Cube Entertainment hasn’t had a stellar year. In the course of several months, they’ve lost their biggest girl group, 4minute, and one-sixth of their biggest boy group, Beast (whether the other members re-sign their expiring contracts remains to be seen). Given this, there’s a lot riding on Pentagon’s debut. The agency seems to have invested quite … Continue reading
October is officially here, which means the countdown to Halloween has started. Whether you’re cobbling together a mix for a Halloween party or carnival, or just looking for some seasonal selections to soundtrack your pumpkin carving, K-Pop has a lot to offer. Here are some of the best tracks. If your favorite Halloween K-Pop song … Continue reading
With BTOB’s transition into a ballad-focused group, I feel like most of the issues I’ve had with their recent material has centered around the awkward shoehorning in of rap sections. But with this new sub-unit, composed of vocalists Eunkwang, Sungjae, Changsub and Hyunsik, rap is definitely not a concern. True to expectations, BTOB-Blue are given … Continue reading
Listening to How’s This? (ì–´ë•Œ?), it’s hard to believe that HyunA’s Red was one of my favorite k-pop songs of 2014. Since then, the quality of her music has seemed to devolve with each passing release, culminating in what I hope is her low point. “How’s This?” — she asks us? Well, it’s pretty darn … Continue reading
As their latest Japanese release (and first as a five-piece), Beast have given us two singles under the concept “day and night.” I was pretty underwhelmed by the day, but it turns out that the night is where things really heat up. Though I enjoyed their latest Korean album (and loved the title track), it … Continue reading
I’m not gonna lie, I was a little worried when it was announced that Beast would be coming back with not one, but two ballad tracks. For a group that needed a bump after member Hyunseung left, I was really hoping they’d return with a dance track as epic as Good Luck or Shadow. But … Continue reading
Beast has already had quite a year so far. Coming off of a commercially underwhelming 2015 (by their high standards), they lost a member in Hyunseung, turning their reliable 6-member team into a five piece. They’re in desperate need of a shot in the arm, allowing them to remind Korea why they are one of … Continue reading
As CLC returns with their second title track of 2016, I’m realizing that they just may not be the girl group for me. Pepe was such a strong debut last year, but ever since then they’ve limped back to the kpop scene without a clear identity or purpose. Coming from a large company like Cube, … Continue reading
Now that Hyunseung has officially left Beast, permanently changing the group’s DNA, I thought it was a perfect time to share this gem of a performance. Sketchbook is a show that’s known for its live performances. Often backed by a live band, the stage is the best possible showcase for Korean artists on TV. I’ve … Continue reading
As Cube Entertainment’s second boy group after Beast, BTOB had a lot to live up to. They debuted strongly in 2012, but began to see a lull in the years that followed. Then, in 2015 they enjoyed a resurgence as a pop ballad group. So, which side is their best side? Read on to find out! Updated … Continue reading
Three years into their career, BTOB had a breakthrough with 2015’s immensely effective It’s Okay. But now that they’re on their third ballad comeback in a row, we’re beginning to see diminished returns. I was hoping they’d use their resurgence to gradually move back to more interesting material, but they seem to be stuck in ballad mode. The … Continue reading
The Bigbangification of Beast continues with Guess Who, their new Japanese single. They began to veer toward this more hip-hop influenced sound with last year’s Yey, but that song grew on me the more I heard it. I’m not sure Guess Who will share the same fate. There’s just not as much to hold onto … Continue reading
This has got to be the most embarrassing release from a major company in recent memory. CLC are from Cube Entertainment, home to such icons as Beast and 4Minute. They struggled in their debut last year, despite releasing some songs I really enjoyed. Now, after a nine-month hiatus, they’ve come back with two new members. … Continue reading
For whatever reason, Beast were the last of Korea’s major boy groups that I became interested in. I knew and enjoyed all of their singles, but it took a long time for me to investigate their entire discography. However, once I finally got around to it, they quickly became one of my favorite boy groups in all … Continue reading
I have a slight confession to make. Of all the major kpop girl groups, I’ve just never been able to get into 4minute’s music, and I find that baffling. I did love their entire Crazy mini album last year and Hyuna’s Red was one of my favorite tracks of 2014. They have so many of … Continue reading
Beast are a six-member boy group who made their debut in October of 2009 with Cube Entertainment. Since then, they’ve been at the forefront of the hallyu wave as one of the biggest Korean groups — male of female. As far as bias, the guys have some of my favorite personalities of all idol groups (and are … Continue reading
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 