Katherine Does K-POP

Knee Jerk Reaction: “ASAP” by STAYC

STAYC are promising rookies who debuted late last year, and they seem to have a pretty strong following despite being less than six months old. (The music video for “ASAP” has racked up over 13 million views in under a week!) I don’t actually know much about them except that they’re produced by Black Eyed Pilseung, who has created some of my favorite girl group songs over the years. I liked their debut single “So Bad,” but I truthfully didn’t listen to it a lot. While it’s a great song, it was a case of bad timing – I was already over the synthpop 80’s throwback trend when it came out. So since I didn’t spend much time on STAYC’s debut, I was looking forward to seeing what they would do for their first ever comeback.

Katherine’s K-Pop Recap: April 5 – 11, 2021

A summary of the news, current and upcoming comebacks, charts and music show wins, and more!

Knee Jerk Reaction: “ONE” by ASTRO

ASTRO is yet another group that I feel is doing well but deserves so much more. While they have a certain level of notoriety and success – and some truly fantastic songs – they haven’t had that “breakout hit” that would make them undisputedly top tier. I thought it would happen with “All Night” a couple of years ago, but that was sadly not the case. I’ve mentioned before that my students are often a good indicator of which K-pop groups are hot right now, so I asked them about ASTRO: a few kids had heard of them, but most only knew Cha Eunwoo. Which I guess makes sense because the guy is everywhere right now (I’ve literally seen his face on the side on a bus here), but it’s still kind of a bummer. So I’m really hoping “ONE” will help ASTRO get more recognition, because it’s another excellent song to add to their already stellar discography.

Knee Jerk Reaction: “Like Water” by Wendy

We Red Velvet fans have been waiting for Wendy’s solo debut for a long time, and it’s finally here! It’s an extra special moment for her, since this effectively serves as her definitive return to the music industry after her terrible accident at the end of 2019. (While she did a few activities and recorded several songs over the past year, this is most certainly her biggest project post-recovery.) I’m a huge Red Velvet fan and have been following all of them closely for years, so I knew that I’d be a mess while watching this particular music video. And yet I was still somehow unprepared for such an emotional experience.

Katherine’s K-Pop Recap: March 29 – April 4, 2021

A summary of the news, current and upcoming comebacks, charts and music show wins, and more!

Favorites of 2021: March

As usual, March is the time of year when things start to pick up in K-pop and more groups and artists start making their comebacks. While I did have several favorites for both January and February, there was a major difference in the time I spent on my #1 song versus the others. This month, my interests were *slightly* more spread across the board.

Knee Jerk Reaction: “Unnatural” by Cosmic Girls

Cosmic Girls is pretty high up on my list of K-pop groups that I think need more attention. They’re doing pretty well for themselves, and their names are fairly known within the industry… but after five years of activity, I don’t think they’ve gotten the recognition that they deserve. They’ve never had that one hit that would put them on the same level as other famous girl groups that debuted around the same time. And it’s a shame, because their music is SO GOOD! I’ll say it before and I’ll say it again: “Butterfly” had all the makings of a classic girl group song, and it should have launched them to stardom. (Well technically, that should have happened years ago… but you know what I mean.) Anyway, I’m always excited for a Cosmic Girls comeback, so I was eagerly anticipating “Unnatural.”

Knee Jerk Reaction: “Bambi” by Baekhyun

It’s a bittersweet time for EXO fans all over the world: Baekhyun has made an amazing comeback, but his military mandatory service isn’t too far off. (Fellow member Chanyeol also enlisted this week, making things extra emotional.) Thankfully, Bambi is a fantastic mini-album full of gems that serves as a beautiful send-off. Baekhyun can pull off a lot of different musical styles and images – both as a member of EXO/SuperM and as a soloist – but the sultry and mature sound of “Bambi” is perfect timing for a man ending his twenties and approaching a new stage of his life.

Katherine’s K-Pop Recap: March 22 – 28, 2021

A summary of the news, current and upcoming comebacks, charts and music show wins, and more!

Busted S2E9 Recap: The Five Flower Killers

In this episode: After hearing about the mysterious and sinister Flower Killer all season, the team finally gets the opportunity to learn more about him and his history. However, a surprising death adds a whole new layer of complications.