#kim minseo stuff

[generation24]

민서 ❀ Minseo

김민서 ❀ Kim Minseo

© generation24

[cup1dseo]

　⁺ black & white supermacy ˚- to my bestie @jjseongloml ✾

[evnne]

minseo ♡ when i'm with you

[xi-ns]

hiii! can i please get headers for this photo? this is minseo from woo!ah!

^ ㅇ ^

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 0: Getting to Know the Boys Part 3: Team Power

Hey, friends! Welcome back to this crazy project I set out for myself -- writing up a bit about each of the 40 contestants on MNET’s Build Up before I dive into the recaps. Last post, I covered Team Soul. This post will be about Team Power. Let’s do it!

Same caveats apply: 1) I’m pressed for time, so proofreading will suffer; please be kind! 2) screencaps will be awkward due to technological issues and 3) All of these guys are amazing vocalists; my critique is splitting hairs and just my opinion at the end of the day. 

Choi Haram

I also have almost no information about Haram, except that he’s a musical actor. In his teaser, V08, I Want to Fall in Love  by Johan Kim, he sings in that classical “musical actor” way, which is just not my favorite style of singing. That doesn’t make it bad! He also is singing a ballad. Which does mean it’s bad! Ha ha, jk.

I'll do my best to evaluate him even though the song is a ballad. I'm a hero, right? His soft tone he uses in the verses is just too breathy and nasal for my taste. But I do like the belt on the chorus part -- nice work. This guy definitely knows how to sing. I wonder what he’ll sound like singing more of a pop song. 

Kim Minseo

This is Kim Minseo, 21, who also appeared on a show I’d never heard of called “The Origin - A, B, or What?” It “was a new type of survival program that combines balance games along with K-pop,” whatever THAT means, and it created the group ATBO. On the Wikipedia page for that show, it says that he was born in January of 2003, making him 21 now, and it also says that he lived in China for ten years and can speak Chinese. I wonder if he and Wumuti will ever speak some Chinese together? 

I really, really liked his teaser performance of Rolling in the Deep by Adele (V39), slight pronunciation issues aside. It was actually kind of cute how he sort of just gave up on pronouncing ‘underestimate’ halfway. He has a distinct, real voice that shows some training but also some rough edges. For me, he’s one to watch. Watch? Listen to? Whatever. 

Yoon Inhwan

Yoon In-Hwan, V23, is one of the enigmas of the show -- I have no information about him. For me, his mini audition showed an unpleasantly throaty, nasal, thick vocal color that I didn’t exactly love. He sounded like he had just drunk a whole gallon of milk or something. I don’t know if that’s how he always sings, or if he just was feeling unwell that day or what. As promised, he did have a lot of power, and he also had a good sense of pitch. Hopefully he’ll do better going forward!

Jo Hwanji

I haven’t been able to get a decent screengrab thus far, but Hwanji is the guy in the uniform in episode 1. He’s only 24 -- isn’t that surprising? Before this, he went on other shows called Phantom Singer 3 and Fantastic Duo 2.

He’s another musical actor, but in his teaser song V26 he breaks the musical actor mold by singing an upbeat retro swing song by JYP -- yes, that JYP -- called Swing Baby. I like the song, and I also like the way he sings it. Clean but full, with fun little growls to brighten things up, varied dynamics, impeccable pitch, and the power he promised. Good stuff! He’s also so hilariously square. I mean it literally. He looks like a Pixar character. It’s cute. I'm looking forward to hearing more from him.

Lim Junhyeok

Junhyeok, age 30, debuted as part of the JYP-based k-band Day6 in September 2015, singing and playing keyboards. In late 2015, it was revealed that he’d been chatting with a female fan online, and that they might have been dating. The controversy built, and he felt obligated to leave the group in February 2016, getting to enjoy less than six months with the group. God, that must have been just heart wrenching for him. I can’t imagine.

Afterward, he joined another band called Be Blossom, but stayed only about a year. Since then, he was on a survival show called The Unit, which was about rebooting debuted idols’ careers. (A few other contestants of Build Up also went on The Unit, too.) He also continues to compose music, which I think is actually his first love. 

His teaser song performance, V05,  was I Love You by Shin Hyo Bum, and you can see in the silhouette that he’s playing the keyboards as he sings. I didn’t love his performance, unfortunately. It felt a little shrieky to me at times, and his softer notes were a little too breathy for my taste. He definitely belongs in the Power group, though. He can sure belt when he wants to -- it’s the softer segments that challenge him. Maybe it’s just my bias against ballads acting up, as well. 

It’s kind of a bummer, because for whatever reason, I like him. I can’t help but cheer for a guy who (a) was kicked out of his group after six months for dating, like, omg, how dare a young person want to date! (b) is a bit on the older side (c) composes music and plays instruments and most importantly (d) shows up to a survival show in a goddamn hoodie. Like, yes, king. So I hope that I grow to like his vocals better as I hear more from him. 

Side note: The Korean family name “Lim” is often transliterated as “Im” since that’s actually closer to how it’s pronounced. So if you see his family name written as “Im,” that’s why. (Nayeon from Twice has the family name of Lim/Im -- hence her album name.)

Park Jeup

Park Jeup makes himself known by wearing an enormous bow on the first day. It’s just such a choice, when he’s so masculine looking. Own it! Yes!

Anyway, he’s 30, and is a member of IMFACT. He’s been on a bunch of singing shows, as well as The Unit, which would have put him in company with Lim Junhyuk (former Day6) and Hyukjin from Fave1.

His group IMFACT debuted in January 2016 and put out several albums and singles, but none of their songs have even one million views on Youtube. Most of them don’t even break 500,000 views. In 2022, all the members of IMFACT left their agency (Star Empire). The group hasn’t officially disbanded, but the members are listing themselves as soloists. They really weren’t a bad group, and it’s a shame that they never caught on, but it’s just such a crowded landscape. Their song Only You spent some time on my playlist a few years back, and Jeup’s voice in that song is really sweet. 

I tried my best to give his teaser song a try -- he was V34 --  but I just dislike ballads so much that I can’t judge him fairly. Vocally, though, he sounds well trained. He has a surprisingly high pitched timbre considering his appearance. 

Here is a performance he did in 2018, in which he made the MNET reaction editors play the instant replay buttons like a xylophone. I think there was some sort of gas leak in the studio that day, because, yeah, his voice is nice but people are having spasms in their excitement and it’s a bit much. Also, he's singing another ballad so it's kind of a no from me.

A song that’s a bit more palatable for me is this cover of Exo’s Monster on The Unit. 

Jeup doesn’t seem to be the main vocal, but he is the one who sings “I’m sorry…. You make me… so crazy, you know you do.” He also does the higher harmony line/descant/whatever it is over the “Come here girl, you… call… me… monster” line. And he pulls it off!

I recognize Jeup’s skill, technique, and passion for the art. I’m not as sure that I love his timbre for whatever reason. I hope his voice grows on me, in part because I always have a soft spot for hard working nugu idols, and in part because I always gravitate toward the older, more broad shouldered idol types, like Baekho from NU’EST and Wyatt from ONF. Jeup, fighting!

Hyukjin

Hyukjin is 30 and is from a group called Fave1, where he’s lead vocal and lead dancer. He also appeared on The Unit, so he may also know Park Jeup and Lim Junhyuk.

Ok, so his background is kind of sad, fam.

His first group, 100%, debuted in 2012, so he’s been at this a while. There were originally seven members, but two quit, and then one member, the leader Minwoo, passed away in 2018. That had to be so hard on Hyukjin and the rest of the team, to lose not just their friend and teammate but also their leader. The group disbanded in 2021, and three of the four remaining members formed Fave1 at a new agency. So they’re kind of like Loosemble or Vivez that way. 

100% started off doing ok -- their older songs had 1 or 2 million views, good for the time period -- but their more recent songs max out at around 400,000 views. Fave1, unfortunately, is really not doing nearly as well as even 100%. Their songs usually have views measured in the thousands, and their videos look like they were shot on someone’s iPhone. Really, the whole thing is kind of heartbreaking. 

In his teaser, Hyukjin was V22 , and sang a quasi-heavy metal song -- think Dreamcatcher style -- called Lazenca, Save Us. It was a unique choice, that’s for sure! I think he was hoping that it might make a splash for being the guy who did THIS song. I’m not sure how I feel about his performance. I think I need to hear more of him to make up my mind. But I mean, gotta respect someone who comes out of the gate with that! I think his natural voice is not quite as deep and rich as it should be to successfully pull off this kind of thing, but he displays strong sense of pitch and a lot of power. It does gets a bit shrieky and it sounds like he’s hurting his throat. I’m looking forward to seeing what else he can do because I just want to see him succeed.

Ok, that's about it for this post! Sorry if it was a bit of a bummer. So many sad stories in this industry. In the next post, we'll be visiting with Team Unique, and then we'll finally get into the recaps! See you soon.

xoxo

BPR Noona

[thebirdandhersong]

After talking to @eddis-not-eeddis about Korean music, I thought I'd put together a list of Korean music that carried me through the last years of high school/first year uni :)

I listened to mostly kpop (and some r&b/indie/rap/alternative/pop rock) near the end of high school, but it became too tiring to listen to, and I became more interested in other genres of Korean music. I've linked a few of my favourite albums below, but most of those artistts have grown in name and (relative) fame since I began listening to them. Here are a a few more recommendations (some of which are smaller/lesser known artists, some of which have big presences in the industry):

Acoustic indie: OKDAL, Han All, Kim Na Young, Standing Egg, Lucid Fall, Sugarbowl, J Rabbit, Urban Zakapa

R&B: Zion.T, Zico, HYUKOH, Heize, GSoul, Ra.D, Crush, DEAN

Ballads: Ji Jin Seok, Park Hyo-shin, Jeong Sewoon, Kim Jin-ah, ONEW, Jung Seung Hwan, Paul Kim

Bands: Martin Smith, LUCY (they have a VIOLINIST !!!), The Rose

Indiepop/pop artists who branched out to different genres: Minseo, Chen, AILEE, BOL4, Sandeul, ONEW, Jonghyun, Monogram, Roy Kim, Lee Hi

Sam Kim's Sun and Moon was THE album of the year in grade 12. Every single track on this album is memorable. Sam Kim (from Seattle!) is signed under Antenna Music, whose other artists are worth checking out, too, if you're interested in unconventional, unique indie music (Antenna's whole brand is letting the artists explore their own tastes and interests; it's a whole agency of singer-songwriters). Sam Kim himself is an excellent guitarist, and likes to dabble every once in a while in other genres (r&b, ballads, pop) and has performed singles for k-drama soundtracks in the past. First song rec: It's You for a relaxed indiepop sound, NO SENSE from his album I AM SAM for a demonstration of his guitar picking style.

Lee Jin-ah is also at Antenna Music. When she arrived on the music scene with her voice and her piano, even big names like JYP (which is one of the "Big Three" pop music companies) were scrambling to offer her a contract. Her jazz piano background brings something very distinctive to the Korean music industry; she combines that with r&b and bubblegum pop influences, which is a really interesting contrast with her light, airy, fairy-like voice :) First song rec: RANDOM (a good intro to her eclectic style), Let's Go Camping (a slower acoustic/piano track that displays her whimsical sound in a softer way).

Eddy Kim's acoustic stuff is pretty good easy listening. I listened to his music constantly in high school. He's less experimental in his music style than Sam Kim, for example, but when he sticks to his brand (guy with guitar and a regular percussive beat) he comes up with some really good music. First song rec: 2 years apart or The Manual

AKMU (Akdong Musician) is probably the only big name company musician I still follow/listen to. They signed with JYP when they were in their mid-teens -- JYP is the only one among the Big Three companies that branches out from mainstream pop the most. AKMU is a brother-sister duo that creates quirky, whimsical indie-pop music with a very distinctive sound (they often sing together; the sister is an incredible vocalist and the brother is the one who composes and produces). More recent music has either gone electro-pop or acoustic based indie. I've added two albums here (one from their teenage years, one more recent) as a nice comparison. You can hear how their style has changed over the years! First song rec: How People Move (a funky, energetic title track), Time and Fallen Leaves (ballad), Last Goodbye (they incorporated a familiar classical music song into this in a very creative way)

Last of all, someone who technically is part of the pop scene in Korea, but whose sound is more memorable to me. IU's charm is the versatility in her voice; she's experimented with many genres in her extensive career (she was a child star). Musical theatre, jazz, singsong rap, ballads, bubblegum pop, electropop, indiepop, acoustic indie, alternative....... she's literally done it all (well. Aside from rock, metal, and traditional folk music). LILAC is one of her more recent albums (for a more acoustic indie sound, I'd recommend Palette). First song rec: LILAC (this is a pretty good example of the unique things she brings to the kpop scene: a theatrical, refreshing sound), My sea (a kdrama OST-style ballad that demonstrates her vocal ability and range), Through the Night from her Palette album (soft relaxing acoustic song)

[doomsidiots]

basics:

full name:  kim minseo

nicknames:  min

gender:  demi male

pronouns:  he / they

sexuality:  demi

aesthetics:  iridescent glows sparkling on walls, plant pals and shared conversations, books scattered across every surface, paint stains left on clothing, moonlight strolls

age:  twenty - five

zodiac sign:  aries

residence:  soon to come

occupation:  art therapist

species:  human

main verse:  currently, does not apply

appearance:

faceclaim:  park seonghwa

voice claim:  park seonghwa

piercings:  triple lobe ( both ), industrial ( left ), helix ( both ), daith ( right ), nipple ( left )

tattoos:  small butterfly ( right ankle ), small sun ( inside left pinky ), small moon ( inside right pinky )

personality:

traits:  captivating, buoyant, blunt, adamant

labels / tropes:  the bibliophile, the songbird, the artisan

likes:  shopping, sleeping in, sunbathing, golden hour, time to disappear and paint, organization, see: hobbies

dislikes: disorder, disrespect, being bored, getting up early, fighting / disagreements, being stared at

phobias:  nyctophobia, claustrophobia, emetophobia

hobbies:  dance, art, photography, plants, reading, singing, shopping

quirks:  constantly changing their hair ⸺͏͏ be dye or wigs, can fall asleep anywhere, often a wildcard, connected to animals ⸺͏͏ disney prince ( ss ), always singing

pet peeves:  being talked to when headphones are on, turning without signaling, being stared at, leaving water running, being told to calm down, littering

faves:

ice cream flavour:  neapolitan & reese's peanut butter cup

time of the day / night:  night

weather:  autumn weather

breakfast food:  eggs & bagel or a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch or fruit

colours:  black, blue & yellow

other random stuff:

a cherished item:  his plants, his couch

usual mood:  friendly

1 thing they want to do / experience before they die:  skydive

[sailorjisunq]

민서

[catboy-jaebeom]

jskxkd not me and JayB picking the same member as our favourite

[kiung]

DRIPPIN x OSEN

[commajade]

had a nice day!! the girls came over and took like almost all of the clothes i had out to offer and they rly liked them i'm v happy i have so much more closet space and i'm moving out of my college pastel sweaters era lol. we talked about a lot of stuff mostly life stuff and music and some comics and dramas my korean has rly gotten so much better in the last 3 years. euijin used to be a super tvxq fan and is mostly into seventeen lately and minseo showed us kim jinho from sg wannabe's new song and i showed them my 3 copies of bad love lol they were v jealous as sg wannabe hasn't had a physical album in like 5 years and euijin was complaining about pledis

[askmcs]

RFA Kids

Sophie, Melissa and Elizabeth are Jumin and Monica’s daughters.

Minjun, Minho and Minseo are Yoosung and Mindy’s children

Hyun Junior and Berinice are Zen and Miriam’s.

Marco and Serena are Saeyoung and Martha’s twins.

And Shin is the adopted son of Saeran and Margo.

But you probably guessed that already.

I can’t actually see Jaehee and Megan having kids. They’ll probably be amazing mothers, expecially Jaehee, but I don’t think they’ll actually adopt a kid. But in the future, who knows, I may change my mind.

Read more for a little more datailed profile of everyone: 

Little profile description for everyone: 

-Minjun Kim: He’s the oldest of the RFA Kids, and since his parents are the youngest of the bunch, Mindy and Yoosung often make fun of the others for being late. Has a great relationship with his family.

He’s kind, a lovable dork, loves to eat and likes plants. He’ll probably buy a farm and live there for the rest of his life. His best friend is Hyun Junior. Probably had a crush on Sophie at some point.

-Hyun Junior Ryu: He’s almost identical to his father. But only on the outside! He’s a flirt and a heartbreaker. He’s not evil, he just has lots of love to give but no one that he actually loves deeply enough to commit to. Because of his attitde, he’s always fighting with his parents, mostly with Miriam.

Best friend with Minjun, he fights constantly with Sophie, but can be a great friend to her, and he’s in general very protective and kind with his true friends. Loyal like his father.

-Sophie Han: The little copy of her father, physically and psychologicaly. She grew up knowing she will be the heiress, and that being a girl would make things way harder. She has a story arc in which she pretends to be a man in university so that people will treat her with more respect. Hyun Jr. and Monica help her with that.

Always had a crush on Hyun Jr., she’s too busy on being perfect to actually do something about it. Maybe they’ll end up togheter traumatizing their fathers, who knows. She also likes Minjun really much, and considers him her best friend.

-Serena Choi: Her name is a reference to her uncle Saeran, and that was obvious. She also has a great relationship with her uncle. And with her parents. Mostly with her father. She is a great genius and always helps his father with his creations. Will achieve Saeyoung’s dream of going to space by working with NASA and being a great aerospace engineer.

She also has a great relationship with her twin brother, even if they are like sun and moon. Her arc is mostly based on her future work and the struggle to be respected and appreciated. She’ll also meet a peculiar boy named Red that is strangely similar to her father, very supportive, and has a... doll who looks just like him?

-Marco Choi: His name is a reference to his aunt Margo, and that was obvious. He also has a great relationship with his aunt, but also with his parents. He’s a literal ray of sunshine, who loves to help his mother with painting and play with his sister and his best friend. 

He fell in love with his best friend pretty soon. Wrote everything in his diary, without telling anybody about his sexuality or his crush, and one day his diary was published on the school bulletin board. His arc is pretty angsty. On the bright side, when he had to tell his parents he was gay, they high-five and Martha told Saeyoung “I won! You owe me ten bucks” or something like that. Jokes aside, everyone was very supporting, Minho too.

-Minho Kim: Talking about him, he is a true cutiepie. Really cute and sweet, like his parents. A little bit shy, but everyone wants to be his friend. Also really good at school, wants to becoma a lawyer, and will succeed. 

His best friends are Serena and Marco, but with the latter he has a special bond. They grew up together, after all. He also has a good relationship with Melissa, who always wanted to play with him and Marco ever since childhood. Minho ends up dating her in high school. And then breaks up with her after certain rumors start to spread out. At first he thinks he’s as straight as spaghetti. Then he gets cooked. And yes, he’s a proud bisexual who loves his best friend. Happy ending! 

-Melissa Han: She is probably the worst out of everyone. She was really spoiled ever since birth, and thinks everything has to go her way. Wants to be a journalist like her mother, but the two have a really conflicting relationship, since their opinion on journalism is almost opposite. However, her father doesn’t see any problem with her method, and they have a good relationship.

Her crush on Minho started when they were little, but even when they got together she wasn’t satisfied, because she hated how Marco was always in the middle. In case you didn’t figure out already, she’s the one who publishes his diary. And she will suffer a lot of consequences, that’s for sure.

-Berinice Ryu: Named after Miriam’s grandmother, Bernie was an accident, TBF, but a really nice accident. She is almost physically identical to her mother, and the total opposite of Hyun in everything. So they don’t have the best of relationship. She’s quiet, responsable, well-beahaved and a little lonely. But she doesn’t really mind not having many friends. Her parents love her very much, expecially Zen. She’s her father’s little spoiled princess. 

She really loves to draw, and she’s a romantic at heart. Loves the concept of true love, and sees the RFA as great example of that. Her best friend among the RFA kids is Shin, they got close really fast. They like the same things, always see Stranger Falls together.

-Shin Choi: That’s complicated. Like, I don’t think I can condensate this kid’s arc in a paragraph. The important thing to know is that he comes from a really bad household. Margo helped him, and after a lot of things happened, she and Saeran ended up adopting him and giving him the loving house he always craved. They have a really strong and wonderful relationship.

Likes Ice cream, plays the violin, and loves all sibling’s relationship. Always wanted to have a brother. But never dares to ask his new parents because he knows they don’t feel like adopting someone else. Sometimes, he has amnesia, and hears voices in his head. Nothing to worry about, right?

-Minseo Kim: It’s incredible how savage she can be. She was the iperactive child, the one his parents really worried about. Always around seeking trouble, running away, climbing trees and stuff. Luckily, her parents got a dog that is perfectly trained to keep her out of trouble. And she loves Roger!

She also likes her family, but spends most of her time with the dog, the cat Lisa and other animals she finds around the yard. She always brings them home hiding them from her parents. They always figure everything out, but most of the time they allow her to keep them.

-Elizabeth Han: Let’s be frank, Jumin wanted a male, a true heir for C&R (actually it was more like the Chairman’s dream than Jumin’s, but whatever), but they seems to have the all-female curse or something, so Elizabeth joined the family. But she’s... perfect?

Like, she’s the kind of person that no one can dislike, and no one is even jealous of her, because she’s not the heiress or spoiled. She’s actually very generous, always giving gifts, making compliments, and she’s humble and nice. Everyone likes her, and would give their life to protect her. 

Yeah, almost every kid has an arc, because I have no social life whatsoever so I created backstories for everyone.

Hope you found them interesting, I’ll probably publish something with the kids in the future, that’s why I introduced them.

Also... sorry for the grammar mistakes.

[sneek-m]

100 Favorite K-pop Songs, 2019

Unfortunately, I no longer foresee myself completing a blurbed version of this list like last year’s. It’s getting too late in the year, and I still find it nearly impossible to rank everything. It feels tough enough having to cut it down to even a 100. There were just so much good music that I feel compelled to show everything. I’m trying my best to finish putting together a huge K-pop playlist like I did with J-pop. That, I plan to finish even if it takes me into the new year.

My hope is that this list looks more diverse than the last, more rap, more coffee-shop pop, more ballads, more whatever. I think K-pop is getting so popular that non-idol stuff can now begin to get more exposure by association under the big K-pop umbrella, and that’s exciting. I only hope to follow it and learn more about it.

The list below is in alphabetical order by artist.

⦁ A.C.E.: "Under Cover" ⦁ AB6IX: "Breathe" ⦁ Apink: "%% (Eung Eung)" ⦁ ARIAZ: "Moonlight Aria" ⦁ Ash Island: "Paranoid" ⦁ ATEEZ: "Say My Name" ⦁ BIBI: "Nabi" ⦁ Bigone: "Last Night" ⦁ The Boyz: "D.D.D." ⦁ Bursters: "Barriers" ⦁ BVNDIT: "My Error" ⦁ Choi Jungyoon: "Nowhere" ⦁ Chung Ha: "Gotta Go" ⦁ CL: "+DONE16201+" ⦁ Dosii: "Lovememore." ⦁ DIA: "Woowa" ⦁ Dreamcatcher: "My Way ~Kono Michi No Sakie~" ⦁ Dreamnote: "Hakuna Matata" ⦁ Epik High: "Eternal Sunshine" ⦁ EXID: "We Are..." ⦁ EXO-SC: "Daydreamin'" ⦁ Eyedi: "& New" ⦁ FTISLAND: "God Bless You" ⦁ (G)-IDLE: "Senorita" ⦁ GFriend: "Sunrise" ⦁ GWSN: "Pinky Star (Run)" ⦁ Heize (ft. Giriboy): "We Don't Talk Together" ⦁ Hoody: "Miro" ⦁ Hwasa: "Twit" ⦁ Hyomin: "U Um U Um" ⦁ Itzy: "Icy" ⦁ IU: "Blueming" ⦁ IZ: "Eden" ⦁ IZ*ONE: "Suki To Iwasetai" ⦁ Jun: "Phenomenal World" ⦁ Jus2: "Love Talk" ⦁ Key (ft. Soyeon): "I Wanna Be" ⦁ KNK: "Sunset" ⦁ Ladies' Code: "Set Me Free" ⦁ Lay: "Honey" ⦁ Lee So Ra (ft. Suga): "Song Request" ⦁ Lim Kim: "Yellow" ⦁ Loco (ft. Zion T): "It's Been a While" ⦁ Los: "Big Mad" ⦁ Lovelyz: "When We Were Us (Beautiful Days)" ⦁ Luna: "Even So" ⦁ Minseo (ft. Paul Kim): "2cm" ⦁ Minsu: "Minsu Is Confused" ⦁ Momoland: "I'm So Hot" ⦁ Monsta X: "Alligator" ⦁ N.Flying: "Rooftop" ⦁ Nature: "Oopsie (My Bad)" ⦁ NC.A: "Awesome Breeze" ⦁ NCT 127: "Superhuman" ⦁ NeonPunch: "Tic Toc" ⦁ Newkidd: "Tu Eres" ⦁ Oh My Girl: "The Fifth Season (SSFWL)" ⦁ ONEUS: "Twilight" ⦁ ONEWE: "Ring on My Ears" ⦁ ONF: "We Must Love" ⦁ OnlyOneOf: "Timeleap" ⦁ Park Bom (ft. Whee In): "4:44" ⦁ PERC%NT: "9" ⦁ PinkFantasy: "Fantasy" ⦁ Punchnello: "Winter Blossom" ⦁ R.Tee & Anda: "What You Waiting For" ⦁ Reddy: "Vroom" ⦁ Rocoberry: "How Is Your Night?" ⦁ Rothy: "Bee" ⦁ Se So Neon: "Go Back" ⦁ Seongri: "That's You" ⦁ Shin Youme: "Wanna Be Ur Love" ⦁ SF9: "RPM" ⦁ Sik-K: "Addict" ⦁ So!YoON! (ft. Mid-Air Thief): "A/DC=" ⦁ Sulli: "Goblin" ⦁ Sumin: "Meow" ⦁ Sunwoo JungA: "Classic" ⦁ SuperM: "Jopping" ⦁ Swervy (ft. Reddy): "Art Gang Money" ⦁ Taemin: "Want" ⦁ Taeyeon: "Four Seasons" ⦁ Tomorrow X Together: "9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)" ⦁ TREI: "Gravity" ⦁ Twice: "Fancy" ⦁ Uk: "What U Want" ⦁ VAV: "Thrilla Killa" ⦁ VERIVERY: "Ring Ring Ring" ⦁ WayV: "Take Off" ⦁ We in the Zone: "Let's Get Loud" ⦁ Weki Meki: "Picky Picky" ⦁ WJSN: "La La Love" ⦁ X1: "Flash" ⦁ Yerin Baek: "Maybe It's Not Our Fault" ⦁ Yesung: "Pink Magic" ⦁ Yoon Jiyoung: "wwwe" ⦁ Yoona: "Promise" ⦁ Yukika: "Neon" ⦁ Yuzion: "Jealousy" ⦁ Zico: "Actually"

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Ep 6 Recap Part 1: Bad News

Welcome back to the only recap series about MNET’s Build Up that is being written by me! In the previous post, we finished episode 5 (almost) and covered the first performance of round one of the 3x3 death match, Pray (I’ll Be Your Man). In this one, we’ll cover the ranking from the end of episode 5 and then dive in to the second performance, Bad News. There will also definitely be some actual bad news, no matter which team you prefer. Let’s face the music. 

First things first I’m the realest: Let’s cover the ranking from the end of episode 5, which I forgot to mention in the previous recap. I am not clear what these rankings are for, as a lot of the people on the list have already been eliminated, but here we are. Those who have been eliminated already have a strike through in their name. I also will note how much they rose/fell since the previous ranking. Here we go:

Jay ⊖ 

Donghun ⊖

Wumuti ⊖

Seokhwa  ▲1

Seunghun ⛛ 1

Park Jeup ▲2

Bitsaeon ▲3

Yeo One  ⛛ 1

Hwanhee ⛛ 3

Jeon Woong  ⛛ 1

Taehwan ⊖

Jeong Inseong ▲1

Geonu ▲1

Sunyoul ⊖

Kang Hayoon ⊖

Neon ⊖

Bain  ▲2

Hong Seongjun  ⛛ 1

Lee Gwangseok ⛛ 1

Jung Soomin ⊖

Kim Minseo  ▲3

Yoon Inhwan ▲1

Park Joohee  ⛛ 1

Hyukjin  ⛛ 3

Kim Seohyung ▲1

Hong Sungwon ⛛ 1

Choi Suhwan  ⊖

Lim Sang Hyun ⊖

Taewoo ▲10

Ma Jaekyung ▲2

Kim Sungjung ⊖

Hwang Inhyuk ⛛ 2

Kwon Euibin ⊖

Choi Haram ▲2

Jo Hwanji ⊖

Jeong Yunseo ▲2

Lee Minwook ⛛ 8

Lim Jun Hyeok ⛛ 1

Ji Yeonwoo  ▲1

Jang Intae ⛛ 6

Ok, let’s get to episode 6! 

Once we get the recappy stuff out of the way, we get back to the second team to perform, the team consisting of Bain, Bitsaeon, and Kim Minseo. In the previous round, Bain and Minseo sang River and came in second place; new recruit Bitsaeon had been partnered with Jay for their excellent (but losing) performance of Dangerously. 

The team is really nervous because the stakes are high and the previous team, Jeup’s team, did really well with Pray (I’ll Be Your Man). 

Dahee asks Team Bitbain if they’re nervous. The English captions punk out a bit, but it’s the same clip that we saw at the end of episode 5. Basically Bitsaeon just says that the other team did well, but they themselves practiced hard too and believe in themselves. 

VCG encourages them, saying “You were my top three in the last round.” That doesn’t quite make sense, since they weren’t a team of three in the last round, but I get what he means. They’re good! They’re really good. We’re reminded of how well Bitsaeon did with Dangerously and how well the other two did with River. 

Then we’re also reminded of the Rival Choosing ceremony, when Jay’s team went to the Moodboard of Doom and set it so that Team Bitbain would have to face the team they most wanted to avoid -- Jeup’s team. Guys, I don’t feel well. Why did these two teams have to get matched up? Sigh. 

Bitsaeon says he’s been thinking about song selection.

When he thinks about Jeup’s team and their harmonies, it makes him feel dizzy. He kind of wants to avoid going straight up against Jeup’s team by also doing insane high pitched harmonies. Instead, he wants to come up with a song that will be unexpected. Bain and Minseo feel like Bitsaeon knows what he’s doing and are happy to let him strategize. 

On a day that we’re told is the next day but clearly isn’t based on how much everyone’s hair has grown…

Check out Bitsaeon's s w e a t e r !

Bitsaeon says he wants something kind of like River or Dangerously, but “upgraded” -- something new. Bain seems to be the one who suggests Kiss of Life’s song Bad News. I knew I liked Bain. You guys, I’m a Bain fan for life. 

You guys, I don’t even talk about how much I love, love, love, LOVE Kiss of Life because I feel like they’re invisible somehow. I just don’t see people talking about them. But omg, I love them. They’re so talented, and they’re all adults. They’re like a supergroup but they’re rookies. I love them so much. Let me just tell you about them for a moment.

Natty was the ultra talented li’l baby on Sixteen, the show that created Twice. She’s Thai and is a fantastic and charismatic dancer, and also a singer of unusual range

Belle is an S+ tier singer with whistle tone ability. She’s like Ariana Grande or something, but she also writes songs, and in fact co-wrote Unforgiven by Le Sserafim.

Julie is from Hawaii and has a velvety vocal color and the best smile and the most swag and can also pirouette on one foot like what what are you

Haneul is the only fully Korean member and is a cute maknae who attracts a lot of stans, and is also a very good vocalist

They do a thing where their videos are like mini movies with intersecting storylines. So, if you want to watch the video for Bad News, be sure to watch the video for Nobody Knows right after it to get the rest of the story. Also, then you should watch a live performance of Nobody Knows because their live singing is unbelievable and also the choreography is EVERYTHING. 

I’ve been thinking about how a team should have done Nobody Knows as their song for the second round, because it’s so sexy and interesting, but then I thought, yeah, but Kiss of Life are rookies -- would anyone even know these songs? And they do! And my favorite team is going to do one! I’m so happy!! Even if they lose, this is going to be a great performance.

Ok anyway back to it. The on screen captions describe Bad News as a mix of rock and hip-hop, which is fair, and Bitsaeon says that it’s different from anything they’ve done so far, which is also true. They’re having a little trouble deciding how to handle Belle’s really cute squeak on the word “moves” in the chorus. Bain is a little stressed out about it but it sounds good. He says he’s going to practice it to death. 

Oh no, Bain, please don’t overpractice and destroy your voice. 

The performance begins.

Here’s an in-studio audio version for you to add to your Youtube playlist. Omg, I love it. I love it so much. The arrangement works so well. I actually like the song slightly better in this key, and they made it more Western-y and less hip-hoppy and I love it, which surprises me because I don’t listen to country music or anything. But this WORKS. Ok, let’s see the live version. Please, oh please, may Bain’s voice hold out. 

Full version without reactions 

Sorry, I just thought this freeze frame was so funny

My thoughts:

Well, this was obviously fantastic. Amazing, great, loved it, perfect, wouldn’t change a thing about the performance itself. I have to assume, without seeing any of the others, that this performance would have/could have/should have beaten almost any other performance.

And just as obviously, it will lose this round.

They spent too much time rapping and not enough time showcasing their fantastic vocals, and the song is just not emotional enough to overcome the juggernaut of Jeup’s team.

I mean, maybe I’m wrong and they win but I feel pretty sure that they lost. I’m just glad they went down swinging and hopefully they won some new fans.

Minseo was possibly the weakest of the three, and he was still fantastic. I think some of the notes were slightly too deep for him, and others were a tiny bit too high, and it made him occasionally a bit pitchy. But I still love, love, love his vocal color, his absence of nasality, and his swagger and confidence on stage. Minseo, fighting! I hope you debut soon! 

I also love Bitsaeon’s voice. He shines so much better with this team than he did with Jay’s. Like, ok, maybe he didn’t wear a fuzzy sweater this time, but he sounded like a real rapper when he rapped and his power notes were powerful. No nasality, no pitchiness, just all good technique and plenty of stage presence. Bitsaeon, fighting! I’ll keep up with M.O.N.T. to keep up with you!

Bain has my favorite voice of the three. Ok, is he Park Jeup? No. He doesn’t have Jeup’s insane range. But Bain’s natural vocal color is nicer than Jeup’s (to me) and he can still hit fairly high notes without straining or using falsetto. I can feel the proper technique just oozing out of him. He’s so good. Also, he raps just as well as he sings. He hits every consonant and vowel and brings interest and *blam* to it as he goes.

I don’t know, fam -- for me he’s got that RM / Joohoney energy that I love so much in an idol. Like, ok, maybe he doesn’t meet Kpop beauty standards but he doesn’t have to because he has an “it” factor on stage. Like his “to the left to right back and forth…” part in the bridge, I mean, it was kind of sexy, wasn’t it?  Also, I’m predicting now that his “on & on & on” toward the beginning will get an instant replay and reaction. Let’s see if I’m right. 

So many awkward screenshots 

In the MNET edit, we hear a judge call out “Oh, cowboy!” in English at the start. And overall, everyone seems to be having a great time watching. The other contestants look amazed and the judges are bopping. And yes, of course, Bain’s  “on & on & on” did get an instant reply. 

VCG cheers for Bain’s high pitched squeals.

Jaehwan jumps to his feet. 

I feel like this is the most we’ve seen Wendy enjoy a performance on the show.

Backstage, balladeer Yoon Inhwan turns to Donghun and says, “It’s as if he’s possessed!” (I think he’s talking about Bain.)

Dahee is also having a great time. 

When they’re done, everyone cheers. 

Sorichir-ra! (MAKE SOME NOISE!!)

Geonu points like, “that’s my teammate!” 

Everyone loved it. Someone -- I think Wendy? -- says “I was completely slain by Bain.” Yes, Bain was undoubtedly the MVP here. VCG and Jaehwan, still talking about Bain, say “He’s at his peak. He totally knows what’s going on. He totally knows what he’s good at.” Wendy agrees, saying, “IT all comes out on stage.”

It’s time for the judges to evaluate, and they don’t really want to, you can tell. They’re like, “how do you judge something like this?” It’s like choosing between a pair of shoes and a bowl of ice cream. Like, what do you want to do with it? What do you need right now? 

Baekho says, “I have nothing to say. It was just so good. I forgot that it was a survival program -- it felt like I was just watching a concert.”

Dahee is grinning, looking over at the guys to see how this praise is affected them, but you can see that it’s not quite enough. They won’t feel at peace until they know the actual outcome.   

But Dahee is still the best. What is she wearing? What is that? She’s still the best. 

Baekho goes on, “There was a part that was particularly impressive. Bain-shi, the performance really showed how well you use your voice.” And we get the “on&on&on” part again. Fair. 

EVERYONE, I TOLD YOU ABOUT BAIN. I TOLD YOU. 

Baekho continues, “Bain gets possessed on stage! If there were someone like him on my team, I’d feel so thankful.” 

Wendy says, “I really enjoyed watching it. I felt like I was watching a concert, too.” She likes how they walked in at the beginning, like cowboys, and how they kept the energy up. 

VCG asks Minseo how long he has been a trainee, and he says 4 years. VCG says that if Minseo is this good after only a few actual performances, what more is he capable of in the future? Both VCG and Solar are excited to see where he goes next. Solar is like, “You’re obviously with an agency, right?” And Minseo says, “um, actually… no…” And Solar is like WTF? VCG says that if he were CEO of an agency, he’d take Minseo immediately. I think that’s on the horizon….

 Backstage, Woong looks right into the camera and says “Brand New Music! Call him right now!!!” (At least, I think that’s what he says. They bleep out part of the company name.)

I guess there’s no time to compliment Bitsaeon, which is a bummer; I think he also did really well. But now it’s time to make BPR Unnie unhappy. 

The judges have to vote for which team did better, and they joke about going on strike, saying that they just can’t choose. But they do choose, of course. 

Who are we losing of my two favorites, Jeup or Bain? 

COMMERCIAL BREAK! 

I repeat, who are we losing of my two favorites, Jeup or Bain? 

The blue votes are for Team Bit-Bain, and the red votes are for Jeup’s team. So guest judge, Wendy, and Jaehwan went with team Bit-Bain, while Baekho, Solar, VCG, and Eunkwang went for Jeup’s team.

We’re losing Bain, Bitsaeon, and Minseo.  

They hold it together with dignity. Bain even has it in him to give the other team the thumbs up. Class act.

Jeup is sort of pacing around with his hand on his ribcage, as if he’s trying to calm his heart. He’s crying a little. Oh, no, MY heart! And your heart! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT ALL OUR HEARTS? 

Suhwan steps forward to speak on behalf of his team, and says things like they worked hard and think both teams did well and thank you everyone and yadda yadda. 

Dahee talks to Jeup, saying, “You must have been very nervous.” 

Baekho picks up his mic and says, “Careful now, you’ll lose your muscles if you don’t stop crying.” If anyone would know, it’d be Baekho!

Jeup clears his throat and says, “I normally don’t cry. Actually, this performance was a bit scary. The other team was so good, and I’m the oldest member of my team. I thought I shouldn’t let my teammates know about my anxiety. I think it was very difficult in many ways. Before the performance, I told my teammates to be calm, but I think I was talking to myself. Thank you, everyone.” 

Dahee says that Bain, Bitsaeon, and Minseo have been eliminated. 

Bain says, “I had a lot of fun on stage. Bitsaeon and Minseo worked so hard.”

He’s fighting back tears, but he goes on. “Of course, I do feel sad. But it was great to show you myself through Build Up.

The judges reassure them that they really did a really good job too. They’re sad that they have to send away a team that did so well.

But backstage, Bain’s team seems to be relatively at peace. They know they did well and they’re still proud of the job they did, even if they’re sad that they lost. At least they went out on a high note. 

If you’re sad about losing Bain, watch this video of him singing Unholy by Sam Smith. 

And I think I'll end this post here, because this is almost 30 pictures already. So I'll see you in the next one, when Team Gruff N'Smooth takes on Team sweeties. Take care until then!

[ongfreestyle]

My Top PDX101 BOYS

That's right, it's that time again!!! Misery. After Ep. 1 (Plus the preshow stuff as always) I have my top 11 (not sure if it's 10 or 11 I'm not getting the whole X thing atm) Here are the boys that stuck out to me most!

1. Kim Gukheon (I really enjoyed his voice and performance so far and I remember him the best)

2. Son Dongpyo (This cutie has my heart already and I can't wait to see what he can do)

3. Kim Yohan (He chose a great song and did well and bonus points for the Heelies lol)

4. Han Seungwoo (Okay, not to be biased, but he's my bias from Victon and I want him and Byungchan to do well)

5. Ham Wonjin (He really caught my eye with his audition and I want to see him more)

6. Kim Minseo (Woolim)

7. Kim Dongbin

8. Yuri (He's handsome and if I recall correctly he had some cool moves? Wanna see more tho)

9. Kim Shihoon

10. Lee Sejin

11. Hong Sunghyun

Looking forward to EP. 2

[forproducex101]

My Group X Battle Thoughts

So I know I’m kinda late as the next episode comes out tomorrow. But I wanted to put out my thoughts on the performances because I was only able to finish episode 4 yesterday due to finals and stuff. So, firstly, the performances themselves! I’m going to put my opinion on who did better for each battle (in blue).

MAMA v. Love Shot

No More Dream v. Blood, Sweat & Tears

Trespass v. Dramarama

Adore U v. Clap

Energetic v. Light

Girls Girls Girls v. Lullaby

Where You At v. Dejavu

The 7th Sense v. BOSS

And for my Top 5 performances!

Lullaby: BEST VOCALS; all of the trainees in this team sang so well!! Suhwan made a perfect center and I loved Baek Jin’s dance break. Honestly, they looked and sounded like a real idol group.

Girls Girls Girls: BEST STAGE PRESENCE; these two made it so hard to puck between the two GOT7 teams! This song is hard to pull off without seeming overboard but they did it! Their facial expressions were on point and their vocals were so smooth~

Love Shot: SO SEXY; they were practically oozing charisma. Wooseok’s soft voice, Seungyoun’s high tone, LEE HANGYUL’S EXISTANCE, UGH!!! So good.

BOSS: FLAWLESS; seriously, this performance has absolutely nothing wrong with it. I remember watching the cover of this song from Under Nineteen and being so underwhelmed. This one was much better. Yohan did so well as main rapper and Jinhyuk was a great center! The reason I have it lower it because, honestly, no one can do this song justice but NCT U.

No More Dream: BEST SYNERGY; this team seemed like a TEAM. They all complimented each other very well and they just seemed so connected with each other. Their teamwork is so apparent and made their performance that much better to watch. Also, Steven Kim’s rapping 😉

And now for the Top 11 trainees! This isn’t my personal Top 11, but the boys who I thought did the best during the performances.

Astory Entertainment Jeon Hyunwoo, main vocal of Adore U: his voice is so clear and his facial expressions are adorable! He’s so soft and makes me so soft and honestly my heart just totoally melted.

AAP.Y Kang Hyeonsu, sub vocal 1 of Girls Girls Girls: this boy steals the spotlight with his beautiful voice and incredible stage presence! He’s so talented and I really hope we get to see more of him~

Yuehua Entertainment Cho Seungyoun, main vocal of Love Shot: MAIN RAPPER OF UNIQ??? BEING MAIN VOCAL????? We love versatility 👌🏻 His high tone is so pleasing and sexy~ Also his OUTFIT and MAKEUP- don’t even get me started.

Music Works Song Yubin, main vocal of Lullaby: his voice was absolutely perfect for this song. He’s also just a really genuine, hard-working guy and has this boy-next-door charm that is very attractive.

Urban Works Media Kim Minseo, main vocal of Dejavu: HOW DID THIS KID NOT GET PICKED??? He’s a true diamond in the rough: his voice is angelic and his facial expressions are on point!

Music Works Kim Kookheon, main vocal of Girls Girls Girls: same with Yubin, Kookheon is just a genuine, good guy. Plus, HIS 👏🏻 VOICE 👏🏻 SLAYS 👏🏻 MY 👏🏻 LIFE; his energy is amazing and he puts such life into his performance.

Individual Choi Suhwan, sub vocal 2 of Lullaby: MY BOY WAS CENTER WOOOO!! He’s so captivating and his voice is amazing! I still can’t believe so many companies rejected him: he’s such an amazing performer.

AAP.Y Lee Midam, vocal 3 of The 7th Sense: Korea better not sleep on this boy because he is the total package! His vocal tone is so unique and his lower notes gave me chills. You best believe I’m gonna be sobbing if he doesn’t continue.

VINE Entertainment Baek Jin, rapper 1 of Lullaby: I admire him so much because you can tell he knows who he is as a performer. I loved how he added the dance break and got his moment to shine!

Individual Lee Hyeop, main vocal of Clap: honestly, I didn’t think the Clap performance was that great, but this guy??? THOSE HIGH NOTES??? NAILED IT!!! I want to see more from him~

E Entertainment Won Hyuk, rapper 2 of Energetic: he was born to be a singer! He’s incredibly multi-talented and the reason Energetic was so good. I’m praying that we get to continue to see him perform 🙏🏻

Special Mentions:

OUI Entertainment Kim Yohan

TOP Media Lee Jinhyuk

HONGYI Entertainment Tony

MBK Entertainment Lee Hangyul

TOP Media Kim Wooseok

Individual Lee Hamin

Brand New Music Yun Junghwan

Feel free to comment your own thoughts on the Group X Battle performances! (Also join my PDX101 Discord~ 😁)