K-Pop Appeciation Thread

[Cat]

2NE1 release cover for Crush album (Japanese version):

http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/13344538.html#comments#comments

[Cheap21]

I find them adorable! I admit, they aren't necessarily what I would think are the definition of hot, but they're looks grew on me. Really its the personality and charisma they have that stand out and make them all that much more attractive.

The guy with the cane is Yoseob and Kikwang is with the big hat.

Kikwang was pushed as the "hot one" in their early days. He was always shirtless and was the teen heart throb when they were younger

Speaking of Beast, the tracklist to their upcoming album is up as well as teaser for it

That looks like gay porn ready to happen! LOL

The blonde is Ilhoon. At least he gets lines! Its always awkward watching them perform and Peniel barely gets to sing. Backstory is he was born and raised in Chicago. He loved pop music so he wanted to be a K-pop star and moved to Korea in his late teens where he was picked up to join BtoB. Thing is, he doesnt really speak Korean so if you listen to their early songs, all he does is spit a few lines in English. You could take him out and the song wouldnt change at all. I think he was solely added bc he has the cutest face but really irrelevant as far as their music went and was an unnecessary 7th member. I used tot hink so until Beep Beep, bc I guess his Korean must have gotten better as they gave him 2 meaty parts in the song, which are probably my favorite

Dang, they love to harass him!

I saw that and forgot to post. They all look great except for Dara. That wig is a mess! Total fail. CL is gorgeous with that blonde style and Im digging Minzy's long red locks. Bom's is very simple, yet breathtakingly elegant. She looks like an Asian princess.

AllKpop has an article about 10 idol groups and their game changing songs.

http://www.allkpop.com/article/2014/06/10-idol-groups-and-their-game-changing-songs

BigBang is up their with Lies and EXO with Growl. Totally agree with those but shocked Beast didnt get a nod with Fiction. That song made them a hit and legitimized them

Edited June 4, 2014 by Cheap21

[Cat]

Awww. Now I feel like a superficial, mean old ho! I shouldn't judge Beast's looks. It is refreshing to see a group which has not resorted to the same nose job/double-eyelid lift/chin implant as every other member of K Pop has done (...and while I do like 2NE1, it's clear all four of those girls went to the same surgeon). I promise to be more open-minded about the Beasties in future and learn more about their music and personalities. If you picked them as your #1 male group, they must be pretty fly.

Plus (I admit) they look hot in their executive-knickerbockers-in-the-junk-yard picture, and in the gay porn picture, too, lol. Fangirls (and fanboys) really love that boy 2 boy fanservice. EXO have pretty much made a career out of shipping some of its members together. Maybe in Korea young girls and guys are so shy with each other that they feel more comfortable being physically affectionate with their own gender?

I thought Peniel must have grown up in the US when he introduced the group in perfect American on that music show! He was a highlight of that live show as well! And not just because he spoke my language. I love that he grew up in the States but wanted to be a K Pop star. However, I wonder if, like with Kris, it must have been an adjustment with the Confucian style of giving your all for the good of your group and not just for yourself. Like, the fact that they didn't given him anything to sing for years on end must have been hard to bear.

Bom does look like an Asian princess (with a spiky crown!) but at first I had a hard time telling her and Dara (who I assume is in that wig thing on the left) apart. CL looks like the queen of the whole show. I love her top and her earrings.

EXO performed 'Moonlight' overnight on Korean TV. Or more like BaconBaekhyun and D.O. sang everything while the rest of EXO danced around them in a chair/table formation. I hadn't heard that song before and I think it is really pretty.

http://youtu.be/bMUpzP5EfKM

[Cheap21]

Dont worry about it bc Im always superficial and judging...lol

Funny you mention 2NE1 bc I saw this the other day. Its them without makeup. CL looks busted! Ahhh. I actually think Bom is the only one that has had work done on her face. I think the girls use alot of makeup to enhance their looks. Even without it though, Dara doesnt look bad and is a natural beauty.

As for Peniel, he may have been cool with not getting much material, bc he may not have felt comfortable handling too much. BTW, I have to say out of all the members his hair probably looks the best as a blonde. He was rocking it during the Thriller promotions

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btw check out this mashup. Amazed with how well they blend together, especially the chorus

If EXO is going to sing Moonlight, then Im going to need to have them sing Love, Love, Love and or Thunder as well. L,L,L might be difficult for EXO-M though as Kris is featured heavily in that but I guess Xiumin and/or Tao can pick up his parts

BigBang

I love those promo pics

Edited June 5, 2014 by Cheap21

[Cat]

I can't see the shot of CL sans make-up! Shame. I would have thought she and the others would just look much, much younger. I guess contouring saves the day, huh? Personally I think whoever does a lot of the guys' make-up in K Pop is great. Some of Beast, BtoB, Big Bangs (damn @ all the Bs)and EXO's eye make-up is incredibly on point and I would love to be able to do a smokey eye like that (instead I just end up looking like a sad panda).

That Peniel shot you posted makes him look a lot like Kris (who I am liking more and more as I delve into EXO's back catalogue). And there is the eye makeup thing again! Peniel does look good as a blonde (or dark blonde, which seems to be the new go-to for some of these guys after the peroxide blonde fries their hair).

Perhaps he preferred not singing in Korean while he worked on improving his language skills? It would be interesting to hear him interviewed in Korean. BTW, I **LOVE** the mas-up of Growl (my fave EXO song) and Beep Beep! It is spooky how similar in beat and length the two songs are, and how well EXO's choreography fits with BtoB's song. I wouldn't be surprised if the songwriters for Beep Beep listened to Growl over and over again in order to replicate some of its catchy success for BtoB this year.

Hot pictures of Big Bang. T.O.P *swoooooon* Taeyang being the shortest of the group, didn't expect that, lol.

I need to stay off Tumblr. But lol:

Edited June 6, 2014 by Cat

[Cheap21]

There's the pic of 2NE1 again. Hope you can see it. I definetly agree on the eye makeup, especially on the guys. Alot of them look different with it on vs off

Minzy, rocking the long hair

B2ST

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They just released a teaser for their upcoming MV. Still not feeling Junhyung's platinum blonde hair

BigBang

I was shocked that Taeyang was so short too. He's 5'3! Didnt expect him to be shorter than Seungri who's surprisingly 5'9

EXO

Did you see them perform Overdose as one group? I have to say...

Kris leaving messed up this shot! I dont like how its not perfectly symetrical anymore. It doesnt look right to have 2 pairs on one side and 5 on the other.

On a side note, I love the new shot for the rapping part with Chanyeol in the middle and 5 guys to each side

Kris, oh how I miss you

Edited June 8, 2014 by Cheap21

[Cat]

They don't look that ba-- oh wait. Is CL the first one?! OMG. That it is some transformative make-up and wig action. I love that she is completely normal looking IRL but onstage is a completely different person/identity/stage persona, actually. I still think she's a hot bitch as those pictures were probably taken at 6am when they had just crawled out of bed. Good for her for allowing herself to be photographed! Personally, I think Bom and Princess (forget her name) look the best. Bom especially. Minzy is ok, too, but definitely the long hair extensions suit her face better.

That B2ST trailer is intriguing but I have to agree that Junhyung's hair looks off. I can't decide if it is the color or the cut. Not that I'm Sehun biased (well ok I am) but Junhyung would look better with a darker blonder (or maybe platinum tips) and with his hair retro-style with a side part and pushed back (like in my avatar). I look forward to their new release though!

Taeyang in 5'3?! Damn. I'm 5'7 so yeah, that's like Vanessa Marcil-short to me (not that we would ever meet!). Please tell me T.O.P. is at least 5'6!

I haven't seen that EXO performance on M Countdown yet, though I really want to because it is their last official promotion of Overdose. Then they have a few concerts, then they go on break. I am going to miss them. My K Pop habits really started with their promotion of Overdose, and then Kris left and it was like everyday there was news about EXO! What will I do without that daily news feed?! LOL, I'll live.

They really should have choreographed better for 11 -- they've had almost 2 months to figure out what to do. In the first pic, I would have had only 4 pairs (and not 5) doing the drummer thing, D.O. in the middle singing, and the remaining two sliding coming in on opposite sides and sliding on their knees (like they do in the MV).

The rapping part with 5 guys on each part doing the flamenco claps is awesome -- one of my favourite parts of the song and MV actually.

Kris is hot there, and when he went dark-haired with the Overdose promotions, he was even hotter. I hope he becomes an actor in C-drama or T- (Taiwanese) drama because that hotness (and tallness!) should not be hidden.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Cat

[Cat]

Taeyang's MV for 1AM comes out in a few hours (that's technically "tomorrow, 1am Korean Standard Time)! And apparently it features a racy bedroom scene between little Taeyang and some lucky hot babe:

http://omonatheydidnt.livejournal.com/13377095.html#comments#comments. The comments are all, basically "bring it ON."

In EXO news, you too can have a customized Sehun/Tao ringtone via Samsung apparently:

http://youtu.be/0xwSfOqwLPo

Edited June 9, 2014 by Cat

[Cheap21]

I definetly think its the style that stinks on Junhyung bc he's been blonde before and looked great.

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BTW, the Beast video is out. First of all, I LOVE the instagram concept of the video. Beastagram? Cool, original concept!

Dongwoon is looking good in this but why did he have to go and get pink hair? It tarnishes an otherwise perfect look

Not enough Doojoon

I may not feel the hair but he still is looking super cute. Love that he sings in this as its such a nice contrast from his usual rap

EXO

Kris is one asian guy I prefer as blonde. I think it suits him better than the darker look. He also looks much better with short hair

BIGBANG

lol...luckily T.O.P is 5'11

BTW, GD and CL made cameo appearances in PSY's new video, Hangover

LOL

The video is out!

Oh man that shot is hot. Lucky girl. I think based on the color of his hair that part of this video was at least shot last year when he briefly had it black with the blonde sides.

Ugh to the awful 4 braids making a return

Taeyang performs Stay With Me with GD and then Eyes, Nose, Lips. What a beautiful voice

Edited June 9, 2014 by Cheap21

[Cat]

First of all, Junhyung's Beastagram identity is BadBoii... lol. No words. It was a cute MV, but now I'm starting to wonder if it's not just the pudding bowl hair but the harshness of the blonde that is subtracting from the cute. Hey, at least he gets to sing in this one.

ETA: In fact, there is a point towards the end of the MV where the sweet looking girl is back at her desk and considering sending a message to BadBoii via Beastagram. There is a quick shot of her desk, including some photos in a frame of Sweet Girl and what I thought was her grandpa. No! I was wrong, it was Junhyung with her white peepaw hair!

Doojoon is by far the hottest in this MV. One guy had his hair done up bandana styles and I seriously thought it was a girl (and that usually only happens with Luhan!).

OMG, I think I have a big girl crush on CL now. I just love her general attitude. She always give 110%. And did you fail to notice that Hangover also features Snoop?! Snoop Dogg must have alimony to pay or a pissed-off pot dealer on his ass because he is also in a bunch of commercials in Europe and Asia at the moment. Hey, whatever pays the rent.

Taeyang:

After all the hoopla about the "sexy" MV with the hot "bedroom scene," I had to squint and rewind to realize that this involved a brief moment where T and the actress kiss, fully clothed, on a bed. LOL, never change, Korea.

Those braids need to be torn from his head and then burned, they are horrific. I almost forget Taeyang was 5'3 and then the braids reminded me. Gross. I heard the MV was shot almost a year ago in San Francisco after Taeyang did Ringa Linga.

I love his singing voice in that live performance. His voice is so soulful and so pure RnB. I can't decide which song I prefer -- I think Eyes Nose Lips edges it for me at the moment. It has really grown on me.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Cat

[Cat]

So, Cheap, what is your opinion on other groups like ShiNEE, Vixx, Block B? Are they just poor knockoffs of Big Bang, Beast and BtoB?

In Kai (EXO) news:

EXO seem to be trying to overshadow Beast and Taeyang's MV releases or something. News broke that there is video of Kai when he was a teenager saying the F word (ooooo!) and then the N word. Here is the vid:

http://daezitao.tumblr.com/post/88347594459/okay-heres-the-video-for-those-who-are-doubting

First of all, I understand no Korean so... I couldn't understand a damn thing, but what is with kids today and this word?! Justin Bieber pulled this [!@#$%^&*] too when he was a twinkletween. Don't they know that it is not ok to say this?! Ugh. Kai. Why you dumb !@#$%^&*]?

Edited June 10, 2014 by Cat

[Cheap21]

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You should check out Junhyung in this video. He is blonde and the hair is MUCH better

Yes Doojoon looks great in this . The one with the bandana is Hyunseung and I hate his look in this. He was rocking the platinum blonde hair (much better than Junhyung) late last year and I miss it.

He made for a good looking Joker in there

Psy

Honestly, I havent even seen the video yet or heard the song, but saw the gifs on Tumblr and was LOL. I'll have to go check it out

Taeyang

So that video was filmed last year? Cool and makes sense. I couldnt see him dying his hair blonde, then back to black, only to go blonde again. I know this pop stars color their frequently but that drastic change in such a short span could do some damage...lol

No opinion on them! I havent listened to them and trying not to get into anyone new. I did hear a Shinee song performed by EXO though. Sorry Sorry. I liked that at least. Knowing nothing about Block B, Id probably like them since I seem to be a fan of groups that begin with B....lol

I listened to that and couldnt quite make it out. Thats Kai? I dont think Ive heard him sing before at least not like that as he primarly raps.

btw did you see EXO-K's goodbye performance on MTV?

Interesting that the shots look like a MV. Really like Baekhyun's new hairstyle for it

Edited June 11, 2014 by Cheap21

[Cat]

Woah. Are BEAST allowed to be raunchy and naughty on group MVs? Because the second vid especially is very different from No More (or, as I prefer to call it "Beastagram"). I have to say, Hyunseung is growing on me because when I first watched a Beast MV (Adrenaline?), I thought he was the least good-looking of all the guys. Now I think he has swagger. That bandana is still all kinds of wrong, though.

And yes, Junhyung looks so cute with his blonde hair in that first MV. Also the glasses are adorable.

I hear ya about getting into new bands. I am almost afraid to at this point, just because this K Pop stuff initially sweeps you off your feet, and there seem to be debuts and comebacks coming out of my ears. I can't keep up with it all so in some ways it is a relief to put a limit on all that and be picky.

Thanks for posting EXO-K's goodbye performance, though the word goodbye makes me sad because we won't be seeing them for a while! Gotta say, they look tired and relieved at the end of that MTV performance. This must be a punishing tour and comeback, especially after Kris left. I will miss looking out for my little Sehun doing absolutely nothing except dancing in the background like the glorified, lazy-ass backup dancer he is. I will miss him and Tao having the Love Affair of the Century. I will miss Lady Fabulous aka Tao. I will miss Kai dancing like a BEAST and looking beautiful without thinking "Gah, did he really say that?" He will miss Kai and Suho's blonde hair. I will miss Baekhyun looking suddenly hot this year. His hair is AMAZING. I love it simple and dark like that. I will miss Chen. I will miss D.O.'s bitchface when he isn't singing and then his look of utter bliss when he is. I will miss EXO-M because in some ways I like them more than EXO-K (sacrilege, I know). I don't know if I will miss Chanyeol especially but, hey you, never know.

Speaking of EXO-M, Kris and SM are going into arbitration before the lawsuit goes to trial. Maybe everybody can settle out of court?

Edited June 11, 2014 by Cat

[Cat]

Speaking of Kris, how the HELL did this fashion disaster happen?! Even Chanyeol is like "Those pants... man..."

No wonder he get the heck out of SM.

After that assault on your eyes, I am now going to blitz this post with some soothing Kris pics. Sorry (not sorry):

Edited June 11, 2014 by Cat

[Cheap21]

Nope, Beast never seem to get that adult in their videos. I think Shadow was about the most mature one they've done and that wasnt sexualized. Im opposite on Hyunseung as he's my least favorite member in the group. Quite a change bc originally he was my favorite as he was the reason why I got into them. I first was introduced to him via Troublemaker, the subunit, he is in with HyunA, who I followed up on bc she's on Psy's remix to Gangum Style. 6 degrees of K-Pop seperation! Its not that I dislike him, but most of the other guys outshine him in the group. I actually think I prefer him away from them

Interesting tidbit about Beast is that they are a group of former rejects. Their story is kinda interesting. Kikwang was originally a solo artist who flopped. YoSeob was his backup dancer. Hyunseung was originally in Bigbang but got cut right before their debut. Junhyung was a singer (not rapper!) in a group called Xing, which didnt quite take off. Doojoon was a trainee for JYP that was featured in a reality show to join 2AM or 2PM, but was eliminated. Cube Entertainment, took these "losers", put them together and made magic! They compliment each other quite well

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Teasers of their next MV are being released. Thats the one for Yoseob

AMD would appreciate this if he were in this thread

This pic has me LOL

EXO

I will also miss the group. I wonder if they will be auditioning someone to replace Kris. If they do, I dont envy the guy as he will have a rough time remembering all those dance steps. Makes you wonder if they will hire someone based on their dancing abilities rather than rapping.The guy really wouldnt need to say much as long as he can move to the same beat as the rest.

Speaking of which, thanks for those Kris images

Not to be outdone, Sehun wants to show off his look....lol

Guessing some girls (and guys) somewhere are now shipping them...lol

2PM

Still waiting on their comeback. Found this gif on Tumblr....lol

2NE1

This video shows footage from the YG Family World Tour. Man looks like a great show! Not sure about Dara's hair though. Minzy, looks amazing though

She's killing it