Bunni Pop's April faves: Featuring Suga, IVE, Seventeen, P1Harmony and Blackpink at Coachella
How is a quarter of the year already over?!
April has quickly coming and gone. How is a quarter of the year already over?! Nevertheless, it’s time for Bunni Pop’s monthly favourites! Here, I’ll break down some of the content I’ve been consuming in the month of April.
Music
IVE - “I AM”
While I am still on the fence about IVE’s pre-release single “Kitsch” (I didn’t really like the switch of tone in the chorus…), the same cannot be said for the six-piece’s latest single “I AM.” I truly believe no other 4th gen girl group does larger-than-life extravagance as well as IVE. “I AM’s” pre-chorus is addictive and dynamic, and only makes for an even more epic and powerful chorus.
BIBI - “I Am Shampoo”
Singer-songwriter BIBI is quickly becoming one of K-pop’s it-girls with her fresh fashion sense and out-of-the-box music style. From R&B, rap, pop to soul, BIBI kills it every time. According to NME, BIBI’s latest single “I Am Shampoo” is a collaboration with the Korean haircare brand Just As I Am. Coupled with her sweet vocals and a relaxing melody, this song is what I would describe as a *~*vibe*~*. Sure, it’s an ad…but if BIBI is involved, she’ll always be adding her own unique flair to it.
NCT DOJAEJUNG - “Perfume”
While it can be hard to keep up with all 23 members of NCT, the beauty of this group is truly how many sub-units can be formed. From NCT 127, NCT Dream to WayV, 2023 now brings the sub-group NCT DoJaeJung. The new sub-unit’s name is inspired by a combination of its three members’ names: Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo.
On April 17, the group released its debut EP Perfume, which is also the name of NCT DoJaeJung’s lead single.
“Perfume” is a R&B electropop track that has elements of rhythmic slab guitar, synth pad and a groovy electric bass line. The most addictive part about this track is actually the choreography and its incorporation of pulse points, which is where you’re supposed to apply perfume/cologne in order to maximize the longevity of the scent. This track is sexy!
P1Harmony and New Hope Club - “Super Chic”
Just as the warmer weather begins to take hold, British trio New Hope Club and P1Harmony have dropped a sugary track called “Super Chic.” This fun and playful single features the retro sound of an electric guitar and the sweet vocal harmonies of the P1won boys. I am particularly a big fan of Jongseob and Intak’s rap verses here as well!
“This is our first ever collaboration with a K-pop artist! Being creative with other artists has always been one of our favourite things and P1Harmony were so great to work with. We can’t wait to get on stage and play this song for the first time,” George from New Hope Club said in a press release.
“It was a lot of fun getting to work with such great artists and I’m very grateful that I made good friends out of this collaboration,” said P1Harmony’s Jiung.
Taeyang ft. Blackpink’s Lisa - “Shoong!”
Five years since his last release, the prince of Korean R&B is back! Big Bang singer Taeyang dropped his new EP Down to Earth on April 25, and his lead single “Shoong!” goes back to what he does best: dancing. The mid-tempo hip hop track is sexy from start to finish, and it was a very smart decision to bring in Blackpink’s Lisa to feature in the song.
Taeyang and Lisa are amazing dancers, and I am particularly addicted to the smooth choreography and intricate footwork they do in the chorus. Their body control is really out of this world.
Seventeen - FML (EP)
While Seventeen has been around for eight years, the group has really grown in popularity during the pandemic. It’s easy to see why! From fun, sexy, emotional ballads to show tunes, the 13-piece group can execute any concept they set out for.
Their latest extended play FML is both comforting and motivating, but also reassures fans that Seventeen’s bond is stronger than ever. Their lead single “Super” reiterates the latter, with lyrics like “I love my team, I love my crew. We already made it this far!”
FML also marks marks a new achievement for the 13-piece group. The six-track EP is the most pre-ordered album in K-pop history with 4.64+ million orders.
My personal favourite track off of FML is the sultry “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” by the Seventeen performance unit (Hoshi, The8, Dino and Jun). That ‘80s style electric guitar intro really has me feeling some type of way! I just can’t wait to see what kind of choreography the boys will have for this song because all I can picture is a bunch of slow body rolls. I live for this song!
AGUST D - D-Day (album)
As I wrote last week, many have gravitated towards Suga from BTS for rapping and singing about topics including mental health, loneliness and self-worth. D-DAY marks Suga’s third and final chapter of the AGUST D trilogy, and the result is liberating and cathartic. His first two chapters, 2016’s Agust D and 2020’s D-2, both channeled the anger Suga felt in his own life and career, his complicated feelings about his rise to stardom and darker themes around self-hatred, obsession and depression. What makes D-DAY different however, is how Suga seems to have come to terms with the anger and resentment of his past. Now as a 30-year-old man, it’s clear Suga has done a lot of healing to move on from the pain of his past, and is now reaching out to his younger self.
I can’t help but see his happiness and self-assuredness as he heads out on his first solo tour, which has overtaken my social media feeds. I am just so proud of how far he’s come!
Concerts
I had a chance to take comfort in the vocals of Korean indie singer-songwriter Shaun. Although it has been five years since the release of his mega successful single “Way Back Home”, the song has never truly gone away. It hits hard every time you hear it, and I was glad to finally listen to it live in person.
I also have to say that this man is so funny and adorable! He tried to speak English the whole show and even had a script prepared. But midway through the concert, he forgot his lines and ended up reading from a screen. What a wholesome human being.
Blackpink at Coachella
As a Chinese-Canadian who rarely saw portrayals of strong Asian women in entertainment, I felt proud to see Blackpink headlining a major festival like Coachella! While Blackpink seemed to have experienced a few hiccups early on in their world tour, I truly think they killed their performance over the course of two weekends. The energy was there! The vocals and the visuals were just right! Plus, they really seemed to enjoy performing together as well.
I have been seeing a lot of people wondering why Blackpink is putting more energy into their Coachella performances over their world tour. While I agree that people should be getting their money’s worth in any situation, you have to realize Coachella is a MASSIVE platform. It makes sense to pull off all the stops when people around the world are watching.
If you’ve been following my posts, many would have seen that I have had MIXED feelings about Blackpink’s direction and concerts. The production at the show I went to in November was so-so and the girls barely interacted with fans. Reviews of the group’s latest album Born Pink received criticism for a lack of innovation and musical development. Nevertheless, I still support Blackpink because I know the talent is there. I saw it especially at Coachella.
The ladies of Blackpink have also been touring and travelling for months now, and I am sure they are exhausted. I hope they get a good break after the tour is over.
Things that made me laugh
“This is Galaxy! No iPhone!”
It’s hard not to feel a bit of FOMO when Suga has started his first solo tour and you are not there in the room for every show. Some of the funniest moments come during live concerts.
Case in point: during Suga’s Newark concert, he spent a good portion of his encore performance looking for a Samsung Galaxy to grab. BTS are Samsung ambassadors, which is why there are rules around Suga holding an iPhone in public.
“This is Galaxy! No iPhone!” he proclaimed to the crowd in autotune.
This man is so funny. I am sure Samsung phone sales also went up after that very moment.
On another note, it was very sweet to see Jimin supporting Suga on his first solo tour. The stars really aligned for Jimin to be in New York for the TIFFANY & CO flagship reopening party earlier this week. Too bad a performance of “Tony Montana” did not occur. But then again, my jealousy would have been off the walls.
Seventeen’s DK and Joshua go on Youngji’s My Alcohol Diary
My Alcohol Diary has become one of my favourite YouTube series to watch because every episode is chaotic. And when a couple of Seventeen members are involved, you just have to buckle up and expect peak comedy!
I knew DK could be wild, but Joshua is literally so funny and weird when he is tipsy.
It was also super wholesome to see how moved Youngji was to receive the gift of a customized microphone from the boys of BSS. I absolutely love their friendship with her!
See me elsewhere!
(Photo credit: JEREMY Z. QIN)
Pick up the latest issue of ELLE Canada, and read my interview with Chinese singer Lexie Liu! What a fun chat it was! We talked about giving up on being a K-pop idol, leaving business school in order to pursue her musical dreams and her love of tarot.
The article is also online now. READ IT HERE!
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