K-Poppin! : What A View

As I am typing down this blog post, I am still sitting on my office's desk behind my laptop screen waiting for the revision from my client for a file that has to be printed by tonight and placed on an event's booth by tomorrow morning while the copy has not even been agreed yet. Whoop, what a long sentence. Oh well, it has been a really long day, but thankfully the people here are fun and energizing.

With that said, I think it is nice to have an impromptu blog post every once in a while to, you know, celebrate the COMEBACK OF SHINEE!

Finally guys! Finally! First of all, the copy has been approved, lol. But most importantly, SHINee finally have their Korean comeback! I have not listened to the full album yet, but I know I can always rely on SHINee with their contemporary music style. Their previous album, "The Misconceptions of Me" and "The Misconception of You" are both amazing, especially that I was so lucky to watch some of the song performances live in SHINee World Concert III.

As for now, I have only watched the music video of "View", when I have time later, I will make sure to dig the fancams of other tracks from this song performed live in SWC IV in Seoul. Talking about the music video, just like other commentators on YouTube, I am so happy to see SHINee shooting an MV out of the box and actually with a concept ((and more than one girl, haha)). The story is actually interesting and it somehow depicts the other side of life as well as the transition from a boy into a man. Watching or should I say, growing up together with SHINee all these seven years, it feels like we have both matured together.

I am so, so proud of SHINee and will always be. I will make sure to talk more about the album once I have the time to listen carefully and write down my thoughts.

cheers,

filicia

Intermezzo // 01

I kind of made up this feature because I really wanted to share stuffs that I currently (or not actually that current) enjoy. Also, one day if I look back to these posts, I would want to remember how much I love a certain movie or song or other things.

Drama: Kill Me Heal Me

This drama is AMAAAAZING!!! This is one of a very few K-dramas that I follow during the airing date. Most of the time, I will wait until a drama has been completed and watch it only if my friend said it is good or if the drama has insanely great reviews on the internet. But this, hands down, (almost) my favorite K-drama ever! ((competing with A Gentleman's Dignity still)).

This romance-comedy drama tells a story about Cha Do-Hyun, a heir of very big and successful group in Korea who has seven personalities. He has a mental illness called DID or mostly known as multiple personality disorder. He then met a first year resident doctor called Oh Ri-jin. The introduction itself is very interesting, wait til you watch the drama, OMG, I am sure you will all be hooked. I especially praise Ji Sung acting highly. He is the one who playes as Cha Do-Hyun and all seven personalities and he successfully nailed it! All other actors also did a very amazing job and the writer too! I love how the story flows not too slow yet not too fast. It just feels right. And man, all the small details that turns out so important, and the plot twist. This drama is totally recommended!

And also, they have this very amazing soundtrack:

You have to watch the drama first, then listen to the song and read the lyrics translation ((all the feels)). This soundtrack complements the drama very, very well.

Movie : Furious 7

I honestly did not really follow Fast & Furious series but I did watch FF6 in a cable TV. The 7th installment, I think aside of being very epic, is very emotional since Brian here has become a father. I love how they highlight the value of being a family here. Also, the fact that Paul has sadly passed away, it becomes more heart-breaking. It saddens me how many times 'funeral' word is mentioned in the movie. The ending is very very beautifully shot, and I love every small details that symbolizes the sweet yet sad separation. 

Movie : Cinderella

Maybe, I should have not watch this trailer back in 2014. Or maybe I really should have. Visually speaking, this trailer is so beautiful. even if it is just a glass shoes! But all the sparkle and shine, I can not. So, I ended up watching it last March though. Unlike Maleficent, this time around there is no plot twist. The story is as classic as the Disney's version of Cinderella. What I love the most about Disney's live-action movies is their visual, they are so pretty and detailed! Anyway, back to Cinderella, when there is kindness, there is goodness. When there is goodness, there is magic. :) and another favorite saying, have courage and be kind.

Music : "Sniper" - SHINHWA

I have been listening to this song so many times lately, though this is not very current. But I really adore how after 17 years, SHINHWA is not losing their color. They have grown up and became mature throughout all these years, but they cleverly adjust with the situation nowadays and show that they are still in the game though they are much older than the singers these days. My favorite part got to be Junjin's rap, he is so cool!

Othe K-pop songs that I have been also enjoying lately including: "Flower" by XIA, like how can I not love Junsu's voice and song? "Ice Cream Cake" by Red Velvet. The girls are so adorable and the song is somehow addictive. "Call Me Baby" by EXO. Though I am not as much of a fan of EXO now. but I still love them and happy for the new album.

Music : "Lost Stars"

I first knew about this song from Roy Kim who is one of my favorite solo artist. I learned later that this song is an original soundtrack of the movie "Begin Again". The original version is sang by Adam Levine and Keira Knightley separately. I have not watched the movie yet but I am looking forward to watch it later since I love movie that involves song and music.

TVC : Cupidity by Cornetto

Again, this is not something current, but I have just watched the series this past week. Cornetto made an ad in forms of short movies for their Valentine campaign. I love it when brands make short movies for their campaign. Anyway, this was one of the four movies released in February 2013. Also, the most popular and heartwarming one. For other series, you may want to check out the playlist here. It is too bad they did not make other movies for 2015. Also, there is a title from the 2014's campaign that supposed to have part 2 but still left hanging up til now. 

Oh, bonus point, the music of all the movies are really good! The music fits the movie very well and they are very soothing.

TV Show : "Asia's Next Top  Model"

Aside of watching dramas, I love watching TV shows as well. This time it is the current season of Asia's Next Top Model. I love the previous cycle where Sheena became the winner ((I was rooting for her! yay)). Aside of AsNTM, I also enjoyed watching Masterchef ((and Masterchef Junior too!)) when it is on the run. But my all-time favorite has got to be, The Amazing Race! It really lives up to its name!

TV Show : "Asia's Got Talent"

Coincidentally, I have been watching Asia's talent show. This time it is Asia's Got Talent. It is just so entertaining to watch so many different and amazing talent competing together. The judges' reaction is also very funny as well! This is one of my very favorite act ((yes, they deserved that Golden Buzz!)). It is not only about the dance, but also the story! My other favorite act is TRIQSTAR and also rooting for Young Boys from Indonesia! But I did not manage to watch the whole audition episodes so I might have missed some other amazing acts. 

Whoop! It has been fun wrapping up some things that my eyes and my ears have been enjoying. It's been a while since I read so next time, I hope I will be sharing some of my favorite books. What are things that you currently enjoy? Share it with us to here!

Cheers, Filicia

K-Poppin! : Underrated 2014 Rookie Artists

2014 has been a wonderful journey to many of us, same thing happens to the K-pop scene as well. This year marks the debut of so so so many rookie artists. It was that much til the number exceeded 100 artists this year! How crazy is that! The fact that the number of rookie artists debuting this year is that much, I'm sorry to say, but it is pretty hard to stand out or to make one group differ from another.

(image via SBS Entertainment)

While in 2013, the BIG 3 (SM, YG and JYP) did not debut any groups, this year all three companies debuted four groups, making the competition between rookies become more heated. Pictured above is GOT7 from JYP Entertainment who debuted with 'Girls, Girls, Girls'. The girl group from SM Entertainment, Red Velvet debuted with a cheerful track, 'Happiness'. And the other boy group comes from YG Entertainment is WINNER who is previously known as Team A from the reality show WIN and now debuted with 'Empty'. Also, woolim who has now merged with SM C&C debuted their own girl group, Lovelyz with the song 'Good Night Like Yesterday'. Not pictured above is another debut from YG Entertainment, the siblings duo who won the second season of K-pop Star, Akdong Musician kicked off the K-pop scene with their playful song, '200%'. 

If you are not really into K-pop, you might have heard about the groups I mentioned previously, but I am not very sure if you have heard the artists I am going to cover below. Well, without further ado, let's check out these underrated 2014 K-pop artists!

1. Kiss & Cry - Domino Game

Kiss&Cry is one of the group that I discovered early in 2014. I have that habit to listen to new song from artists that caught my attention without actually watching the MV. As one of the first of rookie groups in 2014, I grew to love 'Domino Game' every time I listen to it. The song is powerful and it showcases the vocal of the members as well. Unfortunately the future of Kiss&Cry is still questionable. Some have said that they have been disbanded but the other has said that only one of the member, Haena has ended her contract ((and later joined Superstar K6)), either ways, best of luck for Kiss&Cry!

2. MAMAMOO - Mr. Ambiguous

While the mainstream K-pop listener might not know about this group, many others have showed so much appreciation and appraisal for these ladies. I first knew this group from the song called 'Peppermint Chocolate' sung by K.Will ((note: I did not always follow K.Will but every time he released a new song, I will definitely listen to it)). But honestly, that song did not really leave an impression to me, and I did not watch the MV either. But then, some weeks later, I stumbled upon a Path update from my friend who was listening to MAMAMOO and gave a lot of compliment to this group. It is not until I listened to the song and watched the MV ((which featured lots, lots of artists)) that I finally understood how much they were praised. They have an amazing vocal; both recording and live, the right dance moves and classy concept/appearance/style ((i just can't decide the right vocab))

3. HIGH4 - Headache

Many people recognized HIGH4 from their pre-debut song with IU, 'Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossom', which is indeed really, really cute and romantic. That's what happened with me as well. I loved their vocal and concept and they reminded me a little of SHINee and B1A4 somehow. And I did watch some of their awkward interviews and I can't help but giggle at how awkward Alex is ((sorry, Alex! haha)). Though that dancing-only part on the song made me go like duh especially in the MV, but I still love these guys. I hope they will make it big in the future!

4. Yoon Hyun Sang - Always Be With You

Discovering Yoon Hyun Sang is like discovering a hidden gem! I really mean it! Year 2014 was all about groups and collaboration, so it is rather hard for a solo rookie artist to stand out, in my opinion. I really found Yoon Hyun Sang again thanks to IU. For his debut, he had two title tracks which was this one and 'When Would It Be' featuring none other than IU. Hyun Sang has a very soothing voice that is perfect for the rainy weather in my city nowadays. I listened to his songs almost everyday and it gets more intense when it rains outside or when I am about to sleep. The whole mini-album is worth to be checked, I promise you!

5. Almeng - Phone in Love

While Yoon Hyun Sang was the contestant of Kpop Star 1, Almeng is another notable alumni but this one from Kpop Star 3. This unique co-ed duo is a bit unique because in most of duo or duet, the boy usually does the rap and the girl does the vocal. But for Almeng, it is vice versa. Therefore, they are giving more fresh and interesting spice to the usual K-pop music. Also, both their debut MV a fun concept. I love how they incorporated words and typography into the MVs.

Well, those are five rookie artists that I think you should listen if you really had no idea how to jump into the 2014 debuts bandwagon or if you simply want to kill your boredom. For more girl and boy group debuts, you can check out the article posted by soompi that fully covered the debut of Kpop groups in 2014 here. Meanwhile, I have compiled a playlist that included all the songs that I have mentioned here as well as some other debuting artists that I have listened but not on my list yet. Because seriously, 100+ artists can be super overwhelming.

Also, I realized that I have talked about MAMAMOO and HIGH4 before in the previous K-Poppin article. Another also, Lucky J and B.I.G from that article are included in the playlist as well.

Phew, this article took much more time to write than I expected since I did not plan to include a playlist initially, but I am glad I finished it. Hope you guys enjoy!

Cheers, filicia!

SHINee World III in Jakarta

Since I was a kid, I have always had list of things that I want to accomplish but seems difficult or would take lots of time. Later on, I learn the vocabulary for that statement, a bucket list. Though  I do not always write it down, I remember that list by heart. The list is growing, and ever since I fell in love with K-pop, watching a live concert is automatically on the list.

This day five months ago, June 22nd 2014 to be exact, I can proudly say, I tick one of my bucket list ((insert-happy-tears-emoticon)). I have been a huge SHINee World (SHINee's fan name) ever since their debut back in 2008. I did watch their performance live when Arirang and TVRI brought them for the Korean-Indonesian Friendship Festival in 2010. But they performed only 2 or 3 songs and I was obviously not satisfied, though I was very lucky to win the ticket for free from the raffle.

On the span of four years, SHINee had actually come to Indonesia once more for a special music show and another one for a joint concert with SM Entertainment artists. But I did not go to either one of those concert. I can go and say that I am very patient to wait for their solo concert but on the other hand, I did not have the money to buy the ticket! I was only a high school student (and later a university student), and my pocket money is super duper limited.

But when it is announced that SHINee is having the solo concert in Jakarta, I just, I HAVE TO GO. Moreover, they have just released two albums and one mini album around that year. Insane. But the ticket price is even more insane.

I do not have the money to buy the ticket. So, I went to join all the quizzes with the ticket as the prize. Be it on twitter, instagram, tabloid, whatever. I did not win. And I did not have the money. But I had the will.

Several days before the concert, it is informed that Onew, SHINee's leader has undergone a surgery and had to rest. Therefore, he can not join the concert :( just like many Shawols, my heart was broken. But my strong desire beats everything. So with my dear Kpop fan slash friend, we made a plan, or more likely, I kind of force her ^^

June 22nd 2014 is the birthday of my beloved city Jakarta. As a gift to the citizens, everyone can ride Transjakarta for free. Well, my friend, can you imagine how crowded would it be to get into the bus? And I can not get a taxi because I am saving every penny to watch SHINee. Anyway, I still get into the bus and went to meet my friend in Kota Tua because there was an event and we would like to spend our afternoon there ((post coming soon))

The clock strikes 5.30 when we finished strolling. The concert started around 6.30 PM. But we were not at rush at all. Instead, we patiently waited for taxi that never showed up and we started looking for alternatives, so we asked the people around and finally hopped into an angkot (a minibus public transportation) because it was getting dark. So like after 20 minutes, we were already in front of Ancol and we bought the entrance ticket. After that we got into a shuttle bus and got to down to change into another bus before we could finally reach the concert venue. The venue was Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS) inside Ancol Beach Mall. Trivia: SWC III is the last concert held in MEIS because after that there was some problems between MEIS and don't-know-who.

By the time we reached MEIS, it is already 7 PM and the concert has started. We did not worry at all though. In fact, we waited until it is a bit later after the concert. Why? Because there were lots of calo (I don't know how you call this in English) who gave you discount after the concert started or else they will loss. Many of those calo sold the tickets to every single passerby, we almost bought the tribune ticket when my friend gently reminded me how far would it be to stand in the tribune.

So, at around 7.30 PM, a calo finally gave in and sold two festival tickets with considerably low price. We rushed into the venue. But we were hold because we both brought camera. I swore that I had no intention at all to take any picture inside the venue with my camera. We brought those cameras with us because we were hunting some pictures in the Kota Tua events. So we went to deposit our camera to a security post in the parking lot and went back and got in and....

my bias ^^

I can not believe I was that close with SHINee!!! They were singing "Queen of New York" on the front stage by the time we reached the venue. We promised earlier that we were going to enjoy the concert with ease, just a little picture and video for the sake of memories and the rest, we will just enjoy it. And that's what we really did. The rest of the concert is very, very surreal or even magical in some ways.

The setlist for the concert is listed below:

1. Spoiler, 2. Evil, 3. Nightmare, 4. Juliette, 5. Lucifer, 6. Like A Fire, 7. Dream Girl, 8. Hitchhiking, 9. Queen of New York, 10. Aside, 11. Sleepless Night, 12. Orgel, 13. Beautiful, 14. 3 2 1, 15. Destination, 16. Dynamite, 17. Ring Ding Dong, 18. Amigo (the song that made me fell into them), 19. Everybody, 20. Selene 6.23 encore one: 21. Sherlock, 22. Why So Serius?, 23. Colorful encore two: Onew's VCR, 24. Stand By Me, 25. Green Rain.

Well, because I wasn't there from the beginning I am not very sure about the first songs. I am still kinda sad because those 3 opening songs are my favorite from their recent albums. But then again, I am beyond grateful that I am able to watch them that close.

Just like I said before, I sincerely wanted to enjoy the concert so I barely take any pictures and even i or my friend did, it was only from our phone camera and the quality is bad, also since they moved a lot, many of the pictures turn out blur. But the vivid memory that I have in my had will forever stay in my mind and heart :')

Seeing them in real life, it truly felt like there are less boundaries between idol and fans. They were glowing and the charismatic aura was overflowing. Also, I stood in Festival A4 that was less crowded compared to other section. The audiences are considerably under control. And without realizing it, we are happily moved from the sixth row to the second from the front >.<

I loved how SHINee interacted with the fans. They danced and sang very sincerely. And yes people, they live singing is soooo breathtaking. They are really good, even Minho. They were so interactive as they ran around the stage many times and they even got down to quickly high-fiving the audience!!!

No zoom! We were that close with Minho. It was the best shot that we got on that day ((thank you kei  for this picture)). I was in awe. I cherish every single moment I had there. Also, I might have breathe in the air that they breathed out. Well, okay I think I should stop rambling by now.

When the VCR of Onew showed up, I teared up. Indonesia is the last stop for their SHINee World III Concert but he couldn't join, so it was a bid saddening. When they sang "Stand By Me", I smiled again. Widely. When they announced the actual last song, "Green Rain", I did not expect it since it was only a soundtrack. When they bid their good-bye, I got emotional and cried again. I cried because I was very happy to meet them, I cried because I was sad they were leaving back to Korea, I cried because my dream finally came true, I cried for so many reasons on that night :')

can no filter hep this picture ^^ I will just leave it like this

And that was the end of the concert. We took some more pictures. I took a bottle of drink they have used for pouring one another ((cough)). We took our camera. We bought some drinks. Then we walked quite far to the nearest exit gate and patiently waited for a taxi that took forever to show up. By that time, it was around 11 PM (the concert ended around 10 PM). It was super exhausting but totally worth it.

Well, there is one thing that I want to tell you guys, I am NOT proud at all that I did not buy the ticket officially. If it is not for SHINee, I think I'd rather not go then buying ticket from calo like this. I felt sorry for the promoter who has done so much to bring the artist to hold a concert in Jakarta and that must be lots of hard work. If you had enough money, please respect the promoter and buy the ticket officially. This time, I apologize I didn't do it the right way but I really just did this because it is SHINee World Concert :( but I am really thankful that you brought SHINee here. Thank you, thank you so much.

Last but not least, sorry this post has subconsciously become my rant. I didn't realize it will turn out this long! Images here are from SMTOWN via facebook. The other pictures are taken either with my phone or my friend's, thus explaining the quality. Please do not use it or claim it as yours :)

Cheers, filicia!

K-Poppin! : 7 Underrated Summer 2014 Tracks That You Should Listen

Hi guys! If you know me, you know that I am an avid K-pop fan. I have listened to K-pop ever since 2008, and still can't get over it. SO, it is just natural that I go all giddy and excited to write about K-pop on this blog. Well, even though the feature is called K-Poppin!, I will not only talk about K-pop, but in the future I might also talk about Korean music in general, Korean TV series, Korean shows and anything related to Korean culture.

(image via SMTOWN on Facebook)

So, for the first K-poppin! I am going to talk about 7 tracks that you should listen this summer 2014! While you might be familiar with tracks that won music shows, you might have little to no idea about the songs that I am going to mention after this.

Please note that I am NOT a music or k-pop expert. Anything stated in this post is based solely from my subjective opinion.

1. Shin HyeSung ft. Lyn - Buen Camino

First up is a song that was first released in 2005 by Shin HyeSung himself featuring Kang Suji. For his 10th debut anniversary, he comes up with the project 'Once Again' in which he will remake and re-release his old songs. This is actually my first time listening to 'Buen Camino' and I had no idea that it was a remake of an old song. When I first listened to it, I just fell in love. The song is unlike the usual K-pop as the genre is more like bossanova. I never thought that I will love this genre! But listening to the beautiful voices of Hyesung and Lyn, I think I just melted. It gives me a calm and soothing vibe. Even if you are unfamiliar with bossanova, please give this song a try!

2. Lucky J - Can You Hear Me?

I have very little idea about this group. I discovered them from KBS Music Bank and totally loving it. Turns out that they have just debuted and they are a co-ed group which is a bit rare in K-pop scene. Loving Jessi's voice, even in the live shows, and it really complements the boys' voices. Looking forward to what they will bring in the future.

3. HIGH4 with Lim Kim - A Little Close

For me, they are such a perfect combination. Lim Kim has been gaining popularity since her debut last year and HIGH4 too is slowly getting into K-pop scene though they have not officially debuted yet. I love both singers and super happy to find out their collaboration. Obviously the collaboration is not disappointing at all. Loving their unique voices, simple dance moves and fun song.

4. Ulala Session x IU - Summer Love

This is a perfect combination! Absolutely not your typical K-pop songs, but super unique and fun! I am really hoping that there is an official MV for this song. Nonetheless, it is a very fun song, it has an upbeat music and it certainly boosts my spirit. Hopefully yours too ;)

5. B.I.G - Hello

Again, thanks to KBS Music bank, I actually got to discover lots of unique music and singers. This group had me at their song lyric. Lol. I think this is the first time I have ever gotten into a group because of the song lyric. I mean, K-pop song lyrics are in Korean and I barely understand anything. But I happened to watch the music show with English lyric translation that time. I literally laugh while reading the lyric as it talks about Korea's dishes and also the word 'Hello' in several languages. Of course it is also helped by the upbeat music and great dance performance.

6. MAMAMOO - Mr. Ambiguous

I have listened and watched some of their pre-debut songs before, so they have actually gained my attention before the release of "Mr. Ambiguous". But it is this song that make me settled. And I think I have never seen that much K-pop singers showing up in an MV (maybe beside Psy). The MV kinda reminded me of SNSD's "Hoot" and Wonder Girls' "Nobody". But the song itself is really good and catchy and also each of them have such a beautiful voice. And even though I don't know the meaning behind the group's name I kinda love it and how the name is implemented into the song lyric.

7. Henry - Fantastic

Well people, Henry is no longer that maknae of Super Junior-M. Ever since his solo debut with "Trap", he has proven his amazing music and performance skills. The thing that I love about Henry is how he incorporate classical music into the K-pop songs. He has used piano in "Trap" and now with violin in "Fantastic". This is certainly a good song and if you are interested you can check out "Henry's Real Music" where he played a piano duet with Yiruma, performed "Fantastic" in string quartet, etc.

(image via SMTOWN on facebook)

Well, that's quite a lot of video and explanation, isn't it? But I hope you enjoy my music review. For more summer tracks, I would recommend you: SISTAR's "Touch My Body", Block B's "H.E.R", Girls Day's "Darling", B1A4's "Solo Day", HyunA's "Red", JYJ's "Backseat", GOT7's "A", and more! Is there any summer track that didn't make it to the list, please share your favorite summer jam on the comment section.

Also, one fun thing that has been happening among K-pop artists, the #IceBucketChallenge! Check out the artists who have taken the challenge in support of raising the awareness of ALS here.

Cheers, filicia!