KEEMBO consists of ex-Spica members Boa and Bohyung, re-debuting as a duo. They’ve gotten precious little attention so far, but I’m here to change that for one very important reason: they’ve brought my lord and savior (and occasional Spica collaborator) Sweetune along for the ride! Sweetune have been MIA for too long now, only popping … Continue reading
If you’re anything like me, you’re very upset that legendary production team Sweetune has been sidelined from the K-pop industry for the past year or so. I’d kill for some new Sweetune music in 2020, but for now we’ll have to settle for past glories. I’ve combed my archive to bring you some Sweetune tracks … Continue reading
So, inquiring minds want to know: where has our beloved Sweetune gone? Well, they’ve seemingly shifted into ballad mode, working with idol band IZ and ex-Boyfriend member Jeongmin over the past year. While it’s always nice to have them around, this is certainly a worrying development. Sweetune can rattle off an excellent pop ballad in … Continue reading
By all accounts, I should be obsessed with IZ by now. They’ve collaborated with producers Sweetune for their last three singles, and continue to do so with new release The Day. Yet, none of these songs have connected very strongly with me, and none sound much like what I’d expect from Sweetune. Maybe it’s the … Continue reading
2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
2013 was a high-concept, musically diverse year in K-pop. Hip-hop hadn’t yet taken over, and melody was still king. Instrumentals aimed for the rafters of stadiums, bringing in explosive guitar, sledgehammer beats and bombastic electro riffs. Songs played around with structure in artful, unexpected ways, often polarizing opinion before unveiling themselves as future classics. Here … Continue reading
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This phrase seems fitting to describe K-pop in 2019. The industry was forced to deal with some hard truths this year, and the reckoning was a long time coming. However, that didn’t make it any less messy. For the past few years, I’ve … Continue reading
It’s been a rough year for us Sweetune fanatics. 2018 gave us several new classics, but all 2019 has offered are a couple of way-below-the-radar boy group tracks, a standout Japanese Hara (RIP) track, and a trio of IZ singles, which don’t sound like Sweetune at all despite being composed by the team. Oh, and … Continue reading
Among other things, 2019 has suffered a distinct lack of Sweetune-produced tracks. Their work has been relegated to severely under-known boy groups and idol band IZ, with none of their songs making waves outside of small fan bases. So, when I heard that former Kara member Goo Hara would be returning with a Sweetune-penned Japanese … Continue reading
Idol rock back IZ have been active here and there, releasing one mini album each year since their debut in 2017. None of their title tracks really sound the same, which has made it difficult for them to cultivate a solid fan base. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t be writing about them now if … Continue reading
Compared to this time last year, 2019 has seen a disturbing lack of Sweetune. You can imagine how well this has gone over with me. So unlike everyone else on the planet, salivating for Twice’s new comeback, I was off in a tiny corner of the internet waiting with bated breath for Beautiful (아름다워) — … Continue reading
Songs like Wake Up are easy to dismiss. They’re too catchy. They’re not self-serious enough. They have no redeeming artistic value. These are the kinds of criticisms that define what are considered “guilty pleasures” by many, and this outlook has been drilled subconsciously into my thinking as well. And yet, when I imagine the kind of … Continue reading
You all know how much I love a good producer! Honestly, I almost get more excited by the presence of certain producers’ names on title tracks than the artists themselves. Like last year, my countdown includes ten of 2018’s best composers. You’ll notice a lot of repeats from 2017, shuffled into different places. But, 2018 … Continue reading
We’ve been in the middle of a Sweetune drought for awhile now. The period of January through May spoiled us Sweetune-obsessives, with new tracks popping up almost every month. But, it’s been since TST’s own Love Story that we’ve heard something fully produced by the team. To raise anticipation even further, this new track is called … Continue reading
TST (formerly Top Secret) are one of a handful of boy groups who’ve enlisted production team Sweetune to craft their discography. But compared to the top shelf material recorded by Snuper and Golden Child, I feel like TST continue to get saddled with the bargain basement dregs. New single Love Story follows this trend. Sweetune ensure a … Continue reading
The fact that Lovelyz worked with Sweetune for That Day (그날의 너) is some consolation for personal faves Snuper ditching the production team for their upcoming comeback. It also brings renewed interest to the question of Woollim Entertainment’s partnership with Sweetune. I wish I had some knowledge of the inner workings of the industry, but the … Continue reading
Back in 2010, Woollim Entertainment’s Infinite debuted with Come Back Again, but followed it up by promoting album track-turned-single She’s Back. This multi-pronged promo approach doesn’t happen all that often anymore in k-pop without a repackage, but I’m delighted that it has been extended to Infinite-successors Golden Child. The group has made a quick turnaround … Continue reading
Most of the time, a k-pop group’s title track is the best song on their album. But, sometimes b-side tracks deserve recognition, too. In the singles-oriented world of k-pop, I wanted to spotlight some of these buried treasures and give them the props they deserve. Honestly, it’s been pretty awesome that I’ve gotten to write … Continue reading
When it was announced that Golden Child would be working with Sweetune for their comeback, I was absolutely elated. Not only would 2017’s most-promising rookie group be paired with my favorite producers, but it would also be the first time that Woollim Entertainment has worked with Sweetune on a title track since 2014. The agency made … Continue reading
