NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

BTS ’s international success didn’t happen without precedent. One of the biggest international Korean pop successes before the boys in  Bangtan Sonyeodan topped Billboard ’s Hot 100 was YG Entertainmen t’s BigBang . The group has been called the “ Kings of K-pop ” especially with the hit singles following their 2006 debut album BigBang Vol.1. The group has had 11 number 1 singles in South Korea. The group has taken several lengthy hiatuses; however, each comeback proved the group’s lasting impression on Korean popular music. Throughout the group’s career, though, the members have endured scandal, from drugs to an infamous case of prostitution .  HONESTLY, THE WORLD AND ME DON’T MATCH.  BigBang’s status right now is uncertain with all members fulfilling their contracts with YG Entertainment and being removed from the label’s roster. Seungri (승리)retired from music following his scandal in 2019. T.O.P (탑) left the group when he fulfilled his contract with YG. Remaining are Taeyang  (태

Back in 2010, we learned that yes, a pickle can get more likes than  Nickelback , a band that had become the most hated  "butt rock"  band in the mid-'00s. In fact, the conclusions of the social media study found that a pickle had more likes than Oprah Winfrey or other beloved figures. It turns out that internet users' hate outweighs Internet love, or the terrible outweighs the good. In 2014, the most hated rock band would become  U2  after their release of  Songs of Innocence   was forced into every  iTunes user's library. People tried everything to scrub the songs from their shuffle. Today, people have mostly forgotten about Nickelback, and Apple Music no longer comes standard with that U2 album, so people have other musical axes to grind. Justin Bieber has grown up and is no longer blaring in our cultural continuousness. So who is the most hated band these days? After the 2019 Super Bowl,   Maroon 5 , for taking to the stage when the NFL was in the middle of ra

TOMORROW X TOGETHER , or TXT called by their fans, were the first group from Korea to headline Lollapalooza. The group has been one of the biggest K-Pop boy bands since their debut in 2019. Signed to Big Hit Entertainment , home of BTS and the first boy band signed to the label since the Bangtan Boys, TXT debuted five years after their label mates. While the lyrics of today's song, " Lo$er=Lo🩷er " touch on the bleak state of Millennials and Gen. Z, especially due to financial status, TOMORROW X TOGETHER's music is born out of optimism. The band's motto as it appears on their website is: "Come together   under one dream in hopes of building a better tomorrow."  

Music promotion is very important, especially since there are more and more albums, EPs, singles, music videos, limited-edition vinyl pressings, deluxe editions all cluttering our Spotify updates.  One of the most common ways that artists grow interest in their albums is by pre-gaming their listeners with singles.  Back when radio was the primary way listeners heard pop music, an artist may have released a single shortly before the album dropped. Sometimes delays in the release would cause the artist to drop another single to keep up momentum. These days artists commonly release three or four singles, sometimes up to half the album prior to the album’s release.  "Lady Lilith" by Dante Gabriel  Rosetti.  I DON'T NEED A FUCKIN' INTRODUCTION. In 2021, when Halsey released her record, If I Can’t Have Love , I Want Power, she decided to forego singles, instead releasing the album at once. Lyrically, the record is filled with statements of empowerment. Musically, producers

It's pretty easy to think of only the frontman or front woman when thinking about bands like  Coldplay .  Chris Martin  is featured prominently in the band's music videos. He is certainly the most charismatic during the band's live performances. He's kept himself in good shape and is arguably the best looking band dude in Coldplay. However, this didn't give the band's fearless leader complete creative reign for their seventh studio album,  A Head Full of Dreams .  When Martin presented the idea for a late-night club hit "Drinks on Me," influenced by  Flo Rida , the rest of the band shot Martin down. LIFE IS A DRINK AND LOVE'S A DRUG.  Every February or March, the first full-moon day of spring according to the Hindu lunar calendar, cities and towns in India shutdown for a very colorful celebration that lasts two days. This festival is called Holi, or The Festival of Colors and this year it was celebrated on March 8 and 9. During this festival, every

A few years ago, I remember (shamefully) having a conversation with my students as to why K-pop would never fully make it in America and my argument had to do with how American radio stations rarely played music in a foreign language. But K-pop proved me wrong, albeit, it didn’t hurt that BTS sang some of their major hits in English. But just as BTS was ascending to international fame, a legal barrier threatened the band.  AN UNENDING HISTORY. Last October, BTS announced that they were taking a break from releasing new music together, which promptly caused Hybe Corporation 's stock, the band's record label, to plummet. Each member of BTS would release solo records, and they would reconvene in 2025 to assess future projects as a group; however, Hybe Corporation's chairman Bang Si-hyuk (방시혁) expressed some doubts about the timeline as a renegotiated contract hadn't been discussed. The reason for this musical break had to do with South Korean law. All able-bodied males m

I've written a bit about how I'm a  Coldplay  apologist. I believe that the London-based band is very good at what they do. Though so many artists accomplish their sound, both musically and lyrically, better, there's something uplifting about a new Coldplay album. Two years ago, I talked about the band's first single from their ninth studio record,   Music of the Spheres , " Higher Power ." The album was released on October 15, 2021 . Before the release of the record and after releasing "Higher Power," the band released the promotional single, the 10:17 track " Coloratura ," which was praised by critics for its composition and production. Then they released the second radio single " My Universe ," featuring the South Korean boy band,  BTS . The song shot straight to number 1 on the  Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the second Coldplay single to top the Hot 100, the first being " Viva la Vida ." I JUST WANT TO PUT YOU FIRST .

Back in 2010 we learned that yes, a pickle can get more likes than  Nickelback , a band that had become the most hated  "butt rock"  band in the mid-'00s. In fact, the conclusions of the social media study found that a pickle had more likes than Oprah Winfrey or other beloved figures. It turns out that internet users' hate outweighs Internet love, or the terrible outweighs the good. In 2014, the most hated rock band would become  U2  after their release of  Songs of Innocence   was forced into every  iTunes users' library. People tried everything to scrub the songs from their shuffle. Today, people have mostly forgotten about Nickelback, and Apple Music no longer comes standard with that U2 album, so people have other musical axes to grind. Justin Bieber has grown up and is no longer blaring in our cultural continuousness. So who is the most hated band these days? After the 2019 Super Bowl it was   Maroon 5 , for taking to the stage when the NFL was in the middle

Many credit the formation of Seo Taiji and the Boys in 1992 as the birth of K-pop. Singer Seo Taiji had been a member of the heavy metal group, Sinawe in '80s but decided to experiment with electronic music and choreography. Seo, in essence, started the ripple, whereas, today's boy band was part part of a forming Korean wave, or Hallyu (한류) that seems turning into more and more of a tsunami every year. The boy bands and girl groups of early '00s were known by Korean enthusiasts. Korean cinema was known by film buffs. But in 2012 when Psy's " Gangnam Style " hit the Internet, the wave officially hit everywhere. In the late '10s, BTS and other K-pop groups started placing well on Billboard's Hot 100, performing on American television shows, and featuring on American pop albums. Then in 2020, Korean director Bong Joon-ho cleaned up the Oscars with his film  Parasite  (기생충). Korean dramas, too, are part of the wave. While they haven't broken through

I've written a bit last year about how I'm a Coldplay apologist. I believe that the London-based band is very good at what they do. Though so many artists accomplish their sound, both musically and lyrically, better, there's something uplifting about a new Coldplay album. Early last year, I talked about the band's first single from their ninth studio record,   Music of the Spheres , " Higher Power ." The album was released on October 15 last year. Before the release of the record and after releasing "Higher Power," the band released the promotional single, the 10:17 track " Coloratura ," which was praised by critics for its composition and production. Then they released the second radio single " My Universe ," featuring the South Korean boy band, BTS . The song shot straight to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the second Coldplay single to top the Hot 100, the first being " Viva la Vida ." I JUST WANT TO PUT

Formed when the lead singer of Korean rock band Eastern Sidekick 's lead singer Oh Ju Hwan (오주환) started working with Zee (지) of From the Airport to produce a synth-based solo project, ADOY the project quickly turned into band with drummer Zozo (조조 or Cho Sang Yeon/ 조상연) and Ju Hwan's high school friend Jang Da Young (장다영) joining the band. In an interview with Arirang  (see below), Ju Hwan explains that the band got the name for the band by reversing the letters of his cat Yoda's name, hence ADOY is simply Yoda backwards. He goes on to explain that Yoda played a pivotal role in determining the band's sound.   ALL THE COLORS LOOK BACK. ADOY formed in 2016 and their  debut EP  Catnip   was released in 2017. The album's name relates to the role that Yoda played in helping the band determine their sound. When the band wrote their first songs, they determined which songs would go on the album by how Ju Hwan's cat Yoda responded to those songs. If Yoda liked the s