Author: Rahul M

TXT’s new (full) album weighs in at eight tracks and a paltry twenty-one minutes. This brevity isn’t unique to TXT and I don’t mean to call them out specifically, but it’s representative of choices the K-pop industry is currently making. So much effort seems to go into everything surrounding the music, even as the actual songs grow shorter and less developed. In this case, that effort includes music videos for each of the members’ solo tracks. In keeping with the truncated nature of the album, I’ll be writing mini reviews for each song as the videos are released. Despite many…

Ahead of his new album, iKON’s Jay (aka: Jinhwan) pre-released We Can’t Explain last week. That song didn’t do much for me, but title track Obey promised edgier sounds. Obey certainly has some ideas, but the way they’re executed isn’t very satisfying. The track starts promisingly enough, establishing a moody build toward an anticipated payoff. Instead, we lurch into a spoken word chorus and further fracture momentum from there. This could work with a stronger and more cohesive instrumental, but I’m not a fan of the central drop and there aren’t enough highlights surrounding it to pull me in (though…

ICHILLIN’ pre-released their song Glass Heart at the beginning of the month, but without a music video it never made its way onto this blog. Now, they’re back with that song’s attached mini album and title track XL (Extra Love). In the past, I’ve given credit to this group for bucking trends and offering sounds that are a bit more daring than most of their contemporaries. Unfortunately, that approach seems to have ended here. If you are a fan of 2025’s overall girl group sound, you’ll probably enjoy XL (Extra Love) as well. It’s lightweight, airy and quite muted for…

“XngHan & Xoul” may not be a familiar name yet, but “RIIZE’s Seunghan” certainly is. Seunghan debuted with SM Entertainment’s RIIZE in 2023 but was forced out of the group soonafter for insanely ridiculous reasons. For a moment, it seemed as if he would re-join their ranks, but fan toxicity caused him to debut as a soloist instead. He remains with SM alongside a dance crew (hence the name XngHan & Xoul) and has made his long-awaited step back into the industry with Waste No Time. Truthfully, I had no idea what to expect from this debut. I remember Seunghan…

Lee Dong Wook’s struggles continue in JTBC’s “The Nice Guy”! “The Nice Guy” is a noir drama that follows Park Seok Chul (Lee Dong Wook), the eldest grandson of a gangster family with an unexpectedly pure heart, and his first love Kang Mi Young (Lee Sung Kyung), a woman who dreams of becoming a singer. Spoilers In the previous episode, the heartbreaking past between Seok Chul and Mi Young came to light, along with the origins of the long-standing feud between Kang Tae Hoon (Park Hoon) and Kim Chang Soo (Lee Moon Shik). Newly released stills reveal the stark contrasts…

BLACKPINK has won their fourth music show trophy and a triple crown for their new digital single “JUMP”! On July 31, M Countdown aired a special summer awards episode, featuring a rerun of standout performances from the first half of the year instead of its usual live broadcast. At the end of the show, it was announced that this week’s candidates for first place were BLACKPINK’s “JUMP” and TXT’s “Beautiful Strangers.” Ultimately, the trophy went to BLACKPINK. This marks the third time that “JUMP” has taken first place on “M Countdown,” meaning that the song has now achieved a “triple…

Upcoming drama “My Lovely Journey” has unveiled a glimpse of the emotional reunion between exes Gong Seung Yeon and Baekho! Based on a bestselling Japanese novel by Maha Harada, “My Lovely Journey” follows Kang Yeo Reum (Gong Seung Yeon), a former idol-turned-travel reporter who has never been the center of attention in her life. As she takes on travel assignments on behalf of others, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, coming to understand the true meaning of success and life. Newly released stills capture a surprise encounter between Kang Yeo Reum and Cha Si Wan (Baekho), each other’s first…

SBS’s new comedy sports drama “The Winning Try” has unveiled new stills teasing what’s to come in the upcoming episode! “The Winning Try” is a new drama starring Yoon Kye Sang as Joo Ga Ram, a former rugby star who falls from grace due to a doping scandal. After he returns to his alma mater as the new coach of its rugby team, which is ranked last in the country, he leads the underdog squad on a quest to win the National Sports Festival. Spoilers In the previous episode, Joo Ga Ram and the Hanyang Physical Education High School rugby…

She was the life of the party. Koreaboo 20 minutes ago In a recent episode of Kim DdolDDol’s YouTube series, dancers Kwon TtoTto and Harimu appeared as guests. This show is different because it only features female guests and is hosted by a gay YouTube content creator. In the episode, Kwon TtoTto shared the behind-the-scenes stories of working with singer Chungha. Chungha is no joke. All the dancers received Louis Vuitton bags as gifts. It’s still the most expensive bag I own. — Kwon TtoTto She also mentioned NCT’s Mark as a memorable artist she has worked with. I saw…

tvN’s upcoming drama “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” has released a new cooking survival show-inspired teaser! Based on a popular web novel, “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” is a fantasy romance drama starring Lim Yoona as Yeon Ji Young, an award-winning French chef who winds up traveling 500 years back into the past. There, she meets despotic king Lee Heon (Lee Chae Min), who is known as the worst of tyrants—and who also happens to be a discerning gourmet. The new teaser begins with Yeon Ji Young in what looks like the middle of an intense cooking competition. Her eyes are filled with determination…