Because Empty Fame Is Evil. That's Why.

Apparently, I'm in a semi-nostalgic mood (aside from being a fan of everyone I've been posting abt.) Cuz here I am talking abt NMiXX who I last wrote abt last year.

Anyways, back in March, NMIXX dropped Fe304: Forward, the third EP of the Fe304 trilogy. I know there's some lore that builds and connects all three albums, but I legit have zero idea of what it all it.

The ONLY thing I know is that "Know About Me", the title track was FIRE!

Trigger Warning: This is a visual f/x heavy MV that might make give some folks motion sickness (the camera moves every which way.)

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The Dance Practices

This one has a moving camera that left me feeling slightly queasy cuz of all the panning, zooming in/out, and close-ups. BUT it's a good way to show that the members are PERFORMING (since they're singing live.)

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Here's another one that has a steady focus and is filmed from afar. Out of the two practices, this is my fave cuz it allows the viewer to appreciate the entire choreo.

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This other song is from the album, but wasn't a pre-release? Unfortch, there's no actual MV, but it's my fave out of all the tracks. Hence its inclusion. Love, love, the piano and beat combo.

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I've also wrote abt STAYC two years ago. They're one of those groups I always keep an eye on cuz I do enjoy their music (for the most part. All these years later and "Beautiful Monster" remains a strage (for them) miss, IMO.)

Anyways, they've come back with a marked new approach. "Bebe" is a song that's v. deep in the dance/club music genre. This time, STAYC is blunter as a group but not to the point of offending their audience. The main point of the song is to let everyone know that they ARE adults now (all of the members are in their early 20s). And, in a way, the music and MV definitely reflect that.

Which isn't to say that they're doing a full girl crush thing now. They're not fully ignoring the bubbliness of the teen fresh concept that catapulted them to (mild) fame. It's more of a (successful, imo) attempt at helping their fans get that they need to evolve past that concept. There's a cohesiveness in terms of lyrics and visuals that makes that point v. clear.

Trigger warning: Lots of visual f/x, particularly in terms of the camera movement.

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And a dance practice!

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A super cool yet all too short performance of Le Sserafim doing 3 of their hit songs alongside Beatapella.

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Thank the Universe for the option to be a Cubic cuz I don't exactly fully vibe with Seventeen's music. It's good stuff, but it's not often that I get that WHOOSH of feelings from a song that gets to my core, you know?

THAT SAID, when I like one of their songs, then I REALLY, REALLY LIKE IT, hahaha.

Trigger warning: EXTREME visual f/x including: fast edits, animation that flashes, etc; the camera MOVES around a ton as well: tilts up and down, moves sideways and upside down, many instances of shaky-cam, etc. In short, the MV is a lot but then, it's meant to.

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What an amazing pairing of well-executed MV and hype-up song! It was this song what made me realize that I do tend to like SVT's more-EDM songs than their more regular fare? Sadly, for me, EDM songs in Kpop are considered quite old skool (this song, frex, is from 5 yrs ago.) I tend to be kinda hot-and-cold abt braggy type of songs, but SVT manages to handle lyrics abt how great they are with a v. kinetic song AND amazing choreo.

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Which is why I'm also showing the choreo on its own. :P

I'm still O___o at seeing the synchronicity these THIRTEEN DUDES have from beginning to end.



Trigger warning: lots of flashing background screens, some flashing lights, and the crowd is screaming (happily).

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SVT's Hip-Hop Unit is one I'm still getting acquainted with. FTR, I've liked most of their songs, but in a much more casual way than not. Having said that, "Water" (from this year's album) is a delicious track. Here they are performing it back in October of this year. Love their attitude from beginning to end.



I can't embed this performance of I Don't Understand But I Luv U, but I couldn't sidestep THE Performance Unit song that made me 😍 abt them. This is perfection. Especially in how it highlights why the PFU is my fave unit in SVT. Also the song is KILLA. Trigger warnings: Flashing lights AND a LOT of fans screaming. This is fancam so the screaming might be louder than in other videos here.


Trigger warnings: Flashing lights, scenes featuring lighting. The camera moves a ton but in a smoother way than expected.

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I had never listened to a song featuring the amapiano genre, so I was super caught by surprise the first time I listened to this wonderful song. On its own, the rhythm and PFU's voices are extremely soothing. It's the perfect song to listen to when you need a moment to just chill out.

But the MV? Wow! It's dreamy and sensual and comforting too. A real treat to the eyes.

Yup, I'm back to my Kpop vibessssss, hehehe.

This time, I'm posting 5 Kpop songs from a variety of artists that I might or might not be a fan of. All of the songs dropped this year.

General trigger warning for EVERY MV: Lots of visual f/x in each video including things such as flashes, animation, distortion, morphing. Also intense camera work that includes zooming in/out, shaky-cam visuals, tilting, fast edits/cuts.

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IIRC, I heard this song before I ever watched the MV. Sometimes Spotify will sneak in new-to-me music and artsits, IDK. Anyways, this was a v. refreshing song. Not much to say abt the MV itself.

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I've been keeping an eye on this group since their song "Alarm". LOVED this melody and the way it kinda looped into itself. That said, although I get the idea behind the MV, I'm a bit on the fence abt it. OTOH, it's a cheeky interpretation of the song. OTOH, I kinda wish it'd gone a bit more epic? #Unsure.

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Chuu continues to be adorably sweet. The song's half-hidden meaning in between all of the cuteness and vibrant beat ("self-doubt is not worth it") adds a layer of texture to the entire tune. Loved the MV! I also liked how it tied to her "Howl" MV too. Now that Chuu is with her friends, she's ready to kick butt and bring joy to the masses.

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As much as I'm RARIN' to see Mamamoo drop new music as an OT4, I can't deny that both Moonbyul and Solar's individually AND together continue to build up a v. impressive discography. "Colors" is the kind of song meant to make you SHIMMY while also celebrating the queer community. Extra-extra kudos to Solar for having members of the House of Love dance with her in the MV and during live performances as well. <3_____;

For additional info, here's Gravity Jacobs (a member of the House of Marc Jacobs)--a member of the ballroom scene for almost a decade. They're also a ballroom teacher. I love the deconstruction they do abt the dancers and how all of that works with the song itself. Good stuff.

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LISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEN, no one is more surprised than me for including a song by Lisa that features Rosalia (out of all ppl.)

NO disrespect to Blackpink. However, their music is not for me. So I'd mostly ignored all of their solo music this year until a close friend (whose younger sister is a Blink) suggested this song to me. Maybe the planets had aligned or something cuz I did watched all of this year's solo BP tracks and, well, "New Woman" was the only one that I clicked with. Which, hey, it's better than none, right?

Anyways, loved the melody from beginning to end. I also found Lisa's song-rap to work really well with the vibe. What's more shocking (again, to me) is that I thought Rosalia (someone who I do dislike for a variety of reasons)'s feature was perfect! IDEK, sometimes it's like that! I'm quite amused that this is one song I can totally understand since it's in both English and Spanish (languages I'm fluent in). IDK, I was charmed by that.

The MV is v. dynamic and original in some ways. Quite male gaze-y in others (ugh). I also do wish there had been more body size variety. But, yeah, overall, this is a fantastic song and one that could become your next earworm. 😛

Out of all of SHINee's members, Onew is the one whose solo works have been my faves. Like, I was v. much on the fence abt his previous mini (Circle), but it eventually won me over, heheh. (For any Shawol out there, Key's my second fave w/r/t to his solo stuff (although both Good and Great + The Pleasure Shop have been misses. :((((.) After him, it's between Taemin and the Eternal Member in 3rd place. Unfortch for me, Minho's solo music hasn't been my cuppa (except for "Heartbreak").)

ANYWAYS, after a long hiatus due to health issues, Onew returned looking foxier, mellower. He dropped Flow back in early September. Aside from getting his health back, Onew's current approach to his career has been v. interesting. He signed with a new agency for all of his solo work (though he remains with SME for group stuff) AND he chose to not attend music shows to promote the title track and album. Instead, he's done some choice appearances at v. specific web series as well as live performances at festivals. NGL, it's been a total delight to see him back AND resetting his boundaries.

"Beat drum" is the lead single and wow, TALK ABT A COMEBACK SONG! From the bouncy melody, to his sweet voice and... ONEW RAPPING? YES, CHILD, HE'S RAPPING IN THIS SONG! It's a perfect tune to start the day with, NGL.

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Simple yet so effective.

Behold the dance practice:

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A performance MV so you can appreciate the dancing:

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And, finally, here he is singing alongside a live band:

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Hope y'all pardon the clickbait-y title, but FTR, it's 100% correct. All three are pretending to be something they're not...for a web series by Pixid.

The gist of each episode is that there are 5-6 ppl who can only communicate via text. One of them is an impostor (who is always either a KPop idol or celebrity.)

Mamamoo's Hwasa goes rogue almost from the start. I don't think she even tries to pretend to be a rookie and is mostly there to cause chaos, hehehe. This thumbnail is 300% accurate.

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aespa's Karina tries to pretend to have an older brother (instead of sister like she does IRL.) It's a v. cute episode, NGL. It's also a pretty interesting of some of the aspects of familial culture vis a vis sibling dynamics in SK. FTR, I'm sure not all brothers and sisters behave or think the way that the women with older brothers do in this episode, but it's food for thought all the same?

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IU, who has been working for around 17 years, attempts to pass as someone who has just joined the work force. I loved her candidness and the moment when everyone else realized she'd been one of the ppl playing along, hahah.

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All right, so. These two episodes are my faves. I've watched them several times cuz they're LOLARIOUS and sweet.

Before I dive into why I like them so much, I do have to add a SRS BIZNESS trigger warning: both episodes (but especially the second one) have a ton of convos around food. Including idols' diets, comparisons between all three idols abt what they like/don't like to eat, and some points regarding body size & body shape (this is v. minor, but I felt it necessary to mention it). So, consider this a general heads up if any of those things are potential triggers for y'all. <3


Eunchae making new friends for realsies!

Episode 8 first aired in late May 2023, back during aespa's promotion for "Spicy". Although they'd met each other in passing, this was the actual real introduction between Eunchae and aespa's Karina and Ningning. IIRC, I had originally skipped it because I wasn't interested in aespa at the time. BUT I did watched it around late November (when I got sucked into aespa via "Drama") and sort of SMH at myself for missing out on one of the most charming (and funny!) episodes in the Eunchae's Star Diary series.

I truly don't know much abt aespa as a group (meaning their dynamics, who's an introvert and who isn't, etc.) and, in a way, I had this idea of the group's overall presentation as "aloof idols"? Which, as seen in this episode, couldn't be further of the truth! Karina and Ninging are HUGE DORKS and GOOFY AF.

One of the things that make this such a watchable episode is that there's an actual connection happening onscreen. Yes, even with the editing (IIRC, filming each episode takes abt 40 mins to an hour?), it's v., v. clear that Eunchae, Karina, and Ningning are becoming friends.

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This next episode is a special one. It aired approx 4 months after ep.8 and had Eunchae, Karina, and Ningning fulfilling their promise to go have some samgyeopsal at a restaurant. In between all of the noms, the three of them catch up, play games, and being super entertaining to watch.

What I really loved abt these two episodes (and all of the Eunchae x girl groups eps--including several I didn't include due to schedule limitations) is how clearly they dispel antis and solos' warped ideas that idols hate each other. Although it's true that some folks are friendlier with each other than others, it's also true that the Kpop idol world is V.,V. SMALL and everyone knows/interacts with/is (potentially) friends (if not something more) with each other.

I also really like seeing how close Le Sserafim and aespa have become over the past year. They've appeared in each other behind-the-scenes content (in their respective YT channels), tend to stick together whenever they're at award shows, etc. In short, they're legit friends (at least by all social metrics I can think of) and that's an awesome thing to see.

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There hasn't been any new aespa appearances as of yet (though I'm somewhat expecting one? IDK) in current eps of Eunchae's show. #I'll Continue To Wait Tho 😅

At this time, aespa's wrapping up promo of "Supernova", their first pre-release for their upcoming album. It's been v. well-received. I like enough to say that it will probably crack the 2023 top 10 for me.

Trigger Warnings: A TON of visual f/x, dynamic camerawork, and fast edits.

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I'm forever grateful to Bookish Theory for explaining everything that's happening in the MV.

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AFAIK, there hasn't been any official dance practice for this song. The only thing I could find was this almost 8-minute long video that shows them learning the dance steps for the MV.

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...which is a super great segueway to my two fave performances of the song.

Let me go and throw in additional trigger warnings: both of these have V. INTENSE background graphics. The camera NEVER STOPS MOVING including doing panning, zooming in and out, shaking, etc. Even though I love that both shows matched the energy of the song itself, it can be disorienting and/or leave you feeling dizzy.

MOVING ON.

There was NO WAY I WASN'T GOING TO BE * ______ * abt this MCountdown performance given all the neon pastels & silver all over the place. Combined with their MV fits that are v. reminiscent of the puffy skirts from the mid-80s, my brain was squeeing at the Jem! parallels.

My fave moment happens between 2:15 and 2:20.

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Okay so, apparently, Inkigayo decided to take everything up to 20 cuz the performance is even MOAR energetic. This time around, the stage is bathed in mostly pink and orange hues. The members are wearing another set of MV fits including Karina as a kind of space vampire (with fangs and all.)

Not only is the camerawork, well, wilder but even the crowd is louder too. I love it.

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First airing late November 2023, Episode 27 of Eunchae's Star Diary was a treat two times over. It begins with the staff celebrating Eunchae's 17th birthday in a way that's too cute. Then, she has a chit-chat with two Red Velvet members: Seulgi and Yeri.

One thing that raised the watchability factor for this episode was seeing how Eunchae connected to both members individually. In Seulgi's case, it was an affinity of personalities (both are homebodies who like to spend some time alone.) I'd throw in that they're both superb dancers too, heheh.

Meanwhile, Yeri is Red Velvet's maknae. So there are shared experiences w/r/t how they're meant to be the 'cute ones' (including wearing pigtails). There's a moment in which Yeri mentions to Eunchae how she (Eunchae) has to enjoy the present because it's so fleeting. Eunchae pouts a little (cuz, for all intents and purposes, she's still a 17 y.o.), but I got the sense that she took that comment to heart in a way.

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Fast forward to Episode 37 March of this year. Eunchae's guest is none other than Red Velvet's Wendy!

Here's where I have to admit that I don't know much abt RV's members (as in their personalities, dynamics, etc), so I was SHOCKED to learn that Wendy's a chatterbox! She's game with whatever topic Eunchae brings up, adds her own commentary, is somewhat goofy, always sweet, and funny. Like Eunchae, the entire episode seemed to have flown by.

Even though this might be one my fave episodes, I do have to add a heavy trigger warning because some parts of it include talk of idol diets, exercise, body image, and the perfectionism that fuels all three things. I can imagine those scenes being upset to some who deal with ED and the like so, you know, thread carefully. <3

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Wendy was promoting her latest single ("I wish you hell"). Personally, I thought it was all right?

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Behold the first of several (!!!) surprise friendships that get spotlight in Eunchae's Star Diary! It turns out that Kep1er's Huening Bahiyyih and Eunchae are friends from way back?!

This aired back when Kep1er was promoting "Giddy Up". It's a pretty good look at how idols from different groups and companies interact--something I want to see MORE of. As Eunchae's unnie by 2 yrs, Bahiyyih dotes on Eunchae at the same time she snarks at her. They go over how they first met, a little of what life was like during their respective pre-debut eras, and how things have been since they've debuted. There's a true simpatico between them and I loved watching every moment of it. I do have to admit that I don't know much abt her. Well, aside from being in Kep1er and also the fact that she is TXT's Huening Kai's younger sister. IDK.

Again, what I like the most abt this episode (aside from seeing different groups interacting) is the easy going vibes between Eunchae and Bahyyih.

Please note that, as it happens in pretty much every episode I'll be posting abt, there are some moments that touch on idol diets as well as discussions abt food. They're also eating for a large part of the episode.

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Bahiyyih and the rest of Kep1er have returned with a Japanese song called "Straight Line". It's an upgrade in many ways. I hope that the group (now that they're down to 7 members) will continue releasing good stuff like this

Trigger Warnings: Lots of flashing lights, fast cuts and edits.

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