Before the end-of-year countdowns next month, I like to take a look at many of K-pop’s biggest agencies and see how their year went. Obviously, 2023 is not over yet so any upcoming changes to an agency’s grade will be reflected next year. Following SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment‘s analysis last week, it’s time to … Continue reading
There’s a long history of K-pop groups debuting in Japan, but the opposite rarely happens. I expect this to change as a new generation of Japanese groups formed and managed by Korean companies make their mark on the industry. NiziU are a JYP act and have been doing quite well for themselves in Japan and … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
NiziU’s second album is scheduled for release in mid-July, but its lead single has been unveiled early. Coconut is NiziU’s bid for a summer hit and contains many of the elements we associate with the season. I’ve had a hard time embracing NiziU’s music. Apart from the occasional standout, I find it too closely-aligned to … Continue reading
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that this will become a one-stop shop for anyone interested in … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 