This feature has gradually shifted from a December to a November tradition, leaving more space for next month’s sprawling end-of-year countdowns. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2022 went. Following SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment‘s evaluations, it’s time to dive … Continue reading
Tag Archives: niziu
Song Review: NiziU – Clap Clap
Back in April, I found myself very impressed by NiziU’s digital single ASOBO. But after reviewing it, I went on to… never play the song again. Weird, huh? I guess I was able to recognize the strengths of the song even if they didn’t match my own musical preferences. But though I never returned to … Continue reading
The Top Three K-Pop Songs of April 2022
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. April 2022 Overall Thoughts In a paradoxical trend, the average song rating on this blog has … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – ASOBO
NiziU are part of a new brand of J-pop idol groups who look and sound a lot like K-pop. This is by design, as they – along with peers like JO1 and INI – are backed by Korean stakeholders. As a J-idol fan myself, their growing success worries me – particularly when the music feels … Continue reading
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2021: JYP ENTERTAINMENT
It’s not quite December yet, but I’m going to kick off this annual feature a little early this year! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and offering my thoughts about how their 2021 went. Next up is JYP Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – Chopstick
I enthusiastically watched the entire NiziU project last year, happy to see many of my favorite personalities and talents make the final group. However, none of their post-show music has appealed to me. They’re one of those J-pop groups who pull a lot from K-pop tropes (JO1 and INI being other prominent examples), and this … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – Poppin’ Shakin’
Double a-side singles are common in Japan. Similar to Korea’s double title tracks, they offer a chance for J-pop acts to quickly grow their singles discography. NiziU have immediately followed Take A Picture with its coupling song, Poppin’ Shakin’. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the group’s hyper pop style is rarely going to be for … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – Take A Picture
K-pop has a long history of pushing into the Japanese market, and often there were concessions made when it came to sound and image. But with the rise of groups like JO1 and NiziU, the two industries have entered a new form of symbiosis. For all intents and purposes, these are J-pop groups produced as … Continue reading
Grading the K-Pop Agencies 2020: JYP ENTERTAINMENT
After taking a deep dive into both SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment, it’s time to move onto another of K-Pop’s bog four agencies: JYP Entertainment. As usual, the thoughts are my own and aren’t privy to any insider information. I’m not taking into account things like profits and stock value. The purpose of these articles … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – Step and a Step
Shortly after their formative survival series concluded, JYP’s NiziU soared to the top of Japanese charts. They’ve been a fixture there for months, which only goes to show how powerful certain agencies are. I mean, the girls hadn’t even made their official debut until now! As with most survival series-spawned groups, it didn’t matter if … Continue reading
Song Review: NiziU – Make You Happy
I’m currently watching Nizi Project at the delayed pace that JYP Entertainment is releasing official subtitles, so I’ve pretty much given up hope when it comes to avoiding spoilers. And with debuting group NiziU releasing their first music video today, whatever shred I may have been clinging onto has completely disintegrated. So, I have surrendered. … Continue reading