Welcome back to Best of Weekly Music Shows, where we recap our favorite performances of the past week. Making their comebacks this week were AOA, B.I.G, Heyne, Monsta X, Seo Ye-ahn and V.O.S. Also notable was IOI, who performed on their first public broadcast on Music Bank. Tiffany claimed first place on The Show and Show Champion while Twice took top honors on M!Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo.
Here are my picks for the week, but feel free to include favorites and your thoughts about mine in the comments below!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o_wzHVt3nU]Xia Junsu’s “..Is You,” 1theK’s Live One, May 18, 2016
I’m going off the books this week with some of my choices – the first one being Xia Junsu’s “.. Is You.” While this selection comes from a non-broadcast music show, there are many other avenues to access live performances of your favorite artists – especially when they aren’t performing on the televised music shows for various reasons. Junsu has one of my favorite voices in K-pop. He sings with absolute conviction and control. Here, he sings of happy love, and there is a light joyfulness that springs up in the way he elongates the ends of his notes.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkoEBknurMc]Jessica Jung’s “Dear Diary,” Naver V Live, May 20, 2016
So here’s my second non-traditional pick and from another former SM artist, nonetheless. Jessica’s return has brought with it a few ‘live’ performances featured on Naver’s V App. This B-side from her first solo mini album was my pick because it features some nice singing. Her clear tone is a favorite of mine as it works extremely well with layered harmonies. Jessica’s adlibs are another aspect of her style that I adore, and “Dear Diary” has some of those as well. It’s great to see her back on stage again and doing her thing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdliMLs_AI]G.Soul’s cover of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones,” KBS Yoo Hee-yeol’s Sketchbook, May 20, 2016
G.Soul is another artist who doesn’t typically perform on the traditional weekly shows. I was tempted to choose G.Soul’s performance of “Far, Far Away” because of his wonderful tye-dyed peace shirt and the bunny costumed person that was rocking the stage with him, but opted for his elegant rendition of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones,” instead. G.Soul pays tribute to the legend, and he does a solid job of it. G.Soul’s range, from his falsettos and full voice, comes front and center. About midway through the song, he becomes possessed by the spirit of performance and music and finds himself belting out on the floor of the stage. It’s an exciting and moving performance that not many can deliver as well as G.Soul does.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCmQ2vN3h7Y]Twice’s “Cheer Up,” SBS Inkigayo, May 22, 2016
Twice have been dominant on the charts ever since this song’s release. “Cheer Up” wasn’t my style of song when I first heard it and it still isn’t, but the song is catchy — evidenced by random parts that get stuck in my head at various points of the past couple of weeks. The fan chants are in full effect, but it is the camera work that stands out the most for me, with the close ups at the beginning emphasizing the playfulness of each member. Twice own their peppy pop numbers and their dances are chock full of fan serviced bits. It’s no wonder their popularity has come so far, and it also doesn’t hurt to have one of the lines of your song become a viral sensation. #shyshyshy
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBtPpC3GIfM]Seventeen’s “Pretty U,” MBC Show Champion, May 18, 2016
Some groups just have it, and Seventeen is one of them. That’s not to say they don’t work hard at it. Seventeen is the self-produced group. When they’re on stage, they have an infectiously spectacular energy. However, it’s a shame when one of the biggest hurdles for your group is your company doing shady things behind your back. Creating choreography is a tough task; creating compelling and creative moves for all thirteen members is herculean and for Seventeen’s Hoshi to come up with their performance concepts and execute his vision on stage, it should be rewarded in kind. Credit shouldn’t be stripped away – especially given how much Pledis media played their self-producing efforts. So in the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, Seventeen you all are stars on stage. Hopefully, your company will rightfully show you the same respect that you deserve.
