First up is Hearts2Hearts‘ “FOCUS.” I really enjoyed this comeback (b-sides included). The groovy bassline makes the song. Their formations are also pretty interesting and not awkward for an even-numbered group. Hopefully they explore this sound more in future releases!
Find three more MVs and the NewJeans update under the cut.
Next, we have BABYMONSTER with “PSYCHO.” It’s no Red Velvet “Psycho,” and Rami (their best vocalist) is sadly still missing from the lineup due to health reasons, but overall it’s not bad. It might even be an improvement.
ILLIT, meanwhile, want you to know that they are no longer cute. Overall, the song is nice (very background-music-in-a-coffee-shop) but way too short. The b-side “NOT ME,” meanwhile, appears to touch on some of the drama of the last year (namely, when Min Hee Jin, former CEO of ADOR, identified ILLIT as copycats of NewJeans and sicced Bunnies on the newly-debuted group).
Last but not least, we have Dayoung, who released an MV for “number one rockstar,” one of the b-sides from her recent solo debut. It’s not as catchy as “body,” but it’s still very cute and she and Eric Nam are lovely in the MV. Stan talent, stan Dayoung!
In other news, NewJeans is (maybe) returning to ADOR. Why maybe? ADOR announced the return of Haerin and Hyein (the two younger members) on November 12 (one day before the end of the appeal window for the then-ongoing court case between NewJeans and ADOR about the validity of NewJeans’ contract). The members were returning after deciding to “respect the court’s decision” and “thoughtful consideration with their respective families and thorough discussions with ADOR.“
A few hours later, Minji, Danielle, and Hanni announced that they would also be returning. Their announcement “was relayed late as one member is currently in Antarctica, but as ADOR is not responding at the moment, we are inevitably announcing this through a separate statement.” ADOR, meanwhile, announced that they would be meeting with the members to determine their sincerity. Not much has (publicly) happened since, though we now know that Hanni was the member in Antarctica.
Min Hee Jin, meanwhile, urged ADOR to accept not only the return of Haerin and Hyein but all five members, stating that “NewJeans is fulfilled when they are a full group of five. The group was made with five people in mind — their looks, sound, color, style and even movement were structured for five people. That’s why people loved them, and that’s how they became one.”
Otherwise, MHJ seems to have taken the news in stride. She recently posted a photo of a Korean translation of “The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum,” a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Heinrich Böll. The novel is all about “media-driven character destruction.” A short summary from Korea Times:
“The novel follows 27-year-old Katharina Blum, whose life is dismantled by sensationalist media and public judgment. Although the story centers on her killing of a tabloid journalist, Böll stresses that the true destruction of her honor stems not from the crime itself but from the press manipulation surrounding it.”
Hearts2Hearts, BABYMONSTER, ILLIT, NOT ME, DAYOUNG, BBC, Korea JoongAng Daily, Korea Times
Sorry for the super late NewJeans update, I thought someone else would have posted it by now. Feel free to share other recent kpop MVs (yes, boy groups are fine) that you’ve enjoyed in the comments!