No More & More Songs in English Please

First, I will start by saying I love Twice. 

"najeongmosajimidachaetzu" is the mantra I start my day with.

Twice is heavy on my gym playlist because the BPM and their voices are just what I need for that burst of energy. But this new English version of More & More is not it. 

What makes it even worse is that BTS' english song was release on the same day. I'm not particularly a fan of that one either, but at least they didn't recycle a song and actually put out some new music.

Twice, JYP, I love you guys and all. Please don't do this again. 

Make America 2019 Again

First off, F**K 2020!

Excuse my language. This isn't actually a rant, I'm just reminiscing about my perfect K-pop summer.

2019 was an AMAZING year. I got into shape, started my dream job, and did a bunch of other adulting that I'm very proud of. But the best part of 2019 was that on July 21, 2019 in Newark, NJ at Prudential Center I was finally able to see 

TWICE

KCON 2019

Before that, I went to KCON NY 2019. I don't really stan any of the groups that performed so I wasn't too upset that my phone died during the 1st day concert 😣 The performers were AB6IX, ATEEZ, EVERGLOW (everyday, everyday, you go to Walmart everyday), fromis_9, IZ*ONE, (G)I-DLE, NU'EST, Seventeen, SF9, The Boyz, TXT, and VeriVery.

First stop was the convention.

There I got to meet The Boyz

They're a lively bunch and some members speak English which made the meet & greet/hi-touch more engaging. You can't record the hi-touch of course, but the members look like you would expect. Tall . . and I guess handsome, but they're not my type. 

After the convention I went to the concert and I must say K-pop performers really know how to put on a good show if they're into it. You can tell when a group isn't feeling the crowd or the atmosphere but you can feel when they are. TXT was litty! 👌💣🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

woof woof

I didn't get to see Everglow or IZ*ONE but TXT made up for it. That really got me pumped for my first REAL kpop concert headlined by the one and only 

트와이스 Teu-Wa-E-Seu

I was so excited that day of the concert. It was 91 degrees outside when I arrived at Prudential Center. People were already outside hours before the show. Me, I sweat like a pig so I went to my job and waited it out there for a few. When I came back there were massive lines! 

Luckily for me I was VIP 😎

 

When we got inside we received VIP merch (a clear bag, hat, lanyard, and wrist band for the hi-touch). I went to buy a concert tee of course, and then there was more waiting until we were seated. 

Finally we were able to enter the arena

I walked down to my seat

And this was the view . . .  AHHHHHHHHHH

I don't think I'd ever been that excited about anything in my life. I've traveled, I ride a motorcycle, I've been skydiving, but the adrenaline I felt before this concert was something else.

I had to calm myself down so I bought a beer, chugged that then sat and waited it out. They were playing some of the B-sides and my jam came on Look at Me. Probably the only one, but this is my absolute favorite Twice song.

I was so sad this wasn't on the setlist but whatevs . . .

So the lights dim and you know it's showtime! There was a mad rush to the stage and I still mad it to the very front. Mind you' I'm on 5'3 so anywhere but the front would've SUCKED!

Stuck in my head like

Stuck in my head like

Stuck in my head like

La la la la

I'm a metalhead at heart so the sound of that first guitar rift got my so hype so for the whole concert I was in mosh pit mode. (I'm sure I annoyed many, many people) I am exceptionally shy and lack common sense so when they came near me, I shut down **DOUBLE face palm**

Like in this video, Nayeon was about to give me full on eye contact but I turned away because I'm so shy and stupid 

There isn't much that I can say except everything about this concert was  🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 and to add icing on the cake, I was noticed. Yes. Pick me, choose me and I was chosen. 

Big ole BUT, there is one moment that still haunts me to this day.

The Hi-Touch. 

After the concert, we go stand in line for the hi-touch. I'm there waiting, and finally we get close to the where they are. We're told to show our wrist bands and keep it moving. While I'm waiting for my turn, I feel a pair of eyes on me. I turn to look and their manager is staring me down. I do the whole nervous whistling thing and keep moving up. It's my turn, I go up to Nayeon say "MC Rail is the best", big ass cheesy smile, and I fist it up to give her pound. (The reason for that is, they touched 98473878947 hands and I'm a slight germaphobe). I'm too shy to look her in the eye but I notice there is no pound back. I look up and she's looking me up and down for a good maybe 5 to 7 seconds. She shakes out of it and finally give me a pound back. I dropped my head because I'm like damn, I guess I did something wrong. Sana gives me a hella forceful dap, Jeongyeon was the only one who spoke and she said "Thank You". Dahyun also didn't give me pound and left her hand like to high-five, but I dapped her up myself. It was all a blur except for that.

The whole way home I'm thinking, wtf. Why was she staring at me? I'm black, tattooed, I have big gauges, the sides of my head are shaved and I dress almost goth like. I'm not THAT weird, or am I lol? I don't know why, but I felt some type of way.

To make things worse, when I got home, there was a ring around my lips and I don't know if it was there during the hi-touch because it wasn't before (I checked myself in the mirror). Now I'm just like 

Please enjoy the rest of the photos, GIFs, and clips . I am a horrible photographer. And if you can't tell, I am a Nayeon STAN!!!!!!!

Fin.

How haters are born

It's 2009. Kickass torrents is still up, Jiraiya is still alive, MTV, BET, and VH1 actually play music. Youtube was just getting big, becoming more than just a place to share your homemade music videos and wiindows movie maker anime OVA's. 

One fateful day I went down an anime rabbit hole and ended up trying to find the Hell Girl (Jigoku Shoujo) soundtrack so I could use my YouTube downloader software and get some free music. I finally found what I was looking for and started the download In the similar video area there was a pink, j-pop-esque looking still. Girls Generation. I click, start watching, and as soon as the beat starts I think "Oh, this isn't japanese . . . but I LOVE IT!!!!!!" I am then sucked into a world that has (voluntarily)trapped me for the last 10 years.

Why you do this to me????

Gee-Gee-Gee/Baby Baby Baby/Gee Gee Gee/ Bay-Bay-Bay-Bay-Baby

The infectious beat, the choreography, one member who could actually sing, AND lyrics that weren't depressing or sexual. 

*Refreshinggggggggg*

I'd found the golden ticket and from there it was history. 

Bop 

after bop 

after bop

after bop 

was released either right before Gee or in the following years:

TVXQ - Mirotic

SHINee - Replay

2PM (with J. Park) - Again and Again

Kara - Mister

Wonder Girls - So Hot

 

I can keep going on because there were so many legendary k-pop tunes released within a years time.  

F*CKIN' INSANE!!!

  

What a time to be alive. 

I was obsessed (still am slightly). Consuming all of the music . . .for free . . . because I was a broke 20 something (RIP ihoneyjoo, nyaa, piratebay, kickass, etc.). I loved almost all of it. If it was Korean, I was listening. It could've been the furthest thing from my taste but I was still listening. EXCEPT for the rap, which I'll explain at a later time. 

Let's all say it together,
Korea.
Boo.


K-pop was so new and different compared to the music I was used to listening to at the time. It wasn't as bubbly as J-Pop, had a very familiar R&B undertone (another 'nother discussion), the lyrics were relatable and fun, and it was a good overall sound. 

Becoming a fan of a k-pop group is a gateway to variety shows and dramas. In the beginning you want to see your favorite member or group as much as possible. Any and all content they were a part of you had to see. Lucky for us, even in the early stages of the k-wave in the U.S., there were loyal fans that made this easier than you think for non-Korean speakers. The forums (much love to soshified.com) were like a little community of fans just like you who craved content, and if they understood the language, subbed the content for FREE. My deep love and appreciation for the Korean language and it's people grew so much at this time. I went from just watching variety shows with my favorite(s) to movies and dramas. I tried my hand at learning Korean, but yeahhhhhhhh . . It became more than just music. I really liked the Korean culture despite the old school Confucian frame of mind some people have with no chance of being open-minded, the racism masked as ignorance, the constant pressure placed on everyone in society and little to no focus on mental health . . But yeah, I was really into this new world.

The early 2010's I soaked up all of the sounds. I mean who could forget . .

Brown Eyed Girls - Abracadabra


Bad Girl/Good Girl - Miss A

 

Teen Top - Clap (Crab mannnnn~~)

B2ST (Highlight for you young'ns) - Fiction


2NE1 - I Am the Best (which should've done more than Psy. He just had a dance)



A stupid. STUPID dance

2012 gave us Gangnam style and PSY, for some reason, put Korea on the map. 

I was not ready for my parents to talk to me about Korean music. My little safe space that no one really knew about or liked if they did know was being intruded upon. It was becoming popula and at this point I could go to free 2NE1 concerts, no one could ever tell me they'd "heard that song before", it was my own special club only a few non-Asians were a part of. Luckily, like the macarena, Psy came and went and k-pop was still mine.

Until.

You know where this is going.

Fast forward. 
Group disbandment. 
Dating scandals. 
Drug scandals.
Sex scandals.
Suicide. 

It was a rough time. 

We're in 2019 and now k-pop is the biggest thing since sliced bread. Everyone wants to do a song with the group who must not be named (BTS . . . this is the only time I'll mention them by name). Every k-pop group is on tour in the U.S.or Europe. Every morning talk show or late night show has a k-pop artist as a guest if they have English speaking members. 

Some of the groups touring haven't even released a mini-album yet. One of the groups was thrown together (I think) specifically to tour in the U.S. (looking at you Super M . . Jopping? Really??). 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 
There are so many groups and instead of making quality music, they go for a quick buck. I can only imagine the amount of groups we don't hear of in the west. And that's what brings me here. Just like hip-hop in the U.S., K-pop is becoming an auto-tune, substance-less space where looks are valued way over content. I'm not sure if any music from the recent years have longevity, but I'm not sad about it. I wouldn't want to share some of the music with my children or children's children.

If you mad it this far, thank you for your patience. You're gonna need that and brass cojones if you check out future posts. I will bring up some VERY unpopular opinions about any and all artists (I know this because I get down-voted everywhere lmaooo). I'm never malicious, I just realize that not many fans can deal with someone saying something they don't like about their favorite artist(s). So, if you can't handle the truth, or my truth, you should click the X now because I am the BIGGEST hater.

I hate members who always messing up choreography.
I hate tone deaf singers who happen to be pretty/handsome.
I hate overly photoshopped pictures (EVERY FANSITE EVER).
And I hate you.
jkjk I don't hate you, yet.

シ

😃