BM5's May 2026 Favorites

Favorite Kpop Comeback

The Collective Soul and Unconscious: Chapter Two - Billlie

Above is one of my favorite songs, Work, from the new album from Billlie. I believe that this body of work is such a fun and explorative listen that showcases why Billlie is one of my favorite groups to follow. They are incredible recording artists and it all translates to their live performances vocally as well as through their choreography! I love their journey through many cool corners of EDM on the album while maintaining some colors of their jazzy approach to much of their discography. I highly recommend listening to make your own opinion!

Favorite Campaign Trailer

This is Sera: The Becoming of a Former K-Pop Idol - Jamiya Wilson Studio

As a VIP member of Ryu Sera's fan club, I heard rumblings about this project pretty early on. I'm excited to now spread the news of this documentary in the works finally as well as promote sending in your support. Jamiya & Sera are also putting their own money into the series to delve into many aspects of her life from before, during, and after her idol life. I believe this will be amazing to see come to fruition and any support will be appreciated. I just ask you give this a watch to determine if you'd be interested in this being made and distributed on a major scale.

Favorite Kpop Debut

Lost in Proof - Heart of Woman

Despite not having been able to check out the album at this point, I definitely wanted to show my love to this new group strictly from the title track. Heart of Woman is a new group that I simply saw some advertisements for leading up to their debut. I don't often let these influence who I dive into, but I gave them a shot this time and was pleasantly surprised. They came with budget in the video and great music production too. I would definitely say that they are similar to the sound Kiss of Life started with. Therefore, depending on how you feel can get you excited or worried. I lean towards anticipating what they have to offer, especially since I've seen others praise the rest of the album already. So an album reaction will be in the works...

Favorite May 2026 Favorites playlist: click here

Fair Shake Reaction: Vertical - Sera Ryu

Vertical - Sera Ryu

(Genre: Kpop)

More from the singer that takes you Up & Down:

Burger Ate Pizza (Lyric Video)

Gethemane (Audio)

I (Audio)

Waiting (Audio)

Twitch channel

Fair Shake Reaction: No Thanks - Sera Ryu

No Thanks - Sera Ryu

(Genre: Kpop/Pop)

I left some related links, but I need no thanks:

Breathing (Visualizer)

Jungle (Music Video)

Mirror (Lyric Video)

Not a Song (Audio)

Twitch Channel

BM5's May 2023 Favorites

Favorite Cover

Eunoia - ReacttotheK

Billlie's album is already one of my favorites of the year so far. Seeing that jazz musicians from ReactotheK did their own rendition made me even more ecstatic. I love what they were able to enhance from the original and I think they had so much fun doing it as well. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Favorite Live Performances

A Tribute to Pharrell - Tobe Nwigwe

The REFERENCES!!! Okay, to begin, I believe that Tobe is one of the few unique emcees of this time and for him to pay tribute to such a icon of creativity makes total sense. The musical nods they make towards Pharrell's career through the lyrics and even musical arrangement is so on point, I couldn't help but smile the whole way. If Pharrell himself was so amused, it can't be hard to believe that so will you.

Tiny Desk Concert - NIKI

Long followers of my reviews will know that I adore NIKI. One thing that I've always knew was how strong of a songwriter she is. One thing that I've been more critical of, though, are her performances. This is quite the exception, but I'm sure it's due to the setting. This more acoustic, intimate stage makes it so she doesn't have to exert herself to entertain a huge festival crowd. The music really gets to shine here and her vocals along with the band are at the perfect balance. Get a taste of it yourself.

Favorite Sera Ryu EP

Perfect Square - Sera Ryu

Alright, you got me. I just wanted to promote this project, yet for good reason. This EP is, in my humble opinion, the most solid that she's released this year so far out of the three. Each song has many selling points: the haunting nature of "Last Dance", the danceable vibe of "Star Crossed", the vocal layers of "Siren", and the balance of production and singing on "Zoom". Please support an independent artist and I don't think you'll regret it.

Full May 2023 favorites playlist: click here

BM5's April 2023 Favorites

Favorite Kpop Discussion

My Thoughts on 4.5 Gen Girl Groups - Sera Ryu

One of the main reasons I loved seeing Sera's reactions to kpop nowadays is hearing her perspective. It's not often I feel you can get the thoughts of a native Korean's opinion on music there, especially with someone who has lived through the industry as an idol. Getting a glimpse into her point of view on some of the bigger girl groups I follow in this video was very intriguing and I wanted to share that with all of you who are into kpop, as well. Hopefully you enjoy it.

Favorite Anime Ending

Gospelion in a Classic Love - The 13th Tailor

You want to know something interesting off the bat? I almost wouldn't have ran into this song if it wasn't for Mother's Basement adding Magical Destroyers to his "Ones to Watch" series for this season. Reading the description to this show didn't interest me to watch the first episode, but by the time I was convinced the second episode was up and I got to hear the ED for the first time. This bad boy is such ear candy with the piano, guitar, sweet vocals, and absolute vibe. I've had it on my playlist ever since. In fact, once the soundtrack drops, I'm certain to listen because the music for this show is awesome. Check it out!

Favorite Performance

Goated - Armani White feat. Denzel Curry

Loved this fun flex tune the moment it dropped. The music video was super fun and the bars were dope. Denzel was such a great addition to this track from this now up-and-comer, Armani. The minute I saw that they had an Open Mic performance on Genius, I had to click it and saw the chemistry in action. They played off each other extremely well, hyping each other up and contributing to the ad libs. It made me imagine how much more lit it would be in front of a crowd. Either way, this is one of my favorite rap jams this year.

Full April 2023 Playlist: click here