BLOOMING IN THE NEW K-POP SCENE THIS SPRING

Photo by  BRANDNEW MUSIC Co., Ltd. , The Intersection: Discovery Album Concept Image

♫♫ Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars… Let me see what Spring is like on Jupiter and Mars- or how about we stick to hearing what Spring sounds like in South Korea for now? Annyeonghaseyo, everyone! Looking for the best new k-pop songs? The new season is blooming with fresh hits from our faves, Yoseob x Eunji to BDC to Treasure and more. Kaja!

YANG YOSEOB, JEONG EUNJI - LOVE DAY (2021)

Former labelmates, Highlight’s Yoseob and A-pink’s Eunji reunited to rerecord their 2012 hit, “Love Day”. The nation’s karaoke fave is now an Original Soundtrack for the webtoon, “The Guide to Right Love”. Belting off and blending together sweet vocals, their chemistry is more heart-fluttering and blooming than ever. The Spring duet brings back old memories of adults today, and teenager netizens are falling in love too! The OST gained 1.7 million views in just five days and continues to top Korean streaming charts. May the guidance to right love be with you!

IKON – WHY WHY WHY

I know we talked about this one last week, but Why Why Why is the only K-pop song right now in the Top 20 Trending MVs Worldwide. Wae? No one can get over Bobby, Jinhwan, Junhoe, Yunhyeong, Donghyuk and Chanwoo’s epic comeback just yet. The MV is under nonstop fan-investigation, as the props and sets resemble scenarios from their past activities as seven members. iKONics theorize that the lyrics such as “I couldn’t even protect a flower like you” are for former member, B.I- who until now keeps an ot7 photo on twitter. Pass me the tissue please, I’m crying.

BDC – MOON RIDER

Small in number but OVERFLOWING WITH TALENT AND VISUALS, the very dreamy trio BDC (Boys Da Capo) is back with “Moon Rider''. Sihun, Seongjun, and Junghwan are taking us for a dive into the night and ride up to the moon, so y’all better not wake up from this fantasy. The exciting track is a fusion of electro dance-pop and house, accentuated with layers of sharp bass, dramatic synth, and violin. Their powerful vocals and intense rap are so captivating, I don’t want to go back down to earth anymoooore. Who’s with me? Stream!

MCND – NOT OVER

All-rounder rookies MCND (Music Creates New Dreams) is here to bring you back on your feet because the party of life ain’t over yet. Spreading positive vibes everywhere, the quintet parties from sunrise to sundown in beautiful and colorful city sets, from down empty streets up to building tops. The track is a refreshing mix of K-pop swag and western EDM elements, topped with addicting whistle and trumpet sounds. Hitting over 2.1 million views in just 5 days, these boys seriously deserve the recognition for their originality, unique vocals, and dynamic rap.

PARK JIHOON – CALL U UP (FT. LEE HI) (PROD. PRIMARY)

Singer-actor-aegyo king, Park Jihoon transforms into a galactic Prince Charming for “Call U Up,” a surprise collab with R&B Princess Lee Hi. Jihoon’s honey-like vocals and suave dance moves go so smooth with the upbeat R&B rhythm. Lee Hi does her usual thing, serving cold, and husky vocals so beautifully! The song is perfect for a chill night indoors or out on the road. No wonder the outer space concept, the full MV is exclusively available on the UNIVERSE fanservice app in which Jihoon owns his own planet. Sir, please call me up!

MC MONG – THERE CAN’T BE A GOOD BREAK UP (FT. JO HYUNAH OF URBAN ZAKAPA)

Koreans looooove dramatic rap ballads. Sad songs like “There Can’t be a Good Break Up” tend to enter charts so fast and stay at the top until forever. Rapper MC Mong and R&B group Urban Zakapa are both multi-awarded icons in the K-hiphop scene, causing hot stir around the collaboration. The lyrics express regret and heartache which is too late to heal, despite the thought that “time heals everything”. And the MV storyline of the once a happy couple got me in tears as well. Good thing, the upbeat tempo makes the song slightly less painful to perceive.

DEMIAN – LOVE% (FEAT. DAWN)

Different from any K-pop style I’ve listened to before, singer-songwriter Demian presents us with an alternative R&B track, “Love%” featuring Dawn. It’s my first time hearing Demian out and if you’re looking for something new, I highly recommend that you give him a stream as well! He shifts from falsetto- to unique full chest- to charismatic deep vocals throughout the song. Am I using too many words? Because he can do it all! Rapper Dawn really knows who to team up with because each collab he joins is so refreshing. I’m giving Love% a ten-thousand% of love.

G-REYISH – BREATH; BLOOD NIGHT

Congratulations to the EDM quartet, G-reyish celebrating their 4th year anniversary! Toning down from their usual bright and neon colors (ikr, ironic), the k-pop girl group has gone quite grey this time. Still in their electro pop forte, “Breathe; Blood Night” is spiced up with a more mature and horror-like concept which they’re pulling off effortlessly! The song is about a dying relationship which they wish to cut-off. So, to whoever is bothering Hyeji, Shinyoung, Yena, and Yeso- ♫why don’t you go away?!♫ Anyways, the song is a bop, vocals are amazing, it’s a bloody beautiful comeback!

WAYV – KICK BACK

Finer than my mother’s Chinese porcelain are these fine men- Kun, Ten, WinWin, Lucas, XiaoJun, Hendery, and YangYang! WayV is back already with a 3rd Mini album and title track “Kick Back”. The boys are killing the synth pop dance beats with their sharp moves and cool dance break. The rap bars and high notes are so neat, it’s got that SM perfection, you know what i mean? The retro aesthetics are so NCT style, these boys are revolutionary. Within the first hour of release, the MV gained almost half a million views.

TREASURE – BOY (JAPANESE VERSION)

Keep that treasure box open!!! Because Treasure just released full Japanese versions of their four title tracks from their debut series, The First Step. These include Boy, *my fave* I Love You, MMM and My Treasure! The most-charming 12-member boy group from YG Entertainment (obviously my ults) is set for an official Japanese debut on March 31. J-line’s Yoshi, Mashiho, Asahi and Haruto also flew home the other day, meaning they’ll get to promote real-time in Japan and SPEND TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES TOO. Foreign K-pop idol goals, achieved!

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That’s just about it for this week. But as I bet, you’d already know Blackpink’s ROSÉ is in full bloom with “On the Ground” from her solo debut album, “-R-”. By the time that this article is posted, the world will be moments away from streaming her heavenly vocals, angelic visuals, yet down-to-earth colors.

So, don’t forget to come back next Thursday to obsess with us some more over Queen Rosie’s debut… and of course, more of the best new-kpop. Annyeong~~!!!

Hannah Lee is a Hallyu enthusiast from K-music to K-drama to K-food and even K-fashion. By day she takes her architectural apprenticeship, but by night she fangirls till sunrise. According to her latest MBTI test, Hannah is a perfectionist who has a lot of miscellaneous thoughts and is lazy... but passionate!