I don't understand the people that say 'only ateez could have made a song like bad! ppl saying it doesn't sound like ateez don't know what they're talking about!' because bad sounds so generic?
Treating a Latino beat like it's something revolutionary is sad tbh. Even for kpop it's not something new. And they did a mishmash of brazilian funk and spanish language that rubbed a lot of latam atiny the wrong way (me included)
If I didn't know their voices I would think any other kpop group could have made it π€·πΌββοΈ Especially if you read the the cringy lyrics (hot girl looks photoshopped? really? lol)
In a way it reminds me of the chorus of baggy jeans, that song gave me nothing but the chorus stuck against my will because it was made with that purpose
No wonder it's going viral in Korea, it sounds EXACTLY like any other kpop song π€·πΌββοΈ made just for tiktok virality. atiny should stop pretending it isn't π€·πΌββοΈ
I can't comment on the "sounding like any other kpop song" because I'm not a K-pop listener, I'm literally only a fan of Ateez and then listen to some random K-pop song here and there (usually girl groups, which I feel are even less comparable)
But this is an opinion that I've seen around a lot, and I feel like the fandom is almost splitting, which is disheartening. And of course Brazilian Atiny upset at what they did with their music style shouldn't be ignored, I will always say that π
Something I'll say - and hopefully it'll bring you some comfort? - is that... I think we should consider that maybe going viral in Korea is exactly what Ateez wanted for this comeback? Like, they're aware this song is more "generic K-pop" made for "tiktok virality"... and that's exactly what they wanted to achieve? A "generic summer bop" going viral, as I've seen it called.
It's not some unfortunate mistake, you know? They calculated this.
I also think it was a calculated move to drop this right after Adrenaline, a very Ateez sounding title track that this GH era was sorely missing. They were like "hey, we're still here, ok? we're still capable of making this music, you know? so don't go looking at other oppas when we drop our next comeback!"
It would be beautiful if they could always prioritize artistry and creativity over money, but the idol industry is not exactly artistry-friendly. I mean, you said it yourself: it's going viral because it sounds like any other K-pop song, not in spite of it.
And again, maybe that's exactly what Ateez wanted π€·πΎββοΈπ€·πΎββοΈπ€·πΎββοΈ after 7 years fighting for scraps in Korea, they're trying to appeal to their domestic market. They've secured a strong international fanbase that won't drop them (bar some Latam fans π), so now they feel it's time to switch to a more domestically successful sound.
It might be underwhelming, but we can't blame them, you know?
Though I will always maintain that they could have achieved this same virality without the objectification/sexualization of women.
Their B-sides are still very Ateez imho.
Not Mamacita tho π that's very much Bad's sister and I could almost predict every beat, even the rap flows. That's what brothers me tbh, how very much not on the edge of my seat I was while listening to them.
But the other three were less predictable, more surprising, I had no idea what the rappers would say and do, I was excited to see how the songs would play out and even went looking for the lyrics.
I can't say the same for Bad and Mamacita (which is why I keep bringing up Mingi's Spanish rap in Bad, the language and even the flow positively surprised me in a very repetitive song that I expected nothing from; but I understand now that many Brazilian Atiny don't have the same appreciation for it in a Brazilian Funk song, so I'm trying to stop π )
