K-pop End of the Year Show 2013 Solos and Subunits

The soloists, the people that don't have to split their paycheck with their 50 other band mates at the end of the day. There are quite a few people in here that use to be in a group and struck out on their own for various reasons and there are also others who are going for the time being and then they will return to their family.

I wonder what it is like to be solo after being in a group. I would think that it could give you that sick to your stomach feel when you are excited but also terrified about something. You hope that it goes well, but at the same time there is potential for it to all go wrong. These people definitely didn't get it wrong though, whether they have always been alone or they are making a name for themselves outside of their usual group activities.

Comebacks         Debuts         K-pop Half Time Show 2013

Solos

Girls

Lee Jung Hyun "V"

This video is ten times of crazy and so is the song. After watching this video I looked into Lee Jung Hyun more and she seems to favor this creepy doll fashion motif, it totally works for her. In music videos, when they try to tell a story and they end up being really long, it's a hit and miss for me. I don't like it when my song is interrupted by the story because then I don't feel like I really know what the song sounds like. This video tells the story in and around the video and I have watched it quite a few times because it is so ridiculous and fun to watch. The music also works with the haunted house set because it does sound like a song that ghosts would be dancing to when no one is looking.

Lim Kim "Goodbye 20" 

I had a really hard time deciding what song to pick for her because I'm kind of love with everything that she has done this year so I went with the most recent one. Her voice is just so unique and ethereal sounding I could listen to her all day which I feel really weird saying. I am not a huge fan of female singers because they are always just so freaking sexy and I don't like it. They if they aren't painfully sexy they give me a cavity with their cuteness. Lim Km does neither of this things so that is a plus. I'm also not a huge fan of ballad type songs and she does have slower songs, but I love those too. What is happening to me? I also found out that she is the girl that had a crush on L in Shut Up Flower Boy Band and that drama was one of the best things that happened ever.

Insooni "Beautiful Girl"

I've decided that this woman is my new hero, she's like a Korean Annie Lennox. They are both older female singers that are still being awesome in an industry that is dominated by skin and youth. This song and video also makes me really happy to watch and listen to which is the whole point behind it. I am definitely going to have to find some more music by her.

Boys

Jay Park "I Like 2 Party"

This is the Jay Park sound I like rather than the profanity laced raps that he puts out. I know that there are a lot of different sides to him, but that is just not a side that I enjoy. What I like about this song is that the title tells you exactly what the song is, it's a party song and it makes me want to get up and dance. Unless I missed a whole chunk of music that came out this year, there wasn't a lot of dance tracks that came out. The only other one that really stands out in my mind right now is Xia's song "Incredible" that came out earlier this year.  

Kim Hyun Joong ft. Jay Park  "Unbreakable" 

Kim Hyun Joong has come a long way since his Boys Over Flowers days and he has done a very good job in transitioning from the flower boy Ji Hoo to the super legit Kim Hyun Joong. I'm not sure what else to say right now as I type because I think that I am starting the new year with a head cold and I have a pounding headache between my eyes and I can feel it creeping to my neck as I sit here and write. Just go listen to the song, you won't be sorry. 

Kim Jin Pyo "Zombie" 

Even if you don't like this song, you can't tell me that you didn't like this video, I refuse to listen to you and I'll just make you watch it again because this was amazing. I think that the difference between Kim Jin Pyo's voice and LYn's voice also fit in well with the feel of the video. In all the horror that is going on around these two people they still have each other and then the ending is heartbreaking and LYn's clear voice is used perfectly at that point. I am a little confused about that white boy though. Where did he come from?  

Seung Ri "Gotta Talk to You"

I was afraid to watch this video when it first came out because of the scandalousness that was the teaser.This video didn't burn out my eyes though and it was actually quite good. It had a sexy, loungey feeling, but at the same time it had the electric pan pipes (yes, the electric pan pipes, I just made it up) in the background which gave it a modern and exciting sound. And like Kim Hyung Joong, that is all I can say.   

Lim Chung Jang "Open the Door"

This video is just one ball of crazy, and I love it. I don't listen to a lot of trot music, mainly because I don't know any trot artists, but I do like listening to it once in a while. The songs are so upbeat and fun, is there such a thing as a trot ballad? Probably, but trot seems to happy for that. All the cameos in this video made it that much better too from the simple ones like Daniel Choi to the funny ones like U-KISS and Heechul. Overall, this song and video are a total win.

Yoo Seung Woo "U Who?"

This kid is seriously too cute and he definitely gets a place on my list of Idols I Want to Give a Cookie. He's just so little and he plays the guitar and that bowl hair cut is the final straw. I also love that he lip syncs San E's rap part and he's all done up in his "hood" clothes and he's acting as gangster as his cute little frame will let him. 

~ Alora