Friday, 12 December 2014

Kpop | 13 K-Pop Videos With the Most Eye-Popping Choreography - Fuse

Kpop | 13 <b>K-Pop</b> Videos With the Most Eye-Popping Choreography - Fuse

13 <b>K-Pop</b> Videos With the Most Eye-Popping Choreography - Fuse

Posted: 29 Jul 2014 11:00 PM PDT

Earlier this year, YouTube reported that viewership of Korean pop videos had grown from 700 million in 2010 to more than 5.5 billion in the last year. Undoubtedly, the K-pop scene's dedication to top-notch choreography helped drive up views with nearly every vid, including at least one move that makes you hit the replay button.

But which K-pop vids boast the most eye-popping, mind-blowing choreography? We discussed and settled on 13 that made us want to head to the dance studio right away. From EXO and 2PM moving their many members totally in sync to solo stars like Taeyang and Kahi leading entire dance troupes, here are the must-see moves of K-pop.

Click on for our picks, and let your voice be heard by voting on your favorite at the end. Hit us up in the comments if you've got one we missed.

Profile Of A <b>K-Pop</b> Fan: 18-Year-Old <b>K-Pop</b> Universe Facebook <b>...</b>

Posted: 10 Dec 2014 06:27 PM PST

NAME: Leonardo Oliveira

AGE: 18

HOME: Fiães, Portugal

CURRENTLY: a senior in high school

INTRO TO K-POP: "I listened to J-pop and Visual Kei since 2009," Oliveira said. "In 2012, I found out about K-pop with the group NU'EST, after hearing the song 'Face.' I liked the message of the song. It was completely different from what I was used to, since I only listened to rock and metal. Since then, I'm addicted to K-pop."

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FAN CREDENTIALS: "I have never been to a K-pop concert, but I have a Facebook fan page," Oliviera said. "K-Pop Universe is a Facebook page [I created] dedicated to K-pop." The site currently has over 1,800 likes.

THE DIFFERENCE: "The lyrics and the sound of some songs are different," said the Portuguese teen. "Western pop groups like One Direction lack a pop rock feel. They make straight pop music. In K-pop, they have crazy electronic instrumentals and that's good. Not all artists sound like that. Many [K-pop artists] have chill songs with simple instrumentals, but their voices are so good."

CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS: "[People don't] understand the language and that makes them hate K-pop because they don't understand," Oliviera said. "And it's stupid because I don't understand the language but the songs are really good and catchy. And music is for everybody. You don't need to understand the language to like it."

FAVORITE GROUP: GOT7

FAVORITE GOT7 SONG: "A"

FAVORITE SOLO ARTIST: Taeyang of Big Bang

WHY: "My biggest moment as a K-pop fan was when Taeyang's 'Rise' was released," Oliveira said, referencing the singer's solo release from June.  "I was so excited and it's so good. One of my dreams is to have an opportunity to meet him and G-Dragon."

THE FUTURE OF K-POP: "I read a lot of comments saying 'I want old K-pop back,'" Leonardo said. "For me, K-pop is getting better and better."

If you'd like to be featured in the "Profile Of A K-Pop Fan" column, send an email with a recent photo of yourself to fan@kpopstarz.com. Please include the subject header "Fan."

© 2014 KpopStarz. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

<b>K-Pop</b> Double-Take: Forget The Bad Press! Lovelyz &#39;Candy Jelly <b>...</b>

Posted: 10 Dec 2014 03:31 PM PST

K-Pop Double-Take is a periodic review column highlighting recent releases that have yet to receive the attention we feel they deserve.

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After a troubled debut, which included one member hospitalized for stomach pain and another in the psych ward, Woollim Entertainment's newest K-pop girl group Lovelyz 's first single, "Candy Jelly Love," off of the album "Girls Invasion," was released on Nov. 17.

"Candy Jelly Love" is a synth-driven piece of K-pop that melds together elements from multiple sub-genres and eras of electronic music into an adorable whole.

Formed earlier this year by Woollim Entertainment, the Lovelyz lineup consists of Baby Soul, Jiae, Jisoo, Mijoo, Kei, Jin, Sujeong and Yein. The members are all between the ages of 16 and 22.

"Candy Jelly Love" is resolutely playful and romantic and feels just as indebted to modern dance styles like dubstep as it does to more antiqued forms of synth-pop, giving the track a pleasing sheen that goes beyond K-pop and moves into a sonic realm that resembles a lot of current Western indie-electronic music.

The verses of "Candy Jelly Love" are anchored by a half-time dubstep-esque beat and glistening keyboard melodies that wouldn't sound out of place on a track by Scandinavian electro-pop singer Robyn. While the chorus goes double-time and is driven home by a ridiculously bouncy bass line and accented sawtooth synths.

Although the half-time drums on the verses of "Candy Jelly Love" do point to dubstep, there is nothing aggressive about the interplay between them and the shimming lead synth line, which feels wistful in the way that only great synth pop can feel.

"Candy Jelly Love" is produced by 46-year-old South Korean musician and actor Yoon Sang. Although Sang has never before worked with a girl group, he has in the past made music with famous Korean singers like Kang Suji, BoA, and TVXQ.

Perhaps Sang's experience and age played a role in the creation of a track that, while certainly modern, also feels connected to a musical vein that transcends the current moment.

Whatever factors went into creating such a productive collaboration, it is a perfect example of a positive multi-generational musical exchange, and it will be interesting to see what the two entities come up with in the future.

"Candy Jelly Love" deftly synthesizes modern electronica with a more timeless synth pop feel, the end result being something that could appeal to fans of indie electro just as much as more mainstream K-pop supporters and to youngsters, just as much as people who grew up on New Order.

Although they only have one album under their belt, Lovelyz are a group that shows great promise.

Let's hope that they collaborate more with Sang in the future, because if "Candy Jelly Love" is any indication, this is one K-pop match that will continue to bare candy jelly fruit for all parties involved.

Watch the video for "Candy Jelly Love" by Lovelyz RIGHT HERE.

John Chiaverina is a musician and journalist living in New York City. He has performed in over 18 countries, including two tours of South Korea, under the name "Juiceboxxx."

© 2014 KpopStarz. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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