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!

Some of My Favorite Songs since December 2021

Hello!

I’ve been listening to a lot of good songs recently because a lot of my favorites are releasing music. So I decided to compile all of the music videos that I watched and wrote about in my journal and just put them in one post together.

These are not the only songs that I’ve loved and played on repeat this year but they are the ones released by some of my favorite artists. I might make a post about the other songs that I’ve loved next time.

POP! BY NAYEON

Photo taken from Google Images.

From the teasers I’ve watched, I knew that this song was going to be a bop. I’m so glad that it didn’t disappoint.

This song felt a bit familiar and nostalgic. It felt like a Twice song (around their earlier releases) with the cute and bubbly vibe. But there were also parts when I thought it had an Itzy vibe. I guess Nayeon really wanted to showcase her versatility and talents for her solo debut.

I think that this song is really good for performance because it showcased her dancing skills while showcasing her vocal skills. It seemed like this song used a key that was suited for her since she didn’t seem like she struggled to sing while performing.

I also liked seeing her dancing to this song with other artists on Tiktok and Instagram.

I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of her album because this song was really good and I keep putting it on repeat.

LEFT AND RIGHT BY CHARLIE PUTH FEAT. JUNGKOOK

Photo taken from Google Images.

I waited for this song since I first saw a teaser posted by Charlie Puth on Tiktok. So I was so excited to finally listen to it and watch the music video. And it was so worth the wait.

I immediately loved the song. It’s so nice to listen to and it’s so catchy. I especially love the parts when they sing “I can feel you over here, I can feel you over hear” and “Oh, no (Oh, no)” and you hear the first parts on your left ear and the second parts on your right ear when you listen to it through headsets or earphones. Those parts kept giving me the chills because it sounds like they’re singing right beside you.

I really love the song. Jungkook is also so cute in the music video. He seems so happy and playful. Also, their voices complemented each other really well.

I also like that the music video made sense. The song seems to be about trying to move on from a relationship but moving on is hard because it’s hard to forget the person. In the music video, Charlie Puth is talking to a Psychologist and Jungkook seems like an imaginary person or a part of memory since Charlie Puth seems like he’s the only one who sees Jungkook.

I really love this song and I will probably listen to it on repeat for a while.

YET TO COME (THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENT) BY BTS

Photo taken from Google Images.

I watched the music video a day after its release and oh my gosh, I loved it. I love the song and the music video and I thought it was really fitting that it is the title track of their anthology album.

The song and music video felt personal and like they were letting us know how they think and feel about their journey to success. It also feels nostalgic because of the references to their older songs and music videos. I got excited every time I recognized the references.

After initially listening to it a couple of times, I thought that this song was hinting at a new chapter for them as artists since they’re currently celebrating nine years since their debut. This made me feel excited about their future releases because they’ll keep improving since they said that their best is yet to come.

Then after a couple of days, on their debut anniversary day, it was announced that they will be taking a break from group activities to focus on their personal and individual growth as people and as artists. So the song kind of felt like a see you later after that revelation. I was a bit sad when I found out but I was also happy for them that they are taking a break for themselves after working so hard non-stop for so long. 

So, I’m looking forward to the day that they’ll make a comeback together again as a group. I’m looking forward that it’ll be better than ever. I hope they will continue to make music together as a group for a long time because their songs have really brought me joy ever since I was introduced to their music.

NANANA BY GOT7

Photo taken from Google Images.

I like this song. It helped me decide that I will purchase the physical album after deliberating whether I should buy it or not.

Listening to this song reminded me of the time when Got7 was the group that I followed and supported the most. I think that this song had a similar vibe to “Look” and “Lullaby” eras because of the visuals and “Breath” and “Last Piece” era in terms of musicality.

Hearing this song, it really screamed Got7 to me because I think that they kind of have a signature style in their music and this song had that for me.

This song took me back to that time when I discovered Got7 and they were the only group that I stanned. I hope they can continue making music together for longer. I guess this proved to me that a part of me will always stay as an Aghase even if I may not follow them as closely as before.

ANYMORE BY JEON SOMI

Photo taken from Google Images.

I first heard this song on Spotify when I listened to her full album (“XOXO”). It immediately became one of my favorite songs on that album.

So last December, when I noticed that she had released a music video for this song, I watched it as soon as possible and liked it. I thought that it was able to capture the song’s lyrics and emotions well. You really feel the sadness and heartbreak while looking at Somi’s acting and while looking at the aesthetics of the video. But then there was a portion near the end of the video when you see Somi smiling, hopping, and walking around the place filled with fairy lights that made you feel that regardless of her sadness and heartbreak, she was still hoping that the person who left her still thinks about her and that someday that person will come back.

I’ve watched this music video a lot and there was a time that I played it on repeat even if it isn’t a dancing or performance type of video which are the types of videos I typically watch on repeat.

That’s all for now, bye!

P.S. I haven't included J-Hope's song and music video "More" since it just came out yesterday and I haven't been able to listen to nor watch it yet.

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: “Sour Candy” by Lady Gaga and Blackpink, “More & More” and “Fanfare” by Twice, “Stay Gold” by BTS, and “How You Like That?” By Blackpink

Hello!

From May to June, there had been a couple of releases from some of my favorite artists. I decided to put my thoughts about them together in one post because I’ve already written about them in my journal and I noticed that I have been behind in posting them here.

For some of these releases, I’ve been waiting for them ever since they were announced but for some, they came as a surprise just because I was unable to note down their releases or they were dropped without prior notices.

“Sour Candy” by Lady Gaga and Blackpink

Photo taken from Google Images.

I was kind of surprised about this collaboration first because I was unsure how their collaboration would go. Second is because, although I knew that they were going to have a collaboration released in May, I wasn’t able to pay attention to the date of the release so it surprised me when it popped up on my Youtube feed.

I was able to listen to the song on May 30 but I found out that it had been released two days prior which was on May 28.

I kind of had high expectations for this collaboration because I knew that Lady Gaga and Blackpink usually have really catchy songs and I was not disappointed. I thought that the song was really catchy although it seemed a bit too short for me. I hope someday they get to work together again because I think this song is good. I was also quite happy about this because I felt that it had been too long since we last got a Blackpink comeback so I think that at least we had this song to get us by while waiting for their latest comeback. (At that time, I was unaware that they will have a pre-release song that was coming out by June.)

Just a side note, I was slightly disappointed at the amount of lines for Jisoo because I thought that her voice suited this song especially because she and Lady Gaga had a bit of a deeper voice. As I recall, she only had two short lines for the entire song which was quite disappointing.

“More & More” by Twice

Photo taken from Google Images.

I was able to watch the music video for this last June 6 which was a few days after its release last June 1.

I felt that the intro prior to the song was quite long but I did like that it seems like they’ve tried a new style with lots of prints and a colorful nature feel. The song and the music video also seemed more mature which I think was a good move because they’re growing with their audience and they’re expanding their concepts. I think that this was a good way to show that they have range and versatility.

I thought that the song was very catchy and it seemed to me that it kind of had a summery vibe. I also thought that the music video style was similar to “Fancy” but more grown up.

I think this song exceeded my expectations because I thought that it might not be as catchy as their previous songs since it initially looked to me like a more mature and dark concept. I was pleasantly surprised at how catchy it was and how they were able to mix a more mature concept with a cheerful and fresh vibe.

“Fanfare” by Twice

Photo taken from Google Images.

This release also surprised me because I knew that they were also going to have a Japanese comeback after their “More & More” comeback but I didn’t pay attention to the dates again.

I liked that the intro actually sounded like a fanfare and that the whole song was cheerful and upbeat. It had a different feel from “More & More” which I think was a good choice because people might not like listening to similar songs released so close to each other and I think that a lot of Onces will listen to both songs.

There was just one set that I didn’t like which is the one with the piles of clothes because I didn’t think that it had the same aesthetics as the other sets. I also didn’t find it pretty to look at because it looked too cluttered and messy.

I also liked that the song seemed to be about cheering someone up and reassuring them that they are always by their side to cheer them on and support them. I think that by listening to the song, it just makes you have good vibes because it’s just so cheerful and happy.

“Stay Gold” by BTS

Photo taken from Google Images.

The release of this song also took me by surprise because I was just coming down from the high of the 2020 Festa. I also haven’t been able to keep track of their Japanese releases which is also another reason why this surprised me.

Although I had been aware of the song’s release prior to watching the music video yesterday, June 26, I never really got around to fully listening to it. Yesterday was the first time that I was able to sit down and actually watch the music video while listening to the song.

I actually liked the song because it kind of sounded like something you’d hear as an OST of a drama. I thought that it had so much emotion that it would have been a good part of a soundtrack for a series or a movie.

For some reason, this also seemed to me like they were going for a more mature concept. For some reason, the song kind of had that vibe to me probably because of how it sounded.

I loved the end portion with the beautiful trees and flowers landscape because it was so pretty to look at. It was so visually appealing to me with all of the soft and bright colors that seemed to fit the meaning of the song about not letting hardships dull your shine.

“How You Like That?” by Blackpink

Photo taken from Google Images.

I had been waiting for this song ever since I found out that they were releasing a pre-release single this June. So when it was released yesterday, I immediately watched it.

I actually had high expectations for this because they said that it is a part of their upcoming full-length album that they had been working on for some time now.

I think that they seemed edgier and more mature in this compared to their previous releases. It also sounded a bit different than what I had imagined it would be like based on the teasers. But I don’t think I like it very much especially compared to their previous releases. I didn’t think it was that catchy and I wasn’t as hyped about the chorus. I was actually kind of disappointed about this because I kind of expected more since it’s been about a year since their last comeback and their songs are usually bops. But this time, I felt like there was something missing or there’s something about the chorus that just doesn’t do it for me.

Although, I thought that their styling was good for this release. They all looked good and edgy and expensive.

I’m not sure if this song would grow on me if I listen to it more but I hope the rest of the songs in their upcoming album would be good. I’ll still keep my hopes up that I would love their other songs if I don’t grow to love this.

That’s all for now, bye!