#back when K-pop debuted losers I miss it

[hayacinthandlilies]

Let's talk about how wild exo was back in 2012-13. They were jumping from magicalgirls with powers to school boy heartthrob and don’t get me started on the hair and twilight.

[tinyarsonist]

Volume: Up

"I bet I can make you scream in Korean."

Summary: In which heart throb K-Pop Idol, Bangchan, just shows you how 'Christopher' he can really be.

MDNI 18+ Only

TW: idol!Chan, IdolTrainee!Y/N(fem!), drinking, piv, unprotected sex (wrap it up), smut in general, dirty talk, swearing, masturbation, dumification, nipple play (fem!), cum on stomach, PleasureDom!Chan, switch!reader (fem!), pull out, cum on stomach, let me know if I missed anything!

Italics are in Korean. Bold is in Spanish. Rest in English.

Volume Series: Part One | Part Two | ?

You were still in awe.

You started your career as an idol fairly late in the game, making you older than most. But, when you entered the world of K-pop, you knew this was what you were meant to do. You were already creating music since you were young, and how hard could it be?

Very.

There were days as a trainee when you felt like giving up. You left your friends and family back home to pursue your dream, and after years, you still felt like you were right back at the same spot you started. Never moving. Stagnant.

That's when you discovered Stray Kids. Watching their debut to where they are now. It motivated you.

Then, one day, your company announces that they want you to lead a team. They presented you with suitable candidates for your girl group, but something in you felt like something wasn't right. "Sorry," you apologize to your board. "But, if I may be so bold as to recruit my own members?"

You wanted a family. Craved friendship beyond just another gig. And, well, let's say it worked out very well for you.

This brings you to the present day--standing in DIV studio, surrounded by its members, to do an interview. Your group was just starting out and already doing well. You've posted a couple of dance practices and some ballad covers you performed as a group, tracking some major views across all social media. DIV wanted to be the first to be a part of the soon-to-be international hype.

"You ready?" Eric smiled at you as the crew set up your microphone. You nodded happily. The rest of your group couldn't make it due to schedule. It felt weird not having the rest of your girls around you, but knew this wasn't an opportunity you just passed up.

Time passes, and so far, the interview is going great. It was amazing being around like-minded people. And, it was also nice being able to curse and not have to worry about your 'imagine' among them. They were free to be who they wanted. They wanted to break the mold; conformity was not in their dictionary. It took a while to let your company agree to the interview in the first place, but this was the direction you wanted to take the group. To be yourself and just produce music.

"Okay, so next up is the heart rate challenge." Eric smiled. You were divided into teams; you and Eric vs. Peniel and BM. The winner would be dubbed by the lowest combined heart rate.

"You're going down!" BM teased as Peniel hyped him up in the back. You grin brightly.

"Considering you boys are literally jumping around before the monitor is even placed, I think it's safe to say we'll win."

"Oh okay, that's how it's gonna be??" Peniel laughed. "Then let's make a bet; the loser buys everyone barbeque!"

Eric and you agreed in a heartbeat. You were already craving galbi and rice. Peniel essentially just bought the dinner you were going to buy tonight anyway.

As the heart monitors are placed, you try your best to stay calm. You were an anxious person in general, but when push comes to shove, you always had a way of relaxing yourself.

Peniel and BM went first. Eric and you teased them relentlessly during their time duration of 5 minutes. Peniel started blushing during his time up when you started throwing winks and kisses his way. Their combined score was 250.

"That's not far!" Peniel groaned as the video crew asked for a short break to recalibrate their equipment. "She's too cute, like how does someone not get flustered?"

"It's all fun and games in love and war," you winked at him. Everyone laughed except Peniel, who just took out his phone and pouted. His fingers typed furiously on his keyboard. Once it was time to get the cameras rolling again, Peniel had a knowing smirk on his face. You couldn't help but wonder what he was concocting. You just knew he was plotting his revenge against you.

Eric went first. Despite the constant harassment Peniel and BM gave him, you couldn't help but laugh at their jabs. "You're supposed to be on my team!" Eric roared at you at his last 10 seconds on the clock. Despite everything, his heart rate totaled to 120. All you had to do was ignore the comments for a minute. You got this. You sat down in the middle of the floor and crossed your legs, getting in an almost meditative position. The rest followed. Then the buzzer started.

"So," Peniel started as soon as the timer started going. "You learned Korean by yourself, right?"

You shot him a distrusting glance. "Yes..."

Peniel and BM nodded their heads slowly. "Interesting"/"Yes, yes, very interesting." Eric shot you a glance. He could feel it, too. Based on how the two acted Eric's turn was completely different, they were calm. Too calm. They were up to something.

"One might say," Peniel feigned thoughtfulness by stroking his chin. "You had an interest in learning Korean before you even had thought of becoming a trainee."

Crap. He saw the clip.

Before your group days, you would do little lives here and there. Just want to document your early days and interact with anyone who wants to chat. During that time, you mentioned the real reason you learned Korean was to easily watch interviews without the need for subtitles. Then you casually mentioned how much of a fan you were for a certain boy group. Your fans, which was very little back then, took those clips and circulated them online. Which was fine. It gained some traction that you were a STAY and helped grow your platform. It was a bit embarrassing, essentially admitting that you only learned the language to watch their episodes and lives to get full context. But, hey, it also helped you get to where you are today.

Getting bullied by two idols so they don't have to pay for your dinner.

"Yes, Peniel. I learned Korean so I can watch Stray Kids' interviews live." You roll your eyes but keep track of where your monitor is. 95bpm. Not bad. So long as you stayed below 130, that galbi was yours.

Peniel and BM continued to stroke their chins. "Interesting"/"Yes, yes, very... Stray Kids fan. Very cool"

Peniel held up a finger before leaving the room. You looked around at the crew, confused. Eric laughed and peered after him; "Where is he going?"

His question was answered as Peniel stepped back into the room with a shorter figure behind him. You moved around to peer behind Peniel, and when you locked eyes with the guest, your heart rate shot up. 110bpm.

Eric and BM rose to give a small bow when Chan said his hellos. You stayed still in your place. Embarrassment immediately washed over you. But you took a deep breath in and out, 3 minutes until you can freak out. 3 minutes, and you can process every single emotion you are feeling.

Chan gave you a little wave, his dimples showing as he smiled. Ugh, he might as well shoot you in the heart right now.

"You're not gonna stand up?" Peniel teased. You immediately shook your head. As much as you wanted to say hi, dinner was calling your name. Seeing Chan in the flesh was amazing. But Galbi beat everything at this moment. BM smiled brightly and motioned for Chan to take a seat next to you. How sweet.

2 minutes. 115bpm.

You bowed your head slightly to say hello, still a bit too stunned to speak. Chan gave a small head bow back. "Sorry about this," he chuckled. You told him it was okay, but still unable to make eye contact. Despite that, you knew he looked incredible. He always did.

Focus! You tried to snap yourself out of it and took deep breaths. In and out. In and out.

"So... you learned Korean to watch us live? That's sweet," Chan felt awkward all of a sudden. When Peniel texted him, this wasn't what he expected to be doing during the interview. "How many languages do you know?"

You close your eyes and focus back on the game. Here you were making casual conversation, while 3 other idols were jabbing at you, trying to get your heart rate back up. "Four; English, Korean, Japanese, and Spanish."

"Holy crap, how is it going down?!" Eric looked at the monitor and backed up at you. You kept your eyes closed, trying to maintain a steady rhythm. Everyone but Chan was losing their shit.

You could hear BM jump to his feet. The impending doom of a very large bill drove his heart rate up. "Chan, do something!" He exclaimed in Korean. Chan giggled next to you; "What? What do I do?"

"Hit on her!" Peniel got up as well. All attention is now on Chan. Eric stood up and pointed at the two competitors; "Hey! Hey! You leave her alone!"

You couldn't help but chuckle; "I was subscribed to his bubble. I was in the trenches with the rest of STAY. There's nothing he can say that I haven't heard."

Chan clicked his teeth with his tongue. His eyes narrowed. A challenge. He looked at you, with your eyes still closed, before casting his gaze over at Eric. "Anyway, we can mute our mics for a sec?"

Your eyes shot open.

1 minute. 120bpm.

BM ran over to mute your mic. As soon as he backed up, Chan leaned in close to your ear. His breath tickled your cheek, and you had to close your eyes again. 125 bpm. 30 seconds.

"I bet I can make you scream in Korean."

Chan wasn't expecting you to turn your head so quickly towards him. The way your face flushed. Your eyes wide. Everything about you was making his heart race. You locked eyes with him and felt like you couldn't breathe. This was it. That free galbi was gone.

The buzzer went off.

Everyone turned to the monitor.

129bpm.

You shot up from your seat and hugged Eric. Peniel and BM groaned at their loss. Chan laughed as he watched the two of you jumping around, singing about free barbeque.

He took a moment to sneak a look at you, his gaze traveling up and down. The way your hair bounced with you and how your outfit was snuggling your curves just right. He stood up as Eric said their sign-off. Once the cameras were shut off, the teasing started between the four. Peniel placed his arm around the younger idol and pulled him in a side hug. "It's okay," he reassured Chan. "It's not entirely your fault. A good majority of it. But, not fully."

Chan laughed and rolled his eyes. Everyone came up to thank him for coming over. That's when he locked eyes with you again, giving him a bright smile.

You gave the bow you weren't able to give before, formally introducing yourself. You all talked for a bit until you felt your hunger start to spike up; "Okay, so when are we getting dinner?"

The group settled for a time later tonight so everyone could get ready. BM invites Chan to tag along.

"No no," Chan shook his head, not wanting to impose. Peniel tickled his stomach as the rest of the group tried to get him to agree. You couldn't help but chime in. Part of you being selfish and wanting to spend more time with him and also wanting to get a jab in at Peniel and BM; "Come on, it'll be fun. And free!"

Chan looked at you. It was subtle, but his cheeks turned a bit red. "Y-yea, okay."

Chan made his way back to his dorm. The rest of the members who share the space are away on their own schedules. It was rare for Chan to spend the night alone.

He groaned as he plopped on the couch. He was still a bit jet lagged from flying from NYC back home. Laying his head on the back of the couch, he tried to take a nap before having to get ready to head out for dinner with you and the rest of the group.

You.

His mind was restless, and for some reason, they kept fluttering back to you. No matter how much he tried to push them out, he couldn't stop thinking about your big doe eyes. The way your breath hitched as he leaned in. The perfume you were wearing.

Was it Channel? Gucci? Whatever it was, it was flowery like a spring day. He could still smell it on his clothes oh so slightly.

Biting his lower lip, he got up from his seat and headed to the shower. The warm water was welcoming as he tried to clear his head. Unfortunately, it seemed there was only one thing to rid him of these thoughts.

The amount of guilt he felt once he stroked his cock to the thought of you was soon discarded as his mind wandered even more.

What were you like? Did you relinquish control or demand it? Were your lips as soft as he can imagine? Your mouth--oh God. How would it feel to have it wrapped around him? Were you a moaner? A screamer? Could he scramble your brain so much that you scream for him in Korean? Would you come in multiple languages?

He sped up his pace even faster. Water cascaded down his back as he faced the tile bathroom wall. One hand on the structure to ground him as he lost himself at the thought of you. He leaned his head back as he felt himself building and building. The warm water was a comforting feeling on his scalp.

The way he would take you as soon as you entered the dorm. No words, just a clash of flesh as he stripped you of your clothes and bent you over the couch. He wouldn't waste any time and would just thrust into your--oh God. How would you feel around his dick? How tight--

He muffled a moan as he came on his hand. The shower washed away any evidence of his inappropriate thoughts of you. He panted heavily and stood under the water for a couple of moments, pleasure rippling through him soon to be replaced with an abundant amount of guilt for getting off to someone he barely knew.

Maybe that was the thrill of it. Maybe the thought of having someone who didn't know his ups and downs is what did it for him.

Chan didn't have time to dwell on the thought as the time to meet up was fast approaching. And he hated to admit, but the thought of seeing you made his now softening cock twitch.

By the time Chan arrived at the restaurant, platters and drinks were spread across the shared table. BM and Peniel bought out a room so they could enjoy their meal without prying eyes. Chan could hear them hollering in the room before he even opened the door. His ears rang as they all loudly greeted him.

"Look who finally made it!" Peniel laughed as Chan took a seat across from them. Eric and BM were putting meat on the grill as they said their greetings. Chan couldn't help but scan the room, taking note that you weren't there. He tried to play it cool as he asked if you were running late.

"She texted us saying there was something she needed to finish up at home," BM answered him. Eric couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows at Chan.

"Why? Scared she might not come?"

"No, no." Chan chuckled awkwardly while looking off to the side. "Was just wondering, is all."

The boys all made cooing noises. A flush of embarrassment washed over Chan at their teasing. Peniel smirked; "Wouldn't blame you, she's gorgeous!"

Chan poured himself a shot of soju, trying his best to drown out their teasing and take the stress away. The three men quit their teasing and talked about mundane things; schedules, new music coming out, and how big the bags under Chan's eyes were.

"I just flew back from New York!"

"Doesn't matter! Ever heard of eye cream!"

They were laughing at one another by the time you entered the room. Everyone stood up to greet you with a bow, and you bowed back. Gesturing for them to take their seats again. "Sounds like a party in here," you smiled as you took a seat next to Chan. He took note of how you wore your hair up in a messy bun, showing off your silver necklace. That flowery smell radiated off of you, and he had to lean a bit to the side so it didn't flood his senses in all the right ways.

"Is that soju or vodka?" You spot a filled shot glass from across the table. "Actually, it doesn't matter. Hand me it."

Chan watched you down the shot with a smile and motioned for Eric to pour you another one. "Hard day?"

The second shot went down a bit smoother and you gave him a grin. "You can say that."

He didn't need to know that the line he whispered in your ear had stressed you out to your core. It was possibly the hottest thing any man has ever said to you. It was all you could think about by the time you reached your dorm. His voice echoed in the back of your mind causing your body to feel hot.

He didn't need to know the real reason why you were late to dinner.

That you were squirming on your bed, rubbing yourself furiously between your legs. Trying to get all the tension out of your body before having to see him again.

And now you were sitting next to him. The man responsible for one of the best solo sessions in your life.

"I mean, I did have to spend half the day with these three." You gestured to the rest of the group who just booed at you. Eric rolled up a napkin and threw it your way, causing you to laugh.

As you and the group ate and drank, the room was beginning to get louder and louder. It wasn't long until everyone became tipsy.

You just finished cooking up your Galbi and offered it to the rest of the group who everyone, except Chan, declined. You used the tongs to bring it over to his plate before attempting to cut it. "Damn things," you huffed under your breath. The scissors were dull and worn out. Trying to cut through the meat was as effective as slicing a rib-eye with a spoon.

"Here," Chan grabbed the tongs and scissors from your hand. Despite the very brief time that his fingers brushed yours, you couldn't help but blush a bit as he gave you your half. You didn't have time to feel embarrassed as you caught Eric eyeing the two of you. He had his fingers interlaced and resting his head on them.

"You two look cute together~"

"Shut up," you mumble and grab some kimchi to add to your plate.

Chan sat quietly next to you. He plopped some food in his mouth, the best excuse he had to not comment. BM chuckled before pouring another round of drinks. "What did you say to her anyway? Peniel was screaming so loud I couldn't even hear it."

The two of you were sitting so close to one another, that you could feel Chan stiffen next to you. No doubt, wanting to avoid another round of ridicule from his colleagues.

"Awe, jealous he wasn't whispering in your ear instead?"

That snarky reply was all it took for the other two boys to holler and tease the living crap out of him. As the night progressed, soon talk of continuing the party commenced. Chan mentioned he had a free dorm tonight.

"You in?"  Eric asked you. You looked up from your plate of Galbi and rice. You were so distracted by your plate that you didn't realize they were all waiting for your answer. You hesitated. You obviously had this attraction to Chan since the interview. Hell since even before you became a trainee. The frustration of him being so near, mixed with alcohol, might just be the equation for something disastrous.

Chan bit his lower lip while sneaking a glance at you. He knew it was stupid to invite everyone over. To invite you over. He was already feeling the effects of drinking so much, trying to keep pace with everyone. What if he slipped up? Did something that made you hate him?

But then a wonderful thought popped into his mind: What if something amazing happened?

"It'll be fun," Chan gave you his shy grin. Your heart raced as you two locked eyes. How could you say no to that face?

"You got this," you whispered to yourself as you stood in front of Chan's door. It wasn't every day you're invited to a celebrity's apartment. Especially one that you've imagined in bed with when you're stressed out after work. Everyone left in their own taxi after dinner, planning to meet up at Chan's. You stayed a bit behind to make some phone calls to your family overseas, promising that you would be there soon. "Totally normal get-together. Nothing to worry about."

After a couple of seconds, you gather enough courage to knock on the door. A moment or two the door swings open and Chan stands there. God, he looked great with his messy hair, black tee, and joggers. Giving him that ready-for-bed look--

"Wait, were you asleep?"

Chan's face turned red. He was in bed. But he definitely wasn't sleeping.

"They didn't text you? They got a call on the way over, their schedule moved up earlier in the morning so they headed back home."

Oh.

You pull out your phone and groan. "Batteries dead." You just had to make those calls? You knew your mom could talk your ear off.

"Sorry," you put the phone back in your pocket. Taking a step back, you start to head out. "Have a good night."

"Wait!" He couldn't just let you leave. It could be from all the alcohol, but watching you saunter away felt wrong. He wanted you near him. To stay. "It's late... You can charge your phone and call a cab here if you want."

You didn't fight it. You know you should've. Chan was right, it was late. The responsible thing to do would be to go home. But that didn't stop you from sitting on his couch waiting for your phone to charge enough to call your ride. The two of you scrolled through YouTube on his TV, chatting about anything that came to mind as you both sipped on some mixed drinks Chan concocted when you first entered the apartment.

It was weird. Without the others, conversation flowed almost naturally between you two.

"You mean to tell me, you've never watched any of your own fan cams?!" You exclaimed. Chan shook his head and laughed shyly.

"No, it felt weird watching close-ups of myself if that makes sense?"

"You really should, they always look phenomenal!"

You grabbed the remote to scroll through the recommended videos to watch. Chan took the opportunity took look you over for the umpteenth time tonight. Here he was just in joggers and an oversized shirt while you sported a cute long-sleeved crop top and tight jeans. He had to grab the pillow next to him to cover up the bulge he was sporting.

You settled on a music video by RenMakesMusic.  The strum of the guitar had Chan bobbing his head along to the beat. The lyrics were a bit dark but meaningful. "This is good," Chan mused. "Turn it up a bit."

You gladly obliged with a smile, pressing the remote's volume button so his subwoofers would have to do some heavy lifting. Music filled the apartment as the two of you watched the video. You didn't realize it initially, but your shoulder pressed against his. You slowly shifted to your right, to create distance not trying to give him the wrong impression, but were surprised when he leaned back into you. It was comforting.

It was right.

"Everything okay?"

Chan's question broke through your mind wandering. You felt your cheeks heat up a bit. "Y-yea, um. Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, to the right."

Chan watched as you made your way to the guest bathroom. He couldn't help but keep his eyes on your backside. Once you disappeared, he leaned further back into the couch and groaned.

What was he doing? Letting you in this late, checking you out when you weren't looking, trying to get any physical contact no matter how little it was. It was stress, it had to be. His schedule has been so hectic lately his body was trying to find relief since his mind was almost running amock. Chan was so lost in thought that he let YouTube play on in the background. Not paying much attention to what was playing.

When you exited the bathroom, you were greeted with bongos and macarenas bouncing through the dorm. Peaking around the corner you spotted Chan leaning against the couch. He had his head back against the rest, his eyes closed. But despite his worn-down posture, he was still tapping his foot to the beat. "Aw, come on--you call that dancing?"

Your voice brought back his focus. His side smile gave you butterflies and you couldn't help but wear your own when he quipped; "Like you know how to dance to this?"

"Alright, Christopher. Get up." You grabbed the remote next to him and turned up the stereo even more. Hopefully, anyone living above or below the apartment wouldn't be able to hear how the bass shook the walls.

His grin widened at the name change. Almost nobody called him that anymore. There was a fine line between 'Chan' and 'Christopher', one that you seemed to be willing to cross.

What else were you willing to do?

Your hand was extended to him as you stood above him from his seat. The gleam in your eye was bright, almost playful. There was this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Bubbly and light. How the light casts around your silhouette made him realize why he felt the way he did when his eyes locked on you.

You were a goddess.

"You just gonna sit there? Come on, get up."

He didn't know what you said, but by the way, you grabbed onto his hand and pulled him from his seat, he knew he was in no position to argue.

You were a tough dance instructor. You corrected almost every misstep in Spanish. He couldn't comprehend your scolding, but he'll be damned to admit that at this point, he was doing it on purpose. There was something incredibly hot about being reprimanded in an unknown language.

"Dear all that is mighty," you sighed. "You're too stiff, loosen up a bit. Here, why don't you take the lead instead."

That caused his brain to malfunction a bit. He stuttered like a middle school kid being asked to dance for the first time. Without waiting for a reply, you grab his hands in yours and guide them on your body.  His hold on your waist was firm, but not too tough. He didn't want to scare you away. Not when he was so close to you he could smell your shampoo. Especially, not when you wrapped your arms around his neck and those eyes of yours were peering into his soul as you two stepped to the fast beat.

"Feel how my hips are moving?"

Oh, you bet he does.

Pushing those thoughts away, Chan tried to mimic your movement. "That's better!" You praised it, and it took everything in him not to press his body flush against yours right at that moment. He hated to admit it, but as the next song played, something with a slower tempo, every step you took with him around the living room, he somehow magically ended up closer to you.

This is the part where both of you could blame the alcohol.

You both were too inebriated to notice the fact that your phone was fully charged, that your fingers started to play with the bottom of his hair, or the fact that your faces were so close together. Chan's forehead rested on yours as the playlist finally died down to a softer ballad. YouTube ironically telling you two to slow down. But neither showing signs of listening.

"We...are going down a path you might regret." Chan closed his eyes to help steady his breathing. How were you able to do this earlier today? He felt like his heart was going to combust on the spot.

"That I might regret?" You whispered. Being this close to him felt surreal. You were sure you were about to wake up in your bed feeling very frustrated. "You won't?"

The feel of the pressure of your body was draining all his excitement from his chest to his dick. Another form of pressure was beginning to press against his underwear. A flood of penance sprung as quickly as his blood flowed to his quickening erection. "We just barely met. We don't know each other."

You pull away slightly so you can look up at him.

"Then, get to know me."

Chan knew this wasn't what you meant. But, it was too late to turn back now.

You were half-naked, a trail of clothes leading to his room.

For every question he asked, an article of your outfit was essentially ripped off you. Every question you answered, you returned the favor.

"Favorite food?" Whoops, there goes that necklace.

"Beef jerky with sticky rice." Goodbye, Chan's shirt!

He kissed you deeply and backed you up towards his bed. A brief pause as you fell into the soft cushions and he stared down at you. Your lips were puffy, chest rising and falling as you were trying to catch your breath. As much as he reveled in the thought of you being a goddess, there was something about bringing down a higher power that made him absolutely feral. Breaking you down bit by bit with every question. 

He climbed on the bed to hover over you, that stupid side smile making another appearance for the night. "That's not exactly a 'food', more of a meal."

"Sorry if I'm--ah. A bit distracted." You close your eyes as he attaches his lips right below your ear. Sucking on your soft skin, not hard enough to leave bruising, but a temporary mark just for his eyes. 

Biting your lower lip, you happily extended your neck a bit to give him more access. Mind all fuzzy and unable to think as he littered your neck with small kisses. Chan gripped your thigh and pulled it up a bit, lifting your hips just enough to hold you close to his pelvis,  kneading your thighs through your tights.

"Need you to focus." He nipped softly at your skin. "How else am I going to learn everything about you?

"Favorite position?" His fingers went under the hem of your tights and helped you shed the last outer part of your outfit. Once it was thrown somewhere across his room, you wrapped the leg he was holding up around his back and used what momentum you could gather to push his back on the bed. His hands instinctively grabbed onto your hips as you straddled him.

Your lips were soft and gentle as you leaned in for a kiss, the complete opposite of the intensity shared just moments before. "Don't care, so long as I'm full."

Chan wasted no time by stripping himself of his joggers and boxers on your behalf. Stifling a moan as best as he could once he felt your clothed core perfectly placed on his growing erection.  Guiding your hips to grind against him, he grinned as you threw your head back and sighed in content. Chan rocked his hips perfectly to the rhythm he set against you, providing the much-needed friction you craved.

You were starting to think he was tanking at dancing salsa on purpose.

"Anything off limits?" You couldn't even register that his hands snuck up to undo your bra clasp. He took a second to appreciate the view. Chan couldn’t stop himself from using his forearms to prop himself up to latch onto one of your nipples. Licking and sucking at anything he could grab. The mewls coming from your mouth sounded like a song he never wanted to end. Your hand caressed the back of his head, pressing him closer. 

“Just--mmm. Just don’t stop even if I say so.”

Leaving your breast with a wet ‘plop’, he stared up at you. You could see the usual gleam in his eyes disappear. They became dark, almost predatory. Chan lifted you off so he could be above you again. He traced your skin from the collarbone down to the hem of your underwear. You arched your back at his touch; “Luckily for you--I like begging.”

Your breath hitched. Surely, he could see the wet stain on your underwear by now.

“Any safe words then?”

Last question.

Chan finger slipped underneath the cloth and played with your folds. The way you squirmed underneath him made him want to ruin you more. The chuckle he let out when you tried to squeeze your thighs together made you feel warm all the way down to your core. Chan was quick to use his body to keep you nice and spread. All for him.

“L-lemon…”

“Sorry, couldn’t hear you.” Chan slipped the tip of his middle finger in you. “Could you speak up a bit?”

“Pendej--mmmphhh” You couldn’t finish your quip. Chan pushed in further until he was knuckle-deep. His lips hovered over yours as he slowly worked in and out of you. You kept arching and writhing as he continued his ministrations, mouth wide open as you let out silent moans.

“Ah, ah--I wanna hear you.” Once he added in a second finger, you couldn't contain yourself. Moans were spilling out of you like a pornstar. Even when he kissed you, there was nothing to stop the volume you were outputting. “Good job, baby.”

“Oh?” He chuckled as he felt your walls clamp down on him. “Did you like that?”

You couldn't speak as he kept pressing into you, wiggling his fingers against your walls. “C-chan…please…”

“Sorry, what was that?” He teased as he kissed around your collarbone.

“Chan…”

The bastard kept pretending not to hear you. As if he couldn't feel you practically leaking around his fingers and clenching around him like there was no tomorrow. 

You finally had enough.

Grabbing ahold of his face with one hand, you forced him to look at you. His cheeks smashed between your fingers. “Christopher, I swear to God--if you don't fuck me right now I'm taking over.”

Ah, so you did like to be in charge.

With a grin, he gladly ripped off your panties. He pulled away just a bit, taking in your appearance. Wanting to embed it into his brain for any future sessions he might have with himself later on.

He knew he should've grabbed a condom, but the alcohol was still flowing through him and he couldn’t stop himself as he slowly pushed into you. You tried finding words; how big he felt, how full he made you, but all that could come out were whimpers as he groaned and leaned in for another kiss to ease any pain you felt.

The two of you grind against one another. Chan never fully pulled out, keeping himself nice and snug in your warmth. Stretching you out, oh so sweetly.

Chan wasted no time in picking up his thrust as you tapped his shoulder, indicating that he was okay to move. You squeaked as he hooked your knees on his shoulders and leaned down to essentially bend you in half. He was hitting a spot you never felt before; not with previous boyfriends and definitely not with your own toys at home.

“So fucking tight…” Chan hissed as his pace sped up to the point he was jackhammering into you. His lips found their way back to your neck and kept mumbling about how you felt around him. So tight, so warm, just right. His teeth nipped your ear lobe, desperate to grab onto something but knowing he couldn’t mark you up too much. “Is this good, baby? Need it harder, faster?”

When you didn’t respond to him, he slowed down a bit and leaned back to stare down at you. His cock twitched when he realized what was happening.

You laid on the bed; eyes glazed over, mouth wide open, cheeks completely flushed. You knew he was asking you a question in Korean, but the words weren’t forming in your head like they usually do. “Aw,” Chan laughed. “Does it feel that good that you forgot Korean?”

Chan let up on the pressure so his hand can snake its way to your lips. You instantly latch on to his fingers and suck. Your tongue brushes around his tips, tasting the leftover residue of yourself from earlier. Your knees unhook from his shoulder and fall on either side of his waist. A whimper leaves you as he removes his fingers from your mouth and travels down to rub your clit. Still keeping his thrust with his brutal pace.

“Ahhh…wait…” You squirmed and your hand went to grab his wrist. Chan noticed how you didn’t pull his hand away despite your pleas. “Chan, p-please--too much.”

He kept using your body. Chan could feel you clamping down around his length. “Sorry,” he breathed out as he felt the pressure in his balls rising. “You’re just, hmmmph, too perfect.”

That’s what did it for you. The fact that he listened to what you mentioned earlier, and his talk. The crash of pleasure that overcame you was intense. Chan shuddered as he felt your wave around him. “Fuck, fuck fuck,” you came with a cry. Your arms wrapped around his neck, trying to ground yourself in any way that you could. You were loud. Nothing could stop the curses that flowed out of you as you held him close against you. Chan wasn’t far behind; “Oh, I-I’m gonna--”

He pulled out and stroked his cock rapidly around his head, painting your stomach with his warm cum. Of all the art museums he visited around the world--this was by far his favorite piece of work.

The room was filled with both of your heavy pants as he laid in your arms. Once he was able to catch his breath, Chan pulled away from your embrace placing the gentlest kiss on your lips. Humming as you kissed him back. He tried to get up, but you were quick to stop him.

“Don’t go…” You pouted. Part of you knew this would be a one-time thing, but another part never wanted this to end. Chan smiled down at you and gave your cheek a quick peck.

“I’m just grabbing a towel to clean you off.”

As he walked off to the bathroom you stared down at the mess on your abdomen. The remnants of the best sex of your life were starting to cake on your skin. It took everything in you to not scoop some up and taste him in your mouth. When Chan returned with a wet cloth, he cleaned you up before plopping onto the bed beside you.

Once you caught your breath, reality set in.

Here you were, all fucked out with a colleague in the same industry. Everything told you to leave. It wasn’t like the two of you were in a relationship. It was a rash decision based on a lot of alcohol and dancing. You started to get up, but Chan was quick to wrap his hand in yours.

“You…you don’t have to go…” Chan shifted to lay on his side and stared down to not meet your eyes. Acting all shy as if he didn’t fuck the lights out of you just moments before. Your heart melted at the sight.

Slinking back into bed, his arms wrapped around you and pulled you into his chest. His cheek pressed against the top of your forehead. You could feel his heartbeat against you and closed your eyes.

“You know,” you sighed. “This was something I definitely didn’t regret.”

“Me ‘neither.”

As the morning rolled around you woke up to Chan still wrapped around you. His soft snores made you smile. There was something surreal about seeing him so at peace that made your heart flutter. Placing a small kiss on his cheek, Chan shifted slightly and groaned as he stretched a bit.

“Mornin’,” He grumbled but held a smile as soon as his eyes landed on you. Chan wasted no time in pulling you into a kiss. His hands sneaking towards your ass to knead your flesh. His excitement is present against your thigh.

"Somebody's eager," You giggle as he pressed closer to you. Chan smirked as he gently rubbed his morning wood against you.

"You can say that."

"Unfortunately--"

Chan grumbled and hid his face in the crook of your neck. "No, don't say that."

"I was just going to say, that I need some water first." It was true. After all the drinks last night, your head was pounding like never before.

"Okay," Chan smiled and got up from bed to put a pair of boxers on. "Stay put, I'll grab you something to eat too."

Minutes passed as you waited in bed. Surprise overtook you as you heard a pan sizzling and the welcoming smell of home-cooking started to flood the dorm. Dawning one of his shirts, you made your way to the kitchen. Chan's back was to you as he manned the stove. You could see how his back rippled with every movement he made.

You couldn't see it, but a smile crept on Chan's face as he felt you wrap your arms around his midriff. "I thought I told you to stay put?"

"I'm not one for taking orders." You laugh as you hook your chin on his shoulder to peer over him. "Besides," Chan stiffened a bit as he felt your lips hover over his ear. "There's something sexy about a man cooking."

"Oh?" He quickly turned off the stove and turned around to face you. Your arms wrap around his neck as he leaned down closer to your face. "And what about your water?"

It was a frenzy of passion as your lips locked with his yet again. Both of you eager to relive last night in the light of sobriety. "Water can wait," you whisper in between kisses.

Chan easily lifted you, placing you on an open counter. Your legs spread to allow him access to be closer to you. The both of you started to mold into one another as the intensity grows. "I should cook for you more often," He grins as he breaks away from the kiss to catch his breath. He lifted his shirt on you slightly so your cunt was exposed.

"Promise?" You teased as he lowered himself down slightly to bring his lips level to your core. Chan enjoyed the way your head leaned back slightly as you felt his hot breath against you.

"Promise."

The both of you were so entranced with what was about to happen, that you didn't hear the door opening. Only the shrilly scream that bounced around the dorm broke you two apart.

You instantly jumped down from the counter as Chan stood upright, finding protection from behind him. Chan tried using his body to shield your half-naked body from the view of a very frightened Felix.

Not that he really needed too.

The younger member held both hands over his eyes. Groceries bags around him, spilling its contents around the floor.

"Felix?" Chan stuttered as he grabbed a kitchen rag to cover up his erection. "W-what are you doing here?"

Chan gestured for you to run back to the room as Felix was still covering his eyes. You had no hesitation, wanting to escape from the embarrassment. AKA your own personal hell.

"I didn't want you eating alone... I was gonna make breakfast."

Author's Note: Here it is! Please let me know what you think. I'm also open to requests, I really want to get back into writing and interacting more on here. If you'd like to be added to my taglist please interact with this post (linked). Bye~

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[musiciscatharsis]

Bon Voyage S2 E6 Highlights

Friendship teams: Yoongi and Taehyung Jimin, Jungkook, and Seokjin 94 line

International sensational pop K sunshine rainbow traditional transfer USB hub shrimp, BTS - Yoongi

Everyone, my nickname isn't manggae tteok (small but plump rice cake) for no reason. I can't open my mouth well but I can put much inside. I can store food in both cheeks and can transfer food from one cheek to another. I'm not manggae tteok for no reason. - Jimin

We can call ourselves BTS when we eat this much - Jimin

We're in Waikiki Taehyung. Look here (at the map). Where do you want to go? I'm going to give you my day. - Yoongi

Our friendship is the souvenir - Jin

While talking about dad jokes: Jin: I know a lot of dad jokes JK: There's one about wood. Jin: Wood JK: Don't say the joke about getting wood

Hobi and Namjoon drawing: J-Hope  * R-M in the sand. (The * is a star)

JK and Jimin telling Jin he doesn't know how to read a map and Jin sulking by standing still while the two kids walk away. JK: Shouldn't we wait for him? Jin: "walking closer* Our friendship ends here. Our friendship trip is over. Jimin: Oh come on *trying to grab Jin's hand* Jin: *avoids Jimin's hand* Our friendship ends here. Jimin: *succeeds in grabbing Jin's hand* Don't say that. Let's go

Jin finding Hawaii's famous cookies and going in the store. Jimin telling them to buy the cookies later because they're $11. As they go out of the store a fan asks for a picture and Jin saying Important business. JK: Finally he said it on Bon Voyage. "Important business." Jin: *proud* I said "Important Business" for the first time. JK: Finally Jimin: Good job you guys

Hobi and Namjoon walking down the street: Hobi: It feels different walking aroun with you like this NJ: Hope! Why don't you want to drink beer with me? Hobi: Beer? NJ: Yes Hobi: That's okay. Be more aggressive. NJ: Jin made us feel awkward. *they hold hands* Hobi: I know NJ: Right? Hobi: Should we hold hands? *Namjoon let's go* *The caption says they realized they are doing the wrong thing* NJ: This is wrong. This is probably the worst picture Hobi laughs NJ: Let me give you a piggy-back ride *chuckles* *the caption says "it's getting worse"* *the BG music is Boy in Love*

Yoongi and Taehyung looking for friendship souvenirs. They find $1 flowery girl bracelets. TH: Hyung how about wearing this sweet looking bracelet *Yoongi puts it on his wrist while Taehyung watches with a smile* TH: *picks up one for himself* I'll wear this one YG: We can't take it off until we leave Hawaii *Yoongi takes his off and wonders if there's another color. The one he initially wore was green. Tells Taehyung to pick one for him" YG: You can't take it off until you arrive in Incheon. TH: Okay okay. Hyung you too. YG: Okay. You pick one for me. *Taehyung picks him a red and white one. The flowers are white. The surroundings beads are red. Yoongi picks one for Taehyung. The flowers are green while the surrounding is white*

The bracelets look like this but the ones YG and TH have have more surrounding beads (the black) making them thicker. Cr: craft ideas for U @YT

YG: How about necklaces? TH: We can't take these off until we get to Korea? *chuckling while referring to the necklaces* *The captions says "The shackle for their friendship..* *The necklaces are the ones you see them wearing in airpot pictures when they arrive back in Incheon*

AN: Yoongi seems like the type to like couple-y stuff? So cute.

Jin and Jungkook doing their handshake Jin: You're childish JK: I played along for you JM in the BG: Ah, really JK and Jin blame each other for being silly. Saying they weren't like that before until the other did it.

AN: In the Yoongi-Taehyung pairing, it's Yoongi who talks a lot while Taehyung just answers him from time to time. They don't seem awkward at all.

NJ: Jin hyung is calling me. Someone I don't want to talk to Jin: *happily* Namjoon-ah NJ: Hello Jin: Namjoon-ah. What was the name of the cold noodle place? NJ: If I tell you, what will you do for me? Jin: OUr bromance will deepen NJ: I don't really want that to happen but I will tell you regardless. Yucheon Korean Restaurant Jin: wohfobfaiutuwqgi Hobi: Just hang up NJ: Yucheon Korean Restaurant Jin: I love you Hobi: Okay NJ: *Hangs up while doing the JK head tilt thingy*

Team 94 line and 95 line minus V + Jin meet in front of the restaurant after the call.

Team 94 line won the ping pong challenge so they have the most money. They do a "money" dance and NJ says: wonhae manhi money yap!

Jin is so funny seriously. They're talking about friendship souvenirs and he's telling Chim and Kook to just get $1 for each of them and save that and not spend it. It will be their lucky charm. JM: What if I spend that $1? Jin: That's when our friendship shatters. Our friendship already shattered earlier today. *Jimin and Jin do a high-five. Jin hurts his fingers because of Jimin's rings* Jin: It shattered again *their friendship*

94 line having a serious convo while the trio are bickering behind their back. They have separate tables because it is a frienship trip   Hobi: I seriously envy you NJ: I envy you *embarassed laugh* Hobi: Why would you envy me? NJ: You're the most professional member in our team. You're stable. I think that's the quality an entertainer should have. It's all good. Yoongi always says "Let's have the rap line concert" as a joke. *AN: YES PLEASE* We can't do it right away since I don't have enough songs. I've got only a few. And I wrote only one song in the U.S. I always find it hard to connect the verse and the hook when I first make the beat. in that sense Yoongi hyung is great. When I listen to "Dead Leaves" and "Tomorrow" *AN: Suga genius confirmed* Hobi: Right NJ: I have deep respect for him as he's written many of our songs

Meanwhile, Chim, Kook, and Jin team are just looking at the memos on the wall.

The Yoongi Taehyung team are eating cold noodles at a different restaurant and are getting emotional at being able to eat Korean food again. Taehyung is even fake crying. They are only sharing one bowl because they don't have much money. TH: *gives YG the egg yolk in the soup* YG: Are you taking care of me? TH: You can have the yolk. YG: How did you know I mix egg yolk with the soup *Caption says "An egg yolk solidified their friendship* YG: *singing* No matter how hard I try, I think of you

AN: Yes Taegi sail!

Meanwhile..the 94 line ordered beef and Chim, Kook, and Jin are bowing to them and begging for meat. *Caption says "Hobi drives 3 beggars away*"

*4 o'clock starts playing" NJ: I heard people say "Taehyung and Jimin look really close but as for Hoseok and Namjoon, the one is in charge of dancce, the other rap" They then talk about their friendship and how they help each other through slumps and how Namjoon feels that Hobi addresses things he misses as a leader. And then *AN: it breaks my heart* Namjoon says he is only there for publicity.

Making a debut is hard, but even after that, it doesn't get any easier. - Seokjin

Seokjin calls their team JJJ.

As they're leaving the resto: Jimin: You don't leave anything right? Jin: My heart towards you? Jimin: You can leave that

Taegi playing a game to go down the stairs. The winner gets a piggy-back ride from the loser.

Hobi's favorite tea is peppermint tea.

Hobi says that it may appear that he and Namjoon don't talk a lot on broadcasts because their characters are different but in informal situations, he is the one Hobi talks to the most.

JJJ bought ukulele keychains as their friendship token and hung them on their earrings. Hahaha. Omg. Seokjin seriously. Beggar dance.

Yoongi wins the game and Taehyung piggy backs him. Yoongi tells him he looks like a son with a grandpa on his back. They meet several middle aged women as they walk down the street this way and they say Aloha. The ladies look embarassed. Hahahaha.

[imaginekpoptrash-blog]

God I feel old... ~ Admin Silver

This might be boring to y’all, but I’m feeling slightly sentimental so please bear with me. I realized something last night and Red semi-talked me into talking about it on here, despite the fact that I’m a few months early.

This summer will make ten whole years of me being a member of the Kpop community.

Ten. Years. Of my life.

I’m 23 years old–24 by the time my actual anniversary rolls around–so a decade is just short of half my life. I got into Kpop in the middle of summer 2007. I was going into my freshman year of high school the following fall, so Lord only knows how impressionable I was at that age. I was going through some things in my personal life during that time, and do you know what helped me through it? Kpop. Variety shows featuring my favorite celebrities. K-dramas. Looking at a lot of the things I do or think–mostly by way of fashion or music or even the way I look at cultures other than my own–I realize it all has been affected by the time I’ve spent in the Kpop community; especially considering how widespread the fandom is. Since I joined, I’ve made friends in various parts of the US, Canada, the Caribbean, all over Asia, Germany, the UK, I’ve even talked to folks from Australia and the Middle East!! I’ve met people from all kinds of walks of life. Simply because of a similar taste in music. It’s amazing how broad our fandom is, and seeing how much it’s widened since 2007 is kind of heartwarming for me. Hell, seeing how the fans have changed over the years is something fascinating for me to look on. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to Red about that particular subject; and while it isn’t always positive, it’s certainly interesting. Even comparing how music and music videos from then and now thrills me to no end. I love talking about how both have evolved in ten years.

I’ve always ALWAYS been interested in other cultures (I can’t tell you how obsessed I was with Egyptian history in elementary school), and also foreign languages (I tried to teach myself Spanish and tried to teach myself how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs in elem). I was super interested in Japanese culture in junior high because of anime, and of course I was interested in England thanks to Harry Potter (I shit y’all not, I am the biggest damn nerd). But when I got into Kpop? All of my casual interests just kinda…went into overdrive. I wanted to know all I could about anywhere that wasn’t where I live. I wanted to travel, I wanted to learn every language I could, I wanted to read ALL THE HISTORY BOOKS!!! I’m still this way. Ten years later and my interests in the world, in people, in life, are still going strong. Stronger even. All thanks to the Kpop community. All thanks to the people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned while here. I’m not exaggerating when I say chances are I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t gotten into this crazy shit. Hell, I don’t even know who I would be if I hadn’t found Kpop.

I know I’ve told the story a million times, but I want to talk about how I got into Kpop. I honestly don’t remember a lot of things from junior high for certain reasons, but this I do.

I used to read a lot of fanfiction, specifically anime fanfic, specifically Naruto fanfic. Other than fanfiction.net, there was this website called Quizilla (is it even around anymore??) and I had this one author on there that I ADORED. They were on hiatus, but I read and reread everything they had up. I was on the author’s uploads page one day and noticed there was a song embedded at the top. Being the curious loser I am, I clicked play. You know what it was? It was DBSK’s debut album title track Tri-Angle. I. Fell. In. Love. I was sooo into the mix of genres and how the song flowed from a classical piece into everything that the rest of the song was. I absolutely loved the song, and then when I found the music video to their second album title track Rising Sun embedded at the end of one of the author’s chapters, I just had to watch it. I loved what I was seeing, and needless to say I was impressed by U-Know Yunho & Xiah Junsu’s dancing and Max Changmin’s high notes. When the MV ended, the video shrunk and the scrollbar with various related videos popped up and I started scrolling. I remember watching music videos from Se7en, Rain, Lee Hyori, Super Junior, and so many other artists. You know how a snowball rolls down a hill and quickly grows larger and larger? That’s how my entrance into Kpop was.

I was a hardcore Cassiopeia from Day One. I still am. I cannot describe to y’all what I felt like when I went through DBSK’s split–though I’m sure many, if not all, of you know the feeling, yourselves, by now; and if you don’t, I pray that you never do. Anyway, I went from watching music videos to watching every damn subbed variety show that DBSK (and several of my aforementioned artists) was on that I could find. And back then it was a lot harder and took a lot longer to locate things than nowadays (so I want y’all to go to the subbing teams for y’all’s faves and say “thank you” dammit…stop harassing those beautiful hard workers about how long a project takes). I remember watching X-Man (my most fave), Heroine 6, Jihwaza, Love Letter, Family Outing, Star Golden Bell, We Got Married (back when it was actually good, man I miss those first few seasons), Idol Army…I’ll stop myself here before I get winded.

Remember when Se7en worked with Darkchild and released a song with Lil Kim? Remember when BoA worked with Sean Garrett to release a US album? Remember when everyone met on fan forums for their favorite bands instead of tumblr blogs and instagram accounts? Remember when JYJ appeared on Billboard, despite going through everything they went through with SM Entertainment, and released a song featuring Kanye West & worked with Darkchild for that album? Remember when 2PM debuted and the whole beast!idol thing really kicked off? Remember when U-Go-Girl was super popular and Taemin’s mushroom hair was the cutest thing ever? Remember the Chuseok dance specials where idol groups competed against each other? Remember when people were freaking out because Rain was going to be in Speed Racer? Remember when the WORLD joined in on the Nobody craze, making Wonder Girls the first Kpop artists to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and then toured with the Jonas Brothers? Remember Daesung and Kim Jong Kook being the biggest brotp on Family Outing, and the Kim Jong Kook/Lee Hyori pairing nearly throwing out the Kim Jong Kook/Yoon Eun Hye pairing from X-man days? Remember when Wonder Girls had a movie on TeenNick????? Remember when Mirotic came out and everyone lost their shit when Micky Yoochun oh-so-subtly called out the broadcasting companies for literally censoring the line “I got you under my skin” during a fucking live performance in a huge year end show? Good times, good times.

Y’all don’t know how hard I’m trying not to cry right now, I’m feeling so damn sentimental. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to share with y’all some of my most favorite music videos & live performances from my first few years of Kpop (below the cut), and if you guys are interested…come talk to me about this? Especially if you happen to be pretty new to the Kpop community! I love talking to new fans~

TVXQ - 2008 MKMF Performance (this was one of the last ot5 performances, and one of the best fucking performances in kpop history; also primo example why dong bang shin ki really are the rising gods of the east; not gonna lie, this one hurts me to watch sometimes)

Se7en - Crazy (there was a time when this was the only way i’d count to seven)

MBC Stars Dance Battle After School VS SNSD (fuckin bosses. the fuckin lot of ‘em)

Lee Hyori - U-G-Girl (i included my top boys, so i gotta include my top girl. can’t forget the queen, herself)

Baek Ji Young ft. Taecyeon (2PM) - My Ear’s Candy (good luck gettin this out ya head :D)

[randomkellyc]

"SINCE U BEEN GONE" WAS THE BEST POP SONG OF 2005 AND ALSO OF ALL TIME, PROBABLY

This article is part of 2005 Week on Noisey, where we revisit all the best and worst pop culture relics from a decade ago. Before Kelly Clarkson’s massive 2005 banger "Since U Been Gone" came marching in and put a mosh pit in the pop world, pop and rock were yet to cross-pollinate in any major way. The divide between the two drastically different sounds and their pop culture affiliations was still as deep as Nick Carter’s middle part, especially after the tweeny-pop reign of Mickey Mouse club alumni. Our beloved 90s pop stars like Britney and Christina were aging out of the 90s at the same time as we were. Radio pop's transition into the Aughts was in the same awkward stage as the listeners it ushered into middle school. On the other hand, rock music was in commercial standoff between blink-182 rip-offs like Good Charlotte and insufferable FM sludge-rock from Nickelback and Staind. Both sides of the coin were pretty gnarly with songs like “The Reason” by Hoobastank and “Numb” by Linkin Park earnestly ruling rock radio. But that all changed in 2005, when the indie rock boom shook the foundation and cut off its circulation to the mainstream with skinny jeans and bass lines. One reason that the onslaught of indie rock bands like The Killers, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Spoon, and Jet hit so hard in 2005 had a lot to do with the fact that it happened to catch both mainstream pop and radio rock at a pivotal moment of weakness. Pop-punk was siphoning off into “emo” while pop music took a nose-dive into a big, bad drought. Since Brit Brit and Xtina were regrouping in preparation for their second-comings a few years later, the pop world turned to the trusted Disney petri dish for its newest torchbearer. However,Lindsay Lohan, Mandy Moore, and Hilary Duff—all who had released albums with radio jams in 2004—failed to really explode as pop stars. Newbie singers like FeFe Dobson and Skye Sweetnam never made it past a hit single. I mean, the strongest family in pop at the time was Ashlee and Jessica Simpson (this was obviously before Ashlee's SNL disaster a year later.) That said, things were not OK. Pop just wasn’t cool anymore. Given the political climate in the US post 9/11, the most popular songs were inflated with a distinctly American, anti-Bush rage and urgency that was seriously lacking in pop music. That said, “Since U Been Gone” was the first mainstream pop banger built like an indie rock single. All you have to do is look at the charts to see what was happening to pop before “Since U Been Gone.” The top ten leaned towards R&B like Beyonce and Alicia Keys as tweeny-pop got sucked into the mighty undertow between soul slappers like from the Black Eyed Peas, Jo Jo, Pussycat Dolls, and Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together.” Where the heck was pop hitmaker Max Martin—the genius producer responsible for Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys—to steer 90s pop nostalgia back up to the top? Turns out the elusive Swedish producer (who’s currently responsible for all your favorite radio bangers from Taylor Swift to the Weeknd) had taken a break from the Hot 100 and left the pop world without one of its crucial behind-the-scenes masterminds. In a rare 2010 interview with Billboard magazine, Martin credits "Since U Been Gone" for his re-emergence as a star producer. Its blistering indie rock structure of quiet-loud-quiet made the song incredibly innovative at a time when the old pop loop had wrung around its own neck. It was desperately time for something totally new. It makes sense that the man who had once changed the music industry by wiping out what was left of grunge with songs like “...Baby One More Time“ and “I Want It That Way” realized that pop needed a guitar-rock kick in the ass to assert itself into relevancy again. By observing the rebirth of 90s alternative break-downs in popular indie singles such as The Killers' “Mr. Brightside” and Bloc Party’s “Helicopter,” you can see how someone as perceptive as Martin would think to bring a hard rock edge to the pop rut. Lukasz Gottwald aka Dr Luke, who helped to produced “Since U Been Gone,” said in the same issue of Billboard that introducing rock to pop was “a conscious move by Max and myself [...] We were listening to alternative and indie music and talking about some song—I don’t remember what it was. I said ‘Ah I love this song’ and Max was like ‘If they would just write a damn pop chorus on it!’” Sure, they may have ripped off “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a bit, but that was the point. “Since U Been Gone” was intentionally written to bring an edgy rock flare to the pop sphere. Time has proved its enduring cross-genre appeal, as indie musicians like Ted Leo and Tokyo Police Club continue to cover the 2005 classic. But a pop song as obviously bent towards rock as “Since U Been Gone” was going to be hard to pull it off without its perfect matching pop star. In order to fully understand why Kelly Clarkson was the only pop singer who could pull it off, it's important to consider just how the song got to her in the first place. The most understandable choice for a vocally demanding song like “Since U Been Gone” was P!nk who surprisingly said no thanks. It was then brought to Hilary Duff who couldn’t hit the high notes. Think about the landscape of the other reigning pop stars: Jessica Simpson was dedicated to her wifey life as the “Southern girl with her Levis on.” Britney was deeply in love with trucker hats and K-Fed before coming back with Blackout. Post-“Dirrty” Christina Aguilera wouldn’t give up the 50s pin-up shit, and Mariah Carey was already way too established as the sophisticated chanteuse she is to take on something as raucous as “Since U Been Gone." The song's underlying rock structure of quiet-loud-quiet-loud was just too alternative for the pop princesses of 2003/4. The only other person who could have worn this song as well was Avril Lavigne, but she was busy trailblazing through as one of the only pop singers writing (or at least co-writing) her own material. A song from someone as associated with pop puppets like Martin would’ve sold her back into the category she was trying to break out of. “Since U Been Gone” had so much potential but given the pop touchiness of pop at the time, no one really wanted it. 

Kelly Clarkson however was still a newbie cradled in the prenatal arms of American Idol, whose true star-making power was yet to fully revealed. The singles that came off the back of her win reeked so badly of the show itself. Still, her coronation song “A Moment Like This” broke The Beatles' record for the biggest leap ever to number one, from 52, despite the fact that it was a truly terrible song. Being the first American Idol had so much hype that Clarkson’s first album Thankful debuted at number one, with its funky lead single “Miss Independent” becoming an international top ten hit. With all that, Clarkson had proved that she could swing as hard as the best of them without having marketed herself on the back of a particular identity. In that sense, Kelly Clarkson was relatively free from the limitations that restricted other pop stars in 2005 and was able to transition from a bombastic pop sound to an edgy rock-oriented one with unprecedented fluidity. The genius was that those two sounds could co-exist: pop sensibilities with the powerful thrust of a guitar rock chorus. Since Clarkson was the first of all the reality TV contestants to be voted into pop stardom, she was malleable from the start. Clarkson had this peculiar leverage that allowed her to play around with the kinds of songs she put out. People knew her name, but she wasn’t locked into anything particular aside from American Idol. All we really knew about Kelly Clarkson was that she could +$#%%$+ sing. Since vote-from-home phenomenons like American Idol were still so new and she was the first real winner, it was OK for her to grow into herself. That’s what we the voters wanted from her! It was exciting for us to be in on the process. We rooted for Kelly because we could relate to how dorky and uncool she was on that show. (Her catch-phrase was "Cool beans.") She wasn't wrapped up in a post-Disney veneer or fastened to her bubblegum past. Kelly was quite literally the “American Idol." She represented us in a way that all other pop singers back then couldn’t since they seemed to come out of board rooms and think tanks. The fact of the matter is, that song needed Kelly as much as Max Martin needed that song. You know those explosive guitars that come in on the chorus? That was Kelly's idea. It was also Clarkson's idea that the producer enlist Mike Watt, guitarist of the legendary hardcore punk band Minutemen, to come in and play guitar on the track. The song's subversive rock formula was there, but Kelly pushed it over the edge with those blistering guitars and her powerhouse vocals whose frankly were the strongest of all. "Since U Been Gone" wasn't about being crazy in love or crazy sad about it. It was about being pissed off at the jackass loser that held you down until you'd had e-f*cking-nough. Look at the lyrics: “Since u been gone/I can breathe for the first time.” As Kelly shed her skin from American Idol winner to legit pop star, her relatable position in the American conscience made her the ideal person to cast off an ex. Her ex wasn't Justin Timberlake or the summer’s hot new action movie hunk. He wasn’t anyone deified by pop culture—he was the same guy who made out with you on the weekend and didn't text you back. You only need to look at what she’s wearing in the video: Converse, an army green t-shirt and cut-offs. Other than her snarly mic-face and the literal moshing going on in the video, Kelly let the song's brute #$%!-you speak for itself. We could relate to her so easily for being totally normal as well as the hormonal release of that  perfect pop-rock chorus. 2005 was so ugh! Finallt, rather than the Girl Next Door image that Britney and Christina cultivated in their formative years, Kelly was the American Everygirl, and “Since U Been Gone” encapsulated that identity with an unprecedented fist pump. The song was roughed up just enough to remain rooted in Martin’s pop dynamic. Just as the pop fans could got down with a little rock, the rockers could appreciate a bit of pop as well. It was a digestible balance for everyone, and because of that, people ate it up. The only other break-up song even similar to it was Alanis Morissette's self-empowered revenge anthem "You Oughta Know," which the 90s had deemed as categorically alternative. “Since U Been Gone” was built so solidly on indie foundation that a recent study asked self-described rock nerds to identify this song by its first few bars and no one said Kelly. Instead, they guessed Pavement, Parquet Courts, and Smashing Pumpkins. All you have to do is turn on the radio to hear the enduring influence of that song. The formula that was once so radical for a pop song has become the standard. Now, we want our pop music to explode like rock songs. Think of "Wrecking Ball,” "I Knew You Were Trouble," “Tick Tock,” and “Bad Romance”: Pop music desperately needed that hard rock surge to evolve and become the dominant force once again. Commercial radio bangers still bubble and pop, but they’re not bubblegum pop. The throbbing zit on the face of pop music grew along with our own pre-teen acne in 2003 and 2004, but it wasn't until "Since U Been Gone" that we popped that sucker and finally let it bleed. That pop-rock banger represented the moment guitar-driven music became the dominant "sound" of mainstream music in the mid aughts. When you look back at your click-wheel iPod, does anything else capture the turning point between the golden era of pop princesses and the impending rise of indie quite like “Since U Been Gone?" No—and that’s why it was so successful, so memorable, and so @$%#%#! good. Now go listen to it on repeat like we've been doing for the past ten years. Bryn Lovitt and Emma Garland are writers for Noisey who whole-heartedly agree that "Since U Been Gone" is like, the best pop song ever.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150918005216/http://noisey.vice.com/blog/since-u-been-gone-2005-week

[bronovatwelve]

Nina

Nikolina Bronova Mori, professionally known as Nina, is a brazilian and naturalized american, bulgarian, japanese and south korean singer-songwriter, rapper, composer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, dancer, choreographer, television host and actress under Million Market and Columbia Records, also serving as the vocalist of the brazilian supergroup Tribalistas. She is amongst a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Nina holds the record for the artist with the most singles to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Gaon Music Chart. She is also the only artist to have all south korean albums debut at the top of the Gaon Album Chart and all american albums debut at the top of the Billboard 200.

Profile

Full name: Nikolina Bronova Mori (Николина бронова 森). Stage name: Nina (니나). Birth date: December 7th 1998 (19). Birth place: São Paulo, Brazil. Nationality: Brazilian. Zodiac sign: Sagittarius. Chinese zodiac sign: Earth tiger. Height: 1.68cm. Weight: 51kg. Blood type: O. Voica type: Soprano. Vocal analysis: Well Rounded Vocalist and Star.

Curiosities

Animals: Miku (pomeranian) and Misha (rottweiler). Body type: Romantic (medium height, hourglass and voluptuous figure, medium to big bustline, small waist, fleshy arms and legs, small and delicate bone structure with a soft sharpness). Cup size: B. Ethnicity: Brazilian, bulgarian, italian and japanese. Face type: Classic (balanced and symmetrical). Family: Shigeru Mori (father), Ekaterina Konstantinova Bronova (mother) and Karolina Bronova Mori (youngest sister). Hobbies: Reading, drawing, listening to music, singing, dancing, watching movies and television series, exercising, traveling, collecting pens and notebooks, taking pictures, riding her bycicle and writing music. Instruments: Acoustic guitar, banjo, banjo ukulele, baritone guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, classical guitar, drums, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, flamento guitar, flute, harmonica, harp, keyboard, piano, synthesizer and violin. Languages: Bulgarian, english, french, japanese, korean, mandarin, portuguese, russian and spanish. Religion: Catholic. Sexual orientation: Heterosexual. Shoe size: 7.5 (US).

Early life

Nikolina was born in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, the daughter of a bulgarian lawyer and a japanese farmer. She lived in Brazil until the age of seven, when she moved with her mother and sisters to Bulgaria, following her parent’s divorce. From the age of five, she wanted to become a singer, and took various musical classes throughout her early years. She moved to South Korea as an exchange student in 2013 and was discovered by a representative of Million Market after posting music covers on YouTube and signed to the label. In 2018, she made her american debut after signing with the label Columbia Records.

Personality

Positive traits: Adventurous, brave, broad-minded, charming, compassionate, creative, determined, diplomatic, faithful, freedom-loving, friendly, good-humored, honest, humanitarian, independent, intellectual, intuitive, jovial, loyal, magnetic, modest, optimistic, philosophical, realistic, self-confident, sensitive, sympathetic, warmhearted and well-liked. Negative traits: Competitive, compulsive, greedy, escapist, idealistic, irritable, obsessive, resentful, restless, selfish and a worrier.

She is known for being very nice to her fans. Many of them report being well treated by her whenever they meet.

Physical appearance

Black and straight hair. Green eyes. Fair skin. Curvy. Dimples. Two piercings on her left ear and three on her right ear. One tattoo on her left ribcage (written “to the stars to the moon”), one tattoo on her right shoulder (japanese writing of “Mori”), one tattoo on her right wrist (written “honey”).

Vocals

Critic Of Music

Vocal type: Spinto-soprano. Positives: Legendary interpretive wit, thanks to incredible knowledge of musical phrasing and vocal pedagogy. A defining, trademarked voice. Incredible breath support, showing no signs of fatigue and carrying extensive legato passages with ease. Incredible utilization of dynamics, using all volumes from fortissimo to pianissimo and everything in between to craft incredible phrases. Great control of her passagio and incredibly balanced instrument. Powerful, resonant belts that are mixed with head voice, that are well-supported and healthy, projecting massive resonance with ease. A master of breath support. Able to rapid fire mid and upper belts. Her low notes are also well supported, dark and full. The head voice is resonant and piercing, full and fluid. Her vibrato is well developed and rolling, and can be executed with ease. Her timbre is velvety and luscious and makes for a perfect midrange. She is also able to sing complex melisma in all registers, with every register well connected. Her falsetto is light and sweet. She also has unparalleled register transitions, switching from chest to head, head to whistle, and even chest to whistle without as much of a pause. Pitch perfect in 99% of performances. Technically, a brilliant singer. Negatives: Occasionally raises her larynx in upper-belts.

K-Pop Vocal Analysis

Voice type: Soprano. Strengths: The strongest female singer in South Korea and arguably the entire current music scene. Consistent support, very well connected head voice, transitions are flawless, extreme control of dynamics and mixing, runs are precise and well articulated, nasality is almost never present in her singing. Points for improvement: Head voice can show issues with upper-belts, complicated vowels can create tension in her voice. Agility: The top vocalist in terms of agility and precision amongst korean singers, able to keep control of and flexibility in her runs and melismas. Her runs are precise in pitch and generally very well separated, every note is clear and the overall flow is good and natural. Musicianship: Arguably her second strongest virtue, Nina is not one to be labelled as a “karaoke” singer. Taking note from the general idea of self expression and vocal freedom, she always shows creativity and never delivers vocal performances that are exactly the same as another, being generally filled with new vocal melodies, playing with rhythm and vocal runs added by Nina herself, notably being able to always deliver accurate and precise changes to covers and her own original song performances.

Albums and singles

Chat-Shire (2014) 11:11 Every End Of The Day I (ft. Verbal Jint) Instagram Pilot (ft. Woo Jiyoon) Why?

Relax Your Mind (2015) Automatic Galaxy Half Moon (ft. Gaeko) One Of These Nights Serendipity What To Do (ft. Crush)

Modern Times (2016) Don’t Say No Free Somebody Good Day I Feel You (ft. Yubin) Nineteen Peek-A-Boo

A New Empire (2017) Bad Boy Gashina Home (ft. Yoon Mi Rae) Playing With Fire Really Really (ft. Mino) Whistle

Yours Truly (2018) Into You Love Me Harder One Last Time Problem (ft. Big Sean) The Way Too Little Too Late

Vivid (2019) All I Want For Christmas Emotions I Wanna Dance With Somebody Love On Top No One Physical

Revival (2020) Bills, Bills, Bills Bootylicious If I Were A Boy Independent Women Say My Name Single Ladies

Here, My Dear (2021) Attention Can’t Feel My Face Diamonds Let’s Groove September Sexual Healing

My Voice (2022) Baby Baby (ft. Young K) Eyes, Nose, Lips Loser (ft. Leo Yang) Missing You Palette (ft. G-Dragon) Why So Lonely (ft. Yezi)

Lemonade (2023) Hold Up How Can I Ease The Pain Million Reasons My Immortal Perfect Illusion Sorry

Fever (2024) Bad Liar Dangerous Woman Do I Wanna Know? Psycho Killer Take Me To Church Wild Thoughts

Portrait (2025) Back To Black Chandelier Drunk In Love Love On The Brain Stone Cold Un-Break My Heart

Who I Am (2028) Because Of You Bleeding Love Fallin’ Halo If I Ain’t Got You I’m Not The Only One

Spirit (2030) Hello Rolling In The Deep Send My Love Set Fire To The Rain Someone Like You

Time (2032) Can’t Make You Love Me I Have Nothing I Look To You I Will Always Love You When We Were Young

How Does That Grab You? (2035) Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Dust In The Wind Every Breath You Take Killing Me Softly The Sound Of Silence

Katerina (2038) Bohemian Rhapsody Come Together I Want To Break Free Sign Of The Times Somebody To Love We Are The Champions

Waiting To Exhale (2040) Always On My Mind Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood Hurt The Blower’s Daughter Wonderwall

A Flower Bookmark (2042) Autumn Morning Last Night Story Let’s Meet On Friday (ft. Jang Yi Jeong) Secret Garden Sleepless Summer Night Through The Night

The Diary Of Nina (2045) Can’t Help Falling In Love From This Moment On Here Comes The Sun Loving You Yesterday You’re Still The One

Glassheart (2048) A Change Is Gonna Come All The Man I Need Cruisin’ Greatest Love Of All Let’s Stay Together Say A Little Prayer

Bird Of Happiness (2050) Dreamlover Hero Love Takes Time Someday Vision Of Love We Belong Together

Last Fantasy (2052) Ending Scene Fine Hold Me Please Don’t Rain You Were Beautiful

These Are My Blues (2055) At Last Feeling Good I Put A Spell On You Respect Something’s Got A Hold On Me This Is A Man’s World

Albums and non-title tracks

Chat-Shire (2014) Across The Universe Chocolate Don’t Like Her Everyday With You Glasses Heart I Would Peach Someday Stay Sweet And Easy (ft. Kisum)

Relax Your Mind (2015) Answer Cactus Flower If You I Need Somebody I Wait Lately, I (ft. Ant) Love Alone Moonlight Melody Night Reminisce (ft. Yang Da II) Star (ft. Heize) Take Me Where Are You?

Modern Times (2016) Faded Love Gemini Gone (ft. Jessi) John Doe (ft. Jiyoon) Knees Look Magic Rebirth Rewind (ft. Moonbyul) Sailing Talk To Me

A New Empire (2017) Back To You (ft. Leo Yang) Bae Black Out (ft. Ravi) Dance Dance Fool How Why (ft. L.E) I Just Let Me Know (ft. DPR Live) To Him Velvet Walkin’ (ft. Hash Swan) You&Me

Yours Truly (2018) Baby, I Bad Decisions Be My Baby Closer Fools For Him Gone And Found Greedy Higher How I Want Ya (ft. Jordan Fisher) How To Be A Heartbreaker I Don’t Care Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart Let Me Love You Never Wanna Know Only One Paper Heart Right There Sometimes Tattooed Heart Tears (ft. Clean Bandit) Touch Me Wild You’ll Never Know

Vivid (2019) All That Baby, I’m Yours (ft. Miles Kane) Body Language Boy Problems Can’t Sleep Love Come Alive (ft. Toro Y Moi) Cry Dorothy Dandrige Eyes (ft. Esperanza Spalding) Dust Is Gone Finesse First Time Gimme Love Hard To Say No I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance Maiden Making The Most Of The Night Primetime (ft. Miguel) Run Away With Me Say You’ll Be There Schoolin’ Life Sir Greendown Store The One Too Good To Say Goodbye We Were Rock & Roll Your Type

Revival (2020) 10-20-40 Be Alright Bound Countdown Cyber Stockholm Syndrome Ego Fantasy (ft. Amber Liu) Gave It Away Glow If I Ever Fall In Love (ft. Janelle Monáe) I Got The Juice (ft. Pharrell Williams) Kiss Me Better Knew Better Listen No Mythologies To Follow No Tears Left To Cry Oh No! Primadonna Girl Red In The Grey Ridin’ (ft. A$AP Rocky) Rose Gold Simple Things Slow Love Tears (ft. Clean Bandit) Ugly West Coast What An Experience

Here, My Dear (2021) 6 Inch (ft. The Weeknd) Adorn After The Love Has Gone A Lonely Night Broken Clocks Coffee Done For Me Emotion Every Kind Of Way Falling For You Fetish (ft. Schoolboy Q) Fire Rides Heart Less High By The Beach In Your Bed Love On The Weekend Lovely (ft. Khalid) Ocean Eyes Passionfruit Perfect Sad Girl Somebody Else Something About Us (ft. Daft Punk) Sure Thing Thinking About You Too Good (ft. Alan Love) Touch Me

My Voice (2022) Boy (ft. Miryo) Can’t Love You Anymore (ft. Dean) How Can I Say? I’ll Try I Wish Jam Jam Perfect 10 Secret Too Good To Me (ft. Jeon Soyeon) Weekend (ft. L.E) Wine (ft. Changmo) Woo Yoo

Lemonade (2023) All The Way Down And I Drove You Crazy Daddy Lessons (ft. Dixie Chicks) Don’t Hurt Yourself (ft. Jack White) Drowning Forward (ft. James Blake) He Don’t Love Me How Long I’m Your Doll In Time Landfill Lies Love Drought Me, Myself And I Mother Earth My Boy My Mind Numbers Phase Me Out Pray You Catch Me Sandcastles Secrets This Is Not About Us Video Girl Waiting Game Watch What Kind Of Man

Fever (2024) After The Storm (ft. Bootsy Collins and Tyler, The Creator) Are You Satisfied? Baby Boy Birth In Reverse Black Sheep Cupid’s Chokehold Empty Nesters Faster Forrest Gump I Wanna Be Yours Locked Inside Miracle Alligner Night By Night No Control One For The Road Puppet Love Redbone Run Baby Run Self Control Someone New Stockholm Syndrome Strange Mercy To Be Alone Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? Yeah Right Your Teeth In My Neck Zombie

Portrait (2025) Belly Ache Betsy On The Roof Bored Cake Copycat Django Sambo Eyes On Fire Hostage I Don’t Wanna Be You Anymore If These Walls Could Talk Liability Love Is A Losing Game Nicest Thing Pilgrim Reality Russian Roulette Serial Killer Something In The Way Talk Me Down Tears Dry On Their Own Teen Idle Tunnel Vision (ft. Shamir) Victory Until We Bleed Use Me You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore You Know I’m No Good

Who I Am (2028) Almost Is Never Enough As Long As You Love Me Bad Religion Cannonball Crave You Draw Your Swords Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic Fireproof Freak Home Just A Boy Let’s Get Lost Listen Malibu Midnight Bottle Moonlight Older Chests Only You Start Of Time Talking To The Moon Tell Me That You Love Me Training Wheels Valentine Volcano Whatever You Like When Your Mind’s Made Up

Spirit (2030) 57821 (ft. Deep Cotton) All I Ask Dark Paradise Hometown Glory I Can’t Get Started I Don’t Know You It Takes A Lot To Know A Man Love In The Dark Lucky Million Years Ago Never Been In Love Before Oh, Maker! River Lea Rumour Has It Salvation Speechless Sweetest Devotion Tightrope (ft. Big Boi) Turning Tables Venus Video Games Vultures Water Under The Bridge You Young And Beautiful

Time (2032) 9 Crimes All Of You Can’t Pretend Caught Don’t Look Back Emotion Illuminated I Miss You Jealous Little Boy Blue Love Nick Of Time Nirvana Nitesky (ft. Robot Koch) Nostalgia One (ft. U2) Palace Pink (ft. Grimes) Religion Remedy The Chain Wolves Wondaland

How Does That Grab You? (2035) All I Have To Do Is Dream Build Me Up Buttercup But Not For Me Can’t Live Without Your Love Heal The World I Fall In Love Too Easily If I Had You I’ll Be There I’m A Ruin I’m Gonna Find Another You Immortal It’s My Party Look For The Silver Lining Look Into My Eyes Make You Feel My Love My Funny Valentine Only Hope Pink Matter Quickie Solo (ft. Andre 3000) The Touch Of Yours Lips Want You Back Wonder You Don’t Own Me

Katerina (2038) Bloodsport Boogieman Come To Mama Holding On Ivy Japanese Denim Killer Queen Land Locked Blues Leave Me Lonely (ft. Macy Gray) Like Real People Do My Favorite Faded Fantasy Neon Valley Street Please Don’t Leave Me Regret Sally Ride Sinner’s Prayer Sober Slow It Down Somebody Told Me Stop The World Touch When You Were Young Who Knew Yellow Brick Road

Waiting To Exhale (2040) A Heartbreak Blood Dazed In Daydreams Delicate Elephant Everywhere I Go Freedom (ft. Kentorey Johnson) Guiding Light Heart Beats Slow I Don’t Want To Change You I’m Afraid In Chains Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone Medicine No Such Thing One Flight Down Pink + White Put Your Number In My Phone Rootless Tree Run Say It To Me Now Ship To Wreck The Animals Were Gone You Don’t Have To Go

A Flower Bookmark (2042) All Alone By The Stream Dear Name Draw Me (ft. Yoon Mi Rae) Full Stop How Can Someone Be Like This? Lonely Nights Love In Color Now Try Your

The Diary Of Nina (2045) Big Jet Plane Blackbird Burning Love Clementine Color Me In Creature Fear Dogs Don’t Know Why Falling Slowly Flightless Bird, American Mouth Gravity Happily He Was Too Good To Me Love Has No Pride Lua My Ideal Paper Aeroplane Slow Dancing In A Burning Room Stand Tall Strong The Long Day Is Over The Moon Song Time After Time Waiting On The World To Change

Glassheart (2048) All This And Heaven Too A Woman’s Worth Believe In You And Me Crazy, Classic, Life Follow Rivers Hardest Of Hearts Honeymoon Avenue I Am Every Woman It’s Always You Like You’ll Never See Me Again Never Let Me Go One Night Only Picture Me Gone Radioactive Run To You Screwed (ft. Zoë Kravitz) The Light Is On Tired Of Being Alone Tomorrow (ft. Tame Impala) Valley Of The Dolls Want You Back You’re Still My Man

Bird Of Happiness (2050) Alterlife Always Be My Baby Anytime You Need A Friend Can’t Let Go Cosmic Love Dirty Computer (ft. Brian Wilson) Drumming Song Falling I Don’t Wanna Cry I’m Not Calling You A Liar Lay All Your Love On Me Like Someone In Love Living Dead Make Me Feel My All One Summer Night Shoot The Moon Suspicious Mind Take Me To The River The State Of Dreaming Wildest Dreams Without You

Last Fantasy (2052) Dreamer Falling Out Foolish Goodbye Lean On Me Letting Go Make Me Love You Meaning Of You (ft. Kim Changwan) My Medicine Only I Didn’t Know Voice Mail Zeze

These Are My Blues (2055) Ain’t No Way Buy The Stars Code Cold Cold Heart Don’t Judge Me Do You? Embraceable You How Deep Is The Ocean? Hypocrates I’d Rather Go Blind I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) I Want You I Was Here Lipstick Long Long Way Love T.K.O My Future Just Passed Take A Bite Too Much Heaven Valerie Voila What’s New? You Light Up My Life

Collaborations

2014 Bom Bom Bom (ft. Roy Kim)

2015 Dream (ft. Junho)

2016 Sseudam Sseudam (ft. 10CM)

2017 Whisper (ft. Ravi)

2018 Hymn For The Weekend (ft. Coldplay)

2019 You Know You Like It (ft. DJ Snake)

2020 Anti (ft. Leo Yang)

2021 Digital Love (ft. Daft Punk) I Feel It Coming (ft. Daft Punk)

2022 Loyalty (ft. Kentorey Johnson)

2023 Sensual Seduction (ft. Cardi B)

2025 Slide (ft. Calvin Harris, Childish Gambino and Offset)

2026 Yesterday (ft. Crush, Dean and Leo Yang)

2029 Lost On The Way Home (ft. Chromeo)

2034 Stay (ft. Mikky Ekko)

2036 Beautiful (ft. Miguel)

2043 Empire State Of Mind (ft. Kentorey Johnson)

2047 You, Clouds, Rain (ft. Shin Yong Jae)

2058 How Deep Is Your Love (ft. The Bird And The Bee)

Soundtracks

Cheese Trap (2015) If It Is You I’m Serious (ft. Day6)

Goblin: The Great And Lonely God (2017) Lost Love You Are

La La Land (2022) City Of Stars I Won’t Say I’m In Love The Audition

Call me By Your Name (2024) On My Own

Breakfast At Tifanny’s (2031) La Vi En Rose Moon River Once Upon A Dream

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2033) The Bells Of Notre Dame

Pocahontas (2037) Colors Of The Wind If I Never Knew You Just Around The Riverbend Savages (Part One) Savages (Part Two)

Funny Girl (2041) A Piece Of Sky Don’t Rain On My Parade My Man The Man That Got Away Why Don’t You Do Right?

Anastasia (2046) Journey To The Past Learn To Do It Once Upon A December

The Nightmare Before Christmas (2049) Finale Kidnap The Sandy Claws Sally’s Song

My Love From Another Star (2053) I Will Come To You We Loved (ft. 20 Years Of Age)

The Prince Of Egypt (2057) Deliver Us When You Believe

Filmography (MC)

After School Club (2015-2017) Alongside Eric Nam and U-KISS’ Kevin (from 2015 to 2016) and Day6′s Jae and U-KISS’ Kevin (in 2017).

SBS Inkigayo (2017) Alongside GOT7′s Jinyoung and NCT’s Doyoung.

Filmography (movies)

Architecture 101 (2016) La La Land (2022) Call Me By Your Name (2024) A Bittersweet Life (2029) Breakfast At Tiffany’s (2031) The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2033) Funny Girl (2041) Two Days, One Night (2044) Anastasia (2046) The Nightmare Before Christmas (2049) I Am Love (2053) A Moment To Remember (2054) The Prince Of Egypt (2057) Amour (2084)

Filmography (television series)

Pocahontas (2037)

Theatre

Lés Miserables (2027)

Competition

King Of Masked Singer (2015) “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” against Son Heon-soo. “Hurt” against Kyungri. “Con Te Partiro” against Lee Hae-ri.

Covers (on YouTube)

2011 Everytime by Britney Spears. Like I’m Gonna Lose You by John Legend.

2012 E.T by Katy Perry. Paparazzi by Lady Gaga.

Cover performances

Gayo Daejun (2015) Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.

Golden Disc Awards (2017) Will The Circle Be Unbroken (with Lee Hi).

Super Bowl (2020) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

BBC Radio 1 (2022) Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.

American Music Awards (2024) Got To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn (with Cheryl Lynn).

Grammy Awards (2027) Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (with Pentatonix).

BBC Radio 1 (2031) Hands To Myself by Selena Gomez.

NBA All-Star (2034) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

BBC Radio 1 (2042) Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears.

MTV Music Video Awards (2049) My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

Super Bowl (2052) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

Partners

Tidiou M’Baye (2012) Sho Wara (2018-2023) *married in 2022, divorced in 2023 Bill Skarsgård (2025-) *married in 2028

Children

Dario Skarsgård (2031) Isabela Skarsgård (2033) Luna Skarsgård (2035) Anton Skarsgård (2035)

[bronovaten]

Nina

Nikolina Bronova Mori, professionally known as Nina, is a japanese and naturalized american, bulgarian, south korean and swedish singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, choreographer and actress under JYP Entertainment and Columbia Records. She is amongst a small group of entertainers who have been honored with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Nina holds the record for the artist with the most singles to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Gaon Music Chart. She is also the only artist to have all south korean albums debut at the top of the Gaon Album Chart and all american albums debut at the top of the Billboard 200.

Profile

Full name: Nikolina Bronova Mori (Николина бронова 森). Birth date: December 7th 1998 (19). Birth place: Tokyo, Japan. Zodiac sign: Sagittarius. Chinese zodiac sign: Earth tiger. Height: 1.68cm. Weight: 52kg. Nicknames: Goddess Of Music, Million Dollar Smile, Nation’s First Love, Queen B, Songbird Supreme, The Voice and True Visual. Blood type: O. Voice type: Soprano. Vocal ranking: Star and Great Vocalist.

Curiosities

Animals: Miku (pomeranian) and Misha (rottweiler). Body type: Theatrical romantic (medium height, hourglass and voluptuous figure, medium to big bustline, small waist, fleshy arms and legs, small and delicate bone structure with a soft sharpness). Cup size: C. Ethnicity: Brazilian, bulgarian, japanese and portuguese. Face type: Classic (symmetrical and balanced features). Family: Shigeru Sugahara Mori (father), Katarina Montes Bronova (mother) and Karolina Bronova Mori (younger sister). Fandom name: Beehive. Hobbies: Reading, drawing, listening to music, singing, dancing, watching movies and television series, exercising, traveling, collecting pens and notebooks, taking pictures, riding her bycicle and writing music. Instruments: Acoustic guitar, banjo, banjo ukulele, baritone guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, classical guitar, drums, electric bass guitar, electric guitar, flamento guitar, flute, harmonica, harp, keyboard, piano, synthesizer and violin. Languages: Bulgarian, english, french, japanese, korean, mandarin, portuguese, russian and spanish. Nicknames: Goddess Of Music, Million Dollar Smile, Nation’s First Love, Queen B, Songbird Supreme, The Voice and True Visual. Religion: Catholic. Sexual orientation: Heterosexual. Shoe size: 7.5 (US).

Early life

Nikolina was born in Tokyo, Japan, the daughter of a bulgarian lawyer and a japanese farmer. She lived in Japan until the age of seven, when she moved with her mother and younger sister to Bulgaria, following her parent’s divorce. From the early age of five, she wanted to become a singer, and took various musical classes throughout her early years. She moved to South Korea as an exchange student in 2012 and, after staring in the Broadway production of Lés Miserables and winning a Tony Award for her performance, she was discovered by a representative of JYP Entertainment and signed to the label. In 2020, she made her american debut after signing with the label Columbia Records.

Personality

Positive traits: Adventurous, brave, broad-minded, charming, compassionate, creative, determined, diplomatic, faithful, freedom-loving, friendly, good-humored, honest, humanitarian, independent, intellectual, intuitive, jovial, loyal, magnetic, modest, optimistic, philosophical, realistic, self-confident, sensitive, sympathetic, warmhearted and well-liked. Negative traits: Competitive, compulsive, greedy, escapist, idealistic, irritable, obsessive, resentful, restless, selfish and a worrier.

She is known for being very nice to her fans. Many of them report being well treated by her whenever they meet.

Physical appearance

Black and straight hair. Green eyes. Fair skin. Curvy. Dimples. Two piercings on her left ear and three on her right ear.One tattoo on her left ribcage (“to the stars to the moon”) and one tattoo on her right shoulder (japanese writing of “Mori”).

Vocals

Critic Of Music

Vocal type: Spinto-soprano. Positives: Legendary interpretive wit, thanks to incredible knowledge of musical phrasing and vocal pedagogy. A defining, trademarked voice. Incredible breath support, showing no signs of fatigue and carrying extensive legato passages with ease. Incredible utilization of dynamics, using all volumes from fortissimo to pianissimo and everything in between to craft incredible phrases. Great control of her passagio and incredibly balanced instrument. Powerful, resonant belts that are mixed with head voice, that are well-supported and healthy, projecting massive resonance with ease. A master of breath support. Able to rapid fire mid and upper belts. Her low notes are also well supported, dark and full. The head voice is resonant and piercing, full and fluid. Her vibrato is well developed and rolling, and can be executed with ease. Her timbre is velvety and luscious and makes for a perfect midrange. She is also able to sing complex melisma in all registers, with every register well connected. Her falsetto is light and sweet. She also has unparalleled register transitions, switching from chest to head, head to whistle, and even chest to whistle without as much of a pause. Pitch perfect in 99% of performances. Technically, a brilliant singer. Negatives: Occasionally raises her larynx in upper-belts.

K-Pop Vocal Analysis

Voice type: Soprano. Strengths: The strongest female singer in South Korea and arguably the entire current music scene. Consistent support, very well connected head voice, transitions are flawless, extreme control of dynamics and mixing, runs are precise and well articulated, nasality is almost never present in her singing. Points for improvement: Head voice can show issues with upper-belts, complicated vowels can create tension in her voice. Agility: The top vocalist in terms of agility and precision amongst korean singers, able to keep control of and flexibility in her runs and melismas. Her runs are precise in pitch and generally very well separated, every note is clear and the overall flow is good and natural. Musicianship: Arguably her second strongest virtue, Nina is not one to be labelled as a “karaoke” singer. Taking note from the general idea of self expression and vocal freedom, she always shows creativity and never delivers vocal performances that are exactly the same as another, being generally filled with new vocal melodies, playing with rhythm and vocal runs added by Nina herself, notably being able to always deliver accurate and precise changes to covers and her own original song performances.

Albums and singles

Chat-Shire (2015) 11:11 Every End Of The Day I (ft. Verbal Jint) Instagram Pilot (ft. Woo Jiyoon) Why?

Modern Times (2016) Free Somebody Good Day Insane Monday Afternoon Seventeen The Red Shoes

Invitation (2017) Don’t Say No I Feel You (ft. Yubin) Night Rather Than Day (ft. Hani, Moonbyul and Seulgi) Peek-A-Boo Playing With Fire (ft. Kasper) Spring Day (ft. Dok2)

Relax Your Mind (2018) Automatic Galaxy Half Moon (ft. Gaeko) One Of These Nights Serendipity What To Do (ft. Crush)

A New Empire (2019) Bad Boy Come Back Home Gashina Home (ft. Yoon Mi Rae) Really Really (ft. Mino) Whistle (ft. Kisum)

Yours Truly (2020) Into You Love Me Harder One Last Time Problem (ft. Big Sean) The Way Too Little Too Late

Vivid (2021) All I Want For Christmas Emotions I Wanna Dance With Somebody Love On Top No One Physical

Revival (2022) Bills, Bills, Bills Bootylicious If I Were A Boy Independent Women Say My Name Single Ladies

Lemonade (2023) Can’t Feel My Face Diamonds How Can I Ease The Pain? Let’s Groove September Sexual Healing

My Voice (2024) Baby Baby (ft. Young K) Eyes, Nose, Lips Loser (ft. Yang Ye Ming) Missing You Palette (ft. G-Dragon) Why So Lonely (ft. Yezi)

Fever (2025) Bad Liar Dangerous Woman Do I Wanna Know? Psycho Killer Take Me To Church Wild Thoughts

Portrait (2026) Back To Black Chandelier Drunk In Love Love On The Brain Stone Cold Un-Break My Heart

Who I Am (2028) Because Of You Bleeding Love Fallin’ Halo If I Ain’t Got You Million Reasons

Spirit (2030) Hello Rolling In The Deep Send My Love Set Fire To The Rain Someone Like You

Time (2032) Can’t Make You Love Me I Have Nothing I Look To You I Will Always Love You When We Were Young

How Does That Grab You? (2035) Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) Dust In The Wind Every Breath You Take Killing Me Softly The Sound Of Silence

Katerina (2038) Bohemian Rhapsody Come Together I Want To Break Free Sign Of The Times Somebody To Love We Are The Champions

Waiting To Exhale (2040) Always On My Mind Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood Hurt The Blower’s Daughter Wonderwall

A Flower Bookmark (2042) Autumn Morning Last Night Story Let’s Meet On Friday (ft. Jang Yi Jeong) Secret Garden Sleepless Summer Night Through The Night

The Diary Of Nina (2045) Can’t Help Falling In Love From This Moment On Here Comes The Sun Loving You Yesterday You’re Still The One

Glassheart (2048) A Change Is Gonna Come All The Man I Need Cruisin’ Greatest Love Of All Let’s Stay Together Say A Little Prayer

Bird Of Happiness (2050) Dreamlover Hero Love Takes Time Someday Vision Of Love We Belong Together

Last Fantasy (2052) Ending Scene Fine Hold Me Please Don’t Rain You Were Beautiful

These Are My Blues (2055) At Last Feeling Good I Put A Spell On You Respect Something’s Got A Hold On Me This Is A Man’s World

Albums and non-title tracks

Chat-Shire (2015) Across The Universe Chocolate Don’t Like Her Everyday With You Glasses Heart Peach Someday Stay

Modern Times (2016) Bye Bye My Blue Gemini Hard To Love Knees Red Queen (ft. Zion.T) Sailing Shouldn’t Have Sweet And Easy (ft. Kisum) Sweet Lies (ft. The Barberettes) To The Beautiful You

Invitation (2017) Faded Love Gone Hopeless Love John Doe (ft. Jiyoon) Look Magic Rebirth Rewind (ft. Yubin) Talk To Me Yes, I Am (ft. Moonbyul)

Relax Your Mind (2018) Answer Cactus Flower If You Lately, I (ft. Ant) Love Alone Moonlight Melody Night Reminisce (ft. Yang Da II) Star (ft. Heize) Take Me Where Are You?

A New Empire (2019) Back To You (ft. Yang Ye Ming) Bae Black Out (ft. Ravi) Fool How Why (ft. L.E) I Just Let Me Know (ft. DPR Live) To Him Walkin’ (ft. Hash Swan) You&Me

Yours Truly (2020) Bad Decisions Be My Baby Closer Fools For Him Gone And Found Greedy Higher How I Want Ya (ft. Jordan Fisher) How To Be A Heartbreaker I Don’t Care Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart Let Me Love You Never Wanna Know No Tears Left To Cry Only One Paper Heart Right There Sometimes Tattooed Heart Touch (ft. Canvas) Wild You’ll Never Know

Vivid (2021) All That Baby, I Body Language Boy Problems Calling All My Lovelies Can’t Sleep Love Come Alive (ft. Toro Y Moi) Cry Dust Is Gone Finesse First Time Gimme Love Hard To Say No I Didn’t Just Come Here To Dance Maiden Making The Most Of The Night Run Away With Me Say You’ll Be There Store The One Too Good To Say Goodbye Your Type

Revival (2022) 10-20-40 Be Alright Countdown Cyber Stockholm Syndrome Ego Fantasy (ft. Amber Liu) Gave It Away Glow If I Ever Fall In Love (ft. Janelle Monáe) Knew Better Listen No Mythologies To Follow Oh No! Primadonna Girl Red In The Grey Ridin’ (ft. A$AP Rocky) Rose Gold Schoolin’ Life Simple Things Slow Love Tears (ft. Clean Bandit) Ugly West Coast You Don’t Know Me

Lemonade (2023) 6 Inch (ft. The Weeknd) Adorn After The Love Has Gone A Lonely Night Bound Broken Clocks Coffee Done For Me Emotion Every Kind Of Way (ft. Wale) Falling For You Fetish (ft. Schoolboy Q) Fire Rides Heart Less In Your Bed Love Drought Love On The Weekend Lovely (ft. Khalid) Ocean Eyes Passionfruit Perfect Serial Killer Somebody Else Something About Us (ft. Daft Punk) Thinking About You Too Good (ft. Alan Love) Touch Me

My Voice (2024) Boy (ft. Miryo) Can’t Love You Anymore (ft. Dean) I Wish Jam Jam Perfect 10 Secret Too Good To Me (ft. Jeon Soyeon) Weekend (ft. L.E) Wine (ft. Changmo) Woo Yoo

Fever (2025) After The Storm (ft. Bootsy Collins and Tyler, The Creator) Are You Satisfied? Baby Boy Birth In Reverse Black Sheep Cupid’s Chokehold Empty Nesters Forrest Gump I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You I Wanna Be Yours Miracle Alligner Night By Night No Control One For The Road Puppet Love Redbone Run Baby Run Self Control Someone New Stockholm Syndrome Strange Mercy To Be Alone Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? Yeah Right Your Teeth In My Neck Zombie

Portrait (2026) Belly Ache Betsy On The Roof Bored Broken Clocks Cake Copycat Drowning Eyes On Fire Hostage I Don’t Wanna Be You Anymore If These Walls Could Talk Liability Love Is A Losing Game My Boy Nicest Thing Pilgrim Reality Russian Roulette Talk Me Down Tears Dry On Their Own Teen Idle Tunnel Vision (ft. Shamir) Until We Bleed Use Me You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore You Know I’m No Good

Who I Am (2028) Almost Is Never Enough As Long As You Love Me Bad Religion Cannonball Crave You Draw Your Swords Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic Fireproof Freak Home I’m Not The Only One Just A Boy Let’s Get Lost Listen Malibu Midnight Bottle Moonlight Older Chests Start Of Time Talking To The Moon Tell Me That You Love Me Training Wheels Valentine Volcano Whatever You Like You

Spirit (2030) All I Ask Dark Paradise Hometown Glory I Can’t Get Started It Takes A Lot To Know A Man Love In The Dark Lucky Million Years Ago Never Been In Love Before River Lea Rumour Has It Sad Girl Salvation Speechless Sweetest Devotion Turning Tables Venus Video Games Vultures Water Under The Bridge Watch Young And Beautiful

Time (2032) 9 Crimes All Of You Can’t Pretend Caught Don’t Look Back Emotion Illuminated Jealous Lies Little Boy Blue Love Nick Of Time Nirvana Nitesky (ft. Robot Koch) Nostalgia One (ft. U2) Palace Religion Remedy Sandcastles The Chain Wolves

How Does That Grab You? (2035) All I Have To Do Is Dream Build Me Up Buttercup But Not For Me Heal The World How Long I Fall In Love Too Easily If I Had You I’ll Be There I’m A Ruin I’m Gonna Find Another You Immortal It’s My Party Look For The Silver Lining Make You Feel My Love My Funny Valentine Only Hope Pink Matter Quickie Slow Dancing In A Burning Room Solo (ft. Andre 3000) The Touch Of Yours Lips Want You Back Wonder You Don’t Own Me

Katerina (2038) Bloodsport Boogieman Come To Mama Daddy Lessons (ft. Dixie Chicks) Don’t Fall In Love With Someone New Holding On Ivy Japanese Denim Killer Queen Landfill Land Locked Blues Leave Me Lonely (ft. Macy Gray) Like Real People Do My Favorite Faded Fantasy Pain Please Don’t Leave Me Regret Sinner’s Prayer Sober Stop The World Touch When You Were Young Who Knew Yellow Brick Road

Waiting To Exhale (2040) A Heartbreak All The Way Down Blood Dazed In Daydreams Delicate Elephant Everywhere I Go Freedom (ft. Kentorey Johnson) Guiding Light Heart Beats Slow I Don’t Want To Change You In Chains Love Me Like I’m Not Made Of Stone Medicine No Such Thing One Flight Down Pink + White Put Your Number In My Phone Rootless Tree Run Say It To Me Now Ship To Wreck The Animals Were Gone You Don’t Have To Go

A Flower Bookmark (2042) By The Stream Dear Name Draw Me (ft. Yoon Mi Rae) Full Stop How Can Someone Be Like This? Lonely Nights Love In Color Now Try Your

The Diary Of Nina (2045) Big Jet Plane Blackbird Burning Love Clementine Color Me In Creature Fear Dogs Don’t Know Why Falling Slowly Flightless Bird, American Mouth Gravity Happily He Was Too Good To Me Love Has No Pride Lua My Ideal Paper Aeroplane Slow Dancing In A Burning Room Stand Tall Strong The Long Day Is Over The Moon Song Time After Time Waiting On The World To Change

Glassheart (2048) All This And Heaven Too A Woman’s Worth Believe In You And Me Follow Rivers Hardest Of Hearts Honeymoon Avenue I Am Every Woman It’s Always You Like You’ll Never See Me Again Never Let Me Go One Night Only Picture Me Gone Radioactive Run To You The Light Is On Tired Of Being Alone Tomorrow (ft. Tame Impala) Valley Of The Dolls Want You Back You’re Still My Man

Bird Of Happiness (2050) Alterlife Always Be My Baby Anytime You Need A Friend Can’t Let Go Cosmic Love Drumming Song Falling I Don’t Wanna Cry I’m Not Calling You A Liar Lay All Your Love On Me Like Someone In Love Living Dead My All One Summer Night Shoot The Moon Suspicious Mind Take Me To The River The State Of Dreaming Wildest Dreams Without You

Last Fantasy (2052) Dreamer Falling Out Foolish Goodbye Make Me Love You Meaning Of You (ft. Kim Changwan) My Medicine Only I Didn’t Know Voice Mail Zeze

These Are My Blues (2055) Ain’t No Way Buy The Stars Cold Cold Heart Do You? Embraceable You How Deep Is The Ocean? Hypocrates I’d Rather Go Blind I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) I Want You I Was Here Lipstick Long Long Way Love T.K.O My Future Just Passed Too Much Heaven Valerie Voila What’s New? You Light Up My Life

Collaborations

2015 Bom Bom Bom (ft. Roy Kim)

2016 Sseudam Sseudam (ft. 10CM)

2017 Dream (ft. Junho)

2018 Whisper (ft. Ravi)

2019 Anti (ft. Yang Ye Ming)

2020 You Know You Like It (ft. DJ Snake)

2022 Sensual Seduction (ft. Cardi B)

2024 Yesterday (ft. Crush, Dean and Yang Ye Ming)

2027 Digital Love (ft. Daft Punk) I Feel It Coming (ft. Daft Punk)

2029 Lost On The Way Home (ft. Chromeo)

2034 Beautiful (ft. Miguel)

2036 Stay (ft. Mikky Ekko)

2043 Empire State Of Mind (ft. Kentorey Johnson)

2047 You, Clouds, Rain (ft. Shin Yong Jae)

2058 How Deep Is Your Love (ft. The Bird And The Bee)

Soundtracks

Lés Miserables (2013) On My Own

Cheese Trap (2015) If It Is You I’m Serious (ft. Day6)

Skyfall (2021) Skyfall

La La Land (2023) City Of Stars I Won’t Say I’m In Love The Audition

Call Me By Your Name (2025) Redbone

Her (2026) The Moon Song

Breakfast At Tifanny’s (2029) La Vi En Rose Moon River Once Upon A Dream

Goblin: The Great And Lonely God (2031) Lost Love You Are

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2033) The Bells Of Notre Dame

Pocahontas (2037) Colors Of The Wind If I Never Knew You Just Around The Riverbend Savages (Part One) Savages (Part Two)

Funny Girl (2041) A Piece Of Sky Don’t Rain On My Parade My Man The Man That Got Away Why Don’t You Do Right?

Anastasia (2046) Journey To The Past Learn To Do It Once Upon A December

The Nightmare Before Christmas (2049) Finale Kidnap The Sandy Claws Sally’s Song

My Love From Another Star (2053) I Will Come To You We Loved (ft. 20 Years Of Age)

The Prince Of Egypt (2057) Deliver Us When You Believe

Filmography (movies)

Architecture 101 (2016) La La Land (2023) Call Me By Your Name (2025) Her (2026) Breakfast At Tiffany’s (2029) In The Mood For Love (2032) The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (2033) Funny Girl (2041) Two Days, One Night (2044) Anastasia (2046) The Nightmare Before Christmas (2049) I Am Love (2053) The Prince Of Egypt (2057) Amour (2084)

Filmography (television series)

Pocahontas (2037)

Theatre

Lés Miserables (2013)

Competitions

King Of Masked Singer (2015) “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” against Son Heon-soo. “Hurt” against Kyungri. “Con Te Partiro” against Lee Hae-ri.

Covers (on YouTube)

2010 Everytime by Britney Spears. Like I’m Gonna Lose You by John Legend.

2011 E.T by Katy Perry. Paparazzi by Lady Gaga.

Cover performances

Gayo Daejun (2015) Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel.

Golden Disc Awards (2017) Will The Circle Be Unbroken (with Lee Hi).

Super Bowl (2020) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

BBC Radio 1 (2021) Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.

Grammy Awards (2022) Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (with Pentatonix).

American Music Awards (2024) Got To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn (with Cheryl Lynn).

BBC Radio 1 (2027) Hands To Myself by Selena Gomez.

NBA All-Star (2032) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

BBC Radio 1 (2035) Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears.

MTV Music Video Awards (2039) My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion.

Super Bowl (2042) Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key.

Partners

Tidiou M’Baye (2012) Yang Ye Ming (2017-2019) Bill Skarsgård (2021-2024) Sho Wara (2024-) *married in 2028

Children

Anton Wara (2031) Isabela Wara (2033) Luna Wara (2035)

[thesportssoundoff]

“Pretend it’s August and enjoy a damn good show” UFC 213 Preview

Joey

July 6th

The UFC's annual post 4th of July big PPV has arrived and it's...pretty good. UFC 213 is more or less a victim of immeeasurable expectations. Every year regardless of the drama and the stupidity which dominates MMA, you can always count on the 4th of July show to deliver the goods. This year? Well not quite. It's a fine show, don't get me wrong. The main card features two very good title fights, a pretty damn good HW fight which could easily be a #1 contender fight if we are to believe that Cain Velasquez is on another back injury fueled hiatus plus a really intriguing lightweight fight designed almost entirely to determine if Anthony Pettis is broken or not. The prelims are certainly fine even if a few of the fights hoarding undercard space are questionable in their merits of being on a card like this. At the same time, it's still a pretty solid event that can't be punished for not being post 4th of July worthy or for not being the show that UFC 214 seems set to be. View it on its own and its a fine enough show.

Fights: 12

Debuts: 4 (Cody Stamman, Terrion Ware, Trevin Giles and James Bochnovic)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (TJ Dillashaw/Cody Garbrandt cancelled, Donald Cerrone/Robbie Lawler cancelled, Alan Jouban out, Chad Laprise IN vs Brian Camozzi)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): (Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, Jim Miller, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Anthony Pettis, Travis Browne)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Daniel Omiealnczuk, Travis Browne, Jordan Mein)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker, Gerald Meerschaert, Douglas Silva da Andrade)

Stat Monitor for 2017 (with an event the night before, these will have to be cleaned up come fight time):

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 16-18)- 4 (Terrion Ware, James Bochnovic, Trevin Giles, Cody Stamman)

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 10-17)- 1 (Chad Laprise)

Second Fight (Current number: 19-18)- 1 (Brian Camozzi)

Cage Corrosion (2-2)- 0

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Much has and will be made about the first fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevechenko. While I'm not going to say to throw it out (because that'd be idiotic), I do think there's reason to not expect a repeat of the 1st fight with two more rounds tacked on. For starters, Amanda Nunes has improved in every fight she's been in even if you throw out the Ronda fight for obvious reasons. If cardio isn't something you can improve then cardio maintenance is something you can. She does to her credit seem way more patience and less bullish, opting to instead swarm with patience and precision over aggression. Similarly people are talking like Shevhchenko is going to decision Nunes but Valentina was very honest that the decision loss to Nunes made her more aggressive. As such, it's entirely possible she'll come out with more urgency off the chute especially when she knows her cardio can hold up. Lastly this has become a bit of a bad blood fight and those tend to involve a level of "throw the book out the window" to them.

2- So seriously, who is next for the winner? Shevchenko vs Nunes III would be an....interesting decision to take the division. If she wins, Shevchenko's got some cred in Latin America (Peru and all) so maybe if you're really looking to pop a market out in South America, you can have her headline on free TV vs a Sara McMann/Ketlen Vieira? It's crazy to even fathom this but Holly Holm might be the one best equipped to fight for the title at 135 lbs. Unless you're ready for that Rocky Pennington title shot. I mean I know I am.

3- Would another win over Valentina Shevchenko give Amanda Nunes the greatest WMMA resume of all time?

4- Lost in the discussion of Whittaker vs Romero is the fact that Yoel Romero tends to finish people late in fights. For all of the discussion about cardio and how he applies it, Romero's not a guy who shuts it down late in a fight. There's only been one fight where he simply didn't have anything left and that was vs Jacare in a fight where he dominated the first round and comfortably won the second round.

5- Another point of contention; Yoel's TDD is amazing but his offensive wrestling at times is rather clunky and shuntsy. Robert Whittaker's takedown defense is very good but his scrambling game is absolutely fantastic. Now the argument could (and maybe should) be made that Romero on top of you is different than Jacare or anybody else but Whittaker is not a guy who is bothered by wrestlers. The fighters who have given him problems are the sort of   guys who can pop his so-so striking defense frequently enough to give him pause while also forcing him to fight going backwards (Brunson and Thompson).

6- Speaking JUST in an MMA context, I would almost make the argument that Fabricio Werdum's striking is better than Alistair Overeem's striking. Obviously in a K1/Glory setting, Overeem would work Werdum but  Werdum's combinations, aggression and versatility are backed by his always outstanding grappling and sub game. That in my estimation actually works to amplify his striking chops. Overeem's wrestling has come a very long way and the last time out it was his ability to wrestle which helped him take a decision over Werdum. But let's not talk about the 2nd Werdum/Overeem fight, k?

7- The UFC picked a rather perfect opponent to find out if Anthony Pettis is truly washed up as an elite level mixed martial artist. Jim Miller is NOT the sort of guy who is going to test Pettis from an athletic standpoint but few men in the UFC have Miller's guts, toughness, adaptability and grappling chops. Miller's been on the upswing recently; having beaten up on Thiago Alves, finishing Takanori Gomi and giving Joe Lauzon fits in a very good fight. Throw in a Dustin Poirier war and a half and there's plenty to be giddy about for Miller's recent career trajectory. On the other hand, Pettis simply hasn't been the same since his fight vs Rafael Dos Anjos all those moons ago. The book on Pettis is out; pressure him so that he can't throw any of his flashy stuff, dare him to hurt you with his hands and if the heat gets too much, take him down and defend subs because he's not going to rush back up to his feet. Curious to see if Pettis still has the skills to use his athletic gifts vs a quality opponent or if he's been broken completely.

8- Speaking of broken completely, Travis Browne is in a weird spot isn't he? Remember that he's still younger than every HW in the top 6 sans Stipe and Ngannou.

9- Belal Muhammad vs Jordan Mein is a really interesting fight on paper, primarily because both guys are at very pivotal points in their careers. For Mein; he's still ONLY 27 even if his time pre-Strikeforce almost borders on abuse. He's taken a crazy amount of punishment and in his last three or four fights, he's looked and fought like a guy who is having a tough time pulling the trigger and a tougher time sticking in when shit starts getting hairy. At 28 years old, Belal Muhammad has the talent to fight with the top of the 170 lb division but his chin seems to have a serious dent in it. He's relied more and more on his wrestling and his workrate to get him by. The loser of this fight takes a serious backwards step in the division.

10- Has Alistair Overeem officially hit that point in his UFC career where every major fight he's going to have is a rematch of some kind?

11- Thiago Santos vs Gerald Meerschaert is a really good intriguing fight on paper. Santos' loss to Mousasi was just a case of one guy being great and another guy being good---but the Spicely fight was a tough pill to swallow. He was outwrestled and submitted by a guy who they were trying to serve up as a can to him. Since then he had an amazing war with Jack Marshmann and NOW Santos gets another Spicely-type in Meerschaert. Gerald's one of those long time crafty veteran types who are murderous on the ground for novices or overenthusiastic fighters. Good test for both guys.

12- Last time Rob Font fought an aggressive Brazilian he essentially broke down and did dick all. Andrade is a similar type to Lineker minus the amazing chin, cardio. Same love of endless pressure and a pursuit of violence though.

Must Win

Yoel Romero

At 40 years old, there HAS to be a day where Yoel Romero finally turns old and he'll be just like everybody else at 185 lbs. The clock is ticking though and Romero has to know that the big fights with Bisping and Silva and company are on the line with this fight. Romero has to beat Robert Whittaker because otherwise you're going to be left out in the cold.

Anthony Pettis

I mean...duh? Pettis cannot lose this fight. They've found him the perfect opponent with a name to test him. If he loses to Jim Miller, I'm not even sure what you can do with him. He's barely 30, he's a name, he's lost 4 of his last 5 fights and hasn't improved since his days of subbing Benson Henderson.

Travis Browne

Yeah, look, I know Travis Browne is a bit of an undesirable kind of guy. I get it. This is still pro sports and sports are a microcosm of society where undesirable folks with talent will always get sheltered. Browne is still young for the UFC's heavyweight division at 34 years of age and chances are that if he can put his athletic gifts together with a MODICUM of "give a shit", he can still be a factor in the HW division. Oleksiy Olynik is a decent challenge for him, primarily because Olynik's grappling chops and his surprising pop make for a competent solid heavyweight.

Five Fights Not To Miss:

1- Yoel Romero vs Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker has never had a boring fight and stylistically, this is an awesome matchup. Two competent strikers; one an unorthodox throw it all to the wind brawler and the other a fantastic boxer. One is an amazing wrestler, the other has amazing takedown defense. Guys who can finish a fight at any moment's notice. Five rounds for them to work. It's a special fight and not one to miss.

2- Valentina Shevchenko vs Amanda Nunes

There's a decent chance that come late in the fight, things could get messy. It's a risk you have to be willing to take because rounds 1-3 could be really fun. I'm not counting Nunes out until she eventually loses, whenever that may be. Until it happens, I'm going to believe she's a more than live dog in this fight.

3- Jim Miller vs Anthony Pettis

It's been a long and peculiar fall from grace for Anthony Pettis but he's still very much a fun fighter to watch. Even if he's not quite the finish machine he used to be, he's still a special guy who, when on, can dazzle folks. Jim Miller is never in a boring fight and you know he's looking to be ultra impressive in this one.

4- Rob Font vs Douglas Silva da Andrade

Rob Font's offense is always a lot of fun and he took it to another level vs Matt Schnell. He gets a big challenge in Douglas Silva de Andrade who had a war and a half vs Henry Briiones. Think of this as a poor man's Lineker vs a poor man's Donald Cerrone in terms of fighting styles.

5- Trevin Giles vs Cody Bochnovic

Trevin Giles is one of those guys who is an utter wacko of a fighter and the sort of dude who is likely to rack up bonuses by virtue of how he almost always seems to be flirting with disaster each fight out. In the limited stuff I've seen of Bochnovic, I see a guy who might follow a similar path.