2009 has really been a great year for K-Pop Idol lovers (me being extremely happy), we got the emergence 2NE1, the powerful 2PM, the super sexy MBLAQ (minus Cheundong, he’s just too cute), T-ara, 4minute, BEAST, and…MANY MORE that I’m sure of lol.
Christmas Eve is Upon us…
You know what that means…HOLIDAY BALLADS or just songs lol!! Via J-Pop & K-pop ❤ Well some of them aren’t really Holiday inspired but they fit the theme and there’s snow therefore I deem it a holiday song!
White Light by Namie Amuro
Not the best song from Namie or the best holiday song but it’s enjoyable every once in a while and she looks fabulous in the video, gosh I want her stylists!
White X-Mas by KAT-TUN
Yummy Kame’s really looking good at 3:50, Jin & Kame really are vocal powerhouses in KAT-TUN which is the only reason I like this song, it shows off the vocals they don’t usually get to show off. Taguchi was 1:50, I like him with short hair, A LOT!
you by Koda Kumi
Of course Kuu isn’t cold in that tiny little jacket while out in the snow!! Gosh come on stylists make it at least a little bit believable, though kudos for the beautiful wardrobe. This song is simply her best ballad and I just love the climaxes through it, a must listen! It’s the song that made her HUGE.
Winter Bell by Koda Kumi
A b-side on her stay with me single from last December. It’s very pretty and poppy. It’s comes up on my shuffle sometimes and makes me wanna skip and sing in a winter wonderland, then I remind myself I’m in a Florida, where the sun is shining on Christmas Eve.
Koe wo Kikasete by BIGBANG
Their best Japanese song yet!! So pretty and everyone’s part was so perfect!!A must listen, I love Korean boy bands so much talent, and TOP. I LOVE YOU. Though you could use a haircut and his rap was digitalized, whatev, he’s fierce.
Mamoritai ~White Wishes~ by BoA
Pretty, pretty song! I reviewed it here.
Jingle Jingle Bell by 4minute
I like it for like 2 plays, then my head almost exploded from so much autotune when I tried to listen to it again lol. It’s good from time to time and it’s so cute and catchy, but someone please take away 4minute’s autotune, they’re using and abusing!!
I was also going to use Days by Ayumi Hamasaki but youtube has been stripped of Days by avex, boo!!
So happy holidays!
Where U At? Umm nowhere…
So I’m a little annoyed and I just wanna get this off my chest and I know A LOT of people are going to disagree with me but here it goes.
You know Taeyang’s new single, Where U At?
I DO NOT LIKE IT.
There I feel a lot better. Don’t get me wrong, I love Big Bang, I love the members, but I’m just not feeling Taeyang’s solo, truthfully I don’t prefer Big Bang members by themselves for some reason. Together they’re just better lol. So that’s basically it.
Also, I could care less about Wedding Dress. =P
Hopefully I’ll like it though, maybe it’ll be one of those songs you never expected to like but you end up loving.
Some examples of past songs that I didn’t care for but then ended up loving:
1. MUZIK – 4minute
2. RING Ding Dong – SHINee (how could I ever doubt my darling SHINee boys??? Oh right after the hot mess that was Juliette I thought there was no turning back lol)
3. Super Girl – Super Junior M (truthfully it’s still not on my IPod but whenever I’m feeling down I go watch the video)
Girl Group Battle!! Part Deux
The Rookies (Debuted in 2009)
2NE1 – This group really needs no introduction, it’s been a long time coming but they’re here now, the first hip-hop/R&B girl group in Korea right now. I remember when I first heard of the concept from YG Entertainment, I was like WTF, what is YG smoking? Female Big Bang my ass, I’m eating my words now, they are indisputably the biggest girl group in Korea right now, with 2 massive number 1 hits, Fire and I Don’t Care, and explosive sales, not to mention they already collaborated with one of the biggest boy bands (YG sunbaes Big Bang) in Korea for Lollipop, the song for their first commercial before they ever debuted with Fire. They even recently came back from vacation with another amazing single (Pretty Boy, my personal favorite!! XD) off their first mini-album. The girls are always ready to put on a show and they do it well. Though the Pretty Boy performance on Inkigayo last week didn’t do much for me (they must have been tired), they are AMAZING performers, vocalists, and dancers (well 3 out of 4 isn’t bad, sorry Bom!), I can’t say enough about this group so I’ll stop now.
Check out their performance of Fire and their unplugged performance of I Don’t Care the reggae mix.
Member Info
CL (Leader) – 18-year-old CL is the fiercest leader out there! Strangely I always think that the best dancer or best singer are usually the ones to seem like the leaders, but CL possessing neither the vocals of fellow member Park Bom, or the ferocious dancing skills of Minzi, still let’s herself be known, she is FIRE (pardon the pun). But she’s not lacking in the vocal or dancing departments either, it’s just she has something much more than that, stage presence and charisma, some netizens didn’t like her because “she’s too confident,” but who can blame her?? She works it, and those netizens are just haters!
Minzi – The yongest in the group at only 15-years-young!!! That doesn’t hold her back from entertaining everyone in the audience though, her dancing makes everyone look like amateurs! Anyone remember when she SMOKED Nicole (KARA), Ga-In (Brown Eyed Girls), and Hyuna (4minute) in the danceoff earlier this year?? DAMN. Poor girls didn’t stand a chance.
Dara – She’s not bad, she was a star in the Phillipines before she auditioned for YG and got into 2NE1, she’s 24 and that puts almost a 10 year difference between just her and Minzi!! I always wondered how those dynamics affect the group, especially since they all have to live together. She recently came out with a solo single featuring fierce leader CL titled Kiss.
Bom – The oldest in the group at 25 she’s the main vocals of the group and also the “bunny.” The more I think about the more it becomes true, she has those pretty big cheeks and big eyes. I have to give her props for improving majorly since their Fire promotion days, I used to get exasperated just watching her because she just brought the performance down!! CL and Minzi were off being their usual fierce selfs and Dara could dance and keep up, but Bom just could NOT. But lately she’s been holding her own and for that I’m glad.
4minute – I despised this group. Ok, too strong, but I honestly did not like them. Everything about them, from their clothes, to their 1st single (the hot mess that was Hot Issue), to their sound, except for Jiyoon with her sunglasses, she was just too cool to hate. I quickly changed my tune, especially after the release of MUZIK, wow could I ask for a better song? It incorporates so many elements that I absolutely love, from the auto tune, to the style, to the rapping, the catchy chorus, the flowy verses and the recognizable dance move. Though they are not the most amazing performers live they make up for it with charisma and the fact that they’re song, MUZIK, is an absolute hit. 4minute has officially proved they are powerful contenders in this girl group battle.
Thank goodness they changed their style, because this
is not, and will NEVER be a good look.
But anyway watch MUZIK, I love watching Jiyoon (the girl with the sunglasses) live, she’s simply amazing! (why isn’t she in 2NE1?? So much attitude and energy! HINT HINT WINK WINK BOM!!)
Member Info
Ji Hyun (Leader) – First off I think the girl is beautiful, now I can criticize her and tell her to take her crown as the rightful Queen!!! She may be the oldest at 19 but she doesn’t take charge at all, which is the reason I don’t really consider her the leader of 4minute. Hyuna or Ji Yoon seem more like the leaders, Ji Hyun just kinda stands around looking mellow in the background, she needs to take notes from CL, not saying that she has to become suddenly aggressive but just work a little more at looking like the leader!
Si Hyun- The youngest in the group at 14, she’s adorable even her little moves on stage, but that gives her no excuse to slack off, just look at 15-yeard-old Minzi, she’s fricking crunking with the best of them, you’re cute but that won’t last forever, better step up your game sweetheart.
Ga Yoon – Ji Hyun better start taking advice from Ga Yoon, the second oldest at 19 as well, she used to be in the background of Ji Yoon and Hyuna’s shadow as well during their Hot Issue era but lately she’s been coming to the forefront more often with her singing in MUZIK, we realize she isn’t as in your face as Ji Yoon or Hyuna but she catches our attention, which is more than I can say for the leader.
Hyuna- 17-year-old Hyuna, regardless of that ^ monstrosity of an outfit, is out there in the forefront gaining attention, it looks like she tries to hard to have it but at least she’s getting it, you know what I’m saying? She used to be in the Wonder Girls but had to back out due to health reasons, sad especially since the Wonder Girls are HUGE, but she came back thier summer with a new group and has become the face of the group quickly.
Ji Yoon – The 18-year-old who was born cool. Seriously I believe it. She’s automatically likeable and not only that she totally owns the stage when performing and it’s natural too, she isn’t trying to own it like Hyuna it just comes to her naturally, her moves are fluid and precise and her voice is so nice, I much prefer her rapping and singing to Hyuna’s. I’m happy that their single MUZIK focuses much attention on her.
f(x) – Wow, they just debuted last week and I see just SO much potential in this group. They’re from SM entertainment (the people responsible with the mega popular, TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, and SHINee to name just a few) and that should automatically let you know that these girls are polished to the bone, from their looks, to their dancing, to their voices, they have had extreme training and that training has paid off. The only problem? LA chA TA, their debut song, is definitely not a hit, though I have to admit it is a catchy tune which has recently been an addition to my IPod and it has replay potential, it isn’t a song where I would replay over and over and over again. Get what I’m saying? Despite that I know that in the near future these girls will have a monster hit, it’s just not at this precise moment.
The girls had their debut performance at Music Core last week and made a pretty big splash, the crowds were already cheering for them!
Member Info
Victoria (Leader) – The 22-year-old Chinese beauty, who came to Korea for modeling. She was even SHINee’s Noona You’re So Pretty (Replay) video, where I hated her for walking away from those fine specimens of Korean breeding (Jonghyun and Key <33). Anyway she’s f(x) stoic leader, she’s the most flexible as well, I love her flip and vertical spilt, and there’s something about her that makes her seem like the leader. She doesn’t have CL’s attitude, but she looks like she has everything in control, and I admire that.
Sulli – The Korean Princess, she’s just so cute on stage and off, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t work it. I honestly thought this 15-year-old was the youngest because of her demeanor, but it turns out the maknae of the group is Krystal (we’ll get to her later). I like her for no damn reason, though I do find her too smiley on stage at times, it works for her.
Krystal – 15-year-old Krystal is the youngest in the group but she seems a little serious to me, she’s the most famous so far for being Jessica’s (SNSD’s resident Ice Princess) little sister and fellow SM-er.
Wow that must be cool but it would get pretty awkward if Krystal out did her sister, I would roll over and die if my little sister did better than me at something that was my specialty. Well anyway just like her older sister, Krystal was born in America and speaks fluent English so luckily there won’t be Engrish in their future songs.
Luna – My personal favorite, 16-year-old Luna doesn’t seem too cutesy and she knows she’s got it, when she smiles during their LA chA TA performance it’s not cute, it’s confident, like ‘Wow I got this.’ She has pretty fluid movement and she has some pretty powerful vocals, she did a beautiful rendition of Whitney Houston, I Have Nothing, which despite some Engrish, was pretty impressive.
Amber – Ah we have finally arrived at 16-year-old California native and androgynous member, Amber. She’s Chinese-American and just recently moved to Korea last year when she auditioned for SM in California and got in. I actually really like her rapping, usually I don’t have a feel for rappers in the girl groups, they prove either annoying or mundane. Amber has a nice flow to her and no Engrish here either =3.
T-ara (or is Tiara?) – I’m so indifferent about this group it is not even funny, they’ve been promoting the single Lies for the entire summer and ugh I’m just not interested at all. I watched a few seconds and left. Here’s their video anyway. By the way, no member info on any of them, I have no idea what any of their names are or any performing styles. All I can say to them is get your asses back to the studio and record something with some energy!
Their song, Lies.
That’s it for the girl groups special!! Whooo!! Can’t wait for After School’s comeback and two new groups, Secret and Lady Collection!!
For K-Pop & J-Pop Lovers 