a very limit audience. 2016 will see Kpop potentially become a more legitimate music genre, instead of one that is only for little girls or hipsters and therefore, the music quality will have to improve substantially. With more groups having a bigger hand in the production of their own music, I think it will have a positive reflection on the themes, lyrics, concepts and composition of more music, and elevate its quality.

Overall my prediction is positive! I have a good feeling about 2016 and although I can’t pinpoint anything specific, I can tell it’s going to be a year when we are more proud to be fans.

Kushal Dev

From the perspective of a girl group fan, 2015 was explosive — but in a good way. While 2014 saw chaotic member leaves (Girls’ Generation), group-shattering scandals (2NE1) and failed comebacks (f(x)), 2015 saw groups reforming after years of hiatus (Wonder Girls), carrying on after losing a member or two (9MUSES, Girls’ Generation, f(x)), and hitting #1 for the first time in 5 years (Miss A). 2015 was a recovery from a destructive 2014, and I see that theme permeating into 2016 as well. Some artists still have a lot to prove — can EXID excite the public with a new sound, and will BESTie ever see a similar rise? will CL be successful in the States, and can 2NE1 recover with all its 4 members? can SISTAR revamp its tired summer-sexy concept, and will KARA’s contracts pull them apart?

Even the rookies — TWICE, GFriend, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, and more — will have to battle it out next year for a place among the greats. With groups like MAMAMOO, Red Velvet and FIESTAR hitting new popularity, bigger and better comebacks will be necessary to cement a place in the Kpop world. While 2015 represented redemption, 2016 will be a fight for relevance, a battleground of variety appearances, acting opportunities, music show wins and chart rankings to epitomize the girl group’s struggle for fame.

Zander

As I mentioned on the podcast, I expect a lot from 2016. In my mind, this is the year that Kpop starts going mainstream, transforming from a weird, unheard of niche hobby into a transnational pop music. Don't get me wrong, it won't happen all at once. It will be a process. But 2016 is the year that we start recognizing it. Each one of us will start gathering stories of times we met another Kpop fan in an unexpected place, times we heard Kpop from an unexpected source. And before we know it, those stories will stop feeling like outliers and will start becoming the norm. That's dependent, of course, on a year full of big releases and great music (but let's be real, that's almost a given). 

What my prediction really boils down to is a recognition that Western interest in Kpop has so far been witnessed as an exponential growth, and 2016 will be the year that each of us starts noticing. Get ready to start sharing your love of Kpop with the people you'd least expect!

Tim

I think 2016 is going to continue some positive momentum for Kpop, although I think we'll see a shift here. I predicted last year, CORRECTLY MIND YOU, that the big hitters - the SNSDs and EXOs of the world would rebound from their scandal-fueled '14. Zander, INCORRECTLY MIND YOU, predicted that it would be a year defined by the B-list groups. As I pointed this out in the podcast, he was wrong, but only with his timing. We probably won't be seeing Big Bang for a long time, friends, and SNSD is focusing on subgroups and solo releases. Other big groups are either dealing with the draft or inevitable idol fatigue. I agree with a lot of Sarah and Kushal's points here. This will be the perfect time for these B-list groups to strike!

Expect big years from groups like Fiestar, Boyfriend, Rainbow (one can dream, right?), and groups that are already near the top tier like AOA and GOT7. I even foresee groups like Sistar and Beast, who, let's face it, are mired in a creative funk, really breaking loose and surprising people here.

They better. The competition is getting tougher and the popular groups are staying relevant longer - and guess what, the rookies, groups like Twice, Mamamoo, and Seventeen are set to dominate for the next five years. It's time to put up or shut up. If a lot of these middling groups don't find success, they're done, son. 

Hafsa and Gayathri

Hafsa: Right. Predictions for 2016 in Kpop. Seriously? I have a hard time predicting one group’s style from one album to the next and I need to guess what's gonna happen over a year? Tall order that. But ok, let’s see.

Am I delusional or is there actually a wee shift towards the pursuit of self-expression in Kpop? Mostly spearheaded by groups like BTS and EXID. As opposed to the usual theme of “look at my pretty booty”.

Gayathri: Yass totally. Also Seventeen. Did you know those guys produced their entire album and self-choreographed it? Also girl groups. I'm seeing a lot of potential for girl groups to do more than just “oppa love me” and actually chart well. Like Mamamoo and obviously The Ark - who NEED a comeback :""""

Also female artists in general are finally beginning to show more variety, which finally tg. Like Taeyeon's I and that IU album, and even the more retro throwbacks by SNSD. Honestly, If I have to see another rehash of SNSD’s cringe-worthy old stuff by new girl groups I will cry.

H: I have noticed that! Groups are increasingly taking a bigger part in production and the music has been developing a lot more personality and flavour. Am I the only one feeling like everything is turning more towards hip hop? The year felt a little like every debut group seemed to lean more towards variations of that style. 2015 had a lot of solo releases and return of all the big hitters – Shinee, Big Bang, Exo, BTS, SNSD- but I felt like rookie groups were kinda the highlight. But that being said I think 2016 is gonna be a huge mash of experimental sounds as each of these groups tries to find their unique sound and expressive niche. That should be interesting to watch.

G: Oh yea I totally agree...interesting that when I look back on it a lot of the standout groups this year were from small companies I think? I mean JYP, SM and YG did a lot and slayed, but a lot more attention was for groups from small time companies as opposed to last year.

Yeah, I feel like the shift to the hip hop thing could be the sudden popularity of hip hop-based reality shows? You know ones like “Show me the money” + “Unpretty Rapstar”. Gotta capitalize on the trends and all that. Plus BTS was big this year and it worked for them.

To sum it up, I feel like any group that tries something more experimental could potentially see a lot of popularity next year.

H: So 2016 is all about exploration in search of either a new sound or a personal unique sound. Anything else? No more butt please. That's too much to ask isn't it? XD

G: 2016: the year of experimental sounds, self-expression and badass females

H: I can get behind that. Pun not intended ;)

And that's it for us at Critical Kpop. Thanks for the wonderful 2015! We really hope you've had an exciting New Years. In 2016, stay tuned for more news, reviews, and analysis of the crazy world of Kpop!

Yet Another Fan Theory of the BTS Trilogy: I Need U / Prologue / Run

There is no doubt that Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, are one of my favorite Kpop groups to emerge from the industry in recent years. The talent of the seven-member boy group has been recognized both at home in South Korea, with awards such as the MelOn and Golden Disk “New Artist of the Year” awards, and abroad, with their third EP, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 1, appearing on Fuse's english-dominated “Best Albums of 2015 (So Far)” alongside musical heavyweights Kendrick Lamar, Ciara, Drake, and Calvin Harris.

With the release of the group's newest MV, “Run” and accompanying album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 2, fan theories have been circulating as to the hidden meaning behind the BTS “Trilogy,” composed of “I Need U,” the prologue from their solo concert, and “Run.” The theories are lush and range from one member being dead, to all the members being dead, to hallucinations and the Butterfly Effect, to an Inception-type dreamscape, to an illustration of the stages of depression and mental illness, to suicide and simple bullying between friends.

My own theory around the BTS Trilogy is rather simple, but symbolically dense: this is a complicated metaphor for growing up.

When BTS released The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt 1, leader and rapper Kim Namjoon described it as an album about adolescence, which is the most joyful part of life, but also wrought with “anxiety and insecurity.” Since the members of BTS range in age from approximately 18-23, they are in the stage between youth and adulthood where things get awkward and confusing. To me, the BTS Trilogy is about the death of helpless childhood innocence and the inevitable transition to adulthood.

In a lot of ways, the BTS Trilogy of videos reminds me of the 1986 film, Stand By Me, wherein a group of 4 childhood friends set out to discover the body of a dead boy from their town with the hopes of becoming local heroes. However, in the process, the boys confide in each other and shed their childhood and innocence. By the end of the film, the boys are separated and are no longer friends, but still hold onto their memories of that time.

All three videos are rich with symbolism, and although the lyrics of the music play an important part, they aren't absolutely essential to understanding the story. There is quite a lot of shifting timelines and perspectives between characters, which means that this story belongs to all the characters in their own ways. Unpacking this story is easier if we follow the same non-linear timeline.

“I Need U” represents a helpless descent as the chorus repeats “fall, fall.” The characters are seemingly not in control of their own behaviors and feelings, reacting to what happens around them in youthful innocence and ignorance. In this MV, we see the characters reacting to their environments and situations. The focus shifts from scenes of the group together, acting jovial and friendly, to scenes of each member alone, where they turn to despair and sadness in its many forms. When together, the seven characters are carefree and wild. For example, Hoseok, who is seen taking handfuls of medication, dumps the entire bottle into the fire when joined by his friends, preferring to feel emotions with his friends, rather than the numbness of loneliness.

But each character is ultimately a product of the world around them, unable to control their decisions, as they are “children.” The climax of the MV occurs when Taeyhun, driven to anger, witnesses his father hitting his mother and stabs him to death. Each character also “dies” when alone: Hoseok collapses onto a busy road after overdosing on the same prescription medication, Jungkook is hit by a car after being beaten by thugs, Yoongi and Namjoon are presumed to self-immolate and Jimin drowns. Jin doesn’t necessarily and explicitly die, but he does appear in an empty room, isolated and restless and obviously in pain.

The Prologue continues this sense of losing control as it opens with Taehyun, bloodied and visibly shaken after stabbing his father. But it soon shifts to a bright open space where he is calm and clean. He holds a photo of his father and crumples it in his hands. This is more symbolic than literal: in “killing” his father, Taehyun has severed ties with an important figure in his life, no longer needing his presence. Here we also see Jin recording everything from an outsider’s perspective, showing us viewers only the beauty of youth, maybe even making us long for it. When looking back on youth, it is often remembered as the most beautiful moment in life, but with it comes fear, anxiety, loneliness and all manner of mixed emotions

Namjoon is also seen writing “you need to survive” in Korean onto a foggy window before joining his friends fireside. While this may seem literal, it feels more like a pep talk, encouraging his friends (and the viewer) that survival is most important and that living in childish ignorance will result in the brain-dead, lifeless state that we see Namjoon in, working at the gas station. We can tie this back to “I Need U” where it’s revealed that Namjoon’s lollipop is actually a cigarette and by dropping it onto the money thrown at him from a car, he is giving up his childish state, knowing that it is time to move forward instead of being stagnant.

In the second half of the video, the group is together at the beach, and Taehyun climbs up scaffolding while the others look on and beg him to come down. Jin is again, recording this through his video camera and does not pressure Taehyun to climb down. After “killing” his father, Taehyun has to take a leap from being a child to becoming an adult, leaving the responsibility of his life in his own hands, rather than anyone from the outside. Taehyun offers his friends a smile and then confidently jumps off the scaffolding while the music in the background swells and repeats “butterfly”. Now Taehyun is literally flying instead of falling, emerging from his cocoon and is free to make his own decisions.

In the third MV, “Run”, there is a marked difference in the actions of the characters.



They no longer appear to be passive, but rather acting based on the world around them. They are literally more “alive” than they were in “I Need U,” running throughout most of the video, acting out without regrets. Jin, our observer, builds a house of cards which is destroyed as Yoongi breaks a mirror after playfighting with Jungkook becomes violent. The camera then pans towards Jungook sitting on the ground where we can see the rest of the group around him, but when the camera pans out it’s obvious he is alone. Now we know that the party is over. The way Jungkook sees himself, as a fragile house of cards is now over. He glances back to the mirror for a split second, as though he is seeing the reality of himself for the first time. And as Namjoon wrote earlier, he must also “survive.”

There is also heavy use of the symbolism of water and fire throughout the MVs. We see Taehyun falling backwards into water at the start of “Run” and struggling to swim throughout, but at the end he emerges from the water unharmed. Jimin also drowns in a bathtub, and is also seen being pushed into a bathtub and playfully being forced under. On the other hand, we also have Yoongi (and Namjoon) “die” by fire in “I Need U.”

Although these are opposite elements, it's interesting to note that fire can represent not only death, but also represents enlightenment and resurrection. Water, likewise, can symbolically refer to the cycle of life and rebirth, as well as higher or philosophical reasoning.Taehyun and Jin die and reawake in water, Yoongi and Namjoon, who are first seen as passive, are engulfed by fire and symbolically reborn. Hoseok casts aside his medication and embraces his emotions instead of running from them. Jungkook, who was helplessly beaten by thugs is able to see himself clearly and Jin is no longer on the outside looking in. In this way, each character reaches the end of their journey and emerges into adulthood.

Despite the chorus of “I Need U” ringing out for a girl, there is no instance of the members of BTS fighting over the affections of a woman, or lamenting about a lost crush. Nor are they parading their ego and confidence to draw the attention to themselves. This trilogy is purely about friendship, growth, and ultimately, the loss of innocence. Of course, this is only one theory of many, and there are symbols and metaphors that I have not accounted for. This chronicle stretches across two albums, photobooks, several music videos, and even a concert. As such, this theory is by no means exhaustive, nor even complete. Writing an entire analysis of every scene and symbol in this trilogy would ruin its appeal and story. One thing is absolutely certain, however: this is a mature and grown-up attempt at using music as storytelling.

Pinning down one explanation would take away the mystery and ultimately, the fun of unravelling this tale. By utilizing visual storytelling, strong metaphors and music cues, BTS has taken every available tool at their disposal to weave a complicated and lengthy concept without having to rely on the tired Kpop cliches of dancing in a box, or flashing their bodies. But isn’t that what we look for when we embrace a “concept”? Depth, relevance and relation to our own lives. BTS has checked off every box and made sure to not hold our hands throughout it. Here is an entire world, like our own but minutely different, and open to any and all interpretations. If this isn’t proof of a group growing up, I’m not sure what is.

'L' lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a pop culture and media junkie and has helped organize kpop parties and events across Ontario. Her biases are BTS, Block B, M.I.B and Infinite.

MAMA 2015 Predictions, Part 3: Special and Daesang Category

For the third and final part of our MAMA Predictions, we are examining Special and Daesang awards. According to the official MAMA website, the only “Special” award is for Best Music Video. And for those that are new to Kpop and MAMA, the three “Daesang” or “Grand” awards, Album, Song, and Artist of the Year, are considered higher than the rest. This is where Kpop’s bigger players come in — it is often the most controversial part of the ceremony as well. With MAMA only a few days away, let’s take a look!

Image Credit: HNGN

Special - Best Music Video - f(x), “4 Walls”

This explanation will be prefaced by the fact that it is possible that BIGBANG will win, simply because “Bae Bae” was innovative both musically and videographically, and because MAMA loves giving awards to YG artists (and they will probably give more this time around, just to stay in YG’s good graces after all the drama between YGE and Mnet that took place when iKON debuted). So a BIGBANG win is possible; we wouldn’t be surprised if Wonder Girls won with their retro-style “I Feel You,” either. “4 Walls” is one of the most beautiful pieces of cinematography to come out of Kpop this year. The video is incredibly hard to decipher — a sequence of actions is repeated and distorted between what is seemingly two different dimensions. In the end, Victoria breaks the cycle by catching the teacup Amber drops. Have you figured out what this video is trying to say? I haven’t, but the theories are definitely interesting. Not many other Kpop videos get you talking specifically about the plot and dynamics of the video itself. Considering MAMA has a history of rewarding videos that simply stand out among their competitors in quality and popularity, we say f(x) has a good shot at bagging this award.

Image Credit: AllKpop

Daesang - Artist of the Year - Girls’ Generation

It’s kind of weird how MAMA nominates 1,000,000,003 artists for this award, despite the fact that usually only one or two can really contend for the coveted title of “Artist of the Year.” That’s a big name to have, and it will probably go to none other than the queens Girls’ Generation. With digital single, physical single, and full album releases this year, SNSD has been relevant for the entire year. Even now, their “Phantasia” concert has made some domestic and international headlines despite comebacks from EXID and Dynamic Duo on the charts and in the news. In addition to group activities, Sooyoung has been acting, Taeyeon debuted as a solo artist (and is confusingly nominated for this award, too), Hyoyeon released a book, Tiffany is working on her own solo debut, TTS is preparing a comeback, and much, much more. GG has been on the grind non-stop this year — their unceasing activity and continued success easily gives them the award.

Daesang - Song of the Year - BIGBANG, “Bang Bang Bang”

Another category with 50 million nominees. You don’t really have to work too hard, however, to figure out that this award will probably go to BIGBANG. This situation is reminiscent of 2011 — 2NE1’s “Lonely” was the top-selling of their releases that year, but it was “I Am the Best,” the hard-hitting club banger, that was nominated and won the award. Here, we have a similar situation with “Bang Bang Bang” and “Loser,” except the former has actually outsold the latter by about 30,000 downloads, making it even more apparent that “Bang Bang Bang” should be the Song of the Year. While some of this year’s other megahits are on this list as well (Baek Ah Yeon’s “Shouldn’t Have,” Zion.T and Crush’s “Just,” JYP’s “Who’s Your Mama?”), “Bang Bang Bang” is the only one with such sustained relevancy — it is essentially 2015’s “Fantastic Baby” in terms of success. Also, Mnet is probably still begging for YG’s love — after all, they did have to have a private meeting with the label to convince its artists to attend. BIGBANG bagging some big awards like Song of the Year is therefore even more likely.

Image Credit: SBS

Daesang - Album of the Year - EXO, “EXODUS”

This one is absolutely obvious. BIGBANG could have won if they had actually released the complete version of their MADE album, but they pretty much disqualified themselves by pushing it back into the void of anticipated YG releases. Therefore, with combined album sales totalling above the one million-mark in Korea (not to mention being the best-selling Kpop album in America), EXO wins.

So that concludes our series on MAMA predictions! Make sure to let us know what you think, and make sure to keep up with the MAMA coverage. It’s an exciting time of year for Kpop fans!

Kushal Dev is an Indian-American writer based in New Jersey. He discovered K-Pop through friends and YouTube, and has been an avid follower of Korean entertainment for 4 years. He biases 2NE1, Girls' Generation, f(x), MAMAMOO and EXID.

MAMA 2015 Predictions, Part 2: Genre Category

MAMA, one of Kpop’s biggest award shows, is only about a week away. This means we are only a week from some of the best performances, comebacks, red carpet appearances, etc. that Korea’s top stars have to offer. After recently predicting winners in the Artist Category, which considers awards like Best New Male Artist and Best Female Group, we are now predicting awards in the Genre Category. As we said last time, keep in mind that these are only predictions based on past MAMAs and each artist's performance through the year.

Best Dance Performance Solo - J.Y. Park, “Who’s Your Mama?”

This category is an anomaly — in some years. the winner of this award had an innovative, exciting dance (Sunmi in 2014 with “Full Moon”), while in other years, it was simply the most popular (PSY in 2012 and G-Dragon in 2013). For this year, we can definitely see the latter happening, especially considering that none of the other nominees hit the top 10 with their nominated songs (with the exception of Niel at #6 with “Lovekiller”). None of these other dances were a trend, so the safest bet here is *whisper* JYP, simply because he dominated the other nominees in terms of public popularity and song performance this year.

Best Dance Performance Male Group - EXO, “Call Me Baby”

EXO shocked the Kpop world with their incredible dance when “Wolf” was released in 2013. Since then, their songs may or may not be your thing, but you can’t deny the precision and intensity of EXO’s choreography, which has consistently been some of the best in Kpop for the past few years. Not to mention they are incredibly popular; they are probably BIGBANG’s only rival in terms of sales and popularity among other boy groups at the moment. EXO’s win is a prediction we make with confidence, but we wouldn’t be surprised if INFINITE or SHINee took this award. On the other hand, we would be slightly disgusted by BIGBANG winning (“Bang Bang Bang” is a great song, but it is not worthy of an award for dance). All of this being said, we are still mad about BTS not being nominated, because they probably deserve this award more than anyone.

Best Dance Performance Female Group - Red Velvet, “Ice Cream Cake”

Red Velvet is definitely one of female Kpop’s biggest rising stars this year, with two #1 albums, two top 5 songs, and popular members to boot. Them winning this award simply makes sense — like “Electric Shock” for f(x) (the winner of this award in 2012), “Ice Cream Cake” shot Red Velvet to both domestic and international fame and made them a trend. While we can see EXID or 4minute possibly taking this award (we would also include AOA, but they’ve already announced that they aren’t attending, so Mnet probably isn’t too keen on giving them anything), Red Velvet has the strongest mix of popularity, fanbase power for voting on the polls (which they currently lead), and dancing talent to win this award.

Best Vocal Performance Male - Lim Chang Jung, “Love Again”

Who better to award than one of Korea’s veteran singers? This song performed explosively well; it is the only song that could contend with Taeyeon when her song “I” dominated the charts in October. Kyuhyun is a possible winner here, considering the explosive success of “At Gwanghwamun” last year, but we think MAMA will play it safe by rewarding one of the legends.

Image Credit: Soompi

Best Vocal Performance Female - MAMAMOO “Um Oh Ah Yeh”

This 4-member vocal powerhouse is definitely a group to watch next year. We see big things happening for MAMAMOO, starting with this award. Considering that Ailee won with “Singing Got Better” against IU’s massively successful “Friday” last year, we predict MAMAMOO will win this year, simply because of their incredible vocal talent and the fact that “Um Oh Ah Yeh” shot them to fame this year (their fancafe numbers currently exceed that of most groups, including other, seemingly more successful groups like AOA). We see Taeyeon as this year’s IU, but MAMAMOO as this year’s Ailee.

Best Rap Performance - Mad Clown, “Fire”

Mad Clown hit the jackpot this year with “Fire,” a hard-hitting piece of hip-hop that features Jinsil’s hypnotic vocals. The song is one of this year’s biggest hits — it was the 3rd most downloaded song of the first half of this year, only behind legends like Naul and BIGBANG. A win for Gary is also pretty likely, considering that his duo Leessang has won this award so many times in the past (2002, 2009 and 2011). But Mad Clown has a special appeal — he wears glasses, raps angrily about love, and even stays sitting during some of his performances. He isn’t a typical Korean rapper, and the public has proven to like it. MAMA most likely does, too.

Best Band Performance - Hyukoh, “Comes and Goes”

Considering that CNBLUE and FTISLAND are both (along with AOA) under FNC Entertainment, a label that has recently declared that its artists will not attend MAMA, we can pretty much rule those two out of the nominee list for this award. Despite the fact that both CN and FT are some of Kpop’s most iconic bands, Mnet simply doesn’t like awarding artists that don’t attend. So we’re left with three other nominees: Nell, JJY Band and Hyukoh. And which one immediately comes to mind as a band that performed incredibly well this year? Hyukoh. Despite plagiarism allegations, their songs “Comes and Goes” and “Hooka” seemed to “come” out of nowhere and take over the charts this past summer amongst heated competition. And for a band only one year old, that is an incredible feat. For that accomplishment, the award is theirs.

Image Credit: Soompi

Best Collaboration & Unit - Zion.T and Crush, “Just”

While Complex called Zion.T the “reigning king” of Korean R&B, it also called Crush the “emerging prince.” When you put those two together, you get a collaboration that is incredibly hard to beat, even by the likes of Soyou & Kwon Jeong Yeol who, compared to Soyou’s previous collaborative hits, didn’t make much of an impact. Crush and Zion.T led the charts upon the release of “Just,” a “melancholic, silky-smooth jam that somberly expresses a young man's delicate vulnerability, mixed emotions and forced indifference towards a breakup,” according to Billboard. It went on to be the 14th biggest hit of the first half of this year, and the 8th most downloaded (it was even streamed more times than BIGBANG’s “Loser” in the year’s first half). It follows with “Some” and “Troublemaker” winning in past years that MAMA bases this award simply on the most popular, successful unit among the nominees. While the three other nominees, Block B BASTARZ, INFINITE H, and VIXX LR, were all subunits of bigger groups and all very successful, the award this year will most likely go to two separate artists who used their collective talent to make an impact.

Do you agree? Let us know in the comments! Stay tuned for Part 3!

Kushal Dev is an Indian-American writer based in New Jersey. He discovered K-Pop through friends and YouTube, and has been an avid follower of Korean entertainment for 4 years. He biases 2NE1, Girls' Generation, f(x), MAMAMOO and EXID.

MAMA 2015 Predictions, Part 1: Artist Category

Ah, yes (or “Ah Yeah,” depending on who you bias). November. It’s that time of year, when the Christmas trees come out of storage, holiday discounts finally come around, and, most importantly, award show season in the world of Kpop. Whether you’re an EXO-L, VIP, S<3NE, or a member of another of Kpop’s many fandoms, it’s a pretty big deal. The Mnet Asian Music Awards (or MAMA), despite being the center of controversy, debate, and sometimes dissatisfaction among fans, is one of Kpop’s most anticipated events of the year. To add to the excitement and speculation, let’s take a look at the nominees, and try to figure out who will win what.

Before we start, however, let’s clear up one important fact: these are predictions, not the awards themselves. Nor do they accurately depict who actually deserves the award. Instead, we are evaluating each nominee on the basis of chart performance, sales, public popularity, etc., in addition to past MAMA ceremonies in terms of who won and who didn’t. With that disclaimer of sorts in place, let’s begin! Since MAMA is a very long ceremony which awards artists in a whole slew of different categories, we will break these predictions up into multiple articles, the first of which starts here with the Artist Category.

Best New Male Artist - iKON

Despite drastically imbalanced line distribution, idol-dissing on their debut EP (hypocrisy, much?), and rumored bullying directed towards newest member Chanwoo, iKON is undoubtedly the safest prediction to make for the winner of this award, (and you probably knew that already). iKON has already managed to match or outdo very popular groups like B2ST in physical and digital sales. Not many boy groups have been able to score songs in Gaon’s Top 5 this year, but iKON already has a #1 with their debut single “My Type.” To provide some comparison, the last boy group to debut at the top of the charts was WINNER, YG’s other relatively new boy group with an alternative-influenced musical color. iKON is set to get another Top 10 with their new single “Apology,” which all-killed right after release on the 16th. The only other nominee that even stands a chance is hundred-thousand-selling Seventeen, who are probably Pledis Entertainment’s only money-making artist at the moment. But overall, iKON’s win is definitely something we can expect.

Best New Female Artist - TWICE

This new nine-member girl group is stunningly different than anything JYP has put out before: a strong mix of powerful vocals, dance talent, and startlingly beautiful visuals. The members are easy to tell apart and their charms are clearly noticeable, yet they meld together perfectly — and the public is taking notice. TWICE is one of the only female rookies this year to score a top 20 song and an album selling more than, you know, 10 or 15 copies (seriously, female groups deserve more physical sales than they get).

But despite all of TWICE’s qualities and selling points, time is definitely working against them. While TWICE debuted last month, GFriend has been in the game since January, and is the only rookie on the female nominee list to have a top 10 single (“Me Gustas Tu” peaked at #8 while TWICE’s “Like OOH AHH” hit #16). Despite Woollim’s new GG Lovelyz matching TWICE in physical sales, GFriend is the only other major contender — they are the only group with comparable or arguably greater public popularity. Considering the fierce competition, (cue stupid reference to the insanely catchy “Like OOH AHH”) we’ll definitely be thinking about this prediction twice.

Best Male Artist - Zion.T

Not gonna lie, JYP is a tempting pick for this award. “Who’s Your Mama” was not only successful, but wildly popular — it ended up fighting against his own label’s Miss A for the top of the charts earlier this year, and if Miss A is known for anything (other than their awesome R&B sexy concepts), it’s for holding their own on the charts when the public takes a liking to their songs (remember “Bad Girl, Good Girl”? One of the top-selling songs in South Korean history? Yeah, we do, too). But if we look at the history of this award show, the explosively popular one-hit wonder is not the winner, at least in this category — in 2012, it was G-Dragon who, with “Crooked,” beat out PSY’s “Gangnam Style” for the award. And while JYP undeniably had a stellar year, so did Zion.T. He has a total of three Top 3 singles this year, two of which are chart-toppers. He was even featured on Jonghyun’s pre-release “Deja Boo,” which was (unsurprisingly) another #1. Despite being around since 2011, Zion.T finally shot to stardom this year. American entertainment magazine Complex called him the “reigning king” of contemporary R&B in Korea. Such is a fitting title for the year’s Best Male Artist.

Image Credit: Soshified

Best Female Artist - Taeyeon

At first glance, this category seems filled almost overwhelmingly with Kpop royalty. For starters, you have BoA, the eternal Queen of Kpop, sitting on the nominee list. Her “Kiss My Lips” comeback was acclaimed by critics and fans alike, but failed to really capture the public’s attention. HyunA and Ailee both had decent releases, but they, along with BoA, were unable to make a splash with their comebacks, most likely because they both stayed within the boundaries of their typical concepts. IU, on the other hand, did the opposite — she definitely got the public’s attention, but for all the wrong reasons (her songs may be good, but her slew of scandals clearly aren’t).

Instead, we have one candidate who clearly outshines all the rest: Kim Taeyeon, the leader and main vocalist of Girls’ Generation who finally got a solo album (Thank you thank you thank you, SM). Her song, “I,” an emotional pop-rock ballad, was an instant hit — the track as well as the album became the top-selling of October. Taeyeon succeeded where the others couldn’t. She stayed out of scandals and stayed in the spotlight. Despite the immense popularity of each nominee, you end up saying “duh, who else?” once you realize how much of a smash success Taeyeon really is.

Best Male Group - BIGBANG

While many would like this award to go to the rising BTS or the virtually scandal-less SHINee, BIGBANG receiving this award is more obvious than iKON for Best New Male Artist. I mean, who else could get four #1 songs and four more #2’s? Who else could sell more than 350,000 albums in just physical singles? Who else could get their albums into the top 3 of the iTunes real-time album chart...in the USA? It has to be BIGBANG. While EXO definitely poses a threat (their physical sales almost quadruple those of BB), it’s pretty obvious that BIGBANG is the only group here with the power to get the entire public excited about their releases, making them by far the strongest contenders for this award.

Best Female Group - Girls’ Generation

Another “duh.” But this award isn’t theirs because they’re Girls’ Generation (although that is a pretty good reason to give it to them). A lot of groups get comfortable in their success, only promoting once a year and disappearing into the Kpop void for the rest of it. Some examples are, well, pretty much everyone else on this nominee list. Despite successful comebacks from everyone here, Girls’ Generation has definitely been the headlining female act of 2015. From Catch Me If You Can to Party to Lion Heart, GG remained undoubtedly relevant and successful from April to September. The other girl groups here are definitely worthy of applause, but they still pale in comparison to the Nation’s Girl Group.

So do you agree, or do you think these predictions are absolutely bogus? Let us know what you think! Part 2: The Genre Category, is coming soon!

Kushal Dev is an Indian-American writer based in New Jersey. He discovered K-Pop through friends and YouTube, and has been an avid follower of Korean entertainment for 4 years. He biases 2NE1, Girls' Generation, f(x), MAMAMOO and EXID.

Forgotten to Frontwoman: Yuri is the True Rising Star of 2015

Image Credit: wgsnsdfx.com

2015 was a pretty mind-blowing year for K-Pop, and although it’s still a little early for New Years’ parties and Gayo Daejun festivals, we can already point out some of the year’s most obvious rising stars — BTS, MAMAMOO, 4minute’s Jiyoon, BtoB’s Sungjae, and many, many more. But rising stars aren’t always ones that shine so brightly — they just shine brighter than they have before. So instead of talking about 2015’s more obvious winners, let’s talk about someone who we don’t really talk about all that often — Kwon Yuri, member of Girls’ Generation. Her star is shining brighter than ever before, and here’s why.

Despite being an already well-established idol in what is arguably K-Pop’s most well-established group, Yuri has constantly been on the lower end of Girls’ Generation’s popularity rankings. In the past, SM usually threw her one or two unmemorable lines per song, leaving her to stand behind the spotlight (instead of under it) as part of GG’s tragically underused dance line (SM, PLEASE MAKE SHY HAPPEN ALREADY). But 2015 changed everything for Yuri — we are finally hearing her voice outside of two-second ad libs and momentary melodies.

It started with GG’s explosive first release of the year in April, when “Catch Me If You Can” saw Yuri take more singing time (24 seconds) than some of the group’s more usual vocalists like Tiffany (17 seconds) and Seohyun (14 seconds). Not only does she start the song, but she also dances front-and-center for the entire second chorus, in addition to handling both singing and rapping lines throughout the song (in other words, total and complete slayage). But many would be quick to counter the argument that “Catch Me If You Can” is Yuri’s claim to fame, stating that the song is simply an outlier among the group’s discography — one that purposely emphasizes the dance unit more so than did other songs. Since this is a very, very valid counterargument (along with Yuri, Yoona and Sooyoung take a majority of lines throughout the song as well), let’s look at some of the group’s later releases to further prove Yuri’s rising stardom.

Party was the group’s first single album release since their debut in 2007. It featured B-side “Check,” a 90’s style R&B track that was performed a few times on music shows during Party’s first week of release in July. “Check” was a blessing for Yuri fans because she spent a majority of the performances towards the front-and-center, slaying fans with her flawless curvy figure.

To any S<3NE watching the group make their long-awaited comeback in July, Yuri’s presence was definitely notable, much more so than in previous years. The trend continued in “Lion Heart,” in which Yuri sings a large part of the second chorus, and “You Think,” in which she handles an entire dance break. The pattern is unmistakable — Yuri’s role in the group is finally gaining importance. She’s no longer a forgotten dancer — she’s now a vocal and a visual as well. Even Billboard’s K-Pop columnist Jeff Benjamin takes note of Yuri’s increasing share of the line distribution, claiming that it’s “a decision that further shows that Girls’ Gen is embracing change in their eighth year together.”

Many of you might be wondering: Why did Yuri become so much more relevant all of a sudden? Well, the answer definitely isn’t definite. In fact, it’s most likely a mixture of many factors — her raw dancing talent, her blossoming into a full-fledged visual, her curves (something fairly rare in the K-Pop world), the group’s newfound inclination towards sexier, more provocative concepts (where Yuri shines strongest), the departure of one of the group’s main vocalists in 2014, and the announcement of her short-lived relationship with baseball player Oh Seung-Hwan in April of this year. All of these reasons, some of which relate to the group’s changing musical color and lineup, contribute to her upward surge.

Rising stars are not necessarily the idols who wholeheartedly capture the entire public’s attention or gain thousands on their Daum fancafe page — they’re sometimes those who take advantage of the one opportunity they’re given, those who quietly maintain public respect without making a big fuss about their good deeds, or those who, in the case of Yuri, go from dancer to visual/singer/dancer/rapper. It’s pretty safe to say that Yuri is one of 2015’s rising stars — not because she was “the trend” or bringer of cultural revolution, but because she rose among the ranks of her own group, effectively becoming a frontwoman of one of the most powerful acts in K-Pop history.

Kushal Dev is an Indian-American writer based in New Jersey. He discovered K-Pop through friends and YouTube, and has been an avid follower of Korean entertainment for 4 years. He biases 2NE1, Girls' Generation, f(x), MAMAMOO and EXID.

The Idol Grows Up (Or Does She?)

We'd like to thank Suzanne, one of our readers, for sending us the idea for this article! 

Buoyed certainly by Confucian tradition, a person's age, in Korean culture, is of utmost importance - especially concerning how one person views and then treats another. You'll often see reality shows where the first questions asked are directed at someone's age. Deference goes to older aged - respect. There are books written about this, sociological studies. But what about aging itself, and, since this is a Kpop site: how do young idols perceive their own aging? IU's "Twenty-Three" has sparked some discussion on the similarities between her new video and Lim Kim's "Goodbye 20" and Song Jieun's "Twenty-Five," and with good reason. But as these idols tackle growing older, are they really saying the same thing? Let's dig a little deeper here, shall we?

Starting with Lim Kim, and not just because she's the youngest: She entered headfirst into her twenties with "Goodbye 20."

I already know what you're thinking (I can read your mind, it's scary), but twenty-one isn't the same marker for Koreans as it is for those of us in the United States. The legal drinking age is nineteen, and so is the voting age or when you can buy cigarettes (but nice try). 

So why is turning twenty-one even significant? Watching the video, it's hard to tell. Lim Kim's first lyrics, translated in English are something like: "My twenty is all gone, I have done nothing," which, considering her early success, seems a bit disingenuous. It takes a minute to realize that Lim Kim, despite turning twenty-one herself, really isn't singing about herself here: "My Mom tries to imprison my night, like I'm a punk" speaks more of a delinquent child instead of the touring idol that probably sleeps in a dorm room provided by her agency. She complains about her sister being in hysterics, her father who is never home, possibly dropping out of college, finding love. No, Lim Kim is not singing about herself here but how she imagines turning twenty-one would be like for someone who isn't an idol.

This song signals an end to adolescence by embracing the juvenile. Lim Kim has never been more exuberant, popping balloons and knocking over people dressed as bears (she dresses as a bear herself to make the moneys), wearing gloves on her feet, dragging herself to adulthood via skateboard, despite herself. It's a beautiful video, full of cool sky blues and mustard yellows, but even so this release feels a bit off; it feels staged. Looking at her early releases you wouldn't even guess that Lim Kim was so young. "All Right" feels decidedly adult, "Rain" touches the sublime with the grace of someone twice Lim Kim's age. "Goodbye Twenty" isn't about showing fans that Lim Kim is growing up as she's always been presented as mature and adult - instead, this release is reminding us of her youth.

Which brings us to (Secret's) Song Jieun's "Twenty-Five," which is well, mostly different. What's strange with Song Jieun's coming-of-age release, "Twenty-Five," is everything. Watch the music video first, then get back to me.

Did you watch it (please don't lie)? On first glance, it's a nice but pretty unremarkable video, but it actually is pretty remarkable how thrilled Song Jieun is at becoming a woman, referring to herself with lines like: "A perfectly amazing bodyline," and "Beautiful, young, and free." It's oddly empowering, and it's only odd because this feels like a coming-out party, whereas Song Jieun has been doing this idol thing for years already.  

"I don't act like a girl anymore," she sings, clutching a stuffed bear (again with the bears!) and popping birthday balloons, and, despite the visual contradictions, one tends to believe her. She enters twenty-five unencumbered by her naive, insecure youth, dancing in high heels and short skirts with all the confidence of a seasoned diva. 

So how is it just mostly different from Lim Kim's own coming-of-age release? It's because, like Lim Kim's release, "Twenty-Five" is also reminding us of Song Jieun's youth, which is presented here as strangely "girly," with a focus on flowery decor and aggressive pinks. This is probably going for, at least partially, an ironic touch, as midway through the video we enter a more slick (adult) black and white and blue color scheme, but we don't stay just there - we keep returning to these soft, idyllic images - Song Jieun as young princess, forever young. Therein lies intent. In both Lim Kim and Song Jieun's releases, as they confront their aging, one with glee and the other with despair, a central element binds them: they're also selling their beautiful, coveted, youth. 

Which brings us to IU and "Twenty-Three."

Yes, IU has her own coming-of-age song here, and there are some stark similarities that all of these videos share. The color schemes - these blues signifying maturity are significant (or: entirely coincidental). There's more bear imagery as well but only IU directly mentions the mammal with the intriguing: "Pretend to be a fox that pretends to be a bear that pretends to be a fox." Those lines hint at the fact that IU's take on aging is a bit different than that of her peers. She is less concerned with growing older and more concerned with her own celebrity and duplicity, which, honestly, is far more interesting.

In fact, IU's "Twenty-Three" may have more in common with Gain's criminally underrated "Truth or Dare," which probed into the idol life and certainly exaggerated Gain's larger-than-life persona (and went to great lengths at shaping that persona). The video ends with Gain asking: "Just living - isn't it all acting?"

IU's video isn't selling the idea of youth - it's selling the idea of IU. Like "Truth or Dare," IU brings us one of her most personal releases yet - she doesn't imagine what it would be like for someone not super famous to grow older like Lim Kim does - she peers into her own self as a super famous idol. Unlike Song Jieun insisting on her maturity, IU embraces the duplicity of growing older. The only certainty is uncertainty.

Observe: "Oh right, I want to be in love. (No, I'd rather make money)." Or how about: "Making the opposite facial expression to the heart is really simple." Or, my favorite: "At first, I never wrote a single line of lies." The song is a lyrical smorgasbord, personal and straight from IU's mouth (she at least co-produced all the songs in this CAT-SHIRE mini-album), but still touching on ideas that are universal.

IU depicts growing older as falling into a rabbit hole, life taking the form of Alice in Wonderland's upside-down madcap world. I'm sure many young adults see the absurdity of their adult lives in much the same way. In that, IU's "Twenty-Three" is actually very different from Lim Kim and Song Jieun's similar releases. By sharing how much she doesn't know, about life, about herself, IU is showing how adult she really is. And that's something you have to respect.


Timothy Moore writes from Chicago. He blogs at Read My Blog Please, and edits at Ghost Ocean Magazine. His biases are T-ara, Block B, Nine Muses, Brown Eyed Girls, and Girl's Day.