Hold the phone! Stop the presses! I want to dedicate some freaking time to a 2021 look ahead for kpop. No one has capitalized on my ability to flip through YouTube for hours on end exhausting half-decent Netflix dramas like Kpop has. Comebacks, remixes, award shows, online concerts, reaction videos, reactions to the reaction videos. Kpop has kept me rapt with attention during 2020. I've never felt closer to all 23 members of NCT, their habits, or even known all of their freaking names and nationalities if it wasn't for this year. I would've never readily consumed BlackPink's Netflix Special: Light Up the Sky if it wasn't for 2020. I have devoted the majority of my dance choreo to kpop songs and my friends are definitely tired of me hijacking their Roku or Smart TVs to introduce them to a new kpop release. However, this year kpop garnered a mainstream relevance that I couldn't anticipate. I'm no long the odd man out mentioning a kpop song and I'm so excited about this turn of events! I'm going so hard for kpop this year that I broke this up into two blog posts. I'm trying not to overwhelm everyone here and I want to keep all posts to less than a 10 minute read. Part 1, here, is all about the positive. Part 2, upcoming, is all about the improvements and what I really want to see from a cultural perspective in the industry.
Though I'm sharing obviously some key videos for your viewing pleasure, you don't have to stop there. Every mention includes a link to another nugget of kpop goodness if you want to go down the rabbit hole. Thus, for the kpop new enthusiasts or the casual observers just curious to see my take, here's what I'm looking forward to in this new year.
Who Killed Last Year That Can Take a Break in 2021 (but not really)?
BTS: Of course we have to start of the list with the Bangtan Boys that have taken over the whole world over the past couple of years. Jungkook, RM (a.k.a Rap Monsta), Jimin, Jin, J-Hope, Suga, and V have become the poster boys for South Korea. Their songs are in every Samsung commercial on TV and their videos top hundreds of millions of views within weeks. They've also dominated the American late night show market with exclusive concerts at Jimmy Kimmel, interview specials with Jimmy Fallon, and Carpool Karoake with James Cordon. In addition, they verbally and financially aligned themselves and their fans (the Army) to Black Lives Matter last year contributing to $2 million in donations. All I want for them to do is to take a much-needed break and collect their much-deserved Grammy in 2021.
Mamamoo: Mamamoo has been building a worldwide following for some time now, but it wasn't until 2019's "Hip" that really brought them to center stage. The fact that these grown women (emphasis on WOMEN) are not the cookie cuter image of kpop stars belies their musical talents, harmonies and straight up relatable appeal. Known for their awards show performances, see 2018's MAMA, their music took it up a notch incorporating Latin, Bollywood, Disco, and Hip Hop influences. 2020 they showed versatility with "Aya", below, and "Dinnga" had solos for both the charismatic Hwasa ("Maria" is fire) and bold Solar ("Spit it Out" was definitely a unique departure), and collaborated with Dua Lipa. They hit a high last year and I don't mind if they took a break to wreak more havoc later in the year, pursue additional solo endeavors, or prep for early 2022.
Stray Kids: They are not the new kids on the block anymore. Stray Kids had a come-back in 2020 and they weren't messing around! They started out with some absolute bangers like English versions of "Double Knot" and "Levanter" and even came out with a cool hip hop dancer's dream in "Easy". They've been riding a high in 2020 with some stellar performances and have taken some risks with "All In" and "Back Door", but they really kicked their new EP off right with "God's Menu" below. Everyone might have their own individual biases in the group but Felix's low timbre is such a pleasant surprise. All the Stray Kids' fans out there will be reciting "Looking like a chef, I'm a 5-star Michelin..." for years to come. 2020 was their year and if they took a break in 2021 to regroup and comeback with a new concept, I wouldn't be mad at them.
(G)I-DLE: Let's be clear. I didn't know who the heck this group was before 2020 and I still can't fully pronounce their name (so far I've stuck with gee aye-doll). What I do know is that a lot of my friends remember where they were when "Oh My God"(below) hit their YouTube. The imagery alone's got you hooked, but the deep lyrics and gripping vocals kept you playing this video more than once. It's no surprise the fantastic buzz this group got for creativity and visual direction. When you dig a little deeper, one discovers that 22-year old pint-sized leader Soyeon is not only an amazing rapper that writes her own rhymes, but she's a power-house producing, conceptual and influential artist in her own right and she takes no prisoners. Here's one of her quotes:
"All stereotypes must be crushed. The stereotype that you're too young to do something. The stereotype that limits female idols. Music has no gender." Anyone can get behind a message like that but Soyeon backs it up with hit after hit and controlling from in front of and behind the camera. I'm not saying that I won't go all out for another (G)I-DLE mix or a Soyeon collab, but I also don't mind her going back in the kitchen to cook up another slew of hits for 2022.
What Solo Acts Am I Excited About in 2021?
BlackPink's Lisa and Rose's Solo Debuts: I screamed like a little girl when I heard that BlackPink's Lisa AND Rose' are finally getting their solo debuts in 2020! BlackPink has filled a void ever since their senior label-mate's 2NE1 disbanded. YG Entertainment has definitely gone through the ringer with their fans who didn't appreciate the lack of promotion and consistent music over the years, but we can't deny that 2020's "How You Like That?" made up for the delay. Though every member of the group is electric in their own agency, I can't help but be a little disappointed that Jennie was the only member to have her own separate debut with her title, ironically named, "Solo". In every video, besides Jisoo's visuals (I mean, she's just gorgeous), my eyes always went to Lisa's dance moves as a former dancer myself. Sonically, my ears always drifted to Rose's tone since she has the most vocal range and interesting use of emotion and performative drive in her voice. Just so you can get an idea of what I mean about Lisa needing her own platform, take a look at the video below. It's only a matter of time before she finally gets her solo due.
Exo's Kai: If "Mmmh" is the taste of the visual high fashion f__kery that I'm going to receive from the rest of Kai's album, then SIGN ME UP LINDA! I'm ready and here for this former ballet dancer, certified Gucci ambassador, ab-tastic assassin breakout star with the smoldering stare. Frankly, SM Entertainment can be a hit or miss at times (don't worry, we'll talk about it in Part 2), but they've never gone wrong with Exo or any of the solo debuts of their members, such as Baekyun's "Candy". This is no exception. With "Mmmh" below being part 1 of Kai's visual experience, 2021 is going to get interesting.
G-Dragon: THE KING IS BACK!! G-Dragon, back from his mandatory military service, the leader of Big Bang, and Korean cultural icon is RUMORED to have a come-back in 2021 and I'm HERE for it. Big Bang, with big hits like "Fantastic Baby" and "Bang Bang Bang", was my first introduction to K-pop. It all started with one of my best friends, and fellow black nerd pop culture enthusiast Rashida, coerced me to use hotel and Amtrak rewards points to high-tail it to Newark, NJ (of all places) for their concert. I had no context, no prior knowledge, and thought I was over boy bands in my mid-20s but by the end I was jumping up and down like a fan-girl and vibing with their Korean hits like I'm a straight-up stan. So if the world tells me that G-Dragon is coming back, I will be there glued to a Youtube concert like I have no where to be, because do I really have anywhere else to be?
Jessi: Korea's loud-mouth version of Nick Minaj is an anomaly and for me a surreal curiosity. I wasn't hip to Jessi initially, but her latest song "Nunu Nana" below got in my head. Her features with damn near every hit artist in Kpop in 2020 also shows that she has a work ethic that rivals Nicki's YoungMoney heyday and connections. Standouts include a collab with Dawn with the hit "DawnDiDiDawn", her remix of "Nuna Nana" with GOT7's Jackson Wang, and her super group "Refund Sisters" team-up for the song "Don't Touch Me". I really want to see what she does in 2021 though it might be akin to watching a ticking time bomb. It's not love just yet (there's a lot of suspect cultural appropriation and downright mimicry for my liking), but it won't take long for the right song to hit my ear-drums and I'll be her biggest fan. Time will tell.
Thank you all for indulging me this week! Stay tuned next week for the second (and final) part of the series.
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