K-pop Half Time Show 2013 Solos and Subunits

I think that it takes a special person to promote singly, especially when you are in a presently promoting group. I can see going from a group where you can feed off other people's energy to being solo could be both exhilarating and terrifying. One of my favorite things about people who are putting out solo albums for the first time outside of a group is you get to see a completely different side of them. You are so used to seeing them one way but then they completely 180 when they are on their own. Here are those people that we felt really shined through the masses of large groups as a singular star.
   

 Comebacks     Debuts

Solos

Girls 

Lee Hyori "Bad Girls"

Lee Hyori has been killing it this year with all the songs and videos that she has put out. I love the pop art concept that is going on in this video and the back track sounds like something that you might hear in an old cartoon during a corny chase scene. I am also a fan of her newest video "Crazy". She is just furthering the fact that she is one of the queens of K-pop.

~ Alora

Lee Hi

This song is so pretty and it has a really different sound from a lot of other K-pop videos. It is a ballad, and while I don't usually go for ballads, I actually really like this one. I also like how the song is sung predominantly in her chest voice, it just gives the song a whole different feel from the popular sounds that K-pop is putting out right now.

~ Alora

I wish I had your voice award - Becca

Boys 

Heo Young Saeng "The Art of Seduction

I love this song so much. I haven't been listening to K-pop for too awfully long so I missed SS501, even though they don't really do it for me anyways, sorry. This song has a great funky kind of disco sound and it is also rocking the synths. This is one of the songs that makes me wish that I really could sing along with it and not just make up nonsensical words and sounds that sound similar. That being said I've been singing "I'm burning up yeah" during the chorus, apparently it's "Oppa neun eottae", who knew? Last note, I totally want crazy-stalker-kidnapper girls pink sweater. 

~ Alora

Roy Kim "Bom Bom Bom"

This was the first time that I had ever heard a Roy Kim song even though I had seen his name before on K-pop news sites. When I listened to this song, the first thing that came to mind when he started singing was "Oh my gosh it's the Korean John Denver" and I still stand by that. He has such a wonderfully smooth voice and can hit higher notes as well as deeper notes with ease. He can come and sing me to sleep any time. 

~ Alora

 Jae Joong "Mine"

I got into K-pop long after the whole DBSK fiasco, so I don't suffer from DBSK withdraws like so many others, even though I am quite fond of "Mirotic", but then again who isn't? I loved this song the second the first chord was played because this is the type of American music I listen to. This song is just so gritty and different from the super sexy electric feel that normally comes with K-pop. This song is definitely toeing the line between K-pop and J-rock and I absolutely love it. Keep doing this JaeJoong, because it's freaking awesome. 

~ Alora 

G-Dragon "Michi Go"

Oh G-Dragon, what would we do without your cracked out solo videos? Also, that pink elephant? Totally not subtle, is all. 

~ Alora

Why do all my friends say you look like a girl in this music video? award - Becca 

K.Will "Love Blossom"

I had heard K.Will songs before because he is the king of OSTs, but I had never actually sat down and really listened to a song or watched a video. This song was awesome though, it is one of those songs you listen to and think, "Yeah! Sometime it will stop snowing and being cold. The sun will come out and everything will be okay!" It is too bad that K.Will took a head shot from L though, even though it was a clever way to use an otherwise "unusable" singer in a video. Put K.Will in his own videos, dang it!  

~ Alora

Cleverest use of the artist in a music video award - Becca 

Jay Park "Joah" 

I don't listen to Jay Park because he tends to be a angry gangster rapper and I am not an angry gangster rap type of person. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this song though. It's so cute and, well, cute. Who knew right? I know that Jay Park is a phenomenal rapper, but I would not be sad to hear more songs like this because his voice is like butter. 

~ Alora 

Where did this soft side come from and how can I see it more often award - Becca  

 

 Sub Units 

I think that subunits are very similar to solo artists in the sense that you get to see something different that the usual concept that you are used to from a specific group. It showcases the talents of certain people that may be overshadowed in large vocal groups.There weren't a lot to pick from in this category, but from those few, these are who we really liked.

Boys 

 Infinite H "Special Girl"

I don't really listen to Infinite, the only thing I really knew about them was that L was in Shut Up! Flower Boys Band, but I really liked this song when it came out. I like the mix between the sung chorus and the rapped verses. I also decided that I really like Dongwoo because he had pink hair and, not to sound super weird or anything, he has really nice lips. 

~ Alora

Best dancing and swagger in a Sub Group music video award - Becca 

U-Beat "Should Have Treated You Better"

I have recently come to love U-Kiss so I was excited to hear the a sub group was going to be created. I liked that AJ and Eli were the main players in this sun group because rappers don't get a lot of stage time in a group. They usually come out for the bridge or do basic background rapping. Not this time though! AJ and Eli are getting their chance to shine in their very own sub group with a special appearance by Kevin.

~ Alora

Most upbeat sad song award - Becca

Girls 

 No love for female sub groups here, sorry.

K-pop Half Time Show 2013 Debuts

I have noticed that with the creation of this blog I know a lot more about rookie groups. I am paying more attention to everything that is happening in K-pop and I am so glad for that! There are all of these great rookie groups that I would have never known about otherwise had I not searched for them. 

There is so much going on in the K-pop world that it is hard to become big when there are so many other established groups out there. There is so much talent coming from small companies that get crushed by other companies like SM, YG, and Cube, it is easy to over look some of them. Don't do it though! Go love the little people who sing these songs!

Comebacks      Solos and Sub Units

Debuts 

Girls 

Heyne "Dalla"

I am kind of obsessed with this song right now. The first time that I heard it I wasn't sure how I felt about it because she has a very cute voice, it's almost at a J-pop level just to give you an idea. The video is also very cute and collectively all those things are totally not me. But now, for some unknown reason, I absolutely love this song. There is a comment on Youtube at the moment that says "Her voice is the sound of honeybees, candy, baby animals, and rainbows all having an orgy" and I completely agree with that statement. It just makes me really happy and I think that it is a really good song to be listening to right now that summer has come upon us.   

~ Alora

GI (Global Icon) "Beatles"

This debut was picked by Becca and I have to say that I agree. I was excited to see them debut because they seemed to have quite a different concept from most girl groups; especially girl groups this year because it is all about "sex sells" right now and this video showcased their vocals and dancing without wearing next to nothing. Sure it was a little heavy on the auto tune, but listening to their debut stage shows that they aren't just a bunch of cute faces. I hope that they stick with this concept and it isn't just a gimmick to get them popularity in the beginning. 

~ Alora  

Most awesome bad a** female debut - Becca

Boys  

Never Mind "Shooting Star" 

I am super obsessed with this group right now. They are just so wonderful and my life is better for discovering them. They have a really interesting sound for K-pop because they don't sound like a K-pop band; they sound like something that I would hear over the American radio, aside from the fact that they are singing in Korean, of course. To make them even cooler, they write, compose, and arrange all their own music! Please excuse me while I commence drooling over them. Bands are very unrepresented in the K-pop scene and I hope that these guys do really well because I will probably buy everything that they put out. These guys have one other video called "Hoi Hoi" go check it out!

~ Alora

PURE "I Still Love You" 

I love a good piano track and this music video delivers just that. The only problem with this group, and it is a problem, is that they do sound just like any other group and that makes me sad because they do have strong vocals. Hopefully in the future they can create a more solid sound because I would like to hear more from them.

~ Alora

 BTS "No More Dream"

The fact that I love this song so much baffles me because it is totally not my style. I don't mind some rapping, but I need a melody line to keep me happy. This doesn't really have one, but the first time I heard it I just wanted more. I am excited to see what else that they put out in the future. Something that I wonder about is if they will ever do a cutey boy concept because I have seen some pictures of them being really cute. Rap Monster being cute.......cue the goosebumps.

~ Alora 

LC9 "MaMa Beat"

Oh man this song, or should I say this video? After I watched the video I was in a state of shock and I realized that I had no idea what the song sounded like because I was so caught up in what was happening before my eyes. Once I listened to it again, without watching the video, I realized that they did sound pretty good. I am also kind of in love with King and his ridiculous hair, also, that boy can sing! They recently did a cover of Nelly's "Just a Dream" that I am still drooling over and it totally focuses on their vocals so you can get a better feel for all of their sounds. 

~ Alora 

Most disturbing music video award - Becca 

History "Dreamer"

This song doesn't really do it for me, so I'll just let Becca be happy about it, don't tell her

This song is so freaking good, please give me more award - Becca 

Airplane "So Pretty" 

This song came out on January 6 and these boys have been MIA since and it makes me really sad. I like that they are a smaller groups since lately the trend has been to produce these monster groups. It is easier to hear all of their vocals this way, and man do they have vocals. They voices are all very clear and they do seem to seem to have a sound down that is their own, unlike another group that I have mentioned. The video was also pretty funny, but who puts on half a face of make up and then leaves the house? 

I like this song, but it seems like maybe you fell of the face of the earth... that's too bad award - Becca

Mix

MFBTY "Sweet Dream"

I put this here slightly tentatively since all of the people in this group have already made names for themselves. This group is a new thing though and that is how I justify putting it in the debut section. One of my favorite things about these people is that they are so diverse and they are making a large impact on the music industry by doing something different. I also think that it is really cool that Yoon Mi Rae and Tiger JK are married and have a kid and you can see how much that they love each other when they are together. 

~ Alora 

K-pop Half Time Show 2013 Comebacks

It has been a busy year in the K-pop industry and there have been a lot of comebacks and a lot of debuts. With all of those songs there is going to be a lot of wonderful things happening, but there is always the chance of disappointment. When a fan is waiting for so long for their favorite group to come back, and when they do and you finish the video you just sit there thinking, that's what I've been waiting for? We will not be talking about those sad moments in K-pop though, these are some of the songs that we thought were the best ones that have come out this year. These are the songs that came and whispered sweet nothings to us and then proceeded to have a love affair with out eardrums.

Debuts    Solos and Sub Units 

Comebacks

Girls 

Tiny-G "Minimanimo"

This was the first song that I heard from Tiny-G and I absolutely loved it. They are all just so petite looking, I just want to put them in my pocket and take care of them. I liked how they incorporated that into the video by making them appear like they were in a Honey I Shrunk the Kids movie. This song is crazy catchy and after I listened to it I was singing (or at least trying to sing) the chorus all day. It goes a little like "Nanananana Minimanimo" and repeat. Oh yeah, I'm good. 

~ Alora

Why am I so embarrassed to say I love this song award - Becca 

Rainbow "Sunshine"

This song is so fun, it was a nice addition to other summery type of songs that are coming out to welcome the season. Another reason why I liked it is because the girls are cute and sexy, but not to the point where I am uncomfortable watching the video, which is happening quiet often. The song and the video matched very well to create something lovely and happy. I talked about this song for a K-pop review so go read it if you want to know more about what I think. 

~ Alora

Sunny Hill "Darling of all Hearts" 

I know that I recently talked about this song, but I really like the sound and the message it has. Sunny Hill is one of those groups that is really good but isn't one of those super top groups that people drool over, at least I don't think that they are..... am I wrong about this?

~ Alora

Boys  

MBLAQ "Smoky Girl"

This song was so smooth and loungy sounding. It was pretty different from what they have done in the past and it was welcomed. The chorus was repetitive, but that can be forgiven because it was so good. I've already written a whole post about this, so let me direct you this way!  

~ Alora

Sexiest suits in a music video award - Becca 

B1A4 "What's Happening?"

B1A4, how I love you are your craziness. This music video still creeps me out a little, but I have come to accept it, kind of, Baro still murdered Ken. This song was so funny and strange and it did really well in the combining of different song sounds into one giant song. I hope that they can get more recognition because they are quite talented. I also wrote about this song and created my own tragic story to go along with it, what do you think?

~ Alora

Most appropriately named music video award - Becca 

BAP "One Shot"

Becca chose this video, but to be perfectly honest, it didn't really do it for me. Not that it is a bad song, I just wasn't really feeling it. I have the same issue with "Power" it's an okay song, but far from my favorite thing BAP has put out. I am in love with BAP's new song "Coffee Shop" though, so that is definitely my favorite BAP song of the year thus far. 

~ Alora 

Most surprising music video ending award - Becca 

 

Nu'est "Hello"

You know why the girl is mad at Ren in the video? It's because he's prettier than her. That girl got some serious Nu'est action though, holy crap. I'm not really a fan of Nu'est, even though this song is quite good. I'll just leave this one for Becca. 

~ Alora 

I like your song, but your music video gives me anger issues award - Becca