NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

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 called "the Nation's Girl Group" in South Korea due to their popularity between 2007 and 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 political. I used to think that music in America was too politi...

Hailing from a place she claimed had “no music scene,”  Holly Humberstone  has taken her music to the global stage. Raised in Lincolnshire, England, Humberstone nurtured a passion for music from a young age. She played the violin in the  Lincolnshire Youth Symphony  before pursuing her studies at the  Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts . Humberstone’s career as a singer-songwriter took off after her performance at the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 2019. Since then, she has graced the stages with notable artists like  girl in red ,  Olivia Rodrigo , and  Taylor Swift . In October of last year, she released her debut studio album, “ Paint My Bedroom Black , ” which received widespread acclaim from music publications, earning a commendable score of 75 out of 100 on Metacritic . DID I USE YOUR BODY? The first single from Holly Humberstone’s debut album, Paint My Bedroom Black , delves into the dark themes explored throughout t...

The Seoul Jazz Festival is an annual music event held in Seoul, South Korea, that celebrates jazz and other related genres, such as blues, soul, funk, and R&B. Since its inception in 2007, the festival has grown into one of the country's premier music events, attracting both local and international artists. It usually takes place in late spring, typically in May, and is hosted at scenic venues like Olympic Park, which provides a relaxed outdoor setting for music lovers. The festival features a diverse lineup of musicians, ranging from jazz legends to contemporary artists across various genres, offering a fusion of styles that appeal to a broad audience. Besides jazz, the Seoul Jazz Festival often includes performances by indie, pop, and crossover artists, making it accessible to a wider range of music fans. This year, Lauv headlined the festival for 2 of the 3 nights.  THERE’S A UNIVERSE WHERE WE BOTH GET HURT. For his first headlining set on Friday, May 31, Lauv performe...

With the release of Found Heaven , Conan Gray has been embracing a glam rock era. Listening to his two previous studio albums, there are hints at the future Max Martin -produced third album, but the singer seems to be more comfortable with the slower lyric-driven real instrument songs. But much like the other Dan Nigro -produced artists, such as Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan , the genre only appears to be a tool to help artists present themselves in their most authentic ways. It’s not a new concept in pop music and it’s becoming more and more common. Some call it the death of genre. For Conan Gray, one of those moments is on his first album Kid Krow , on the song that has been called a “bedroom pop banger,” “ Maniac .” TELL THEM YOU HATE ME AND DATED ME JUST FOR LAUGHS. “Maniac” was Conan Gray’s third single from Kid Krow. The genre seems to follow the subject matter of the song. The lyrics of the songs suggest that the speaker’s ex has been partying all night, so underneath the p...

" My my, hey hey / Rock 'n' Roll is here to stay" declares  Neil Young  in his 1978 song.  Rock music has had a lasting presence in pop culture since the age of  Chuck Berry  and   Little Richard . At some points in the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s the genre took the primary spots on radio charts outside of the genre. However, around the end of the '00s, Hip Hop decimated the genre. The rock bands left standing mostly traded their axes for acoustic guitars, keyboards, EDM beats, or Trap rhythms. Much of the rock music was indistinguishable from other genres, and that trend continues into the 2020s. However, just as rock bands crossed over to the pop charts, the late 2010s to 2021 saw pop singers experiment with rock music. From  Miley Cyrus   performing  with  Metallica  to rappers like  Post Malone  and  Machine Gun Kelly  flirting with emo, some may argue that Rock is seeing a mainstream resurgence. Enter...

  Last month TWS kicked off 여름방학 (summer vacation) with the lead single to their second mini album Summer Beat!   Peaking at # 125 on Korea’s Gaon chart “ hey! hey! ” wasn’t a successful single to follow “ Plot Twist ,” their number 2 hit. But Pledis Entertainment ’s conceptual optimistic teen boy band may not have me interested in the daily life of the boys in the band,” I’d certainly like to find out what composers of the song were listening to inspire the pop-punk guitar riff that appears throughout the song, especially noticeable at the beginning. I’m not sure what made this song flop in Korea--maybe the guitar, maybe the overly optimistic sound in dark times--but I think that “hey! hey!” deserves another taste. On the surface, it seems like a fizzy throw-away track, but I think more is going on. I WANT TO CRY OUT OUR DREAM FROM THE WORLD’S PEAK. Opening with a ten-second guitar riff sets “hey! hey!” immediately in the past--or maybe a future when guitar music has actual...

Conan Gray released his third album, Found Heaven April 5th this year. The album is a departure from Gray’s music before the singles were released starting with the album’s lead single from last May, “ Never Ending Song .” The ‘80s-inspired dance-pop track treads on “maximalist” pop (more on that later) the singer flirted with once on the teen anthem “ Maniac ” on his 2020 debut album Kid Krow , but much of Gray’s early music was emotional acoustic music like his biggest song, “ Heather .” Working with producer Dan Nigro , the producer behind Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan , on his first two albums fleshed out Gray as a queer-coded Gen-Z singer-songwriter. The third album is a fun excursion into ‘80s glam rock and synth-pop, and it’s pure pop-rock heaven.  I SAW YOUR FACE IN A MAGAZINE TODAY. Conan Gray didn’t return to work with Dan Nigro on his third album. He told Billboard News that he had begun writing the album while on tour with his second album Superache . He talks ...