Confusing Yet Catchy: Welcome to Momoland's "Jjan Koong Kwang!"

We've discussed Momoland's history as Duble Kick's girl group from the MNET survival show "Finding Momoland" as well as their simple yet quirky image and concept for their debut music video "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" Today, let's talk about how Momoland's song and choreography are consistent with the girls' image and lead them to their future concepts.

Musically, "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" starts off with a certain kind of cosmic swell. I found their intro more fitting for a group like WJSN/Cosmic Girls due to that namesake, but I think Momoland is doing a fine job of adopting that outlandish sound for themselves. Usually when groups try to imitate a certain feel for their music, they end up sounding too much like other groups. However, the drip drop effects following the intro and staying consistent throughout the song add to Momoland's out-of-this-world-and-into-a-new-land image.

The song stays pretty consistent with the bright, fun, and energetic concept, but the transitions into slower parts of the song give listeners a glimpse into the future musical possibilities with this group. Personally, I find these interjections of ballad-y parts in bright songs even more confusing and out of place than rap parts. Clearly, Duble Kick wants to showcase Momoland's musical scope, so the ballad-y interjections are understandable. It also helps that the backtrack stays consistently poppy for both the ballad-y parts and the energetic parts of the song.

The choreography for this song kind of took me by surprise. For such a fun, bright, and energetic song, there are quite a few sensual points in the choreography. The sensual moves, like the shimmy previously seen in AOA's "Miniskirt," are juxtaposed in Momoland's "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" by the fun 'applying makeup' move and the gwiyomi-esque point-choreography in the chorus. Duble Kick is once again emphasizing Momoland's possibility in versatility through subtle teasers of future concepts for this group.

Overall, both the song and choreography are showing different sides of Momoland, but through the consistent backtracking and choreography themes, they're able to showcase Momoland's bright and quirky image in a catchy and addictive manner. 

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Momoland's "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" Music Video: A Simple Yet Bright and Quirky Debut

Momoland's debut music video "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" displays the image that "Finding Momoland" winners Hyebin, Nancy, Nayoon, Ahin, Yeonwoo, and Jane portray the best.

The music video is kept simple and clean with a white background but avoids staleness through the brightly accented furniture and props. This set up would be somewhat predictable and too focused on solid colors, but the curious patterns on the girls outfits actually adorn the setting as well as the girls. These outfits, as well as the shift from the choreography room scenes to the optical illusion room scenes, establish the more quirky and fun side of this music video in subtle ways.

We've talked about the dangers of being either too strict with a concept or too indecisive on a concept during music videos because of the way those images impact the artists and the audience. Groups with a very specific image and concept (like APink and GFriend) have a hard time branching out into other genres of music in the future because of their image. Groups with no set image (like WJSN and DIA) have a hard time maintaining fans that only liked them for having a specific image.

In Momoland's music video, the girls' outdoor campfire scenes stray from their "simply quirky" image. These scenes happen in the more down-tempo parts of the songs, so the change in scenery is a bit understandable. These scenes aren't too distracting from the overall concept of the music video, and I imagine Duble Kick used these scenes as an opportunity to show off the girls' more feminine sides along with their fun and bright sides. Momoland's concept is set up pretty clearly but gives them enough room to shift in the same way that Oh My Girl transitioned from "Cupid" to "Closer."

Overall, Momoland's debut music video for "Jjan! Koong! Kwang!" showcases their image as a "simply quirky" girl group with lady-like aspects. This simple yet quirky image seems to be the trend lately, especially with girl groups like Red Velvet and I.O.I., so the real concern for Momoland, from here on out, is to see whether they can keep that image or just be overshadowed by other more popular groups with the same image.

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Finding Momoland: Produce 101's Distant Relative

Momoland, a girl group formed out of yet another survival show, debuted with "JJan! Koong! Kwang!" on November 9, 2016.

After the success of Sixteen and Produce 101, MNET created another girl group survival show called "Finding Momoland." This show involved less girls than Produce 101 and had a format similar to JYP's Sixteen.

MNET has been milking Produce 101 hype for good reason. However, the growing amount of kpop groups debuting from survival shows is enough to overdo it. MNET has also made a boy version of Produce 101 called Boys 24 where 50 boys competed and were placed in different units based on their popularity and skill. The problem with Boys 24 is its inability to gain public favor.

Produce 101 grabbed much of the public's attention because of the massive amount of girls involved as well as the novelty of making a survival show with trainees from different agencies. Boys 24, one of the first attempts to remake that popularity, didn't receive as much popularity as anticipated. "Finding Momoland," another attempt at remaking that popularity, has achieved more recognition.

The girls who debuted from "Finding Momoland" into the official girl group Momoland were able to gain enough fans from their survival show to have a decent amount of views on their debut music video as well as pretty loud fanchants during their debut stage.

In my eyes, Momoland is to I.O.I. as F(x) is to Girl's Generation. They're going to be remembered as something akin to a little sister group, but they're not going to have the same impact that their older sister had because of the timing issue. "Finding Momoland" occurred right after Produce 101 and I.O.I. had already won over the nation's hearts, so they will only have enough popularity to attract mania fans, fans who know them through their show, or fans who know them because they know of MNET's survival shows.

Moving forward, I think the way for Momoland to maintain a permanent position in the public's hearts is to take advantage of I.O.I's approaching disbandment and try to attract the fans of Produce 101 into their own fandom. Their debut concept is strong enough for them to keep their fans around and possibly attract new ones, so hopefully they solidify their image in the upcoming months.

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MV Analysis: The East Light's "Holla," A Kudos to the Middle Schooler's First-Love

On Monday, I briefly teased the idea that The East Light and Medialine Entertainment were aiming to be South Korea's Jonas Brothers. This idea came about because of the decisions they made for their debut music video.

One of the most eye-catching parts of this music video is Medialine's Entertainment's choice of wigs for these boys (13 year old Nick Jonas much?). I was so confused about this during my first watch. I wasn't sure what wearing the curly hair and beanie combo would add to the video, but after a few more watches, I realized how much the video as a whole reminded me of all the boy groups I used to love in middle school.

Jonas Brothers appealed to their first audience through their fun music video with snippets of scenes from their song lyrics as well as different shots from them playing instruments in their garage. The East Light has a similar approach and is using this music video as a way to reach out to a specific type of audience.

With the "Holla" music video, the boys are making a hot mess of their parents garage, jamming out to their instruments, and being all-around playful. Although their outfit choices are distracting and a bit strange, what with the tan jumpsuits and curly hair wig and beanie combos, they're just fun and weird enough for middle schoolers, and fans their age, to become fans over. They even shift their outfits to straight blonde hair wigs and hawaiian shirts (which definitely reminded me of Year 3000) to further emphasize that fun, crazy, ridiculous youthfulness.

Rather than taking NCT Dream's approach with "Chewing Gum" and making the boys seem too boyish or too cute for their own age, Medialine Entertainment took the ridiculous and rebellious "boys will be boys" approach and making them seem more approachable for their audience. The song also does a good job of showcasing their talents as well as their childishness, but I'll speak more on that on Friday.

Let me know, through Twitter or through the Disqus comments down below, what you think about The East Light's debut MV "Holla." Are you also getting Jonas Brothers vibes? Do you think this is an appropriate concept for such a young group?

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This Week's Nugu: The East Light, or "South Korea's Jonas Brothers"

This week, we're going to talk about rookies The East Light. 

Medialine Entertainment just debuted this 5 member boy group/boy band with the song "Holla" on November 2nd, 2016. 

Medialine Entertainment hasn't had much success with idol groups in general. They planned to debut a girl group called Viva Girls but couldn't because of financial issues. Their last semi-relevant boy group, N-Train, reached some recognition with their debut "One Last Cry" in 2011, but were eventually out-competed by other groups. 

With The East Light, it seems that Medialine Entertainment is giving their all in developing these young boys' talents first. Unlike focusing on dance or choreography too much, the 5 boys have focused more on playing instruments and singing. Vocalists Lee Eun Sung and Jung Sa Kang have showcased their vocal abilities through different song covers on The East Light's main YouTube channel. Guitarist Kim Jun Wook, Bassist Lee Seung Hyun, and Drummer Lee Seok Cheol have also shown their skills with their respective instruments as well as their growth through different practice play videos.

Up until their debut, the boys have participated in music festivals, commercials, and television shows, and have used their YouTube channel to showcase these events in their pre-debut lives. I think using YouTube, and involving the boys in small entertainment roles before their debut, is both smart and necessary for a group/band like The East Light since according to Music Bank, the average age of this group is 15 years old. Young idol debuts are definitely the trend nowadays. Earlier this year, NCT Dream debuted with a young innocent boy concept with their youngest member, Zhou Chen Le, born in 2001. It will be interesting to see if this young boy trend will continue in KPop or reach some sort of limit where child labor laws will have to be re-evaluated.

Overall, The East Light's history before their debut has been one of showcasing their talents and their growth as vocalists and musicians, so I'm honestly a bit taken aback by how their debut with "Holla" makes them look and sound like South Korea's version of the Jonas Brothers. I can't tell if that association will make them more of a pop group than a rock group, or what kind of audience it could appeal to, but we will discuss more of that on Wednesday. For now though, let me know, through Twitter or in the Disqus comments below, what you have heard about The East Light before their debut and what you think about Medialine Entertainment's approach to exposing this new idol group.

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BULLDOK's "Why Not?": Juxtaposition Through Song and Dance

Let's talk about BULLDOK'S debut song "Why Not?"

On Wednesday, we discussed how BULLDOK is trying to stand out from other Produce 101 bred girl groups like DIA, Gugudan, WJSN, etc. The sets, clothes, makeup, and attitudes of BULLDOK during their debut MV set the girls up for a tough ssen-unnie image that could possibly limit their reach to only certain kinds of audiences. However, "Why Not?" is very pop-like and the dance has a subliminally cute moments that let the girls appeal to a broader audience.

Despite the visuals in the music video, the song has plenty of cheerful moments. Right at the beginning of the song, the cute "A-Yo! A-Yo! B-U-L-L-D~ OK Girl!" verses are backed by the cheerleader type vocals "Hey! Hey!" which are both later juxtaposed with Hyeongeun's powerful and heavy rap.

These kinds of moments where there's a hint of cuteness followed by the overall tough image occur frequently throughout the song. After Sora raises the song up with her high notes, the song drops into an upbeat and playful, yet somewhat sensual, chorus, only to be continued with Kimi's spit-fire rap break.

Notice also, how even the choreography is designed to be tough with cute accents.
The girls frequently use spread legs, banged heads, and arrogant crouches in their choreography to make their bodies seem bigger and tougher, yet have subtle adorable moments like their around-the-world claps, double-handed "hello" waves, dimple-checks, and playful paws.

I believe KConic Entertainment and BULLDOK are using "Why Not?" to reach out to an audience familiar with the members as Produce 101 trainees and surprise that audience with a tough image yet maintain that audience's support with playful accents in the song and dance.

Let me know what you think of BULLDOK's song and choreography for "Why Not?" through Twitter or through the Disqus comments down below!

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MV Analysis: "Why Not?" by BULLDOK

Today we're going to analyze BULLDOK's debut music video for "Why Not?" and try to understand what the company's approach was for a successful and impactful music video.

Right at the start of the music video, we get a sense of exactly what the company could afford with the 5 or so sets for the girls to exist in. The nugu-ness of this video is palpable, but the change in angles and the different camera pans shows the company was aware of their own low-budget and tried to be as dynamic as they could.

BULLDOK seems to be going for that tough girl concept without having a super rough or gritty song. The music video takes place in that white boxed room, and then in the city's nightlife, like streets, alleyways, clubs, and subways. The girls are dressed up in short and tight combat-style and leather outfits. This use of the dark nightlife along with dark yet sensual outfits sets this group up for that strong and tough girl group concept.

This music video comes off as very nugu and very basic, but it seems like the company is trying to make the girls stand out with the tough girl concept during a time when groups like I.O.I., Twice, G-Friend, DIA, Gugudan, WJSN, CLC, and countless other girl groups are doing the innocent pure girl concept. They also stand out as being the only girl group to come out of Produce 101 with a tough image.

This tough concept is a risk because it doesn't please the general Korean public. Other girl groups like GLAM, Global Icon, and EvoL, have debuted as tough, tomboy-like girls, and have all disbanded. It seems KConic Entertainment is avoiding the tomboy image by dressing BULLDOK in crop tops and short shorts, so that their femininity outshines their concept, but I don't think it will be enough to outweigh the risk for this debut concept.

KConic Ent. is taking quite a few risks for BULLDOK's debut, including the tough image and somewhat basic music video, but is balancing those risks out with the timing and style of this debut, the variety in the camera work, and with the girls' collective Produce 101 fame.

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This Week: BULLDOK and KCONIC Entertainment's Clever Use of Produce 101

This week we're going to talk about BULLDOK, the girl group relying on Produce 101 fame and a supposedly different take on generic girl group concepts to capture fans' hearts.

KCONIC Entertainment debuted their girl group BULLDOK on Oct 20, 2016 with the song "Why Not?" This group consists of members Kim Minji, Kim Hyeongeun, Park Sehee, Lee Jinhee, and Park Sora. All of these members appeared in the hit television show and trainee competition Produce 101.

Faced with the fear of disbandment, from being truly nugu/unknown girls, this company is relying on the knowingly short-lived fame from Produce 101 and the 'shock' factor from a hard and wild song to make an impact.

As we've discussed before, new girl groups like DIA, Gugudan, WJSN, and CLC, are relying on the P101 popularity of one of their members to hard-carry the rest of the group into success. These groups, as well as their companies, are also relying on the "powerful innocence" trend started from groups like G-Friend to try and please the public.

In each of these cases, the P101 members who are hard-carrying their respective groups were massively popular during P101, however, they're not popular enough to save their sinking ships on their own. Even the two P101 members of Gugudan, who were immensely popular during P101 (they even debuted in the final line-up of the "Nation's Girl Group: I.O.I") were not enough to save Gugudan's debut from nugu-ness.

What KCONIC Entertainment and BULLDOK are doing differently, is taking the average popularity from all the P101 trainees they had, bringing them together and challenging the public's appeal for "innocent" girl groups with this debut. "Why Not?," a debut we will discuss more throughout this week, is an approach to this flash-in-the-pan-fame that takes a chance and asks: Why not take the risk of debuting these trainees while the P101 fame is still alive and trying to leave a rebellious, strong, and sassy impression on the public?

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Music Video Analysis: "Still 24K" and "Bingo" by 24K

On Monday, I talked briefly about 24K and Choeun Entertainment's approaches to achieving public recognition. Both the group and the company seemed to change image and concept in their debut year before cementing a more hardcore and trendy style after their two year hiatus. 

Today, I'm going to touch upon 24K's more recent comebacks and how the music videos for "Still 24K" and "Bingo" further reinforce this hardcore and trendy image. 

In the music video "Still 24K," there is a very clear establishment of the style that 24K is going to promote in for a while. The music video follows with the delinquent and edgy style from their past successful releases, and also includes some elements that have proven successful for other groups.

"Still 24K" is a story-based music video where the members are delinquents and robbers who set up a scam to get alot of jewelry and gold from a jewelry store. The story is set up i a way where the audience is left with the cliffhanger "to be continued" towards the end of the MV.

What's interesting about this approach to achieving public recognition, is that story-based music videos are a trend nowadays. Successful groups such as BTS, BAP, and VIXX have benefited from engaging their audience with a story and allowing fans to discuss possible music video theories. So, the focus on story in the music video, although a generic one, as well as the cliffhanger at the end, makes fans anticipate 24K's next release. This allows the group to have a consistent fanbase from comeback to comeback, in this case, from "Still 24K" to "Bingo."

In the music video "Bingo," there's a clear continuation from "Still 24K."

The storyline emphasizes the betrayal of one of the members of the delinquent gang because of the girl and the money.

Music videos that deal with betrayal are not uncommon in KPop, but I noticed that 24K and Choeun Entertainment are bringing back trends from past successful music videos. One music video that the company and the group could have drawn inspiration from is "One Shot" by BAP. The emphasis on gun wars, money, blackmail, theft, and betrayal, is something that brought BAP alot of attention during that comeback. It's smart of Choeun Entertainment and 24K to cement their hardcore trendy style in 2016 by bringing back hardcore themes and concepts that were successful in 2013.

Aside from maintaining fans' interest through a music video cliffhanger between comebacks, and reasserting the type of audience 24K wants through this consistent hardcore image, the sets and styling are also indicative of the trends that both the group and the company want to follow.

The dancing scenes for "Bingo" take place in a set similar to Monsta X's "Hero" and Up10tion's "Attention" (both successful comebacks), so it makes sense that 24K and Choeun Entertainment use these sets in their search for public recognition. Although the group and the company focus on trends into making music videos, I think the drawback with getting inspiration from some other successful groups is that 24K loses some of their identity. What do you think?

Let me know through Twitter or in the comments in the Disqus down below, is this hardcore concept, (emphasized through music video plot, set, and styling) too general for a group like 24K or is it just what they need to really start getting noticed by the public?

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This Week's Nugu Idol: 24K, the "Golden Idols"

This week's posts will focus on the "Golden Idols" 24K, Choeun Entertainment's boy group who debuted in 2012 (one of the most competitive years in K-Pop) but didn't really grab much attention until their recent releases "Still 24K" and "Bingo." Today, we'll be analyzing 24K's progress, up until their most recent comeback, "Bingo," and figuring out what changes have been made to this group on their journey out of the "nugu" or unknown/underrated label.

Before 24K's debut, their acoustic pop sub-unit, 4K, debuted with "Rocking Girl" in June 2012. 

This trend of having a "pre-debut-debut with sub-unit members" let companies like Choeun Entertainment test how the audience would feel about the current lineup for their future groups. 4K debuted with vocal members Cory, Seokjune, Kisu, and Sungoh, meaning that right from their first exposure to the public, 24K would be breaking the "idol's can't sing" stereotype. 

However, their official debut "Hurry Up," with its less known industrial genre, threw their first fans for a loop.

24K's vocals were overpowered by the intense mix of pop, trance, and dubstep in the song, and led to the sacrifice of their first fans (those into their acoustics) for new fans (those interested in this uncommon genre). 

Afterwards, their August 2013 comeback "U R So Cute," led to even further confusion, with its blend of house and hard-rock guitar with a lovey-dovey yet funny yet mildly cringe-y video. This comeback might have been Choeun Entertainment's attempt to bring back original fans by mixing 24K's cute vocals with an edgy sound. 

Despite these back and forth concept and image changes, followed by a 2-year-long hiatus and lineup changes, 24K's 2015 comebacks "Hey You" and "Super Fly" were a well-needed fresh-start for this group.

These two songs, released only 5 months apart with more than double the YouTube views than their past releases, cemented them as a group with a hardcore image through the tracks' more EDM and trendy hip hop styles. The freedom that leader Cory and members Jungwook and Daeil received to produce the choreography, as well as, compose and mix the tracks in these albums, definitely benefited the group. 

Overall, I think 24K's approach towards achieving public recognition has taken a turn for the better and will hopefully keep improving as long as they stay consistent with their successful concepts.

On Wednesday, I'll be discussing their most recent music video "Bingo" along with "Still 24K," since the story line for those videos extends into both, but for now let me know, through Twitter or the Disqus below, what you think about Choeun Entertainment's and 24K's approach towards public recognition. Should they have stayed as a more vocal or acoustic group? Is their new concept too idol-like to appeal to a fanbase greater than just idol-biased fans?

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DAL⋆SHABET "Fri. Sat. Sun." Review and Analysis

DAL⋆SHABET came back after 8 months with "Fri. Sat. Sun.," a song expressing the joy of breaking the everyday routine with an exciting and free weekend.

Debuted in 2011 under Happy Face Entertainment and created by E-Tribe, DAL⋆SHABET is a group that has been on the journey to win a music show for around 5 years. This group started off with a strong debut, much like NU'EST's "Face," but has suffered through untimely injuries, member changes and malicious rumors, all while never quite having the correct timing or musical concept that could strengthen their fandom or appeal to the general public.

DAL⋆SHABET was the first girl group to debut in 2011. These six girls were rumored to be as good as SNSD, or Girls Generation, because they were brought together by E-Tribe, the creator of SNSD's hit song "Gee." DAL⋆SHABET's debut with "Supa Dupa Diva" was highly anticipated and the buzz around this group and this song made them a success during their debut.

However, following this success were the pressures of being a celebrity and being put in the spotlight. One of Happy Face Entertainment's smart managing moves was to keep the members promoting for as long as they had the public interested in them. Unfortunately, during comeback "Bling Bling" promotions, Subin was injured, so their promotions were halted. Afterwards, in 2012, one of the most important years in k-pop, DAL⋆SHABET's leader was under question, and subsequently removed, for her rumored bad personality, and a fan war between DAL⋆SHABET's fans and B1A4's fans got so severe, that it prompted police interference.

Overall, DAL⋆SHABET's debut was strong, but unfortunate events reduced the group's momentum, and they have been struggling to hit their peak. Aside from this, is their lack of identity due to a flip-flop between different styles and concepts over the years paired. DAL⋆SHABET's concepts have always been either sensual, or fun, or an exciting mix of both, but there hasn't really been a distinct sound that comes from them. The songs DAL⋆SHABET performs could be performed by any other girl group like Nine Muses, Rainbow, or After School, because they are standard textbook k-pop songs.

The same goes for "Fri. Sat. Sun." What should be a song about letting go and getting ready to have loose-canon fun on the weekend, is actually a song with a rising beat leading to a mellower-than-expected drop. It's still a catchy song, with the classic 3-syllable title and chorus that has proved to be successful for groups like A.O.A, but the song's potential is limited by the girls' vocal ranges. DAL⋆SHABET doesn't have the vocal range that groups like Sistar or Spica have, so they need to rely on a lower sound and chorus in order to sing well. This makes the song awkwardly mellow in a time where the song should have an outburst of energy.

Fortunately, the unexpected change from hype to mellow in the song can be justified. This is a direction in music that hasn't really been tested before, and could potentially become trendy, if the right musical tweaks are done to smooth out the transition between rise and fall. Also, the music video and dance performance are very well done. This music video's outfits and concepts fit a mature yet fun DAL⋆SHABET image. They're seen as part time workers ready to dance the night away in the upcoming weekend, and their dance comes off as mature yet fun due to the body roll that leads into a hop-skip-jump kind of dance. This concept fits well with their ages since its not as innocent as their image during "Someone Like U" and it's not as blatantly sexy as their image during "Joker."

DAL⋆SHABET's mature yet fun image, established in "Fri. Sat. Sun.," could be the right direction for them in future songs, and could be their best approach towards a music show win.

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HALO "Mariya" Review and Analysis

HALO or Hexagon of Absolute Light and Organization, came back with their title track "Mariya" off of their second mini-album Happy Day.

HALO debuted on June 26, 2014 under Hi Star Entertainment with the song "Fever" and a cool yet fresh boyish concept. They have kept up with that concept, but have changed it up a bit over time. Some of their comebacks like "Surprise," and "Come On Now," have been on the more lighthearted and boyish side, while comebacks like "I Like This Feeling," and "While You're Sleeping," have been on the cooler and manly side. This time around, HALO is definitely pushing their image towards a more refreshing, young, schoolboy kind of concept.

Up until groups win their first music show, identifiers like concepts, themes, and styles for a group are up for grabs. A music show win helps the companies know that this style is what works for their group and that they should keep that up for as long as possible. Some of the rookies that have succeeded in defining their concepts include Seventeen, BTS, and Monsta X. At the time of their debut, they weren't the only group to try out refreshing or hip hop concepts. However, they were the groups that were the most consistent with those concepts, and that's why they became household names. The public knew their style and knew what to expect.

Although there are senior groups, like GOT7, who have pulled off fresh and fun songs, like "Just Right" and "A," that style hasn't defined their group's overall musical concept. Alongside HALO are a few other groups, like ASTRO, SNUPER, and NCT Dream that are trying to establish a cute innocent boy concept as their own group's overall style. Until one of these rookie groups gets a music show win, that style is up for grabs, so it's understandable that Hi Star Entertainment would shift more towards this trendy and public-friendly concept in order to get their boys their first music show win.

In the two years since their debut, HALO and Hi Star Entertainment have yet to establish a loud enough voice to grasp the public's attention. So far, their songs have been really safe since there's not much experimentation going on and the songs have the standard mix of music. There's the usual electronic dance music influences and a rap break somewhere in the song, with a showcasing of vocal strength in between. "Mariya" also plays it very safe and follows the trend of refreshing rookies that have been out lately.

The song "Mariya" is very upbeat and follows a standard and predictable rhythm with a very catchy hook. It's an approachable song, and if it gets discovered by others and becomes viral for some reason, then it might get this group one step closer to the top. Their music video is also very creative because it incorporates colorful visual illusions that get enhanced by the computer graphic effects. The choreography for "Mariya" also involves an interesting "peek-a-boo" dance move that seems easy for the fans and the public to follow along with. Overall, this comeback seems like a very safe and strategic move from Hi Star Entertainment to try to win over more fans and maintain the fans that enjoy the more upbeat tracks that HALO has released.

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DIA "Mr. Potter" Review and Analysis

DIA or Do It Amazing is back with the song Mr. Potter from their second mini album Spell.

DIA debuted on September 14, 2015 under MBK Entertainment. Their debut song "Somehow" and their second song "My Friend's Boyfriend" gave the group a distinct style that combined a hip hop foundation in their backing track with the girls' cheery and upbeat vocals.

After DIA promoted their debut album, member Jung Chaeyeon joined the show Produce 101, captured the hearts of viewers, rose in popularity, and became a part of IOI or Ideal of Idol. During IOI promotions, Chaeyeon resumed promoting with DIA for their Happy Ending mini-album. MBK Entertainment capitalized on Chaeyeon's rising popularity and switched up their cute-girl hip-hop concept and tried to be more public-friendly the innocent-yet-strong girl group concept for "On the Road."

Unfortunately, this concept switch resulted in controversy because DIA's music video and song production was too similar to G-Friend's original style. The music video setting, outfits, and song for DIA's "On the Road" resembled G-Friend's "Me Gustas Tu" and "Rough," and were enough to have the public see DIA as copycat idols.

DIA's new song, "Mr. Potter", mashes in various music trends from various successful groups in an attempt at finding a new style. It starts off with an eerie sounding beat that reminds viewers of the classic Harry Potter opening song. The shift from an eerie jingle into a more upbeat song is reminiscent of Red Velvet's "Ice Cream Cake." Unlike "Ice Cream Cake," "Mr. Potter" never reintroduces the eerie beat into the background. Instead, it adds in layers and layers of different beats, and becomes somewhat difficult to follow. That busy aspect is comparable to the busy-yet-somewhat-easy-to-follow back track in AOA's "Heart Attack."

"Ice Cream Cake" and "Heart Attack" are very popular songs that achieved music show wins, so it is understandable that MBK Entertainment and DIA would try to incorporate aspects of those songs into this song, but both Red Velvet and AOA had enough fandom power to support their experimental tracks. DIA's new song is almost too experimental, without enough public-friendliness or fandom power to obtain a music show win.

The "Mr. Potter" music video and choreography also lends itself to some scrutiny. The scenes shot in the bright hot pink and cerulean blue ticket booth give off a similar feel to EXID's "L.I.E" and the train scenes with the rabbit gentleman mirror the train scenes with the lion gentleman in SNSD's "Lion Heart." The choreography in the chorus also copies the same chorus choreography from Girl's Day's "Expectation." Unfortunately, in trying to follow trends through imitation, DIA's music video and choreography seems more like a mash-up of popular music video stereotypes and less like an original and innovative product.

On the road to winning a first place prize on a music show, changes in concept may happen in an attempt to find out what works with what groups. However, MBK Entertainment's attempt to switch to a new concept resulted in a loss of original fans and created a sense of doubt in the public, who will refer to DIA as the group that copies others' style. DIA's return with their mini-album Spell should have been the comeback to solidify DIA's new concept, but instead it leaves the public confused and the fans wanting a return to originality.

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NU'EST "Love Paint" Review and Analysis

NU'EST is back after 6 months with the title track "Love Paint" from their new EP Canvas.

NU'EST or 뉴이스트 was established by Pledis Entertainment in October 2012 and their group name means "New Establish Style Tempo." Since their debut, NU'EST has been a group that brings in new styles of music and new musical innovations in their tracks. However, that kind of experimentation can usually make the public audience feel uncomfortable with their music. Therefore, NU'EST's and Pledis Entertainment's struggle to becoming #1 in the general public's heart is trying to be innovative without being too off-putting.

For this comeback, their song, concept, and video are very public-friendly. "Love Paint" has a softer and smoother foundation with the R&B and classical orchestra mix, but still provides an interesting twist with the inclusion of future bass. Their music video also follows the recently successful trend of combining pastel-colored room sets with curiously shot camera angles. Their silk-pajama-like outfits also follow the recent pajama-inspired fashion trends while emphasizing a dream-like, aesthetic, and ethereal concept.

"Love Paint" has a strong public-friendly base because of the familiarity the public feels with the R&B and classical orchestra mix. However, NU'EST stays true to the group's overall innovative and experimental concept by intertwining future bass and trap elements throughout the song. The musical buildup leading into Baekho's high note in the chorus, followed by JR's trap-inspired rap and flow, makes for a really interesting combination tied together by the overarching R&B feel of the song. This mix gives the song an overall familiar and public-friendly feel while still being a bit experimental.

Aside from the song, the music video is also public-friendly in that it sticks to some common features of recently successful music videos. The pastel colors in each set are aesthetically pleasing and may remind viewers of recently successful music videos with similar color palettes, such as AKMU's "200%," Big Bang's "Let's Not Fall In Love," and Zion T.'s "Eat." Along with the color scheme, are the sets of the music video and the camera angles used in filming. The scene of JR in the car and standing next to the table, as well as Ren's scenes in the different mansion-like rooms, are very reminiscent of the same scenes in Red Velvet's "Automatic," Ladies Code's "Galaxy," and Black Pink's "Whistle." Therefore, the music video may also give NU'EST that added interest during this comeback because it uses successful trends in music video production that the public has already enjoyed.

The concept for "Love Paint" is also very agree-able because it is a dreamy and ethereal kind of concept. Other idols have managed to increase the public's interest in their groups through dreamy concepts and music videos. Lovelyz's "Destiny" and Oh My Girl's "Closer" dream-like comebacks provided them with a much needed increase in their fanbase so, it's understandable that NU'EST and Pledis work with this concept in order to try and secure a music show win. They further emphasize the dream concept and appeal to the public by wearing silky pajama-like shirts in order to follow the recent pajama-shirt fashion trend in South Korea.

It seems like NU'EST is trying to be as public-friendly as possible with this comeback, and even though they're running the risk of becoming almost too standard in following fashion trends and music video trends, they're still managing to keep some of their debut identity with their song's mix between R&B, classical orchestra mix, future bass, and trap-inspired rap elements. Hopefully, the effort they're putting into being as public-friendly as possible will increase their fanbase and lead them closer to winning their first music show.

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"Who You?" Idols

누구? 
Nugu?
Who you?

As the popularity of Korean pop music increases, more entertainment companies try to get a successful start in the music industry by investing in the training and debuting of their idols. As a result of this increase in popularity and music industry investment, there’s a huge influx of bright, new, young and talented idols every week.

With this mass quantity of new idols, most of the idols are unknown to the general public and referred to as “누구” or “nugu” idols. These nugu-dols are usually rookies with big dreams who have been working as hard as they can with whatever resources their small companies can afford them. They don’t have the same support that idols from bigger companies have, but they work just as hard in search of that first ever music show win.

A music show win, whether it’s a win from Music Bank, Inkigayo, Show Champion, or Music Core, means that these idols have finally obtained a big enough fanbase and made a big enough impact with their music to be a recognizable name for the general public. So, for these nugu-dols, that music show win is their first step into true celebrity recognition.

However, before that first music show win is an everyday struggle. Since these idols are unknown, they have to perform their songs whenever they can and anywhere they can (whether those locations are at the set of their music video, or outside at a local park, or at a high school music festival event). They also have to capture as much attention as they can on their debut, and get that interest to carry over onto their next comeback. 

A good example of a nugu-dol working their way to fame is Jellyfish Entertainment’s boy group VIXX. Before their first music show win, VIXX’s company only ever had enough power to get them to perform on music shows and invested any extra income into the next comeback concept and music video. Eventually, VIXX had built up a big enough fanbase to obtain their first music show win for their first full album Voodoo Doll.

Another good example of the struggle from nugu-dom to fame is the girl group EXID. AB Entertainment and Shinsadong Tiger created an original lineup for the group yet faced the hardship of member changes and were still able to have a successful girl group. With a big enough fanbase, they were able to get a particular fancam to skyrocket the public’s interest in the group and maintain it with good songs. EXID achieved their first win with their hit Up and Down.

In order to give these idols the interest and support they need to make it big, this blog will keep up with rookies, like Vromance and Cosmic Girls, along with underrated or underappreciated idols, like Nine Muses and Nu’Est, who have yet to win their first music show. Every week, Nugu-Dols will review these up and coming idols’ songs, videos, outfits, and concepts, in an attempt to figure out the approach they’re taking to win that #1 spot in the public’s heart.

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