It's Time for Variety Shows!

Variety shows in South Korea have being key point for foreigners to gain interest on Korean pop culture. Their creative games, as well as the unique structure, had helped us to learn more about their country. There is a great number of Korean variety shows, but for this occasion, I will talk to you about the ones that helped me get into the world of laughter with the South Korean comedy.

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Before Running Man was created, there was a show where you could laugh a lot and relate to the members. Family Outing was created with the purpose to let a family on the countryside of South Korea to have a 2-day vacation, so a group of celebrities gathers to take care of the farming work and the house. However, it is obvious that there has to be games involve. The Family members at the first season of the show (2008-2010) where Yoo Jae Suk (from RM), taking the position of MC on the show and being part of mockery around the other members but especially of Lee Hyo Ri. Hyo Ri was well known for being an ex-member of a very popular k-pop girl group (Fin.K.L) and then solo artist, getting the title of "Queen of K-pop". These two members of the family took the title of the "Nations Siblings" for their extraordinary performance on the show, and how close they seemed teasing each other, as real siblings would do. To these two we add the incredible "dongsae" or little brother, Kang Daesung, from the international group sensation Big Bang. Every time JaeSuk and Daesung got together their personalities came out on the show as being in complete sink but also silly and dumb, getting the title of "Dumb and Dumber" by their sibling HyoRi. The other members that stay until the end of the first season were actor and director Kim Sooro (A Gentleman's Dignity) and Yoon Jong Shin (singer, composer and TV personality). Sooro was given the title of "stepmother" since he scolded and bossed around family member actor Lee Chun Hee, he then passed to be "Chunderella". Actress Park Ye Jin wow the family members and the audience by handling well every living creature and cleaning the fish for the meals. At every episode, a guest helped the family out and let another side of them shine in front of the camera at the countryside. Lee Chun Hee and Park Ye Jin stay at the show until 2009 and their lasts episodes were 52 and 53, with this new family members came along.

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A new member was added to the family since the 19th episode, singer Kim Jong Kook (Tiger at RM) was part of the family until the end of the first season. It was Kim Jong Kook's first show after mandatory military service. Being the new male member of the family made the girls a little excited and awkward at the beginning, and the other members try to make a love line between Jong Kook and the girls. For the 54th episode, the family welcomed new members. Actor Park Hae Jin and actress/model Park Si Yeon became part of the show, Hae Jin with his fresh style and good looks did not disappoint the audience when it came to good entertainment. Even though Si Yeon and Hyo Ri are the same age every time you saw them together the feeling was completely different, Si Yeon let the audience watch what a person from the city that haven't interact with nature would manage around this kind of habitat.

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The last episode was aired on February 10, 2010, and all the former family members came along. The show filmed on SBS headquarters as an award show, Family Awards.

Now I will talk to you about the show that change how I saw the Korean pop culture, “Running Man”. On July of 2010, SBS gave us the greatest variety show for a long time, letting us laugh aloud until our stomachs hurt. Seven members with a mission to complete the race and win, this is the purpose of the show. Sometimes with guest appearance like actors, singers, announcers, athletes, and entertainment personalities, with whom you can have a blast with all the nonsense of the games and challenges along the way.

The original cast members where all men; Yoo Jae Suk "Grasshopper, Yoo-mes Bond, Yoo-ruce Willis", Ji Suk Jin "Impala or Big Nose", Kim Jong Kook "Tiger, Sparta, Commander, Mr. Capable", Gary "Peaceful Gary, Random Mr. Capable, Monday Boyfriend", HaHa "Haroro, Kid", Lee Kwang Soo "Giraffe, Traitor, Kwangvatar, Unlucky Hand", and Song Joong Ki "Flower Boy". For 41 episodes these cast drag us to a new world, the world of Korean variety shows with a lot of nonsense and creativity. But what defines Running Man is the name tag elimination game, the survivor wins. The winner of the race would get a price of gold (jewelry, trophies, medals, etc.) and the losers would have to take a punishment. On the second episode the guest where singer Goo Hara and actress Song Ji Hyo, who then turn out to be one of the fixed members. The alias of the actress are "Ace", "Blank Ji Hyo", "Miss Mong", and even "Gold Ji Hyo" being the member with most wins on the show. Since Ji Hyo’s first appearance on the show, the cast members joked about an admired among the guys, and it turned out to be Kang Gary. At the beginning, it was Gary the one who made the first approach, with his cheesy comments and awkward behavior. With this kind of behavior, the cast members started to create situations for them to be together and pointed out actions with their mischievous comments. It was on the episode 10 that the cast members decided to leave them alone on the same room for them to get closer, their awkward interaction was what made the fans go crazy and fall for them. However, what really made the biggest shock was the day that Ji Hyo said, “On Mondays I have a man”, whit this the "Monday Couple" was officially on the show. After this, the production made many efforts to pair them up on countless races, making the most hilarious episodes with their funny romance.     

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Another member was once part of the Running Man, Lizzy, which is part of the girl group After School and sub-unit Orange Caramel. She only stayed for 8 episodes on 2011 and was a guest for a previous 2. Song Joong Ki last appearance on the show was on April 2011, leaving the show to concentrate on his acting career. After that, the fixed members stayed as 7, a number that stayed for 7 years.

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On the episode of March 20, 2016, the members shared their worries with other members as part of a healing process. Gary shared his worries with Yoo Jae Suk and let him know that he was concerned that he has left his passion of music behind and focused too much on the show. Since that episode, we saw a new side of Gary and how he truly felt towards the show, the members, the fans, and of course his career on the music industry. On October of 2016, it was announced that Kang Gary would leave the show to focus on his music, the members and production supported his decision.

After Gary's departure, SBS wanted to re-invent the show, start anew. Rumors started to surface on the company until a bomb exploded, "Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook to leave Running Man", to later a more shocking headline, "Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jong Kook kick out of Running Man". The company, not the production, made the decision to let go Ji Hyo and Jong Kook of the show and bring a new member to the show, Kang Ho Dong. After all that awful controversy, Kang Ho Dong turned down the offer, which made it even worst and let the production to a crisis. The members demanded a rush reunion with the staff, which lead to the cancelation of the show. At the end of that reunion, the production, along with the members decided to end the show on February of 2017, for the remaining episodes Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo decided to not receive the paycheck and donate that money. Later, on the middle of January the CEO of SBS talked with all the members and apologized to each of them, they all later decided to stay on the show for their fans and for the camaraderie, they have. On April 3, it was confirmed that the show would have two new members, actress Jeon So Mi, and comedian Yang Sea Chan. Both new members where guests on the show before, they had great chemistry with the cast, as they also had good reviews from the viewers.  Now the show has a new dynamic, there is more mind games rather than using physical games. This new atmosphere gave the show a reborn statement, having the best rating numbers for a long time, leaving the idea of cancellation far behind.

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This is just part of the incredible world of variety shows in South Korea. If you want to know more details about “Running Man” or “Family Outing”, you can check my previous posts about them. I will talk more about them, and the ones that are my favorites. Hope you come back for more next time.

KPOP Charts 2018: The Best 20 of 2018

Like always, picking the best songs of the year is hard, too many great tracks. I decided to take 20 of all the previews post I made through the year, hope you like it and came back later for more great choices.

1.     FAKE LOVE by BTS: The track "FAKE LOVE" market the comeback from the group since their incredible success with the songs "DNA" and "MIC Drop". In 2018, the group did their World Tour, and where the first kpop act to make a stadium show on the New York Mets park.  

2.     DDU DU DDU DU by Black Pink: The girls made an incredible comeback with the track "DDU DU DDU DU". The song gave you all the fills of female power and badass attitude. On September the girls received their "Diamond Bottom" from YouTube, since the group suppressed the 10 million subscribers.

3.     Egotistic by MAMAMOO: Once again, Mamamoo don't disappoint with their dynamic vocals. For this project, the female group gave us a Latin vibe with the track "Egotistic". This song is part of their EP "Red Moon", which is their four inspired by a color that represents a member. The color red represents member Moonbyul, which has a solo track on the album titled "Selfish" with Red Velvet member Seulgi.

4.     Love Scenario by iKON: After almost two years, iKON made their proper comeback with the album "Return", which had 12 songs. The title track for their project was "Love Scenario", which is different from their usual party and fun vibe. The song is mellow break up son but an upbeat sound that goes great with the choreography. The MV of the song show us the great dance formation of the group, along with their incredible style.

5.     Bad Boy by Red Velvet: Red Velvet made their comeback with the track "Bad Boy", after their success with “Peek-A-Boo" and the album "Perfect Velvet" the past November. For the begging of the year the group has re-release their previous album with three new tracks and the new title "The Perfect Red Velvet". "Bad Boy" is a song with a groovy strong bass that talks about being attracted to a bad boy. The girls use a more mature style for this project, along with a "sexy" choreography.

6.     What Is Love? by TWICE: The group under JYP Entertainment made their comeback with their mini album "What Is Love?". The composition is from JYP himself, it's a dance track showing how some girls learn love through book, movies, and dramas. Like most of the group’s songs, this track has a bright melody but with some rhythms of trap and dance beats.

7.     Potion by Eric Nam: Eric Nam's third mini album was released this past April, titled "Honestly". The project includes six tracks, one of them "Potion", featuring rapper Woodie Gochild. The lyrics of this song where co-writing by Epik High's leader, Tablo, and the MV was filmed in Mexico.

8.     IDOL by BTS ft Nicki Minaj: After an incredible success in Korea and internationally with their latest work, they had a great comeback alongside Nicki Minaj for the song '"IDOL". The group first released the original track with the MV on the end of August and topped all the Billboard's list on the last week of August. The MV for this track is characterized for being a self-pride work for the boys, with all the key points of their Korean Culture. The chorus "you can't stop me loving myself" shows the fans how compromise they are for young people to have a healthy mental health, to be strong and don't let the events happening on the World doubt what they can do, and how important is to love yourself and fight for what you believe. Right now, the group has broken the record on YouTube with the MV, surpassing the 100 million views on the platform. The group's album "Love Yourself: Answer" was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart for the two times and is still No. 1 on the Social 50 charts.

9.     Pluhmm by HA:TFELT: Released on April of this year, former Wonder Girl, Yeeun let us know the hearth fluttering feelings at the beginning of a relationship, how someone has all kind of emotions before a relationship starts. The track is part of her single project "Deine".

10.  BBIBBI by IU: IU came back on October 10 with a new song to commemorate her 10th anniversary on the industry. The song is a way to make netizens now that she has had it with their negative comments about her.  She is putting out the word that she no longer will tolerate it, but on the most playful of ways. The song has a great vibe, with a nice alternative R&B sound.

11.  Don't Give It To Me by Loco x Hwasa: The KBS World variety show "Hyena on the Keyboard" has musicians and singer/songwriters make collaborations with other artists. On the beginning of May, rapper and hip-hop artist Loco made his collaboration track with MAMAMOO's Hwasa. Multiple times Loco has stated that his ideal type among idols is Hwasa, that is why he did not waste any time on flirting with her while working together. The duo came up with the track "Don't Give It To Me", as an example of the sparks that surge when a man and a woman got out. The song is the first from the show to rank #1 on the charts.

12.  Bingle Bangle by AOA: The girl group AOA made their comeback with the album and title track "Bingle Bangle". The group now without one of the members, ChoA, since she decided to leave the group for mental health issues. The track is an upbeat one, with a fun MV simulating a retro video game. The catchy chorus and fun choreography can really get to the fans, and make you want to dance.

13.  I'm So Sick by Apink: Apink made a great comeback with the track "I'm So Sick". Thanks to their more mature look, the change of sound and image, the female group landed on No. 11 on the Billboard World Album chart and made No. 39 on the Social 50 chart from Billboard.

14.  MAINHAE (Sorry) by Heize: The new album from R&B artist, Heize, come out on March. "Wish & Wind" had seven tracks, and two MV release, "Jenga" ft. Gaeko, which is the title track, and "MAINHAE (Sorry)". Even though the latter is not the title track, you can be easily hooked by its retro-modern R&B tune and jazzy vibe with an incredible hook of the word "mainhae" along the song.

15.  Fiancé by MINO: Member of the YG Entertainment group WINNER, Song Mino, released his first solo album titled "XX". For the promotional track he had the song "Fiancé", which is a track that fusion trot music with hip-hop and Korean pop music. The music video takes us to the past of traditional Korean culture, while going back and forth to a present fill with outstanding aesthetics. The song talks about his desire towards the girls he loves, accompanied with hypnotic strings.

16.  Heroine by Sunmi: Sunmi had made us go crazy once again with the great track "Heroine". This song was produced by Teddy, who previously produced "Gashina", her latest successful project. The bass is the key attraction of the melody of this song, and the lyrics are just great for what Sunmi has shown us among her career. She has shown us her unconventional side, which has a positive effect on her music career and projects.

17.  Soul Mate by Zico ft IU: Zico made his comeback with the track "Soul Mate" featuring singer/song writer IU, it was the first time the two of them made a collaboration together since Zico made the rap part of IU's song "Marshmallow" on 2009. Along with his comeback Zico had his solo concert series starting from Seoul titled "King of the Zungle" and touring to other countries. Right now, there is rumors that he will part ways from his agency, Seven Seasons, since his contract will end on November, but he has said that nothing is confirmed, and he is analyzing his options.

18.  Killing Me by iKON: The group made their comeback with the track "Killing Me" which was part of their EP titled "New Kids: Continue". This song is inspired by the hunting of past love, incredibly written by the leader of the group B.I. The song starts as a sweet melody but then transform into a dance track. Like their previous work, the group don't disappoint with the strong presence on the scenario and great positions on the charts.

19.  Starry Night by Mamamoo: The group released the title song for their mini album "Yellow Flower", "Starry Night" on March. The track talks about a romance happening under a starry night. The member Moon Byul was part of the lyricists of the track. On the MV you could see beautiful scenarios from New Zealand.

20.  Love Shot by EXO: The only song from the month of December that made the list. The group made their comeback after the release of the track “Tempo” on November. For “Love Shot” we have a track with more groove and a bit the different from their previous release, also having gunshot sound effects on it. The track even placed no. 1 on the Billboard’s World Digital Songs chart.

Hope that you all get the chance to check these tracks before the year ends or start the new year with a great look from the past 2018. For now, I wish you all a great 2019, full of adventures and great music!! Please, come back next year for more suggestions on what’s new on the KPOP scene. Like and share!!!   

KPOP Charts 2018, 5th Edition: My Top 10

Hello to all the KPOP lovers, it's time for some new music!! This time I will post great songs from the months of September to November. Hope you like it and check them out!

1.       BBIBBI by IU

IU came back on October 10 with a new song to commemorate her 10th anniversary on the industry. The song is a way to make netizens now that she has had it with their negative comments about her.  She is putting out the word that she no longer will tolerate it, but on the most playful of ways. The song has a great vibe, with a nice alternative R&B sound.

2.       One More Time (Otra Vez) by Super Junior

Once again, Super Junior has made a great choice to incorporate Latin rhythms on their song. For this project, the group made a collaboration with the Mexican band Reik, a nice move after their Latin America success with "Lo Siento" featuring singer Leslie Grace. The song "One More Time (Otra Vez)" it's part of their mini album with the same name.

3.       Tempo by EXO

The boys of EXO made it to the Billboard's Top 40 chart with the album "Don't Mess Up My Tempo" from which their single was the track "Tempo". The album was also their fourth no. 1 on the Billboard's World Album chart. They guys gave the fans a more mature and street vibe on their music video for the electropop track.

4.       Goodbye Road by iKON

The guys of YG's boy band, iKON stepped up to the hip-hop ballad with their track "Goodbye Road" . The song talks about the parting of a relationship and all the sentiment involve on it. This was the group title track for their "New Kids" saga, which for this time it was named "The Final".

 

5.       Lullaby by GOT7

GOT7 went big with this project, releasing their title track on 4 languages (Korean, English, Spanish and Mandarin). The track is a funky house hybrid with pop, which made way to a new kind of "Lullaby" with groovy verses. The music video goes into fantasy world, combining scenes from different movies to later all the members getting together for a seductive choreography. As part of the album "Present: YOU" each member had their solo track, in which they collaborated on the lyrics or production.

  

6.       Not That Type by gugudan

"Not That Type" is a different vibe from the girls of gugudan. This song is a dance track, but with powerful vocals, which radiates the charisma of all the members. The track is part of the EP titled "Act. 5 New Action", which also contains a pop ballad, wrote by member Kim Sejeong.

7.       Miss You by Eric Nam

Thinking about a past relationship with a pop ballad, that's what Eric Nam did with this new track. With this heartfelt song, the singer goes around the city of London talking about making the realization that he has stopped that person that he had worked so hard to forget. This track was release in Korean and English.

8.       SOLO by Jennie

Member of the YG Entertainment girl group BlackPink, Jennie, was the first one to get her solo debut. The track "SOLO" topped domestic charts and even got an all-kill on its release. YG himself said on his social media account that all the members of the group will be getting their solo projects, this for all the fans to get a taste of their unique talents. With this song, Jennie achieved the first place on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart, the first Korean female solo artists to have this feat.

 

9.       Wind Flower by MAMAMOO

With this track, the girls of MAMAMOO take us to a sentiment when you get lonely after a breakup. The song is a pop rock turned to a jazzy and bright chorus. The track "Wind Flower" is part of the album "Blue;S" which is the third one of the year.

10.   Fiancé by MINO

Member of the YG Entertainment group WINNER, Song Mino, has released his first solo album titled "XX". For the promotional track, he has released "Fiancé", which is a song that fusion trot music with hip-hop and Korean pop music. The music video take us to the past of traditional Korean culture, while going back and forth to a present fill with outstanding aesthetics. The song talks about his desire towards the girls he loves, accompanied with hypnotics strings.

This is for now, hope you check this tracks and appreciate the tips for great music. Until next time, like and share!!!