Favourite K-Pop Songs of 2022

 

I'm back! With this list! I hope to make some film lists too because 2022 was a great year for films, but you know what else was really good this year? K-Pop, obviously. It was also a very tumultous year for me personally because my beloved BTS went on a group hiatus. However, that did give me a chance to dig a little deeper into the discographies of other artists.

Honourable Mentions: "Love" by Monsta X, "Hype Boy" by NewJeans, "Opening Sequence" by TXT,  "Don Quixote" by Seventeen, "2 Baddies" by NCT 127, "Shut Down" by Blackpink, "1, 2, 3 Eoi!" by Mamamoo, "Sour" by The Rose, "Sexy Nukim" by Balming Tiger (Ft. RM), "Crush Hour" by Crush (Ft. J Hope).

10) 

"More" by J-Hope

NO ONE thought sweet, adorable, the personification of sunshine itself J-Hope had this song in him. While the darker theme is shocking, what is being said, or rather shouted, is very much a continuation of both BTS's and Hobi's own messaging and journey. The mix of rock and hip-hop is honestly thrilling but it's J-Hope's flow that's the star of the song (like it is in almost every BTS song).

9) 

"Heart Burn" by Sunmi

The first time I heard this, I thought it was nice but forgettable. Boy, was I wrong! The song gets stuck in your head and you find yourself humming it all day long. Also I’m pretty sure the music video is inspired by the wonderfully wacky The Love Witch so it gets extra points for that. 

PS. This entry is dedicated to my Sunmi fangirl friend, Sasha :D

8) 

"That That" by PSY Ft. Suga

The purest serotonin rush of last year was when Suga superhero landed into frame with an eagle cry announcing his entry, in the jubilant "That That". This song just makes one want to dance. It's hilarious, entertaining and catchy as hell!

7) 

"But You" by Ikon

This was an early contender for my favourite song of the year because it's very much made for me. The 80s pop feel, the desperate romantic lyrics, the absolutely gorgeous video- all catnip for someone like me. I also really loved the way the different voices switch and layer throughout the song, which help in creating its perfect dreamy atmosphere. A bop!

6) 

"Fearless" by Le Sserafim

This is hands down the most 2000s Bollywood sounding song of the year/decade, in a good way. It's pure nostalgia porn to me. Pre-teen Nikhat has danced many a dance on a song like this. Pure vibes. No notes.

5) 

"Still Life"/"Change Pt. 2" by RM

Your girl cannot choose. Honestly, picking just two songs from this album was difficult enough. On one hand, "Still Life" is poetic, artistic and the perfect amount of funky thanks to the delightful Anderson .Paak, and the video is a doozy. And on the other side, we have "Change Pt. 2" which just sort of stops you in the tracks with its beat and swag and Namjoon's immaculate delivery. Reportedly he was drunk when he recorded it, and that rawness gives the song an edge that's hard to talk about without fanning oneself.

4)

"BTBT" by B.I. x Soulja Boy Ft. DeVita

Full confession- I have no idea what "BTBT" means or what this song is about. It just sounds incredibly sexy and hip and the dance video pretty much matches that feeling. The dancers are absolutely fantastic and this video is endlessly rewatchable.

PPS. This entry is dedicated to my B.I./Ikon fangirl pal, Getter :D

3) 

"Ditto" by NewJeans

I had been thinking about this list for the last couple of months of 2022 and was pretty certain about what my picks were going to be. Enter NewJeans with "Ditto" on friggin 19th December, who managed to almost obliterate the competition in one breezy, dreampop-y bang. The moment that first "Woo woo woo woo ooh" hit, I was completely under its spell. It's girl pop perfection, equal parts mesmerizing and wistful, and obviously an earworm to boot. The video is reminiscent of The Virgin Suicides with a tasty little twist at the end.

2) 

"The Astronaut" by Jin

Jin was the first member of BTS to enlist in Korean mandatory military service and it was a moment all of us in the fandom had been dreading for years. On the flipside, all of us were very excited about what his first solo venture would sound like, and "The Astronaut" was everything we wanted and more. Along with his besties Coldplay, Jin gifted us a gorgeous pop rock piece about love and farewells and promised returns. The music video is one of the most cinematic BTS ones yet, capturing the heartbreaking beauty of the song and Jin's worldwide handsome looks.

1) 

"Run BTS" by BTS

The moment I heard Yoongi's "Yeah yeah" backed by guitar riffs, I knew I was in for a ride. And it has felt the same way each and every time I have heard this song. The reasons I love this song are many of the reasons I love BTS itself. For starters, naming this song "Run BTS" which is not only the name of their hilarious and legendary variety show, but also a regular motif in their music (BTS's "Run" is an underrated classic) was fucking awesome! It is reminiscent of the hip-hop heavy tracks that made BTS so beloved in the first place, but it also exhibits their growth and expertise through each of the members' performances. The vocal line is the smooth and sexy counterpart to the rapline's fire verses. The lyrics is an ode to BTS itself, their hard work, their relationship but it also functions a call to action to themselves, which is almost poignant given their hiatus. The way the song feels like it could have only been made by BTS, the choreography hits you in the same manner! It is precise yet free, hard but cool. The moment the group's leader RM stands above them all, leading them and us, singing "Run beautiful, run yeah you gotta run" gives me goosebumps no matter how many times (and there have been many many many times) that I watch it. This is the BTS I love and adore and they're here to stay.

And that's all folks. K-Pop is becoming bigger and bigger every year so do list down some of your own favs! Byeeeeeee!

Favourite K-Pop songs of 2021

Hello everyone and a very happy New Year!

2021 was easily the worst year I have ever lived through and I am very happy to see it go. However, one of the things that got me through it is *cue surprised gasps* K-Pop! I admittedly mostly listened to older favs but thanks to my fellow chick with accent Getter and this list by Teen Vogue, I was able to fill up some blind spots. In fact, I was so into some of them, I thought why not come back to my rusty old blog and talk about them!

If you are among the few awesome people who still know me from my blogging days, I think you are well acquainted with my love for BTS. Some day I might write about them in detail but in case you're remotely interested in exploring the world of K-Pop, I wanted to help you get started on that journey :P This is a vast, varied and extremely fun genre that's obviously becoming a huge thing now. I know probably only like 10% of what is out there but this year I want to enjoy just being a fan of things, and hopefully write about them too. So please do enjoy this list and I hope you find some new favourites too!

Honourable mentions- "Rush Hour" by Monsta X, "I'm a B" by Hwasa, "Cinema" by CIX,  "Spicy" by CL (Remix), "Traffic Light" by Lee Mujin, "Anti-Romantic" by TXT, "Yours" by Jin, "Stereotype" by STAYC, "Red Lipstick" by Lee Hi 

10) Rock With You by Seventeen

It's an impossibly sweet song with a very catchy chorus that just makes you wanna bop your head.

9) Peaches by Kai

I'm going to give you all One guess what this song is about... The video is absolutely mesmerizing and Kai looks like an absolute dream.

8) Rosario by Epik High ft. CL and Zico

It is an absolute perfect collaboration. The song has a great vibe and a great entry point for someone who doesn't like the stereotypical K-Pop song.

7) Feel Like by WOODZ

I had really fallen in love with a Woodz song a couple of years back and then I sort of forgot to check back with him which was clearly a mistake because this song is a VIBE! Listen to it and tell me if it didn't make you sway...

6) Life is a Bi... by BIBI

This is one of the songs that I came across in the Teen Vogue article and it completely rocked my world! It is very catchy but at the same time, the lyrics are quite kooky and angsty, which just makes the whole thing more fun. BIBI in this video makes me think of all the fucked up heroines from the Korean New Wave cinema which was, hilariously, my introduction to South Korean entertainment before BTS (it seems absolutely nuts to me now but oh well).

5) Bad Love by Key

An absolute goddamned banger. This has very Weeknd feels, both in terms of music and lyrics. The red outfit Key wears in the video is absolutely tattooed in my brain now.

4) LMLY by Jackson Wang

This was the second song I found through the Teen Vogue list. I adore Jackson as a K-Pop idol and had somehow completely missed this release even though it is literally everything I love in a song. I have a huge soft spot to 80s inspired sad love songs that one can dance to. The video, that is co-directed by Jackson, is an homage to Wong Kar Wai films so that's an added bonus.

3) Butter by BTS

*Of course* this is the song that I have heard the most from this list or even outside it this year. I have been a BTS fan for 4 years now but even I wasn't prepared for the absolute suaveness of Butter. This is the best they've all probably looked, and the song is truly an earworm. Very retro, very pop- all good!

2) Lilac by IU

This song is IU saying farewell to her 20s and it's wistful and dreamy. Her voice is absolutely incredible and you kind of want to exist within the song, which is maybe the point of being at the end of your 20s, not wanting to let go of this idealized part of your life. I too am turning 30(!!!!!!!!) in 2022 so the song just hits a lot of right places.

1) 0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) by TXT feat. Seori 

A lot of the songs in my list have a retro feel but none feel as nostalgic to me as this one does. This reminds me of the angsty pop rock I listened to as an early teen and not to beat a dead horse but I am turning 30(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) this year so "I Know I Love You" just completely knocked me over. I was very surprised by this more rock turn by TXT and they completely committed to it and Seori's soft voice compliments the highs of this song so well. A total triumph.

I hope you had fun with this list and I really really wish 2022 is great for all of us!

The Month that was December and the Year that was 2013

       Yes, I know it's been a week since the new year and 2013 is officially the old year and no one cares about it anymore, but I had two freaking exams to give in the middle and a day to recover from them, and so here I am! Hellooooo people! How is 2014 going so far?

        The new year brings with it the new film year and the new blogging year. But before that, I need to close up shop on 2013. I watched 292 films throughout the year, which *is* a massive drop from last year's 439, but I feel okay with because I did want to relax a bit. Also, there were the neverending exams and all the television stuff. Seriously, I watched a lot of TV last year.

        But first, December. I really have like no memory of December except that I decorated a Christmas tree with pictures of hot actors and that Matt Smith left Doctor Who *sniff*. And apparently I watched very few movies. Anyways, these are the films and TV shows I watched:-


Firsts:

1) Frozen- Dawww. This film is so funny and cute and lovely and heartwarming. The characters were great, the story at the centre was excellent, the humour was superb and it all looked soooo pretty. Oh and "Let It Go" was my December anthem.
2) The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug- I swear to god, if HFR becomes a regular thing, I'll have to stop going to the theatres. It literally makes me want to claw my eyes out. And this film was pretty disappointing on the whole. All I wanted was to see Smaug, who *was* excellent by the way, but by the time we got to him, I was just sooooo bored and sleepy! That whole love triangle was completely unnecessary, as much as I enjoyed seeing sassy and oh so graceful Legolas back.
3) The Spectacular Now- I know a lot of people like this film but I wasn't very into it. Mostly because I hated the main character. Since it is a realistic portrayal, I have to say that I have never been particularly fond of people like Sutter and so I just couldn't give two shits about him. Shailene Woodley is amazing in it though.
4) Saving Mr. Banks- I thought it was a very sweet film, exceptionally well-casted and I do love Emma Thompson so much.
5) Lee Daniels' The Butler- This film was a hot mess. Like I cared for it and at the same time thought it was a bit cray cray. Doesn't deserve any awards attention it is getting though. SO SORRY, OPRAH!!
6) Dhoom 3- In spite of all the stupidity and terrible CGI and plot-holes and literally everyone in it except Aamir Khan who were all silly and annoying, I had fun. And sometimes, that is enough. I do wish the money spent on making "Malang" could have been used on producing an indie film instead though.
7) American Hustle- I liked it... but this too was crazy... in a good way... I think... Anyways, I had too much fun with Bradley Cooper's and Jennifer Lawrence's characters.


Rewatched:

1) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York- For our holiday podcast. Man, this film is brutal.
2) Chungking Express- I effing love this film.
3) Brief Encounter- Ditto.
4) In the Mood for Love- It's literally like Chungking Express meets Brief Encounter if you think about it.
5) Stories We Tell- Yep, still my favourite. People can be so wonderful.
6) Dead Poets Society- My little brother was in town for holidays and so as usual, I decided to educate him a little bit.
7) Across the Universe- Saw it after soooo long. I still think it's brilliant and now, so does my brother. And I totes know what you'll are thinking- coolest sister ever, amirite?
8) The Heat- Second funniest film of the year. Melissa McCarthy needs some awards for this.
9) Snatch- Guess what I decided to watch on Christmas to improve my mood after Doctor Who?
10) Gravity- I cried so much this time 'round.


TV shows:

1) Masters of Sex, season 1- I think this show has the potential to be pretty great. True, I don't watch Mad Men and so maybe I'm a tad extra impressed, but I do love the way the show portrays gender roles, love and sex, taboos and experiments. It's not something grand but so basic that it makes for compelling television. And the acting obviously is just superb all across the board. a) Favourite episode- There are quite a few which really impressed me but I choose "Brave New World" because I like the changes in everyone's characters, and of course, Margaret Scully is magnificent in this. b) MVP- As amazing as I think Michael Sheen's acting is, it's between Lizzy Caplan's Virginia Johnson and Allison Janney's Margaret Scully for me. For Virginia, all you have to do is watch the ending of "Thank You for Coming". I think it says a lot about her character and what makes her so multi-faceted. Margaret on the other hand is one of the most heartbreaking characters I have ever seen in a show and Janney's doing such a wonderful job with her. c) Favourite quote- "My clitoris beat my vagina?" Jane's so cute. I laughed for ten minutes after she said that.
2) Orphan Black, season 1- Oh this show is captivating. I marathoned it without even realising how many episodes there are or wanting to know anything about anything because I was having so much fun and I was just so hooked! Tatiana Maslany is a revelation and this is one smart, sexy show.
3) Sherlock, series 1- In preparation for the already awesome series 3. Unfortunately I couldn't finish watching series 2 in time, but I predict we'll have A LOT of time to do multiple Sherlock marathons.


Final 2013 statistics:

First watches- 203
Rewatched films- 87
Shorts- 2
Total- 292

Number of Television series/seasons watched- 37 (between 27 shows)


       So as you can see, a good year for TV watching. And I thought it was a pretty fantastic year in television too. Between Breaking Bad coming to an end and all those Doctor Who specials, I was all set. My favourite new shows were Orange is the New Black, Orphan Black, Hannibal and The Originals. Among the returning series, Breaking Bad, Luther, American Horror Story: Asylum and of course Doctor Who were the best. And from the older shows that I watched for the first time , the Brits take the cake with The Mighty Boosh, The Hour and The Thick of It (need to finish that).

        In films, I did see some amazing ones. I'm still making my way through 2013 films but I am in complete agreement with everyone calling it an exceptional year of cinema. I did not think so up until August, with disappointments like Only God Forgives and Star Trek Into Darkness, but then the film gods corrected that because I watched Mud and Stories We Tell back to back and was totally mesmerised. My top 10 non-2013 first watches were:

Chungking Express

Brief Encounter

Dev D.

La haine

The American

Leaving Las Vegas

Eyes Without A Face

Witness for Prosecution

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

Sleuth

(Listen to our New Year episode for more on my top 4)

      Entering rather unchartered territory for this blog, music-wise, 2013 was the year I decided that I like female lead singers more than male ones. I was pretty obsessed with bands like Savages, Wolf Alice, Deap Vally, Haim, Daughter and *of course* Yeah Yeah Yeahs throughout the year. I don't know what that implies. If I had to pick a favourite album though, it would have to be Arctic Monkey's AHMAZING AM. One of the best things I have ever read is the following, from its NME review-

"And the lyrics… oh, maaaan. At times they sound like they were written by a man with a burning hard-on who wants – or rather needs – to savagely fuck your body, mind and soul."

*swoons* Alex Turner, marry me!

       My other favourite albums were Peace's In Love, Arcade Fire's Reflektor, Daft Punk's Random Access Memories and Beyonce's Beyonce. As for favourite movie soundtrack, I am a happy Bollywood child still listening to the songs from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.


      So that's it. I have to achieve a lot of things in 2014 so once again, I'm not going to make any film-related resolutions except the Blindspot series. I want to try and watch more Indian films too, so hopefully I can tackle that.

       Oh and this was my 500th post, you guyz! Yes, I know that's dismal and most of you do that much every month, but there you go. #suckyblogger4eva #keepinitreal #peaceout

Across the Universe Podcast: Episode 13

Episode 13: Give Life Back to Music

In this episode, Sofia, Mette and I welcome our first guest on the podcast, Ryan McNeil from The Matinee. Having observed Ryan's affinity towards music, we went with a related theme in mind. Listen as we count down our favourite music-related films that aren't musicals. Also, we get to know our guest better with a little questionnaire.

We must apologise for the few technical hitches in the episode. The geographical distance and my awful new headphones that I promise you won't hear from from the next episode onwards, are to blame. In spite of that, we had great fun recording the episode and we hope to get more guests on the show soon.

Finally, a big thank you to Ryan for being such a gracious guest.

Contents:

0:26- Chick (and guy) Chatter

2:53- Trailer

3:52- The Guest Questionnaire

15:15- The chicks and Ryan list each of their Top 3 Music-related Movies

1:06:10- Feedback on the Topic

1:10:11- Plugs and Goodbyes

Songs:

Guest's choice- Metric "Black Sheep"

Daft Punk "Give Life Back To Music"

Music from our number 1 Music-related Movies

Jim Sturgess "Across The Universe"

Follow us at: facebook.com/acrosstheuniversepodcast
Write to us at: acrosstheuniversepodcast@gmail.com
Find us on iTunes: search for Across the Universe Podcast
Download episodes from: Our Dropbox page