Category: K-POP STYLE

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CL and Rosé Represent K-Pop’s Women at MET Gala

CL "understood the assignment," attends the Met Gala 2021 in denim and white briefs. The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. Photo: themetgalaofficial/Instagram

While it is true that K-pop may have already pervaded the world’s entire cultural landscape, there may still be records to be broken, glass ceilings to be shattered, and opportunities to be taken advantage of. This is especially true in the world of fashion, with K-pop’s influence only manifesting in recent years.

While groups such as 2NE1 and Girl’s Generation may have endorsed global brands such as Fila, Adidas, and Casio, it was only in 2017 when BIGBANG’s G-Dragon was selected by Karl Lagerfeld himself as the brand ambassador for Chanel. While many idols have been spotted attending fashion shows for haute couture houses and getting front seats to the world’s premier fashion weeks, it was also only two years ago when WINNER’s Mino was handpicked to walk in LV’s men’s wear collection in Paris. While former 2NE1 leader CL did walk the runway for DKNY in 2014, it was only in Seoul.

So, it may not come as much of a shock when it was only this year’s Met gala that saw not one, but two of K-pop’s luminaries in attendance. And what a debut it was for Blackpink’s Rosé and CL! It is the first time that two leading female figures of K-pop attended the event, as only the guys have graced the Met’s annual fundraiser in previous years. In the past, only men—Psy, Super Junior’s Siwon. Rain, and EXO’s Lay—have raised the banner for K-pop on one of the fashion industry’s biggest nights.

As the event last year was postponed, it seems that everyone in attendance was all too eager to make up for lost time as they pulled out all the stops, fashion-wise to the event’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Iman appeared in what looked like a chandelier gown and an enormous headdress, Rihanna wore a black voluminous gown and Balenciaga beanie from the house’s latest couture collection, and Kim Kardashian wore a black-out Balenciaga haute couture gown with matching mask and train which cloaked her features and for a time, gave the celebrity a fair amount of anonymity.

So, how did our fierce K-pop ladies fare? Blackpink’s main vocal wore a classic little black dress with a twist as a white asymmetrical bow hid her cleavage area. As the brand ambassador official of international fashion house Saint Laurent, she didn’t only show up wearing a YSL dress, but actually appeared on the Met steps alongside the house’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello.

On the other hand, the Spicy singer, in adherence to the theme, wore a blue denim coat, because what can be more American than denim? The coat, as American as it is in detail, has a distinctly Korean detail with a ribbon that is usually attached to a hanbok top. She wore this over white briefs, and the attire was designed by Taiwanese-American fashion staple Alexander Wang.

With Rosé and CL making their presence felt at the 2021 Met Gala, here’s to hoping that we can see more K-pop ladies in its future stagings, with the next one happening in May to make up for last year’s canceled event.

Featured image: CL “understood the assignment,” attends the Met Gala 2021 in denim and white briefs. The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Photo: themetgalaofficial/Instagram
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ICYMI: Jungkook Welcomes Birthday on VLIVE, Composes Song on the Spot

Jungkook welcomed his 24th birthday with ARMY on VLIVE. Photo: BTS/VLIVE

“Happy birthday to me!”

Around an hour before his birthday, Jungkook just surprised ARMYs with a VLIVE broadcast. Being the soondoongie that he is, he had a mini-concert and asked ARMys to send him comments which he then turned into an insta-song.

J-Hope, his Hobi Hyung, also made a special appearance and brought him his birthday cake.

He then sang a few more songs and connected with ARMY before capping his birthday concert, thanking everyone for the 축하해/happy birthday.

As of writing, Jungkook’s birthday Vlive has been played at least 21 million times and “liked” with at least 2.4 billion hearts. #HappyBirthdayJungkook is also trending on Twitter, with more than 1 million tweets in less than 3 hours after midnight (KST) of September 1.

Watch the replay of Jungkook’s birthday broadcast on VLIVE here and check out how ARMYs worldwide are celebrating Jungkook Day from North America to Europe and across Asia.

Featured image: Jungkook welcomed his 24th birthday with ARMY on VLIVE. Photo: BTS/VLIVE
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Blackpink Lisa Drops Stunning Visual Teaser, Title Poster For “Lalisa” Single Album

Lalisa's first single album drops on September 10, 2021 midnight EST. Photo: BLACKPINK/Facebook

It’s Lisa’s turn to go solo.

The BLACKPINK maknae is releasing her first single album “Lalisa” in September and the first visual teaser just dropped. Lalisa Manoban also shared the stunning title poster for her solo debut.

Back in mid-August, the official BLACKPINK Twitter account hinted at Lisa’s solo debut. It came with a blurry poster featuring the Thai rapper but her face was not visible. Nonetheless, BLINKs were convinced that Lisa’s visuals will be top-tier once again.

And Lisa did not disappoint.

The teaser poster for “Lalisa” featured the BLACKPINK main dancer in long pigtails and a flashy red outfit. She wears the same hair and outfit in the new visual teaser that hints at the storm she is about to stir up.

The first look is a nod to Lisa’s roots but the BLACKPINK main rapper is also eager to show off her glam side. The title poster for “Lalisa” is all about sleek black hair and blinged-up nails.

All the teasers for “Lalisa” are clearly a huge hit with BLINKs. YG Entertainment has just confirmed that Lisa’s single album has already reached 700,000 pre-orders since pre-orders began on August 26. The number is expected to go even higher as the album’s release date draws closer. For now, “Lalisa” holds the record for the highest number of pre-orders for a single album by a solo female artist.

Lisa is the third member of BLACKPINK to work on a solo effort. Jennie released her “SOLO” single back in November 2018 while Rosé dropped the emotional solo album “R” in March this year. Jisoo has not shared plans of releasing her own music but is busy with acting projects.

Lisa’s solo single album “Lalisa” will be available on CD, KiT, and vinyl. The album drops on September 10, 2021.

Featured image: Blackpink Lisa’s first solo album, Lalisa, drops on September 10, 2021 midnight EST. Photo: BLACKPINK/Facebook
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A Homage to SISTAR, the Eternal Queens of Summer

Sistar. Photo: Jinho Jung/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0

The sun’s shining oh so brightly, the AC’s on full blast, and people (or at least the ones brave enough to face the virus and its variants head-on) are out in sleeveless shirts and shorts. And if we are to factor in the effects of climate change, we may be in for a few more weeks of summer weather before welcoming the cool crisp fall air. Which also means we may have more time to enjoy the songs of summer. 

K-pop has had an unofficial but strong tradition when it comes to music popularized during summer. This can be traced back as far as the 1980s when popular singers and groups release songs with lyrics that explicitly mention summer and its activities like In Summer by duo Deux, Summer Story by DJ DOC, and the classic Let’s Go on a Trip by legendary Cho Yongpil. This tradition, reminiscent of the UK’s anticipation of the country’s Christmas #1, has continued into K-pop as we know it these days. Soloists, girl groups, boy groups, and bands have celebrated summer through their songs: Hot Summer by f(x), Beach Again by project group SSAK3, and two Red Velvet albums (The Red Summer and Summer Magic) come to mind. 

But for most of us who have been following K-pop since Hallyu, one group has somehow created a niche of itself when it comes to attaching their success to the season: SISTAR. Red Velvet has been, for some years, successfully campaigned to be associated with summer to considerable success, but for some reason, they stopped in 2020. TWICE’s Dance the Night Away and their most recent release Alcohol-Free got them summer recognition, but then they have been spreading themselves too thin by also associating themselves with Christmas through their Christmas releases. This year, Brave Girls has launched a campaign with the release of the overtly titled Summer Queen, which has been notably successful, if only they were not rivaled by another Yoo Jae-suk project group, MSG Wannabe. Besides, BG is still too attached to their viral military hit, Rollin’, so their claim to the Summer Queen throne may require them to be more consistent for a couple more summers. 

So for now, we’re left with reminiscing on SISTAR, a group whose success may be owed to their consistency in releasing during the summer. Out of their 12 releases (that include 2 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, four single albums, and 4 EPs), only two were not released during the summer –  How Dare You, which was released in December 2010 and Alone, which was released in the spring of 2012. But then again, Alone was sandwiched in between two massively successful summer releases – So Cool released in August 2011, and the compilation album Loving U released two months after Alone. It felt like Starship Entertainment caught lightning in a bottle by scheduling almost all SISTAR releases during the summer months and ran away with it, up until the group’s last release, Lonely, which debuted on the last day of May in 2017. 

If you’re pining for some of SISTAR’s summer domination, here are three of Hyolyn, Soyou, Bora, and Dasom’s representative songs to feed your nostalgia.  

Bikini Body SISTAR: Touch My Body

A SISTAR song featuring Soyou’s breathy vocals? Check. A SISTAR song featuring lyrics that border on racy (the title literally suggests a dare) and schmaltzy at the same time? Check. A SISTAR music video with Hyolyn’s perfect tan and flashing her cross tattoo covering her entire stomach? Check. A SISTAR music video featuring comedian cameos (Noh Hongchul and Jun Hyunmoo)? Check. A SISTAR music video shot in a pool and with the four members in a wide assortment of bikinis? Check. Touch My Body is arguably (as it is Shake It for some) the definitive SISTAR song of summer.

Actual Beach SISTAR: I Swear

SISTAR is a group associated with sexiness, but when you take a close listen to their lyrics, you can’t help but realize that their songs are actually quite innocent, if not cheesy. This is especially true with I Swear, a song that reads like a wedding vow. And this is also one of only three videos (the two others being Loving U and Lonely) from the group that was shot outdoors. Finally, contrary to popular knowledge, I Swear was actually shot in Saipan. It was the MV for Loving U that was shot in Hawaii, while their last MV, Lonely, was shot in Macau.

Dark Summer SISTAR: I Like That

Their second to the last title track, I Like That harkens back to one of SISTAR’s greatest hits, Alone in the sense that I Like That doesn’t sound as bright as the group’s other summer tracks, but somehow still feels like a summer song. It does help that the music video opens with Dasom fanning herself in the darkness before entering a room illuminated by Chinese lanterns. The outfits are typical SISTAR with hot pants, cropped tops, and diaphanous fabric wraps abound.

It is bittersweet to reminisce on SISTAR’s hits, especially during this time of the year that they used to dominate until their disbandment in 2017. Hyolyn and Dasom are set to bring some of that SISTAR summer magic with their new song Summer or Summer to be released on August 10, 2021, but for those who need an OT4 comeback are unfortunately out of luck this year. Who knows, we may have one next year! But then, we will always have those ten record-breaking title tracks to enjoy from the B-E-S-T queens of summer.

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SEVENTEEN: Birthday Boy S.Coups in Numbers

SEVENTEEN. Photo: 붕어의 느린걸음/Wikimedia Commons/CC4.0

August 8 marks the 26th birthday of SEVENTEEN‘s leader and oldest member, S.Coups. On the occasion of this momentous day (and by momentous, I mean I am counting down the days until he celebrates the birthday I, along with the rest of Caratland, dread: his 30th birthday, which, unfortunately, may come earlier because his Korean age is more advanced), let’s not dwell on sad thoughts and instead be merry and mark Mr. Camel’s day with some numbers.

Here are some significant digits in our birthday boy’s life:

10: The length of his eyelashes, in millimeters

Obviously, S.Coups doesn’t have humps to store food and water, so we can attribute that nickname Mr. Camel (a nickname he doesn’t particularly appreciate as he has indicated on some episodes of Going Seventeen) to those attention-grabbing lashes. I can still remember him balancing a toothpick on top of those lashes in Weekly Idol years ago, a true testament to how long and strong those lashes are. 

12: The number of SEVENTEEN music videos with S.Coups sporting noticeably colored hair

Since debuting in 2015, SEVENTEEN has released more than 30 official music videos, including three Japanese and some by the sub-units. Of all those videos, there are 12 where leader-nim has noticeably colored hair. This doesn’t count dark brown hair like in Pretty U, which looks natural. A bit few, considering some members (I’m looking at you, Jeonghan) are known for their aversion to dark-colored hair on their MV’s. When S.Coups’ hair isn’t black or dark brown, he usually prefers light blonde and silvery hues, with his most “adventurous” color being metallic light blue in Left & Right (THAT video where he was supposed to be in a car to be launched into outer space). 

Speaking of hair color, it should also be noted that while he donned an ash silver color on top of black tresses in the 아주 Nice video, he reverted to black during the group’s promotions. The other videos that have Mr. Choi in noticeably colored hair are Adore U, Healing, Check-In (that bluish-violet hue that can even turn brown depending on the light), Clap, Oh My!, My My, Ready to Love, and the Japanese releases Happy Ending, 24H, and Anyone.

6: The number of years he spent as a trainee before debuting in SVT

Actually, he was slated to debut in other groups of Pledis before finally debuting in SEVENTEEN. This means he trained with the members of NU’EST, but he was not included in the group’s final line-up in 2012. He was also included in another group TEMPEST, which was supposed to debut in late 2012-early 2013, but the plan fell through. But Carats would agree everything was a  blessing in disguise because SVT ended up being Pledis’ most successful group. 

2: The number of times S.Coups has been absent from SEVENTEEN’s promotions

Throughout the group’s six-year history so far, the leader has had to beg off twice from participating in promotions for various reasons. In 2019, he took a hiatus from the group to deal with his mental health challenges. During the Ode to You tour that supported the group’s third studio album, An Ode, Pledis released a statement that the group, including S.Coups, have decided to allow him to take time off so he could rest and cope with the symptoms of anxiety he was diagnosed with. Considering that mental health is not commonly discussed in the world of k-pop, S.Coups taking a break from activities to address his issues was quite brave and welcome.

Just a few months ago, S.Coups had to be excused from the tail-end of promotions for the group’s latest single, ready to Love, because he sustained a shoulder injury while participating in an event.  It should be noted, though, that S.Coups covered a majority of Wonwoo’s parts during the Very Nice era, as the latter suffered from acute gastritis before the broadcast promotions of the song started.    

57: The number of days in between S.Coup’s and Jeonghan’s birth dates

Jeonghan was born on October 4 in the same year as S.Coups, 1995, which means S.Coups is only 57 days older than the group’s second oldest member. On the other hand, 1,283 days (or 3 years, 6 months, and 3 days; or 42 months and 3 days), separate the leader and maknae Dino. 

Many happy returns, beloved leader Choi Seungcheol, aka S.Coups! May you have more happy birthdays to come. Since you were instrumental in making all 13 of you renew your contracts with Pledis (a year before the contract is set to expire at that), we Carats are already assured of more years with SEVENTEEN, so we can’t ask for anything more than your happiness and stable health. 

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