Songs I’ve loved in July and August 2020

Hello!

Sorry about posting a day late but I just couldn’t finish writing in time due to my schedule so I decided to post a day later instead of skipping and just posting next weekend.

So moving on to the actual post…

The last time I posted about a song that I’ve listened to was when I posted about “What You Waiting For” by Somi. From the time that I posted that until now, I listened to more Kpop song releases. So since I’ve listened to many songs and didn’t post about them around the time that I initially listened to them, I’ll just write about them together in one post.

“Make You Happy” by NiziU

Photo taken from Google Images.

I’ve listened to this song since it first came out in July and I’ve loved it since then. 

The group initially reminded me of Twice’s older songs and style. They also have the same number of members and were formed through a competition. So off the bat, since I saw some similarities with Twice, I already seemed to immediately like them.

So moving on to the song and music video… I think what made me love this song was how upbeat and cheerful it is so it kind of brings me good vibes whenever I listened to it. I think the title really captures the energy of the song because the song makes you feel happy. It’s just so upbeat and danceable that it’s kind of hard to be sad while listening to it.

Also, the brightness and the cheery colors used in the music video gives off this happy and cheerful vibe that it reminded me of fun and happiness. Plus JYP’s cameo and the look that Nina gave him when he fell down was really funny. 

I also love the Korean version of the song. It didn’t feel as off compared to when I listened to some Japanese songs translated into Korean.

As for the performance video, I liked watching it although the camera work wasn’t the best. I loved seeing their choreography. I think I actually preferred the performance video over the music video which is why I kind of wished they released it using the Japanese version of the song. But since I also liked the Korean version, I didn’t actually mind that much.

“Dynamite” by BTS

Photo taken from Google Images.

The song and music videos were released in August.

I was really excited for this release especially when I learned that it would be their first fully English song. I was really happy because I would be able to finally understand the whole song without needing subtitles.

And when it finally came out and I got to watch the music video and listen to the song, it didn’t disappoint. I immediately loved the song because it sounds so retro, fun, and youthful. It kind of reminded me of some older song from like the 70s or 80s. I also liked the aesthetics of the video because it looked retro but with a modern twist.

I’m also really proud of the boys because their English pronunciations really improved. While listening to the song, I noticed that while their pronunciations may not be a hundred percent perfect or sound American because their accent still comes out from time to time, I still loved the effort that they put into writing and singing a song in English so that they can also connect with their foreign Armys.

I also liked the two music videos for the song. One was like a more “professional” music video and the other one showed them having fun, Viking around, and making mistakes and just laughing. It was kind of like the two sides to them. 

I also listened to some of the remixes of the song but I think I love the original one the best. Although the acoustic remix is coming in a close second.

“More & More” English version by Twice

Photo taken from Google Images.

I had been looking forward to this release when I first heard about it. So when this song was released last August I got really excited.

I think this is Twice’s first time to release an English version for one of their songs so it made me think that they might be on their way to releasing a fully English song and not an English version of their existing song.

I liked the song because I was able to understand the full song without subtitles but I think I still prefer the original Korean version just because it seemed to sound better that way. But I really hope that they release an original fully English song just like BTS’ “Dynamite”.

“Not Shy” by Itzy

Photo taken from Google Images.

This song was also released in August. I wasn’t as excited for this comeback because the teasers didn’t really excite me enough. I just looked forward to it because I’ve loved all of Itzy’s releases so far so I was hoping that this release wouldn’t let me down.

And good thing that I didn’t dismiss it immediately based on the teasers because I ended up loving this song. I think I might like this song the most out of all of their releases so far. Although I didn’t really like the music video for this that much. I think I prefer the performance videos for this just because with Itzy, I love watching their choreography.

I also didn’t love their styling here that much. It really fit the whole Western cowboy aesthetic with a twist. It also looked a bit different from their previous styles but I think it only looked good because the girls are pretty and they were able to make the outfits work. 

“Ice Cream” by Blackpink x Selena Gomez

Photo taken from Google Images.

I had been looking forward to this release ever since I first heard of it because I initially didn’t like “How You Like That”. (FYI, I now love it. I guess all it took was for me to watch the performance video and play it over and over again.)

I think I really looked forward to this because at that time, I hoped that this would sort of be their “redemption” song for me because when this was initially announced, I still didn’t really like their last release. Also, since “How You Like That” showed their “black” side, I was curious how they were going to showcase their “pink” side with this song.

When I first listened to the song, I thought that it was fully in English. But when I listened after a few times, I noticed that one of Lisa’s raps was in Korean. It was only a very short portion so I think that’s why I didn’t notice it right away.

I’m also impressed with Jisoo’s English pronunciation here. Based on other English songs that I’ve heard her sing, I think she’s greatly improved. I hope she gets more lines in the future including in their collaborations with other artists.

I also thought that this song was more sexy and mature because of the lyrics. I think that the song kind of had sexy double meanings when you really try to understand the lyrics. Also, I’m kind of used to seeing Selena in sexy outfits but I was surprised of some of the outfits that Blackpink wore for the music video. It actually makes me feel glad that they have a new stylist now because we see them in a variety of outfits, hairstyle, and makeup looks.

I think all in all, the song had a cheerful and sexy vibe. I think it would have been a good summer song.

So to cap it all off, I loved all of the song releases this July and August. They really made me feel happy and excited for future releases.

That’s all for now, bye!