K-pop icons, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, or TXT, know how to keep their promises to their super fans, MOA. As promised, the boys returned to the tri-state area, but this time they graced the legendary stage that is Madison Square Garden for a two-night stop on their WORLD TOUR <ACT: PROMISE.
B.I is no stranger to releasing new music, but he returns on November 9th with his latest offering to fans. In this release, he gives fans a glimpse into heartbreak with his album, “Love or Loved Pt 2.” The album includes five tracks that take on the pain of a love in trouble or lost. The album begins with the title track, “Loved,” before venturing into “4 Letters” which features, Filipino-Australian singer and songwriter, James Reid. Then the album journeys into the track, “Alone” which also features singer, TYTAN. Rounding out the album are the last two songs, “S.O.S” and “All shook up” which features Indonesian singer and songwriter, Agnez Mo.
We had the wonderful opportunity of chatting with B.I ahead of this release. During our chat we discussed everything from inspirations to collaborations. He also shared his favorite track off the new album.
Question: What was the genesis or the inspiration for the new album?
B.I: While I’ve consistently delved deeply into the concept of love, this time, I wanted to venture into new genres and experiment with different lyrical tones. Love is an emotion that feels incredibly familiar to all of us, yet I aimed to convey these stories with fresh and unique music and storytelling.
It is my sincere hope that listeners can deeply connect with this portrayal of heartbreak. And by that, I don’t only mean that they relate to the lyrics, but also that they find solace in the melodies.
Question: How would you say this album helped you evolve as an artist? as a music producer? as a musician and creator?
B.I: I can sense personal growth with every studio or single album I produce. So far, I believe my exploration of various musical genres and diverse instrumental arrangements has enriched my work, and I’m very satisfied with the results.
Question: Can you break down each track on the album? Can you explain to me what its vibe is or what people should expect?
B.I: [Loved] has an alluring combination of bass and drum sounds, and its overall mood is cold. The mellow and calm vocals also add to its charm. [4 Letters], on the other hand, resembles an uplifting and bright movie soundtrack, but its lyrics in contrast, evokes a sense of nostalgia. I think that would transport the listeners into a state of reminiscence about a past love. On top of that, having James as a featured artist on the track further heightens great anticipation, I’m sure. [Alone] is a laid-back track with a peaceful rhythm, while it bursts with energy in the rap section. Titan, who featured in the song, delivered the tone I had envisioned. With [S.O.S], I spent a significant amount of time on creating the lyrics. If you pay attention to it, it could really get you thinking deep. [All shook up] is an unfamiliar genre not only for me, but also for listeners in Korea. I’m pleased with my collaboration with Agnez Mo; it’s a fresh combination that elevates the level of completion. The melody is very beautiful, so I wish the listeners a relaxing and easy listening experience.
With the entire album, I put in the effort to explore something new and uncharted. Moreover, I wanted to highlight the charming and surprising collaborations with artists in Asia. The results aligned perfectly with my vision, so I’m eagerly looking forward to sharing them with our fans.
Question: Is there a song off the new album that you feel closest to or love the most?
B.I: I adore each and every song, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the title track [Loved]. It has a wonderfully dreamy and sentimental quality. It’s the kind of mood I’ve always wanted to explore, and I’m particularly pleased with how well it came together… It beautifully showcases the essence of the album, I have a deep affection for it, and knowing that it was co-created in collaboration with such an exceptional team of songwriters, makes it even more precious to me.
“Love or Loved Pt 2” is out now and can be found on all streaming platforms.
She’s a Barbie girl in the Barbie World. Life in plastic—its fantastic. Yes, Barbie on the big screen is finally here! Considered one of the most anticipated films of 2023, Margot Robbie steps into the iconic heels of “typical” Barbie for this one-of-a-kind film about Mattel’s legendary toy doll.
Now, bringing Barbie to the big screen has not been easy. The film has had multiple writers and directors and even at one point had Amy Schumer playing Barbie, but all of that changed when Margot Robbie was cast in the lead role in 2019. The momentum kept growing when it was announced that Oscar darling and “Ladybird” director Greta Gerwig would take on the daunting task of bringing Barbie to life with the help from her longtime partner, Noah Baumbach, co-screenwriting with her. Subsequently, the excitement for the film spiked again when Ryan Gosling signed onto the film in 2022 to play Ken. The film is also produced by British film producer David Jonathan Heyman, who brought the Harry Potter film series to life. Margot Robbie is also listed as a producer as well.
The film tells the story of “typical” Barbie, played by Robbie, who sets out on a quest for the real world after experiencing “being less than perfect” in perfect Barbie Land. Accompanying her on this journey of self-discovery is her longtime boyfriend Ken, played by Gosling. The film also stars America Ferrera as a Mattel employee who helps Barbie in the real world and Will Ferrell as the over-the-top Mattel’s CEO. Likewise, Kate McKinnon plays Weird Barbie, while Issa Rae plays President Barbie and Simu Liu as another Ken. Rounding out the cast Rhea Perlman plays Ruth Handler, the creator of the Barbie doll.
The film is slightly in the vein of campy like other toy movies, in which an iconic toy brands breaching the big screen, such as Transformers and the Lego movies. However, this film, with Gerwig at the helm, comes out swinging right from the beginning being extremely feminist centric, but in a tongue and cheek way giving Barbie the credit for solving feminism and females’ issues in society. #JustJoking #JustNotInTheRealWorld While in Barbie Land, like Beyoncé sings, “Who runs the world? Girls!,” the real world hasn’t really embraced all that girls can be like it is in Barbie Land.
In Barbie Land we find a Barbie president, Barbie doctors, Barbie astronauts, Barbie reporters, and all the Barbie’s own their own dream homes, while Kens seem to be OK on the beach, not surfing, not as lifeguards, but just hanging out on the beach. Every day seems great until typical Barbie has an existential crisis and realizes she’s not perfect. Her shower is cold, she has bad breath, her milk is expired, and her toast is burnt, but worst of all her feet are flat and she discovers she has cellulite after falling off her roof all while obsessing over death. It’s at this time that she enlists the help from Weird Barbie, who guides her to the real world. In the real world she realizes that all the dreams that little girls had and who they wanted to be were very far from the truth. Donning her iconic rollerblades with canon toe she happens upon a construction site expecting to find hard-core female construction workers only to be mocked and cat called. She is shocked that the real world is a lot less female friendly than Barbie Land.
Upon her arrival into the real world, Mattel is alerted to the situation and acts quickly given what happened to Skipper several years prior in the Florida Keys. Mattel quickly tries to get Barbie back into the box but being a quick one she escapes into the care of a Mattel employee, who played with her as a child. With Barbie on the run, the Mattel employee and her daughter join Barbie in return to Barbie Land only to realize that Ken had returned before them and brought back a concept called patriarchy, which saw all the Barbies give up their power in order to appease their oppressors a.k.a. the Ken dolls. Barbies dream House is turned into mojo dojo casa house and is full of horses and beer drinking boys. It is at this time that Barbie hatches a plan to release her fellow dolls from their brainwashing and to take back Barbie Land. Not long after their plan is hatched, Mattel employees venture into Barbie land as well. The Barbies work together to free Barbie land from patriarchy and to return it to its previous prosperity. Upon successfully doing so Barbie is revisited by Ruth the creator of the Barbie doll. After speaking with Ruth, Barbie realizes that she wants more from this life then Barbie Land can offer and she sets out to find it.
The strength of the film comes from its clever messaging. Its tongue and cheek depiction of what we would like reality to be a.k.a. Barbie Land and what it really is– the real world, insightfully comments on humans’ innate ability to better themselves. The film is cleverly written for an open-minded audience seeking more than mere mindless entertainment but the movie is packaged in a way that is just the opposite i.e., a pure spectacle of cheerful escapism. For example, while moviegoers may be frustrated at the depiction of Ken as an over the top clingy, whiny, complaining character, who lacks depth, it is obvious when you take a step back that his character is an homage to that one-dimensional female character, seen so often in film, who lacks depth that would resemble a real human being. The cleverness of the film continues and its campy exploration of bringing fun whimsical Barbie notions into the real world, such as joking about how Mattel is led only by men even though it is a brand that is female centric. It just goes to show you how Mattel is not only willing to poke fun at itself but to be the butt of jokes. The movie also tackles troubling issues like how Barbie is designed in an unrealistic way with the perfect proportions that no woman can actually obtain. There also is a joke mid film delivered by the narrator played by the one and only Helen Mirren that jokes about Margot Robbie’s casting that is sure to get an audience to laugh. There are also other heartwarming moments like America Ferrera’s speech to the Barbies, in which she highlights the struggles of women and their inability to accept themselves in their quest for acceptance. There’re so many poignant moments in this film however it does seem that there is a bit too many messages leaving the film slightly convoluted at times. That being said the film is visually a feast for the eyes and certainly entertaining when it comes to comedy. It does what a movie should do; it entertains and inspires and that is why it’s so amazing to see Barbie on the big screen in this way.
Barbie hit theaters on July 21st, 2023 in US theaters.
Courtesy of Instagram
Fresh off their performance in front of the nation on NBC’s The Today Show, K-pop mega girl group, Twice, took their charms to MetLife Stadium for a very special concert. Making history, the girls were the first K-pop female group to hold a concert at the legendary MetLife Stadium. Twice wowed their super fans, ONCE, with their New York Metro area stop on their 5th world tour ‘Ready To Be” on July 6th, 2023.
The concert kicked off with a short video of the girls. Then in front of a packed stadium, Twice set it off with their song, “Set me Free.” The girls pounced on the stage and grabbed everyone’s attention as they were clad in black and white outfits with sparkly silvery details. The outfits the members wore all were shorts with the exception of our Miss Independent Renaissance Woman herself, Chaeyoung, who opted for pants. They followed the song up with their mega dance hit, “I Can’t Stop Me,” that threw their fans into a frenzy. For their third song, Twice went hard for their song, “Go Hard.” With yellow, orange and red backdrops the girls had black silhouettes driving the song into a hard-hitting dimension. It was clear that the leader of the group, Jihyo, was feeling the song. Not only were her vocals on point but her moves transcended her physical body. With a smile exuding from her it was clear that she was sharing her soul and energy with the audience. Not to be outdone, Nayeon, the groups eldest member, flexed her vocal prowess hitting and holding high notes for this powerful rendition of “Go Hard.”
Just when it seemed like, Twice was hitting a crescendo the girls through the concert in the opposite direction slowing things down and sharing a chillaxed vibe for their cool song, “More & More.” For this song, the girls climbed onto ladders that made triangles, which could be rolled around the stage. With colorful lights projected around them and onto the white ladders it was like Twice was riding a rainbow. The main dancer of the group, Momo, delighted fans with an iconic dance break before the girls headed down stage to perform their title track, “Moonlight Sunrise,” a song which was inspired by fans. As the girls got closer to their fans moving down stage the aesthetics of twice is light sticks changing color became almost like sparkling diamonds against the setting sun. The girls stayed near their fans downstage as they powered through another epic performance, which had fans screaming and singing along with the girls. Without taking a break the girls dove directly into their song, “Brave.” Again, Jihyo kept killing it when it came to the performance. During her solo she hit the high notes and held them. Then the girls took a well-deserved water break to chat with fans. During the fan chat they asked what was your favorite song of the previous songs that they just saying. They tried to quiz the audience and decipher from the audience response what song they like the best. During this time, Chaeyoung admitted that this was one of the first times they perform their song “Brave” during the daylight outside. She joked that she missed performing it in the dark because it was edgier and cooler that way. It was also during this time that Nayeon teased the audience and wanted them to show how much they love Twice by singing along with the girls in a call and response manner to the song “Moonlight Sunrise.” Jihyo followed that up by asking the audience to do a ginormous wave that took over the whole entire stadium. The girls expressed how hot it was, but how happy they were to see their fans in the daylight. It was at this moment that Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung stayed on the stage while the other Twice members gently disappeared. Right before going off stage. Jihyo joked that there was something special coming but the audience might have already guessed what it was or could’ve looked it up online.
As the foursome walked off stage, the stage became dark. When light reappeared, the group’s lead rapper, Dahyun, appeared sitting at a piano dressed in a flowing gorgeous white with blue accent dress. She looks like a beautiful aqua Angel as she played the piano and sang, Colbie Caillat’s “Try.” Continuing on and the girl’s individual solo songs for this site was the Maknae of the group, Tzuyu. Performing mid stage in a gorgeous jumpsuit she busted out moves and even bent down on one knee for her rendition of Charlie Puth’s “Done for Me.” Up Next was the gorgeous visual of Twice, Sana. Wearing a red collared long sleeve shirt/tunic with black tights and a bodysuit she charmed the audience with her verison of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules.” Dancing her way into the fans’ hearts main dancer of the group, Momo, busted out on stage wearing a sparkling jersey top and shorts for her rendition of Beyoncé’s “Move.” During mid song she changed everything up, shedding her jersey revealing her crop top and shorts she took to a pole. High above the audience she swirled around the pole as if she was channeling her inner J Lo circa her Super Bowl performance. Closing out these solo stages in this set was Mina covering Ariana Grande’s “7 rings.” She strutted and showed off her dance moves in a white cropped sparkly top with denim shorts and high thigh bright pink boots. As she danced around her dancers shot fake dollar bills into the sky. At the end of this solo set a video appeared on the screen of the girls singing a minimalistic version of their big hit, “Feel Special.”
After the video, Live musicians in the band appeared on stage and began to play this song, “Feel Special.” Twice then reappeared on stage rocking new outfits and belting out the song. At the conclusion of this song, the girls jumped right into their song, “Cry for Me,” before delivering a rock rendition of their big hit, “FANCY.” For “FANCY,” the stage was bathed in pink with fiery unapologetic hyper feminine energy. To close out the set before the break, the girls delivered a colorful beautiful almost prismic stage for their song, “The Feels.” During the song images of the girls singing live captivated the audience with gorgeous colorful images. At the conclusion of the song, lead rapper, Dahyun joked with the audience. She teased saying could you say that we’ve done something new for this concert? She confessed is the first time that twice has ever used a live band. She shared in her excitement with how Twice has evolved as artists, now incorporating live instrumentals. The girls quickly exited the stage as it became dark again.
When the lights came up on stage, Chaeyoung was sitting alone on a wooden barstool with guitar in hand. She looked like a little red riding hood and a beautiful simple dress with red details. Her sweetness exuded while she sang, “My Guitar.” Up next, Jihyo took to the stage for her solo performance of nightmare with haunting rock vocals and dressed all in black she exuded emotion. Delivering a 180, Jeongyeon changed up the vibe completely in a bright green jumpsuit. She brought down the house with fun vibes and positive energy as she covered Lizzo’s “Juice.” In a iconic certainly memorable moment she even attempted to play a recorder channeling Lizzo’s flute playing prowess. Certainly was a hilarious and fun uplifting moment that made the audience giggle with glee. Rounding out this solo stage set was the one the only Nayeon. With deliciously decadent filled to the top with confectionery pop, she belted out her hit song “Pop.” Was clear that the audience was feeling her vibe and returning her fun energy with confetti flying everywhere. Another video Break gave the girls a chance to change things up. When they returned the stage they performed, “Who Am I?” and “Queen of Hearts,” before heading into a medley of their biggest hits.
Clad in denim outfits the girls kicked off their iconic hits medley said with their monster hit, “Yes and Yes.” They followed it up with, “What is Love,” and “Cheer Up.” When it was time to sing, “Likey” the group started the song from Dahyun and Chaeyoung rap section before letting Mina belts out her solo bridge and Momo did her iconic dance break for the song. The girls went on to perform their songs” Knock Knock,” “Scientist” and “Heart Shaker,” which concluded with the girls jumping up and down with glee just as they did in the music video for the song.
Courtesy of Instagram
After the medley the girls took a moment to acknowledge the history that was being made at the concert. They admitted it was a little over a year ago that they re-signed with their label JYP and now they are playing at one of the biggest stadiums in North America. They thanked the fans for such a historic moment and beautiful memory. As the sun had finally set twice kick things into high gear for their last couple of songs.
As the show drew to a close, they treated the audience to “Alcohol-Free” and“Dance the Night Away.” For these two songs, the girls really amped up the energy as if to say we know we’re coming down the homestretch and so we’re just gonna take it home for the win. The concert hit a crescendo when twice performed their megahit from last summer, “Talk That Talk.” Wearing cream outfits lights around with the girls that reflected with rainbows on giant screens. The stage ended with fireworks being shot off right behind the girls before they disappeared backstage.
As the girls were transitioning into a new set the fans had a chance to interact with one another. Projected on big screens a dance battle was set. The audience was challenged to show off their best iconic Twice dance moves. Whether it was fans competing with themselves or fans competing with other fans, it was clear that everyone was winners as the audience became so hyped cheering everyone on. Obviously, there were some fans who clearly knew all the Twice moves to the point that you could swear they were JYP trainees. Then the girls reappeared on stage. Twice were decked out in Twice T-shirts with childhood photos of them laid out in a newspaper format projected behind them as they performed their song, “When We Were Kids.” The sweet sentiments continued as the girls finished the show with the song, “CRAZY STUPID LOVE.” They said goodbye to fans each girl took a moment to acknowledge how much they loved the fandom. Again, they acknowledged it was one year ago that they signed the contract and then they found themselves performing at MetLife Stadium. Sana noted how amazing it was to see their fans in the daylight and in the Moonlight as the concert spend several hours while the sun set in the New York sky. It was this moment in which Momo took the time to tease the fans about Twice is subunit made up of Sana, Mina, and Momo. Now the subunit did not sing any of their new music which will be released later this summer, but they did give a sneak peek to a dance move that will accompany their new song. Jihyo Remarque just how proud she was of this new subunit. The girls then took a moment to do a K-pop classic concert staple, take a picture with their fans. They grab the camera and hand the girls huddled together with all their fans in attendance behind them to snap several photos and savor this historic moment.
Though the concert was unofficially over, Twice was not ready to leave their fans empty-handed. Pulling out a giant wheel, they left their encore performance in the hands of fate. The wheel displayed some of Twice his classic songs that the girls hadn’t had a moment to perform yet. Getting into the vibe Jeongyeon couldn’t help but spin the wheel in between taking photos with her camera. The first song the giant wheel landed on was “Scandal” followed up by twice is iconic song “Like OOH-AHH.” It was during these two songs that the girls ran around waving at fans trying to savor every moment and draw them closer. After both songs, Chaeyoung couldn’t help but spin the wheel for the final time. She acknowledged she wanted to land on the song, “Firework,” but kept landing on songs that twice had just performed. But the third time was the charm, and she got her wish. Twice finished out the show by performing their song “Firework.”
The girls took a few moments before heading off stage to savor the moment for one last chance with their fans. The last to leave the stage looked like it would be Jeongyeon until she ran into Dahyun, who pushed her back on stage. The two laughed and giggled and proceeded to head off stage for the final time before Dahyun turned around and promised that Twice would be back to New York and motioned as if to ask for the fans to wait for their return.
Twice made up of the nine members of now take a quick break. They will return to the stage in September in London to kick off their international European leg of their tour. That performance will take place on September 7 at London’s iconic O2 Arena.
88rising’s first-ever Head in the Clouds New York festival kicked off this past weekend and the music and the merch weren’t the only things that were super-hot. If you were fortunate enough to grab a ticket to the festival, you probably noticed a very, very, long line behind the stadium near Xing Fu Tang’s pop-up Boba cafe. Now, it’s not easy to draw a crowd especially if you’re far from the front row, but that didn’t seem to hinder those who sought out high-quality artisan Boba. Xing Fu Tang USA CEO, Andrew Chuang, couldn’t deny the desire of the crowd, acknowledging, “It’s a little bit out of the way from the main entrance, but we’re still getting a ton of traffic over here. It’s great!”
88rising knows how to deliver, from rockstars on the stage to rockstars in the kitchen. If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to their inaugural Head in the Clouds New York festival you would have seen long lines with a lot of smiling faces carrying multicultural cuisine, especially Korean fried chicken, thanks in part to the team’s carefully curated food and beverage lineup. One of the true shining stars of this select group of foodies that was a hit with festival goers was Rokstar Chicken, which reimagines Korean fried chicken
Making history is nothing new for Thai rapper, MILLI. This young and vibrant, but seasoned performer has graced many stages from the Head In The Clouds Los Angeles Music Festival to the Coachella stage. Now, it might seem that she wouldn’t get “wowed” often given her extensive experience, but that was not the case recently in New York.
XG has finally come stateside! Radio fave an uber popular girl group, XG, finally landed in America for their first ever north America performance and they did it at 88rising’s inaugural Head In The Clouds Music and Arts Festival in New York. The group, which is comprised of Jurin, Chisa, Cocona, Hinata, Maya, Juria and Harvey was ready for their first ever US performance.
It’s hard to deny ITZY’s awesomeness. When the girls were slated to take to the Forest Hills Stadium stage for 88rising’s first-ever Head in the Clouds New York Festival it seemed like such a blessing that the rain that seem to consume the whole day ceased and stopped. Now, it is not that the girls single-handedly talked to mother nature and made the skies open up and bring sunshine, but their infectious energy certainly made those in attendance forget all about the rain.
It was the girls first ever US tour! K- pop sensation, MAMAMOO kicked off their first ever US tour, ‘MY CON,’ with their initial stop at New York’s Belmont Park UBS arena. The quartet, made up of Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa, we’re excited to see their fans, Moomoos.