NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Writing a song that an entire nation sings for a year or more is no small feat. In 2018, the K-pop band iKon released a single that was hummed by the elderly and even banned in some elementary schools for what teachers and administrators said was inappropriate lyrics, but was really about the students singing it excessively. Unlike some K-pop bands, iKon's members are often involved with the songwriting process.  Kim Han-bin (김한빈), better known by his stage name B.I , took inspiration from the ending scene from the 2016 musical La La Land when writing iKon's " Love Scenario ," the song that was called "The Song of the Year" in South Korea in 2018. THE LOVE SCENARIO WAS CREATED AND NOW THE LIGHTS ARE OFF. Spoiler alert: In the final scene of La La Land, Mia ( Emma Stone ) and Sebastian ( Ryan Gosling ) play out a "love scenario" which plays to a beautiful instrumental fantasia. In this fantasy, Mia and Sebastian imagine themselves together, patch

Composed by  Kenzie , the professional name for  SM Entertainment 's songwriter Kim Yeon-jeong, the debut single " Into the New World " by what would become one of the biggest K-pop groups, Girls' Generation , set the tone for a ten-year career of fun, bubble-gummy, uplifting songs. Composed of nine young women all born between 1989 and 1991,  Girls' Generation   has been been called "the Nation's Girl Group," in South Korea due to their popularity between 2007-2017. Beginning with a sample of   Don Henley 's 1984 classic " The Boys of Summer, " (covered last August by   The Ataris ), "Into the New World" builds on the nostalgic piano and synth sample. Rather than calling back with longing for the past, this song propels listeners forward into the future. I LEAVE BEHIND THIS WORLD'S UNENDING SADNESS.  I've been pretty critical of K-pop in the past for being a-political. I used to think that music in America was too pol

  Sensational Feeling 9, better known by the acronym  SF9 , debuted in 2016. Before their debut, the group performed in Japan with 11 members, but ultimately only 9 members would make the final cut when they released their  Feeling Sensation  single. The group enjoyed modest success in Korea and toured Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. In January 2020, they released their first full-length studio album, titled  First Collection . This  record has been the band's most successful release, shattering their previous record sales and chart placements. The group also garnered award nominations.  THE DAY IS QUITE LONG. EVEN WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES, IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME DAY.    Not to be confused with what Todd in the Shadows deemed 2021's worst song of the year, the racist single by former Staind lead singer-turned outlaw Country singer Aaron Lewis ,   " Am I the Only One ," is the second track on SF9's   First Collection.  The song wasn't a single, but its accessible

In high school,  Kim Sung-kyu , the future leader of the boy band Infinite , had to hide his vocal practice from his parents. In high school he sang in a rock band with some of his friends. When he graduated he left his hometown of Jeonju in hopes of having a career in music in Seoul. After failing an audition for SM Entertainment , he tried out for label Woolim Entertainment . His hope was to be a rock singer like his future label mates,  Nell . On the day of his audition, though, he was suffering from appendicitis. Determined to make it as a singer, he sang through the pain and went to the hospital after the audition finished. Rather than cultivating Kim's rock talents, the record label decided to place him as the leader of the their first boy-band, Infinite. Throughout the group's tenure, they would flirt with rock music; however, it wasn't until Sung-Kyu's debut EP,  Another Me ,  that he would be able to make the kind of music he envisioned.  WHENEVER THIS TIME OF

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

Adoy is a Korean Indie group that formed in 2017 with members from other indie groups, including former From the Airport 's Zee. Adoy was founded as a musical project to produce " commercial indie ,”  an oxymoron that reminds me of the early 2000s when bands like Modest Mouse and The Strokes went mainstream. In Korea, too, the growing indie sound is flooding cafes, television, and movies. The Korean indie wave is much smaller than K-pop and K-dramas, but within Korea and in some underground scenes, Korean indie music is a cooler alternative to the bubblegum pop, the cute boys and and girls stickers slapped onto a binder.  WE RAN AWAY FROM THE TOWN.  In Korea, though, a K-pop act's visibility helps to contribute to their sales. Much like seeing the image of a giant McDonald's  M  or a Nike check mark, seeing the K-pop posters helps to attract young fans. Korean indie, however, usually doesn't have the visual component of handsome/beautiful musicians. However, an

Last summer, Taeyeon released her first single from the album she released on Valentine’s Day this year, INVU . The disco-infused lead single, “ Weekend ,” wasn’t completely indicative of the album's style. With a variety of ballads, house, and dance songs, INVU is a solid third record from the now legendary former Girls’ Generation vocalist. Today’s song, “ Siren ,” is a power ballad located as track 6 of a 13-song album. It’s a song about an unhealthy relationship that beckons the speaker to stay in it. Ultimately does she dive in or get out of the water?     An ancient painting of sirens in  The Odyssey. Source . CRUEL FANTASY. Today’s song, “Siren,” uses the image of a mythical creature from ancient Greek and Roman legends. Creatures with a beautiful song that lure sailors to perilous shallow, rocky waters appear in Homer’s The Odyssey . In book 12, Circe advises Odysseus not to listen to their “honey-sweet tones” that “bewitch everybody who approaches them.” But the cunning

As a promotion for the first  Star Wars  film in ten years,  Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens ,  Disney collaborated with South Korean boy band  EXO  to record a track called " Lightsaber " in three languages, Korean,  Chinese , and  Japanese . The multi-national boy band, signed to South Korea's biggest record label, had become a worldwide phenomenon in the 2010s, thanks to strategic marketing in South Korea and China. In 2015, at the time of the song’s release, EXO was the biggest K-pop group. “Lightsaber” was released as a bonus track on the group’s fourth EP,  Sing for Me , recorded in both Korean and Mandarin. The EP was their fastest selling record at the time. I WANDERED HERE TO YOUR OUTREACHED HAND.  I have an unpopular opinion. I don’t care for  Star Wars . Perhaps it’s due to my religious upbringing. There was a book in my house when I was growing up about all the ways that the New Age and occult were imposing their way into the American family. Some exa

From the Airport was a duo that formed in 2012 when guitarist Zee met DJ/Keyboardist Milo and the two started jamming together. Prior to the inception of From the Airport, Zee worked playing music for film scores and played guitar in progressive rock bands,  and Milo worked in the studio with K-pop acts such as MC Sniper . Milo and Zee together create a dreamy sort of pop-rock that isn't particularly cool, but full of wonder and excitement. It's almost as if the band's concept is waiting for the adventure that comes when traveling to the airport to fly away to an interesting place. DREAMING STILL NEXT TO ME.  Before r eleasing their debut album in 2015,  You Could Imagine , they released singles and two EPs. The South Korean electronic indie pop group's first single " Colors " gained some notice by foreign publications, including The Guardian   in the UK. Today's song is the band's third single. Their second single " Everyone's All Right &quo

  Opening with a the late '90s pop-rock-sounding " Tides ," Ed Sheeran 's fourth record = seems to change genres with every track. Back in October of last year, I asked the question about whether or not Ed Sheeran could successfully integrate all the musical styles he's done in the past and make a cohesive album that would appeal both broadly to all music fans and more specifically to die-hard fans. What I found today was that most of the songs individually are good. But as an album the songs don't play together save for the common themes of falling in love with his wife Cherry, the death of family members, isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, recovery from addiction, and the birth of his daughter Lyra.   I WANNA DRINK THAT SMILE. The eclectic mix of singles Sheeran released before the album dropped--" Bad Habits " and " Shivers " sounding similar to  ÷ 's singles and " Visiting Hours " recalling the more sentimental moods

When moving to another country, it's important to try many new things and fully immerse yourself in the culture. The number of new experiences you get within the first months will prove invaluable to your adaptation. That being said, even the most culturally open people will feel a little homesick. In August, I will have lived in South Korea for ten years, and has the time flown! But as the cherry blossoms start to fall, I'm reminded of what made me love this country, and how I had to adapt. It may be best tied to an album by a three-piece pop band of busking young men from a university in Cheonan, South Korea. This is my story with Busker Busker . TODAY, LET’S WALK ON THIS STREET . Busker Busker formed when singer-songwriter Jang Beom-june and bassist Kim Hyung-tae joined an English instructor teaching at their university, Brad Moore as the band’s drummer. The band previously performed under the moniker Pinky Pinky, but when the band’s drummer went to serve in the country’s

Not since Michael Jackson has an artist had five number one singles top the Billboard Top 100 chart in as quick succession as " Dynamite ," " Savage Love ," "Life Goes On," " Butter ," and "Permission to Dance" from late August 2020 to July 2021. Of course, the hit parade continued in late 2021, as a featured spot on Coldplay 's " My Universe ." The South Korean phenomenon Bangtan Boys, better known by their acronym BTS , don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. GOT ARMY BEHIND US WHEN WE SAY SO. It's no secret that BTS's fan ARMY is strong. According to Quora, there are estimated to be anywhere between 40-60 million fans worldwide. It's because of this ARMY buying multiple copies of the groups singles that propelled the boy band to number one. Some have called this chart manipulation, mainly because of the strategic planning to buy the song, overtaking any other single that would be pushed up the charts