NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

In season three of the South Korean hip-hop reality program Show Me the Money , winner BOBBY showed that K-pop idols can be taken seriously as rappers. Previous seasons had eliminated rappers from idol groups quite early in the competition, but iKON ’s Bobby won the season. This victory by a rapper of a boy band set up season four, in which Song Min-ho , known professionally as Mino was a fan favorite. The singer, rapper, and songwriter Mino began his career in a ballad group called BoM before joining YG Entertainment and debuting with the group WINNER in 2014 after he won a spot in the group on the show WIN: Who Is Next . The next year, Mino was on the fourth season of Show Me the Money, on which he was the show’s runner-up.  WHEN I TURNED AROUND, I SAW THAT I CAME FARTHER THAN I THOUGHT. Each season of Show Me the Money contestants compete through various rap battles, performances, and challenges, with the ultimate goal of becoming the season’s champion. The format typically inc

Ennik Somi Douma , known professionally by her Korean name, Jeon Somi (저소미), was born in Canada to a German-Dutch Canadian and a Korean mother. Somi’s parents moved back to Korea when she was a toddler. Her father had met her mother while he was studying taekwondo in Seoul. The two married and moved to Canada until her mother experienced homesickness for her home country. Life in a mostly homogeneous country wasn’t easy for Somi, though. Like her father, she began studying taekwondo. She decided to study in an elementary school that allowed her to study the martial art. Being of mixed ethnicity, Somi experienced bullying and discrimination. Her dream of becoming a singer began after watching Rihanna ’s music video for “ Don’t Stop the Music .” When she was nine, she got into Korean pop, particularly admiring Park Bom of 2NE1 . YEAH, I’M SWEET AS SHIT. Jeon Somi had early exposure to appearing on television and performing. She made her first television appearance when she was four. KB

  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 actually made a

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

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

On Valentine's Day, Taeyeon released her third full-length album, INVU .  This album included her single released last summer " Weekend ," a song about feeling great and enjoying life amidst the everyday hectic routine. Sleeping in late, indulging in coffee and/or cheese cake, and generally "doing whatever I want," "Weekend" is a bubbly K-pop single that welcomes the best two days of the week. And out of a lazy afternoon in bed with my boyfriend singing this song, I chose to be extra lazy and post this track as an excuse to convert my Spotify Friday Vibes  playlist into an AppleMusic Weekend Vibes playlist. Hope you enjoy it! Original tracklist (before future updates): 1. "Weekend" by Taeyeon (the song of the day) 2. " Forest " by Number One Gun 3.  " Take it All Back 2.0 " by Judah & the Lion 4. " Typical " by MUTEMATH 5. " Rings & Roses " by Dabin ft. Conor Byrne 6. " Hymn for the Wee