BTS at the Grammys!

Congratulations to BTS, who became the first-ever Korean presenters at the Grammy Music Awards for 2019! This is a proud day for Kpop as we are witnessing history being made.

Mall Adventures: Psy yet again!

Well, guess who showed up unexpectedly at an HMV in the mall! This t-shirt obviously refers to Psy’s addicting music video “Mother Father Gentleman,” which I like much more than his newest collaboration with Snoop Dogg, the repetitive, monotone “Hangover.”

I’m very glad to see that Psy is still getting lots of attention here in North America, and not just for his lovely “Gangnam Style” (which I reviewed here). Carry on, Psy!

Mini-Review: JYJ—“Only One”

Complete fangirling in this post, sorry! JYJ have released the music video “Only One” as ambassadors to promote the 2014 Incheon Games, an international sports festival (details here, if you’re interested).

Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun
That aside, though, this video legit made me tear up. The song is kind of cheesy and the video is very cheesy, but I’m just really that happy to see JYJ all singing together after what feels like a very long while. It’s also lovely to see everybody’s genuine pleasure in being together (particularly Yoochun and Jaejoong, aww, but that moment when Yoochun and Junsu kind of have a moment behind Jaejoong’s back when they’re leaning forward, oh, it’s adorable).

Junsu, Jaejoong, and Yoochun
I’ve missed these guys so much! *wipes tear*

Mall Adventures: Psy again!

Further to this post from last time, I have again encountered Kpop merchandise while just out-and-about, minding my own business in a nondescript As-Seen-On-TV store in a Canadian mall.

Ah, Psy. We meet again.
Yes, Psy is back as a gyrating doll thing, dancing to the chorus of “Gangnam Style.” He even comes in three suits: black, blue, and green. Here is another angle:

And a shot of him, um, “dancing,” which basically consists of the little guy moving his hips around in a style more suited to Psy’s dance in “Gentleman” than in “Gangnam Style,” i.e. just using the Brown Eyed Girls’ amazing hip dance from their “Abracadabra.”

The doll figurine dances in a very similar manner to this one I found on Youtube, if you’re interested:


Er...not quite as fluid as the original Psy’s horse dance, I’m afraid!
Kpop is finding me no matter where in the world I am! And I’m loving it! :)

Grocery Store Adventures: Psy?!

Psy’s 2013 Super Bowl ad for...pistachios.
Presenting the above ad pretty much without comment because it’s very silly and also perhaps a little belittling. However, I wanted to give some context to my trip to a local grocery store in Canada back in February when I was confronted with this:

Psy?!

Yup, definitely Psy.
So, yeah, I’ll admit I was a little excited to see a full-size cardboard cutout of Psy in a grocery store. (And quite pleased to have a phone that takes decent pictures now!)

It seems Kpop really is slowly but surely making a dent in North America. (I also saw an awesome Kpop store in Chicago.)