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madhattersez · 1 year

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K-POP BIAS CHALLENGE: JAN 2023

(PART 1 OF 2 BECAUSE I'M RIDICULOUS)

Okay, I should start by saying that this is a two-parter because I'm a doofy Pan that can get attached to members of groups even if I just casually listen to them (Seriously, though - K-Pop is a wonderland for Pans because there are just SO many incredible personalities out there, UGH).

I made all the gifs below to show you the exact moment I knew they were for me. Enjoy!

Chaeyoung (Twice) Soyeon (GI-DLE)

This sounds impossible, but I think Chae will be my ultimate bias, like, for as long as I live. We're going on over 5 years now that she has not only been my bias in Twice, but she has been shining over all other groups as well.

When I found Twice (which was my final step before finally tumbling all the way into the rabbithole of K-Pop), it was the "TT" video. Nayeon immediately caught my attention and I was fairly smitten. I think this is probably the case for all Twice fans at first, because she's a literal Siren. Like you read about in mythology.

However, Chaeyoung took over the second I saw the above part of the "Likey" video, which was my favorite song from them for such a long, long time. The swaggy rapping in a simple hoodie with all that trademark badass/adorable energy? Hook, line, and sinker. It's been her ever since.

Fast forward to nowadays, where she's only gotten more incredible, having the most writing credits in the group, an ever-growing amount of unique, artsy tattoos (which is still fairly taboo for idols), and absolute, unedited realness when she speaks (in her hypnotically deep voice, no less). I love her quirky art. I love her laid back views on life. I love her dancing, singing, and rapping, I love her goofy laugh. I love that her teeth aren't "perfect." I just love her.

Please check her wispy, beautiful "Off My Face" cover below. I literally well up whenever I sing along to this song:

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When it comes to (G)I-dle, there was never any competition. It's Soyeon all the way.

Look, there is going to be a lot of rappers on this list since I was a Hip Hop dude myself back in the day - I can recognize the talent and approach. When it comes to confidence in their ability, there's not many more in the world with as much as this tiny titan.

I had heard a lot of I-dle's music previously without really digging into the group or finding out much about them, which was my stupid, stupid mistake, hah.

It was when K/DA debuted that I finally started paying good attention. This is the fictional K-Pop group from League of Legends that releases music with incredible production, vocals, and animated music videos. It definitely helps that they invited Soyeon and Miyeon from I-dle in for some authenticity and talent, but all the ladies are great.

Soyeon immediately captured me in the clip above as she catwalked her way (with a smirk) out onto the stage at the utterly massive 2018 League of Legends World Championships.

It was a really rad performance that had me looking up everything about her afterwards, and finally led me to becoming fan of (G)I-dle as well.

She also unflinchingly pushes boundaries for what is "acceptable" for idols and women in the game in general.

I'd love to present a sassy collab with her and a few fellow badasses called "Is This Bad Bitch Number?" Her English is sometimes very... interesting, but the confidence in it is unmatched! That's all that counts, right?

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However, I'd also like to present to you just how much she positively hates vegetables. They are seriously trying to kill her or something:

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Yeah, she's a disaster. Hahaha.

CL (2NE1) HyunA (4Minute)

Awwww shit, it's CL from 2NE1. 2NE1 was dope - Their song "Come Back Home" is a favorite, but the classic "Falling in Love" should be on anyone's feel good playlist. CL stuck out like a sore big toe, though. Way above the rest for me.

Currently, she's been doing solo stuff for years. While 2NE1 was still around, CL stole me away like a damned thief with one of her early solo tracks "The Baddest Female." The clip above that got me was from the video for it.

The smooth-as-hell verses and the obviously slayer visuals caught me, but that little audible gasp shown at the end of the gif? She practically tossed me over a cliff, y'all.

Super swag at all times, she is also super involved in the fashion industry and often brings ridiculous Lady Gaga-ish looks and sets into her projects.

Recommended video to start you off on your own CL journey? Why, "Hello, Bitches," of course:

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Next up is HyunA, originally from 4Minute. 4Minute was a super rad group and the vast majority of their songs were fantastic.

Mostly doing solo stuff now (like CL above), HyunA always stood out from the rest. I don't know if it's her fantastic dancing, her unhinged attitude, or her lunatic eyes, but she scooped me up immediately as I watched the first few seconds of the "Crazy" music video, which is where I clipped the gif.

She was in an at least attempted secret relationship with labelmate (and hot as hell artist himself) Dawn for several years until their label kicked them out because of it, and Psy (You know, "Gangnam Style" Psy) swooped them both up for his label. The couple released an EP together that was adorable and sexy and amazing... Sadly, they also recently broke up, which tore me up a bit. :/

I could show you at least a dozen videos of her I really enjoy, but one that has always stuck with me to show all of her characteristics at once has been "Ice Cream," which - whoa - is now 10 years old:

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I bet that one's gonna be in your head the rest of the day. You're welcome.

Karina (Aespa) Tsuki (Billlie)

I have lots of mixed emotions and opinions about Aespa. Most of the stuff I have issues with are on the part of their label, though, not them.

That being said, Karina has only ever had positives for me. Visuals. Dancing. Vocals. Kindness. Politness. She's really amazing to watch in candid videos especially because she just seems like a super great person in general.

She's also a superfan of a lot of groups she ends up collaborating or interacting with, and is adorable about it. That being said, she's also very mature about business-related stuff - A great public leader.

This clip from the Savage video is where I knew it had to be her.

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Awwwwww it's time to talk about Tsuki. Tsuki Tsuki Tsuki. Will you just look at her?! You know what? I'm just going to stop right here and show you the whole video my gif is from. Maybe you'll instantly fall in love, too:

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Have you ever seen maximum effort before? Well, now you have! Haha. Tsuki is like the living equivilent of how you feel when your favorite song comes on and you're dancing alone in your room, all by yourself, no inhibitions.

She just makes me indescribably happy with her enthusiasm and joy of performing. And those facial expressions, d'awwwww.

She's from a group called Billlie - Yes, that's with three "Ls." They have a great selection of hits. I suggest checking out "Ring Ma Bell" for some Rock flavor, too. You'll notice Tsuki sticking out there as well.

Who am I kidding? She's all you'll be able to focus on, no matter what the group is doing.

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Jennie (Blackpink) Fatou (Blackswan)

Well, everybody knows Blackpink, even non-K-Pop folks. I think BTS and Blackpink have got to be the biggest draws to introducing people to the genre.

I was a Lisa bias from the very start, but when Jennie released her first solo track (Read: "Solo"), I switched before the video was even over. It was this scene, right here in the laundromat.

Jennie is so swaggy. So is Lisa, of course, but the swag... uh... meter? It tipped to Jennie for me here and has only gotten heavier since. And to be rapping all cool like this in some stylish underwear while soap suds rain down? And that eye roll. Fucking ridiculous, sign me up for that newsletter, no confirmation email needed.

Plus, I have a thing for laundromats just in general - Check that out here.

While this video is where it all happened, I'd instead like to show off her fantastic choreo performance version instead, because it's even more incredible:

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Whewwww, I'm sorry, was I talking about swag again? Because Fatou has it in spaaaades.

The first and only Senegalese idol in K-Pop, she obviously stands out and has all the associated hurdles to overcome because of it. Fuck any and all racists and haters - She is killer at what she does and stands out in the group because of her constant quality performances.

Her rapping? Top notch. Her singing? Striking. Her hater deflection skills? Strong. Her height? Nice.

Unfortunately, a lot of folks may never discover her or the group she's currently in (Blackswan), because the label they are on has been really rough at keeping things together and there has been unending drama surrounding the group, creating a revolving door of members.

The "Close to Me" video is a great watch - That's where the jail scene from the gif above came from. That's when I knew that Fatou was undeniable for me.

Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) Suga (BTS)

Goodness, Gain is dangrous. She hails from all the way back in the... First? Second? One-and-a-Half-th generation of K-Pop? Anyway, she's from the retro (but still around) group Brown Eyed Girls.

The video from this clip will explain everything, I think. It's from a song called "Warm Hole." And, yup, it's exactly what it sounds like. These ladies were pushing sex positivity in Korea a long time before this, but they laid it on thick here in 2015. And Gain is right there, front and center of the charge.

The sultriness of a mysterious lady with a murder mystery to unfold, sauntering into a 1940s detective's office? Check. Bunny suit? Check. Winks? I can't possibly count that high. Being super cute on top of all this? Yeah, she got me.

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Oh, look, it's time to put BTS on the list, haha. Thanks to everyone gliding in and reading this post just because of the BTS tag, I'm sure. <3

For the longest time, RM seemed like the only one for me in BTS, though J-Hope's always been hanging upside-down from the rafters above, ready to strike at any time. That was, until I saw Suga's solo video (under the "Augst D" pseudonym) for "Daechwita." That's what this sweet-ass gif is from.

The video features Suga as an Aladdin-style street rat, but he also plays a badass, sword-swinging king. They both are ruthless and want to kill each other. I can't even possibly explain how radical the video is, so just watch it already:

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Yeah, um, I'm sorry RM. You are super talented and all that, and much respect to the paths you've opened and the collaborations with other fresh rappers out there, but... It's gonna be a whole packet of natural Suga for me.

Mia (Everglow) Yeji (Itzy)

Jesus, are we almost done with this list? This... part one of this list...? Haha. Apologies. I'm geekin' out over here!

Everglow is incredibly talented. Honestly, I want to say that they should be at (in the very least, but probably more than) Aespa's level of reach and popularity. I'm not sure why they're not picked up more, but they don't seem to get many promotions from their label.

Regardless, I know Everglow is amazing, and I enjoy them as such. Now, if you hadn't heard them before, maybe you'll give them a try, too? Please do.

When I started listening to them, the super tall (she's, like, one of the top three tallest current idols) bombshell that is Aisha found me through the monitor and got my attention right away. She was my bias for a good chunk of time.

Then "La Di Da" came out. Even after seeing the music video, Aisha was right there. Then, like some sort of dark magic, I saw this Studio Choom version above - Right here at this very moment in the performance, my bias to Mia flipped like a switch. It's... Hmph. Was it the snarl on her lips while her hands covered her intense eyes for just a flash? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was it.

Something just... unlocked? I went back and watched everything. The music videos, the candid stuff. Somehow, some way, it was Mia all along! She's so incredibly warm and caring and for sure a top dancer in the entire industry.

Look, I know Sihyeon is technically the leader of Everglow... But it really seems that Mia holds everything together and is an incredibly hard worker who obviously struggles a bit to realize her potential and impact. I see that in her. And it's something that makes me love her more.

Just look at her effortlessly pull off this choreo, even extensive and difficult floor stuff (what Marvel comic book metal are your knees made out of?!) without any imperfections:

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To end part one of this absolutely unintentional monster of a post, let's talk about Hwang Yeji, the powerhouse leader of Itzy and the "secret weapon" of JYP.

Chaeyoung as my ultimate bias? Sure. Unwavering. But... If I had to pick anyone to even come close to that position, it would be Yeji. Absolutely.

A super compassionate leader who is always so on point in taking care of her sisters, she never misses a beat. I think she's probably the wisest, most intuitive, most protective, most active leader of any group in K-Pop I've seen. Both personal and business-wise.

When it comes to talent, it's like a superpower with her. I say that, because off-stage, she is a super nerdy fuckin' goofball who is polite to a fault and who can't stop giggling to save her life. On stage, she is an absolute moster. The light turns green and she instantly turns serious, becoming one of the top 5 dancers and vocalists in the entire genre. It's like a She-Hulk transformation without any of the green. And Light Fury instead of She-Hulk. Supporting documentation:

Anyway, to balance out the absolutely incredible human being she is, her fierceness on stage is rarely matched. From the second I saw her (the gif above literally shows some of the first seconds of the song and she had me instantly hooked with her unique looks and attitude), I've been so into her.

Until I wasn't... My bias switched to Ryujin for quite some time. Whoops. And, uh... then it switched to Chaeryeong for a stretch... Look, I can't tell you how hard it is to pick and stick with a bias in Itzy. They are so incredibly leveled out.

However, Itzy's first Japanese single "Voltage" hit the net last year and there's this one part where Yeji raps, but she starts by literally GROWLING. Fuck, nope, I hit the floor. Literally. Totally unfair sneak attack. Dead. NO DISASSEMBLE JOHNNY 5.

That was it. Fucking done. Yeji forever now, no more switches, hahaha!

Again, she can be such a confident, stage-killing monster, but then she turns around and almost burns down the company dorm microwaving chocolate while being a total Squishmallow:

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She's just the best.

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Well, I had to work on this (and the next post) over and over again as it drafted for a week, so I'm happy to say that Tumblr's draft feature WORKS, y'all. I'm a believer. Haha.

See you in part 2!

#kpopbiaschallenge #chaeyoung #soyeon #cl #hyuna #aespa karina #tsuki #jennie #fatou #gain #suga #everglow mia #yeji #twice #itzy #aespa #bts #blackpink #kpop #long reads

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fairyeunji · 1 year

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Groups I think need a comeback like right now because it’s not even funny anymore I’m actually suffering:

aespa - Literally SM what are you doing??? The members have spoken about how their second comeback for the year was pushed back and all seem super sad about it :(

Blackswan - Do they actually release music anymore? Fatou released her mixtape a while ago but there’s been no comeback news, especially considering the three new members and one member who’s potentially been kicked out of the group

bugAboo - I don’t care if they’ve disbanded, I’m choosing to pretend it didn’t happen

Cherry Bullet - I’m getting real disbandment vibes from chebul these days, and I hate it. They release content every now and then on their channel, but most of the time it’s just shorts and nothing new. I really thought that after Girls Planet 999, their company would jump on all the hype they got, but nooooooooo

Chung Ha - She’s not a group, but with her skills, she might as well be. Her company is going rapidly downhill and tbh I hope she can get out of there soon. It would be nice to actually get part 2 of Bare&Rare like we were supposed to before she does leave though

Everglow - I miss them every day, it’s not funny. Their comeback could literally be the worst song ever released and I’ll still hype them up and act like it’s the best thing ever. They’re one of the few groups on here that I know have actively been working on music though, so hopefully not too long left

Lightsum - Mixed feelings on this one because of poor Jian and Huiyeon but all their songs are so good and I miss their music. I have a feeling they’re going to do a concept change though, so I can’t tell if that’s good or not

Momoland - WHERE ARE THEY MLD PLEASE

Fromis_9 - They’ve had their comeback I wasn’t too fond of, so knowing their track record (for me personally), the next release will be everything to me and will make me dedicate my life to them for a few weeks.

Pixy - I’m so excited for Rinji to debut properly it’s not even funny

Purple Kiss - I feel like they used to have comebacks every five minutes but it’s understandable that with Jieun unfortunately having to leave, they might need some time to regroup and figure out what to do next. I genuinely can’t wait for what they put out next, their whole discography is so amazing

Stayc - It hasn’t even been that long lmao they just released Poppy, but I need stayc to survive at this point

Tri.be - Preferably with Jinha bc I MISS HER :)

Viviz - We do not speak of Loveade

Weeekly - I’m on my knees where are they

Weki Meki - Also getting disbandment vibes from them, or at least never-ending hiatus ones :(

XG - I recently became obsessed with them, so I’m willing to take literally anything they throw my way

GWSN - They’re not under a company atm so it’s really not looking good for them, but I really believe they won’t give up on being a group so I’m still hopeful

Kwon Eunbi - Just like with Stayc, I need her music to survive so it would be really nice of her to have a comeback

#a long post #Aespa #Blackswan #bugAboo #Cherry Bullet #Chungha #Everglow #Lightsum #Momoland #Fromis_9 #Pixy #Purple Kiss #Stayc #Tri.be #Viviz #Weeekly #Weki Meki #XG #GWSN #Eunbi

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