Welcome to another Best of Weekly Music Shows! This week, Shinhwa almost managed to sweep the first place awards, winning four of the five shows — Show Champion, M! Countdown, Music Core and Inkigayo. However, Super Junior-D&E managed to sneak in and grab Music Bank for their first win. Comebacks were from Red Velvet, Huh Gak, NS Yoon-G and more while CLC and Girl’s Day‘s Minah made their debuts. I’ve chosen a few of my favorite performances of the week below; please comment with your own!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeESEkNHVdQ]Shinee‘s “Love Like Oxygen,” Mnet M! Countdown, March 19, 2015
Okay, so I’m missing Shinee a little bit. Their performance of the good old “Love Like Oxygen” on M! Countdown to celebrate Key‘s new position as one of the show’s MCs was a nice surprise that’s got me wanting a Korean comeback from them. The five show that performing this song is as easy as walking and talking for them at this point; everything is effortless and just so Shinee.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVCDtrbb2M8]Cheetah‘s “Coma,” Unpretty Rapstar, March 19, 2015
I’m not even watching this show (I know, I should be), but I still managed to come across this performance by Cheetah. She dominates the stage, and it’s impossible to look away. She has every aspect of performance down pat. I don’t know where she stands in the competition, but it better be very high.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0t-714SQDw]Ga-in‘s “Paradise Lost,” SBS Inkigayo, March 22, 2015
The thing about Ga-in’s performances is that she commits to every move and gesture. Some may not be huge or much more than swaying from side to side, but they’re still measured and contribute to the overall concept she’s selling. The results is a captivating stage that’s got you under it’s spell for the entirety of the song.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJdim4V5iaY]Boyfriend‘s “Bounce,” SBS Inkigayo, March 22, 2015
So these guys have definitely come a long way from their “Boyfriend” singing days. I like how the choreography uses the entire stage well, keeping the whole performance dynamic and interesting. The one thing about all of Boyfriend’s performances that really got me this week is that none of the shows captured the performance without making it just weirdly shaky. Something about watching all of them left me feeling like I couldn’t focus throughout the three minutes.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDbp0_WYCLU]CLC’s “Pepe,” SBS Inkigayo, March 22, 2015
The new girl group’s debut seems promising, especially as it is their first week. It looks like Cube was aiming at creating a girl group to fit between 4minute and A Pink, and in that, they seem to have succeeded; the song and stage aren’t quite as overtly feminine as A Pink, nor are they strong or powerful as 4minute tends to be. The entire performance isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s a pretty solid foundation for them to grow and improve on.
