Ever since I deleted Twitter, my screentime on TikTok has significantly increased– it’s my guilty pleasure. I’ve been down the KATSEYE rabbit hole watching all of their appearances on Korean music shows and I’ve been thoroughly entertained. Why isn’t MTV more like their shows? Being able to see the artists perform and sing & dance to other songs improves their likability imo, but I digress.
As a result, my TikTok algorithm has really been showing out with all the videos to LE SSERAFIM’s song CRAZY. I first saw a clip of their music video and was intrigued, but after seeing many videos of people using that sound, I went ahead and listened to the full song & the rest was history. I’m really intrigued by the KPOP process and their girl groups. I love a girl group. I love the attention to detail and the methodology that allows the Korean music industry to create more than one hit girl group. And, I’m enjoying that their music is upbeat, dynamic and something you can dance to. I’m disillusioned with the music industry in the U.S. today. Not really sure what’s going on here, but it’s lacking innovation and that “it factor.”
The KPOP training process and the groups that have debuted are calculated and truly taking the world by storm. It’s methodical and can be replicated, which does make it feel a bit industry plant coded as we would consider it in the US, but in a simple sense, KPOP basically utilizes the process that Nicole Scherzinger used to make One Direction in X-Factor, just at a larger and more detailed scale. I appreciate how they are willing to train these girls how to be ~a star~ and invest in their growth, now that’s how you do talent development!
KPOP is cultivating stars from BTS to New Jeans and unlocks future opportunities for these members, like JENNIE from BLACKPINK who has gone into acting in The Idol and modeling for Jacquemus. The music labels want TikTok artists an TikTok sounds, but that type of thinking is so small. The KPOP training process delivers on all the marks that can allow for a group to trend on TikTok AND be iconic, be looked up to by the youth, be style icons, and just be focal icons period.
Another element that I’m finding interesting is the partnerships & marketing that these groups are doing. I noticed in KATSEYE’s YouTube channel, a lot of their videos have them wearing the same shoe from UGG, or the same pair of Timberland-like boots. It felt more subliminal yet natural of a partnership, in comparison to a staged advertisement like Sydney Sweeney for Hey Dudes. The natural integrated sponsorship feels like a more appropriate way to reach Gen Z (and eventually Gen Alpha) through marketing tactics, as we know the previous mindset of ads and promotions feels too forced & inauthentic for this audience. It seems obvious, yet we still don’t really see this type of authenticity from American celebrities or influencers.
On the other hand, LE SSERAFIM also has a recent collaboration with SONY for limited edition headphones that almost immediately sold out upon its release. The commercial/ad that they created felt really on-brand and part of their aesthetic, to the point where I didn’t even mind watching the ad. The attention to intentional detail felt like it could have been a music video with focal product placement, instead of a random setting that they decided to utilize them for. Again, a smarter marketing technique here that eliminates the irritating element of marketing that we so frequently see in the US and instead fits the positioning of said artist / collaborator. We could even compare Olivia Rodrigo’s SONY collab to LE SSERAFIM’s and I think there’s a stark difference between the two commercials…
The youth really care about KPOP groups and are really into it. I don’t blame them! The tide is shifting for pop music and the artists in the US aren’t fully filling the space. There’s a lot of potential for a girl group with a clear theme, aesthetic & style. Pay attention!
Let’s get into the music:
ALBUMS
UNFORGIVEN
I’m really liking LE SSERAFIM… I just might become a fan. Quick, what’s their fandom name?? The crux of this group’s image and direction is all on being fearless, so all of their songs are related to this theme. (Again yes positive imagery and role modeling for the youth!) LE SSERAFIM’s music sounds most similar to music that we would hear from an American artist. Although LE SSERAFIM’s overarching vibe is spacey-alternative-dance music, their album ranges from that to general pop music.
Fearless and Antifragile from this album were included in the Netflix documentary Dream Academy in one of the missions that the girls had to do throughout the elimination show process. Listening to the original songs now, they sound a lot better than when they were featured in the show– no shade! (Check out Mission 2’s Fearless here and Antifragile here if you’re curious.)
1. FEARLESS
This song has a good beat, their voices are arranged nicely, and it’s really smooth. It’s overall a really well produced & written song. There’s some singing, some pop rap happening, a well balanced track– A formula that very well could work for many. Having the choreography in mind for this song makes it even better, I imagine that is kind of the point of the KPOP choreography.
2. ANTIFRAGILE
This song maybe requires a bit of an acquired taste… let it grow on you. On first listen it’s memorable, but I wasn’t sure if I actually liked it or if it was just stuck in my head. It’s very different, lots of different elements are happening, the track itself is a bit untraditional in its sound. It’s not bad though, which makes me intrigued more by it. LE SSERAFIM makes things work that I don’t think really should work lol. They are also incorporating some pop-rap into their songs, and it isn’t horrible it works, so I’m giving them credit for that too. Get this song on Just Dance, it belongs there.
3. Impurities
This sounds like a pop-R&B song to me. It’s slower, yet has a nice beat. I can see this being a song that most people would skip, but I think it’s valid. I like hearing their range in a smoother song instead of always dance-pop. They have a really nice sound that would be great for a dramatic music video that’s close-up on their faces like the Cheetah Girls did while performing for Jackal Johnson. Very early 2000s coded!
4. Flash Forward
This track reminds me of something Sabrina Carpenter could probably sing on in another era. It has some swing to it while also being a bit more bubblegum pop in sound, which is definitely a contrast to the rest of this punchy-spacey-dance album. All of these songs have really catchy choruses and that is the key to a good pop song, they are really nailing that. It’s a bit of a slow start for the first few seconds, but it gets a lot better as the song progresses. This is what I want from American pop girlies, give me a good catchy song, not just a ballad with lyrics I have to know lore in order to enjoy the song!
5. Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife
This song reminds me of 2k14 dance-pop in the best way. There were some really good pop songs of that era and this song is very reminiscent of that. This is a true dance track and I imagine it would be great for the club. I really enjoy the “I’m a mess mess mess” part in the chorus. There’s also an English version of this song if you’d prefer that, but it doesn’t hurt to listen to both versions. Rina Sawayama and Demi Lovato both have a remix and feature, respectively, on this track but I didn’t really care for either of them. I appreciate them slicing and dicing this song in many different ways to appeal to different listeners though.
SONGS
CRAZY (feat. PinkPantheress)
I mentioned this song previously, but this remix with PinkPantheress has been stuck in my head and just make SO much sense. CRAZY is a dance-pop song that has the girls of LE SSERAFIM voguing in their music video. PinkPantheress feels like a “duh” option to have feature on this song as she also has the same dance-pop / alt sound & vibe to her own music. She also isn’t too big of an artist yet, so a collaboration between them feels appropriate and not unbalanced. This song is my gateway song to KPOP. I never really considered listening to LE SSERAFIM until this, but now I am interested in what else they can do. That’s how a collaboration on a song should work! I’m a successful test subject in this hypothesis. Also, the choreography that they do to the chorus of this song is so simple but gets the job done, even those challenged in the dance category can participate 🙂↕️.
How Sweet
NewJeans is not… new, but this is the first time I’ve actually listened to their music! They have a pop-R&B vibe to their music which I enjoy and appreciate. They also sing most of this song in English, which can help in following along for those who are lyrics listeners. By no means are the lyrics here hard-hitting or groundbreaking, but the song sounds good! I could see this playing in a Forever21 or a Primark type store, it’s easy listening pop music yet not in an annoying way like some of the pop music US pop stars are making… no shade.
Magnetic
Magnetic by ILLIT is from their EP ‘SUPER REAL ME’. This song is their most popular from this EP with over 400M plays on Spotify. Within the first 10 seconds of listening to this song it was added to my playlist. There’s something about this techno-digi-pop that scratches something in my brain. The chorus is also sooo catchy. It takes a specific kind of musical talent & knowledge to be able to arrange a song in a way that will stimulate and peak listener’s ears. There’s a lot happening in the beat for this song, more reasons why it sticks out to me. ILLIT also has a higher register & airy sound to them which I tend to enjoy. Aesthetic wise, they are very aegyo, which checks out with their cutesy schoolgirl image, but doesn’t tend to really be my vibe. I can definitely see their potential to catch Gen Z & Gen Alpha’s attention since everyone was so obsessed with the coquette trend.
Supernatural
I can’t help but think of New Edition when listening to this song. I would believe it if this was sampled or inspired by a classic R&B group. I like how even though they are all under this umbrella of KPOP they still have those subgenres of R&B or dance that colors their group. NewJeans has a little bit of flavor to them! I was not expecting this but am pleasantly surprised.
Supersonic
Supersonic is fromis_9’s most recent single, although the group has been active since 2017. This song just might be my favorite one that I have come across so far. The chorus is so good. Their vocals?? Yeah. It’s giving more hyper-pop than the other songs I’ve listened to, which is not a problem for me. 8 members in a girl group is a lot to arrange on a track, but I honestly can’t even tell. They sound really good and this works for them! This group also has an album called Unlock My World that released in 2023. I didn’t include it as I haven’t decided whether or not I enjoy it, but I’m giving it a try and it has potential!
And that’s all! This has been a fun rabbit hole to go down. I love getting wrapped up in music that’s new to me, it’s very stimulating. KPOP gets a bad rep on social media for being “weird”, but these girls and their labels are making good music, so who even cares? There’s talent here and they are delivering! Plus, it never hurts to try something new ✌️
THE IDENTITY CRISIS 