With this Muzik Playback post, I want to sum up all of the things I enjoyed while on my “social detox”, along with some more recent favorites. Taking the time to discover and enjoy things, without having to make content around it, was enlightening. So, I won’t go into too much detail about some of my recent favorite things and people, but I do want to share some of it with you all. I hope you find this post entertaining 🙂
If you want to know more about my social media detox experience, check out the link to my post below!
No matter what kind of break(s) I take from writing or scrolling through social media, the music never stops. I did keep my notifications on to keep up with new releases, but that was the extent of it. Thankfully a lot of my Favs dropped music (and tour dates!), and a lot of solo releases this time around as well.
More K-Pop, of course!
Even though I have been listening more to the older groups I’ve been a fan of for a while, I did try to listen to some newer artists/ groups. But to see some of Favs drop new releases made me very happy.
Monsta X New Collab & Other Updates!
And here we go again and with another amazing song/ collaboration that was not properly promoted by any of Monsta X’s management *side eye*. How can you not promote a song that features Monsta X, Play N Skillz, Bun B, Symba, and Lil Jon?! I mean, the song is a WHOLE bop, something to dance and groove to.
Monsta X’s leader Shownu is returning from the military this month (April) but another member, Minhyuk, has recently left to fulfill his military enlistment. I recently saw that we may be getting a comeback/ new music, soon. I am still unsure whether we will get any festival appearances (other than this We Bridge Expo in Vegas) or a tour. So, I guess we’ll see how things are once Shownu is back and participate in group activities.
On top of their recent variety show that just started on Youtube, the members have been having much success hosting music shows, and other variety programs. I did see that Joohoney has a solo OST (soundtrack) song coming, and we may be getting some new solo music from the youngest member, I.M.
iKON’s Bobby is Back with a New Solo Single Album!
The timing of this was so perfect for all the fan-girling I have been doing over iKON lately lol. The second the group announced a world tour, I decided to re-introduce myself to all their music, and everything that makes them, THEM. And I was totally looking forward to this new solo project from Bobby, not knowing what to expect at all. It’s a 2 track, single EP and these two songs couldn’t be any more different but are equally amazing.
He dropped teasers and the official video for “Cherry Blossom” first. This one has a more Pop/ Rock feel, with lyrics about reminiscing about a lost love. The second song, “Drowning” featuring SOLE, is probably my favorite of the two, with a mix of Pop, Dance, Funk, R&B sounds. I love the sexier lyrics from Bobby and SOLE, especially.
KARD is Back with a New Single!
If there is one thing KARD is going to do, is give us those fun, catchy, Caribbean vibes. “Without You” is a fun, upbeat, dance track that basically talks about obsessing over someone. I really love this comeback song for them, it’s another hit for me. Their group being co-ed is still one of the most amazing things about them, and the way their voices mesh, and the dancing is always unique to them and their style.
I hope that we get a tour this year. Seeing them live last year was so much fun, and I can’t wait to experience it again 🙂
BTS Members Drop Solo Music!
The most recent release is from Suga. He dropped a single with iconic singer IU, who he has worked with before. The album will be dropping soon (and I will probably do a review on it). All of this is coming ahead of his first solo tour. He isn’t going to too many stops here in the states, though; I even debated about going to Chicago, but that’s not happening.
Next, J.Hope released a single with J.Cole. BTS sampled J.Cole’s song “Born Sinner” for one of their earlier releases “Born Singer”, and both J-Hope and Jimin met him backstage at Lollapalooza last year.. And I did come across the meaning behind the video, showing J-Hope underground (being an underground rapper) while J.Cole is above on the street (already famous and doing his thing). That’s a dope concept and after being a fan of both, as well as watching them for the last few years or so, I get it. J-Hope will also be the next member to enlist in the military.
Lastly, we have Jimin, and I am happy that he was finally able to come out with a solo project, even though it is only 5 songs. The lead single “Set Me Free, Pt 2” is probably my favorite, but I could do without the auto-tuned part; it only took away from his voice, in my opinion. “Face Off” is another favorite for me on this one. And I am also happy that this EP wasn’t taken over by features, and mainly focused on Jimin, and the message he wanted to get out.
New Filipino/ P-Pop Releases!
If you have been following me, you would know that I recently got into Filipino Dramas and music. My interest has only grown, and I can only hope to see any of these artists live one day. If you want to look back on my initial journey into this genre, check my post below.
SB19’s Josh Cullen Drops First Solo Track!
After watching Felip’s solo debut with pride, I got to experience that feeling again with Josh. In a recent interview, someone mentioned how all the members have dark concepts for their solo releases. I love that about them, though. SB19 is not your typical boyband but they can hang with the best of them, with vocals and choreography.
Josh hit us with an upbeat dance track with Hip Hop elements. The music video had a vampire concept, which fits him perfectly, in my opinion. And of course, the dancing is just as intense as the video. I feel like I’m running out of adjectives lol but check it out for yourself, and you’ll see what I mean!
Yes My Love Drops Official Debut Single!
These guys, new P-Pop group Yes My Love, had already won my heart with their “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” cover. So, I am excited to see that they’ve released a new, original single for their debut. They are amazing vocally, and I love seeing them perform. This is a great debut song for them because it shows their vocal range, and the song is upbeat, very Pop/ Dance oriented.
Alamat New Video
Another young, up and coming boy group that I have been loving and wrote about them earlier this year. They recently dropped a new music video for their song “Gayuma”, one of my favorites off their Pasulong EP. I love the vibe of the song and video so much. Alamat are making their mark and standing out from the crowd with their music, visuals/wardrobe, and choreography.
Current Obsessions!
During my break, I started watching old survival shows and music competitions with K-Pop groups. I was watching shows like: Win/ Mix & Match (the start of iKON), Kingdom (where some of my Fav groups competed: iKON, ATEEZ, SF9, Stray Kids, The Boyz, and BTOB), Show Me the Money (a Rap competition where iKON’s Bobby won), and starting to get into Peak Time (another group survival show). I also have been going back to older generation groups like B.A.P, especially since I’ll be seeing Bang Yongguk in concert soon. Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s been hard to really get into these newer (and younger) groups.
Some of these newer groups are very talented, but as much as I love this genre, there can sometimes be TOO MUCH content. There are groups debuting constantly, and it starts to look even more manufactured. That takes away from the real talent some of these groups have. It’s all a business and money is still the motive, now more than ever.
More Comebacks & Tour Dates!
From what I have been seeing, we have a lot of great comebacks to be excited about this month (April). And, of course, that usually means more tour dates (hopefully). Most of the recent tour announcements that I was excited about, either fell on a bad day or were too far (ex. Monsta X in Las Vegas and BTS’ Suga’s solo tour). As of right now, I have two tours that I am looking forward to. Bang Yongguk is coming to Dallas in June. And iKON is coming to Dallas, TX in September. We are still waiting on more specifics for iKON, though.
I’m more excited about the return of some of my “older” Favs. Luckily for me, a lot of them are making comebacks this year, this month (April) to be exact.
Final Thoughts!
I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but K-Pop is not the same. Many fans like me, especially older POC fans, are feeling the same way. So many (younger) groups are coming out, but many of them are copies of each other. That’s why I’ve gone back to my “older” groups and their music.
Even though I probably won’t get any Monsta X full group activities for a while *heartbroken*, I am happy to see groups like iKON re-emerging and going on tour this year. And I really enjoyed CIX, a group that I saw live recently, and is so talented but underrated. But, music is changing, and the way fans are engaging is changing. Then we have the whole Ticketmaster/ Live Nation, ticket-buying chaos, so who knows what all of this will look like soon.
