Jungkook Made Me Cry
An emotional week on the podcast filled with great music
Jungkook’s debut album is finally here! I went in with mixed expectations because Seven and 3D left me underwhelmed. ‘Standing Next to You,’ however, is a hit! I love the Michael Jackson vibe and simple music video. With talent like his, less is often more.
The album is a mixed bag of pop variations. My favorite tracks included the Shawn Mendes penned ‘Hate You.’ While reading the lyrics, I teared up. I’m emotional, but I wasn’t expecting to cry during that segment of the show. What can I say? It speaks to my soul.
Wanna know what I think about the rest of the album? Watch this week’s podcast to find out.
ZEROBASEONE are the Male NewJeans
With all the good music I’ve reviewed recently, I can’t stop listening to ‘Melting Point,’ the new EP from ZEROBASEONE. There’s something so light and free about their sound that it transports me to a youthful feeling only rivaled by NewJeans.
I’m relieved to have so many good boy groups coming out since my favorites are enlisting. Hyungwon from Monsta X goes in a few days and I’m not ready.
WayV Shows Growth With ‘On My Youth’
It’s been awhile since WayV’s last comeback. In that time, they lost Lucas, a central member of not only WayV, but NCT and SuperM. Like many groups that have gone through personnel changes, they struggled a bit to find their footing during their last comeback.
With ‘On My Youth,’ the remaining six members gave us a reflective mid-tempo track fitting of their journey. Xiaojun has never sounded better leading the pack of WayV vocalists.
WayV has found their way through adversity and as a listener, I’m ready to walk forward with them.
Rest in Peace, Tia
I didn’t want to talk about the Israel / Palestine conflict on the podcast because I know K-pop is such an escape for so many of us. This week, that all changed when I found out a Palestinian MOA named Tia died.
She was sleeping when her building was struck by a missile at 1 am. Nineteen people, mostly women and children, were killed. Not too long ago, she wrote a public letter to TXT member Taehyun expressing what he meant to her. MOA quickly uploaded it on Weverse sharing in hopes the group would see it. Luckily, they did and responded.
Tia isn’t the only K-pop fan who has sadly lost their life in Gaza. While recording the rubble of what was once a building, someone picked up a picture and showed it to the camera. It was a photo card of V from BTS.
I had to pause filming this week because I couldn’t stop crying. My last podcast had loyal listeners from Israel and Palestine. Tia could’ve been one of them. K-pop is a family. These are people just like you and me with hopes, dreams, families, and an obsession with K-pop. We lost at least two of our own, and for me, that’s two too many.
Songs I’m Obsessed With This Week
Standing Next To You - Jungkook
Melting Point - ZEROBASEONE
VROOM VROOM -Weeekly
Ain’t No Thing - WayV
Effortless - A.C.E