Friday, July 6, 2018

My 2018 Half Year Kpop List: A Mixture of Older & New Kpop Gen Part 1



Can not believe it's already been July, half of the year gone by so fast! 

So many great music appears in the Korean pop market, I had a tough time followed it all. For me, the past six months a mixture from the new and older Kpop generation. So, it is super fun to follow. I did acknowledge did not listen to all the new release, but I tried. Any new music video appears, I go straight to Youtube to stream and then turn it up my Spotify to check the full single/mini/albums. I tried at least lol.

What is my favorite this past half year?
Go check this list out. One of the song could be your new favorite as well 😍

INFINITE - TELL ME

They definitely always had special spot in my heart. Being an Inspirit (their fandom name) for around 3 years made me had thing special bond with them. Feels like I knew them by heart. Woohyun, my favorite members, responsible for hundreds of picture I stalk every single day, day and night, on almost all of his fansites lol. 

So, it breaks my heart when Hoya decided to left Infinite to pursue his own career. Honestly, I casually followed Infinite past 2014 after they release Season 2 albums, so it really come as a shock to me when I heard the news. Before Hoya news, Woohyun been caught in another scandal as well, in the same year. 2017 it's kind of a mess year for Infinite. So I am really looking forward to their new release san Hoya, before Sunggyu enlistment as well.

Safe to say, I am not disappointed. This is one of the reason why I love Infinite in the first place. Their addictive songs, harmonization between Gyu and Woohyun and all the sharp dance. All is in this masterpiece. I kind of feel some pieces left by Hoya is still there, just hoping someone could take up the role. I saw that Dongwoo is working hard to fill up the empty spot that Hoya left.

A.C.E - TAKE ME HIGHER

This is the group that I love since their pre-debut days. It's all because Park Jun Hee. Blame him lol. His one-time performance on I Can See Your Voice imitating Kangta left a deep impression on me. He surely looks like Kangta. So I began searching his other video and found out that he is a Leader of an upcoming group called A.C.E. This group is dope! They had a lot of cover from other group, boygroup and girlgroup alike. Great dancing, amazing vocals. You can go check out their masterpiece in their official Youtube account.

READ ALSO: I CAN SEE YOUR VOICE 

So it is a no wonder that I witnessed their debut day, and Cactus is a great song. I love it. But I didn't feel the same way for their follow up single, Calling. It's like a repetition from Cactus and I didn't feel the same energy that Cactus bring. Even after they released digital song, a ballad called 5STAR (Incompletion), it still did not reach my taste yet. So I keep waiting for their other works.

Summer come and suddenly Take Me Higher teasers are everywhere. I love the teasers already. It was solid. The song is fun, addictive and the choreo really exhausted just by watching lol. They did amazing, even though lacking one personnel.  The song screams joyfulness during summer, full with high pitch voice and so many foot works. The stage presence still looks empty, since they're still focusing on dance routine. But their vocal is really stable. The music remove version is really good. Aside all that heavy dance routine, they sang really well. 

BLACKPINK - DDU-DU DDU-DU

The long wait is end! Finally, after waiting for long year after the release of their digital single, As If It's Your Last in June 2017. The girls finally back with, again finally, their first mini album. I love all of their materials before, the songs really addictive with some hummed YG style. Not to mention that all the girls had their own fashion style that looks good and fresh.

And it is a no-brainer scenario to say that their release will be a hit. It definitely surpass every expectation. Ddu-du Ddu-du even become the first Kpop song that reach fastest Youtube views in 24 hours after release. In overall category, they only left behind Taylor Swift's Look What You Made Me Do. The music video reached 36.2 million in the first 24 hours since release. 

The song itself is so Blackpink. I couldn't say no, that they surely had the same heritage that 2NE1 left, with a youth feeling into it. One thing I found odd in the beginning is Lisa had no Rap line, I am just used to see her rapping lol. But her vocal line is quite good. For me, this song introduce me to Ji Soo as well. To me, Ji Soo is never an outstanding member, never heard her name before honestly. But her short black hair kind of attractive here, and her vocal is suit her part. Still not my fave member, but glad to say now, all 4 members of Blackpink is equally talented.

IKON - LOVE SCENARIO

I know this song, even hummed to it, before I even knew who sang it. Haha. Too damn addictive, both the melody and lyrics. Something that I never expected coming from Ikon, that said to be the shadow of Winner. Well, at least in my opinion. Since after all, they are the runner up of the show WIN several years back. Also, with the immense popularity of  Really Really by Winner last 2017, I hardly could not imagine any song could top that.

But then again, I am wrong.

Love Scenario definitely could pull it off. Even by looking at their Youtube views, they win by far. Ikon start 2018 with a storm. Some articles even predicted that this song will be 2018 song of the year, even before half of the year even come. I truly believe that honestly. Ikon is not one of those group that had loyal fandom that will do anything for their faves, so I really believe their success is appeal to general masses.


TWICE - WHAT IS LOVE


I really could not believe with this group achievement! Really! They keep beating their own record one another. Not only in terms of Youtube view, but also in song. Twice is among my fave Kpop girl group at the moment. I enjoy all of their songs, and always feels in every release that the song they had later on could never be as addictive as the last one. But JYP proved me wrong. They give such a good materials to the girls so I found myself repeating the songs over and over.

I first like them during TT and always follow their material release after that. Signal is such a disappointed for me, but I still acknowledge it as one of that song stuck-in-your-mind fo re ver. Then come Likey that made me fall in love with the music video location. Last year, they close the year with Heart Shaker as a perfect closure. Such a good year is 2017 for them.

But JYP still keep another song for them to release this year. The Princess-y theme ballroom dance setting fitted perfectly with these nine girls to dance and sing together. In my office, one of the employee seat not far from me, keep replying this song over and over. It made it even harder not to make it stuck lol. Such a happy-go-lucky song.

I still have 5 more songs I could recommend that blows 2018 so far. Check the continuation post here.
Tell me your thoughts on my list so far in comments below 😉


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