“Less than 600 million views feels … small.”
Charles looks at me like I’m crazy. We’re sitting in an office on a Saturday, killing time before an event, and I’m making him watch K-pop videos with me.
“Six hundred million,” he responds. “In six months.”
He has a point. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but for some reason when I hear “BTS,” I think in the billions. They seem too big to be contained to my 15-inch laptop screen. But when Charles puts it in that context – “six months” – he’s right to look at me like I’m crazy.
The 10 videos Minh and Stephany sent me weren’t meant to be a “definitive look” at the genre as a whole, but they did provide a decent mix of the various sights and sounds you’d encounter when clicking through YouTube videos. At least, I think so – but I’m not the expert, so I could be very, very wrong.
I gave you a bad first-impressions take on “TT” last week already, but here’s what I’ve learned since: Twice was formed out of a “reality girl group survival show” and “TT” is big – like, record-breaking big. That “to be continued” message at the end of the video is also a purposeful cliffhanger. Oh, and “TT”? That stands for the tear-streaked crying emoji (the lyric “I’m like TT” make much more sense now) and the “TT pose” is apparently quite popular.
It’s a fun video. The tune is still sort of stuck in my head. But I will say, it’s not my favorite of this list…
Video #2: “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” - Blackpink
Date of release: Jun 15, 2018
Total views as of this newsletter: 989,104,561
This was my favorite. Obviously, I’ve heard of Blackpink. I’ve edited articles about Blackpink. I read all of the praise and lists of accomplishments: the first (and only) female K-pop group to enter and top Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart; the first female K-pop group to have four #1 singles on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart; the first female K-pop group to play Coachella
And this video, “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du,” is big – “36.2 million views within 24 hours” kind of big. That’s pretty much the entire population of Morocco.
Something about the video gave me immediate “He Loves U Not” vibes. (I’ve made this Dream reference to people nearly a decade younger than me who have no idea what I’m talking about, so I’ll leave a link to the video here.) I opted not to watch “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” with the subtitles on, which was smart because I wouldn’t have paid attention to the lyrics anyways.
I can’t tell you why this is my favorite video of the list. I have so little knowledge of how to even talk about these videos. I will say that the song on its own, minus the video, would’ve been enough to make me like it.
Video #3: “Ice Cream Cake” - Red Velvet
Date of release: March 15, 2015
Total views as of this newsletter: 108,977,983
This song – I feel like I needed the video to appreciate the song. It’s different than the last two … something about it sounds less intense. I’m starting to realize that there’s a “formula” to many of these songs: there’s a rap, some English, and there’s always food somewhere in the video.
That sounds dismissive. It’s not meant to be. I found myself more distracted watching this video because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be getting from it. Is this a song about America? The desert and diner and ‘50s-style car invokes that, yet all I can focus on are the fluffy jackets lined with fairy lights that appear starting at 02:05.
Also, a giant cat appears at one point. Why was there a giant cat? Maybe I should be doing more research into the production of these videos.
Video #4: “Boy With Luv” - BTS (ft. Halsey)
Date of release: April 12, 2019
Total views as of this newsletter: 596,669,136
“OK,” I tell Charles. “BTS time.”
This one was going to be big. Obviously I know who BTS is. It’s hard to not know who BTS is, frankly. I’d heard this song before and seen them perform it at the Billboard Music Awards, but I wasn’t familiar with the music video itself.
We watched the 4 minute video in near silence (except for Charles asking, “Is that Halsey?” at one point) and by the end of it, I feel like I have a lot more questions. This video is so colorful and bubbly and cute. But I remember seeing a thumbnail of a BTS video from 4 years ago and the aesthetic was very different:
I’m fascinated. But I’m not trying to go deep into BTS right now. Bringing it back to “Boy With Luv” … Why is it spelled “love” in the video, but “luv” in the song title?
Video #5: “Twenty-Three” - IU
Date of release: October 22, 2015
Total views as of this newsletter: 77,958,408
We’ve come across our first solo act! It’s an Alice in Wonderland-themed video with a song that, to be honest, doesn’t sound especially distinct. This is where it makes sense to me that Minh and Stephany have emphasized the importance of the visuals when it comes to K-pop.
At this point, I’m also getting tired.
Video #6: “Gashina” - Sunmi
Date of release: August 21, 2017
Total views as of this newsletter: 111,433,243
I turned back on the English subtitles. This might be the first video where the pairing of the (translated) lyrics and the story of the video itself seem compatible and make sense.
Video #7: “Monster” - EXO
Date of release: June 8, 2016
Total views as of this newsletter: 297,780,522
OK, I’ve heard of EXO. They’re much edgier, perhaps maybe what BTS would be now if they stuck to that darker “I Need U” aesthetic.
I like it. But at this point, my eyes have glazed over. I don’t even know what I’m taking notes for. Am I being too analytical? Trying to find connections and meaning where there are none? Maybe it is “just” pop music. Maybe it doesn’t make sense to be doing this at all.
I had to take a break.
It’s not that I’m not enjoying this. But I may have set out on this without a clear idea of where I was going, or where I’m even trying to go. Why do I so desperately want to understand what this global fandom is about? It’s partially driven by fascination, and also partially driven by this dream I’ve always had of feeling like I could be a part of something. The insecurities and isolation of being a kid with alopecia have undoubtedly spilled over to being an adult with alopecia, so I’ve never learned how to really attach myself to things I love.
So while I thought I grew up in fandoms, maybe that’s not true. Maybe I’ve always been on the periphery.
Video #8: “Dinosaur” - Akmu
Date of release: July 20, 2017
Total views as of this newsletter: 22,605,991
48 hours later, I’m back at it again. “Dinosaur” feels different than the other videos, and now I’m starting to realize that there is no tried and true “formula” that makes a K-pop video good. In fact, I could have done without the video for this one, I think. I like the song though.
Video #9: “Very Nice” - Seventeen
Date of release: July 3, 2016
Total views as of this newsletter: 67,525,268
My thoughts, in order:
“There are so many people in this group.”
“Are there…17?”
“No, that’d be crazy.”
“Are suspenders trendy again?”
“I need to Google this … OK, there are only 13 members.”
“13 people is a lot.”
Video #10: “Catallena” - Orange Caramel
Date of release: March 11, 2014
Total views as of this newsletter: 26,148,423
This one might be the most bonkers concept. They’re essentially…sushi. The song itself isn’t memorable, but I can’t get the image of one of the members dipping her foot in a tray of soy sauce.
If you watched all these videos too … I’m impressed. If you were expecting a more detailed and researched list … I’m sorry. If you’re still subscribed after this … I’m grateful.
Next newsletter: K-pop “explained”