Music Sharing | July Releases

Hello!

I wanted to talk about some of the song releases that I listened to last July.

 MORE & ARSON BY J-HOPE 

Photo taken from Google Images.

These two songs are from J-Hope’s solo release. “More” is the pre-release song and I think “Arson” is the title track.

“More” was released last July 1 and I first watched the music video on July 3. While “Arson” was released on July 15 and I was able to first watch the music video on July 24.

Before the release of the music videos, especially “More”, I knew that I was going to see and hear a different side of J-Hope because of what I saw from the teasers. Despite this expectation, I was still really surprised and maybe slightly disoriented by the difference from his usual persona that I see when he’s with the members. 

Both songs seemed to have a darker, edgier, and more hardcore vibe which is the opposite of his usual persona which is more cheerful and sunny. So seeing this, I get why they also wanted to explore solo careers because they wanted to grow as artists. Seeing this side of J-Hope felt like he was letting us see this side of him that was previously hidden.

Also, after reading the English translations for the songs, we get his side of how they rose to fame. The passion they had and their plans for the future. We also learn how he felt and the struggles he had to overcome behind their achievement. 

Honestly, if this was another artist, I might not have listened to these songs. These are not usually the type of songs that I listen to. I honestly watched the music videos and listened to the songs because I wanted to support J-Hope’s solo release. I wanted to support their solo careers as much as I supported them as a group. Plus, as a fan, I think this is also a way to learn more about them as individuals because we kind of see different sides of them so we get to see them as multi-faceted artists.

 SNEAKERS BY ITZY 

Photo taken from Google Images.

“Sneakers” is the title track to Itzy’s latest comeback. This was released on July 15 and I first watched the music video on July 24.

I’m confused about how I feel about this song. I like the song’s message and it aligns with their previous releases about confidence because the song is about not caring about what other people say or think and just going your way. I also think that the chorus part is catchy because it keeps playing in my head especially when I first heard the song.

However, I also felt like the song seems like a commercial jingle or a song whose target market is kids. It doesn’t hit the same or feel the same as their older songs which I really liked.

I hope they could find a way to incorporate their uniqueness from their older songs to their new songs because their newer releases were kind of disappointing for me considering how strong they were on their debut.

 READY FOR LOVE BY BLACKPINK 

Photo taken from Google Images.

This was released last July 29 and I first watched the music video on July 30. The music video was released in partnership with PUBG Mobile so the entire music video was set in the PUBG world using the girls’ PUBG avatar. (Sorry I’m not familiar with how you call it.)

But this was not the first time I heard it because when I learned that this song was used in their movie, I tried looking for this song. I think I found a couple of uploaded lyric videos of this song but it didn’t have the quality of their usual releases. So I hoped that they would release this song on an album someday. 

So when I learned that they will release this song, I was excited. I wish they also released a music video with the girls and not just the one with their avatars but I’m just thankful that they released this song because I love it. I hope that they’ll include this in their “Born Pink” album so that it would show up on Spotify because the last time I checked, it still wasn’t there. I want to be able to listen to this song without having to go to Youtube and use wifi or my data just to listen to it.

So that’s it. I’m going to do a separate post on the new releases that I listened to in August since August isn’t over yet.

Bye!

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!

Thoughts: BTS’ “On” and “Black Swan”, Itzy’s “Wannabe”, and Astro’s “One & Only”

Hello!

So the last time I posted about music videos, it was for the Kinetic Manifesto Film of BTS’ “On”. But there had been a few releases after that that I watched and listened to although I haven’t been able to write my thoughts about them here. But now that I have the time and energy to write in this blog, I will.

So the thoughts that I will be posting here will be based on what I wrote in my journal so that it would be mostly my initial thoughts after watching the video. I may also write about my thoughts after rewatching the videos for a couple of times.

So here it goes…

BTS’ “On” Official MV

Photo taken from Google Images.

BTS released the official music video for “On” on February 27. So this was about a week after the release of the Kinetic Manifesto Film.

One of the first things that I’ve noticed in the video were the Biblical references. I felt that there were a couple of Biblical references in the video and the most notable one for me was Noah’s Ark. 

It also had a kind of dystopian world feel. When I first saw it, it kind of reminded me of the “Maze Runner” movie, the Divergent Series, and the Hunger Games Series. I’m not really sure why. I think maybe because the scenes somewhat felt like even if the scenery was filled with a lot of green landscapes, it still felt a bit trapped and filled with hardships until the end part when the rock formations opened to reveal the mountain that looked like the mountain in “The Lion King” when you suddenly feel hopeful and almost like a celebratory feeling especially when Jungkook was running upwards the mountain.

Aesthetically, I think it was beautiful. It was a contrast to the Kinetic Manifesto Film where it was a lot brighter with the blue skies and the bright pavement.

However, I honestly still prefer the Kinetic Manifesto Film. I prefer it over the official MV mainly because of the dance. I really loved their choreography for this song and in the music video, we didn’t really get to see it apart from the dance break.

BTS’ “Black Swan” MV

Photo taken from Google Images.

The music video was released on March 06. It was such a surprise when it was released because it wasn’t included in the comeback map and there were no prior announcements that they were going to release another music video for “Black Swan”. I thought that the music video that was first released was going to the only music video for “Black Swan”.

Anyway, I wasn’t mad about not knowing about the release of this music video beforehand because it was a pleasant surprise. It just suddenly popped up on my Youtube feed while I was scrolling through. And since it immediately caught my attention, I immediately clicked on it.

The music video itself was so artistic and was really visually stunning. I think it really made use of the shadow and ego concept. I was also really impressed by Jimin’s dance. He was so fluid and graceful.

However, I think the song hasn’t really grown on me yet from the time it was released because when I watched it, I didn’t feel the same excitement as I had when I first heard “On”. I guess it comes down to preference and I typically prefer a more upbeat music. Although, I do appreciate the string instrument sounds that are heard throughout the song. I think it makes it stand out a bit more and it gives it a bit of a melancholic feel.

Itzy’s “Wannabe” MV

Photo taken from Google Images.

The music video was released on March 09. I was excited about this comeback because I love Itzy’s songs. They tend to have an energetic vibe which is good when you’re trying to hype yourself up.

For this song, they didn’t disappoint. It was a really catchy song and I especially loved Ryunjin’s part at the beginning with the shoulder dance.

The song also had an empowering message about wanting to just be yourself despite being imperfect and despite what anyone says. I think that’s a really important message because it’s okay to change yourself if it would make you happy and a better person. But if you’re only changing yourself to please others and you’re changing yourself to someone you’re unhappy or uncomfortable with, then you shouldn’t do it. 

But despite loving Itzy’s concept, I do wish that in the future they would be given a chance to try other genres and concepts so that we get to see the different sides of Itzy.

Astro’s “One & Only”

Photo taken from Google Images.

The single was released on March 13. 

At first, I was honestly disappointed because there was no music video. I initially thought that it was going to be a comeback but as it turns out, it wasn’t. It was a special gift from them to their Arohas to celebrate their fourth anniversary.

Anyways, I wasn’t disappointed for long because I really liked the song. It had a sweet message that really communicated how much they love and appreciate their fans. What made it even sweeter was that they participated in the song’s composition.

I hope that when they have a comeback, they also include this song in the album.

So those were the releases that I wanted to write about. As a fan, February and March were fun times because I had a lot of releases to look forward to.

That’s all for now.

Take care and bye!

Thoughts: Itzy’s “Dalla Dalla” music video

Photo taken from Google Images.

Hello!

So just this week, JYP’s new girl group, Itzy, made their debut.

When their music video teasers first came out, I was already curious about them. For one, when I saw Teaser 2, I thought that they seemed to have a totally different concept from Twice. I also got curious about how their music video would go after seeing Teaser 2.

So when their music video was finally released, I immediately watched it as soon as I got home from work. 

At first, I had mixed emotions about the song and music video. I wasn’t so sure if I liked it or not. However, after watching it a couple more times, I started to really love it. It slowly grew on me and now I can’t seem to stop listening to it whenever I have the chance.

I’ve come to realize how catchy the song was probably after watching it the third or fourth time. I think that during the first two times that I watched and listened to the music video, I was still trying to process everything. Also, I think that maybe because I watched the Teaser 2 so many times, I was expecting the whole song to have the same feel and when it didn’t I was initially confused.

Then the day after the music video was released, that’s when I watched the music video with the subtitles turned on. I got curious as to what the song was about. 

I found their message quite empowering. It was a song about loving yourself regardless of how different you are from others and despite what others tell you. I think that that message is beautiful because nowadays, we tend to care a lot about what other people think about us. Sometimes, I think we fail to see our strengths or other great traits.

Anyways…

That’s all for now. I will leave the link to their music video below if you want to check it out.

Bye!

Link to Itzy’s “Dalla Dalla” music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfTK39k55U