Bunni Pop's May faves: Featuring 10CM, XG, RM, NewJeans, ATEEZ and tripleS
Who's excited for another summer full of great music?!
The spring/summer music season is SO SO BACK! While the first quarter of the year felt a bit slow, May was jam-packed with solid releases. So without further ado, here’s what I’ve been diving into in the month of May!
XG - Woke Up
The thing I love about XG is these girls always keeps me on my toes! The Japanese girl group released a new song called ‘WOKE UP’ on May 18th, which further highlights their brilliant rap flows and distinct hip-hop identities. It’s the band’s first all-rap track. And it’s cool to see vocalists like Juria, Chisa and Hinata trying something new.
If you make it through the music video, maknae Cocona also makes a move that will surely have you gasping and raising your eyebrows. Shaving away her long black hair, she is now the owner of a truly badass buzzcut. She is certainly rocking it!
And now because I know all these girls can sing as well, my hope for their next comeback is to show off their beautiful vocals.
10CM - Spring Snow
I can always rely on 10CM to compose a K-drama OST that will make me cry. In May, I’ve been busy bingeing Lovely Runner, which follows a fan girl who goes back in time to save her favourite K-pop idol. But during her journey, she discovers their lives have been intertwined by fate from the start.
What I love about Lovely Runner is how it goes against common tropes and expectations that stereotype K-pop fangirls, and creates something much deeper and beautiful about how two people’s lives are connected.
Bringing it back to 10CM, ‘Spring Snow’ had everyone in a chokehold because the song conjured feelings of longing and comfort. It captures exactly what it’s like to fall in love. It is one of the most romantic songs I’ve heard in a while.
tripleS - <ASSEMBLE24> (album)
Since 2023, tripleS has been revealing the names of its 24-member lineup through different sub-units. But in May, tripleS released its first studio album <ASSEMBLE24>, featuring its full lineup.
Groups featuring large lineups are not a new concept. After all, NCT has 26 members! But it is no easy feat to feature all of them in a single song. But what allows tripleS to shine together is their synchronization and harmonies. This is truly an ambitious project worth checking out. And the size of tripleS isn’t even the most interesting part about the group! tripleS bills itself as the first “decentralized” K-pop girl group, allowing fans to vote and decide on what music and content they want to see released.
I recently had a chance to ask the group some questions for The RepresentASIAN Project (soon to be out).
“Twenty-four is a grand number of members but we are promoting with the same goal so our teamwork and thoughtfulness is our strength and what shows our chemistry,” member HaYeon said.
NewJeans - ‘How Sweet’
A song longer than 3 minutes? That’s surely a different direction for NewJeans… but I digress.
With all the drama surrounding NewJeans given the HYBE vs ADOR dispute in recent weeks, the group has forged ahead with planned promotions. ‘How Sweet’ is the band’s latest single, and I must say they have stuck the landing once again.
The song combines elements of electropop, Miami bass and R&B, staying true to NewJeans’s roots of paying homage to music often heard in previous decades like the ‘90s and 2000s. It’s fresh, youthful and fun! And you really can’t deny the impact NewJeans’s sound has had in influencing other K-pop groups coming out now.
I also want to give a big shout-out to whoever designed the concept photos for this comeback. The styling, the colours, the typography…it looks like something I want to hang up as an art piece.
ATEEZ - ‘Work’
What can I say? As a woman who works weird hours (journalism, am I right?), this is my ultimate motivation song. While ATEEZ have often been known for putting out intense, stadium-heavy tracks that sometimes verge on the side of metal and rock, I actually love the dialled back tone of this mid-tempo hip hop song. It’s just a fun bop!
With lyrics like “Gotta work (Gotta work), Gotta make that money, make purse”, I can’t help but imagine the ATEEZ members reminding me to work hard so I can afford to see more K-pop concerts…ha ha ha…
Thank you for the daily affirmation.
RM - Right Place, Wrong Person (album)
While I realize RM’s latest project may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I have to give full kudos to the BTS rapper for trying something out-of-the-box. Moving slightly away from his hip hop roots, he takes on an alternative rock and grunge approach on Right Place, Wrong Person. While he can still be heard rapping, he also sings way more on this project. It is a mishmash of genres that still feel true to the essence of RM as an artist and creative. Right Place, Wrong Person is also more akin to the experimental indie songs his friends at Balming Tiger have released. After all, member San Yawn worked with RM as a creative director on this album!
Right Place, Wrong Person feels like RM releasing his chaotic energy into the world. I love it, because it’s a step away from the stoic leader we often see him as when he is with his BTS members.
I actually think in many ways, it’s good for him to separate himself from BTS in order to make this project. RM has often talked about feeling burnt out and stifled creatively from overworking. This album is the result of taking a step back and exploring new styles of music.
On another note, check out my interview with Taz Singh, who appeared in RM’s ‘LOST!’ music video.
Jin completes military service, immediately holds a fan meeting and hug session for ARMY
The first member of BTS is finally out of the military!
Right in time for FESTA, Jin was discharged from active duty after completing his mandatory military service. He was greeted by his bandmates (who are all currently serving the military) as he was leaving. And it’s safe to say the members brought out their typical chaotic energy.
I never knew I needed to see RM playing ‘Dynamite’ on the saxophone like that. He is just so goofy and funny!
Not letting time go to waste, Jin subsequently held a fan meeting with his fans a day after. He performed his songs like ‘The Astronaut’, ‘Moon’ and his classic(!!) ‘Super Tuna.’ And as promised, he gave hugs to 1000 lucky fans.
How I’ve missed Jin :’)
Dispute between EXO-CBX and SM Entertainment picks up again…
Despite resolving a contract with SM Entertainment last June, the members of EXO-CBX —Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin—are back in a conflict with the label. Last year, it was decided that the subunit’s activities as well as the members’ solo activities would be managed by INB100, an independent label founded by Baekhyun in 2022.
But according to Korea JoongAng Daily this week, Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin have declared a “full-on war” against SM Entertainment, calling out the latter for violating the agreement it made with the trio last year after a month-long dispute over their exclusive contracts.
Lawyers for the trio says SM Entertainment promised that it would ensure the three EXO members a 5.5 percent fee if they distribute their music through Kakao — the majority shareholder of SM Entertainment — under their new agency, as opposed to the 15 to 20 percent that companies outside of the Kakao umbrella are required to pay.
SM Entertainment has since refuted the claims, and has filed a civil suit against the three EXO singers over their royalty fees. The suit demands the trio pay a 10 percent royalty fee that they have allegedly been evading for two months.
Despite the ongoing dispute between EXO-CBX and SM Entertainment, both sides have maintained that the trio will continue to carry out their activities as members of EXO. Read more here.
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I’m not a huge drama person so wasn’t really part of the Lovely Runner craze that swept Seoul. After reading your post though, I’m curious to see how the drama reframes fangirls. Oh and I love NewJeans xD