Nearly 9 years into the industry, SEVENTEEN's first anthology ahead of their anniversary leaves us feeling nostalgic, proud, and a wave of emotions. Their album "17 Is Right Here" details the group's journey over the last few years and tops it off with four new tracks on the album, one group, and three sub-unit tracks. Each unit shined in its way for the tracks 'Spell', 'LALALI', and 'Cheer To Youth', showing off individualistic skills and raw talent. However, when the 13-member boy group combined for their title track, the synergistic effect reminded us why they're one of the top names in the K-Pop world. Their title track 'Maestro' garnered attention worldwide as it told the important message of "Who is the real MAESTRO?"

The reliance on technology is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the rise of AI and its uses. Social media has played a drastic role in the popularity and has seeped into the K-Pop world. It's unsettling how easily you can find a cover from your favorite idol but an AI machine completely sings it. The uncomfortable discussion of "Do we need artists anymore?" is debated among the census.

Many artists in the industry have spoken out about this phenomenon, but SEVENTEEN truly struck many of their fans with a powerful clapback at the use of AI. 'Maestro' details that the only true leaders are artists themselves. Set in a dystopian reality, with visuals of SEVENTEEN members battling machines, and leading others like a conductor, the boy group hit the mark on what it truly means to be the "maestro." Machines can not replicate true artistry, and SEVENTEEN's commanding title track is a reminder that technology can never replace them.

Apart from the title track, the group released three songs for their respective sub-units. Similar to its twin sister 'Fire', 'LALALI' by the hip-hop unit, consisting of S.Coups, MinGyu, Vernon, and WonWoo, was oozing with energy and pure entertainment. 'Spell' by the performance unit, consisting of Hoshi, Jun, THE8, and Dino, not only hypnotized us with its sultry sound but smooth, afro-inspired dance. Ending on a high note, the vocal unit song, consisting of WooZi, JeongHan, Joshua, SeungKwan, and DK, sings of encouragement and an anthem to the youth.

The new songs truly emulated a new side of SEVENTEEN but how could we forget the originals? The album feels like a walk down memory lane, invoking feelings of nostalgia as disc 2 of the album starts with their debut 'Adore U'. From the start with 'Adore U' to now 'Maestro' the two title tracks have stark differences in sound but mimic the essence of SEVENTEEN in every way.

HYBE Labels

Even though SEVENTEEN has been in the industry for quite some time now, this comeback feels like the mark of a new beginning for the group and the music they want to share with fans. The group plans to release another album towards the end of 2024 and have already completed their South Korea stops for their "FOLLOW AGAIN" tour recently. We're expecting much more from the group and look forward to what surprises they'll have for their "9th CARAT LAND" fanmeeting this year.

How did you feel about "17 Is Right Here?" Let us know on X!

The progression of K-Pop has been a nonstop constant in today's trends and social media. New groups are debuting by the minute and gathering the attention of millions worldwide. K-Pop fans are known as some of the world's strongest fanbases, and the music genre has seen unprecedented success like never before.

With the rise of K-Pop, a concerning topic is discussed within the community. Gender inequality is rampant between many male and female idols. In K-pop, the treatment of male and female idols regarding skin exposure often reflects broader societal norms and expectations around gender and modesty. When it comes to female and male idols, the picture-perfect ideology that is pushed onto them turns out harmful when stepping out of that comfort zone. The unfairness of these ideologies has been further perpetuated as groups continue to debut. Girl groups are supposed to be "innocent" and cute, nearly crossing the line of emulating a young girl. Boy groups are displayed as cool and masculine, showing off their boyhood and manliness in various forms.

One of the topics under the umbrella of gender inequality is skin exposure between the two genders. Female idols tend to face jarring restrictions when it comes to skin exposure. From Calvin Klein campaigns to the "MAMA Awards", the responses to opposite genders exposing their skin have been drastically different. We're going to look at cases where treatment over skin exposure was drastically different for female idols compared to their male counterparts.

A Simple Question Turned To Body Shaming And Hate

Calvin Klein is a major name in the fashion industry. They're best characterized by their famous underwear and denim items. Celebrities are common ambassadors for the company and recently, more idols have participated in their campaigns. Some notable names include BLACKPINK's Jennie and BTS's JungKook. Calvin Klein took to X to ask followers who they believed should be in a Calvin Klein campaign to the pleasure of many K-Pop fans. The two idols were top names mentioned in the comments due to their captivating physique and global status. However, people noticed when it came to Jennie there was an influx of body shaming and disparaging comments. It got so severe, Calvin Klein's X account stepped in to make a statement.

We embrace this platform as an inclusive environment for individualism and self-expression. At Calvin Klein, we tolerate everything except intolerance. Please be respectful towards each other or your comment may be removed.

— calvinklein (@CalvinKlein) January 31, 2023

It's interesting to see this as many male idols have participated in campaigns but did not receive much backlash, such as WonHo and EXO's Lay Zhang. They were often praised due to their muscular and lean frames. While JungKook was not sparred from hateful comments and faced scrutiny, Jennie was doused with an influx of hate and even in her previous works with the luxury brand, she was bashed for showing off her body. If it's sexy and desired by male K-Pop idols, why do female K-Pop idols get bombarded with hate?

Calvin Klein's Official Twitter

Same Situation, Different Headlines for "2018 MAMA Awards"

One of the most infamous cases of skin exposure is between MAMAMOO's HwaSa and WonHo. During the "2018 MAMA Awards", both idols took to the stage to give off powerful performances. HwaSa dawned a striking red leather one-piece, one that imitated a swimsuit. The singer received many mixed reactions to her choice of styling. Many netizens felt she took it a bit too far, having a good portion of her bottom half exposed.

They even went as far as to call her embarrassing because of the outfit choice. The situation grew to such a large scale that RBW Entertainment made a statement, expressing that they didn't expect the attention and the outfit matched the song. HwaSa never shies away from expressing her inner femininity and sexy confidence. She's always been known to embrace diverse styles that express what she is all about, unwavering, seductive, confidence. Unfortunately, netizens do not share the same beliefs as her.

Ironically, at the same "2018 MAMA Awards" WonHo displayed an impressive performance and showed off his muscular physique during it. The headlines and reactions were exceptionally different and it's almost ridiculous. He received many headlines stating "Masculine stage unfolded" whereas HwaSa's articles focused more on the controversy regarding her outfit.

Even with her amazing vocals and breathtaking performance, it was overshadowed due to her outfit. WonHo is prided as a masculine, sexy idol in the industry. He has numerous shoots, performances, and videos where he exposes his body. It's no coincidence that WonHo is praised for his confidence whereas HwaSa is shamed for hers, despite both idols having sexier concepts. This can be seen as blatant double standards in the idol world. The perpetual stereotypes put on female idols are why HwaSa is constantly shamed and claimed an embarrassment to the genre.

Fans' Opinions?

When asked about the difference when a male and female idol deciding to show more skin, fans expressed their disdain over the topic. They believe there is a clear line between praising and chastizing when it comes to skin exposure in K-Pop.

Most kpop fans love seeing male idols show their abs and fawn over it but if a female idol's shirt is too low cut and shows cleavage people lose their minds. The double standard doesn’t make any sense.
Alexia, USA

Fans want their girl groups to stay wholesome and cute, while their male idol counterparts get to explore risqué and dark concepts. It would be interesting to see the gender and age demographic of male and female idols. I want to see how each fanbase treats groups about what they wear, say, and do.
Landy, South Korea

It's hypocritical to shame female artists for wearing "revealing " clothing and then say nothing when male idols go on stage and walk around with no shirts on. They even encourage the male idols, asking for shirtless pics during fan calls, and talking about their bodies but then get upset if a female idol wears a short skirt or scandalous top during promotions.
LeAndre, USA

While this debate is constantly talked about, female idols still choose to break away from standard labels. Girl groups and soloists are experimenting with mature concepts and riskier outfits, pushing back against the strictness. Additionally, there are instances where male idols faced criticism for overly revealing outfits or behavior, highlighting the evolving conversations around gender and representation in K-Pop. What are your thoughts about the gender inequality in K-Pop? Do you believe there's unfairness when it comes to skin exposure? Let us know on X!

In recent years, Y2K has become the hottest new trend in K-Pop. From reviving actual Y2K music and style, such as Lee HyoRi's '10 Minutes' and the 2000s makeup trend that it inspired, to contemporary K-Pop groups incorporating the Y2K style and sound, such as NewJeans and tripleS, the K-Pop industry is making the absolute most of this trend. However, we have to admit, we just can't get enough.

Why is Y2K so popular, you ask? Well, Y2K, as a buzzword in today's day and age, started with the Y2K aesthetic, which, in turn, came from social media and mainly TikTok. As trend cycles are said to repeat periodically, usually every 20 years, such a surge in the popularity of Y2K was predicted, especially with COVID-19 amplifying the need to escape to simpler times.

Demand led to supply and the K-Pop industry quickly picked up on the trend to bring us some Y2K bangers. Be it remakes of hits from the 2000s or modernized reinterpretations of the Y2K sound, this trend was not to be missed. Retro was already on the rise, with tracks like BTS' 'Dynamite', so Y2K found the perfect environment to grow and expand, which ultimately birthed the representative Y2K-inspired girl group - NewJeans.

With NewJeans, Y2K-inspired music exploded in popularity, gaining more traction than ever before in the mainstream, and we got more music that was just hitting different. Why? Because there was science backing it up!

RIIZE on X

What's the first word you think of when you listen to Y2K music? For a lot of people who experienced Y2K, it is nostalgia. For listeners who weren't born in the era where these trends are drawn from, it is arguably anemoia. Just a general longing for a time long gone that seemed much happier than now is what lies behind this attraction but there's also something very interesting happening in your brain that is making you jam out to all these Y2K hits.

It's called neural nostalgia. The music we listen to between the ages of 12 and 22 is imprinted into our brains stronger than any other music we will ever listen to. Due to the brain's rapid neurological development during these formative years, combined with the heightened emotions during this time of life, especially as we're becoming young adults, the music we listen to becomes intertwined with our lives forever.

So, if you were listening to 1st or 2nd generation K-Pop during this time, science says that you'll still sing along to those bops with just as much passion and joy as you did before, and you might even argue that it was the peak of K-Pop, simply from an emotional perspective, putting aside critical analyses. So, with the current generation of K-Pop bringing back that nostalgic sound, it's hard not to be taken back to the golden years of life, our coming of age.

This is the key to the NewJeans sound. The group doesn't just stop at Y2K but instead taps into the nostalgia of the bygone era in a timeless way so anyone and everyone can relate to the essence of their music.

For young people who are growing up with the 5th generation of K-Pop, years into the future, they will remember this generation more vividly than anything else. The importance that SHINee holds in my life may be similar to the love our future generation will have for RIIZE, and so it will go on.

Until then, take this as a life hack, and whenever you're feeling down, put on some Y2K K-Pop, and escape reality.