#additional discography

[bandhyukoh]

RM - ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’ HYUKOH's album credits

Oh Hyuk, producing - Come back to me Inwoo, drums - Come back to me, Nuts & Domodachi Hyunjae, guitar - LOST!

[misunhye]

DREAM( )SCAPE

HIGHLIGHTS

when she first heard the demo, she didn’t think it’d be her favorite song ever 😭 but she ended up really liking it!

misun wrote a little bit of box and unknown !!

and so her ranking goes unknown > breathing > box > smoothie > icantfeelanything > carat cake 🤭

her hair was blonde this era!! she had a moment where she had pink hair ?? but then it was back to blonde so like??

she did multiple tiktoks with other idols !! txt’s taehyun, kiss of life’s julie, illit’s yunah and minju. even idols that weren’t promoting like aespa’s karina

she was on the k-star next door with jaemin, jeno, chenle and jisung 🎉 she loves jonathan it was so fun

she met zb1’s hanbin who she knew already bc she was the one who got chenle to watch LOL she was also a sung hanbin stan ^_^

misun was on eunchae’s star diary LOL it was fun misun had to do most of the talking and she insisted eunchae called her unnie. and like of course eunchae had to say misun and chaewon looked like twins…

eunchae: misun unnie, you and my chaewon unnie look alike

misun: … i have no clue what youre talking about *literally clueless*

eunchae: ??? … okay anyways

okay and when they had their fansign (240407 withmuu fansign), misun had like ?? sports gear on. don’t ask me what sport but you can see it below !! ↓

misun did dream vs dream with jisung!! FINALLY. jeno and her will be next, trust. (insert link here when i post it…)

she also went on inssadong sulzzi with lee chaeyeon!! she had sm fun and she loves interacting with other idols

she wanted to go on jaefriends but figured sm would’ve told her no

she also kinda hinted to a nct xs comeback?? she posted multiple pics of the girls in the practice room and studio on her instagram story but no comeback news yet

she’s super excited for tds3!!! she enjoyed spoiling the setlist with chenle

smoothie era was rather eventful for her? she tried her best not to go on social media and mostly just interacted with fans through weverse. it was her safe space

as soon as smoothie promos were over, though, she went silent lol per usual

surprisingly no headline worthy dating rumors this era!!

icantfeelanything teasers

SMOOTHIE OUTFITS

PHOTOCARDS

LEFT TO RIGHT: icantfeelanything, smoothie

POPULAR FANSITE SHOTS

LINES

icantfeelanything

Erased from my mind [ 0:50 — 0:52 ]

두려움을 딛어

자신을 믿어 [ 0:59 — 1:02 ]

Erased from my mind [ 1:40 — 1:41 ]

Smoothie

가차 없이 비틀어 논 다음

삼켜 sip, watch how I blend it up [ 0:15 — 0:19 ]

Smoothie, smoothie, smoothie

Smoothie, smoothie, smoothie

가볍게 ���어 삼켜

Smoothie, smoothie

Smoothie, smoothie [ 0:53 — 1:01 ]

Shower that in all this ice

결국엔 녹아 fade out [ 1:15 — 1:20 ]

거칠게 mess up, yeah [ 1:50 — 1:53 ]

달콤함만 기대한 적 없어 난 [ 2:26 — 2:30 ]

(가볍게 씹어 삼켜 smoothie) [ 2:53 — 2:56 ]

BOX

Nobody lockin' me up [ 0:37 — 0:39 ]

더 자유롭게

멈추지 않을래, ooh [ 2:06 — 2:12 ]

Carat Cake

넌 못 감춰 saying "Wow!"

외쳐 asking how [ 0:22 — 0:25 ]

That's a carat cake [ 1:01 — 1:02 ]

Oh, 손에 잡힌 그 순간 [ 1:35 — 1:36 ]

투명한 그 빛 hit the heart likе clink [ 1:58 — 2:00 ]

UNKNOWN

Why'd you ever doubt it?

No never be scared of trying [ 0:27 — 0:30 ]

Dive in, dive in, into the unknown [ 1:01 — 1:04 ]

다시 널 찾아가 into the unknown [ 1:10 — 1:12 ]

Don't change, let go

Be brave, be strong

But take it easy, no rush

I know you got it [ 1:58 — 2:05 ]

But take it easy, no rush

I know you got it [ 2:48 — 2:51 ]

(I know you try) [ 3:20 — 3:23 ]

Breathing

아주 당연했던 감각, oh

잊어버린 것만 같아, oh [ 0:36 — 0:41 ]

I've been searching for another meaning

나아갈 수 있을까 [ 0:55 — 1:01 ]

I know I'm no good without you

Baby, can you stay all night? [ 2:50 — 2:53 ]

따스해

마주 잡은 손 느낄 때

And my heart starts beating [ 3:55 — 4:04 ]

[asystol]

KISS OF LIFE

HIGHLIGHTS

their debut showcase was the first stage nakyung’s been on since iz*one disbanded and she was just shaky with nerves the entire time.

the members were all equally nervous though so they all comforted one another.

with a few exceptions, some of her iz*one members did come to the showcase and visited her backstage!! due to schedules, some weren’t able to such as j-line besides sakura ���

yunjin also came as they were pledis trainees together!

for those that couldn’t come, she, of course, got a kkt from them congratulating her for her re-debut <3 iz*one girlies aside, she also got messages from idols like chungha, itzy’s ryujin and chaeryeong, fromis_9’s nagyung, and chuu.

it made her super emotional as she missed them a lot and wishes they could’ve all still been together in a group but also she really likes where she is now. she’s more than content with her present and future path.

nakyung had changed so much from her iz*one days, she thought fans wouldn’t like her anymore or forgotten about her since it’d been so long😭

but she did get a lot of support from fans all around the world and in korea

her intro ment. <3 “hello, i’m kiss of life’s nakyung. it’s nice to finally be on stage again and i’m so excited to be here with my members. thank you for being here. we’ll work hard so please take care of us!”

she was soo overwhelmed by the amount of support and the change from what it used to be but she was certain she’d get used to it again.

as every stage went by and their fanchants got louder, she got visibly so much happier !!

she made sure to read every letter she got from a fan, even if it made her lose sleep. she was determined lmao

for her solo song, it’s named heart attack <3 she had a lot of fun with this song and she didnt participate in the lyrics (PUBLICLY!!) but she had fun filming the mv and even performing it when she did

her solo lore is about how she ‘fell in love’ with performing. the mv focuses on her chasing after her idol dream !!

heart attack was reallyyy well received by the public!! it gained kiof more attention, especially with intl fans

she made sure to do shhh challenge with chaeyeon, chaeryeong, newjeans’ danielle, zerobaseone’s hanbin and matthew, and literally anyone she managed to meet during music shows

also she was promoting kinda at the same time as bts’ jungkook and was lowkey freaking out every time they were in the same vicinity. somehow it felt different seeing him than any other time back in iz*one.

i feel it’s also important for everyone to know that natty is the reason she joined s2 lol

also her hair was blonde/honey blonde very important idc

nakyung showed up for kiof’s episode on ITSLIVE !!! like she was rehearsing over everything she was so excited

she also went solo on youngji’s nothing much prepared and it was fun, she doesn’t like drinking alcohol a lot so she’s kind of a lightweight which is how she announces to youngji and the viewers that she collects her bias’ photocards 💀

she regretted it so much the next day.

they also got to perform shhh at seoul fashion week?? crazy

as the era came to an end, she was sad about it but knew this was only a new beginning. and it could only get better.

PHOTOCARDS

POPULAR FANSITE SHOTS

HEART ATTACK OUTFITS

( FIRST IS AT KARAOKE, SECOND IS AT AUDITION, THIRD IS ‘ON STAGE’, FOURTH IS THE STUDIO, FIFTH IS FANSIGN )

HEART ATTACK MV

the mv starts with nakyung entering a karaoke bar with her friends, arms linked with another brunette girl.

the scene leads to her performing on the karaoke stage as the song ‘heart attack’ starts, a surprisingly upbeat song for the dark atmosphere of the karaoke bar.

she’s having fun! the crowd, however… is not enjoying it. her friends are torn between cheering her on or having secondhand embarrassment before the brunette girl she was with pulls her off the stage and out the karaoke bar. the song abruptly cuts off before the first verse ends

she’s confused and slightly angry, wanting to go back and finish her performance but the friend pulls her back. the viewers can’t hear what the friend is saying, hearing muffled sounds of water instead. but nakyung is visibly getting more upset and angry, tears rising to her eyes but refusing to fall.

she takes off, walking home in the dark in angry and upset silence until she catches sight of an audition flyer for a company. she tears it off the wall and the scene ends.

the scene starts with nakyung nervously staring at a door before following an older man inside. a camera is facing the wall, three people, one man, two women, are behind the camera, facing her.

with a deep breath, she bows and introduces herself. this is the first time the viewers have heard her voice. the woman tells her to start when she’s ready.

nakyung starts to sing heart attack again and the background changes from the room to a large stage, now changed into different clothes than before.

the viewers are shown a large crowd, all holding red lightsticks in the air but too blurred they barely even look like lightsticks— all you can see is the red glow.

nakyung is dancing to the choreo along with other girls dressed in simple black clothes; her backup dancers.

the scene switches to her in a recording studio, still singing heart attack. it turns to the staff behind the window, nodding in satisfaction.

the scene switches again to nakyung holding fansigns, talking to fans and signing albums.

the viewers are shown nakyung performing on stage in the same red outfit, the song and fanchants coming to an end as she smiles at the crowd/camera.

the viewers hear the crowd roar with screams before the scene switches, changing back to the green screen and same room before.

the woman raises her brow expectantly, “well? are you going to start or continue wasting our time?”

nakyung stares at her before bolting from the room, tearing her audition paper off her body and aiming to throw it in the trash but it bounced off and fell to the ground.

as she runs out of the building, she bumps into another girl. it’s natty. they stare at one another before nakyung runs off again.

natty turns, looking at the paper and picking it up. it focuses on the name— 이나경.

BYE MY NEVERLAND OUTFITS

BYE MY NEVERLAND MV

nakyung trips as soon as she’s out of sight from natty. when she gets up, her knees are bleeding. she hisses at the pain and walks faster to get home.

a car passes by nakyung, splashing water on her from the previous rain. she gasps in shock, looking up and making eye contact with julie who is looking back in concern before the car turns the street quickly.

she has a solo shot of her, still wet and shivering only in a shirt and skirt, walking past belle, who is on the ground with her head in hands. she hesitates as if debating on whether to ask her if she’s okay or not, but ultimately continues walking away. belle looks up in time just to see nakyung walking away, back facing her.

she’s seen looking up at the fireworks in awe along with the rest of the members.

somehow she’s made her way back to the girls and back to where the audition was— showing up just in time to watch julie’s car hit natty. her mouth drops open, watching natty try to walk it off.

the mv ends but i imagine julie offers her a ride home seeing she’s soaked and cold </3 she also felt bad

SHHH OUTFITS

( FIRST IS IN KITCHEN, SECOND IS AT PARTY, THIRD IS WHEN THEY’RE DANCING/DEBUT SHOWCASE, FOURTH IS DANCE PERFORMANCE VIDEO )

SHHH MV

along with julie, nakyung walks through the door in the morning. she’s putting the groceries away, noting that the fridge is empty. she turns her head, making eye contact with belle as she walks in the door.

nakyung nudges julie, nodding her head to the bruises and scrapes on natty’s body. she shakes her head, watching as julie just wraps the bandages over her limbs.

nakyung hugs natty around the shoulder as they start having a mini fashion show, getting a black dress thrown at her head.

she’s changed into her jean dress, pulling belle by the arm when she stops in the doorway.

the next scene, she’s on the other side of natty and looking off.

nakyung’s back is facing haneul, but she turns around when julie does. she spots the boy following after haneul, immediately taking off after them with the girls.

nakyung reaches the boy first, shoving him back and letting natty push him into the stall while belle grabs the trashcan and dumps it over his head. she turns and follows behind natty and haneul.

nakyung’s running with belle and julie, and sits in the middle of the backseat with belle and natty.

nakyung adds the heart on haneul’s finger with nail polish.

at the gas station, she tries on sunglasses and grabs a keychain to … “buy” before heading to the gas pump with natty, handing her a candybar.

in the parking lot, natty pulls nakyung up to dance. she dances to the correct part of the choreo, following the rest of the girls to the railing at the end of the song.

nakyung meets natty and the rest of the girls at the top of the stairs, eyebrow raising expectantly with a small smile on her face before they all get into position.

TRACKLIST

쉿 (Shhh)* TITLE

안녕,네버랜드 (Bye My Neverland)

Sugarcoat (NATTY Solo)

Countdown (BELLE Solo)

Kitty Cat (JULIE Solo)

Play Love Games (HANEUL Solo)

Heart Attack (NAKYUNG Solo)

LINES

SHHH

잊지 마 You’re so special

One thing I know about you [ 0:25 — 0:29 ]

It’s so sweet

날 따라 당당하게 네가 상상한 대로 [ 0:48 — 0:53 ]

알잖아 We want it more [ 1:27 — 1:29 ]

I wake u up up up UP [ 1:48 — 1:51 ]

Just like this

내 꿈은 On your lips [ 2:00 — 2:05 ]

[NAKYUNG/BELLE/HANEUL] And we going hard, Cuz we are [ 2:28 — 2:35 ]

날 따라 당당하게 네가 상상한 대로 [ 2:48 — 2:51 ]

Bye My Neverland

시계 위로 달려 장면을 넘겨

멈추고 싶지 않아 [ 0:45 — 0:51 ]

난 더 숨고 싶거나

감추지 않아

Don't wanna stay more [ 1:35 — 1:40 ]

So, I won't stop my time

아파도 자라고 싶어 난

I get a little bit lonely [ 2:16 — 2:23 ]

(Ooh, yeah) [ 2:53 ]

I’ll never come back [ 2:55 — 2:56 ]

Heart Attack (NAKYUNG Solo)

[ 0:00 — 3:14 ]

[venusvity]

WHIPLASH is the 12th mini album of the Fictional South Korean girl group VENUS. The mini-album was released on November 11th, 2024, and features seven songs, including the title track, WHIPLASH.

On the day of the album's official release, "who tf is that" began trending on Twitter due to the mysterious woman on the album cover. No one could figure out who it was despite Constellations doing their best to figure out who was on the front of a VENUS album.

"It's all our faces mixed together! Those are my lips, Jiah's nose, Chloe's eyes, and Baebi's eyebrows! She's literally Venus. Isn't that so cool?" Sena would go on to explain at one of their ten fan meetings for the era. Constellations, amused by this, would go on to trend "#VenusIsFiveAgain," though none of the girls would acknowledge this.

The WHIPLASH era was defined by Tiktoks, high-energy award show performances, and damage control because of the Mydol Internal Documents Leaks.

WHIPLASH 〖TITLE TRACK〗 PRODUCED BY TSUISON with LYRICS BY JIAHRAE & CHLOE

ICEE PRODUCED BY FINN LEE with LYRICS BY BAEBI

TASTE IT PRODUCED BY DREW with LYRICS BY S3N4

DIV4S PRODUCED BY TSUISON with LYRICS BY S3N4

HOLY MOLY PRODUCED BY JEAN.J with LYRICS BY JIAHRAE

DOUBLE TAP PRODUCED BY AP3 with LYRICS BY S3N4

SUGAR KISSES PRODUCED BY FINN LEE with LYRICS BY CHLOE & BAEBI

NEED TO VISUALIZE? WATCH THE TRACKSAMPLER HERE. ARTISTS FEATURED CAN BE FOUND AT @bluwavez + @snobish + @hearthr0b + @hjnxx

OUTFITS AND MAKEUP DESIGNED BY MYDOL ENTERTAINMENT.

WHIPLASH would have a shorter promotional period than usual for a Mydol group, only promoting for four weeks instead of the usual six.

YOU WANT THE STATS?

#1 Bugs (DEBUT + PEAK) WHIPLASH WOULD REMAIN AT #1 FOR 12 WEEKS #3 MelOn (DEBUT + PEAK) WHIPLASH WOULD REMAIN AT #3 FOR 14 WEEKS #1 FLO (DEBUT + PEAK) WHIPLASH WOULD REMAIN AT #1 FOR 7 WEEKS #2 Genie (DEBUT + PEAK) WHIPLASH WOULD REMAIN AT #2 FOR 16 WEEKS

Music Bank: 🏆🏆🏆 (3 MUSIC SHOW TROPHIES) The Show: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆(5 MUSIC SHOW TROPHIES) Inkigayo: 🏆🏆(2 MUSIC SHOW TROPHIES) Show Champion: 🏆🏆🏆🏆(4 MUSIC SHOW TROPHIES) M Countdown: 🏆🏆🏆(3 MUSIC SHOW TROPHIES)

TOTAL MUSIC SHOW WINS ... 17 MUSIC SHOW WINS !

TAKE A SCREENSHOT FOR YOUR WHIPLASH PHOTOCARDS!

STREAM WHIPLASH.

[ofswanlake]

Melting

Melting is the first full album released by Nari. It was released on May 8th, 2024 through VIE Entertainment and Republic Records. It is available digitally and physically.

GET YOUR PHOTOCARD HERE!

PLAY ALBUM HERE.

TRACK 01. Espresso (orig. by SABRINA CARPENTER) is a funk-pop English song written by Nari and produced by Julian Bunetta. On Genius, she explains that she compares herself to coffee to emphasize how energetic her partner gets with her. The lyrics further explain that she can get the guy— any guy— and she is this person’s dream come true. Nari references pop culture with Nintendo and Mountain Dew in this song.

TRACK 02. Melting (orig. by KALI UCHIS) is a dreamy love song written by Nari and Kino and produced by IO and Diplo. The song details falling in love with someone who makes you lose all your worries.

TRACK 03. Rooftop * (orig. by YOOA) is a hip-hop dance number with addictive string sounds and the booming percussion sound of an 808 bass written by Nari and Ryder Kim, produced by Jimmi. On Genius, Nari states, “Rooftop compares the line between reality and dreams to a rooftop— and a bird in the cage represents being stuck, and the bird wants to fly away and be free.”

TRACK 04. Kitty Cat * (orig. by JULIE of KISS OF LIFE) is a hip-hop based pop genre song composed of both vocals and rap. It’s written by Nari and Jennie, produced by IO. The song defies society’s expectations that a woman should be tame and submissive, and Nari is exactly the opposite. The lyrics further that while it may she like she has everything, she feels unloved and feels objectified and controlled by those around her. The societal “gaze” becomes too much for her to handle, and she just wants to break free from everyone’s expectations.

TRACK 05. Nothing (orig. by KISS OF LIFE) is a medium-tempo R&B song inspired by the 2000s written by Nari and Lainey, produced by Sade. The song is about a love reaching its end, a love that changed and the lack of emotion in the relationship.

TRACK 06. Sugar Rush (orig. by BIBI) is a playful and empowering anthem with upbeat R&B pop with a sparse hip-hop beat. It’s written by Nari and Pink Slip and was produced by Pink Slip and inverness. The song emphasizes Nari’s allure and charm while also warning those who try to take advantage. This song in particular is popular for its lyrics, hidden meaning in lyrics and surprise guest appearances by the rest of BLACKPINK in the music video.

TRACK 07. Don’t Let Me Go (ft. GIRIBOY) (orig. by JEON SOMI & GIRIBOY) is an upbeat song with a catchy whistle tune and smooth rapping featuring K-rapper and producer, GIRIBOY. The song discusses the need to be with the one you love.

TRACK 08. Teenager in Love (orig. by MADISON BEER) is a doo-wop pop song written by Nari and One Love, produced by One Love. The song references Dion and the Belmonts’ 1959 song “A Teenager in Love”. The original is about

TRACK 09. Feeling Lucky (ft. Jackson Wang) (orig. by BIBI, JACKSON WANG) is an all English sultry pop song written Kurtis Wells, Aldae & ABSOLUTELY and produced by Aldae and Kurtis Wells. The song is about a mutual attraction and the thrilling dynamics of a romantic relationship. It is the only song not written by Nari on the album.

PHYSICAL ALBUM CONTENT

1 disc + photobook (68 photos) + two versions + one random photocard out of three + one out of two random mini posters + one out of two random solo polaroids + one ot5 blackpink polaroid + stickers + one big folded poster + one swan keychain (PRE-ORDER ONLY)

STYLIST’S CHOICE

Rooftop Stages

Kitty Cat Stages

Espresso Stages

HIGHLIGHTS

Espresso was released first as a surprise with one teaser announced on social media on May 6th, 2024 at 12AM KST. The song was an English pre-release single.

The music video for Espresso had 76 million views in the first 24 hours. It debuted at #1 on Worldwide iTunes Songs Chart, as well as charting #1 on Bugs and Genie, #3 on MelOn, and #94 on Flo. On all music platforms, the single cover was what captured many attention.

Melting was soon announced with teasers posted on May 8th, 2024. It received over 200k pre-orders in the first 24 hours and within two weeks, it had 1.5million pre-orders.

There are two versions of the album, HEART and FACE.

Melting was released across all platforms on May 27th, 2024. All songs charted in the top 100 across Bugs, Genie, and MelOn. Rooftop debuted at #97 on Flo. The track Sugar Rush was banned from music shows.

Rooftop gained 59 million views within 24 hours, debuting at #1 on Bugs and Genie, #2 on MelOn and #97 on Flo. Nari promoted Rooftop on Korean music shows for two weeks, gaining seven music show wins during the time but in total had eleven wins for the song and performed Kitty Cat three times.

Nari promoted Espresso first, after she went to the Met Gala. She performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

She also went on Genius Verified to explain the lyrics, along with Wired! for Nari Answers the Web’s Most Searched Questions.

She was super excited to do the Puppy Interview with Buzzfeed, she even posted a selfie teaser before the video and some videos on her Instagram once the video was out.

When promoting in Korea, she made sure to go on a lot of variety shows, mostly because she never got the chance before.

She went on Jaefriends, Knowing Bros, Let’s Eat, XYOB, The K-Star Next Door with Jonathan, D&E’s Wanna Come Here, PSICK Show, and The Killing Voice. She really enjoyed being on all of them, making sure to show her appreciation for being invited.

Nari explained on Genius Verified about Teenager in Love, “It’s not about anyone you know.”

VIE Entertainment (Nari) posted a live performance and dance practice for Espresso, Rooftop, and Kitty Cat on YouTube. Along with a lot of vlogs after the era was over, including her GRWM video for the Met Gala (which was posted before), preparing for her comeback, videos of her in the studio, etc.

She also opened her own TikTok account and began posting dance challenges with other idols, along with current trending challenges. She was the first idol Jennie did the Spot challenge with, and likewise for Espresso and Rooftop.

On social media, BLINKs were more ruthless than ever with getting rid of hate posts. VIE Entertainment also had to post a statement about taking legal action against malicious posts.

If she knew anything about said malicious posts, she never spoke out against them or seemed down at any point.

Not once did Nari answer any questions about Jungkook if she was asked by a reporter who couldn’t get the memo, known for either staring at them in silence until they changed the topic or laughing and ignoring them. But everyone knew they were still together as it somehow got out that she went to visit him.

Each time she went somewhere to a known schedule, she had multiple bodyguards with her just in case. And even for her just being out, she had bodyguards with her, no matter what. Which a lot of BLINKs (and Nari’s circle) were glad for.

All in all, it was a really good surprise comeback for Nari.

[bluwavez]

˗ ˋ 🌊    ARTIFICAL DRIP    ﹕   THE TENTH MINI ALBUM    !

ARTIFICIAL DRIP is the TENTH mini album by the fictional South Korean boy group DeepDive. The album was released on July 21st, 2024. The release caused quite a stir for their revealing concept teasers and the raunchy track names. With a total of five tracks, DeepDive would promote SERVE IT and POPSICLE for a total of seven weeks. They would have three special stages for the b-side "ILY2BBY".

The mini album is completely self-produced, though the boys admit that most of the songs have been collecting dust in the vault for years. "I made Sloppy in 2018," Dowon told the crowd during their premier showcase, "Its original name was 'That's Right' and the lyrics were about something else. Finn wrote the new lyrics." The crowd would then cheer and hoot loudly for the proactive lyrics, causing Finn to shrug innocently.

"I think we made 'ILY2BBY' in, like, 2016? 2017? It was one of our first songs together," Noah explained with a puzzled look. Finn looked equally confused but nodded along. "We polished it a little for this album, but other than that...We didn't change anything. I'm kind of impressed we made that at such a young age, but at the same time, no shit, we made that as teenagers." While the crowd laughed with Noah, Finn chuckled into his microphone.

TITLE TRACK ... TRACK OO1. SERVE IT

TRACK OO2. POPSICLE

TRACK OO3. SLOPPY

TRACK OO4. ILY2BBY

TRACK OO5. KISS IT BETTER

"It shocked me," Kiwoo laughs, "I didn't think any of these songs would see the light of day. I don't really get in the studio anymore, so it was interesting to see those songs I worked on so long ago on the album."

Sirens were a bit miffed when it was revealed these weren't new songs, claiming that this album was not only exploitive but also a cash grab by Mydol. Despite knowing this was a cash grab by Mydol, Sirens would still stream and mass-buy this mini-album, resulting in 18 million albums sold by the end of their promotional period.

YOU CAN GET YOUR ARTIFICAL DRIP PHOTOCARDS HERE!

OO1. First things first, these men were never fully clothed during the entire promotional period. This era is literally defined by how often either Noah or Dowon's boobs were out, like, they were TESTING the limits of how much they could show on music shows. It was a bit ridiculous but also fitting since this album was literally talking about sucking and fucking on the beach like-

OO2. The outfits often caused a stir just because I mean look at them. For some people, it was a bit; some people used it to point out double standards, and some people just enjoyed the beachy slutness of it all. There was a little something for everyone!

OO3. Kiwoo and Jisung stayed fully clothed the whole time unless it was to wear a crop top😁 The classy men duo!

OO4. There were three music videos released in this era. Serve it, Popsicle, and Sloppy. All of which caused a stir. Sirens and netizens alike were just really shocked at how...raunchy these videos were? Except for Popsicle, which was more focused on performance and a Miami Beach concept, but the other videos? Jesus Christ-

OO5. Notably, in the Serve It music video, cameos from all of the Venus members as well as Siyeon and Laila of Lunarix. Myrah, the iconic former Allume member and soloist, was in the opening sequence. They were stacked in the hot girl department! The girls were just being "beach babes" essentially and the boys were pining over them so there wasn't a lot of contact in the Serve It music video until the end when Dowon "gets the girl" and Baebi kisses his cheek.

OO6. NOW, THE SLOPPY MUSIC VIDEO?? WE GET IT! YALL HAVE SEX! GODDAMN!

OO7. But the boys had fun! You could tell they enjoyed themselves on stage and during filming. The behind-the-scenes content seemed a lot more chill than during Tax Write-Off; tensions were high for some reason during that era, probably because a lot was riding on that comeback, but now they're having fun! They enjoy each other again!

OO8. Serve It would sweep every music show the boys got nominated for. Sirens do not play when it comes to voting, guys! They ended the promotional period with 9 wins across various different music shows. However, they did catch heat for going on The Show and absolutely demolishing the lesser-known groups nominated. They got called greedy, but Mydol is greedy, so...Accurate read!

OO9. The physical albums were quite the hot topic because they did not include the boys on the covers but instead girls. Most notably, Baebi is front and center on the "Bay Watch" Version, which confused a lot of Sirens like...She looks great, but what is she doing here? Jisung would explain that the boys actually took the pictures used on the covers and thought they fit the aesthetic of the album better than any of the photos they took of themselves. "I took the picture of Davina on the Surfs Up version. There were pictures of us on surfboards, but the pictures we took of the girls were just so...Beachy! I think the covers are nice. The girls look beautiful in them. Plus, you still get a whole photobook of us shirtless, so-" He'd then put his hand up in a stopping motion, "Calm down. Buy the albums." This would go to highlight how much creative control and input the boys have in the album-making process.

O10. Though it never got a music video, ILY2BBY got a performance video where the boys did the choreography on the beach. Every track got some kind of promotion besides Kiss It Better which Sirens were very vocal about wanting at least a dance practice but Mydol never released one. So, you know what happened? Siren's leaked it! Real EXO-L style, no one knows how the Noah fansite did it but...She did what she had to do! Great way to end the era!

[eternalit]

𓈃 💎 ˒ INTRO ✤

Opalite has officially made their annual return to the industry with their second full length album Mars Retrograde. The album was released on January 5th, 2025, under Hyacinth Records. The album consists of ten total tracks. Following Opalite's usual formula, this album has duo title tracks—The Angel Problem and Getting Bored.

Both title tracks explore contrasting themes central to Opalite's evolving universe. The Angel Problem delves into the psychological toll of wielding divine power and the questions humans might have, with haunting vocals and an orchestral arrangement that builds to a dramatic, chaotic climax. In contrast, Getting Bored presents a pessimistic view on immortality, blending synth—heavy beats with playful lyrics that highlight the monotony of eternal life.

The album continues the Eros Embrace storyline while foreshadowing the darker themes of Ten of Swords. Tracks like Universe and Secrets explore the fragility of perfection, while Chaotic and Dying Star delve into themes of fate and self-doubt. The closing track, 555, serves as a reflection on the cost of chasing divinity.

𓈃 💎 ˒ TRACKLIST ✤

▋ ♱ Dying Star. The Angel Problem. Getting Bored. Meteor Shower. Universe. I Got You. Secrets. Dear Priest,. Chaotic. 555.

𓈃 💎 ˒ ALBUM INFO ✤

Release Date ⦂ January 5, 2025

Songs ⦂ 10

Number of wins : 11

Concept ⦂ Futuristic, Angelic

Album Versions ⦂ Mars In 5th House & Location 102

Inclusions ⦂

𓈃 💎 ˒ PUBLIC RECEPTION ✤

Overall Ranking : 9/10

Critics have praised Mars Retrograde for its bold storytelling and experimental sound, calling it a pivotal moment in Opalite's discography and skyrocketing them into stardom. Fans have already dubbed it a "galactic masterpiece," cementing the group's reputation as pioneers of thematic artistry in the K-pop industry.

"Being F(X)'s daughter's are big shoes to fill, they paved the way for experimental concepts and Rina finally decided to have Hyacinth's songwriters to steal her songbook back from SM after decades!" — @ __myraism

“Opalite and their obsession with 555 is crazy and they both made me cry so kudos to them.” — @ meulite

“I Got You is STRAIGHT off of 4 walls... oh opATE 😍😍” — angelicq

𓈃 💎 ˒ WHO OWNED THIS ERA ✤

Lumos absolutely loved July's ginger hair, she felt really confident in it and felt that the color complemented her skin tone. Her on-stage performances truly shown bright, fully embodying her fiery personality and role as “The Sun” in the new edition of Opalite's lore. Her confidence was contagious, fans noticed she seemed more well rested than usual and praised Hyacinth's decision to not overwhelm the idols.

[pinkshaus]

୨♡୧ . 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆'𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 !

WARNINGS  ...  honey being used as a scapegoat (many times, somewhat abusive), mention  of  toxic  fans ,  mild  language,  shitty  company  pressuring  honey  (booooo  throwing  tomatoes), talks about honey's chaebol status and riches, overworked honey. video also contains imagery of passed angel, goo hara.   i  think  that  is  all,  please  lmk  if  i  missed  a  warning  to  add. 1.1k words

after  years  of  HONEY  getting  the  short  end  of  the  stick  with  the  bare minimum  promotions  and  the  least  lines  in  BLACKPINK.  the  general  public finally  got  what  they  wanted  —  HONEY'S  SOLO  on  the  BIG  SCREEN  !!

#THE_YG_ERA  ⸻  it  had  been  a  dry  year  in  the  IDOL  INDUSTRY  && HONEY  had  high  hopes  she  could  sweeten  up  the  oversaturation  of  girl  crush concepts.  YG  were  adamant  on  HONEY  following  in  the  footsteps  of  other artists  with  their  notorious  hip-hop  style  but  HONEY  only  had  her  sights  on something  a  bit  more  experimental.  HONEY  debuted  with  KKUL  (  HONEY  )  on DECEMBER  20,  2020  —  a  self-written  track  HONEY  describes  as,  ❛❛  a kitsch and  witty  song  to  show  off  my  sweet  charms!  ❜❜.  HONEY  had  been preparing for  quite  a  while  for  her  debut,  something  that  was  so  special  to her. so  it was a  complete  surprise  when  the  song  she  worked  her  ass  off for years was  met with  distasteful  criticism  by  netizens.  HONEY  was  a  big  girl  who  has heard nothing  by  complaints  from  her  grandfather  over  the  years,  so  in  a  way she was  used  to  it.  but  it  was  raw  hearing  people  describe  the  track  as  a 'lukewarm song'  with  'a  low  production  value'  that  was  'too  much  of  a  concept change'.  but  the  lowest  blow  for  HONEY  —  the  anti's  using  her  debut  as  fuel for  their  fire  to  compare  it  to  JENNIE's  debut, something so familiar !!

one  thing  you  should  know  about  HONEY  is  she  is  as  determined  as  a  worker bee.  so  the  last  thing  she  was  going  to  do  after  the  fallout  of  her  debut  was sit  around  and  wait  for  the  BLACKPINK  comeback  that  rarely  happens.  at  one point,  HONEY  felt  like  she  was  practically  begging  YG  execs  day  and  night  to give  her  a  standing.  see,  she  really  cares  what  people  think  of  her  (  it  is  the taurus  in  her  )  and  all  she  wanted  was  to  not  be  the  person  the  horrible commenters  on  the  internet  claim  she  was.  so  after  what  felt  like  an  eternity of hearing  no  and  being  told  to  'wait  her  turn',  she  took  fate  into  her  own hands &&  created  her  very  first  ep,  SO  GOLDEN.  HONEY  hit  the  stage with GO GIRLS  on  JUNE  1,  2021  and  BP  (  BUBBLE  POP  )  on  JUNE  10,  2021.  she melded  her  unique  HONEY-PRINCESS  style  together  with  the  YG  SWAG  && was  applauded by  critics  for  her  callback  to  the  second  generation.  the  ep pulled  at  everyone's  heartstring,  getting  them  in  the  mood  for  being  hot  and confident  during  the  summertime.  it  was  not  long  before  everyone  was  playing her  tracks  and  calling  HONEY  the  QUEEN  OF  SUMMER.  after  earning  her  very first  solo  triple  crown  at  M!COUNTDOWN,  her  phone  was  ringing  non-stop with brands  wanting  her  bright  charms  to  represent  them  !!

#THE_STARGIRL_ERA   ⸻  HONEY  went  ghost  following  her  new  found solo success.  from the top-selling tour to the exquisite brand deals and a short US media tour, HONEY was reigning it in. the  only  thing  to  get  her  out  of  her  rich bliss was being hit with the NEPOTISM and DATING SCANDALS ( confirmed ) in JAN 2024. instantly worried that she could risk her family and BLACKPINK millions, but YG organised a press conference to cover their asses. but if you have been paying attention then you would picked up that we are living in HONEY'S world and like the QUEEN BEE she is — she does not listen to anyone but instead demands her followers to worship her. so of course it was very HONEY-CODED for her to announce to the media her plans of leaving YG ENTERTAINMENT and joining her father's company, JUPITER RECORDS — or more specifically, their subsidiary STARGIRL !!

STARGIRL did not waste any time preparing HONEY for her first comeback under their company. it was almost like they had been planning for this outcome for years — after all, it was HONEY'S aunt, MOON HANNA who she mainly relied on for advice over the years. the same advice that was to ❛❛ leave a company that no longer serves you ❜❜ ( sus if you ask anyone ). HONEY made her comeback two weeks after her joining STARGIRL with special single for her fans, MY HONEY on FEB 14, 2024. fans of course ate this comeback up but the talk around certain forums was how different this comeback was from HONEY'S previous releases. it was like HONEY had been assigned a brand-new innocent image to play into the crystal-clear reputation JUPITER RECORDS have so badly wanted ( but never had ) since their creation. honey was a scapegoat if you will who was like putty in their hands !!

HONEY found herself with another comeback shortly after with another coverup of the ongoing scandals at JUPITER ( this time was the gossip around svt quartz unit mistreatment, surprisingly not their fault ). this time HONEY was back to her roots with POPSTAR on MAY 3, 2024 — a song reknowned for actually being fun. fans had hopes HONEY was finally going to give them what they so badly missed — their summer queen. so of course, it was not long before she had another comeback. in fact, she was on her US media tour for POPSTAR when she announced her first full album, LOVE, HONEY to be released the following fortnight, JUNE 1, 2024. featuring the ever-so-iconic ESPRESSO and SO STICKY, critics were quick to rank the honey bee as a breath of fresh air in the dark and cruel world. not only that, BLINKS were ecstatic for the big difference in promotions under the new company and knetz were even not at war about the infectious melodies and lustful lyrics !!

but not everything was sunshine and rainbows at STARGIRL with HONEY getting another comeback. and usually, HONEY is not one to complain about comebacks ( i mean c'mon she rarely knows what a comeback is as a BLACKPINK member ) but to say her own family overworked her this year — is to put it lightly. this time it was 1004 at arms with DISPATCH for the manager who apparently is dating a member drama and who else to clean up the mess then daddy's princess? it was about time where STARGIRL had exploited HONEY's relationships and that is what they did with their cutesy love songs, CHUUU ( MUAH ) and GIRL NEXT DOOR on DECEMEBER 25, 2024. some fans hated it but a lot of fans loved it. if HONEY is good at one thing, it is fan-service and damn, did she serve. rumour has it, all fans want from HONEY right now is to have a break until the BLACKPINK comeback in MAY 2025. is that too much to ask for, MR MOON !!

[starzct]

☆ . 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘇?

SEVENTEEN QUARTZ have built a strong fanbase and reputation with their diverse discography allowing for their SPOTIFY STATS that sets them apart from the rest of the group. but 2024 has not been nice to them, or should i say THEIR COMPANIES fighting over them all year long. but i don't blame them — these STARS are hard not to love. and i just want to say, I AM SO HAPPY THE GIRLS ARE FREE but I MISS YOU!

the year started off quiet for QUARTZ UNIT — mainly filled with the FOLLOW TOUR, GOING SEVENTEEN and AWARD SHOWS. this was until the QUARTET left us STARSTRUCK in FEBRUARY 2024 with their TOP TRACK, SUPER-NOVA. THE STARS very quickly received an PERFECT-ALL-KILL on all streaming platforms and their SPOTIFY STREAMS started to hike up as they topped the GLOBAL TOP 50 charts. which was a surprise to netizens as QUARTZ are known for making MUSIC FOR THE ARTS, NOT THE CHARTS.

all was normal during the promotions of their third single, SUPERNOVA. the end of the promotions meshed well with SEVENTEEN'S promotions as they finished off their FOLLOW TOUR in MAY 2024. however, I FEAR you know how this story goes. NOTHING. no SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, no EXPLANATIONS FROM THEIR COMPANIES and even BEING REMOVED FROM SEVENTEEN'S SCHEDULES. you know the typical THIS GROUP IS DISBANDING behaviour.

but trust, the girls were NOT COMPLETELY QUIET during this 'hiatus'. in fact, JUPITER RECORDS started the SOLO DEBUT PROJECT, kinda like LOONA had back in their pre-debut era. it WITHOUT A DOUBT concerned fans with why QUARTZ could not participate in SEVENTEEN'S comeback but could make their own songs. hmmm interesting . . . anyways. OLIVE started off with PRIMADONNA GIRL, AIQING gave us another chance with CUPID, EMI left us craving more with BAM YANG GANG, RAON hit us in the feels with KILLING ME and there was ONE MORE SOLO that finished off the series. except there is only four members off QUARTZ so who the heck is this NEKO person?

well, all i can tell you is this MAKNAE ATE FIRST with her solo track, DKDK. is that a dig you are reading RIGHT NOW? or maybe the real dig was when STARGIRL confirmed NEKO represents TIGER'S EYE QUARTZ. so scandalous. the real scandal was when STARGIRL proved these QUEENS NEVER CRY over past shitty companies when they announced their comeback (finally), RETURN OF THE DYING STAR with SHOOTING STARS as the title. oops, looks like i forgot to mention it was actually a redebut as 5STARZ with NEKO as their newest addition. how can one forget that SHINING STAR, definitely not knetz?

[c3stlav1e]

Swan Song is the 14th mini album by La Vie under Rainbow Entertainment. It was released on June 1st, 2024. The album features 6 tracks plus a secret track on physical copies of the album, with Heartbeat Rhythm being the title track. It is available both physically and digitally.

La Vie promoted the album for 3 weeks in total. Heartbeat Rhythm peaked at 3 on the Circle Chart. The title track also charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 30. La Vie won 4 music show awards for Heartbeat Rhythm.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥  i. the tracklist !

♡ .   Intro: Act 1 originally composed by Tchaikovsky, re-worked by DAY1

♡ .   Heartbeat Rhythm ( title track ) produced by ROZE, M1KO, and Kang Sol

♡ .   In My Dreams produced by M1KO

♡ .   Fairy of Shampoo produced by ROZE and Kang Sol

♡ .   Black Swan produced by DAY1 and CHASER

♡ . My World produced by HWI and Hiro

♡ . Always Forever ( secret track ) produced by Salem Kueakulsri and Kang Sol, featuring Salem Kueakulsri on guitar and backing vocals

find salem at @plasticflwrs !!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ii. buy the album !

♡ .   White Swan version

. cd, photobook ( 150 p ), photocards ( 10ver. 2ea ), sticker sheet ( 1ver. 1ea ), tracklist ( 1ver. 1ea ), lyric book ( 1ver. 1ea ), Swan Song ribbon ( 2ver. 1ea )

. pre-orders only ; poster ( 5ver. 1ea ), polaroid card ( 5ver. 1ea ), signed polaroid ( 5 ver. 1 ea. random units )

♡ .   Black Swan version

. cd, photobook ( 150 p ), photocards ( 10ver. 2ea ), sticker sheet ( 1ver. 1ea ), tracklist ( 1ver. 1ea ), lyric book ( 1ver. 1ea ), Swan Song ribbon ( 2ver. 1ea )

. pre-orders only ; poster ( 5ver. 1ea ), polaroid card ( 5ver. 1ea ), signed polaroid ( 5 ver. 1 ea. random units )

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ iii. the styling !

♡ .   an all blonde era for the ages!!

♡ .   pinks, black and white, soft, ruffles, bows, ribbons, feminine and dainty

♡ .   one stage featured all white outfits completed with white feathered wings, emulating the white swan imagery

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ iv. the reception !

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ v. the highlights !

♡ .   as soon as the title of the album was announced, fans immediately began speculating that this was a disbandment comeback

♡ .   with the lack of response from rbe on the matter and fans eventually finding the secret track on physical copies titled "always forever," the speculations only grew

♡ .   it wasnt until anya went on life during promotions for the album and saw the influx of questions about disbandment did she deny the rumors

♡ .   "disbanding? no, we're not disbanding," she laughed, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. "as far as i know, at least," she teased before moving on.

♡ .   the biggest thing that marred this era was the all-out war brought on by mari's single release only a few days after the album was dropped

♡ .   ot5 fans vs. mari solo fans was the majority of the fighting, but even ot6 and non-lovies were choosing sides and talking about the drama

♡ .   neither mari nor the rest of la vie had anything to say about it until an infamous, now deleted, live where tomi talks about mari's solo and exactly what she thinks about it

♡ .   some were shocked by this, calling tomi jealous or bitter while some fans agreed with what she had to say

♡ .   instagram stories from her private instagram account were later leaked showing her opinion on the topic

♡ .   other than the drama, this era was rather successful!

♡ .   the girls went viral for their ethereal beauty in several of their performance videos, especially the one where they donned white wings with their outfits

♡ .   #musicbankangels was trending for 2 days after the episode aired, a tag filled with lovies and non-fans alike posting fancams and fawning over their visuals, especially the innocent looking sohee

♡ .   the 2sun shippers got ahold of fairy of shampoo and went wild!! especially with sol having credits on the song

♡ .   the audio on tiktok was filled with edits of sunnie and sol almost immediately, and it started a trend with other wlw and lgbt ships as well, and pretty soon the song became the poster of gay relationships on the app

♡ .   it's unclear whether sol knew about the trend or not, but she did post a story to instagram featuring a table set for two with the audio overtop, sending the shippers into even more of a frenzy

♡ .   the group reprised a beloved series, lovie's fruit stand, with lovie lake, a series where the girls stayed in a cabin together on a lake in the mountains, relaxing and doing summer activities together such as having a barbecue, singing around a campfire, and even swimming in the lake

♡ .   the fans love the relaxing and cozy content from this series, and photo of anya lounging in an innertube on the lake unaware of star approaching mischievously in the background became a new reaction image that made the rounds all over stan twitter

♡ .   overall, this era truly made it's impact !!

[hrtbrkrz]

It's late 2017. BigHit hasn't had a girl group since Glam crashed and burned in 2014. Their biggest group, BTS, has just exploded in popularity, and TXT isn't even a concept yet. With BTS' meteoric rise and the fact that their label hasn't accepted female trainees in nearly half a decade, it's unlikely that BigHit would pour their time and resources into something they haven't done in years. However, just a year prior, they were subtly communicating a different story.

Two female trainees were sent onto Produce 101 in 2015 and took the show by storm for multiple reasons. For one, said trainees were under BigHit. Aside from their stellar talents and the fact that one of them was related to a Girls' Generation member, it was clear that something was going on behind the scenes.

A year goes by. BigHit is pretty much radio silent. Then, October 2017 rolls around, and KRUSH makes their (unexpected) debut. Surprise, surprise. They're a girl group.

And they're a damn good one.

KRUSH would make their explosive debut with the iconic "CLASSY," off the EP that started it all, CRUSHIN' IT. Their debut was huge, which was nothing short of impressive due to the fact that they had pretty much zero teasers, aside from the launch of their official website and social media. The album sold a staggering 420,000 copies within its first week—a feat that other girl groups have yet to achieve themselves. A couple days later, all 7,500 seats at their debut showcase (held at the Hanyang University Gymnasium) were completely sold out.

CRUSHIN' IT shot to #2 on every major Korean music chart, and since KRUSH debuted at just the right time, they broke into the Billboard 200 with a placement of sixty-six, proving how much international appeal they had already. The girls secured their first win within a week of their debut, and by the end of their promotional cycle a month later, they had won a total of four trophies. To commemorate their (more than) successful debut, the girls posted a picture of them all posing with their wins, with each girl holding her own individual trophy. Probably because of Kaleina, GGBs immediately took to comparing the picture to SNSD's ever-iconic "trophy photo" for "Gee," lauding how they managed to get their "SoShi moment" immediately after their debut. The fandom still talks about it, by the way.

"CLASSY" itself remains a staple part of KRUSH's discography and their overall identity. During its release, it was lauded as one of the best debuts of 2017, and it has gone down as one of the strongest the industry's ever seen. Iconic, indeed.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the CRUSHIN' IT era. When publications talk about KRUSH's impact and international appeal, they always talk about their fashion. The outfits were already so good, and they only had one EP under their belt. By November 2017, Vogue was already talking about them. Oh, they were gonna be so big.

Like mentioned earlier, promotions for CRUSHIN' IT lasted a month. During that time, the girls had critically acclaimed and instantly iconic performances at the American Music Awards and at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Both of their appearances were a surprise considering they were only a month-old group, but their appearance at the AMAs was definitely a surprise. Their new legion of fans were delighted to see them getting Western promotion so early on, using that as proof of their destined stardom, but... others decided to use that as an opportunity to become KRUSH's first antis. Ranging from nepotism baby allegations, to the whole "Glam clone" and BLACKPINK comparison thing, to netizens calling their concept "unoriginal," to a certain subset of ARMYs claiming that the girls were leeching off of BTS' success... the whole thing was quite the mess. But at least it didn't get any bigger than that. For now.

And then, just two months later, KRUSH released their second EP, Illusion. They were already on their first comeback, and it had barely been eight weeks. Here's the start of KRUSH's lore, and as a result, this comeback became one of their most iconic ones—and it was only their first one. The album itself sold over 500,000 copies within its first week, upping the girls' first week sales by 80,000 copies. Its lead single, "PLAY MY GAME," topped Korean charts and won five music show awards.

The Illusion era was defined by its cheeky, sinister playfulness and almost horror-esque vibe, with the girls playing different nightmares (or spirits), all haunting the boy who broke their hearts. Critics and fans alike ate this concept up, with GGBs in particular aching to see the girls take the horror route again. Illusion topped charts in Korea yet again, but it also broke into the Billboard 200, securing an impressive fifty on the chart.

By the end of 2017, KRUSH saw award after award at end of the year award shows. Winning Best New Artist — Female at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Best New Artist at the Melon Music Awards, and Rookie of the Year at the Golden Disc Awards, it was clear that this group of four girls wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. KRUSH's rise was definitely slow and steady, but they were still rising. And it would only get better from here.

Just a week following the New Year, KRUSH returned with their first and (so far) only repackage album, Re:Illusion. It's... largely been considered a "filler comeback," even by the girls themselves, only meant to act as a link between Illusion and their following comeback. Despite that, the music is good. With "Bewitched," KRUSH's concept became even more rooted in horror, becoming grittier and borderline haunting, which is exactly what GGBs wanted. The album did well commercially, selling over 400,000 copies and debuting at #4 on the charts. Regardless, Re:Illusion is still mostly forgotten by the general public and even by KRUSH themselves. No one thinks much of it nowadays (unfortunately).

Now, this is where things get good! In May, four months after the release of Re:Illusion, we got the album that changed everything, Through the Looking Glass. The girls' first full album, this era quickly cemented itself as one of the most iconic the industry has ever seen. With biblical references and references to films such as Black Swan (2010) sprinkled all throughout the MV for the lead single, this era was chocked full of lore, fully immersing GGBs into what was known from here on out as the "KRUSH-verse." To the surprise of everyone, this era was seemingly connected to the BTS Universe, and it gave KRUSH's fans a whole lot to speculate over.

One interesting thing about the album is that if you managed to pry throughout the physical copy enough, you could peek underneath the back end spot the numbers "18/20" written against a black background... although that would require you to basically force the back open. GGBs took to Twitter in droves once they found this out, with many guessing that it was a date or "2018" backwards. It was neither of those, of course, but they were hints to the girls' next two albums.

The TTLG era saw the highest commercial success of KRUSH's career at the time, garnering them the much needed international appeal that they had gotten a taste of the year prior. A massive jump from their previous album, TTLG peaked at a staggering #19 on the Billboard 200, their highest chart placement to date. What's more surprising, though, is that the album sold over a million copies within its first month. KRUSH were officially million sellers.

That wasn't all, though. The lead single, "Venus," was the girls' first entrance into the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at eighty-eight. It won a total of ten music show wins, garnering KRUSH their first ever triple crown, while its B-side, "Mirror Mirror," won a total of six wins. Not only were they million sellers, but they were no longer rookies, either. A truly iconic era.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the TTLG era. The styling was marked by the girls primarily being seen in matching costumes, which was different in comparison to their first three eras, sans Illusion. The only time they didn't match was during their performance on Good Morning America. Said performance also started the "Kaleina gets special treatment" rumors.

By the way, the butterflies seen throughout the era (such as on the album cover), despite the fact that the title of the album itself is a reference to Alice in Wonderland? Those are meant to represent "rebirth" and "new beginnings," and they were entirely intentional. They'll make a lot more sense later.

Finally, we get to the closing act of 2018. KRUSH's second full album and their most theatrical album to date, Festival. This comeback started KRUSH's trend of iconic fall comebacks and became an integral part of the girls' lore. The concept of Festival was more rooted in thriller rather than straight up horror, offering hauntingly charming music videos, music videos shot like movies, and the narrative-driven thriller concept that GGBs had been begging for. Of course, this comeback was a resounding success, albeit less than TTLG. Selling 970,000 copies within its first week and a staggering 1.4 million within its first month, Festival became KRUSH's fourth number one album. The girls saw an even higher placement on the BB200, securing a #14 upon debut.

The album's lead single, "Psycho," was yet another smash hit for the girls, topping every major Korean music chart (as always) and scoring a placement of seventy-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Winning eleven music show wins, it was the highest-awarded KRUSH single at that point. Its B-side, "Four Strikes to Midnight," won three.

Picking up where TTLG left off, the physical copies of Festival also had something hidden. On the back of a select photocard (which could be of any member) would be a QR code which, when scanned, would lead to a website. Said website would be nothing but a black screen though, with text reading "10/31/20." Now this was definitely a date. One two years into the future, though. GGBs had to take to social media again, constantly speculating on what it could mean. However, since the "QR code photocards" were so rare, only a handful of people caught it, and they now sell for extremely high prices online.

Some of the stage outfits seen during the Festival era. A lot of black and white was utilized in the girls' styling, which was meant to serve as some sort of symbolism. The rumors that Kaleina was getting better outfits than the rest of the girls were still going, but clearly, none of them were actually true. Compilation videos with so-called "evidence" got millions of views, though.

At the end of the year, KRUSH was even more popular than they were during their debut. They nearly swept awards by the end of 2018, winning Best Female Artist, Song of the Year for "Venus," and Best Dance Performance (also for "Venus") at that year's MAMAs. They also won the Digital Song Bonsang for "Psycho" and the Album Bonsang for TTLG at the Golden Disc Awards, the Best Dance Award (Female) at the Melon Music Awards, and were even nominated for Album of the Year at the GDAs. Like with "CLASSY," Billboard listed both "Venus" and "Psycho" as one of their best K-pop songs of 2018, and they were even mentioned by the Recording Academy. But, like always, it was only up from here.

[bandhyukoh]

Hyunjae is credited for guitar and synthesizer as well as arrangement (with bongjeingan) in the OST by Chang Kiha for the film “I, the Executioner” (“베테랑2”). The OST is out now and the film will be released on September 13, 2024. (source)

[fcble]

달토끼 (literally MOON RABBIT, officially THE RABBIT ON THE MOON) is the first full album by FABLE YUHAENG, a subunit of fictional boy group FABLE. Released on September 23, 2024, it is the first of Fable's vaguely seasonal albums to be released on time with the corresponding holiday. Like the majority of their recent releases, most of the album's production was done by ANDREW. Unlike the majority of their recent releases, half the songs are trot songs.

The album's title track, 찐이야 (JJINIYA), was promoted for three weeks and received one music show win, much to everyone's surprise. The second half of the album contained solo tracks by each of the four members who made up the subunit: KIYOUNG, ANDREW, HAKSU, and BYEONGHWI. Haksu's solo song, PEACHES, was also a nominee for a possible music show win, in an even more surprising move.

TRACK LIST

001. 찐이야 (JJINIYA)

002. Weekend

003. 오늘 걷기엔 딱 좋겠다 (A Good Day to Walk)

004. 옆집오빠 (Boy Next Door)

005. 칼틔근 (Leave Work on Time) - Kiyoung

006. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL - Yejun

007. Peaches - Haksu

008. Do or Die - Byeonghwi

STYLING

ERA NOTES

Not a single yapper in this lineup. Which means any and all questions about why Mingeun and Intak weren't there and why this couldn't have been a full group comeback went unanswered. New kpop unsolved mystery just dropped.

At the album's showcase, Andrew made a vague, unscripted comment about something never happening again. Fans took this to mean the subunit, and their sales skyrocketed on the third and fourth days after release.

They hung up the hanboks for once. A few people cheered. The styling themes were "campus crush" and "bringing your boyfriend home for Chuseok to meet your parents for the first time."

The line distribution was still uneven, despite there only being four of them. It's Haksu's world, and the rest of us are just living in it.

They all made major contributions to the "best of fable live vocals" compilations. Haksu always has to sing over the backing track, so he was obnoxious as usual. The choreography was fairly simple and they did every performance with hand-held microphones. They're singers who sing!!

Each album came with half a deck of Fable-themed hwatu cards. Fans had to buy both versions of the album to complete the deck. They hosted a few events where they played Go-Stop with fans under the watchful eye of a metric fuckton of staff.

There was absolutely no mercy. Kiyoung was very good at the game and caused a few fans to leave the cafe in tears. He later apologized via social media. Haksu was extremely competitive, though he tried to tone it down. Andrew was extremely competitive, and he made no effort to hide it. Byeonghwi was the most casual player, and therefore the most popular.

Overall one of their more positive eras, despite the promoting Japanese culture controversy and the promoting gambling controversy.

[lvcky0ne]

Royal Flush is the 2nd full studio album by Lucky under Prismatic Entertainment. It was released on Oct 7, 2024, the group's 10th anniversary. The album features 10 tracks, including 4 solo songs, one for each member, BOOM! as the title track, and Stellar as a promoted b-side. It is available both physically and digitally.

Lucky promoted the album for a total of 6 weeks. BOOM! peaked at 6 on the Circle Chart and won 3 music show awards. Stellar exploded in popularity, rising to 1 on the Circle Chart and peaking at 12 on the Billboard Hot 200. Stellar won the group 6 music show awards.

｡:°ஐ i. the tracklist !

✧ . Take Off produced by HWI and Hiro

✧ . BOOM! ( title track ) produced by Angel, Hiro, and HWI

✧ . Stellar ( promoted b-side ) produced by Hiro, Han, and ROZE

✧ . Eat Ur Man ( sunnie solo ) produced by Sunnie and HWI

✧ . Lemonade ( angel solo ) produced by Angel

✧ . JAM ( hiro solo ) produced by Hiro and KOHH

✧ . Hot Hot ( han solo ) produced by Han

✧ . SourSweet produced by Kaori and Sunnie

✧ . Check Yourself produced by HWI and Angel

✧ . Atmosphere produced by Hiro and Sunnie

find Kaori at @sug4rsweet !!

｡:°ஐ ii. the styling !!

✧ . this era was heavily accentuated with lots of leather and chrome, blunt angles, and lots of layering and belts

✧ . lucky's stylist was quoted saying her biggest inspiration were pieces that would be found in a futuristic alien casino

✧ . hiro rocked a mid-length shaggy silver cut, han with grown out black locks, angel had an undercut bleach job, and sunnie kept her classic long black hair with blunt bangs

｡:°ஐ iii. the reception !!

｡:°ஐ iv. the highlights !!

✧ . as described by thousands of 4luvs online this era served many things, but most importantly: cunt

✧ . a perfect transition from brat summer, playing on a heavy edm sound that is rather new to the group

✧ . when asked about the more experimental songs on the album, sunnie said that with the creative control they're given, the group is always looking for ways to challenge themselves and push the bounds of typical kpop

✧ . lucky has always been known for pushing boundaries in the industry, and their second full album is no exception

✧ . while each member was dressed in relatively racy outfits, especially for BOOM! stages, one of hiro's Stellar outfits took the internet by storm, wearing a tight cut-out top that revealed some under-boob

✧ . it was a source of many arguments online in both 4luv and non-fan spaces, debating whether it was appropriate or even safe to be wearing while dancing on stage

✧ . hiro later posted a selfie in the top from a low angle on her instagram story writing "holding it down," some taking it as a taunt while many fans argue that she was simply assuring that the top was more secure than it seemed

✧ . in between music show appearances, members of the group would make appearances at clubs around seoul for mini performances including hiro and sunnie doing their own dj sets

✧ . these appearances sparked rumors that one or more members would be doing a set at nyc's infamous boiler room, but nothing ever came of it... yet !

✧ . these performances were never advertised, leading fans to do some serious digging and speculating on what clubs to visit on what weekends

✧ . it seems lucky has fully embraced their party reputation with this album, not unexpected by fans but still widely scrutinized by knetz

✧ . even han had something to say about it on live which surprised many 4luvs as he was usually the least outspoken member, saying "we're all adults. we have been for most of our career and we're not scared to shy away from it. we never have. i don't know why it's such a problem all of a sudden."

✧ . Stellar got much more popular than anticipated as a promoted b-side rather than a title track

✧ . the song was only supposed to promote for 2 weeks after BOOM!'s 3 week promotional period, but another week was added after its rise in popularity

✧ . hiro told W Korea that she thought Stellar should have been the title track, but she was outvoted by the production team and that a new remix of the song is in the works

✧ . when asked what songs on the album were their favorites, sunnie chose SourSweet, angel chose JAM, hiro chose Take Off, and han chose Stellar

✧ . kaori went live to give bonbons a sneak peak of her newest album when she was asked about working on SourSweet saying "it was great getting to produce a song for lucky and work with them a bit! i haven’t done much producing since touring and working on a new album back to back, so it was great to get back to it, especially with them! the song is amazing, i promise."

✧ . when asked what Lemonade is about in a q&a on his instagram story, angel answered in video form saying "so, basically, i'm telling the haters they can suck on this--" the video cut off before he could finish the sentence

✧ . overall, Royal Flush has taken its place among the competitors for lucky's most iconic era !

[venusvity]

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🍒✧˚.⋆ UR MY BABY! HELLO, I'M BAEBI!

cw: sexualization + controlling company

  JUNG YOONAH took on the stage name BAEBI in 2018 upon her debut with VENUS and the world was never the same.

Baebi would take the world by storm with her solo debut the same year Venus would debut, sparking much discussion among fans over favoritism, a debate that still rages today. But who cares about favoritism when the music is good? Bubble Pop! Would take the Kpop world by storm, becoming the song of the summer.

It peaked at number two on South Korea's Gaon Album Chart and charted atop the US Billboard World Albums. As of 2023, it has sold 560,000 copies in South Korea. 

Bubble Pop! 's commercial success was the main contributor to Angelico Entertainment's leading music sales. The song peaked at number one in South Korea, where it has sold over 2.5 million digital units. To accompany her solo release, Baebi held a series of small concerts called Baebi's Summer Splash. She was awarded Best Female Artist at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards and at the 2019 Golden Disk Awards.

Chart data is boring. Let's talk about something else.

Returning just a few months later with the mini album "Tell Me More" and a title track of the same name, fans grew slightly more concerned over Yoonah's concept as a soloist. According to her most dedicated fans, her sound and look were very mature, very sensual, and bordering on sexual, which didn't really match Yoonah's character.

No one would be shocked at the music and content Baebi would be releasing when looking at her creative team:

The Son Brothers, Jinhwa and Roan, would be the proud creative directors behind all of Baebi's solo work. Bubble Pop! would be Son Roan's, later turned CEO of Angelico after his brother departed from the label to become CEO of Mydol, Angelico's now parent company, first project in the Kpop realm.

"I like working with Baebi because she's something different than what you're used to seeing from the other idols out there. You can do things with Baebi you can't normally do with other idols and I find that very exciting." – Son Roan when asked about the Baebi brand in 2020.

2020 Baebi hit a career-high with her mini album "Glassdoor" and the lead single, Gashina. This song was everywhere, but even more to an extent, no Angelico artist had ever seen. Baebi was an international sensation. She'd go on a mini world tour as a soloist, the first and only Venus member to do so, promoting internationally, being the first soloist under Angelico to do so internationally.

A point of contention in Baebi's career is the botched release of her first full album, "Hello Baebi!" with the poorly promoted single, Hello. When Baebi was coming back, you knew about it, your friends knew about it, your mama knew about it, hell, even your grandma knew about it. For Hello Baebi? Not a peep. Even Baebi fans were confused when Ktown4u posted a pre-order poster for the album before Angelico even posted teasers. Which, mind you, she only got four photo teasers and a single video trailer for a full album.

When the comeback happened, promotions only lasted for two weeks, something unheard of for Baebi and the outfits? Fresh off the Forever21 rack. The stages? Bare. Nothing. The MV? Budget cut in half. Something wasn't right...Then when you looked at the album credits, neither of the Son brothers were anywhere to be seen. The entire album was made by Baebi herself, something she shared often on her Instagram or during the few interviews she did during this era.

Either way, Hello Baebi, her one cute era completely controlled by her, was deemed a flop and the Son brothers used that to their advantage, taking full creative control over Baebi's image again.

Which is where Touch came in.

Touch was noted for its overtly sexual music video, on-the-nose sexual lyrics, and latex outfits Baebi would promote in. The single, which was, of course, promoted ions better than Hello Baebi!, was phenomenally on the charts and in sales, "proving" that the mature concept is what people wanted from Baebi. At least, that's Jinhwa's belief.

Baebi's release after Touch would be a mini album titled "Stupid B—" with the promoted track TWIT. Fans that worried for Baebi would be soothed by this less sexual yet mature concept and the actual look of enjoyment on Yoonah's face when performing the song, something that seemed to be lacking when she was performing Touch.

After a year break from solo activities, Baebi would come back swinging in 2024 with her second full album, "Choke On It," and the title track LIPLOCKER, which was a hit, of course. Though the concept was leaning more toward sexual than mature, Baebi seemed more comfortable performing and actually had fun during this promotional period. She'd go on to say that LIPLOCKER was her favorite comeback since Hello Baebi!, which fans are hesitant to believe, but whatever makes her happy!

[d3caynluv]

BLOOD SOIL is the 2nd full album of the Angelico co-ed group Pushing Daises released on November 1st, 2023 alongside their short film by the same name. The album consists of 11 tracks with "Catch me" and "Frostbite" being the title tracks. The group promoted the album for two months, ending promotions with 750,000 copies sold worldwide and 8 music show trophies between the two songs.

The album is entirely self-composed, written, and produced by the members of Pushing Daisies, citing to have very little help from outside forces with this album. A majority of their creative direction for this comeback was under their leader, Zasha, who wrote and directed their short film as well.

TW: HORROR IMAGERY + FAKE BLOOD!

TRACK OO1. INTRO: HOMECOMING

TRACK OO2. ALWAYS FOREVER

TRACK OO3. LEAP OF FAITH

TRACK OO4. CATCH ME

TRACK OO5. ORIGINAL SIN

TRACK OO6. SIDE EFFECTS

TRACK OO7. FROSTBITE

TRACK OO8. GOLDEN AGE

TRACK OO9. TWIN HOTEL BEDS

TRACK O1O. ALL I DO IS RUN

TRACK O11. OUTRO: THIS IS THE END

Pushing Daisies were styled by Nakyung who drew inspiration from dollcore and the southern gothic aesthetic. Nakyung also did their hair and makeup, which were heavily influenced by dolls and horror movies.

OO1. Biggest moment for them this era was when the Blood Soil short film was aired at the Sundance Film Festivle. Blood Soil would go on to win "Short Film Grand Jury Prize" making them the first Angelico Artist to take home an American based film award. Their reaction to winning the award would go viral as all the members looked stunned and confused, looking around like a mistake had been made before going to accept their award.

OO2. They brought back their beloved reality series "BEYOND THE GRAVE" and ran for ten episodes. The members went on various adventures throughout the show's run such as getting locked in an escape room together, visiting famous haunted locations around the world, undergoing a test to discover if they have any supernatural abilities or sensitivities, gathering around a campfire or in a dimly lit room to share their own ghost stories or paranormal experiences, spending a night at a reputedly haunted hotel, watching their favorite horror movies together, and many more freaky adventures wherever Angelico decided to send the group.

OO3. The group kept their social media activeee during this era! Zasha went live on their YouTube channel where she went over her entire creative process behind Blood Soil and shared personal anecdotes and inspirations behind the lyrics of the album. She read excerpts from her personal diary during this live, showing drawings and sketches of the characters and outfits she envisioned for this project. It was very insightful and intimate experience for fans.

OO4. Nakyung and Elliot were the most promoted members, as usual, the pair becoming Inkigayo MCees which fans ate up. They would go viral for interacting with groups they used to be a part of or were almost a part of. A picture of Nakyung smiling brightly while Sena of Venus side eyes her was a big hit amongst Mysies who know how to take a joke unlike constellations, who didn't find it funny. While introducing STARZIE, Elliot would make a joke about almost being in the lineup, saying: "Here's the group I was rigged out of, Starzie!" And while the members were able to take the joke, Elliot would have to apologize to netizens on his Instagram story later that night.

OO5. That wasn't the only scandal that hit the group this comeback! Yeojun would be spotted leaving a club with Lunarix member Evie, causing a frenzy online and disputes between the group's fanbases. Angelico would swiftly release a statement but would avoid discussing the relationship status of the idols, only addressing that the club they went to was a reputable club and neither one of them engaged in "inappropriate activities". Still, both Yeojun and Evie would release apologies, stating they were close friends and were just hanging out. After this, Yeojun would be notably quiet for the rest of the promotions.

OO6. The group would get matching tattoos towards the end of the promotions, vlogging the whole experience and even sharing the design on their social media for fans to get the same design if they wanted to. The design was a simple daisy with a single falling petal. Many netizens saw this move as inappropriate as it "promoted getting tattoos" to their "young and impressional" fanbase. The group didn't address this stirr through Zasha would post a selfie with her tattoo on her story with the caption "get jobs" which many fans found hilarious.