THE MONTH of September will witness not only Jose Mari Chan’s iconic entrance that marks the start of the world’s longest Christmas season.
Various K-pop acts are also peeking through, giving their fans pre-holiday cheers and catchy tunes while staying safe at home.
Astro, Blackpink’s Lisa, ATEEZ, NCT 127, and ITZY are making noise throughout social media as fans share their enthusiasm and expectations about the new K-pop offerings.
Astro
Astro triggered the curiosity of their listeners when the teaser of its new music video ‘Alive’ was uploaded on YouTube last Sept. 2.
The song ‘Alive’ is a pop tune that embraces a theme of love that is complex and requires great effort. It speaks about how partners remain ‘alive’ when love is felt and recognized.
BLACKPINK’s Lalisa
BLACKPINKs Lisa is set to astound her fans in her first single album called “Lalisa,” which is also her Thai name. The album is slated for release on Sept. 10.
Sounds of thunderstorms and lightning are the prominent themes of Lisa’s first album, based on the clips from her teasers.
Margaret Diaz, a third-year Communication Arts student believes a feminine yet powerful theme is fit for the artist.
“Since this is a solo album, I’m thinking she’s [going to] have more of those femme fatale solo concepts,” Diaz told The Flame.
ATEEZ
ATEEZ will also release Part 3 of their Zero: Fever on Sept. 13. It includes three versions: ‘A’ version, ‘diary’ version, and the ‘Z’ version.
Ateez can also jump from one concept to another through the parts of their album. In Part 1 of their Zero: Fever, which was released in 2020, the idea of having a dreamlike reality is reflected in the song ‘Inception’. The track ‘Fireworks (I’m The One)’ from Part 2, which was released early this year, conveys a feeling of adrenaline rush and overflowing sentiments.
NCT 127
NCT 127, a subunit of NCT, changed the layout of their Instagram page as a strategy to promote their comeback on September 17. The album is called ‘Sticker,’ which has sold a million pre-order copies.
“Since I’ve been seeing teaser pics or previews, I can expect that their upcoming comeback would have the same NCT 127 vibe but darker,” Diaz said.
Kyla Barbosa, a third-year journalism student, said she is looking forward to a darker theme and an “alluring comeback.”
NCT is also known for its cryptic and enigmatic motif since NCT is composed of extensive subunits with different styles. This is evident in some of their lyrics ‘loveholic,’ ‘take a fist or stone or a gunshot,’ and ‘droppin’ the bomb on my enemies,’ which are in the songs ‘gimme gimme,’ ‘Cherry Bomb,’ and ‘Kick It’.
ITZY
‘Crazy in Love’ is ITZY’s first full-length album that will be released on September 24, with ‘Loco’ as the title track. The album design remains a mystery, further heightening the excitement of the girl group’s followers.
Diaz had high hopes from singer Park Jin Young, commonly called JYP. JYP is also the founder of JYP Entertainment that debuted ITZY.
Since ‘Crazy in Love’ is the first full-length album of ITZY, Diaz thinks JYP is “going to go all-out on them.”
“I like how all their title tracks have been so far. How their dance steps go viral on social media is enough proof [that] they’re really catchy,” she said.
However, the new tracks are not the only ones that are making K-pop fans elated.
“The albums we purchase are a bonus with inclusions like CD, photobook, and photo cards…We can listen to their physical and digital tracks non-stop,” Barbosa said. F – T. C. Magueriano
