I never had a soft spot for Kpop idol rappers (a few big ones have my respect though), till this grumpy marshmallow crossed my heart. His swag, his unconventionality, his talent, his effortless manliness, his dark nagging voice and his determination just blew me away. His lyrics are meaningful and deep, his beats are sick, his tongue technology out of this world and his mind wonders to all the right places. Sometimes I feel so sorry for him having to take the path as an idol to reach his dreams, for having to act cute or behaving according to social expectations. But then, pioneers always had to struggle to break conventions and open up new paths; and I know he can do so! Yoongi [stage name: Suga], calling you an “idol” is an insult, because you’re so much more, a true artist and genius. Happy Birthday!
BTS
My Reaction Video on BTS “Not Today”
[Note: the video is in German, I still didn’t manage to add subtitles, sorry!]
I’m kind of getting used to this π π What to do next Sunday?
FYI, BTS broke their own record of the week before and reached 10M views in 22 hours with #NotToday, thus appearing in YouTube’s Top 42 trending list. They also set another new record with Spring Day and got their third MV hit 100M views with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Congrats to the boys and their fans.
My First K-pop Reaction Video
[Note: the video is in German, but I’m kind of used to write everything in English… . Don’t ask why, I just feel more comfortable. I’ll see if I’ll add subtitles :)]
I’m sorry for being such a K-pop and BTS spammer at the moment. It’s just, as an old-school k-popper I never had the chance to actually hype through a comeback or watch videos in real time!! I sound so old and like a digital Neanderthal right now, but Super Junior, MBLAQ, Shinhwa or SHINee never had the possibilities or chances of SNS and live stream as it becomes more and more normal or standard at the moment. Throughout the live V Naver broadcast of BTS’ Spring Day comeback it was like a new world opened up, haha π (felt like Columbus). I’m also used to watch subtitled videos months or years after broadcast and only since a few months Germans have free access to most YouTube videos. Most were blocked (including almost all original K-pop videos) due to licence and copyright issues. I solemnly swear to take up more general Korea content soon.
P.S. Although I was familiar with BTS since their debut, I only worked up the energy to get into them because of my friend who you can see in the video. Thanks for being stubborn! I just had other priorities at that time (like writing a master thesis on K-pop π ).
K-Pop Fandoms Unite for BTS Comeback
Nowadays we have to stand together more to overcome differences and build bridges for better understanding and community. To my surprise, K-pop fandoms are showing this side at BTS’ latest comeback. At midnight BTS dropped their new single #SpringDay and it immediately hit the charts and swept to success. Spring Day managed an all-kill on Korean charts (at the top of all Korean music charts), crushed Melon, swept straight into worldwide iTunes and the Top 10 US iTunes (as the first K-pop band) and successfully made the MV count on YouTube stuck several times within one day (Read more on Korean Herald andΒ Soompi). ARMY is trying hard now to gain their boys 10 million clicks in 24 hours. The count has gone up by 2 Million in the last hours. Just a couple of minutes left and we see the results.
Several other K-pop fandoms are helping BTS‘ fandom ARMY out to achieve this success, such as Seventeen‘s Carat, EXO‘s EXO-L or Black Pink‘s (unofficial) BLINK. The rooting for the K-pop under-dog BTS is going on until one day, BTS will not be considered part of this category anymore. Continue reading
Happy Birthday to BTS’ V & Seventeen’s Joshua
A voice like a choir boy vs a voice like a rock star,
The smile of an angel vs the grin of a Cheshire Cat,
LA boy’s slaying English skills vs Daegu guy’s English awkwardness,
Boyish charms vs mainly cheekiness,
Yet, they don’t only share the same birthday, but are equally lovable and handsome.
#HappyBirthday to the vocalists of #Seventeen: #Joshua (or #Jinsu) and of #BTS: #V (or #Taehyung)!
Day 22, Christmas Day by BTS’ Jimin & Jungkook
Sometimes a cover isn’t a bad thing – especially not if BTS set their hands on it. With Christmas being only three days ahead Christmas Day spreads a smile on your face – even if sadly not the whole line-up of BTS perform the song. It’s only BTS‘ maknae-line Jimin and Jungkook who cheer us up in the hustle and bustle before the holidays, but as the two of them have so soothing voices, one can almost neglect Continue reading
K-Pop History on Award Show MAMA 2016
One of the biggest end-of-the-year awarding shows and most meaningful trophy for Korean artists is MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Award). Every year the work of idol groups and soloists is honored for its outstanding musical achievement by receiving this treasured major award. In 20 fixed categories and special optional ones, awards are passed to the winning artists. The most anticipated awards are the three Grand Prizes (called Daesang) which were introduced in 2006: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Artist of the Year. The public can vote for the nominated artists in all categories except for Album of the Year – so the awards reflect the public’s opinion on an act. Find the winners list below and watch Continue reading
