K-pop Idols Breaking Stereotypes

Isha Singh, New Delhi K-pop or Korean popular music has gained great popularity over the years and has been playing a crucial part in the growing Hallyu wave. But when someone hears the word K-pop, some deep-rooted perceptions engulf their minds. With the increasing popularity of Korean artists, the stereotypes associated with them are moderately…

K-Song Review: Breathe by Lee Hi

Isha Singh, New Delhi “It’s alright if you run out of breath, No one will blame you. It’s okay to make mistakes sometimes, Because anyone can do so.” Breathe is a Korean Ballad song that defines comfort and has been like a medicine to many listeners for years, especially during the pandemic. Kim Jonghyun, the…

My Travel K-pop Playlist That Keeps My Anxieties At Bay

Ashley Kumar, New Delhi Music is the best companion. Especially when you have to commute all alone to college, work, gatherings, have a flight to catch, etc. I listen to music too during my commute to work via the Delhi Metro and it takes me 50 minutes to reach there. So naturally, I have a…

K-Drama Review Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

Chhavi. P. Sharma, Surat, Gujarat Aired on December 19th, 2016, ‘Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth’ is a drama based on the Kingdom of Silla (57 BC- 935 AD) where a group of young men formed ‘Hwarang.’ Starring Park Seo-joon, Go Ara, and Park Hyung-Sik, this series was aired every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST) till February 21, 2017. Main Cast Hwarang is a Romantic/Historical…

Superior B-Sides That Should Be On Your Playlist

Diya Nair, Kochi, Kerala Cinematic music videos, explosive choreographies, and fashion inspos for days; this is what hooks us onto the title tracks but in the midst of all this; B-sides get overshadowed by their counterparts. Here are 10 B-sides from K-Pop boy groups that you shouldn’t miss! DAY6’s Afraid Extending from the general theme…

K-DRAMA REVIEW: TO THE BEAUTIFUL YOU

Nandhini Lakshmi. M, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu “If there is such a thing as a ‘miracle’, that would be another name for ‘hard work’.” ‘To the Beautiful You’ is a rom-com school drama aired in the second half of 2012 with star-studded casts. It is the adaptation of a Japanese manga where the story revolves around…

The Second Generation of K-Pop: The Golden Age

Ashley Kumar, New Delhi: “The Golden Age” or “The Golden Era” of K-Pop debatably went from 2005 to 2012. It’s also known as the 2nd generation of K-pop. It’s called the Golden Era because second-generation groups like TVXQ!, Super Junior, Wonder Girls, BIGBANG, Miss A, Girls’ Generation, SHINee, Apink, f(x), Sistar, Infinite, Teen Top, 2PM, KARA, 2NE1, and many more, popularized K-pop and made it a trend overseas showcasing the Korean vibe in their music. This was the time when everyone knew the lyrics to songs like ‘Bonamana’, ‘Mirotic’, ‘Be Mine’, ‘Gee’, ‘Nobody’, ‘I’m The Best, ‘Mister’, ‘Ring Ding Dong’, ‘My My’, ‘Heartbeat’, and many more.

K-Album Review: ‘BAD LOVE’ by KEY

Ashley Kumar, New Delhi: SHINee’s KEY came back with his first mini-album, BAD LOVE, on 27th September 2021 after releasing his first full album, FACE, back in 2018. This is his first solo release after discharging from mandatory military service in 2020. This time, the whole album is conceptualized through KEY’s style. It overturns all normalcy of typical album concepts and that is what makes this release especially eye-catching. It contains exceptional retro style, crazy sounds, alien mood, unique album versions, and a mind-blowing music video that portrays KEY’s creativity in immensely distinctive ways (trust me, it’s pure art).

K-Album Review: PINOCCHIO by f(x)

Ashley Kumar, New Delhi: SM Entertainment’s third girl group, f(x), consisting of members Victoria, Luna, Amber, Krystal and Sulli, known for their very experimental concepts and catchy lyrics, released their first full studio album in 2011 called Pinocchio. It consists of 10 tracks and each track has a quirky uniqueness which is expressed clearly through the members’ vocals. Let’s go into the depths of these songs and find out, what makes these songs so special!

Japanese Music by Korean Artists: An Important Part of Hallyu Wave

Mehak Sharma, New Delhi: Music is not restricted to languages or boundaries. Over the past few years, K-Pop has grown remarkably by not only capturing the Asian markets, but has also established its recognition in the West as well. K-Pop has never restricted itself to the Korean language either since many K-Pop groups release multiple versions of their songs in different languages as well, such as in Chinese, Japanese, and English. Looking deeper into this, Japanese releases have by far captured significant spotlight being one of the biggest music markets in the world, accompanied by an interesting Korean-Japanese history.