How K-Pop (has already) Saved My Summer

We’ve only reached the mid-point of summer 2021, but mine has needed saving from the get-go (not only because of the persistent spectre of Covid, but here in Western Canada we’ve been dealing with record-breaking heatwaves and out-of-control wildfires). But I can gladly say that it has already been saved, once again, by K-Pop. This is because not one, not two, but THREE K-Pop acts have seen fit to double up on the goodness and each provide two summer bops to help take me to my happy place. So, basically, just these acts alone have already given me a summer’s worth of content, and in just half the time (as per my rusty K-Pop/seasonal releases math calculations).

So let’s dig into who released what saved, is saving, and will continue to save, my summer!

BTS

Of course, I had to start with BTS, since in the U.S. alone they’ve had a lock on the Billboard Hot 100’s top slot since before summer officially began, when “Butter” debuted at #1 back in May. Sleek, smooth, and undeniably catchy, “Butter” delivered. And as it turned out, it neatly laid out the groundwork for their follow-up single to take off.

And take off it did. With “Permission to Dance” charging in at #1, BTS joined an elite club of artists who have replaced themselves at the top of the Hot 100 (and then a week later, became the ONLY act to replace themselves at #1 twice in a row when “Butter” rebounded to the peak position). And to have done so with such an uplifting and euphoric track was just the icing on the cake. Honestly, “Permission” could have saved my summer all by itself.

But it didn’t have to, because before it was released, my summer had already officially been saved thanks to…

Brave  Girls

The underdog sensation of the year, Brave Girls followed up their delayed (but much-deserved) success of “Rollin’” with a new mini album, appropriately titled Summer Queen. And as a comeback single, “Chi Mat Ba Ram” is a banger, and instantly proved that “Rollin’” wasn’t just a fluke. Throw in a beach-based music video, every available backup dancer in South Korea, and the undeniable charm of Brave Girls, and you’ve got a summer smash.

And yet they didn’t stop there! The B-release “Pool Party” dropped just a few weeks later. And while it’s obvious that Brave Entertainment blew all their MV budget on “Chi Mat Ba Ram”, I do have to fault them for not managing to include even a single shot of a swimming pool in the MV for a song called “Pool Party”. But regardless, the track itself is still a fun and frothy treat.

Also a treat was the two latest releases, from (naturally)…

Twice

Twice kicked off summer 2021 right, when they dropped their most summery, easy-breezy-lounging-by-the-pool track ever, “Alcohol-Free”. Backed with strumming ukuleles, the MV follows the girls of Twice as hypnotically float (sometimes on water, sometimes through the air) their way through a beautifully surreal tropical resort. (I’m just realizing now that maybe the reason why Brave Girls didn’t have any pools in their video is because Twice already had all the pools).

The vibe of “Alcohol-Free” practically compels the listener to kick back and relax. It’s a soothing summer smoothie of a song. But just the opposite could be said when Twice shortly followed it’s release with that of their Japanese comeback single “Perfect World” (side note – while Twice does record Japanese versions of their Korean-language hits, they also regularly record and release videos for original Japanese-language material as well).

“Perfect World” is a dark, seductive track that builds into a banger with a chorus of “Get out! Get lost!”. It was an unexpected direction for Twice to go, but they’ve pulled it off. And in doing so, they also gave this season’s great K-Pop offerings just the right kind of balance it needed to keep things fresh (for me, at least) as we kick into summer’s second half.

Summer saved!

PS – I’d be remiss if I didn’t give an honourable mention to a track that’s also been living on my frequently-played list recently. So here’s a shout-out to Tri.be and their catchy, quirky, middle-eastern-tinged “Rub-a-Dum“!

Brave Girls Keep Rollin’

Potential K-Pop artists will spend anywhere from a few months to several years as trainees. Living in dorms at their talent agencies, they’ll put in long hours taking daily classes in voice, dance, and language. All in hope of one day debuting as a part of a K-Pop idol group. 

Need to hear something heart-warming, something to spark happiness and hope during these truly awful times? Well, look no further, because the story of Brave Girls is here for you. 

For those of you not familiar with K-Pop, Brave Girls are THE topic of the moment. 

Some history: K-Pop girl group Brave Girls first debuted in 2011. But after some initial success, they faced a series of setbacks.  

In 2014, their producer stopped working on their first full-length album to focus on working with other, more popular K-Pop artists. This kicked off a period that would see the group go through multiple line-up changes*, endure multiple extended periods of inactivity and sporadically release singles to ever-diminishing returns.

*None of the original members are still in Brave Girls. The four current members all joined the group in 2016 as part of Brave Girls’ 7-person second line-up. 

In 2017, they released their comeback single, Rollin’. It didn’t create much of an impact and it would be almost three years until their management would give them the go-ahead for their next single, We Ride, in 2020 (for reference, to stay in the public eye, most successful K-Pop groups release a new comeback single every six months). 

Unfortunately, right after We Ride dropped, COVID-related restrictions on travelling and public gathering were increased, and the group couldn’t perform or promote their new single. And for a group that had been off the radar for three years, they needed to promote the fact that they were back. And when they couldn’t, We Ride quickly faded.  

It was pretty much the final nail in the coffin for Brave Girls. The group’s members had moved out of their dorms at Brave Entertainment and started talking about giving up on their dream of being K-Pop idols, disbanding, and moving on with their lives. 

And then something incredible happened. A mash-up video of the group performing Rollin’ at various military bases across South Korea went viral, with dozens of military servicemen commenting on the video how that song was an instrumental part of their military life. Unknown to many, it turned out that during their 2017-2020 hiatus, Brave Girls kept busy by performing for troops at over 100 (!) military shows. 

Turn on captions for the translated comments

This time around, the catchy song (along with the MV’s now-iconic choreography) caught on with the public, as did the back story of Brave Girls, themselves. Suddenly everyone was rallying for Brave Girls, the little-known K-Pop act who were giving their all in these military performances while their own futures seemed uncertain.  As a result, Rollin’ started shooting up the charts. Like, right up the charts. And then it happened, 10 years after their debut, a four-year-old song had become Brave Girls first #1 single. 

First music show win

And it didn’t stop there. The group that had recently considered disbanding went on to win multiple music show awards, break the record for longest perfect all-kill streak (when a song simultaneously holds the #1 spot on all of Korea’s various K-Pop charts), and see their popularity rise to heights they never could have imagined. 

And it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving group! I had not even heard of Brave Girls before this all went down, but I quickly became a fan watching their uplifting, feel-good story unfold over these past few weeks.

Now, I’ve only really just touched upon the highlights, so I highly recommend viewing the video below for the whole, heart-squishing story, including their acceptance speech at their first music show win and a call from one of their mother’s during a live interview (both subtitled).