Fair Shake Reaction: Grayground - Gray

Grayground - Gray

(Genre: Kr&b)

Play these in the Grayground:

Make Love (Music Video)

Baby Don't Cry (Music Video)

I Don't Love You (Music Video)

Party For the Night (Music Video)

Eternal Sunshine (Performance)

Epic Eve Pink Haul 2

Top 10 Recommended Music Videos

"Just Right" by GOT7
I love this group so much and this music video made me love their charm even more! This is definitely one of my favorite songs and videos from this group from last year. It has a great message and amazing choreography. Honestly, I think they can only go up from here. This catchy, sweet song proves that GOT7 is just going to keep growing in the right direction. I love the colorful concept and the interaction with the little girl. If you've seen this from the Fine Bros. channel, it would be best to turn those captions on and I promise you that this is a lot less creepy than it seems. Also, if you're having a cloudy day, this'll definitely lift your spirits and make you feel all warm, fuzzy, and special inside.



"Champagne" by Yunho (DBSK)
I believe this was released before his and Changmin's military time. I'm still not super into this duo, but I do enjoy their music from time to time and Yunho is my bias, so I had to check out this song when it was released. I wasn't expecting such a vibrant, fun, charming, and catchy song. It has so many set changes and variations in style with the visuals, costumes, and sound. It's different from the DBSK duo material, but still has a tiny hint of it in the music/dance break. I'm looking forward to listening to more Yunho solo material when I get around to it.



"You & Me" by Kisum feat. Jooyoung
Thanks to Unpretty Rapstar, which I'll review and rant about at some point, I was interested in this lovely and talented young lady. I'm glad the show gave her a launch pad to showcase her talent to the world. This video and song really shows off her cute, playful, and sweet side that you don't see in a lot of Korean female rappers that doesn't infantize them. Jooyoung's vocals work very well with Kisum's rap verses. They have good chemistry together and everything about this music video gives me the warm fuzzies.



"XOX" by Z.HERA feat. Eun Ha (Dal Shabat)
Anytime I see new music from Z.HERA or ANDA, I instantly get excited and keep hoping that more people discover their fresh, shining talent like I have. In this colorful and animated video, Z.HERA channels another part of herself and lets loose of the more serious work she's done. I love the colors, fun choreography, and the upbeat tone of the music. It really looks like she's having fun. While I don't think Eun Ha was all that necessary to the song, her contribution with Z.HERA worked well. I kinda wished they interacted a little more, but they look and sound good together.



"Don't Be Shy" by PRIMARY feat. ChoA (AOA) & IRON
Even though I'm far from a fan of AOA, I do like ChoA. Something about her makes me happy and I enjoy watching her in AOA music videos. Seeing her in a PRIMARY video with Show Me the Money 3's personal heartthrob IRON made me excited. PRIMARY's music and videos are always unpredictable and that's something I love about his work. This music video is no exception. It combines dark and artistic elements and uses a believable vintage aesthetic, then fuses them with modern color tones and imagery that current kpop fans are used to, even though it is a strange, supernatural narrative with a romantic, laid back musical tone. I love ChoA's vocals on this reggae inspired sound and of course that's IRON's element of expertise, so I wasn't worried about his contribution.



"Married to the Music" by SHINee
This group has really grown on me since "Lucifer". Perhaps I've even become...a fan. *gasps* Anyway, I must admit that I enjoyed "View" as a song more than this one, but the video doesn't have as many visuals that'll stick in your mind as this Halloween appropriate house of hilarious horror. It gives that playful, upbeat haunted house vibe that I remember getting from Backstreet Boys' "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)". I'm really happy that SM Entertainment gives this group so many creative and fun concepts and visuals compared to some of their groups. The guys look like they're having a lot of fun and the video really shows off their chemistry with their goofy acting, choreography, and vocal harmony. I'm honestly impressed with the production. Good job, everyone!



"My Number" by Cheetah
After Unpretty Rapstar and seeing the teasers for Cheetah's first solo rap video, not only was I excited, but many fans were too. Some were disappointed in the lack of hardness and mainstream sound choice, but I think we're alright with it. I understand the disappointment as this was nothing I thought it would be, but I'm not shunning this effort obviously. I still managed to enjoy this neon colored, genderbending, street inspired imagery. The lyrics and delivery still reflect Cheetah's fierce and dominating personality and that's what's really important. I'm looking forward to more from her like Kisum.



"RESPECT" by Loco feat. GRAY & DJ Pumkin
This is a song that I listen to off and on, but I have found more appreciation for it after hearing it live. The video combines your usual basic studio produced hip-hop visuals as LOCO performs, snippets of story with his friends and working on music, and social media graphics simulating a narrative of his life or something close to reality. LOCO brings a lot of charisma and charm as he delivers his lyrics to this b-boy like beat. It has a feel good, catchy chorus provided by labelmate GRAY. It's definitely a positive feeling type a song that's easy to enjoy by yourself or with friends.



"Beautiful Liar" by VIXX LR
I was surprised to hear that VIXX was making a sub-unit with Leo and Ravi and I was very curious how that combination was going to work. I didn't doubt that it wouldn't be great as I claimed the Starlight name and I love both of these talented individuals. This music video definitely played to all of their strengths. Leo's beautiful, passionate vocals give a great sense of vulnerability, while Ravi's rough, powerful rap delivery expresses pain and conflict that completes the overall atmosphere of this song. The visuals are dark, theatrical, and artsy. Visuals that VIXX are very good at. It really completes the story for our characters and their emotional struggle. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this sub-unit in the future as they work very well together.



"Wet" by Jooyoung feat. Superbee
Honestly, my mind went straight to the gutter with this title and I'm sure some other people's mind went that direction too, but it's not that kind of song. I promise. This is a very emotional and beautiful song that'll have you body rolling and crying simultaneously. I thought this was the first time I've heard Jooyoung's lovely vocals, but this is just the first time he's really stood out for me. The trap-R&B beat and the sorrowful lyrics bring out the strengths in his vocal expression and charisma. Definitely an automatic jam for many, many months for me. I recommend turning on those subtitles, because the lyrics are really beautiful. The visuals are dark, minimal, and perfectly sensual like the tone of the song and beat. It really focuses on Jooyoung's internal struggle and chemistry with the girls in the video and audience.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"ざんげの花道" by D=OUT
It has been so long since a D=OUT PV has stood out to me along with their music. Although the presentation of the video isn't anything new to me as I've seen this same setting with Kagerou and I'm sure another jrock band I can't think of at the moment, it actually looks like they're having fun. The music sounds like they're going back to their roots, minus the mix of traditional Japanese sounds, but there's a definite D=OUT flair in the sound. The members let loose and dance around the stage while offering their fans beauty shots of them in these really polished areas. The energy is definitely a lot purer and positive compared the past couple or so PVs they've released, even though not much is going on content wise. Nonetheless, I think D=OUT fans will be pleased by this shift and I hope I can see more of this sort of energy from them in future PVs, even if the content and concept is simple.



"SOSes!!" by TRIAMPERSANDY
This group was introduced to me by a friend who was a fan of GYUN and her former band Gollbetty. Honestly, I haven't been keeping up with this band at all, but what I've heard is pretty good. This song starts off pretty soft and slow, then when everything pauses for a moment, a burst of electric energy comes out with quick guitar riffs and GYUN's high vocals. The video is very band centric, but adds a unique color palette of neons and light flairs. The members transition in and out of the scene as duplicates, between set pieces, and as a whole group. There's some fun, random special effects that match the chaos and fun of the song.



"Metronome" by Jay Park feat. Simon D & GRAY
I believe Jay Park has been a bit silent in the music creation spotlight, but has been working pretty hard on his label and even snagged amazing "new" talent GRAY and legendary rapper Simon Dominic, mostly known from being half of Supreme Team. After listening to GRAY's debut mini-album, I expected a lot of great things from this trio and it was the breath of fresh air I needed. Fusing together R&B and hip-hop effortlessly, Jay Park plays to his strengths of transitioning his vocals to fit this fusion while letting GRAY loan his rough, confident vocals to the chorus and Simon D complete the fusion with some impressive rap bars. The video is sleek and classic to fit the mood. It tells a story of a couple whose relationship is off balance and uses props to symbolize the movement of a metronome while matching the artistic flair of the special effects. With this partnership, I hope I see more from this trio as they work extremely well together.



"Amazing -Bad Lady-" by Cross Gene
As mentioned in my follow up rookie post, I confessed that I don't pay attention to this group as much as I would like, but they have great talent. Sometimes their material tends to blend in with the rest of the rookies of that year and a bit of the following year. I was happy to see something this stylish stood out from what was out at the moment. It uses a video style that I like which is sticking to a monochromatic color scheme with pops of color. When there is full color, it's darkened or muted so it doesn't seem too jarring to the eyes. The choreography is still good, even though I think the crotch dusting is awkward, but the catchy and unique melody paired with great vocals make up for that. I really get this similar U-KISS vibe from them in a recognition sense more than anything. I look forward to more material on this level.



"Hug Me" by Crush feat. Gaeko
A lot of fresh faces have been standing out a little more on the mainstream front and I believe Crush is one of those faces. Similar to Jay Park and GRAY, he fuses hip-hop and R&B together with a hint of electro-pop. His vocals border between those lines of hip-hop and R&B which matches the music of this video. The verses have a smooth melody with just enough bass and electronics, the transition has a little electro-pop, and the chorus has more of booming hip-hop energy. The visuals tell a simple story about a relationship or the potential of one. It matches the music fusion by featuring sweet romantic scenes, clean choreography with the right amount of confidence and sensuality, and clichés from both music genres such as fancy cars, flashing lights, a throne-like chair, and hip-hop clothing that isn't too overwhelming or obvious to the viewer.