NEW BTS!: bts feat suga - interlude: shadow

WONGIE POP SONG OF THE WEEK: red velvet - psycho

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red velvet - psycho

LIVE PERFORMANCES: MTV EMA 2019 (highlights)

rosalia - di mi nombre


dua lipa - don't start now


niall horan - nice to meet ya


halsey - graveyard


nct 127 - highway to heaven

KPOP PREMIERE: itzy - icy

KPOP ALERT: red velvet - zimzalabim

bts feat zara larsson - brand new day

NEW BLACKPINK!!: blackpink - ddu du ddu du

blackpink - ddu du ddu du
already breaking records with the most youtube views of any kpop girl band history within 24 hours (47 million and counting), blackpink release their latest EP square up with 4 tracks kicking off with this banger of 'ddu du ddu du'. i'm sure we'll be seeing some videos accompanying those tracks very soon, for now we welcome back my fave kpop gals!

VIDEO PREMIERE: 2ne1 - goodbye

2ne1 - goodbye
here it is... one of kpop's biggest girl bands releases their final single in the form of this acoustic number which also showcases a threesome instead of the original four. 2ne1 really paved the way for kpop acts breaking international barriers and their brand of sassy multi influenced pop set a blueprint for what pop could sound like (wackadoo awesomeness!) as they venture into solo pursuits, the group itself will be sorely missed.

NEW CL!: cl - lifted

cl - lifted
one of the biggest problems of kpop superstar CL's foray into international waters is that she is packaged so perfectly to become a star (the clothes! the swagger! the dave meyers video! the method man cameo!) that they kind of forgot the most important thing about it all... the songs! though her new single 'lifted' comes the closest to crossover success (the siren hook and the reggae grooves are pretty fun), but it's still a tad lite on the m.i.a./sass pop front. maybe this'll be a grower?

KPOP PREMIERE: 4minute - hate

4minute - hate
it's been awhile since i've posted some fun kpop for my people, so i figured i'd kick off my 2016 occasional coverage with the girl group 4minute and their skrillex produced single 'hate'. to be honest, every dance move and image feels a bit over thought wannabe 2ne1 to me, but the girls have offered a catchy dubsteppy pop song for your day. all good!

VIDEO PREMIERE: cl - hello bitches

cl - hello bitches
chaelin lin (aka 2ne1's CL) has been working towards her english language debut for quite some time and this stank face stomp is a perfect kick in the neck intro for those who aren't already fans of the kpop star. working with choreographer parris goebel and her request crew (the dancers are also having a moment by being in the justin bieber "sorry" video), the only word that comes to mind is fierce. damn is CL fierce! can't wait to see what else she has in store, but this is a hot start!

NEW CL: cl x diplo x riff raff x og maco - doctor pepper

cl x diplo x riff raff x og maco - doctor pepper
like the song, this video is going down some lo-fi spring breakers aesthetic which just comes off a tad thrown together. i can only hope that the rest of kpop princess cl's debut english EP will be better cause this is just groove with no meat.

AUDIO PREMIERE: madonna - living for love / unapologetic bitch / ghosttown / bitch i'm madonna (feat nicki minaj)

after a tough week in which 11 demos were leaked out from the madonna vaults, madonna countered with 6 official tracks from her upcoming february album for all the fans to buy on itunes. and thank goodness these songs came out, cause they are actually quite good (where some of those demos were... not)! below are my fave tracks from the lot:

1. living for love - co-produced by diplo, this is the official first single which has all the press calling it 'like a prayer' part 2. though it has all the trappings of a possible gospel house anthem, it goes the route of something more commercial (check out the piano chords by guest player alicia keys). apparently there's a heavier house version with a full on choir and wongie fave mnek in the mix, hopefully that will be on the remixes forthcoming!

wanna hear more? check out the rest of the tracks below:

2. devil pray - meh
3. ghosttown - easily my fave track of the lot, this mid tempo ballad co-produced by billboard has the makings of a long term fan favorite. nice one this!
4. unapologetic bitch - co-produced again by diplo, i'm kind of feeling this reggae infused dubstep track.
5. illuminati - easily my least fave track from the lot.
6. bitch i'm madonna (feat nicki minaj) - yet another track co-produced by diplo (this time with sophie), this kpop infused track reminds me of some previous 2ne1 hits (who fans of the kpop group know that there already is a connection between diplo and their sound). throw in a fun verse from nicki minaj and you've got a track that will divide the critics. i personally don't mind it.

NEW 2NE1!: 2ne1 - gotta be you

2ne1 - gotta be you
the kpop queens return with yet another song which sounds like 1000 things mashed into 4 mins. not my fave track of theirs, but it's interesting to hear at least once.

NEW 2ne1!: 2ne1 - come back home

2ne1 - come back home
currently sitting atop the kpop charts at #1, this reggae influenced pop number does what 2ne1 does best, which is swerve into other genres at the drop of a hat (check out the hip hop dubstep breakdown midway through the song). the song is so weird that its hot!!

want more? check out the more conventional poppy "happy" that's being released as come back home's b-side:

2ne1 - happy

WONGIE KPOP SONG OF THE WEEK: 2ne1 - missing you

2ne1 - missing you
the 2ne1 gals are back with a 3rd single teasing their upcoming full length album (set for an early 2014 release). in typical 2ne1 fashion, the ballad feels like 3 tunes mashed together and weirdly working in the process. high fives to the art direction and stylist of the video too!

VIDEO PREMIERE!: 2ne1 - do you love me

2ne1 - do you love me
as promised, a new single for the month of august (they're doing one a month until the album comes out in october) and it's a pop edm stormer! definitely poppier than their previous dance hits, it's also nice to see the girls being silly and dorky. as the title says "D-O-Y-O-U-L-O-V-E-M-E", i say Y-E-S!

want more? check out the girls do some really fun choreography for their upcoming live performance. can't wait to see this!!

2ne1 - do you love me (dance practice)
UPDATE 8/11/13:

2ne1 - do you love me (live @ m countdown comeback)
here is the performance in all it's fun glory!!

WONGIE KPOP SONG OF THE WEEK: roy kim - love love love

roy kim - love love love
winner of the super star k4 competition, roy is a rarity on the kpop scene, he's an actual singer/songwriter (gasp!!) obviously influenced by the folk pop sound by western acts like ed sheeran, jason mraz and even phillip phillips, this is a simple guitar pop number that has not only charmed korea, but maybe even beyond.

KPOP EXPRESS: lim kim - all right / sistar - give it to me / tara n4 - joen wan diary / girls day - female president / chocolat - black tinkerbell

lim kim - all right
originally part of a duo, lim kim ended up recording a solo EP cause her partner had to go back to the states to finish his studies. the result for this husky singer (and music competition runner up) is this interesting debut single that sounds miles away from the rest of the charts. curious if this off kilter sound will mean a sub genre of indie pop. hope so!


sistar - give it to me
currently the kpop #1 on billboard, the girl band sistar have slowly broken through the dearth of pop acts and turned into one of the kpop scene. even with that status, they still need a re-introduction to the charts and what better way than with this fun retro disco infused single.


t-ara n4 - joen wan diary
a 4 member subgroup of the girl group t-ara ('tiara', geddit?), this euro pop number is wonderfully catchy and you'll be bopping along to it in no time!


girls day - female president
is it just me or does this sound alot like little mix's "wings"? either way the single is working for this girl band as the song is currently in the top 10 of the billboard kpop charts.


chocolat - black tinkerbell
so the big twist in this girl band is that all of their members grew up abroad and 3 of them are biracial. i love how in kpop that's an angle!

KPOP VIDEO PREMIERE!: 2ne1 - falling in love

2ne1 - falling in love
promising a new single every month until the release of their 2nd album in october, 2ne1 start off the proceedings with a perfectly summer reggae pop jam. though it doesn't have the genius of their previous single 'i love you', it's still a harmless ditty to bop too. btw, am i the only noticing that rapper CL is getting better looking with each video? someone is besties with their style/makeup team!