July 12, 2013
The first half of the year of 2013 has been one marked by countless of scandals and controversies, but at the same time, it is undeniable that many really heartening bits and pieces of pie have surfaced in the K-Pop scene as well. While it is usually all those notorious pieces of news that catch the attention of the public eye, perhaps it is time we hit the 'pause' button as we enter into the second half of the year to look back and reminisce on the goodness of K-Pop instead. What was that one thing that happened that excited me, or made me smile out of genuine happiness? Today, some of the writers of the writing team will take on that question.
Tiffany: I think when YG Entertainment revealed 2NE1
was going to have a comeback was the overall best thing that happened this whole year. I thought the girls were dead (well, other than CL who came back with The Baddest Female only a few months ago) or were forgotten by the company, but instead, YG Entertainment proved that they still cared for them. What I don't like though is Dara's hair change... the blonde makes her look quite sickly and her other natural hair colors being much better.
was going to have a comeback was the overall best thing that happened this whole year. I thought the girls were dead (well, other than CL who came back with The Baddest Female only a few months ago) or were forgotten by the company, but instead, YG Entertainment proved that they still cared for them. What I don't like though is Dara's hair change... the blonde makes her look quite sickly and her other natural hair colors being much better.
Jeana: The best thing that happened for me would have to be Taemin being casted on We Got Married. I have long been a fan of Taemin, and being used to seeing him as a little kid in the past dancing to Noona Neomu Yeppeo made it extremely unbelievable that he was now a husband-to-be when news of his casting broke out. After the immense shock experienced upon reading the news came about a turmoil of emotions - excitement for what he could offer & how much he could mature through the show, yet a longing that he would not step into adulthood just yet; pride for this little kiddo who is finally manning up, yet an unwillingness to let him go. Ultimately, I came back the fundamental principle of supporting him in whatever he does like a true fan would, and now watch his shows with a cheerful heart. Since this is what he wants, all I can say is that I am genuinely extremely happy for him.
Tiffany: So true. They are by far the cutest couple in all the 2013 We Got Married versions and I can't help but squeal whenever something happens because the little Taemin I once used to know has grown into Taeman.
Tiffany: Exactly! I'm not that much of a fan of the title track, however, some of the songs in their album like Domino? They're really good. Just give me a second to cry over how much I love this song.
Saskia: Geurae Wolf Naega Wolf AWOO~! That's right, for me it was definitely EXO's comeback. We Exotics waited and waited and waited far too long! When I first heard the 'leaked' version of the song (you know, the one that sounds as if they can't sing), I actually liked it! I loved the weird 'saranghaeyo' part and how wrong everything sounded. Nevertheless, I was kinda relieved that it wasn't the actual song. Do you all remember when they released the first teaser? I died! Them sexy boys crawling around like wolves.. too much for my poor, young heart. And all those cute school portrait pictures made me anticipate the comeback even more. And then, the day SM Entertainment finally released the music video. It took me about a week until I could watch the MV without squealing and jumping around and just watch to it. The whole 'XOXO' album itself was amazing too! My absolute favorite song 'Black Pearl' .. I just .. I lost my mind~ But there's one thing that makes me a bit angry - Where's the drama version of 'Wolf'?!?! We waited over a year for their comeback and now, we have to wait another one for the drama version? Well, this actually wouldn't be the first time SM Entertainment had us waiting, I mean, am I right? SHINee already had about, what.. 3(?) comebacks this year and SM gives us one MV from EXO in over a year. I don't get the logic at all. Ah~ but anyways, EXO's comeback was the best thing that happened in the first half of 2013 :D.
Tiffany: I can see why~ although the title song was meh, the album was actually audible! I thought someone was going to say this so I didn't, but since no one did: Lee Hyori getting married and of course, SE7EN and Sangchu at the massage parlor. Although I'm ecstatic that Hyori's finally tying the knot, I found SE7EN and Sangchu's massage parlor incident even better... not to mention, there wasn't much news for that week, anyway, so that kept me interested.
Tiffany: I can see why~ although the title song was meh, the album was actually audible! I thought someone was going to say this so I didn't, but since no one did: Lee Hyori getting married and of course, SE7EN and Sangchu at the massage parlor. Although I'm ecstatic that Hyori's finally tying the knot, I found SE7EN and Sangchu's massage parlor incident even better... not to mention, there wasn't much news for that week, anyway, so that kept me interested.
Narrowing it down to two things, I'd say Girl's Day and Crayon Pop.
ReplyDelete'Expectation' was my favorite comeback and I liked 'Female President' a lot, too. I wasn't a huge Girl's Day fan before this year, so the fact that I gained a new group to stan is a plus.
I've been a fan of Crayon Pop since their debut and I'm happy to see them starting to gain a bit of recognition. Their latest release isn't even one of their best but it got noticed a lot more than previous efforts. I didn't even expect them to last a whole year in this overcrowded market. They're an underdog among underdogs and that makes them more fun to root for.
I hope the second half of the year is a lot better than the first half.