GOT7

GOT7

Photo: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage

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GOT7's "Look" Reps 2018 EP 'Eyes On You' With R&B Finesse

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GOT7's latest builds on the spirit of high R&B standards for a luxurious romp of dance and style
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 13, 2018 - 2:00 pm

The parakeet at the conclusion of GOT7's new music video for "Look," which was released on March 12, is no accident. As the video's final stunning landscape fades to the night sky beyond a balcony, the bird is a symbol for the group's fan club, IGOT7, which sounds like ahgase meaning baby bird in Korean.

The various settings in GOT7's "Look" video also hit high style with a look-and-feel and sound that seems influenced by the best. The song and dance embodies an up-tempo panorama of luxuries, conjuring the R&B influence of 'That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars, whose six wins at the 60th GRAMMY Awards included Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year.

Billboard refers to GOT7's "body wave" dance performance, but don't let the look of it fool you. While superficially fun, the way their bodies stay fluid while energizing the movements in an athletic and elegant manner really stands out, supplying "dancing" as another point of comparison with Bruno Mars's style and groove.

Eyes On You is the 2018 GOT7 EP hosting "Look" and the hit "One And Only You" featuring Hyolyn. As it turns out, the parakeet perched on the balcony in the video's closing shot is far from  alone. The broad appeal and high-quality presentation of GOT7's latest is an intriguing sign K-pop could make 2018 into another year in which mainstream America joins fans in taking notice.

GOT7's 2018 world tour begins in May reaching the U.S. in July.

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BTS

BTS

Photo: Courtesy of BigHit Entertainment

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BTS Become First K-Pop Band To Debut At No. 1 On Billboard 200

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The superstar band continues to prove the vitality of K-pop worldwide with their latest North American chart accomplishment
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
May 29, 2018 - 1:38 pm

K-pop septet BTS can add "Billboard top seller" to their list of achievements thanks to their May 18 release Love Yourself: Tear, which entered the Billboard 200 album chart for May 24 at No. 1. This makes BTS the first K-pop band ever and the first foreign-language album in more than 12 years to accomplish this feat.

Driven in part by their enthusiastic BTS Army super fans, traditional album sales reached 100,000, augmented by streaming equivalents for 135,000 adjusted sales units. The previous top K-pop album in the U.S. was BTS' too, when Love Yourself: Her reached No. 7 in October 2017.

For years now, the young men of BTS have crafted personal stories and individual fantasies into alternate storylines that connect through their videos. While dancing, singing and bringing happiness will be enough for some new enthusiasts, inside BTS' music are seeds that can grow U.S. social support on a deeper level.

K-pop's recent success in the U.S. continues to expand. Some of BTS' uniqueness has been their directness addressing depression and hardship, topics that were themselves foreign to Korean idol groups' repertoire, except through metaphor.

"At the very heart of BTS's outstanding dancing and singing is sincerity," President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in said in a statement. "This magical power turns grief into hope and differences into similarity. Each of the seven members sings in a way that is true to himself and the life he wants to live. ... The names of each member — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — are going to be remembered for a long time. Thank you to BTS for spreading joy across Korea and the world with your great performances."

Looking ahead, Korean pop culture news Soompi.com has reported that BTS' single "Fake Love" entered the about-to-be-announced Billboard Hot 100 at No. 10, an additional goal of the group that has now been achieved.

As fans look forward to the group's June 13 BTS Festa anniversary celebration, there will be so much to celebrate — as well as a new awareness that the world is watching.

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Seventeen

Seventeen's Vernon

Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment

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Seventeen's "Call Call Call!" Pledges K-Pop Support In Japan

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Watch the 13-member band rev up the motorbikes in their fun video for their energetic single
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
May 17, 2018 - 1:26 pm

On May 16 K-pop band Seventeen released the music video "Call Call Call!" for Japan's music market, teasing the May 30 release of their first Japan-targeted EP, We Make You. Many musical and stylish flavors come together in a chaotic visual mixture complete with a bar-fight melee, over-the-top motorcycles and a premium placed on upbeat action.

Listeners around the world have been catching on to the musicality and emotional rush associated with the K-pop genre. In Korea many believe that only idol groups should be called K-pop, but Seventeen have always been an idol group with a difference. The collective plays off this strength in their latest video, celebrating mainstream pop mentality while lyrically reaching out to the inner person who might find the overload of 24/7 pop culture too stressful.

The band emerged slowly into the professional recording industry limelight, having broadcast much of their early development on reality television and through specials. Their television work and their music have been hits in Japan for years, and "Call Call Call!" shows them ready to take bold new steps.

Anyone who has employed music to help get through a hard day can respect the power of a pop tune to energize and supply the possibility of healing and recovery. Why resist?

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BTS' J-Hope

BTS' J-Hope

Photo: RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

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BTS' J-Hope: Solo Mixtape Charts, Soars With "Airplane"

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'Hope World' mixtape hits the charts while its second single "Airplane" sings of dreams already fulfilled and promises more
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Mar 7, 2018 - 3:57 pm

BTS' J-Hope followed in the footsteps of fellow bandmates RM and Suga by releasing his own mixtape on March 1, Hope World. The Billboard 200 for the week ending March 10 showed it entering at No. 63, and first singles "Daydream" and "Airplane" have been massive YouTube hits.

"Daydream" keeps things light but super catchy, and as J-Hope awakens in the end, the shadow of an imposing airliner crosses his wall. Now we know that shadow was presaging the powerful bounce on "Airplane" which manages to be bumping and luxurious at the same time.

BTS are reportedly cooking up their next album but if their individual mixtapes mean more like Hope World, "champagne on my airplane" will be the least they can expect, separately and together.

For those counting clicks "Daydream" has risen to 26 million views on YouTube since March 1. Posted March 6, "Airplane" has passed 6 million and is heavily trending.

The clicks are following music millions consider infectiously fun, and J-Hope's "Airplane" might have you flying too.

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Twice

Twice

Photo: TPG/Getty Images

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Twice's "Brand New Girl" Video Retargets J-Pop Fans

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Nearly dance-free and with a direct tilt toward Japan's market, Twice demonstrate that croquet, sleepovers and being open together make for captivating up-tempo pop
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Feb 23, 2018 - 4:15 pm

The powerful pop freshness of Twice strikes again. The group debuted their "Brand New Girl" video on Feb. 22 to demonstrate myriad ways that talent defeats the blahs, and how revitalization is within reach.

With more than 2 million views the next day on YouTube, "Brand New Girl" looks to be a repeat for their impressive progress. Female champions of last year's K-pop impact on the U.S. music charts, Twicetagram and the song "Likey" both went to No. 1 on Billboard's World Albums and World Digital Song Sales charts, respectively.

In December we wondered whether "Heart Shaker" would hit hard — more than 130 million views two months later leave no doubt. "Likey," which dropped in October, is nearing 200 million views — a stratosphere that proves Twice are resonating with fans.

Twice's "One More Time" started their emphasis on the Japanese music market, which was followed by "Candy Pop" and now "Brand New Girl." Three of the band members are Japanese and, consistent with much new K-pop, there is also plenty of English for U.S. ears to latch onto.

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