Welcome to the August 2024 K-Pop edition of 'Pop Off'! In this episode, we bring you an epic showdown between three K-Pop acts and their latest releases: KATSEYE, Taemin and SF9. We give all of our unfiltered opinions in this ultimate showdown with special guest host, Joel, from Right Back At Ya! The 2000s Pop Music Podcast!Check out Joel on Right Back At Ya! The 2000s Pop Music Podcast here: https://linktr.ee/rightbackpod
References:
- KATSEYE - “Touch” MV https://youtu.be/l9CZykYZkOQ?si=YElSTR-3PSU6yXza
- KATSEYE - “Touch” Dance Practice https://youtu.be/yhI8v8RgiW0?si=5Ad_3I_UecYaPEDB
- Taemin - “Sexy In The Air” MV https://youtu.be/ZDWNWKSP7UM?si=LuxLoDILjw_VrneY
- Taemin - “Sexy In The Air” M! Countdown Fancam https://youtu.be/AU2_1493CUc?si=tiiHjy4Fsp-nrZXpv
- SF9 - “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” MV https://youtu.be/aTQy2tsMtN4?si=mzSViKuJtD-t9wGX
- SF9 - “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” Dance Practice https://youtu.be/92oGXqU9qPg?si=DRYBtkR5_0b8_Pc8
00:00:00 --> 00:00:18 Today, we've got a girl group ready for a breakup, an ex-Essef Entertainment artist showing us why he's a sex symbol, and a bunch of girl men washing themselves after a bad breakup. It is time for the August 2024 K-pop pop-off. And this month, we're joined by Joel Babington of the Right Back At Ya podcast.
00:00:21 --> 00:00:38 Hi guys, how are you doing? So good. So excited to have you here. We love right back at ya. Last week, or last month, of course we had David on. So now we have you. We're so excited. So what's your experience with K-pop? Because obviously you have amazing taste in Western pop music.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:57 Well, yeah, thank you so much for having me on, guys. When I got a whiff that David was on, I was like, hang on a minute. Gotta get me in there as well. So, yeah, my background with K-pop, it was funny when David was on, David went, Joe and I have such different backgrounds with K-pop. And then he listed the Wonder Girls. And I'm like, David.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:20 So we do have our own different ways. But for me, it was four minute. And then the Wonder Girls were my ways into K-pop here in London in like early 2010s. Oh my gosh. Four minute I got to see live here in London, which was amazing. In 2012, they did as part of the Korean Culture Festival. But Wonder Girls for me, like...
00:01:20 --> 00:01:49 absolutely loved them they're one of my favorite girl bands of all time um and yeah me and david have been to see suddenly live a few times uh which has been amazing uh but then i'll admit i'm a bit basic these days like it's it is like black pink and on the periphery but i always i love it but i'm nowhere near as absorbed in the world as i used to be which is why this has been such a thrilling deep dive today
00:01:49 --> 00:02:11 Yay! Love to hear that. You know, once a fan, always a fan. Absolutely. Absolutely. So if you're new to CCTV and our pop-off episodes, every month we put up polls on our Patreon and Twitter at CCTV Pops. And you all get to vote for three of K-pop's biggest releases of the month to battle it out in our song, video, and performance rounds.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:27 And we also have a Patreon, and our Patreon members get a priority choice. So make sure to join us at patreon.com slash CCTV pops. We do also have a free tier. So come and hang with us, okay? And our producers, Emily, George, Lily, Louis, and Juliette.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:51 Yes, and a reminder, this is meant for pure fun. Please don't take it too seriously. Join in. Let us know what wins for you in each category in the comments. So this month, you voted for Cat's Eyes, Touch, Taemin, Sexy in the Air, and SF9, Don't Worry, Be Happy. So let's get ready to rumble. Round one.
00:02:53 --> 00:03:22 First up in the ring is Cat's Eye with Touch. And this was done by Blake Slacken, Omar Fetty, Kashmir Cat, Taka Perry, Coda Banks, Carolyn Island. And that is it. I was expecting more names. But this was released at the end of July. So we didn't include it in our last poll due to our filming schedule being, you know, so full. But this is included now. And it got so many votes and we're super excited. So let's talk about it.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:52 The song itself. Yeah, the song. The vocals, the hook. Joel, as our guest, start us off. What do you think of the song? The song. So I would say, you know, I know we're going to get to a winner, so I won't jump the gun completely. But when I listen to these three songs, at first listen, this was my least favorite. But, oh, boy, is it going to grow on me. It's very...
00:03:52 --> 00:04:16 ariana grande goes k-pop in the in the sound it kind of sounds like a dreamy diary entry with a dance beat and um it's very repetitive but i think the repetitiveness actually works in its favor and that is what's allowed it to grow for me and go from what's this to oh what's this you know
00:04:16 --> 00:04:38 Oh, valid. That's super valid. For me, I put the same thing in my notes. I was like, the hole that Ariana Grande has on pop vocals is crazy. No offense, y'all, but it's time to figure out a new vocal styling. Only because it could end up being like, okay, well, they sound like her already. Why would I want to listen to this? Unless you already have like an emotional attachment.
00:04:38 --> 00:05:05 from either the show or the Netflix series. I think the soft, almost whisper spoken style singing is pleasant and the girls do sound good. Then what ends up happening is that because if you don't really know them that well, their voices can kind of blend just a wee bit, just a wee bit. But I think if you listen, you can kind of hear certain tones pretty well. Like Lara stands out cause they keep putting her by the pre-hook, which sounds very R&B-esque, which makes sense.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:30 Um, the song and the style genre, I mean, it doesn't really do anything for anyone's vocals in terms of like, wow, this is their abilities. This is their identity, which is crazy because it's like they are working so hard to sing their little faces off on the show on YouTube when I was watching it. The lyrics are fine. I think the whole like breaking up with someone and having like a civil conversation about it is very nice. It's good. But I'm not mistaken. These girls are going to be marketed toward a younger demographic.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:51 So for this to kind of be like a breakup song where you're like kind of dancing about is also quite clever as well. But yeah, it's repetitive enough. The melody is good. I think the spoken line parts are catchy because I have a friend of mine who reads the song and she knows those parts pretty well. And I think my biggest gripe with the song is that there's no bridge. You have three of...
00:05:51 --> 00:06:11 since people want to lump them in K-pop, even though they're not K-pop, let's make it very clear, everyone thinks they're K-pop, but you know, K-pop label. You have three vocalists who are actually pretty good. You have Sophia and you have Laura and Megan. Megan can sing. She has sung in the past. I mean, you have Manon. They all have Harmonize on the show, which is crazy, but now it's just like...
00:06:13 --> 00:06:35 Where's the vocals? The song is short. There's no bridge. The song sounds really dreamy. Yes. It sounds so dreamy. And I think it would have just been sent to absolute heaven had they had like a bridge with at least some harmony, some ooh, some ah, some something, something. I mean, listen, those are the girls I think could have given us a wow moment. But there's no wow factor of the song. It's just like, okay, Strafe?
00:06:35 --> 00:06:58 Yeah, you're so right. The only, the way it's laid out, it's like, it only gave, to me, Lara, like, was the only one who had, like, a standout vocal. That's right. And just from hearing her, it's not that you really got to do anything. Yeah. Yeah, that's the thing, right? They all kind of sound like Ariana with kind of the way they're vocalizing, but then also do all the harmonies and the ad-libs that Ariana.
00:06:58 --> 00:07:26 on that to us too. Yeah. Like, cause I agree with you, it just ends. And it's like, oh, even if they just did the chorus one more time, but added a bunch of ad-libs on top of it, that would have just given it just a much nicer climax, I guess. Um, so yeah, I appreciate the production of it. I agree with you. I love how ethereal it is. I like kind of just the light clap beat that it has. Yeah. Cause it is very dreamy and it matches the type of vocal that they're going for.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:47 I think watching the visuals and stuff, which we'll get to later, helped me like the song more. But just listening to the song, it's not one I would go to often because it feels like an Ariana demo. I'd rather just go listen to Eternal Sunshine. Oh, interesting. So yeah, it doesn't really stand out. It feels safe.
00:07:47 --> 00:08:05 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, debut at least has some type of punchiness to it. Oh, yeah. That one's punchy as heck. Yeah. That's not what's on our list, y'all. You know, so we got to move on to the player too, which is Taemin with sexy in the air. And this was done by Ryan June. Genie.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:33 uh genie of flying lab of e there's four e's nine june nine i think it's okay dem joins the monarch ray sila sarana andre davidson sean davidson and jun so this is why i thought there was like 50 11 names that's a lot of names on this song that's why i thought cats i did it because i was like i weren't here sorry but yes okay joel what are your thoughts about well
00:08:34 --> 00:08:52 From, you know, for maybe a younger audience to something a bit more rocky, a bit more edgy. You know, I really liked it. Initial gripe, though. Not a gripe, more of a question. Title, sexy in the air. But the lyric is sexy is in the air.
00:08:53 --> 00:09:19 Oh, I hear a sex in the air. I think it's for like censorship purposes. Yeah, I think sex is in the air. Yeah, he's definitely saying that. But the accent. Me so innocent. Me so innocent. That was so sweet. Oh, I thought. Okay. Well, that all makes a lot more sense. Censorship out there, man. I think so.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:31 um but yeah this is really sensual really sort of hard hitting song yeah that you're like all right now now we're going
00:09:32 --> 00:09:52 the word do you have experience with taemin at all or with that that too but no i don't so i was watching this and then so is this a little bit more of a step out to what he normally does not at all oh not really but like thematically no
00:09:52 --> 00:10:14 sonically kind of kind of single wise single yes yeah we'll need to send you what he's kind of known for after this because i don't think this fully was the best like yeah intro to him yeah yeah i was sold i was about to say oh yeah i feel like i feel like he liked it though i love that
00:10:14 --> 00:10:25 You like the sexy in the air. Guys, you really, you've done it, because I'm like a girl band stan and the girlies, you know, our podcast is a love letter to the girlies. It's a...
00:10:26 --> 00:10:45 if we're just on 100 episodes, I would say like less than 1% of that is any male focus. And if that is, it's a mixed gender group. Right. Right. So you've really like, a soloist and a boy band we're going to get to that. I'm like, Oh yes. I love that. You know, like the males, I'm 33 now. The males are finally going to get a look in on my Spotify. Yeah.
00:10:45 --> 00:11:14 We can help you out with SHINee and its members. They're a great intro to the boy bands, I think. I think that's true. Yes. Oh, well, for me, I thought the same thing. I'm like, I'm hearing something, but the title is something else. I think it's a censorship thing for sure. They dodged that bullet, you know? He's definitely saying X in the air. The guitar in the beginning was so fun. I wish we could have gotten a little really just...
00:11:15 --> 00:11:40 grimy, freaking pedal type of guitar solo, like someone really stepping on the pedal and giving us their best riff. I'm not angry at what happened toward the end. I think the spoken breakdown before the bridge is a great transition before that drill and R&B inspired moment. I thought that was interesting because you are expecting it to go in the rock direction. And if it would have went there, it would have been, oh my God, wow, give it to me. I love this.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:59 You know, pour some sugar on me moment. But then the whole drill situation wasn't bad either because like he doesn't typically lean toward hip hop. He's more like alternative R&B, very avant garde with the visuals. This one was like, give me grime, give me oh yeah, sexy. And then there's like a weird chop and screwed voice at the end that's talking about having...
00:11:59 --> 00:12:28 x and i was like oh my goodness it's candlestar um the lyrics are are not i want to say they're not about being sexy but they're not really they're a little bit more about the overall feeling and the atmosphere that taemin as an artist creates um the song is definitely in his wheelhouse but i will say as a fan it does fall a little bit short of being outstanding um it's just like okay yeah oh yeah and then i'm like all right hang on hang on i need something else for you i know you can do more
00:12:28 --> 00:12:57 So that's how I felt a little bit. The standard for Tae Min solo is very high. And I think, so this one's interesting because this is his first solo release outside of SM Entertainment, which is one of the biggest K-pop labels. And so he, I assume, has a lot more creative control now. So I find it interesting that he went with this because I just think melodically this isn't my favorite. Like the first time that chorus came around, I thought it was more of like a pre-chorus.
00:12:57 --> 00:13:24 Oh, yeah. And then it kind of just goes to like the slight kind of dance breakdown moment and then it kind of ends there. So I was a little disappointed by it. I just don't think the chorus is that catchy. Right. But I think he sounds amazing. His voice is just so nice. It's classy. There's a nice mix to it. Yeah. And it's great juxtaposition to kind of the heartbeat and just how metallic kind of the whole thing is.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:43 So yeah, I think I like the idea of the song more than the actual song. Yeah. But I love him. He's still one of my favorite K-pop artists, for sure. No, super valid. Hopefully, I think at this point, whoever's watching us, if you're new here, criticism is not hate. So hopefully people won't go...
00:13:44 --> 00:14:01 excuse me, lose our mind. But yes, that being said, we have one last layer and that is SF9 with Don't Worry, Be Happy. There's hair in my eye. Holy crap, hang on. Five or more. It's okay. Five or more. Oh my God. Okay.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:32 Don't Worry, Be Happy was done by Han Sung-ho, Park Seo-suk, Jung Jin-wook, Lee Tae-hyun, Jacob Aaron of The Hub, Soo-yoon, and Youngbin and Huy-young of SF9. We have a lot more Korean names on this track than we did in the previous ones, which is interesting, I will say. But not the usual suspects, David Kim. David Kim is someone that works frequently with SF9. And Joel, they, I will just kind of preface
00:14:32 --> 00:14:55 you know uh their whole concept they're very angsty they're very much like hot boys who sings about breaks up breakup but they make it like sexy um so what are your thoughts about don't worry so this is different for them this is very different yeah sorry yeah this is different what do you think about it so what's different about it they're now what few boys that are singing about forgetting a breakup
00:14:55 --> 00:15:07 basically yeah um this was really i mean look if we took song one and song two and put them in a blender this is maybe where you'd kind of end up um yeah i
00:15:07 --> 00:15:31 But that's only a good thing. Obviously, we'll talk about the music video and everything in a bit. But musically, just the song itself, maybe even lyrics to one side. It's a bit just like musical serotonin. It's just... To me, it was really happy, really upbeat. It kind of had a bit of like a classic, a bit of like a classic soul and funk feel to it.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:52 into this wonderful world of K-pop. And you know, don't worry, be happy. Especially when like listening to it on the way to work, strutting in with the first two and then I'm a bit more relaxed sunshine and rainbows by the time I get to the track three. Yeah. Oh, okay. That's valid. That makes sense. This all reminds you like older, like boy group.
00:15:52 --> 00:16:20 If you like this one, you probably would like a lot more boy groups. You start digging in the past. You're like, oh, wait, hang on. This one's nice and sunny and bright, too. K-pop has gotten very noisy. And I think this is something that does stand out a bit in terms of boy groups in general right now, which is good. But then again, they're older, right? I forget how old the group is now. But they've been out for a while. And they've gone from nine members to maybe seven.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:48 Yeah, it's a bit of a question mark. A couple of them are in the military. One of them left the label, but is technically part of the group, but then was shunned from this release. Oh my gosh. Stop it now. Lots of drama here. A mess. And honestly, I think they probably need that member. That member is Suho. He has a deeper voice. Everyone in this group right now has a very light, airy voice. The boys do brokenhearted very well, but instead of being angsty and sad and regretful, they want...
00:16:49 --> 00:17:05 the ex to be happy even though they like dang i messed that up you know so i appreciate it because i was like if i get one more boohoo song from y'all i mean i'm gonna enjoy it because it's probably gonna come with a very sensual dance but give me more give me more
00:17:05 --> 00:17:32 I mean, they sound good as a group. They've never been like terrible singers. I will say that. I think it's just a tonal like discrepancy. Like if you do like this person tone or not. Lee Young has more lines. There's a rapper who doesn't usually sing and he's singing ish, which I'm very proud of him for. There is no Ta-won who kind of has a very high nasally sound. He has Zuho for the deeper voice moments. I will say overall, though, it doesn't sound like SF9.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:58 And I think it's because David Kim isn't there. It just sounds very much like Boy Group A could do this. Boy Group B could do that. And I think it's missing something that makes me go, ooh, this is what they can do? Like overall, the song is definitely very satisfactory though. I can listen to it when I'm going to work, when I'm doing emails and not feel like I'm getting distracted. So kudos to them. But I just feel like something was missing, just a wee bit.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:23 Yeah, I think what was missing is, I think Zuhu actually is a big thing that's missing because his raps are, sometimes we question how musical they are and how few. Oh, right, right. But then he's always unique, I guess, at least with what he does. And actually, the other two rappers tend to write kind of more unique verses for themselves as well, which they did not do for this song. So I agree with you in that it sounds a little more, I guess, slightly generic. Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:46 But I think they sound really good in this. I like how relaxed the vocal production is and the belts are all quite warm and it's not too much of a push there. But yeah, super catchy. I like all the horn moments, some great backing vocals. I enjoy this for them. It's refreshing to hear them do something. It's just a bit more fun. And see them smile. Yeah.
00:18:46 --> 00:19:11 Yeah, yeah. So I'm happy with this release. And I'm glad they're still releasing even though there's all this stuff going on with the other members. Weird stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So we have reached the final contestant. What is everyone's... Oi! For the winner of this round, the song, production, lyrics, vocals. What is all that? What does that mean to you? Who's your winner? I don't know, I don't know.
00:19:11 --> 00:19:22 Joel Joel Sorry about that I said Jo-Ed That was very lacking You can call me Jo-Ed It's absolutely fine I've turned you into A Dominican man I was like Jo-Ed Jo-Ed It's like Joel I'm going
00:19:22 --> 00:19:41 Right, the first, when I was a kid, right? Yeah. My first year of school is reception here, so it would be like grade one or whatever for you guys. The teacher called me Joelle. Oh. And this is my first time with any kind of authority outside of my parents, so I was like, cool. So then I'd go home and they'd go, Joelle, and I'd go, oh, no, it's Joelle. Joelle.
00:19:41 --> 00:20:09 i love that i mean that was a teaser of things to come over the years i'm sure this is a really tough choice for a winner it is yeah i think i'm gonna this might contradict everything i've said oh but i'm gonna go with cat's eye touch oh oh yeah i'm second aren't i god dang it it's a little difficult for me as well
00:20:10 --> 00:20:31 But I think I'm going to give it to... Damn. I'm going to give it to Katzai. I'm going to give it to them. Yeah, they won for me. Oh. SF9 was right there. Yeah, I will give it to SF9. For the song itself, I'll do SF9. Yeah. Yeah. If Katzai had a final chorus with ad-libs, that would have taken it.
00:20:31 --> 00:20:54 Oof. Yeah. Oh, that was so hard. Oh, no. I don't like this anymore. Well, we're moving on to round two, which is all about the music video. Round two. So going back to Cat's Eye Touch for this round, Chantel, you can start us off. What do you think of their video? Okay. So now I can kind of get in there now.
00:20:55 --> 00:21:21 All right. So I'm so sorry. Okay. So I like that they kept up a dreamy concept to match the overall atmosphere the song creates. Because the song is the video is very surreal. It's like, what's going on? You see someone crawling down a tunnel. You're like, why is she crawling down the tunnel? Apparently, she's crawling toward her. The charm. She's a seashell charm. I think if I'm not mistaken. Oh, an anchor. She's the anchor.
00:21:21 --> 00:21:36 because she keeps them grounded. So they all have charms, by the way, this group and their concept. Oh. But I think it's kind of, yeah, it's very, I'm glad you did this research, because I'm, okay, continue. You know, it's what I do, yeah. It's what I do. So, yeah.
00:21:37 --> 00:22:07 I think that was cute. There's little moments where you get to kind of know who the girls are in terms of like, like their place in the group, like with their personalities. I think there's a lot of dreamscape, dream sequences, like Daniela putting on some weird fluffy thing on her head, throwing sunglasses, breaking Lara's cat, her tear flies, and Yoon Shea catches it. So it's a lot of just strangeness going on. And it's a little bit of like subtle humor.
00:22:07 --> 00:22:32 of like Yoon Chae not being in the video, but being in the video is not my favorite. Like it's not a huge deal. It's also just offered. Um, I love the blue and red dance scenes. Um, I like the way the girls are styled. It's been interesting because I've been watching people watch them. That sounds so strange. I've been watching the comments after people are watching them and they have some issues with some of the girls wearing really short shorts. Like, Oh my God, where are their safety shorts? Blah, blah, blah. And I'm like,
00:22:33 --> 00:22:50 I'm telling you something here. This is America. Okay. There ain't no safety shorts. We're not doing safety shorts. And they look great in their outfits. I feel like the way the girls are styled are definitely to their personality. And I love when the girl group is cohesive and not just like, let's put on random clothes to fit our personality. Okay, I get that.
00:22:50 --> 00:23:09 But like at least try to match. And I think the most interesting thing about the video are the SM, like old school SM sound effects throughout. It's a little bit distracting at once. Things are breaking. You're like, what's that sound? Like if you ever wanted to rip the song off YouTube, you couldn't because it's literally...
00:23:09 --> 00:23:32 riddled with like foley effects yeah um but aside from that i think the video is cute it's a quote-unquote age appropriate um it's not to like break it with the boys just kind of like girls being girls and just dancing and singing and i can appreciate that they don't need to really step into any storytelling right now to to do deep of a storytelling you know i'm saying yes
00:23:32 --> 00:23:58 Yeah, I agree. I think all the stuff with the Yoon Chae being missing... Why? And kind of, I guess there is kind of a lore that they're trying to start that will kind of continue through the next music videos, I guess. I did go down a slight Reddit hole about it all, and I guess there is like an Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan type lore that they're trying to establish here.
00:23:58 --> 00:24:24 I don't think it's necessary, personally. I think I like all the individual scenes. I remember a lot of them. Like, I think they did a really good job kind of making them all very different. And I can remember the members because of that. And so I think just for kind of a new girl group, that's a great way to establish things. I think the chemistry was good. The on-camera training is really good. They're all very strong on camera already.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:33 So yeah, I think it's fun. I don't think it has like a ton of replay value. But for, you know, a brand new girl group, I thought it did what it needed to.
00:24:34 --> 00:25:04 Yeah, I thought the visuals, like looks and locations were really nice. A really good mix of vintage and current. Just in terms of aesthetic and what was going on. I loved just the different moments. Like maybe what you were finding annoying I really liked. Like the moment where one girl pulled away her tear and the other one caught it into the routine. I was like, that is an absolute flex. I just love moments like that. I also loved the visual of the different TVs. I just think...
00:25:04 --> 00:25:24 aesthetically i'm like yeah sign me up and when the girl had the um cd cover of herself over the face that would be me absolutely i love that too yeah um and then the ending of their final position and then onto the t-shirt very clever
00:25:24 --> 00:25:54 The video has a lot of good transitions. I think the sound effects were just like, huh? Huh? When I was listening, I was watching it. I was like, what's happening? Don't watch it in surround sound. That's hysterical. All right, Katsai. Not bad. Now onto, Heyman. With Sexy in the Air. All right. So this one's interesting because like, Tamean doesn't have the backing of SM's budget. Dun, dun, dun. I mean, is that saying much though? I would say for this,
00:25:55 --> 00:26:25 I don't think it was about being really big and showy and flashy. I mean, they're literally underground and Lord knows where. I feel like it's not in Korea. Maybe it is, but I haven't seen a basement scene in so long. It was so grungy and dirty looking. I was like, ooh, interesting. It has like the grungy atmosphere. It is very typical Taman imagery. I think what makes it different is like the confidence is high. He's not acting as if he's in love, like he wasn't guilty.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:50 super romantic he's just kind of performing to the camera and the dance scenes uh that seem to be the focus of it even though they have a performance video like okay great but like the other video is literally just him dancing his butt off with great camera angles so i don't really care about the difference uh but yeah the dancings are dynamic and energetic and i think my favorite scene is the probably the scaffolding because there's so much to see so many textures around him they're dancing they're
00:26:50 --> 00:27:10 doing the little bow and arrow it's just really dramatic to see and even when he's just standing there there is um a very there's a presence that is there um and you're like wow who is this guy uh i like that i like to see him hitting more hip-hop choreography as opposed to like all the lyrical throwing and flingings and stuff the water like who
00:27:10 --> 00:27:40 It's a pop video. Where is my water? And there it was. So it was like, amazing. Get wet for me, baby. So I mean, it was very sexy, but not in the way it was like him usually in the suits with no shirt underneath. It was like confidence is sexy. My strength is sexy. Me being without SM is very sexy. Like that's what he's giving in the video. So I appreciate that. I don't think it was like huge, big budget, but it was still true to him. And it was consistent with what he usually does. So I'm
00:27:40 --> 00:28:00 Satisfying. Very satisfying. Yeah, I think this makes a great statement, actually, visually for him coming out. Like, he doesn't need the big budget. He doesn't need all those crazy kind of stories that are in some of his other videos. Yeah. He can kind of just perform his ass off and look amazing because he's just so charismatic. He's one of the strongest dancers.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:17 in the world right now, I would say, like as a pop star. And there's great cinematography here as well. I think all the coloring was really nice. And yeah, the warehouse party and kind of the idea of him kind of going, I mean, the whole idea of just like edging up to a climax with the water, like...
00:28:17 --> 00:28:40 It's a little on the nose, but sure. So, yeah, I think he did a great job visually. I think it elevates the song. I think watching him perform it and just dance to it is definitely more interesting than just listening to it. So, yeah, I think it did the job. Yeah. Yeah, I thought it was like my first lyric is just powerful. Oh, is it?
00:28:41 --> 00:29:06 Maybe it's because I've gone in cold, so to me it didn't appear lower budget or that he's missing extravagancies. That he's missing extravagancies. Don't know if that's a word. It is now. It is now. I am from Britain and British pop is like even when back in the day in the late 90s and the 2000s, when we even had budget in pop music, it was still...
00:29:06 --> 00:29:35 we'd have lavish and flashy and fun videos, but it was still nothing compared to what America and the rest of the world's doing. So maybe it feels in a little bit of context is like, that's where he's at. So I'm still all in. It seems like maybe there was less budget, but they knew how to make every cent of that work. Yeah. And same for me, the scaffolding location with the choreo, Chef's Kiss. I felt like we got so many different flavours in here. We got...
00:29:35 --> 00:30:01 Late 90s, we got Dream Y2K music video. And then like 2007, feeling with the bit more hip hop-y style. Yeah. The box at the end where he's dancing in it was absolutely incredible. It was kind of Jamiroquai meet Laureen at Eurovision. And then the next Daryl Coles fight for this love jacket. Yeah. And yeah, I just...
00:30:01 --> 00:30:23 I just loved it all. I was really, really impressed by the performance. Like this is such a showman and there's nothing better than not to get into the choreo, but it's part of the video when someone has a swarm of dancers, but they're holding their own and they're so powerful. It's like, yeah, they're leading it. They're not lost in it. So I was pretty blown away to be honest.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:48 Yeah. Well, I think you have the next artist you'll be doing a deep dive on. Yeah, this is he's a fun one. If you like this one, you'll enjoy the others. Like this was cute, but he gets cuter like it gets like, this is like, OK, OK, nice job. But like, I need a video, the energy. Yeah, you'll definitely I think you'll definitely enjoy it. What I'm getting from this is like.
00:30:48 --> 00:31:07 He's told you that X is in the air, but maybe it was a bit more actual foreplay. And then I've had the sort of foreplay to warm me up, whereas you guys have all the extra. So this is a great entryway for me. Yes. That's perfect. Very on brand. Very on brand. God.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:34 okay lastly we have sf9 with don't worry be happy and their visuals and you know i'm not gonna lie to you now as i mentioned before these men do broken hearted really well but they do broken hearted handsome like models right they're all like tall they're all really handsome so they've only worn like suits and button-ups and pants and they've done casual but it's been dark casual it wasn't like layer it up and designer clothes they were never those guys when i tell you
00:31:35 --> 00:31:54 I was a little like, huh, interesting. See, I'm dressed so casually. It was a little strange and not for the sake of like, oh, wow, they should wear normal clothes because obviously they're not idols all of the time. But it was just the way they were styled as well. Like, In Sung, there is a member named In Sung. He's the one that usually sings the chorus. Like, he has a very good voice. I love his voice.
00:31:54 --> 00:32:18 very talented man but the way he was styled bothered me like he has the mushroom hair which is making him look very kind of stiff ish and then a brown jersey and then a lace top underneath it and then pants that are like jorts and then tim's now that would look nice but he doesn't he looks stuffy inside of a casual outfit i'm like just something about it wasn't laid back enough for me i'm like put his hair out of his face this is what's going on
00:32:18 --> 00:32:36 Just little things like that kind of help me connect and disconnect. You know what I'm saying? It's like too busy trying to make them look cute as opposed to make them look casual. I know it sounds so weird. Sounds so strange and very nitpicky, but it does matter in terms of the overall atmosphere that you're trying to create. You're trying to make them seem like they're...
00:32:36 --> 00:32:55 They don't care and they're kind of, you know, laid back carefree. And there is a sense of designer over styled, but make them look handsome still. And I was just like, that's not, it's not fun. It just looks very like almost too put together. But it is what it is, it's K-pop, you know. I just wanna say we got his hair off of his face.
00:32:56 --> 00:33:18 Chani looked good with his hair pushed back. That's it. You know? So the eye candy was great, though. You know, I love some abs. Love that. You can never be upset about that at all. I love that one of the members, Chani, was throwing couple rings into the washer. I thought that was kind of cute. Like, the wastership is over. Wash yourself of the sins in the past. Done.
00:33:18 --> 00:33:46 Um, I think the methods of getting over the breakup weren't that great. Like washing the car, washing the clothes and eating. Like maybe it's one of those like refresh your life, refresh your wife situations. I don't know. I just made that up. I don't know. Um, but I think I appreciate the concept of like step one, step two, here's a couple methods and then leaning into it. I just feel like they could have been stronger methods maybe, um, instead of washing a car. Cause I feel like that doesn't really serve. I mean, as a, as a, as a.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:58 say wet men i mean if you guys are like playing like game or like a sport or something like they like what they did with um scream you like came in wet that's different
00:33:58 --> 00:34:26 He wasn't dancing with the car. It was just him and all of his in the air, you know? They deserved a little bit more in terms of put togetherness, I guess. I just feel like it was kind of like, here's a concept, what do you think? And I'm like, dang, because certain scenes just didn't make sense to me, you know? And then them dancing indoors and they should be outside in a natural setting. I feel like that's what's kind of turning me off a little bit. It's too much in a box on a set as opposed to actually being outside and living life, like the song is expressing.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:33 that's my disconnect there it just felt a little too like you know like sims
00:34:33 --> 00:34:56 Yeah, filmed in Barbie's dream house sort of thing. Thank you. Yeah, so it did kind of feel like it was one of those situations where they rented a space and it was like, so this space already has a car wash set up and it already has a restaurant set up. And so you can, you know, do whatever you want with these. And they were like, OK, let's just use what they already have. Yes. And they're like, OK, let's come up with this concept with breakups.
00:34:56 --> 00:35:20 And so it was definitely a stretch. Like some of the breakup steps were, yeah, it was a bit of a stretch. Not the most creative way. Yeah, I'm sorry. Sorry. Yeah, yeah. I liked the scenes where they were just having fun. Yeah, fun. I actually liked them just kind of jumping around. Or even when they're just like on that billboard and they're just kind of like having fun with each other. Yeah. I enjoyed those moments. Yeah.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:48 Because they're kind of an older group, they definitely do have that effortlessness. Like if you compare it to Cat's Eye, where every single wink, every single smirk is so planned and rehearsed. This didn't feel as much that way. Like it felt just more relaxed and they were kind of just having fun with it. So I did enjoy it. It's also just weird as a fan to have seen them as such a small group as well. Oh my God, yeah. Yeah. But you know, they pulled it off...
00:35:48 --> 00:36:04 Yeah, but not my fave. Not my favorite. Yeah. So what do you think? You're the brand new one. You're a little green to them. So what are your thoughts? Don't let us taint you. No, I really liked it. I think I am...
00:36:04 --> 00:36:19 I think I misunderstood the assignment. I think I... No, you didn't. No, you haven't heard this yet. I think I overthought the video. I thought they were, like, wiping their memories.
00:36:20 --> 00:36:47 So I thought they were drinking this coffee. Yeah. The thing in opening shot, step one, like drink this coffee and you'll forget this girl. Put your rings in the washing machine. And once it's washed, you will forget this girl completely. It's K-pop. It could be. I love to like. That works. Yeah. When I'm watching stuff, I like to fill in the blanks. I like to. Yeah. I like to create my own subplot. So, yeah, I loved. I liked it. I was going to say loved it. I liked it a lot. Yeah.
00:36:47 --> 00:37:03 It very much did feel like, yeah, we've got this location and we'll make it work. They got like the call sheet. What locations do you want to rent? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. We'll just take it all today. But I liked it.
00:37:03 --> 00:37:30 Really nice seeing them sort of come together. Again, like the... It is for this as well. Like, it is a bit like a blending of the two. Because, like, you have a bit of, like, the hard and the softness of the two routines. And they come together so well with it. But what I will say, in pop full stop, I love a lingerie visual. A lingerie in a music video. I don't know why, but it is so good. Yeah.
00:37:30 --> 00:37:56 It does it for you. It does it. It does it. Respect. I mean, it's a K-pop video, so it could definitely go a lot deeper than what we- Yeah, your theory makes sense actually. You're welcome. You're welcome with all that. Come stay in here. All right, so all that being said though, who is your champion? Oh, I'm first. All right, so for me, this is difficult because there's so many different, they're all different videos, right? It's all so very different.
00:37:56 --> 00:38:16 Um, for me, I'm going to say, I'm going to say that I like Taemin's video the most. I'm playing it simple. Like, I mean, Cat's Eye's video is fun. It's adorable. The effects are fantastic. The transitions are amazing. But I think in terms of like, uh, just what I felt when I watched it, I think I'm going to lean more toward Taemin this time.
00:38:18 --> 00:38:40 I will also give it to Taemin. It's kind of tough to not want to watch him, I feel like. So I wouldn't mind just putting on a repeat a couple of times, you know? I'm in tears. And I don't feel that way about the other two. So, yeah. That's reasonable. Okay. And it's three votes for Taemin. Sexy in the air. Like, I can't stop thinking about this music video, so. Yeah.
00:38:40 --> 00:39:04 Yeah. The little Attack on Titan veins that were in the beginning. I love those. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was like, oh, my God, if you're going to do something. This is rumbling. Here we are at the final round. And this encompasses the dancing performance choreography. Just a whole presentation of the live experience. Round three.
00:39:06 --> 00:39:24 Yes. Hats eye. Yes. Okay. So first off, shout out to Sohei and Gabe who choreographed this. I've actually taken Sohei's class quite a few times and he's so good. Nice. I've seen him also dance with Brittany as well and he is awesome as well. So yeah, I love that he was working on this group.
00:39:24 --> 00:39:47 I think this choreo is awesome. Even from that starting position, which must be so annoying for them to get into with all the stacking heads. And the ending position, right, as well. Oh my god, yes. That must be so annoying to get into, but already that's so memorable. Yes. And there's just so many great moments in here. Through the verses, through the chorus. Yeah.
00:39:47 --> 00:40:02 It's all just amazing. This is great pop choreography. Yeah. And it matches them well also. You know, it's feminine. It feels young. It is cute, but not too cute. There's still like a sassiness to it. There's an attitude to it.
00:40:02 --> 00:40:17 Mm-hmm. So, yeah, I do think the chorus for sure, like, I mean, you already see so many people learning it and stuff. And the getting in the line and doing the tapping is pretty brilliant. I think that's probably my favorite of the moves.
00:40:17 --> 00:40:39 Yeah. I will say from watching the few performances that they did. So they did do it on Good Morning America. I think they performed at KCON as well. Yeah. They are lip syncing, which makes sense because this choreo, I mean, yeah, it's just, this choreo is crazy. Yeah. And they are executing at 100%. Those hips are hitting so hard. Like the arms are so sharp.
00:40:39 --> 00:41:03 So I do wish like as a more Western or a more global group that they would have prioritized the live singing a little bit more, I guess. And this choreo doesn't really allow for that. But, you know, it's a TikTok Asian and they wanted to do something that was memorable and that people would want to learn. So I appreciate it for that. And it is addicting, I would say. Yeah. How about you, Joel?
00:41:04 --> 00:41:31 Yeah, the Good Morning America thing is interesting because from here, whenever British pop stars either cracked or tried to crack America, the consensus was you always have to sing live on American TV. You know, our TV shows aren't what they were back in the day, aren't really made for it. Our morning television and then when we had Top of the Pops, it's a TV studio, it's just got to sound good. So there's a lot of lip syncing.
00:41:31 --> 00:41:57 um that was the nature but you'd always have the bands going you know when you go to america you have to show up and you have to sing live everywhere and so i just always remember watching the girlies doing gma performances and hearing live vocals i was a little bit disappointed about that um but yeah as you say it's not like they're not putting 11 out of 10 into it and yeah and they're so new and and all of that go you gotta do what you gotta do
00:41:59 --> 00:42:17 I think they're an amazing starting point. Like, to be kicking off here is incredible. I don't feel like they are quite there yet. But that's what happens with our groups. You know, it takes a beat, it takes a minute, you've got to feel it out. You did see... I saw a world of difference, though, between, you know, Good Morning America, it didn't feel like they were...
00:42:18 --> 00:42:35 like owning it as such to me. Oh, yeah. But there's a lot of elements that could be in that, you know, it is a TV studio. They're rushed. Maybe they didn't like get to block it properly. Maybe they didn't have loads of hours of time on that stage. But then when you look at their rehearsal video and then the K-Con performance...
00:42:35 --> 00:43:02 absolutely incredible one where it's their own setup and then the other one that's an actual music venue and it is just electrifying i think what is a is maybe not a shame but we can see how much more they have to give is that when they did perform debut it's the choreography does hit so much harder so you're like oh okay they aren't just sort of this twee girl band i think where they aren't
00:43:03 --> 00:43:25 you know, where it is more of a Western group or a global group under a K-pop label, there's a chance that it could feel novelty with some of the choreo. And I'm not... It is incredible, but it's like how you're saying maybe that touch moment feels like they're having so much more of their own take on it, whereas some of the rest of the moves could feel very...
00:43:27 --> 00:43:45 um yeah just a bit novelty or a bit like oh this is what we think k-pop should be they are all amazing dancers and the choreo is great but it was just seeing the other performance let me let me see how much more there is for them to give and i look forward to seeing something where they hit a little harder
00:43:47 --> 00:44:17 Valid. That's super valid. I think, if I'm not mistaken, Megan, one of their other dancers were missing, so they did have to adjust quite a bit. Like, it was KCON, and then either a week later, I don't know the timeline, but it was like, oh, okay, Megan's sick, and then they went on Good Morning America, so you're definitely right. Oh, well, there you go. You peeped it, yeah, you definitely peeped it. And that's also interesting that you notice, I mean, they are a newer group, but they've been together for a little while now, and for them to kind of show a little less confidence
00:44:18 --> 00:44:33 as performers, because they're missing one person, does say a lot, like they are new, I get that. But if you can see it and you were like, I don't even know what the dynamics were, but some things seem like it was off. Like you said, it's a potential thing for sure. They do perform really well.
00:44:33 --> 00:44:52 And I think the touching, every form of touching that you could think of, they did, which I appreciate. I'm so glad you confirmed it, that it was Sohei, because I was like, how can I do it with Sohei? Because they said on the show and Netflix that they were really happy that he and Gabe were on the team because they won't do anything too sexy and it won't be anything too hard-hitting. And...
00:44:52 --> 00:45:15 And Joel, just Joel, sorry, just kind of go what you were saying about like their their their dynamism as a dance group. They're like kind of like tomboy, pretty tomboy. And Dave, you have that pretty tomboy kind of in your face. Yeah. Punchiness. I like that the moves aren't too commercial, but I think it's what you said again. It might be a little like a puppy ish as well.
00:45:15 --> 00:45:36 The choreography isn't super intricate, I would say, but it's like it doesn't stop. And I think that is what annoys me a little bit, a little bit, a little bit. Only because vocals are important here in the West and you have to sing. You have to. No matter what, you have to sing. And even if they are singing on Good Morning America, they're doing those whisper vocals where they're like kind of just right underneath the backing.
00:45:37 --> 00:46:03 So it kind of creates an issue. I will say one part of the choreography that kind of annoys me is when the second verse comes around and it's Lara, Sophia, and Manon, and they're skipping. Let them walk. Because they have to actually sing. They're sitting there. We were holding hands. And let them walk over. And that walk can kind of allow them to give the sass, to give the personality that you're choreographing into this routine.
00:46:03 --> 00:46:33 You know, I mean, everyone here I am in my mama's basement and everyone has their jobs. I get it. But I just feel like for certain moments, let the girls walk. Let the you know, it's OK doing the pre-hug things. I get it. You get a little can in here, but like in cute little pictures of the moon. But let them walk. But aside from that, I love the touching of the thumbs to the pinkies. I love the touching of the head. I love the pointing of the touching. Like, I don't know what else they could have done to indicate we're touching. And I love that they just export all the touches. So kudos to them for that.
00:46:33 --> 00:46:46 Big question. Yeah. So when they were on Good Morning America with a member Les, did they just let the track play? They didn't have someone else's vocals. Daniela, yeah, Daniela's...
00:46:47 --> 00:47:13 song i'm gonna say song very loosely sung the second verse for her but yeah the first verse the first verse they'd left it yeah yeah i did because i watched it and i didn't really understand i thought there was something like that but i was like but come on you have the track ready even if you're gonna lip sync you have the other vocals on there ready to go come on especially in this world if people could have done that 20 years ago it's easier to do now
00:47:13 --> 00:47:32 Oof. Okay. Come on now. Come on now. You know? Oof. Come on. There you go. All right. So up next is Taemin with Sexy in the Air. Yes. Oh, Taemin. He's so good. Even though I don't love this song, watching him perform is just...
00:47:32 --> 00:48:01 It's just so good. First of all, I do have to shout out the song Horizon, which he also was promoting on the shows because he was dancing with some of Beyonce's like dancers. Joel, he had actually like her dance cast. Yeah. For the people who don't know. Yeah. Which is amazing. I was like, why are they not also in Sexy in the Air? Like that was such a missed opportunity. Yes. But I think he, but based on the music video, though, there is a second music video for Horizon that was kind of teased at the end. So hopefully they're in that one. But anyway. Yeah.
00:48:01 --> 00:48:25 We're not talking about that song, but I had to shout that out. Yeah, I think the choreography is great for this because you mentioned earlier, Taemin's actually more known for his contemporary, kind of slinky, he's very smooth with a lot of his choreography and just how his body moves. So having him do just a lot more powerful hip-hop grooves and stuff...
00:48:25 --> 00:48:47 That is actually more different for him in terms of the lead singles, at least. And his execution is just so good. And you mentioned earlier also, Joel, in this army of dancers. I mean, he does start it off by himself. But then as they kind of all join in, I'm still mostly just watching him, honestly. And so that takes real star power there.
00:48:47 --> 00:49:09 And yeah, I think the overall just ride of the choreography is good. It does take you on a roller coaster of energy. Like there are moments where kind of people are just kind of slowly just kind of milking down and he's just kind of standing there. Yeah, you get a lot of time to breathe actually throughout it. And then that makes the kind of crazier choreography moments hit even harder. So yeah, I think it was really well done.
00:49:11 --> 00:49:31 Yeah, I thought he was just absolutely incredible. So, and it was really great that you could watch, with the two performances I saw, was one where it was just him and his band. And it wasn't choreography, it was just, you know, feeling it out and movement. Oh, yeah. And still absolutely blew me away. Like, so much charisma and...
00:49:31 --> 00:49:52 Yeah, just that it factor. And then to then do it with the live performance with the dancers and the choreo was just so wow. And to be able to do both of those for the same song as well is absolutely incredible. And I thought the choreo in the live performances...
00:49:52 --> 00:50:19 even though if it is, I'm sure it's the same as the music video, when you have just get to watch it in a performance setting, it felt very bringing 80s choreo into modern times. Like, it didn't look dated, but just a lot of it felt very bringing 80s roots into 2024. I forgot what year we were in then. It's hysterical. Okay. So, um, I...
00:50:20 --> 00:50:46 I feel like there is not like a strong like point dance, but there is a repeated like that bow and arrow. So that 80s that you're talking about, that is super like 80s hip hop. So you're not wrong. You're definitely saying it. If I'm not mistaken, Casper, choreographer in Korea, made this dance. So, I mean, he has danced with like, SHINee, he's danced with who else? Can't think of it right now. But a lot of SM artists basically and other artists as well.
00:50:46 --> 00:51:08 And he did advice for Tainment as well. And that's a lot more like hip hop as well. It's intricate as hell. And I do appreciate, like you said, all that musicality. And that's what's really important. It goes back to what I was saying about cats. Like sometimes it's just like, let them walk. They don't have to skip. Let them. You have to do all this crazy hands at the beginning of the song. Like it's let them.
00:51:09 --> 00:51:31 Let the movements breathe. It looks great visually, of course, but let the movements breathe. And I think for this one, I really liked all of the textures for sure. And yeah, with the Be Live, the performance that you're mentioning, I think all those years of his, just being his decades of experience essentially right now,
00:51:31 --> 00:51:55 has aided in him almost coming across as effortless. Sure, he probably was freaking nervous, but he's by himself performing live his brand new song. But he knows how to perform. He knows how to make you believe that you want, you also want a can of X in the air because you want to spray it all in your house. And that's what the whole idea of performing is supposed to be like, sell it in the video, sell it in the performance. And I agree with you. Everything just sounded so good.
00:51:55 --> 00:52:02 Um, he sounds good. It sucks that he's like lip syncing on the live shows, but I can let it go because he actually performs well.
00:52:02 --> 00:52:30 You know, it's kind of like this weird thing. And then when he does have to sing, the mic is on. So I do appreciate that, though, having those two to compare, for sure. He is freaking mint. And that's, yeah, no point in dance. So I think that's kind of what I was like, I was looking for. But after a while, I was like, you know what? Screw it. Everyone's giving it to me. Everyone's dancing their butts off. I want to be a background dancer at this point. God, it looks so hard. I would not want to do that.
00:52:30 --> 00:52:46 You know, okay, I'd go for the auditions just to see him and get kicked out. I'm fine with that. You know what I'm saying? Oh, God. Yeah. SF9, though, I mean, this choreo was much easier. So if they needed a background dancer for this, I would do this.
00:52:46 --> 00:53:09 You're not. Yeah. SF9, super, super clean choreography. I like how smooth it all kind of was. There's a lot of movement going on in it, but then they also stick a lot of poses and make a lot of pictures and stuff while kind of constantly changing positions and stuff. So I think it was just really well done in terms of just the blocking of it.
00:53:09 --> 00:53:36 There are also a few moments where they can add a little bit of individuality. Like again, kind of going back to what I said about the video, just slightly looser moments for them, I think is good. And just allows them to just kind of have a bit of fun with it. Like for example, I think Chani's solo that he did during the bridge was great. I thought he killed that very, very clean. And they did sing live on a few of the performances that I watched and they sounded great.
00:53:36 --> 00:54:06 Like Taehyung, his voice is so good. Super, super smooth. He definitely has the X factor as well. In song was doing all those ad libs and he went for this crazy high note. He hit it every time. Yeah. Really, really strong as well. And yeah, I think there are some memorable moments in here. Like there's a moment like in the post course where their hands are like going up and down, like really, really fast. And there's just like fun little grooves and stuff like that they're doing together. So I think it matched the song. I thought it did the job.
00:54:06 --> 00:54:30 Yeah. Yes. How about you, Joel? Yeah. Yeah. I just thought they're just gorgeous to watch, aren't they? And it all just flowed together so wonderfully. And like, you can just tell, like me not even really knowing them, you can tell that they've been, even if there has been these member changes and everything, they're a unit. And it's so in sync. And...
00:54:30 --> 00:54:47 Yeah, it just... When something's just really good, there isn't a lot to say sometimes. It was just like, would love to watch it, could watch it all day. Just keep on going. And I think it's interesting for, like, this is where Cat's Eye will get to. Like, Cat's Eye, you know when it's that thing of, like,
00:54:47 --> 00:55:10 performing they were really good but there's a thing you can't put your you can't explain and then you're watching this and like this is what it is it's just and even though it's a very different song different routine just that pure togetherness as a band that absolute flow that with both the last song and this it's when it looks effortless that's when we know it's like the hardest yeah
00:55:10 --> 00:55:33 Go off. Go off. Oh, love it. Oh, that's what it is. I think it's just the experience as well. I think this group has been around since like 2013, 2014. I think they're eight or nine years, right? Yeah. Yeah. They've been in it. I just want to say, I just want to say the stylists figured out what the F to do when they got to the stage. I'm going to...
00:55:33 --> 00:55:56 Listen, it totally matters because they look comfortable. It doesn't look like stuffy. I mean, it might be designer, but it doesn't look stuffy. It doesn't look like I didn't want to wear this. I'm wearing several layers of an outfit and then dancing in it. I'm hot as hell. It doesn't look like that. And it shows like you're getting smiles. They're dancing in like glasses at some points. Like they're winking at the camera. Like there's a cute little hand signal in the camera.
00:55:56 --> 00:56:11 There's cute little sign languages that they're really like leaning into. It doesn't feel corny. And that's the difference between them being filmed on camera, trying to look happy and effortless and then actually being on stage and looking happy and effortless. And I was like, okay, I'm back in.
00:56:11 --> 00:56:36 I was like one of the sharks on Shark Tank. I'm out when I saw that video. Cause I was like, I don't know if it's gonna connect, but I'm back in. I got some stake in the game, you know? I like that there is a moment where I think one of the rappers jumps over the group, you know, not too old to jump or bend over guys. Let's get it. The choreography is really smooth. And it's so nice to see these men and just dancing and waving their bodies.
00:56:36 --> 00:57:01 But nothing too sexual. It's just really nice because they look really handsome because it looks genuine. I like the body rocking. I like the whole idea of them not doing anything too crazy. Like, at this point, the simplicity of it all is just, it is what it is. Like, there's nothing else to really, like, nothing, like, super stands out. Like, oh, my God. Like, wow, he did this crazy moment and this happened and that and that.
00:57:01 --> 00:57:31 Okay. It's not about that. Each time someone came out, I could see them. I could hear him. I could be like, oh, I know that member. Or like, who's that member? And like, enjoy it. So yeah, I think this one, everyone feels the most real. Like, Taman is really hot, really smexy. I get that. But like, in terms of like a normal human being, like I can actually touch and shake a hand. SF9 has it. For sure. In terms of like, approachability. For sure. So yeah. Kudos to them. Yes. And the stylist for getting it right. Wow.
00:57:31 --> 00:57:57 Okay, so that ends round three. So, it's hard. This one's definitely hard. I think I will give it to Tae Min, though. Because, again, I always kind of go back to what I want to watch again. Or, like, what do I want to always see perform? And I would say it is Tae Min in this case. Ooh, no. Yeah.
00:57:59 --> 00:58:18 I would say this one is potentially the hardest out of all of them, of each category. Like, this one's the closest. But yeah, definitely teaming for me as well. Damn, y'all. Okay, so for the sake of effectiveness, like, wow, memorable, plain dance. Cat side.
00:58:18 --> 00:58:45 For the sake of realness, SF9's got it. But for the sake of I remember this bow and arrow movement and I felt really like, wow, Taemin's got it. So Taemin wins this round for me as well. The cat's eye was right there. Right there. Okay. Okay. Okay. Well, overall thoughts. Overall winner. Joel, how was your experience with these three artists and what wins for you?
00:58:46 --> 00:59:02 My experience was brilliant. I had a lovely time with all three acts. And I'm definitely going to be tapped in to all of them going forward. And I'm going to go back. I'm really excited to see where...
00:59:02 --> 00:59:28 cats i go and i think if we were chatting about them in a year or two years they could have easily won each round and be the overall winners so that's really exciting um but yeah the overall winner for me is tame insects in the air like i just have the song and repeat in my head and i even have like the visuals going around in my head yeah so that's gonna be stuck in there and that says a lot
00:59:29 --> 00:59:41 That's valid. Super valid. Super valid. I guess I'm next. Dang it. Okay, I am. I was trying to avoid it. He... So, overall winner is definitely Tayman.
00:59:42 --> 01:00:00 I think I put Cat's Eye with twice, no once. I put them once. I think I like them a lot, I do. I think visually they're beautiful. Vocally, they're great. The song doesn't really display that, but I think out of all three, for me, the song is the most like,
01:00:00 --> 01:00:18 in my head, like outstandingly in my head. Yeah. SF9, I mean, I'm a fan of them. I definitely am. I just feel like this song just wasn't them. I feel like the whole, the concept, yeah, it could be them, but there was a little bit of a disconnect into, like I said, the styling. It's just, it didn't feel like they were thinking about the guys as who they are as people.
01:00:18 --> 01:00:45 It was more about like, let's just fit like an image. So I think Taemin gets the, he knew, he knows he is as an artist. He knows who he is as a person. And he stuck with that. The song isn't like outstanding Taemin, but it's also not like what, why would you come back with this? So overall, I think he understood and the group as a creative team understood what they were trying to do and they accomplished their goals very effectively. So for me, Taemin, got it. Yes.
01:00:45 --> 01:01:09 Yeah, I will agree with both of you. I have to give it to Taemin in this case. Also, again, I think this is actually one of his worst lead singles, actually. But the presentation as a whole, the fact that this is kind of a fresh start for him as a solo artist, kind of everything put together, I think it does still make a bigger impact than the other two.
01:01:09 --> 01:01:33 for me, even if I don't, I wouldn't listen to this song over maybe some of his other singles as much. I think with Cat's Eye, like I'm in the middle of watching the Netflix documentary, we will be doing an episode discussing Cat's Eye in depth. So keep an eye out for that. So I am now more connected to these members and I'm excited as well to see where they go. But this song just doesn't.
01:01:33 --> 01:02:03 really do anything to turn me into a huge fan or really or anything at the moment and with sf9 um yeah i i think i'm just happy that they're still releasing stuff after kind of all this turmoil going on oh my gosh yeah but i do think they operate better in that in their larger group um and just i think what does make them more unique is the rappers actually and kind of that
01:02:03 --> 01:02:22 So without that there, this song's fine, but it's just not really, again, anything like super groundbreaking. So yeah, I will give it to Taemin. But I do like all three of these artists. Yeah, these songs are like really like, not bad. This is not a bad episode. It wasn't like, oh yeah, let's just pick the winner now.
01:02:22 --> 01:02:43 all of the day like it was tough this one was tough so yeah good job fandoms was it fantasy icons and taemin's very good job this round is it taemin's that's his i don't know i don't know i don't think he has one so i was like oh yeah yeah yeah but personal fans i think they're called taemin he did just release his own light stick i think
01:02:43 --> 01:03:08 Yeah. Wow. It's a big step. Oh, my God. I love this program. You should have probably got one. Oh, man. Yes. Well, that concludes this pop-off. Thank you so much, Joel, for joining us. Honestly, I will be sending you Taemin music videos because I want you to, like, please get to learn. Him and Shiny as well. Yeah. But, yes, hope you had so much fun. Please plug yourself. Where can everyone follow you? And right back at you.
01:03:09 --> 01:03:39 So thank you so much for having me, guys. This has been so, so much fun. You can follow me at Dr. underscore Joel B. And you can follow Right Back At Chat at Right Back Pod. On all social platforms, just search Right Back At Chat wherever you listen to podcasts. We celebrate a different artist in the 2000s. Every episode, our tagline is, we have fun taking pop music seriously. So there is no irony. There's no such thing as a guilty pleasure. We just celebrate and spread the good word.
01:03:39 --> 01:03:40 about pop music.
01:03:40 --> 01:04:09 Yeah. Oh, how fun, how fun. Yes, and congratulations on your 100th episode as well. I love that little award show. Very excited. The award show. Very excited. Yes, we did vote. Yes. Good, good, good. Thank you. Yeah, that will be coming out very soon. It was, look, it was the Sophie's Choice of Pop. So, you know, it was hard enough for us to curate it. Yeah. So I didn't even vote. I couldn't, you know, we whittled it down. I couldn't even vote.
01:04:09 --> 01:04:23 First page took me out. I left and I came back. I was like, I need to eat. I need to eat first. Hey, I'll let me eat. But yes, congrats. Thank you. No problem. All right, y'all.
01:04:23 --> 01:04:52 We, CCTV, are also, of course, available on all platforms. And make sure you comment and DM us at CCTV Pups to tell us what wins the pop-up for you. And you can also join us on Patreon and subscribe and follow us because we have some really fun episodes and more guests coming on the show. And also, we're doing a reaction to and mix Hyonin, Card, and Flo, a girl group named Flo. And also, if you come to our Patreon, you'll see me react to the girl group that I almost joined. You guys are missing out.
01:04:52 --> 01:05:06 We have a free tier. Okay, come through. All right, come through. Until next time, that's Chris. That's Chantel, and that's Joel. And we're signing off from CCTV, the nonstop pop show.