It’s time for another round of the Best of Weekly Music Shows! This week saw the return of BtoB and Kyuhyun, bringing us into the fall mood with sweet ballads. We were also treated with a special episode of Music Bank, which held a Sky Festival in Incheon that featured various idols performing their hits from this year.
As for music show wins, Taeyeon swept most of the trophies while Got7 gained a second victory on The Show. Congratulations to them for achieving these honors! Although I can’t give out any trophies, I’d still like to acknowledge the stages that stood out the best to me. Of course, our readers are welcome to add their personal favorites in the comments.
“Higher,” Stephanie, Arirang Simply K-pop, October 16, 2015
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AubL_COyq0U?rel=0]While I have mixed emotions for the song itself, I’m solid in my feelings about this performance. Stephanie doesn’t hold back a bit in her dancing, and I LOVE IT! When that beat dropped, she commanded my attention with her hard-hitting moves. The rap break was gimmicky and corny, but I’ll let that slide since the rest of this stage had me pumped.
“Cinderella,” CN Blue, MBC Music Core, October 17, 2015
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SKZ-5jKw-8?rel=0]There’s just something about band performances, and I couldn’t be happier to have CN Blue back on the scene. Yonghwa made me giggle a little when he shouted, “Break it, break it down!” You really have to give it to him for energy. Even though Yonghwa sounded goofy in that moment, he quickly reminded me of his vocal prowess with that high note afterwards.
“I,” Taeyeon featuring Kanto of Troy, MBC Music Core, October 17, 2015
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjz0U0Kk49M?rel=0]One never knows what to expect when an SM artist churns out a solo album, but Taeyeon has been surprising fans with her take on alt-rock. Invoking the charm of Alanis Morissette in her title song, I’m instantly drawn to her stripped-down vocals. Taeyeon shows she doesn’t need to hit power notes to exhibit her vocal ability; she can pull off any genre because she’s that good. I love seeing her in this low-key style that focuses purely on her talent instead of her looks.
“Closer,” Oh My Girl, SBS Inkigayo, October 18, 2015
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2BmVKKI5M?rel=0]Sometimes, a group is only as good as their MV, which is heartbreaking when you watch their live performances. The last thing you want is to have your fantasy ruined by the reality of a group that can’t sing or dance as well as they did in the video. Thankfully, Oh My Girl isn’t that kind of a group. Usually I want to slap the camera crew for crazy pans and zooms, but their integration of the overhead shots showcased the choreography wonderfully. Awesome job to the SBS staff and Oh My Girl for giving our eyes a visual treat!
“Way Back Home,” BtoB, SBS Inkigayo, October 18, 2015
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCmcQ_I6EUk?rel=0]Speaking of exceeding the expectations of their music video, I was so glad to hear BtoB. No, seriously, their video featured dialogue that drowned out their vocals and made me want to punch the sound editor. Luckily, such technical sloppiness did not make its way into their live performance, and it paid off beautifully. This group continues to grow and improve with every comeback. I’m happy to see their hard work finally paying off in the form of increasing popularity.
Those were my favorite stages from this week, but I’m sure our readers have some of their own. I’d like to express my extreme regret in not being able to find a decent clip of BTS performing “Fun Boys” at the Music Bank Sky Festival at the time of writing this article because it was everything. In case any of you do seek it out, however, I’m issuing a strong Jimin warning because he does a LOT. My work here is done.
