K-Pop Kafé: features, revievs & more

Monsta X is, in my humble opinion, one of the most charismatic k-pop groups out there that keeps confirming its position with every single release. After signing a record deal on the US-Market, the all-English songs promised a slight shift of the band’s sound in a softer and more dreamy direction, represented in the best way by sweet “Love U” and dreamily addictive “Someone’s Someone” . After listening to these songs, along with the most popular “Who Do U Love?” (I swear, I heard it being played in German radio at least three times), and comparing them with the setlist during their 2019 world tour, I asked myself in what way will the sound of their Korean releases evolve. And, being completely honest, after listening to “Follow” several times, this change could not have been better. In almost every genre, the choice of the first album track is not only crucial for the right reception of the whole, but also one of the most challenging decisions to be made. Especiall...

                            I will be honest – when ATEEZ first asked what our treasure is, I was a bit skeptical. At the same time, however, seeing a rookie group selling out venues across the Europe (mostly thanks to their most famous song duo “Say My Name” and “Hala Hala” (to clarify, both are the ultimate bops), has already been a strong indication, that a next boy group coming from a rather small label may soon have it all. And, after making a confident entrance with two first releases, and letting a bit of the summer breeze in with the third one, “ Treasure EP. FIN: All to Action ” is a final step in the process of establishing the group's sound in the space of the diverse k-pop scene.  The first full album of ATEEZ is already characteristic due to a sort of  “ signature ”  sound the group is based on. Catchy pre-chorus lines (as  “ Will you be my friend? ”  in Pirate King ...

hello everyone! To keep things short - this is an introductory post, but you've already figured that out already! Alli here - twenty-something journalist and researcher based in Germany with passion for popular culture and K-pop. I am currently working on two major research projects focusing on these topics and would like to document my observations and opinions about all things social media and music on this blog.  With teenage passion for "heavier" sounds, I have been an active part of music industry (mostly through journalism) from the age of 14. in this time, my interests fluectuated around various genres and forms of modern music. At the same time, however, I've noticed, all of them ar enot than different from one another as it may have seemed... On K-Pop Kafé , I will be posting reviews and analytical features about these parts of K-Pop scene I find the most interesting or challenging for medial interpretation, as well as their potential analogons...