Yes, yes. I forgot to write up my list of favorite songs for the second half of 2014. As I've said in my last post, I got super lazy last month and into the new year. So here I am, trying to squeeze this post before the first month ends completely.
As was with the first half of 2014, the second half of the year was just as kpop-filled and my playlist just kept getting bigger and bigger. And so, without further babbling, here are my 15 favorite songs from the second half of 2014.
The 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) took place last week in Hong Kong (again!) and many of our favorite idols and Hallyu stars flocked to the AsiaWorld-Arena to attend k-pop's most-awaited event of the year.
I watched the entire thing with bated breath from red carpet to end credits, and I was a hundred times thankful that they aired it live on local tv - on time and with no extended commercials (unless Mnet was airing commercials too).
While I was happy with most of those who were declared winners that night (i.e. Winner, "Some", "Eyes Nose Lips", Epik High, etc.) there were some disappoints as well (I swear 2NE1 deserved album of the year and the only reason they weren't even nominated was, well, we all know why). Nonetheless, I had a blast watching the show - all 6 and a half hours of it - and I can't wait for it to be available online for a re-watch.
Despite the lineup of artists being noticeably shorter this year, there was still a lot of fun to be had. So here are 10 of my favorite moments - both big and small - from the 2014 MAMA.
(in no particular order)
1. Last Fantasy - Aptly named a fantasy, this stage performance consisted of Ailee disguising herself as Girl's Day Minah's male dance partner. Totally cute!
2. SMTM3 Special Opening Stage - Not even gonna lie, I was beyond excited when I found out Bobby was not just going to be performing "Come Here" but "연결고리 (YGGR)" as well. Bobby hit the MAMA stage and slayed. (And Mino being all excited and proud was just icing on the cake.)
3. Battle of the Century - Indeed, it was. This Block B vs. BTS special stage was the perfect example of a battle done right. The stage highlighted the immense talent of both groups perfectly (and I'm not even a Block B fan). From their dancing (and Jimin's abs - which excited not just Girl's Day Yura and Sojin, but Winner's Seung-yoon as well), their rapping, stage presence, and overall performance skills - everything was on point.
4. IU-Mino Duet - Another star of the night was Winner's Mino, who shared the stage not just with fellow YG artists but also with this year's Best Female Artist IU. It was something I didn't know I needed in my life until it was happening before my very own eyes.
5. Media Wonderland - Seo Tai-ji made a comeback this year and I was looking forward to seeing his performance on the MAMA stage. I'm not a huge fan of "Sogkyeodong" or "Christmalo-win" but I did love his old stuff. And by old stuff, I mean his hip-hop stuff back when they were Seo Tai-ji and Boys. So imagine my shock when U-Kwon (Block B) and Jungkook (BTS) got out of their seats for a planned dance break to cue the start of Seo Tai-ji's performance of "Come Back Home". I was half expecting YG to appear on stage for his signature moves but alas, Vasco (SMTM3) and Zico (Block B) joined him instead.
6. Lee Guk-joo x Jo Se-ho - There's nothing I love more than when non-idols get the spotlight they deserve. And let's be honest, 2014 was the year of Lee Guk-joo. She's just refreshingly awesome. Also, was this the kiss Mnet has been leading us on with all this time?! LOL.
7. Mino x Song Seung-heon - Mino is hilarious. And nothing proves that more than the many shots of him from the artists' sitting area where he always had the best reactions. None of them better than when he feigned (or not?) disappointment when hottie Song Seung-heon chose to give IU his rose. Better luck next time, Mino.
8. Winner x iKON - If having Bobby and B.I sit beside the guys of Winner during award shows is a glimpse into the awesomeness of the YG Family's future, then count me in. These guys are hilarious individually, but even more so together. Simply put Bobby, B.I, and Mino together and wait for the magic to happen.
9. Kai's Dance Solo - Kai, as usual, was breathtaking. While it might take me awhile to get used to seeing EXO as a 10-member group, at least I will always find solace in Kai's dance solos. (For now?)
10. YG Family being a family - I'm just so happy to see YG Family gaining new members because it's suddenly all so refreshing. We might not have 2NE1 at the moment, and Lee Hi And AKMU were nowhere to be seen at the awards show, but having Winner and Double B around seemed to lighten up everyone's moods. Even GD seemed to be more into things this year. The GD x Taeyang stage was one the best we've seen from them in awhile. They seemed more into it and actually put a lot of effort in both their vocals and choreography. Maybe having fresh meat around is making these older sunbaes work harder than usual. Whatever it is, I'm liking it.
Epik High's performance was livened up as well by the presence of Mino, Bobby, and B.I (plus Yoo In-na!). And just seeing them all there in the audience was nice. Every time one of them won, you can see how proud and genuinely happy they were for each other. Ultimately, the night ended with a glimpse of our YG family posturing for a selfie (groufie?) with Taeyang trying to be seen from the back by jumping as high as he possibly can.
I've found I've always enjoyed MAMA stages the best, so now that it's over, I guess all I have to look forward to are the year-end music festivals from the 3 big networks. And then it's a whole year to go until the next MAMA. Hopefully, they find a new location for next year's show. I mean, Asia is a big place. Macau is done. Singapore is done. Hong Kong is done, done, and done. Somewhere new, please?
This is so random and I don't even have proof, but I swear to the k-pop gods I saw the boys of Bangtan last week. I was with my friend in Seoul for about 10 days and on Wednesday last week, we decided to walk around Garosu-gil before heading to Samseong-dong to meet a Korean colleague of mine.
I had turned to my friend and said, "this is the time you need to keep your eyes peeled for celebrities." My friend doesn't know a lot of Korean celebrities, she's only watched a handful of dramas, and the only k-pop stars she knows are those who have guested on Running Man. "Tell me if you see anyone who remotely looks like a celebrity," I had said.
We were in and out of shops before we stumbled upon a group of both boys and girls with gigantic DSLR cameras with lenses THIS HUGE with them. But because they were not just a gaggle of high school girls, I had easily dismissed them with a "hmmm... maybe they're a photography club."
A PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB???
It wasn't till we had walked passed them when I suddenly turned about face and said to my friend, "or you know, they may very well be sasaeng fans." And as soon as we started walking back towards the crowd a huge black celebrity van parks by the pavement and the doors open. I kept thinking to myself, "Oh my god, who is this? Who is this? Do I know them?"
With my eyes wide open, I waited with bated breath.
The first guy stepped out of the car but I did not recognize who it was. Maybe it was the group of fans right in front of me, maybe it was the crazy thumping of my heart, but my facial recognition skills were going haywire. Another boy stepped out and he had hair as bright as the sun. I remember thinking to myself, "Nope, G-Dragon isn't blond right now." I was remembering precisely the god-awful curly brown 'do he sported during Paris Fashion Week and this wasn't it. "Who's blond? Who's blond right now?"
Then it struck me. I finally looked away from the hair and moved down to the face and I immediately recognized Rapmon. I'm not the biggest BTS fan, but for the past few months their music has been on my playlist more and more and I've been repeatedly cussing myself out for thinking Jungkook is the cutest thing ever (because that kid is a baby). And so the moment I realized it was BTS in front of me, I was completely out of it. So much so that the only one I really and thoroughly saw was Rapmon. And by the time I had gathered my wits, all of the boys had already walked into Franck Provost and it was over. I didn't even really see Jungkook. I mean, I saw him, but I didn't see see him.
I was so out of breath that my friend was just laughing at me and trying to take a picture of my spazzing out. Which is why we decided to park our things at the nearest coffee shop, which happened to be Hollys Coffee. We were seated at the second floor, right near the windows, and we noticed that an event was about to take place across the street. A store opening is my guess.
There were bodyguards in suits with walkie-talkies on hand by the entrance, and several civilians waiting at the sides with their camera phones at the ready. Up at Hollys Coffee, there were several guys and girls with huge DSLRs also parked by the window. I had no idea who to expect to show up for the event.
Unfortunately, I'd never find out. As it were, we were already late for our dinner schedule as we had originally intended to go to Samseong-dong via the subway. With a disappointed heart, we cabbed our way out of Garosu-gil to head over to COEX.
But, man, what an experience. Just randomly seeing k-pop stars on the streets is not something that happens to me all the time. Or like, ever. Good times.
Once again, another 6 months have passed just like that and we're now entering the second half of 2014. How is time flying by so fast?!
The first half of 2014 saw the return of the king of k-pop Rain, as well as the debuts of two amazing rookie groups, Got7 and Akdong Musician. We've also been given the long-awaited full-length albums of 2NE1 and Taeyang (it was about damn time, honestly). And this past months also gave me my current addiction; a song by artists I never paid much attention to before, Soyou & Jung GiGo.
So just as I've done for the pastyear, I'm listing down my favorite songs released during the first half of this year, for the months of January to June 2014.
