Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"WTF (Where They From)" by Missy Elliott feat. Pharrell Williams
It's been 10 years and she's back with an amazingly catchy comeback! If you don't know who Missy Elliott is, then let me explain why this is a big deal, aside from the decade long gap in her music career. Back in the day, this fine lady was one of the most influential female rappers of the 90s who was clearly ahead of her time with her fashion and music style. This newest video featuring Pharrell easily picks up where she left off 10 years ago without missing a beat. The beat and chorus is super catchy and it's hard not to get turned up from the fire that's being delivered. This is a great marriage of 90's and 2010s styles of Missy into one video while still being ahead of its time.



"Gold" by Chet Faker
Sometimes YouTube suggests some amazing things when you're watching other stuff and this is one of them. I've never heard of this artist in my life, but I'm happy that this video came into view for me. It's a smooth, sensual, down low dance track that isn't loud with its melody or have commanding lyrical delivery. It's sensual and smooth with beautifully choreographed and cleverly shot music video. Seemingly filmed in one take, I felt nostalgic watching these lovely ladies saunter and dance on rollerskates down this lonely road. It might not be perfectly synced, but it's successfully alluring and I'm tempted to learn such choreography on a new pair of blades.



"THEREFORE" by G.E.M.
Continuing her expansion of her diverse catalogue, this video doesn't stray from highlighting G.E.M's talents as an artist. With a bold and sharpened color palette, the visuals are elegant and perfectly theatrical. I enjoyed the simple and symbolic storytelling between the singer and the masked man. It's just enough to fit the tone of the lyrics and the sorrowfully upbeat and slightly conflicted music. Also, G.E.M's vocals remain confident and beautiful. She doesn't strain for the overdramatically vocal moments where the singer usually belts out their best Mariah Carey, but it sounds out of place or show off-y. It's a beautiful track that makes you want more and I'm happy to hear more from this talented woman.



"SECRET No.03" by Mejibray
In my eyes, this band has been pretty hot in the visual kei scene and for very good reason. In my opinion, they give me a similar sense of excitement as I felt when I first listened to the GazettE. This PV stays true to the band's visuals of style, sexiness, and individuality. I like how each little scene gives us a glimpse of each member's' personalities, while uniting them as one during the chorus. The song is just as fun and enjoyable as the visuals and it makes me want to join in their chaos.



"Eat" by Zion.T
If you haven't gotten on the Zion.T(rain), what are you waiting for?! This soft, but simply sweet song will definitely win you over. Turn the captions on and read these lovely lyrics of care. The delivery of these words are just heartwarming and gentle; I can't imagine anyone else singing these lyrics as sincerely as he does. The visuals and melody are simple, but effective. I don't want to spoil the visual story, but it reminds me of another smooth and beautiful music video by Verbal Jint featuring Phantom's Sanchez by the name of "You Deserve Better (Beautiful Enough)", which is a very good thing.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"크레용팝 'FM'" by Crayon Pop
I know everyone was crazy about "Bar Bar Bar" last year...and "The Fox Song", but I just couldn't get into it. I never got into this group's appeal, but something about this video and song intrigued me. It reminded me a lot of Japanese pop music like AKB48 and such, even though I never really listened to them. I guess the closest thing I listen to is BeForU, who are probably more known for their contribution to the rhythm game series Dance Dance Revolution. Getting back on track of this video, not only does the song sound more like your typical jpop song, the visuals remind me of the laughable productions of Power Rangers (Sentai shows) and Godzilla. It's amusing and makes me smile. This'll probably be the only Crayon Pop song I'll be jamming to for a while.



"God" by Jimin (AOA) & J.Don (N.Flying)
This might be a surprising choice as I'm far from being a fan of AOA's material and at some point in time, you'll learn how annoying I think Jimin is, but something about this song (and video) is worthy of recommendation. It reminds me of 4Minute's HyunA: trying to be sexy and a bad bitch, but her vocal "talent" can only be handled in small doses for me. She tries to act all tough and demure like a goddess, but Jimin can't have it all in my eyes. Nonetheless, if I push past the high notes that scrap my ears, I do enjoy jamming out to this. I like the minimalistic trap beat, the delivery in the verses, and the contrast in Jimin and J.Don's voices. They have just enough chemistry to being opposing of each other, while working together at the same time. The set pieces and camera work are very appealing and goes well with the elegant, yet hard image Jimin is going for.



"I NEED U" by BTS
[Original version]
BTS remains one of my male bias groups in kpop and this video, no matter the version, is further proof of their talent. I originally watched the video that is embedded, then checked out the original version which is rated 19 for its visual content. The difference between the two was the individual stories that might seem too violent or even triggering for some viewers, so please watch with caution. With the expanded story, it is also a little longer than embedded version. Either video is equally great as you can still tell what's going on and enjoy this amazing song. The song is both hard hitting in sound, but fragile lyrically. It's a balance that is challenging for a lot of kpop groups. Even though the content lyrically and visually are quite gloomy and realistic, it's another one of their videos that I could easily watch over and over and still be in awe by their growth as a group. Even more, I'm surprised how far they went with the 19+ content without overdoing it or letting it overshadow the happy moments the boys share together.



"SEX TRIP" by Jay Park
Obviously, this isn't a song you can listen to just anywhere, but surprisingly the visuals aren't as NSFW as you would think with a title like that. Ths visuals are quite sensual, much like the GRAY produced beat, and might I say...sophisticated to an extent. This is like Usher or 90's R. Kelly level sexy. There's plenty of eye candy for both sexes, but not overly sexy where you have to look over your shoulder to make sure that no one catches you watching it. Really, the lyrics would be your real worry as Jay Park doesn't hold back with his lustfilled and determined words. He's poetically blunt and smooth. Definitely baby making music and it's beautifully shot. Honestly, I could see something like this appealing to western audiences quite a bit.



"Love game" by Lim Kim
Similar to "Awoo", this video has a very vibrant color scheme with quirky visuals and lyrical delivery. It's hard not to be charmed by Lim Kim the same way the men pursuing her are. She looks beautiful and alluring with a subtle sex appeal that isn't in your face like a lot of kpop girl idols. I like the diversity of men featured in this video and the lyrics are amusing. It's an easily enjoyable music video.