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.
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.
I love dancing and it's one of the major reasons why I love k-pop. Like, I do admit to having danced miss A's "Goodbye Baby" or A Pink's "No No No" in front of the mirror in the safety of my own bedroom once or twice before. However, there are a handful of k-pop dances that I still want to learn but whenever I go and watch the videos, I'm immediately muttering to myself, "nope, not gonna happen." I've seen the dance practice versions, the tutorial videos, and possibly all the covers, but there's a difference between knowing how the dance goes in your head and actually being able to execute them properly. Sure, I can do Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra" but there are those dances that just seem impossible to learn. And today, I'm listing down my 10 favorites.
10. Infinite's "BTD (Before The Dawn)"
9. EXO's "History"
8. miss A's "Breathe"
7. Rain's "Hip Song"
6. Infinite's "Be Mine"
5. 2PM "I'll Be Back"
4. SHINee's "Lucifer"
3. B2ST's "Fiction"
2. EXO's "Growl"
1. SHINee's "Everybody"
These are just some of the most epic dance videos in k-pop and there are so much more out there. What're your favorites though?
Looks like the second half of 2013 was filled with a whole lot of black, white, red, and gray.
And just like that, we're in 2014. My obsession has yet to wane and I don't see it going anywhere in the next few months, so I forge ahead.
In many ways, 2013 has been a very memorable year in k-pop. There were several songs released this year that are still on my "Favorites" playlist and are still on constant rotation. As I did 6 months ago for the first half of 2013, I've listed down my favorite songs from the second half of the year that was.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are my top 15 favorite songs released after July 2013.
miss A - "Hush"
Kim Hyun-joong - "Unbreakable"
B.A.P - "Badman"
B2ST - "Will You Be Alright?"
f(x) - "Rum Pum Pum Pum"
G-Dragon - "Who You?"
Seungri - "Let's Talk About Love"
Jung Joon-young -"10 Minutes Before Breaking Up"
IU - "The Red Shoes"
T.O.P - "Doom Dada"
SHINee - "One Minute Back"
2NE1 - "Missing You"
Exo - "Growl"
SHINee - "Symptoms"
G-Dragon - "Crooked"
So here's looking forward to yet another year of awesome music. Ciao!
Because I'm bored but too lazy to write out my K-Pop Year End Awards right now, here's a quick survey I found floating around tumblr. I promise to get back to the Year End Awards before the week is over.
Without further ado, here we go.
1. "Breathe" by Miss A OR "Breathe" by G-Dragon?
Aigoo. Being a major VIP, I'm loath to say Miss A, but it's true. This song is awesome.
2. "Without You" by U-KISS OR "Without U" by 2PM?
Since I don't even know the one by U-KISS, I'mma have to go with the 2PM song.
3. "Lies" by BIG BANG OR "Lies" by T-Ara?
Big Bang. Duh.
4. BEAST OR MBLAQ?
Noooooo. I can't choose. I... will have to do this diplomatically and check last.fm to see which group I actually listen to more.
And the answer is... Beast. You can all safely assume it's all due to "Fiction" and it's true. That song is killer.
5. BEAST OR SHINee?
SHINee. Hands down.
6. KARA OR SNSD?
Again, I will have to confer with last.fm - and, Kara it is.
7. SNSD OR After School?
SNSD.
8. KARA OR T-Ara?
KARA.
9. 4Minute OR 2NE1?
2NE1
10. BoA OR Lee Hyori?
Hmmm... God, I love Hyori but I'mma have to go with BoA on this one.
11. Jay Park OR Taeyang?
Taeyang.
12. Se7en OR Rain?
Rain. Go Rain. It's Rain. It's raining.
13. Son Dambi OR Lee Hyori?
Lee Hyori.
14. Outsider OR E.Via?
I'm sorry... Who?
15. Miss A OR SISTAR?
Miss A.
16. INFINITE OR Teen Top?
Infinite.
17. Jia from Miss A OR Victoria from F(x)?
Jia. Girl can sing, rap, and dance.
18. Junsu from TVXQ OR Junsu from 2PM?
Xia Junsu, for sure.
19. HyunA from 4Minute OR CL from 2NE1?
CL.
20. Taecyeon from 2PM OR TOP from BIG BANG?
My man, TOP.
21. Goo Hara from KARA OR Yoona from SNSD?
Eh... Slim pickings, eh? Let's go with Yoona.
22. Daesung from BIG BANG OR Onew from SHINee?
YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME. Onew is my SHINee bias. Daesung isn't my Big Bang bias but he's up there. Good grief. Can I have them both? I want them both.
23. Bom from 2NE1 OR Taeyeon from SNSD?
Eh... Bom then.
24. Changmin from 2AM OR Changmin from TVXQ?
Max Changmin.
25. Taemin from SHINee OR Dongho from U-KISS?
Taemin! He's my baby.
26. Hyoyeon from SNSD OR Minzy from 2NE1?
Uh... Minzy's the better singer. But Hyoyeon's the better dancer. Uh oh. I'll have to go with Hyo, I think.
27. Hongki from FT Island OR Yonghwa from CNBlue?
Noooooooooo. I can't. I absolutely love Hongki and Yonghwa, both. I choose not to choose. Sorry.
28. Kikwang from BEAST OR Taeyang from BIG BANG?
Uhhh... If you'd asked me this 3 years ago, I would've said Taeyang. Better hair, better fashion, better vocal quality. But I'm not quite sure anymore. Taeyang needs a timeout.
While I can't outright choose Taeyang, I don't think I can choose Kikwang either. Hmmm...
29. Nana from After School OR Tiffany from SNSD?
Only because I know next to nothing when it comes to After School, save for UEE, I'll have to pick Tiffany.
During last week's Kpop Music Monday on EYK, instead of doing their usual music video review, they put up this Kpop Superfan Test instead. And guess what? I was bored enough to do it.
So basically, they posted a list of all these kpop groups and how many members each one has and we're supposed to try and name all the members. One point for every correct answer.
I tried my luck and got a 106/124. Which, according to their scoring system, tells me "101-119 points: Holy smokes, Kpop guru! What else do you know??!!"
I honest to goodness wrote down my answers without the use of Google. I swear it. And my answers are as follows:
The thing is though... I may know people's names, but not necessarily know who they are in the group specifically. Ask me to match the name to a face for groups like EXO and Teen Top and I'll be at a total loss. And like, I only know the name of B1A4's Gongchan because I see it on tumblr and it sounds like Gongcha, which is an awesome bubble tea place. I do not know how U-Kiss' Kiseop looks like either. Or the members of FT Island who are neither Hongki nor Jonghoon.
But also, I can't believe I missed out on some of the idols who I do know. Like, how can I not have remembered Baro? He's the only B1A4 member I actually know (thanks to We Got Married). And how is there only one other member of Infinite that I'm missing? And Kara! What's the name of the 5th girl from Kara? I know all their faces but can't quite remember her name. Damnit.
Have you tried to take the test? How did you fare?
