Female
Electrician
University Graduate
Cair Paravel, Narnia
Joined on 7/9/23
Posted by glee-chan - March 21st, 2024
Just when you think you've seen the craziest K-Pop music video with last years Macaroni Cheese from Young Posse, they come back with XXL. Yes. It's insane and yes, I love it.
Posted by glee-chan - December 21st, 2023
When I was in High School, a student who was in at least one of my classes each year was girl named 'Raven Chapel'. This was her real name. With a name like that, the image that pops in your head is that hot goth chick who's over everything, or else that bad girl who's too cool for school.
This Raven was neither of those things.
In fact, Raven was a hot blonde cheerleader in a clic of other hot girls who reigned separately over us peons. In fact, looking her up now, she's STILL way to hot to be allowed. She's like that way too attractive teacher or neighbor you've fantasized about. She lives in a decent sized house, has ankle-biter dogs, a handsome country husband, and lives an ideal white girl life, filled with lattes and pilates.
One day. One day is the only time Raven Chapel lived up to her badass name. I can't remember the reason, but on that day she squeezed into some painted on leather pants, had a black spaghetti string top, and boots. She even had a leather jacket that she didn't wear because it was too hot that day. It left quite an impression on me...as you can tell because I'm talking about some chick who I'm sure I never once talked to.
Ever since High School I've always wanted to write a story with a character named Raven Chapel. The problem is that when I did write it was always set in Japan. The one or two times I did, I was partnered with another author who kinda dictated a lot of things. So I've never been able to use that ace I had hidden up my sleeve. Another problem might be that people might think that the name sounds so badass that it comes off as fake (even though a real ass cheerleader had that name). I don't know. I guess it's a missed opportunity.
I'm not sure why I'm talking about this....
Posted by glee-chan - December 10th, 2023
As a refresher, here are the ground rules I set for myself:
1. Since this list is personal, I’m only adding music from groups I actually listen to or follow. As such I’m not adding anything that’s popular or charting high if I personally didn’t enjoy it.
2. The song must be a Korean title track released in 2023. No hold overs from previous years.
3. Lastly, I can only add ONE song from any artist - even if it’s painful to do so.
2023 had a lot of hits combined with a lot of new people I started following, which meant picking JUST ten impossible. So to ease my mind I'm doing Top 20 since I've already did a separate post for B-Sides/Pre-Releases.
If anyone is curious to know more about my choices, feel free to comment.
So, with all that said, let’s get it!
Honorable Mentions:
Yeeun - Cherry Coke
fromis_9 - MeNow
BABYMONSTER - BATTER UP
NMIXX - Party O’Clock
NewJeans - OMG
Mijoo - Movie Star
EVERGLOW - SLAY
EL7Z UP- CHEEKY
Billie - EUNOIA
MAVE - PANDORA
StacyC - Teddy Bear
Number Twenty:
Number Nineteen:
Number Eighteen:
Number Seventeen:
Number Sixteen:
Number Fifteen:
Number Fourteen:
YENA (feat. Yuqi) - Hate Rodrigo
Number Thirteen:
Number Twelve:
Number Eleven:
-I admit, this is my NEVERLAND bias showing here. Perhaps Soojin wouldn't rank as high if it wasn't...well Soojin, but this song felt like a victory to me. I never thought she'd be able to return back to the industry, yet she did, she sold well, and I am literally looking at her physical album sitting on my self right now. Soojin is back. The song is fine, it's even good, but I'll be honest in that she's this high on the list because of my personal bias.
Number Ten:
-At first I wasn't so sure of the song. After Hush Rush, I thought Chaeyeon was going to continue the cute vampire gimmick, so this sort of felt like a big shake up. But the editing for the MV was insane, the actual choreography might be some of the most difficult that came out this year, and that chorus is an ear worm. KNOCK slowly sold me on it's merits. I know I posted the MV here, but if you have the chance, check out some of her live stages.
Number Nine:
-I'm not an ORBIT so the bias line I gave with Soojin doesn't apply to me hear. Yes, I'm very happy that ARTMS, LOOSEMBLE, and Chuu have been able to restart their career after the BS they suffered from their previous label Blockberry Creative, but I didn't come into this solo debut with the same feelings as I had with Soojin. Chuu sold me on the song (and the album) by her own talent. I'm not exaggerating in saying that I think after Kiss of Life, this was album of the year for me, simply because every song was both good and felt as if they complimented each other. HOWL especially had some strong lyrics that touched me as well.
Number Eight:
-Last year when TWICE's Naeyon got a solo album, all I could think about was "Why not Jihyo?" Sure, Nayeon is a great vocalist, but I believe Jihyo is a more versatile and powerful singer. So when JYPE announced that Jihyo was going to get her solo, I was over the moon. And she didn't disappoint. This is exactly the type of song that I'd expect from her, and her album is equally as good.
Number Seven:
-LE SSERAFIM was a group I started to get into last year, and it seems they've only grown more and more on me this year as well. The extra content they do helps, as I'm in love with all the members, but let's not forget their catchy songs. Some people weren't as hot on this one as they wanted another Antifragile, but I don't know what they're smoking. I love Unforgiven simply because it's different. LE SSERAFIM has been making it a point not to repeat themselves and that's the only way to grow. I love the western twang throughout and choreo is just plain cute. (Also Sakura is hot)
Number Six:
-I've been giving KIOF a lot of praise in both this blog and the previous post, but I do think they deserve it. They are Rookie of the Year in my heart as they setting out to do something no other group is. They painted themselves as the flawed/broken bad girls of K-Pop, and not in a "oh she's bad ass" or "bad but in a cute way". No they are being pretty gritty with it. I understand why many companies haven't done this before because you're purposely allowing your members to look less that perfect, but this is their selling point. While their latest track Bad News continues on this theme, I believe the impact of their first album and MV stands out more for me. I just hope these girls can continue the momentum they've created.
Number Five:
-Again, not an ORBIT, but this song slaps. I had no expectations for LOOSEMBLE other than I just was happy they were away from BBC and were making music again. I know their already big fanbase would support them so I wasn't really invested. BUT this song is just plain amazing and made me pay attention. The chorus really just makes you want to dance. They are one of the "new" artists that I'm going to keep my eye on in the future.
Number Four:
-You knew a TWICE song was going to make top five. They've been steadily making high rankings ever since I started these list back in my deviantFart days. With that said, Set Me Free is a far better song than Talk That Talk, in my opinion. The previous song won me over with the chorus, but it wasn't the banger that the previous year's The Feels was. But Set Me Free is amazing. Hell, I didn't know if they could top Moonlight Sunrise, yet they did. With TWICE being focused on MISAMO and Jihyo's side-projects, I didn't expect them to go so hard on Set Me Free, yet here we are. It's good, they're TWICE, what do you expect?
Number Three:
-When paired with Allergy, Queencard is SOTY. On it's own... well it's third place, lol. But a very high spot indeed. Queencard is the second half of a story so I do think some of the impact of the message is lost if you're not taking Allergy into account, but the story on it's own is still powerful. View yourself as an 'it-girl' and stop trying to be someone you're not. It's not a revolutionary message, but one that needs to be said every now and then. Plus with lyrics like "Queencard! I'm hot! My boob and booty's hot!", "Queencard! I'm top! I'm twerking on the runway!" c'mon. This has to be here! Plus the dance battle in the MV.... This song is amazing!
Number Two:
-This song is one of my favorites of the year. The whispery spooky vibe this song gives really does give off a vibe, along with that catchy chorus and intricate choreo in the MV. Purple Kiss always tend to be near the top of my end of year raking, and this year they almost won again (the first time being Zombie). This group (and song) are very under rated and it's only a matter of time before people realize it. I saw it happen with (G)I-DLE and DREAMCATCHER so it's possible for PurKi as well. 7HEAVEN might be a step back for them, but I hope they can recover. I think people vibe more with their creepy aesthetic over the cute one that they flip back and forth on.
Number One:
--I was going back and forth on what should be Number One. Sweet Juice through out most of the year was the winner. In fact it was the winner almost all this year. BUT I had to be honest. Just because I like the group Purple Kiss more than IVE, I can't deny that I AM has been my favorite song this year (if we can't count I DO). It wasn't so much about the message or dancing that got me, but the addictive melody and just the pure performance. IVE is a top group for a reason, and placing my biases aside, I have to acknowledge that this song really impressed me. I guess you could call them a group that's growing on me, despite me not wanting them too. I don't want to be just a big group stan, but I really do like them. So I guess this is where we're at.
Posted by glee-chan - December 2nd, 2023
As is tradition, it's time for the Best of 2023 K-Pop songs (according to me). Only I have a problem this year - I bought way too many albums this year, listen to far too many songs, I have a lot to say, and the word count on Newgrounds is limited. So consider this the pre-show!
This time I'm going to point out the top songs I enjoyed that weren't the official comeback or title-track, then in a later blog I'll go into the main event. I have several categories this year because K-Pop has really changed in the last two years. There isn't just a flat-out "title track" with "b-tracks" anymore. Now you have songs only marketed to other countries, pre-releases, b-tracks and so on. I don't think it's fair to pit just a standard b-track against a song that has a full production and MV behind it, you know? So this is how we're doing it this year... plus it'll be nice to show some lesser known songs some appreciation.
Top Ten B-Tracks:
Number Ten:
Number Nine:
Number Eight:
Number Seven:
Number Six:
Number Five:
Number Four:
Number Three
Number Two:
Number One:
Top Ten Foreign Language K-Pop Songs.
So this is one of those new categories I was talking about. A lot of my favorite artists make songs in different languages that SHOULD count, but doesn’t according to Korean award shows. Like you won’t see TWICE promote their Japanese songs, even though they are just as good, if not better than their Korean releases. So here we are. This is a category for NEW songs, not songs that are an English/Japanese version of an already released Korean song. A song that only is presented in a different language other than Korean. The list is a little short this time since it's new and I'm still working out the format, but really the category got created because I realized I couldn't add any of these Song of the Year tracks on a regular list. So this is what we have for right now. (Plus a lot of this is TWICE since they've been pushing international appeal this year)
Number Six:
Number Five:
Number Four:
Number Three:
Number Two:
Number One:
(In my opinion I DO is the true song of the year with Moonlight Sunrise being very close. But because they aren't Korean songs, they can't be counted)
Top Ten Pre-Releases
This year and last year it’s getting harder calling some of these B-sides, given the amount of money and promotion goes into them. (G )I-DLE’s My Bag, BLACKPINK’s Pink Venom, Purple Kiss’ Pretty Psycho, LE SSERAFIM’s Impurities, and NewJeans Ditto comes to mind. They technically aren’t comebacks, but more or less are at the same time. In my past lists I go back and forth on whether these should count in my rankings, so there is no consistency… until now. This year, Pre-releases go in their own category separate from B-tracks. That said, a lot of these are so good it SHOULD be on the proper list. (Hell, Ditto is literally winning awards while no one is talking about OMG...). But this is what we're doing!
Honarable Mentions:
DreamNote - Blue
NMIXX - PAXXWORD / NMIXX - Rollar Coaster
NewJeans - Super Shy
MAMAMOO+ - Chico malo
ITZY - None of My Business
Number Ten:
Number Nine:
tripleS - EVOution ‘Invincible’
Number Eight:
Number Seven:
Number Six:
Number Five:
(For me, this song comes from what might be Album of the Year. Ready to Be, Kiss of Life, and Zone comes close, but out of all the albums this year, I think every song on Chuu's solo debut just flows seamlessly with each other. It's a perfect album)
Number Four:
(This is a case where I loved the B-track 1000% more than what the title one was supposed to be. Maybe I'm a sucker for actual instrumentals, but this song is a vibe)
Number Three:
(While a lot of people would be putting None of My Business in this spot, I think Bet On Me feels more personal to the ITZY members. It's the best song I've heard from them in a long time, and I love CAKE. Because this song is emotional to them, it's emotional for me. They put a lot of themselves in this and it shows)
Number Two:
Kiss of Life - Bye My Neverland (Sugarcoat, Countdown, Kitty Cat, Play Love Games)
(This is the most perfect debut of a new group I've ever seen. Every song is a Pre-Release. Every Song is title-track worthy. Every song has a storyline that ties with the others. Kiss of Life, for me, came off the corner swinging and EVERY. SINGLE. TRACK. deserves this spot.)
Number One:
(I can't be alone in thinking that this song is just as important as NXDE before it, and TOMBOY before that. When Soyeon said that she had intended this to be the titled track until another idea came to mind, I believe her. The lyrics are her personal struggles with the harsh criticism and how Social Media can just make it worse. People bragging about their lives and looking down on you just hurts, but it's all done behind a screen. I think it's an isssue anyone can relate to which is why I think this is one of (G)I-DLE's most important songs. It might have got outshined by Queencard, but that song very much builds on Allergies foundations. Allergy is the problem, Queencard is the solution).
Posted by glee-chan - October 25th, 2023
https://youtu.be/bFbiWUHzWJs?si=lpKqh5PiXCgWX-Zb
So the rumors seem to be true. Last week (or maybe the week before), it was announced that Soojin (formally of (G)I-DLE) joined a new company called BRD Communications. There wasn't much information other than that, minus a dubious debut timeline for a new song and an album. I was skeptical, but lo and behold, Soojin now has a YouTube channel and has posted a NEW dance video. Now... Soojin has been radio silent for two years. Only recently in June did she re-appear on social media where she only posted pictures on instagram (no texts, no comments). So here we are. Her YouTube avatar is BRD's logo. As of posting this, the video has only been live for an hour. Pretty sure the K-pop community is going to go crazy with this.
UPDATE
Here is her debut music video 'Lady'
Posted by glee-chan - October 24th, 2023
I just saw the funniest K-Pop MV from a new group called Young Posse. It's called Macaroni Cheese and it's like a fever dream. If you're slightly interested, please check out the link!
Posted by glee-chan - October 18th, 2023
My "friend" is back on Pixiv, so I'm keeping an eye out for her showing up here too. I guess she decided to give me a few days of peace before starting this up all over again. She's already uploaded over 100 pictures in one mass upload. Given how slow Pixiv takes to upload anything, this is crazy. She's also not just stealing from me, but it's 90% me again. I'm so tired of this.
Her Pixiv account is Charming1526.