Welcome back to another week of Weekly Music Shows. This week was the period of calm that lay between the excitement that was the Melon Music Awards, and that will be the Mnet Asian Music Awards, but that is not to say that this week had nothing interesting to offer. Music shows saw return of Up10tion, while Kim Sejeong made her third debut as a solo. Trophies were distributed to Mamamoo, Twice and Blackpink on The Show, Music Bank and Inkigayo respectively. Here are some noteworthy performances of the week; let me know in the comments if there is another performance you would recommend!
Sejeong‘s “Flower Way”, KBS Music Bank, November 25, 2016
Gugudan and I.O.I’s Sejeong has made a solo debut, with a digital track produced by Zico, and with the lyrics based off a letter Sejeong wrote to her mother. It’s an emotional piece that Sejeong delivers successfully with her sentimental vocals on stage, and I also particularly like the simplistic setup of the stage, as without any flashy ornamentation or instrumentals, it places the focus and Sejeong’s voice and her voice alone. This quiet, pretty concept is one that suits Sejeong well, and as a result she is able to shine in this solo piece, more so than she did in Gugudan’s cutesy debut; we can only hope that Jellyfish continues to harness this potential in her future works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFo0eoq3An8
Shinee‘s “Tell Me What To Do”, KBS Music Bank, November 25, 2016
While I admittedly was not a fan of “1 of 1,” “Tell Me What To Do” caught my eye for the beautiful song and the equally stunning live stages. The cool colour scheme of this stage is perfectly coordinated, with the flying white cloths that are an integral part of the choreography adding an impressive visual effect. The stage is bright, both in terms of the lighting and the members’ outfits, but doesn’t detract from the calmness of the melody. Most importantly, I love the sophistication of the song and its performance – which provides a change from the normally bright concepts of the group and brings out the maturity of the members.
BtoB‘s “I’ll Be Your Man”, MBC Show! Music Core, November 26, 2016
BtoB is wrapping up promotions this week, and perhaps it’s because of this that they’re going all out with the fanservice on this stage. Despite the melancholiness and manliness the song, the members throw in winks and smirks in the performance that deviate from the seriousness of the concept, much to the delight of fans. The members’ put on an impressive vocal performance as usual, but I’m more fascinated by the rapping, which is at such a rapid fire speed that I greatly respect the members for managing to keep up with it on stage. Also, it’s nice to see Peniel ditching the hats and taking more pride in his head the way it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIYtYtIwhWg
Sunny Girls‘ “Taxi”, SBS Inkigayo, November 27, 2016
I must give Inkigayo credit for all the effort they’re putting into the special stages this year – this song, “Taxi,” was specifically produced for this group of girls for this stage. Perhaps what is more impressive is this song isn’t half bad – as a matter of fact, the chorus is extremely addictive. The special unit gathers an interesting group of girl group members, with some members being in the lead vocal positions of their respective groups – Eunha, YooA and Nayoung – and/or main dancers – YooA, Cheng Xiao, and Nancy – which forms a relatively well-rounded ensemble with impeccable visuals. The choreography is fun and while there is overall a sense of coherency, the members are also able to adhere to their individual images, and even promote their groups at the same time (3:02).
Mamamoo “Decalcomanie”, SBS Blue Dragon Film Awards, November 27, 2016
Mamamoo’s stage at the Blue Dragon Film Awards last week was undoubtedly one of the best performances I’ve seen put on at one of these occasions. Given such events are known for having the actor audience looked bored and uninterested as idols sing and dance on stage, Mamamoo’s performance exceeded expectations with their creative twist. By making reference to the works of several actors in their lyrics, from a proclamation of admiration towards Kim Hye-soo to Jung Woo-sung’s classic line in A Moment to Remember, the members put on a fun stage that had the audience paying attention and laughing along the entire time. Also as a fun fact, the performance was supposed to have an intro with the cloaks, but the music started early. The natural transition of the members right into the song as well as their effortless stage presence is truly a testament to their professionalism as a group.
(YouTube [1] [2] [3] [4], Dailymotion, Image via Mamamoo Trans)
