Of all current k-pop acts, none feels more closely tied to America than BTS. This is kind of ironic, since many groups nowadays count American members among their ranks. In contrast, all seven members of BTS hail from Korea, and only their leader Rap Monster speaks fluent English. Nonetheless, their music speaks to international audiences in … Continue reading
At the end of each month, I look back at my three favorite title tracks by k-pop artists. I take my own ratings into account, but there’s a bit of wiggle room as certain songs tend to grow or fade. February 2017 Overall Thoughts If I could describe February with only one word, it would be “consistent.” … Continue reading
Ever since 2015’s I Need U and Dope, BTS have been successfully dominating their release cycles with a juxtaposition of more melodic material with harder-edged blasts of hip-hop dance. That approach continues with their newest repackage album. Last week we had the emotional, rock-infused balladry of Spring Day before Not Today rumbles in to slam listeners with its … Continue reading
Over the past few years, BTS have been churning out showstopping singles with an almost inhuman regularity, rightfully earning their place as k-pop’s biggest international breakthrough. New single Spring Day (봄날) comes only three months after their superb Blood, Sweat and Tears, and represents a shift in sound well-suited to these cold winter months. Releasing a big, sweeping … Continue reading
Getting super meta for a moment, I thought it would be fun to cap off the year with a look at which ten articles were the most read on this site in 2016. In its own way, it’s a completely unscientific gauge of which artists were most popular with English-speaking k-pop fans this year. I’m … Continue reading
The first thing that was immediately apparent when watching this year’s KBS Gayo Daechukje was that, rather than opting for the biggest stage possible like last year, the producers chose to go more intimate (like back in 2013). This resulted in a very different show than last year, filled with idol interactions and interviews (most … Continue reading
It’s the time of the year for Korea’s annual music festivals! It’s a particularly exciting few days for k-pop, filled with special performances and a look back at the year’s most influential hits. SBS is the first of the three networks to kick off the week of “gayos,” and unfortunately they set the bar incredibly … Continue reading
