Headlines

• Zerobaseone‘s Gunwook apologized to fans after he was filmed allegedly rigging the results of a fan lottery.

Debuts & Comebacks

• Treasure went monochromatic for the English-language track “If I.”
• TripleS brought back a nostalgic girl-group sound for the full-group release, “Baby Flower.”
• Meovv sampled Bach and gothic aesthetics for the polarizing “Ddi Ro Ri.”
• Shinee‘s “Atmos” was an ode to optimism, according to our reviewer.
• NFlying embraced change for “In Between Seasons.”
• Mamamoo reunited for “4Flowers.”
• Babymonster declared themselves the “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.”

Teasers & Announcements

• Izna will take to the forest for “Metronome,” out on June 8.
• BoyNextDoor plan to go “Viral” on the same day.
• Yerin will embrace summer in “Shooting Star,” set for release on June 9.
• Epex will hit the office for “Echo,” also out on the 9th.
• Riize return with II on June 15.
• StayC will drop their second single album “2:Love” on June 16.
• ONF will get animated for “Open the Door,” out on June 17.
• Secret plan to reunite after over a decade for “Secret Flavor,” though RBW remains tight lipped on which members will participate.
• Omega X plan to Uncap their potential on June 19.
• Hearts2Hearts will carry on SM’s citrus motif for Lemon Tang, scheduled for release on June 22.
• Ateez will put their spin on Mean Girls for “Bad” on June 26.
• Seventeen subunit V8 promise a roster of collabs for their self-titled debut album out June 29.
• I-dle will be back on July 6 with We Made.
• Hybe announced a collab between Katseye, Le Sserafim, and Illit members called Iconic By Mistake.

(YouTube. Images via: High Up Entertainment, SM Entertainment.)

Wheein – “The Symphony of Fxxkboys”

Let’s start with the darkest and desaturated MVs and then move to lighter ones. Few Kpop MVs are as grungy looking as Wheein’s cinematic “The Symphony of Fxxkboys.” The color palette is not only restricted to black and grey with pops of muted blue and yellow, but the MV is full of images like dirty water on a restroom floor. The grime of the visuals fit the all-English pop rock ballad, which focuses on a toxic relationship with a “fuckboy.” The single is Wheein’s first foray into rock, which she sells with her emotive delivery.

The MV expands the song’s scope, not only depicting Wheein’s relationship but also social isolation, bullying, and child neglect in parallel plot lines. The most memorable scenes depict a young girl with no parents present, and her home littered with clothes and discarded snack bags. By the end, she piles potato chips into a shopping cart so high they reach toward the ceiling. The image evokes the accumulation of trauma the character endures. Meanwhile, the second half of the MV depicts a diverse cast of people meeting one another under a bridge, suggesting the universality of trauma and the potential for shared experiences to begin the process of healing. 

Taeyong – “Wyld”

Taeyong also made a solo comeback with “Wyld,” which starts out purely in steely black and white. As implied by the title, the MV focuses on animalistic desires, with visual references to ants, scorpions, and snakes, and most significantly, Taeyong crawling on the floor and letting out guttural “uh” sounds in the post-chorus. After the first verse, red becomes the dominant color, even further suggesting carnal pleasures. In twists on Greek mythology and biblical stories, Taeyong is the one who willingly indulges in sources of temptation, the pomegranate and apple.

The song itself also has a bit of wildness to its structure, moving from growling but laid back rap verses to the sing-talking of “La la la la la” in his lower register. This refrain might feel empty and repetitive on its own, but a melodic second chorus adds to its appeal. The song also builds with an extended bridge, leading to an explosive final chorus (accompanying an equally explosive scene in which Taeyong seems to be reborn into a new body). The “la la la’s” actually return in a satisfying way in that powerful final chorus, making all the disparate song elements pay off. “Wyld” proves that Taeyong has established a distinct sound and identity for himself as a solo artist.

Xlov – “Serve” 

Xlov also continued to cultivate a unique artistic identity in “Serve.” With its chill house beats and breathy vocals, the smooth midtempo song projects elegance, which also comes across in the sumptuous styling. The jewel tones of the wardrobe and production design reinforce the royal concept.

The MV also calls back to the chess board from their debut “I’mma Be.” While the debut MV depicts one of the members as a pawn knocked out by a knight, “Serve” reverses the dynamic. In an early scene, Wumuti advances the knight piece to the end of the board. Later in the MV, Hyun appears with a sword. Actress Han Sohee appears as a scared pawn-like character who runs away from an unseen force into Xlov’s castle. As Xlov embrace her, she begins to gain personal power and even wields a sword like Hyun’s. The MV portrays the possibility for reinvention: as Wumuti narrates in a teaser video for this comeback, “When a pawn reaches the end of the board, it can be reborn as anything it chooses.” 

Xlov’s choice to vogue for the first time in “Serve” feels significant and in line with the MV’s message. Historically, vogue represented expression and empowerment for queer people of color. Xlov’s voguing, along with the MV’s chess metaphor, similarly champions self-confidence and personal agency. These values are integral to a group who consistently push norms in Kpop with their genderless concept.

Cortis – “RedRed”

Cortis made their first comeback with what might be their best song, “RedRed.” The song resembles their previous rage hip-hop tracks like “Fashion” in its heavy autotune and a repetitive hook, but “RedRed” revolves around a particularly infectious electroclash instrumental. The choreography featured in the “conceptual performance film” further adds to the catchiness of the song, with memorable point choreo, smooth formation changes, and precise footwork.

Reflecting its title and the EP title GreenGreen, the palette of “RedRed” mostly sticks to those two complementary colors, with a slightly green tinge making the MV look gritty. The palette matches the song’s lyrics, which label ideas Cortis opposes, such as inauthenticity and conformity, as red, and their values, like freedom and creativity, as green. 

Cortis are also often unapologetically silly, like when they state that “covering your butt” is red. The MV projects a similarly unserious vibe, depicting the members messing around a restaurant, arcade, and other public places. The MV often seems chaotic and deliberately amateurish, with jump cuts, repeated shots, freeze frames, and frenetic camera movements. The overall effect mirrors Cortis’ own appeal: there is a fun, seemingly raw quality to the work, even though it is very intentionally crafted.  

Lee Chaeyeon – “No Tears on the Dance Floor”

In April, Lee Chaeyeon also had a significant comeback, her first after suffering a serious spinal injury and subsequently ending her contract with WM Entertainment. Now signed to a new label Day One Dream, she has returned with “No Tears on the Dance Floor,” which features her lyrics that resonate with all the hardships she has endured. The song centers on perseverance, depicting the dance floor as a refuge from personal pain. 

The MV’s color grading dramatizes the song’s themes, bathing Chaeyeon in either green or blue during the more vulnerable verses, when she is confined in enclosed spaces like a photo booth or a subway platform. In comparison, the chorus scenes illuminate Chaeyeon in bright light, showcasing her in her element on the dance floor. 

The dance pop track effectively highlights her strengths, focusing on her chest voice in a way that shows off her distinct tone. The song also ends with a disco-influenced instrumental outro, which provides the opportunity for Chaeyeon to display her much-lauded dancing. Overall, the song and MV capture both her skills and her story. Warm and emotional, “No Tears on the Dance Floor” is a promising reintroduction for Lee Chaeyeon.

Itzy – “Motto”

Moving from Chaeyeon to the group with her sister Chaeryeong… Itzy’s latest title track “Motto” recalls the upbeat, melodic synthpop popular among 3rd generation Kpop girl groups such as Twice and Iz*one. This kind of nostalgic sound is welcome: it is refreshing to hear a fully developed pop song with bursts of energy in the chorus, particularly the final one after the bridge.

The sound marks a shift away from Itzy’s darker title tracks of late, as does the MV’s pastel, painterly surrealism. However, one can sense influences of their solo work, like the dreamlike candy-colored aesthetic of Yuna’s “Ice Cream” and the bright synths of Yeji’s “Air.” At the same time,”Motto” visually asserts that it is part of Itzy’s lineage. The MV opens with a series of dioramas of miniature sets from Itzy’s past music videos from “Dalla Dalla” to “Sneakers”, and the last one depicts the white castle featured in the rest of “Motto.” 

In the past, Itzy have ended their MVs with a signature crown pose signifying their brand of self-confidence. “Motto” casts aside that move, but instead portrays the construction of a castle with seemingly handcrafted sets. The imagery reflects the lyrics’ sentiments that love and support makes them “fearless” even when feeling “alone and so lost in the dark.” Thus “Motto” feels like an affectionate tribute to fans, who have been the foundation of the group’s confidence all along.

AkMu – “Joy, Sorrow, A Beautiful Heart”

Unlike the other MVs in this Unsung Artists, AkMu’s “Joy, Sorrow, A Beautiful Heart” does not restrict any other colors from the spectrum. However, most of the MV seems to be bathed in morning light, looking soft and earthy. This color palette has a calming effect, which is fitting for the song. Lee Chanhyuk wrote this ballad to help his sister Suhyun heal from a period of depression, which the MV dramatizes, gradually moving from Suhyun’s isolation to connection with community. 

The scenes of AkMu and their friends creating art, frolicking in costumes, and planting a tree in the desert effectively balance warmth and whimsy. Another scene, with the group posing for a photograph, evokes melancholy as Chanhyuk sings over a piano outro. The shifting tones of the MV match the sentiments of the chorus, which Chanhyuk and Suhyun sing in harmony:

Your tears in harmony with your laughter
Nothing in the world is better than this
Cloudy days, sunny days, aching days
Fit them together piece by piece and you’ll see the completed puzzle

The song’s lyrics acknowledge the presence of joy and sorrow in human experience, with both necessary for the “completed puzzle” of life. Even when the MV ends in a cataclysm, the message is still a comforting one. “Joy, Sorrow, A Beautiful Heart” affirms that life is precious because of its cloudy, aching, and even final days.

(YouTube [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Lyrics via Genius [1][2]. Images via JYP Entertainment). 

The future lingers here, some kind of vibe

Rising as if we’re dancing

Like walking barefoot again

Even the sound fades into the haze

Feels like I, could do anything

So goes the first verse of Shinee’s newest title track “Atmos,” (short for atmosphere), and it’s also the MV’s north star. There’s a whisper of a story here and some nice, if not terribly groundbreaking, imagery. But above all, there’s a mood, the literal manifestation of “some kind of vibe.”

Warning: MV contains flashing images.

Technically, “Atmos” is a love song, but romance feels like an afterthought. Instead, the song and its MV are fixated on capturing the exhilaration tinged with terror that comes when standing at the edge of a wonderful possibility. Shinee’s members spend most of the MV solo, going somewhere on endless roads that are sometimes so sunny, you can practically feel the heat radiating off the pavement. Whether bathed in sunlight or icy lamplight on evening streets, everything is in beautiful but harsh extremes.

The song’s lyrics might tell the tale of a promise, mood, and relationship fulfilled, but the MV points to the fragility of the future Shinee can almost taste. Sunglasses, keys, and headphones fall to the pavement, ready to be picked up — or crushed. And even as they sing “we can do anything,” the members’ give performances filled with intensity, nearing panic, that speak of anything but certainty.

Ultimately, “Atmos” is still an ode to optimism and forward-momentum, an especially poignant message coming from a group celebrating their 18^th anniversary. But the track’s MV adds a layer of meaning, creating a mood of equal parts celebration, determination, and hard-won realism. This “Atmos” is precious not in spite of its vulnerability, but because of it.

The MV is not without its missteps. A generic dance set backed by a large blue screen breaks the MV’s carefully curated mood. The final choreography sequence, which takes place on a roof amid blue fireworks, is a huge improvement. There’s also some slightly tacked-on animation that is perfectly lovely, but is in a nearly identical style to a sequence in NCT Wish’s 2024 MV “Steady,” also from SM Entertainment. Taken as a whole though, “Atmos” is a sterling example of how a big collection of small visual motifs can successfully create a vibe — and how sometimes a vibe is more than enough for a compelling viewing experience.

When we talk about the best of K-pop MVs, it’s most often in-reference to innovative effects, immersive storytelling, or mind-boggling imagery. But sometimes, all you really need is a mood.

(YouTube. Lyrics via YouTube. Images via SM Entertainment.)

Headlines

• BTS, Katseye, and Twice all won big at the American Music Awards, with BTS taking home top honors as Artist of the Year.
• Goldmedalist Entertainment released a statement saying the police investigation into YouTube channel Hoverlab regarding Kim Soo-hyun found falsified allegations and evidence raised against the actor. The court has issued an arrest warrant for the channel’s operator, Kim Se-eui.

Debuts & Comebacks

• And2ble were “Curious” in their debut release.
• Alpha Drive One enjoyed a day off despite the weather in the B-side MV for “OMG.”
• Han Sohee teamed up with Xlov to “Serve.”
• The sky was the limit for Idid in “Fly.”
• Onewe longed for a love just out of reach in “Icarus.”
• Aespa were ready to make drama “Lemonade” in their latest.
• H//pe Princess debuted with “One Day.”
• Cortis dropped the B-side MV for “Blue Lips.”

Teasers & Announcements

• Treasure will return in monochrome for “If I,” out on June 1.
• All 24 members of TripleS will come together for “Baby Flower” on the same day.
• Fifty Fifty will get things popping with “Like A Bubble,” also on the 1st.
• Meovv will kick off the month with the gothic-themed “Ddi Ro Ri” on June 1.
• Rounding out the June 1 returns will be Shinee with “Atmos.”
• Mamamoo will drop the special single “4ward” on June 4.
• Izna‘s Set the Tempo will be lead by the track “Metronome,” out on June 8.
• BoyNextDoor‘s first LP Home is set for release on June 8.
• Also on the 8th, Babymonster will serve up some “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.”
• Yerin‘s fourth mini album, Reach You, is scheduled for release on June 9.
• On the same day, Epex will release the mini Youth: Epilogue.
• Riize will return on June 15 with II.
• ONF will make a fresh start on June 17 with the EP ONF: My Self.
• Omega X will return to the scene with Uncapped on June 19.
• Ateez‘s Golden Hour: Part 5 will be out June 26.
• Seventeen will debut V8, a new unit consisting of members Vernon and The8, on June 29.

Other News

• Hybe launched a new subsidiary, ABD, and began teasing its upcoming girl group.

(YouTube, Naver: [1] [2], The Korea Herald. Images via: SM Entertainment, Attrakt.)

Working in a newsroom, climate change isn’t the only upsetting topic to cross my desk on the daily. Most days, it really does feel like the world is burning regardless of the thermostat. So, this playlist is inspired a little bit by the heat, a little bit from the state of the world, and a lot by the fact that K-pop has a ridiculous number of songs about fire.

The theme may be a little on the nose, but there’s a lot of material to work with. Whether it’s burning anger, the spark of something new, or celebratory fireworks, hopefully this playlist can energize you — even if sometimes it feels like the world is burning.

The white t-shirt is an understated style staple. Pair one with jeans for a casual yet classic combo or elevate with accessories to create a chic statement. Our favourite idols and actors showcase a variety of twists on the original, from crisp shirts to cropped corset tops, yet every look remains effortlessly simple. While Hyungwon and Shownu of Monsta X pair slouchy graphic t-shirts with ripped blue jeans, actor Byeon Woo-seok wears his with a sleek silver watch and some chunky rings from Bulgari. As Park Ji-hoon dons a flowy shirt, Le Sserafim’s Chaewon and Ryujin of Itzy stay comfy in cute crop tops and baggy trousers. A special mention must go to BTS’ Jungkook and his sequinned all-white ensemble. Flick through these photos to find your favourite.

(Images via Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Singles, BVLGARI, JYP Entertainment, HYBE, Starship Entertainment)

Debuts & Comebacks

• Itzy switched up their sound and concept with “Motto.”
• Taeyang made a comeback with the synthpop track “Live Fast Die Slow.”
• NCT’s Taeyong returned with his first post-military comeback, “Wyld.”
• Xikers alluded to iconic horror movies in “Okay.”
• I.O.I reunited after nine years with “Suddenly.”
• Bibi dropped an MV for “Bumba,” a song she frequently performed live prior to this official release.
• Sanha made a solo comeback with “IDK Me.”
• Shownu x Hyungwon wondered “Do You Love Me?” In their latest comeback.
• Jay Park and Lngshot released multiple MVs, “Yeah! Yeah!” and “Moya.”
• Le Sserafim sampled “Macarena” in their latest single “Boompala.”
  • Chaewon will miss comeback promotions to recover from neck injury.

Teasers & Announcements

• And2ble will debut with Sequence 01: Curiosity on May 26.
• Alpha Drive One teased the MV for “OMG!”, also out on May 26.
• Xlov lived up to the name “Serve,” the title track from their May 27 comeback I, God.
• Idid will also drop the single album Fly on the same day.
• Aespa will make it Lemonade with their second full album, out on May 29.
• Treasure will return with New Wav on June 1.
• Fifty Fifty will also come back with Imperfect-I’mperfect on June 1.
• Meovv teased a mysterious feline concept with Bite Now, also out on June 1.
• Shinee dropped concept photos for their June 1 comeback Atmos.
• Mamamoo will make their long-awaited return on June 4 with 4Ward.
• Izna will Set the Tempo with their latest release, out on June 8.
• BoyNextDoor will also drop their first full album Home that day.
• Epex will make a comeback with Youth: Epilogue on June 9.
• Riize’s second EP II will come out on June 15.
• ONF will drop their second full album ONF: My Self on June 17.
• Ateez announced that another installment of their latest album series, Golden Hour Part 5, is scheduled for a June 26 release.

Other News

• Allday Project’s Annie graduated from Columbia University.
• CLC’s Kwon Eunbin departed from Cube Entertainment and will reportedly retire from the entertainment industry.
• Hyunjin has left Latency due to health issues.

(YouTube.. Weverse. Chosun: [1][2][3]. Images via WM Entertainment, Wake One Entertainment).

At the start of 2026, social media blew up with users becoming nostalgic over the year 2016 with people sharing photos and videos on their accounts.  I even hopped on the bandwagon via Instagram.  Of all the photos I picked for my post, the one that made me go, “Wow, it’s been ten years already?” was the screenshot of the album, She Is by Jonghyun of Shinee.

In 2019, a fellow Shawol, who I knew through Instagram, wanted to create a zine about Jonghyun’s work.  I was asked to write an essay for any one of his albums or songs of my choice.  I chose She Is.  Unfortunately, the zine project didn’t prevail, and I lost touch with my friend.  But with the ten-year anniversary of She Is approaching, I opened the essay and re-read it.  Proud of my original work, I decided to revise it and bring it back to life.

So, why did I choose She Is?  Honestly, it’s my favorite album of all time – not just as a Shawol, but as a music fan.

She Is is Jonghyun’s first LP, released on May 24, 2016.  Prior to this, Jonghyun released his first EP, Base, and the compilation album, The Collection: Story Op. 1.  She Is consists of nine songs infused with a remarkable mix of R&B, neo-soul, EDM, hip-hop, neo-jazz, and dance.  Jonghyun wrote the lyrics for all nine songs and composed eight of them.  Like Base and his 2018 posthumous magnum opus, Poet Artist, Jonghyun produced the album, a rare practice for idols at the time.

She Is is a concept album about a young man who falls in love with a woman.  Each song talks about different aspects of their escalating romance, from the first meeting to – spoiler alert – their wedding night.

I imagined a character and that this character was singing these nine songs from the start.  Of course, this character might reflect some part of myself:  He is an amusing, attractive young man who is sometimes up to mischief which I’ve created in my mind during the album production. And since producing the album was a process of acting out this character, it has a completely different direction compared to The Collection.

“Standing Alone, Kim Jonghyun Is Unlike Any Other K-pop Idol,” Taylor Glasby in i-d

The storyline is what is intriguing!  While listening to She Is, listeners don’t hear just an album.  Instead, we are transferred to the motherland, in the streets of Seoul, where the story starts in the daytime.  He sees the woman going about her day, in her Rolling Stones t-shirt, and is immediately enamored by her.  Then night comes, and we follow this man and woman into Seoul’s bustling nightlife – jazz bars, clubs, hotel rooms, even the car.  It’s like a gripping novel that is difficult to put down or watching a movie you don’t want to end.  Most importantly, you care about these two, and you root for them.

Listeners don’t know much about his dream woman.  The songs suggest she comes off as aloof, but she seems to know how to play the same mildang (“push and pull”) game that Jonghyun’s character is playing.  I get the impression that she likes him, too, but she’s either too shy or too proud to admit it.  Another clue about her is that she’s the object of every man’s desire according to the songs, “Cocktail” and “Orbit”.  “There’s so many around” her and “they fight for their lives” to be with her.  But fortunately, Jonghyun’s character has nothing to worry about, because she only fancies him.

Then there is the cotton candy pink haired character that Jonghyun embodies.  What’s his name?  What’s his story before meeting this woman?  He is peculiar yet charming, and Jonghyun brings him to life beautifully.  The mischievous personality of this character in the songs is clear.  There’s a fresh innocence to him, but also, a sensual magnetism that makes him as irresistible as her.

Like many male idols, Jonghyun’s style defies traditional masculinity, but with a twist.  The concept of the album is reminiscent of kitsch.  Take the video for “She Is.” Jonghyun’s character is at his construction site job.  Standing on line at his booth are his dancers holding various items that need to be repaired.  When the day is over, he meticulously walks over to his tiny home a few feet away from his workstation.  He changes clothes and starts throwing plastic bags in a bin.  All the while, there are closeup images of arbitrary props and a dance number with his dancers.

The nod to kitsch is also present in the album packaging.  Jonghyun is photographed, posing with a heap of blue hardcover books, pink toy cars, jars of peanut butter, and a Kermit the Frog plush.  It is also worth mentioning that in his appearance in The Celebrity magazine from July 2016, the pictorial spread pays homage to Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, two very famous artists from the 1960’s pop art scene.  When he was being interviewed in The Celebrity, Jonghyun acknowledged the pop art elements.

Generally, in the word “pop”, there’s a nuance that “something that can be most widely propagated”, something that many people can watch and enjoy.  This is in touch with the pop art and world that Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein created.  The movie doesn’t relate to this meaning, but my kind of “pop” that I want to express as art is an action that involves making something that isn’t so necessary in living, so it’s not practical.  So, I think the “pop” that I want to express is one of lifestyles that relaxed humans can have.  It’s not something that’s necessary but can still be enjoyed.

The Celebrity, translated by fyjjong

She Is, though, isn’t just an album with typical boy-meets-girl love songs.  Surprisingly, She Is is a premeditated erotic tour de force.  At first glance, you wouldn’t think of it as such.  Like pop art and kitsch, there’s more than meets the eye.  Jonghyun, himself, confirmed this in an interview in the June 2016 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

I wanted to create a sexual album.  An album that had an overall sexy nuance not only with the title song and something that would inspire imagination rather than something blindly provocative.

Harper’s Bazaar Korea, translated by fyjjong

While watching Jonghyun perform “She Is” and “White T-Shirt” on music shows, he is flirtatious and cute, dressed in bright, stylish clothes with his dancers.  However, those are the performances you’ll see on mainstream South Korean television.

Later in 2016, Jonghyun had his Inspiration X concert in Seoul and Busan, where he performed songs from his first Base, Story Op.1, She Is, and his experimental track, “Inspiration”.  The performances for the songs, “Cocktail”, “Red”, “Moon”, and a few other songs left little to the imagination with choreography and settings that were unapologetically and consistently suggestive.

The VCRs from the show also showcase a more mature side to Jonghyun.  “Suit Up” takes place in a hotel suite and the woman of his dreams slowly undresses him.  While the darker yet sensual “Aurora” shows Jonghyun serenading a curious woman watching him at a jazz club late in the evening while sipping a cocktail.  Jonghyun said during a live video on VLive, while talking about his “Inspiration X” concert, that his show was meant to be for an audience ages 15 and older.

Although sexuality was present in K-pop back then, it was often coded and less authored by the idol(s) themselves.  Most choreography tries to be sexy within the system.  What Jonghyun, fellow member, Taemin, and the rest of Shinee have done is use sexuality against the system to create tension between them and the fans.  Prior to She Is, Jonghyun wasn’t afraid to be provocative during performances (i.e. the infamous cover of Seo Taiji’s “Internet War” with Taemin) or in his lyrics (“Hallelujah”, “Chocolate”, “Odd Eye”), whether they were for SHINee or somebody else (“Playboy” by Exo).  Instead of being downright explicit, he relies on metaphors and symbolism.

However, the album is genuinely romantic:  the way he sings about her beauty in “She Is”, her style and silhouette that provokes his imagination in the songs “White T-Shirt” and “Dress Up.”  All he asks in return from her is to be honest with her feelings and to love him.  So, yes, this guy is the sly little scamp that Jonghyun claimed he is, but he’s in love.  He leaves the fate of their relationship to her without pushing, begging, or trying to impress her with anything superficial.  The way he seduces her is he sweeps her away in a lucid dream in the song, “Moon”.  In it, he tells her to reject her inhibitions; so that she can explore her fantasies, and creates a safe place for her to tell them to him.  

Sex in contemporary pop music has become so arbitrarily standard that it feels boring unlike the way Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Prince did before him with thoughtfulness, ingenuity, and articulation.  Jonghyun does this exceptionally well without even trying to be sexy.  It just is.

She Is is a timeless piece of art that still retains the same joy as it gave on the first listen.  It shows Jonghyun’s poignant transformation as a singer, songwriter, and man since his 2008 debut.  Kim Jonghyun was more than an idol.  He was a gifted and brilliant artist who dared to break the SM Entertainment and K-pop mold.  Ten years later, She Is still feels like a moment in Seoul you don’t want to end – playful in the daytime, intimate at night, and still lingering long after the music fades.

Cristina Cho is a writer and playwright born in Gunsan, South Korea, and raised in New Jersey. During the pandemic, she put on her first play, Pink Leather, over Zoom. She is currently working on a novel and a short story. You can follow Cristina on Instagram @cristinacho.

(YouTube: [1] [2] [3]. i-d, Fyjjong: [1] [2] [3]. Images via SM Entertainment.)

ZeroBaseOne faced the challenge of reestablishing themselves after their contract from the survival show Boys Planet ended, and the four members signed to YH Entertainment returned the company to re-debut as And2ble. “Top 5” is the first comeback featuring the current ZeroBaseOne lineup of Hanbin, Jiwoong, Matthew, Taerae, and Gunwook. Thankfully, beyond its title, the song does not allude to the split of the original nine-member formation. Instead, it is a callback to 2000s R&B that claims a different, more mature sound from past ZeroBaseOne title tracks, making a strong impact as a re-debut.

Prior to this comeback, ZeroBaseOne have often released bright, upbeat synthpop title tracks, interspersed with some noisier, high-energy songs and softer, emotional ballads. In contrast to their more maximalist sound, “Top 5” leans into understated contemporary R&B and strips back the instrumentation. The members whisper about their “top five” favorite things about a lover: “Your lips, your style, your kiss, your smile, and number one, how you make me feel like.” Accompanying the more mature subject matter of the song, the MV aims for a sleek, monochromatic aesthetic, with the group wearing well-tailored, mostly black outfits with peeks of skin.

Each member has time to showcase his talents in “Top 5.” Hanbin starts the song with the raspy spoken hook. Jiwoong’s brighter, more nasal tone adds texture to the song. Matthew contributes rhythmic melodic rap, while Gunwook’s lower register provides more edge with his rap. Taerae’s vocals soar in the post-chorus and ad-libs at the end of the song. “Top 5” is not the most melodically dynamic track, repeating its hook throughout each section of the song, but each member’s unique tone and style of line delivery becomes apparent through that repetition.

The “Top 5” MV feels like a classic boy group video, with many elements that feel nostalgically familiar: silhouettes against a white background, dance sequences in water, shafts of light illuminating through holes in the wall. The wardrobe and sets recall 2nd generation groups like TVXQ, but despite the 2000s references, the clean lines of the production design make it feel contemporary. Essentially, the MV’s familiar elements make it immediately accessible, while still establishing a visual style of its own.

The expertly executed camera work and editing in particular make the MV engaging. At times the camera lies overhead or at a low angle, pushing in slowly. These manage to create visual interest without calling too much attention to themselves, because they coordinate with the choreography. Most of the cuts maintain continuity with the previous shots, usually matching the movements of the member in the center. As a result, despite changes in set, wardrobe, or camera angle, the viewer is locked in on the members.

To focus on the members, the MV directors were smart to forgo a storyline, busy composition, bright colors, or any other potentially distracting features. The streamlined visual approach is effective for what this MV sets out to do: highlight the members’ vocals, performance, and charisma. 

A good rebrand should emphasize the members’ talents while forging a new musical or conceptual direction, and “Top 5” thoughtfully accomplishes all of that. While many fans may continue to mourn the split of the original lineup, “Top 5” suggests that there is much to look forward to in the new ZeroBaseOne’s future. 

(YouTube. Lyrics via Genius. Images via Wake One Entertainment).

Perhaps because spring has been a rare experience, it has been the least likely season to inspire music choices. So, I’m seizing on this rare Minnesota gift and letting spring lead the playlist. For me, spring means new beginnings and all the whimsy, uncertainty, and anticipation that comes with that. These songs, to me, all evoke a certain budding anticipation: a sprout that has peaked its head out of the dirt, but not yet reached its final form or revealed its full colors.