General Discussion

So... I recently came across the craze that is k-pop and I'm wondering where to start. Recommendations and explanations would be greatly appreciated!

@RainWing

Ooh, welcome to the K Pop universe!

For starters, I would recommend the two most commonly known K Pop groups:

BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan, or Bulletproof Boy Scouts, their fan base is called ARMY standing for Adorable Representative M.C for Youth, by the company BigHit )

BLACKPINK (their fans are called BLINKS, using the bl and ink from black and pink in their name, they are by the company YG, one of the three leading entertainment companies in South Korea, along with SM and JYP)


I recommend their latest songs and an extra one, each.

BTS

Boy with Luv:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsX3ATc3FbA

DNA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdVXkSdhwU

BLACKPINK:

Kill this Love:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6sTfdS2k_g

DDU DDU DDU:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHNzOHi8sJs

Hope you have a good time discovering K-Pop!

@rainwing

I’m a MooMoo

I suggest Love by Mamamoo, and Double Trouble

I’m also suggesting

Loona
Red Velvet
NCT-127
Got7

@WiseGirlChase @Calyypso

Thank you! I'm definitely looking forward to getting to know this fandom.

@RainWing
BTS was already mentioned but I will suggest their vlive series Run BTS
https://www.vlive.tv/video/27764?channelCode=FE619
It's very fun, great for learning more about the members, and it airs a new episode every Tuesday!

Here is another recommendation for just a great group I recommend to those just starting to get into kpop

Twice! A girl group by the company JYP that is mainly known for their catchy songs with fun choreo
Their debut was with Like Ooh-Ahh in 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rtV5esQT6I
My favorite MV from them is What is Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0p1bmr0EmE
and their latest is Fancy which is a bit of a change from their usual sound but I really love it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOHB85vDuow
They also have a vlive channel where they post vlogs and sometimes livestream!
https://channels.vlive.tv/EDBF/home

If you told me what music you liked in general (rock, hip hop, bubblegum pop, etc) I could help a bit more but for now it seems you have plenty to research anyway xD

@Mokuroh

Lol I listen to ANYTHING. Literally anything. Except country. Thanks for the recommendations!

I LOVE BTS!!! Like, it's been what, four days? But I love them all.

@RainWing

Then a few other groups worth checking out:
Shinee and Exo have my favorite vocalists
Stray Kids is a new group but has some of the best rappers
Seventeen has insane dance skills
And a few cool bands to check out are The Rose, Day6, and N.Flying <3

I'm such a loyal fangirl when it comes to [u]SHINee[/u]. I've stanned them for [b]ten[/b] years because of their comtemporary music and they never let me down when it comes to supporting amazing people. They hardly get into scandals and are overall humble celebrities. There are plenty of younger ones that debut naming SHINee as [i]their [/i]inspirations. Though 3/5 of the members are in the army right now (compulsory military service for South Korean men in their 20s and 30s) I think you should give them a chance when to comes their music! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/c8b3af493c2779ac9e2c824fb99167d1/tumblr_peu2q3hYZF1vwt7jqo1_540.gif[/img] Starting with SHINee, we could work our way backwards as I'm sure you'd like to listen to what's hip right now. Not sure what is your usual music preference but even if you do have some, K-pop can surely influence you to like one you don't usually listen to. SHINee's latest music video is [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lE0AJzOb-I]Countless[/url] which is of tropical house and r&b. In this sort of era they released 3 albums (Countless in the repackage of all three), but I'll help link you 3 seperate videos to listen to their music so it doesn't feel like a drag. There's Story of light [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed4M89mhfZ8]Ep.1[/url], [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17_XO0abLhs]Ep.2 [/url]and [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GDqBZHgT7c]Ep.3[/url]. [img]https://i.imgur.com/NL0XCHJ.gif[/img] The second last Korean album SHINee had is called 1 Of 1. Their title track with the same title is of a more retro genre. I honestly think they look really good in their outifts, they're colourful and the dance is addicting! When I want to get into a good mood, this song lifts me up. You can listen to the full album [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld6xFQVuNOs]here[/url]. They had a repackage for this album called 1 and 1 with five new tracks which you can listen [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i27VIyGpKd8]here[/url]. I loved this era the most. It's also because it was their last Korean era as a physical five. In the earlier one, if you get to see it there are only four members. Unfortunately December of 2017, a member named Jonghyun passed away due to suicide. It broke my heart because he was (and still is) my favorite member out of the bunch. He is adored because of his musical talent, his soft personality, being outspoken and standing up for what he believes in (political views and as well as supporting the lgbt community). He was very outspoken when it came to topics of [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX53KRr1aGA]depression [/url]because he has depression himself (mostly talking about these things on a radio show he hosted). I still love him til this day. I hope this doesn't stop you from checking out SHINee. Jonghyun has some solo songs of his own which I can link below. Jonghyun's more ballad-like songs: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXgUULKRmTw]Story Op.1[/url], [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYvQKTXS7hY]Story Op. 2[/url], Jonghyun's more upbeat-like songs: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPapy3gox84]BASE[/url]. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsOEy2DpWtQ]She Is[/url]. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giKA8QZYNlI]Poet | Artist[/url]. He can be a total rockstar but at the same time, be a soft baby. ;w; [columns] [img]http://38.media.tumblr.com/beb369ed119bb307081f2bdffe8bd6d7/tumblr_njt7t47RFs1r544ujo2_400.gif[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/Sruq4Zy.gif[/img] [/columns] There are more solo songs worth checking out that come from the other members of SHINee. A member named Key came out with an album recently which you can listen to [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOenQ3yxQ14]here[/url]. I personally like Forever Yours as it gives me the same uplifting feeling 1 Of 1 does and is EDM! There's a track called Imagine which is recorded entirely in English. Key chose to do this as a treat to his international fans. Key is also the member in SHINee who knows English the most as he went to America to study for a few months prior to debut in 2008. I'll link some videos of him speakling in English like this [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY22Kd1rrdA]Buzzfeed video[/url] he did of him answering his First Times questions, Key [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmOU6cWeI5Y]visiting London as a vacation on show[/url] and Key [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmI01-5MYs4]regularly speaking Japanese & English to his fake wife on a fake marriage show[/url]. It is regular when fans start to like celebrities because of their personalities. A lot of other SHINee fan I know say they became a fan of them because of a show they watched! Perhaps SHINee's personalities may want you to get to know them better! [columns] [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/39e38d3cc4443041eb52f0f48dfe7efe/tumblr_pmrp0dmXUY1ud1najo9_250.gif[/img][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/aa5d32ecffdecefed792f37d642a7523/tumblr_pmrp0dmXUY1ud1najo4_250.gif[/img][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/e10e1ee2e7d06fd11b8231fdfdb23aa3/tumblr_pmrp0dmXUY1ud1najo10_250.gif[/img] [/columns] As of recently, the youngest member of SHINee named Taemin released a whole new album this year named WANT. I think the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OfOkiVFmhM]music video[/url] is cinematically gorgeous as there a lot of religious themes in this music video like Gates of Hell, Snakes, Temptation. In fact, Taemin is catholic and is particularly charismatic on stage but in real life he's [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v55yIQzVScI]shy, bubbly and awkward[/url]. He has this called magic hands that whatever he touches breaks, or he loses important valuables like his wallet and cellphones. If the music video appeals to you, you should listen to his whole album [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvL0CDzByXk]here[/url]. When he debuted, he was only like 13/14 years old and looks up to Michael Jackson as a dance role model. Now, there are a lot of newly debuted kpop idols who look up to Taemin as a dance role model. [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/6768cf7778e12a8548c561e0b3727a72/tumblr_oy8mndyZpA1s03orko2_500.gif[/img] You'd also might want to check out [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcEyUNeZqmY]MOVE[/url], his comeback title track before WANT. I think it's revolutionary within itself because Taemin want to tackle gender norms by breaking it with this comeback. Because in the K-POP industry, a lot people expect male k-pop groups to have explosive, intense and powerful dance routines where as females have to be bubbly, sensual and simple choreography. I think Taemin wanted to have none and both at he same time. It's not to be conformed a feminine or masculine. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cAskH1PtmQ]Here's[/url] a more elaborate dance routine video he filmed of MOVE. I could go on but it's already getting very long, so let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to dive deeper when it comes to SHINee! Also you can view all of SHINee's music videos in order of 2008 to 2019 [url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGDu7sAVejJ9QmTuI1OazxL8Tolx-PulB]here[/url]! It's a take away lesson that k-pop has a more interactive and in depth culture when it comes to liking k-pop as fans of the genre not only like the music but also get invested with the artists themselves! That's why I felt like I had to talk about them more intimately and link videos that show their behaviors! [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/dbb5c071254cea75e906fa1794b3b246/tumblr_oyfzejQWGo1qeew1po1_500.gif[/img]

@Asterodea

Thank youuuuu!!!! I really appreciate all the info and I'm looking forward to exploring the band.

*Gently nudges everyone towards the main K-Pop thread whilst leaving a video here as well.*