SB Decade in Review: A Song a Year, Part 1 (2010-2014)

As we cross over into the 2020s, retrospectives on the past decade of K-pop abound. Year on year, the shifts in the K-pop scene may not be apparen…

The SB Mixtape 9/12/2019, K-pop in Paris

Recently, I visited Paris. It was a magnificent place, but one thing I realized it is so much more than the sidewalk cafes and accordion players that …

Side B: Celebrating Ten Years of f(x)

When f(x) debuted in 2009, they didn’t immediately make headlines due to the strength of the girl groups they debuted with. They would go on to ha…

The SB Mixtape, 8/15/2019: K-protest Music

Life all over the world has become pretty political in the past few years. Politics is always a concern of art and music, and an artistic pursuit is n…

K-pop Throwback: Luna’s “Free Somebody” is the Best of Both Worlds

One piece of K-pop trivia that is often thrown around is the tale of how Luna auditioned for SM as a dancer. The juxtaposition of this factoid wit…

The SB Mixtape, 05/22/2019: Coping With Horrendous Disappointment

2019 has let me down. Yes, the entire year. We're not even halfway through but I am already fed up with everything. It's not even that 2019 has been w…

The SB Mixtape: 4/10/2019, The Anti-Anxiety Edition

I am, full confession, a very anxious person. My default setting is to expect the worst possible outcome for everything. Normally, I cope with this by…

Music & Lyrics: Butterfly

The butterfly is present throughout all societies, with most civilizations granting it a meaning. These associations have been passed on to the cu…

Is Jennie Being Lazy?

Black Pink’s situation is complex: the group debuted in 2016, and despite their huge popularity, they have only released nine songs in total. Jenn…

The Submerged Meanings of Bathtubs in K-pop MVs

You might have noticed a common, albeit peculiar, trope in many K-pop MVs: the presence of a bathtub. They come in various sizes, shapes, and fill…