Episodit
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In this bonus episode, girl group XG's greater Houston area tour stop is reviewed.
Learn more about the 2025 group trip to South Korea on A3Day Podcast's website. -
The powerhouse girl group stopped in Houston on their global tour. Here's a recap from a passive listener.
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Puuttuva jakso?
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Starting off with 2NE1, the former YG Entertainment CEO revealed that the group would be officially reuniting for a global tour that will kick off in Seoul this October. The tour, which is in celebration of their 15th debut anniversary, will take place in Osaka in late November and Tokyo in December before continuing through 2025.
SOURCE: msn.com
Watch the announcement on YouTube.
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In this episode, we return to the land of Apink after departing over a year ago for the shows hiatus. As previously shared, due to the desire to hear more music, Apink will be the final idol group in A3Day podcast history to have individual episodes for each album. Lets continue the journey, right after the drop.
TranscriptMy name is Ashley and this is An Album a Day, an English language podcast promoting commentary on South Korean pop music. This podcast will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated K-pop commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.
In this episode, we return to the land of Apink after departing over a year ago for the shows hiatus. As previously shared, due to the desire to hear more music, Apink will be the final idol group in A3Day podcast history to have individual episodes for each album. Lets continue the journey, right after the drop.Youre tuned into An Album a Day. Show, start.
Part 1 - HistoryHey yall, when we began Apinks discography in 2023, it was during the time of their fourth anniversary celebration. Towards the end of April last year their label, IST Entertainment, announced that contract renewals resulted in only one member staying with the label. Despite the others departing the label, Apink would continue activities as a group, which is a common practice for many idol groups in recent years.
Background and ReleaseLate 2011 was a busy time for Apink. Within seven months of their debut, they landed a track on a dramas official soundtrack. (Hereafter referred to as OST forevermore! Theres a language all its own in Korean entertainment consumption and I wanted to do a dictionary of some sorts on my podcast website but thats time consuming. Theres already websites and physical books that have done it, too. What I need to do, is an episode on A3Day Sister Show to expound on this and make sure Ive got key terms in the show notes. Always something to do!) Where was I? Oh yes, they landed an OST track, recorded a reality TV show with boy band INFINITE called Birth of a Family, and finalized todays album in the in between. I know a thing or two about packed schedules and I can certainly see this as a challenging time. Of course, they had their trainee days, but its nothing compared to the pace of your debut year. Youre working hard to establish your unique colors from the tens of dozens of other groups and Apink had their hearts set on making a strong impression.
So, filming a reality show with a popular senior boy band, participating in a planned promotional one-day event that was a cafe experience with fans, auctioning off personal items, and gathering the proceeds from this event to give to a South Korean welfare organization? They were intentional about making an impact. Did I mention that Apink prepared and served the food and drinks at their cafe event, too? It sounds like it was unforgettable for their fans, but how was the music?
Part 2 - The AlbumApinks second EP, Snow Pink, was released November 21, 2011. The album has five tracks and clocks in at just over 17 minutes of play time. The album sold over 25,000 units and reached number seven on the Gaon album chart. For this review, we will be using the English title translations of the songs.
Aesthetically, I like this albums cover more than their debuts, which came out three months prior to Snow Pink. The ladies are wearing white dresses with variable-length tutu-like plumes. The outfits are accented with black, blue or white accessories, and different sneakers and boots, allowing each member to express their personality. It looks soft yet playful, which is exactly whats conveyed in the production choices for the album.
Hes My Baby Lyrics and Music by Hyu WooThe production is quintessential South Korean pop, in that the music is heavy on string instruments, mainly with the piano as the focus, and production machine percussion. The most catchy thing about the song is the chorus, and not because the phrase is said in English. Its an earworm and probably was a hit during school talent shows.
My My Lyrics and Music by Radio and Shinsadong TigerThe late Shinsadong Tiger had a habit of making bonafide hits and this was no exception. The music calls back to early hip-hop refreshingly, there is no rapping that takes place. I enjoy rap but to hear a song in K-pop with a group thats not ballad-focused without rap was enjoyable. At most, Apink would intersperse some English delivery, similar to the introduction to SNSDs Gee. The dance break in My My is so tame compared to what was coming down the road for some girl groups. I especially love the fact that, regardless of if you knew who Apink was or not, youve definitely seen the outfits from this video used in social media posts and K-pop event promotional materials. The staying power of the look is undefeated all these years later!
Yeah Lyrics by Shinsadong Tiger, Music by Choi Kyusung and Shinsadong TigerThis track sounds the most like it belongs in a video game, perhaps an adventure one? It also was the least memorable for me, despite the chorus being catchy.
Like a Dream Lyrics and Music by Hyu WooPulling from the popular production style of Norwegian-established production duo Stargate, the song is a true reflection of its time. That familiar boom-cat drum and guitar combo, reminiscent of Beyonces Irreplaceable, Rihannas Good Girl Gone Bad, was everywhere from 2006 until late 2011. Random fact: the sound was kicked off with So Sick by American artist Ne-Yo, who went on to pen several hits with Stargate and this production sound.
Prince Lyrics and Music by Super ChangddaiI enjoyed the vocal composition of this song quite a bit. Apink were able to individually and collectively sound lovely. They used another Stargate-type beat but it doesnt overtake the song or its sweet lyrics.
Ranking
K-pop fans on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being essential listening and 1 not worth mentioning, the A3Day rating for Snow Pink is a 4. There were attempts made with trying different pop approaches but it didnt feel as cohesive as the productive or theme of their debut. The youthfulness is there; however, it hasnt aged well. Even the innocence of what theyre singing about isnt similar to how crushes and young love is talked about now. I feel confident that it was a fun listen at the time of its release, nonetheless. As with the previous album Snow Pink will likely be appreciated by those who seek older K-pop songs for retro musicality or nostalgic listening.
Season 7 of An Album a Day: A Review of Every Album in K-pop is hosted by Ashley with media research provided by AJ.
Special shout out to my Patreon supporters who keep my vision of becoming your favorite foreign Korean music historian, exploring all the industry from A to Z a real thing. Check out this episodes show notes to connect with me on social media and learn more about becoming a sponsor on Patreon.
Tell other K-pop fans you enjoy this podcast and let them know that I am a proud member of the ALIVE! Podcast Network, where they can download the app and enjoy past and upcoming episodes on Apple and Android devices. Thank you for listening and Ill catch you in the next episode. Bye yall.
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Have you ever heard a voice that is ocean-deep?!? In this episode, Ashley recaps a recent K-pop concert, tells you what to listen for next, and continues to try to impress ATEEZ fans.
Get into [OFF-RADAR] and find your new favorite jam at this link
All music produced by MsBlink -
The podcast returns to continue its seventh season on its 5th anniversary. Host Ashley, Your Favorite Foreign Korean Music Historian, shares
updates on where, and how, she has been since taking a 9-month hiatusmessages from friends in the industryALIVE! Podcast Network press release
Genius Korea [OFF-RADAR] introduction, and more
See the new A3Day website
All music produced by MsBlink/msblinkbeats. Get notified when the A3Day mini-album drops. -
In this episode, we begin digging into the discography of Apink days before their 12th anniversary. Their debut EP, Seven Springs of Apink, was released April 19, 2011, and marked an entry into an arena filled with some of the most fierce female-group competition at that time. Their origins, right after the drop.
When you have a lot of companies involved in the success of an act, theres likely a lot of interest before they hit the big stage. In Apinks case, their founding in 2011 was chronicled in a reality show called Apink News. The cable show chronicled their launch process for three seasons with second generation K-pop idols as the hosts, such as members of BEAST, MBLAQ, and 4MINUTE.
Then, on April 19 of that year, members Son Na-eun, Park Cho-rong, Oh Ha-young, Jeong Eun-ji, Hong Yoo-kyung, Yoon Bi-mi, and Kim Nam-joo made their debut with their first extended play, Seven Springs of Apink.
Featured music by MsBlink
"An Album a Day" | "Multifacetedacg Theme"
Connect with A3Day online
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Learn about (the) K-POP Museum, located in the Gyeongju Bomun Complex, in this episode. The museum specializes in pop music and has permanent and planned exhibitions of rare original music albums released between the Korean Empire period when pop music started until present day.
Featured music by MsBlink
"An Album a Day" | "Multifacetedacg Theme"
Connect with A3Day online
View photos from K-POP Museum taken by Ashley
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In this final episode of Season 6, host Ashley gives her final discography ranking and provides context to one of the most haphazard season to date of the K-pop discography review podcast.
All featured music is produced by MsBlink.
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On this odd episode, Ashley rants about podcasting, exercise, busy schedules and the greatness of Shoott.com.
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While editing this I realized that I jinked myself tremendously. If you can stick it out to hear the full review, then you'll hear how I doomed myself to not upload this when it dropped, too.
That realization aside, I'm still listening to the album and enjoying its facets. It's a unique piece. I apologize for the way this episode drags on... it's a reflection of early morning recording, for real.
Some key points are identified in the transcript. To read more on this review, visit https://a3day.tumblr.com/
Thank you for waiting.
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Since the podcast is back and we are doing what needs to be done for Season 6 in my own little way before all of the beauty and Immaculate work of my new team comes through for season seven and eight (which start very soon!). We need to finish this season and there's no way I can get through today, March 13 2023, without acknowledging EXO Kai.
1:58 - I give up on recording
2:02 - full audio reaction
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It's been over seven months, and the K-pop scene is rapidly evolving.
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You already binge on K-pop. So now's the time to know a little about everything with your favorite foreign Korean music historian explorin all the industry from A to Z!
Journey through the entire catalog of some of Korean entertainment's most popular artists and become familiar with lesser known acts with my shortcast, "An Album a Day."
Were traversing over 30 years of discographies with opinionated and fact-based commentary. Join the experience when you find An Album a Day on your favorite podcast platform or on www.a3daypodcast.com.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
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Thank you for your listenership, support, constructive criticism and more!
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YG Entertainment boy group BIGBANG make their official comeback as a foursome this month. The host of A3Day provides live commentary as she views and reacts to the comeback video on April 4, 2022 U.S. time.
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An Album a Day is my exploration into the Korean music scene. This podcast will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.
Visit a3day.tumblr.com to read the full show notes.
Special shout out to my Patreon patrons -- the Freshmen, Student Body, the Scholars, and the Staff (Jackie P. and Laura T.) -- who keep my vision of becoming your favorite foreign Korean music historian, exploring all the industry from A to Z a real thing.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy -
An Album a Day is my exploration into the Korean music scene. This podcast will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.
Within this K-pop fangirl experience, Ive had just a handful of correct predictions: 2017 was the official start of girl groups taking more risks and making their presence known, BTS would release an album featuring solos by each member, B.A.P. would come back for one last hoorah in 2018, Wonho wouldnt come back to Monsta X, G-Dragons government-named album was the end of an era; and in a 2019 ATEEZ, along with another group whose name Ill withhold until later in this episode, are the next big thing. The album that sealed the deal, right after the drop.
Youre tuned into An Album a Day. Show, start.
Hey yall. I wish I could find the tweet within my archives to back me. As an online content creator, I download all my tweets annually I dont like saying that I said something without receipts and I definitely dont like providing social media with more than it already has of things to jab back at me about. I said it, nonetheless, I absolutely said it. And how could I possibly know such a thing when I hadnt listened to any of Ateezs music until this point in time, youre wondering? I know momentum in entertainment. I know trends, knew journalistic buzz, and I knew from the moment the Internet was buzzing over their KQ Fellaz videos that something attention grabbing was coming from an unexpected label.
I had no musical proof to back this whatsoever beforehand. However, after listening to Treasure EP.3: One to All and Treasure EP.Fin: All to Action, the statement I made last week about Ateez declaring theyre going nowhere was solidified.
First, One to All. At the time of this recording, it is winter in my country. Listening to this bubbly, warm, summer-birthed 18-minute EP while wearing layers was ridiculous. The albums crafted with this vibe intentionally, as it pulls from moombahton, a genre of music derived from EDM, house, and reggaeton. This is the first time Ive identified an album in Korean pop idol music that drives that genre home. It is sonically pleasing and consistent from start to finish, despite picking a horrible time to listen to it, climate-wise.
All to Action though? ATEEZ delivered a dynamic 30-minute hip-hop and R&B experience that even they used to announce that they dont know whats next, but they know whos next: themselves. This is a no-skip album, truly. And the greatest flex of the entire first studio album is the trifecta of tracks 4, 5, and 6. The time between these two projects is four months June and October 2019, respectively is a small window of time to level up so greatly as a group. Its insane. Its genuinely insane how much they progressed in such a short time.
Eden and his team? Touch his face. Its not time yet for me to dive into the production nuances but understand that singer-songwriter Eden, a name associated with ATEEZs sound since their debut, put a whole, entire, moisturized foot into the process of this album. As I said earlier, ATEEZ and another group, Stray Kids (who made their debut a year before ATEEZ in 2017), are ones to watch.
I feel confined by not getting deeper into it! This self-inflicted restriction is equal parts needing to clean up my content on this podcast so that it appeals to wider English-speaking audiences who dont prefer to hear explicit language and the desire to secure more sponsorship.
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An Album a Day is my exploration into the Korean music scene. This podcast will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.
Visit a3day.tumblr.com to read the full show notes.
Special shout out to my Patreon patrons -- the Freshmen, Student Body, the Scholars, and the Staff (Jackie P. and Laura T.) -- who keep my vision of becoming your favorite foreign Korean music historian, exploring all the industry from A to Z a real thing.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy - Näytä enemmän
