#kpop analysis

This is the question ARTMS seek to explore in the 2024 music video for ‘Virtual Angel’. The general plot of the video goes like this: five young fans adorned with ARTMS tattoos and surrounded by ARTMS memorabilia cross paths with a sixth girl, a passive observer with a camcorder. The original five watch the ARTMS members through old-fashioned televisions and modern VR headsets alike, and slowly the sixth girl becomes closer to them. The original five sink deeper into their obsession, and the line separating real from imaginary blurs - eyes turn opalescent and emit beams of light, the ARTMS lightstick causes sparks on electricity lines, and one of the girls, surrounded by her four friends, levitates, and glows in a sort of divine headlight. The five girls laugh and hug each other as well as the sixth girl, who still holds her camcorder, still observing. The bridge of the song hits and the fans return to the place of the levitation. The sixth girl records, and the five step towards each other in sync and the glowing light on them intensifies. The lone glowing saviour appears in their place, before splitting into the five ARTMS members who perform in their glowing glory while the sixth girl appears. This motif, of the ARTMS members splitting from one person, is notably repeated in the dance portion of ‘Icarus’ (2025). The scene is spliced with shots of the five fans, not levitating or glowing, but laying on the ground. The television flickers off, and ARTMS flickers away with it. The sixth girl puts down her camcorder and the sudden darkness is uncomfortable. She stands there, alone on the rooftop in the darkness. There is a sense of disappointment - was any of it real? Five dark ARTMS symbols hover in the sky above her, dissuading our (and the sixth girl’s) upset perhaps, but leaving us with no answers to our many questions.

The stunning visual style of ‘Virtual Angel’ would have been enough to cement it as an all timer for the genre, but the substance in the themes of parasociality and internet obsession elevate it even further. Just as the five girls are swept up in their adoration of ARTMS, the camcorder girl is slowly pulled in, taking the viewer with her. We see the girls lose themselves to the obsession, lying still in their VR headsets while thoughts of magical powers take over their minds - in their perception they are ascending to something greater, experiencing something truer, but in reality they fade. This speaks to the reality of being a kpop fan on the internet, I think. It is easy to get swept up in the endless drivel of ‘fan wars’ on Twitter and TikTok and the rest, endlessly measuring meaningless statistics and justifying why your chosen idols are better than their peers or seniors or juniors. There is a perception that having a highly followed fan account or owning a lot of albums or attending tours makes you a higher calibre fan than the average Spotify listener, that you are closer to the idols. This is of course a construct the industry relies on to sustain itself - it sells you closeness to these perfect people in the form of albums and photocards and merch and tours and fan-calls, at the detriment of both the consumers and the idols. But, like the girls in the music video, we see the industry through the shining veneer of our computer screens, and it (by design) is easier to focus on the glitz of it all rather than the grime.

The ARTMS members know this first hand, of course. Them and the rest of their bandmates in LOONA were famously (allegedly?? Do I have to say that??) taken advantage of and mistreated by their contracts with Blockberry Creative, with the company even (allegedly (?)) baselessly slandering member Chuu’s name and removing her from the group to prevent her from working in the industry. This is certainly not a unique story, as the NewJeans vs HYBE labels debacle proved, with the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour confirming as a result of the trial that kpop idols are not legally seen as workers, but independent contractors who are not protected under Korean labour laws. A bleak statement, certainly, but not shocking. What was somewhat surprising was the response of kpop fans. Much of the discourse devolved not into discussions of the plight of the people working as idols, but into inter-fandom hatred. The NewJeans members were scrutinised and attacked more than they ever had been, and the situation became more about NewJeans vs ILLIT (another HYBE girl group with a similar sound) than anything else. The successful fan boycott of the proposed ‘LOONA - The Origin Album [0]’ by Blockberry Creative following Chuu’s forced removal from the group demonstrated that organised fan efforts can make a difference, ARTMS couldn’t have released this music video without it, but addressing the truth that the executives who run these corporations are exploiting all the idols they have under contract, and NewJeans members having the bravery to call this out could only benefit their own favoured artists was a lot harder than finding someone easier to blame - someone who we know the name of, the face of, even the height and weight and MBTI of. It is easier to hate NewJeans, or ILLIT, or LE SSERAFIM, or Blackpink, or whoever than it is to blame the faceless CEOs and investors and lawmakers that perpetuate the exploitation. Sadly, it is easier to worship the machine rather than question its cruelty.

This is not to say that kpop is the devil. The hyper-capitalistic/consumerist/exploitative nature of it certainly is, but the creatives beneath that are still to be celebrated. Yes, there is a discussion to be had about the rise of slop in kpop, about manufactured trends and uninspired, repetitive content, but if you know where to look there are still innovations being made. The collaborative process is so unique to the genre but so amazing to me - the vocalists and the producers and the choreographers and the SFX artists and the videographers and the directors from all around the world all combine their skills to create an end product that could not exist from one of them alone. And the community kpop creates can be a great thing, even though it can turn sour - I myself have found lifelong friends who I met through kpop, and we see this in ‘Virtual Angel’ too. The sorrow of their disappearance in the end doesn’t diminish the joy the six girls find in their friendships with each other. The particularly memorable line ‘I’ll be there for you when your wings break’ is a reminder that many of us find solace in our favoured internet obsessions in hard times, which isn’t necessarily negative. Religion and art have helped us navigate our lives as far back as the Ancient Athenians, and earlier still. Art and music and theatre are core tenets of the human experience because they are cathartic and meaningful and satisfying, and enjoying art with your friends, be it the new ARTMS music video in 2026 A.D., or the new Euripides tragedy in 426 B.C., is as necessary as it always was. ‘Virtual Angel’ functions as a form of cautionary tale - find joy in the music, but don’t let yourself be fooled into thinking the bright lights and the beauty are anything other than a construct, a simulation. Sometimes, you have to shut off your computer and touch the damn grass.

            “‘I’m youth, I’m joy,’ Peter answered at a venture, “I’m a little bird that has broken out of the egg.” Peter’s proud self-declaration resonates throughout The Dream Chapters, TXT’s first trilogy of albums, which tells of the boy’s first encounter with the real world and their naive response of running away. “Run Away” begins with their school looming like a prison over the wistful and miserable boys. As Yeonjun restlessly defaces his school book, it suddenly catches on fire. The five boys rally together to put it out. Beomgyu grabs a fire extinguisher. Taehyun researches “Put Out the Fire” in the library. But the fire rapidly spreads throughout the school. Their unhappiness with life has become the fire that grows out of control. Unable to contain the flames, they abandon their attempts and run away. In the sparks of trouble, their friendship is forged.  As the boys flee, they stumble across the school’s pool. Here is Peter Pan’s promise to never grow up and face grown-up things again. Forget the loneliness, forget the fire. Jump in and be youthful and joyful. Huening Kai takes the first steps into the water. After a breathless moment, his head pops up above the water. He signals to the other boys, and they all happily dive in. Their friendship and escape become the water they play in, reinforced in group choreography scenes where they dance inside a drained pool and amongst sprinklers on the field. And Peter’s promise is kept. At the bottom of the pool they discover a portal to Magic Island, a Neverland of the boys’ own making. Here they can avoid all their troubles. Here they can be with their friends forever. Only a large ominous door stands in their way. Interspliced shots cut back to the fire consuming the school. Yeonjun sets the door on fire, severing them from the real world and its consequences, and the boys sit back to watch, content in their friendship and magical world.

But like the ticking crocodile, the fire follows them. Their childish carelessness will have dangerous consequences just as with Peter Pan where “...the sport that engrossed him one moment would suddenly cease to engage him, so there was always the possibility that the next time you fell he would let you go.” In “Magic Island”, the boys have found a safe haven in each other and in their own little Neverland. They spend their days exploring and playing together, ignoring whatever eerie presence seems to lurk at the edge of their peripheral vision. As children, they can be oblivious, but also as children, they do not see danger when it arrives. They play with sparklers in the dense woods, and the forest catches fire. Smoke and flames quickly consume all of Magic Island. The boys have nowhere to run. Trapped, they are killed by the eerie entity following them. Consequences will always find them, and their desire to avoid hardships only allows trouble to seep into even their friendship. After all, “Thus children are ever so ready, when novelty knocks, to desert their dearest ones.” “Can't You See Me” takes the story back into the modern world, and the boys are just childhood friends hanging out at Soobin’s house. Fire blazes in the oven as they bake cookies. On the surface, they seem happy together, but hurt glares are tossed quietly. The song talks about feeling deserted and isolated by friends. These are boys who haven’t learned to grow up, and their inability to grow and trust in each other fractures their once safe haven. As in-infighting, mistrust, and violence escalates between them, the house catches on fire and slowly grows out of control. This time, nothing is stalking them, but still, the safety net of their friendship falls through. By the end, the boys are broken up and left to deal with their problems, and face the fire, on their own.

“None of them knew. Perhaps it was best not to know. Their ignorance gave them one more glad hour; and as it was to be their last hour on the island, let us rejoice that they were sixty glad minutes in it.” The end of their innocence backdrops The Chaos Chapters, the next set of TXT’s albums, as the boys become young adults. The albums simultaneously yearn and mourn for the fantasy of their youth as they experience the hardships of the real world for the first time. In “0x1=Lovesong”, the flagship song for this era, they are crushed by the pain of reality. They beg for that one person to love them back, a drowning man’s plea that this love can save them from this harsh world, and it echoes the boys’ earlier desire to remain safe within their friendship, free and innocent forever. In the music video, Yeonjun is trapped in a difficult home, alone and miserable as his parents fight in the background. His world brightens as he steals the car keys and reunites with his friends. Together they escape from the hellhole and drive off together to the middle of nowhere. As they drive, giant iridescent betta fish swim in the sky alongside them. The boys stumble upon an abandoned building complex, and upon exploring it further, they discover the complex’s drained indoor pool. The pool echoes the one in Run Away, but this one is starkly derelict and abandoned. The water and the fantasy are gone. The boys don’t care, though, and they chase each other and play around the pool’s rim. And suddenly at the bottom of the pool’s basin, heated portable pool appears. The boys jump in, splashing each other and relaxing, carefree in this secluded world they have built for each other. In the cold reality that the song speaks of, they find warmth and meaning in each other. As they swim together, betta fish swim in the water and in the sky alongside them. Only then do intercut shots reveal that Yeonjun has a fishbowl at home that he stares at all day. The boys are the fish in the bowl, not free, but oblivious and content just being together.

But “0x1=Lovesong” is about pleading for a love that is no longer there. Like for Peter Pan where “the difference between him and the other boys at such a time was that they knew it was make-believe, while to him make-believe and true were exactly the same thing,” the boys try to blur make-believe and truth and hold onto the fantasy that is already gone. In the climax of the “0x1=Lovesong” music video, the boys attempt to start a fire in a trashcan. They sacrifice their jackets as kindling, hoping the warmth of the fire will be enough to stave off the cold wind. They hope to have the best of both worlds, a small dose of reality and the safety of their friendship. Trying to start the lighter, Beomgyu accidentally burns down the car. The boys, though shocked, rejoice. Like the door burning in Run Away, their one link back to the troubled real world is up in flames. They are not careless children about to burn down their Magic Island anymore, but they still have successfully overcome the painful reality of heartbreak and loneliness by escaping it altogether. They can ignore the echoing loneliness of the abandoned complex surrounding them because they saved each other. Together they are free. But in the final moments of the music video, Yeonjun makes his big splash into the heated pool. He wakes up on a bed in the middle of the complex. The car is fine. He is alone.

"'How lovely,' cried Wendy so longingly that Mrs. Darling tightened her grip.” The act of growing up for these five boys is inevitable. Or so it seems, at least, until the dream from their childhood comes knocking at their window one more time. The Name Chapters, TXT’s 2023 album duology, sees the boys as young men who have learned the consequences of their carelessness in The Dream Chapters and survived the world’s loneliness in The Chaos Chapters. But the final step in growing up is choosing to accept it, and the “devil by the window” is here to offer the chance to run away again. “Sugar Rush Ride” opens with a drop of rain splashing on Yeonjun’s face. The boys wake up, shipwrecked on the beach of an island. Unlike the small set piece of the “Magic Island” music video, this Magic Island is a fully real, uninhabited tropical paradise. The boys are initially elated to be back, running around together like children and oblivious to time wearing on.  Their clothes become disheveled, and they submissively become entwined in tree vines, drifting in and out of psychedelic dreams. Soobin, in particular, is entranced by any body of water he finds. It’s only as they lounge by the lagoon that Beomgyu realizes something is wrong. The island wants to trap them here forever. One by one it begins to attack. Soobin, so lulled into submission, enters the lagoon and begins to drown. Magic Island is desperate to keep them at any cost, but it’s a place they have outgrown. To be lost in the fantasy has become a nightmare. The boys know what they must do. They escape through the forest at night and find their way back to the beach where a small boat awaits to take them away. As they get into the boat, Huening Kai gives one last look back, but it’s not out of longing. It’s a look of serenity in their choice. And here, by being the way back to the real world, the motif of water is flipped. The new fantasy, they hope at least, is to be able to grow up and find a way to face tomorrow, whatever it may hold.

“You need not be sorry for her. She was one of the kind that likes to grow up. In the end she grew up of her own free will a day quicker than the other girls.” At the core of Peter Pan is the choice to grow up. While Peter chooses eternal childhood, Wendy chooses to grow up, and her acceptance of it allows her to grow up “a day quicker”. In the same way, the boys choosing to grow up allows them in on a powerful truth. “Chasing That Feeling” begins with the boys waking up at the bottom of a sewer, as if the ocean they’d just crossed had left them there. Suddenly appearing before them are brightly colored balls of flames, beckoning each of them down a different tunnel. The song says they feel like they’re on fire like a shooting star. This fire is not just the fire of the cruel real world. It’s the unique flame that lives at the core of their being. The boys take off in different directions, chasing their fires across the busy metropolitan city. As each boy captures his own fire, he is suddenly able to do impossible feats. Taehyun sprints up the side of a building. Yeonjun skates on the cement streets. Beomgyu drives on the tunnel ceiling, cruising by all the other cars. Soobin rides on the roof of a train, and Huening Kai on the hood of a car. By embracing growing up, they finally have the maturity to embrace all the inner pain they tried to avoid and the inner joy they recklessly sought. That radical acceptance of themselves gives them the power to take on this relentless adult world and to do so, in fact, in impossible new ways. At the climax of the music video, the flames converge together and explode, and the boys are united once more, dancing in the streets. The city bends and distorts around them like a Marvel movie, yet they remain, the only stable thing in the world. And here lies the other powerful truth: They never needed to escape to Neverland to find friendship and magic. Magic lives in their love for each other, and that they will have wherever they go. At the end of the music video, the world rights itself, and the boys laughingly hurry together off the street and towards whatever comes next.

I feel like this pairing isn’t a rare sight to see because they actually often stay close to one another (whether intentional or not) so interactions are kinda inevitable.

BUT even so, I feel like this isn’t a popular ship because most of their interactions (similar to nearly all jun pairings) are quite lowkey.

Ok so now to start, I feel the need to point out that while Jeonghan is one of the members close to EVERYONE, there’s still something so refreshing about this duo. It isn’t as chaotic as the typical seventeen pairing you’d probably expect but instead, they’re both very soft for each other!

For example, Jeonghan is SO supportive of Jun, hyping him up every chance he gets. (Insert clips of jh saying “baksu” everytime jun says or does literally ANYTHING HUHU cuties) 

Jeonghan is also naturally clingy but I still find it so adorable when he clings onto Jun. (It’s usually jh grabbing jun’s arm or leaning on his shoulders) Mostly because I feel like Jun tends to get awkward with physical touch NOT initiated by him so the fact that he lets Jeonghan be that clingy is so cute. It also seems like he doesn’t mind, showing how it’s a natural and regular occurrence.

Observing their other interactions, I also noticed how Jun would often go to Jeonghan when he’s curious about something. You would always catch them whispering whether in the background of some GoSe episodes or even in random concert clips. The fact that this is a recurring thing means that he trusts Jeonghan enough to respond well to whatever he has to say.

Jun also seems like the type to hesitate to ask for favors so when he asked Jeonghan to buy him a blanket in one of their content (In the Soop 2) I WENT SOFT ON MY KNEES! It was just so nice seeing Jun ask Jeonghan with a soft voice and the latter responding the same way!

NOTE: I think it’s undeniable that Jeonghan is naturally reliable but I find it so wholesome when more quiet members like Jun express their gratitude because of how caring Jeonghan is (reference to that video of Jun thanking the older for being very considerate such as consistently asking if he's eaten his meals, etc). I find it so touching how Jun takes note of the little things and Jeonghan gets appreciated for being the members’ emotional support system.

In relation to this, the last point I’d like to make is when Jeonghan acts like a younger brother to Jun! This is particularly important to me because as we all know, Jun was like Seventeen’s “mother” before Jeonghan came so it’s nice to see Jun take care of the former for a change! Here are specific moments:

Do you remember that vlive where Jeonghan shared a story about jokingly (?) asking Jun to buy him a lego set? Jh wasn’t really expecting anything since it was a bit expensive, but Jun still bought it for him the next day because his hyung wanted it.

There’s also a part in the dingo drinking video where Jun reminded Jeonghan to slow down/calm down a bit because his arm injury wasn’t fully healed at the time.

Jeonghan also shared that Jun would NOT move an inch if you lay on his lap no matter how uncomfortable he may feel (reference to the 2nd picture!)

Idk about you but these give such big brother energy AND I LIVE FOR IT!

runners' up

rising - triples

there are two good stages with funky athletic wear, but it wasn't enough to bump it up to the overall category. mcountdown 230216, the show 230221

abyss - woodz

didn't promote it which is a shame, but the variety in the costuming for the different versions of himself is well done and it's a beautifully shot bottle mv.

moody - superkind

you got a fake member you gotta make it spooky!!! he's not real that's inherently spooky!!! anyways this is what i wanted them to do right off the bat some i'm glad they finally got my psychic memo.

golden hour - mark

absolutely fucking crazy. fantastic imagery. i think i talked about it earlier in the year but it's such a stupid and hilarious idea to make a whole diss track mv about a several year old meme and then actually make it strange and weird art. obsessed with it still.

sos - kang daniel

i'm also including the wasteland music sequence here because holy shit when this dropped i lost my mind. i'm always surprised by what kang daniel does bc i can never predict it, which over the last few years i'm coming to enjoy. and i absolutely did not expect him to produce basically an entire wild west mad max movie with equal the production value???? literally how did he do this. how. and then everyone paid it dirt??? it's an amazing mv and one of my faves of the year, the only reason it's not bumped up categories is bc although the styling was actually one of the only times tactical gear has been thematically relevant to a cb, its been so overused that it has no punch anymore, which makes me sad bc the tactical gear was good! and a good choice! and i feel bad saying it has no punch bc it should have!

small talk - kim sungkyu

we love when sungkyu acknowledges that he's annoying and a loser. all these outfits were so losercore. i loved this deviation from form for him; he's normally king wailer supreme, but he does smooth upbeat rock very well and it's a nice contrast with the capital y yearning that's in the bsides. it's only here bc he didn't promote much and i'm mad at him for putting dancing in the mv and then not dancing in any of the stages. mcountdown 230629, music core 230708, inkigayo 230709

ay-yo - nct 127

this is just here for taeyong's urchin outfit. well i'm a bit of liar it is actually a really fun early 00s inspired mv, but we all know the urchin outfit stole the show.

stamp on it - got the beat

i will hear NO slander against got the beat in this house, this was a great mv i love hot women planning a heist.

tricky house - xikers

FANTASTIC debut. does a really great job of establishing a character for them as a group and it's got such unique flavour. kq has made great use of their ateez money and also the lessons that they learned with ateez. i'm excited to see where xikers goes in the future, and since i'm writing this section from the future i can say that i do like where they've gone with full confidence. the only reason it didn't make the top list is bc the styling is kinda average for this era of kpop.

best overall

rose blossom - h1 key

i was aware of h1key before this but they hadn't really grabbed me, but damn this cb was so good. the mv is a nice mix of story and dance sections. plus a surreal section in the middle! and by virtue of being like the first cb of the year, they got the jump on this alt girl look that would be the dominating look for ggs this year. and i do think first did it best in this case, all the looks are smart with good group synergy and and a lot of creativity; when you do this type of alt-y punky style it's important that there's a diy element to it, which a lot of groups fail to grasp bc stylists are obsessed with luxury branding. h1key manages to avoid that mostly by being flops, but i'd like to believe its also bc their creative team cared about capturing the true spirit of the style.

stages: music bank 230106, mcountdown 230202, music bank 230203, mcountdown 230119, inkigayo 230108

tic tac - 8turn

honestly i was kinda ready to not like these guys since mnh shat the bed with chungha, but then i remembered that the mnh creative team is very good at their jobs, so here we are. this is one of the few debuts/cbs this year where every single stage was a hit and it was very hard to narrow down to just a few for here; lots of good emphasis on shape and colour and accent pieces with repeated motifs, which was a big part of the fashion in the 00s that they are remixing here. very strong debut especially for so early in the year and i'm looking forward to more.

stages: show champion 230208, mcountdown 230202, music bank 230203, show champion 230222, music core 230211, mcountdown 230223, music core 230225, inkigayo 230226

bonus: this absolutely hysterical 4minute cover (they even got the name bucket hats! not in the stage, but they had them in photos)

sweet juice - purple kiss

i'm not normally a fan of wes anderson or wes anderson inspired aesthetics because i find them too twee and perfect, but this wasn't too direct in it's inspirations and definitely had the spooky purki flavour. i really liked the uniformity of the costuming, both literally using uniform motifs and using the same fabrics; i really do miss the days when kpop costumes were design to actually be costumes with the group image in mind.

stages: mcountdown 230216, inkigayo 230219, music core 230225, music bank 230224, inkigayo 230226, music core 230304, inkigayo 230305

sour & sweet - bambam

bambam again proving that he's one of the few idols that knows his shit in terms of interesting styling. also if anyone knows where he filmed the mv/performance vid please tell me i need to know bc its so beautiful.

stages: mcountdown 230330, music bank 230331, inkigayo 230402, music bank 230407, music core 230408, inkigayo 230409,

bsides: music bank 230331, inkigayo 230409,

macarena - blitzers

i'm so so so glad blitzers got a bit more attention this year bc they deserve it and macarena was so good. perfect culmination of their goofy ass talents and the unusual creativity of their performance + creative directors. i'm even linking the mv teaser here bc its so goofy and offbeat and different. honestly i'd recommend watching as many of the stages as you can find bc they do different intros every time and it's very funny, but unfortunately tumblr has a link limit so i can't link them all.

stages: show champion 230426, music bank 230428, music core 230429, inkigayo 230430, inkigayo 230514, music core 230527

bouncy - ateez

yea yea yea nobody is surprised so sue me. this was a crazy followup to halazia and proved that ateez can deftly switch between serious dramatic performance and comedic but no less dramatic. i'm very happy to see how much work has been going into the main ateez mvs in the last year because it has very clear and striking direction that fits both their performance style and their creative ambition, as well as their growth as a group. also yea i'm not immune to neon cowboy shit.

stages: inkigayo 230618, music bank 230616, the show 230620, mcountdown 230622, music bank 230623, mcountdown 230629, music core 230701, inkigayo 230702

kick it 4 now - tnx

tnx had an absolutely banging 2023 and although kick it 4 now is has superior and more comprehensive production, love or die is also a very good cb, and both of them together have shown that they have a really good grasp on the genre of teen listlessness, from two different directions. kick it 4 now has been i think the most successful cb to actually capture the feel of first gen, and the creative team did a lot of extra work in order to pull that off. from all the graphic design to the goofy lil 90s style music show promos, to the styling, they had a clear goal and achieved it. i think it will be quite difficult for any other group to pull it off this thoroughly.

stages: music bank 230609 (the giant lyrics!!!), music core 230610, show champion 230614 (more giant lyrics!!), music core 230617, mcountdown 230622

shooting star + left right - xg

we all already know that left right was my most listened song this year, but the fact that the mv was b movie sci fi star trek themed? it's like simon made everything about this specifically for me thank you. xg blew everyone out of the water this year on every front; music, styling, choreography, you name it. i said i wanted groups to commit to their bits and i got it. they were completely unafraid to actually commit to the y2k nostalgia AND to harajuku styling; a lot of groups have weakly pawed at it but always back away due to the fact that harajuku and y2k are not actually 'pretty' fashion trends, which leaves their attempts half assed with no real understanding of why and how those trends happened. xg came saw and conquered the current trend in a way that only a japanese gg can do. my only annoyance is that they tone down the stylings when they promote on music shows, and i know why they do it, so it's not an annoyance at them, it's an annoyance at everyone else.

stages: shooting star - mcountdown 230202, con-tour 230217, the show 230221, inkigayo 230212, inkigayo 230205, con-tour 230224

left right - the show 230228, show champion 230222

circle - onew

absolute masterpiece. album of the year in every way. it's a profoundly beautiful unpacking of grief and the sadness that comes with acknowledging that things change, and the way that in that change life and humanity and story is eternal. a circle. the theatre imagery combined with the 60s style children's tv show use their similar but contrasting forms to illustrate the same point: something can be eternal and fleeting at the same time, and that heightens its value rather than diminishing it. the promo campaign was so thought out as well, i love the integration of the theatre imagery into the highlight medley and i highly recommend you watch it if you haven't. one of the best cbs from a solo artist in years.

stages: mcountdown 230309, music core 230311, music bank 230317, inkigayo 230319

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as in these examples below (tentative, this is just an approximate illustration), every human being falls into one among six tonal color groupings that matches their appearance the very best. 

it makes them pop, even if other palettes might be great also it looks the most harmonious. it’s their home, their strongest suit. everybody has a skin undertone (≠ skin color) that’s either on par with cool or warm tones which is the primary distinction, and deep or light, bright or muted color. there are lots of possible options of color palettes for each family. 

these 6 color families provide the subtypes of the 4 main ‘seasons’ which are the pillars of the whole system. hence, seasonal color analysis. this system has been around since the early last century and is as timeless as the name suggests.

congruently, let’s distribute the subtypes:

two seasons are warm-toned (Spring/Autumn), 

two are cool-toned (Summer/Winter),

two light (Spring/Summer), 

two deep (Autumn/Winter),

two bright (Spring/Winter), 

two soft (Summer/Autumn). 

you’ll understand it in a minute. i found this graphic spectrum helpful, take a second to think it through — again we have temperature, value, chroma.

say if the color is warm, it can only be spring or autumn. a light color can only be spring or summer. and so on. it’s that straightforward. there’s always two each. and every person’s best palette is found in one slice of this pie.

i love the idea of comparing seasons to people. we’re working by exclusion principle/narrowing it down to type someone here. say, if an idol looks dashing in cool colors that are also very bright and deep, they are a winter. 

so that’s how the 6 families distribute among the four main categories. i know, it’s a lot to memorize. here’s a representative color each, and an overview that’s simpler.

and yes, it’s quite literally the colors of landscapes during those times of the year. like in nature, all of us are either spring, summer, autumn, or winter (and one of three subcategories, so there are 12 possible types in total). 

let’s use some broad examples to summarize:

1. spring colors are warm, bright, light (like a flowerbed or meadow in the morning) — stray kids’ felix

2. summer colors are cool, soft, light (like the beach or city at daytime) — bts’ jimin

3. autumn colors are warm, soft, deep (like falling leaves at dawn or a cozy home) — nct’s jaehyun

4. winter colors are cool, bright, deep (like a snowy night or crisp barren landscape) — bts’ yoongi

within these four archetypes, we can categorize the 6 color family subtypes as beautiful 12 (non-exhaustive, there are many more options) palettes. example:

notice how:

the early two seasons are less shaded. spring and summer are very subtle.

spring/autumn have a lot of yellow base: they are GOLD. 

vivid the later seasons are. autumn and winter are the pretty heavy ammo.

and how blue-base crisp and cool summer/winter look like: they are SILVER. 

not all golds and silvers are created equal, some are lighter, other shades are deeper. but the general guideline for beginners is: cool season = blue/silver like yoongi and warm season = gold/yellow like namjoon. easy hack:

both can look good on a person, but one either distracts from the face/doesn’t do anything for you while the other makes you glow refreshed. that’s how you differentiate. let’s figure out how we apply all of this when looking at pictures.

/// what the person’s best color palette does for them:

the outfit works together with the face.

a coherent impression is created.

the features are well-defined.

it’s a ‘wow’ moment. nothing is off.

the whites of the eye are emphasized.

you overlook blemishes; the person looks even and radiant.

a healthy, moderate shine appears.

it compliments the natural hair color (which is always your exact season)

your attention is on the face, not the styling.

the color feels modern, appropriate, interesting.

the right amount of contrast, tying everything together.

/// meanwhile, how you know it’s NOT the individual’s personal color:

their skin appears a lot warmer or cooler than it usually is. #1 dead giveaway. 

as i’ve heard korean color analysts say, ‘the head floats’: because it feels so separate from the color. (= too high contrast)

the garment casts weird shadows on their chin/cheeks/under the eyes etc. that don’t come from elsewhere.

it all doesn’t feel healthy and smooth.

it makes the skin seem greyed/dull, maybe paler, even blotchy.

it simply kills the vibe of the outfit. something is off, the clothing suspiciously washes them out. (=wrong undertone)

the color is odd, boring, or chaotic on them. 

the jawline suddenly loses all previous definition, blends with the neck. or: the features are unusually severe.

this is basically “style yoongi like a spring (=felix) VS style felix like a winter (=yoongi)”: the difference is immense between warm and cool tones. winter coloring craves so much opposing shades while a spring face is best complimented by no contrast at all. remember: spring is subtle, winter is heavy ammo. felix is a believable blonde because his season is very light and yellow-based.

let’s practice even more and go through all 4 seasons with taeyong’s ever-changing hair. little did we know: if it’s too bright, muted, or warm, his complexion also becomes brighter, softer, and warmer accordingly: to compensate/adapt to the surrounding color/pick up the reflection. but when he wears his best palette that is mostly black-based, it shows his face as it is: cool, strong, intense, and contrasting like winter.

if that’s too difficult, let’s go back to do a simple gold VS silver example. that’s how you can tell that shinee’s taemin is cool-toned. 

his recent eras have been more geared toward his undertone that is blue-based and sophisticated (silver, white/grey, blue) rather than warm, bold, and expressive (gold, orange, yellow). 

the majority of warm colors look a little overstated or draining on him, while cool tones underline his sexy image just right. 

(the bottom left example isn’t a summer type outfit because it’s dark and saturated — but he can still pull it off since winter is also blue-based)

cool and warm tones can be applied to all people’s fashion and hair. what matches their complexion seamlessly, what makes them glow. every human being has a distinct palette. 

what may look mediocre on a summer might feel hot on an autumn; every color can be interesting: on the right person. a clear white t-shirt (=cool tone) is meh? think again when a winter type wears it (bts’ taehyung).

meanwhile, make no mistake: finding one’s season has nothing to do e.g. with how tan you are, or eye color. if someone has light skin, they are not automatically light spring or light summer. because ‘light’ is a color family in this system, not a name for a skin tone — just like having dark skin won’t make a person a dark winter or dark autumn type, for instance. 

i’ll give an example outside of k-pop. my favorite football player, leroy sané (about time the world learns about this cutie). in his wardrobe, nothing does it like the light and radiant tone of spring. he wears the most extreme warm chroma kits with zero effort: while cool-toned, dark colors could never compete. he glows in bright clothes and exciting warm tones. because... he’s a clear spring type! 😍

or say, if someone is naturally warm blonde: that doesn’t make them a spring or autumn automatically. it’s just that — the other way around! — people who are springs and autumns wear warm hair colors superbly well, e.g. stray kids’ hyunjin. 

so this is purely about which patterns of color assimilate the best to you as a holistic impression. the contrast level of your features overall is much more important, and how either cool or warm tones make you come to life. remember, gold or silver, and you need to know how intense they can go.

OVERVIEW

people with a warm skin undertone thrive in colors that are more upbeat, bright and vibrant with less contrast (spring), while others are suited by contrasting golden earth and jewel tones (autumn).

people with a cool skin undertone are flattered by colors that are more light silvery and pastel (summer), while others fit stronger icy tones that feature more extreme black and white contrast (winter).

IMPORTANT CAUTIONARY NOTES: 

- that precisely means: some cool/warm tones may not hit home for someone, BUT lighter or darker ones may. trial and error. when analysing, don’t discard something too easily. and: as we saw, some palettes overlap and seemingly share colors. for instance, bright winters can borrow from bright spring types, since they’re both from the bright family. say, jimin can wear some assorted colors of spring AND summer.

still: keep in mind the basic ideas (and how winters always look better in cool shades, while spring is always warm). if he’s a cool tone and his best colors are soft > bright, and light > dark = we can do the math. he’s a summer. taemin is amazingly flattered by hazy, dusky greys — it’s a light muted palette. grey’s not cute and memorable? he can make it so.

or vice versa. if he’s cool toned and bright > soft, and dark > light = he’s a winter, like changkyun. winters thrive on contrast and can’t handle bleach as easily as summers and springs. their face disappears, almost becomes ghost-like. taemin can pull off blonde like it’s nothing, while changkyun needs the depth of dark winter hair, as it wonderfully contours his face. winters look their most sexy and mysterious in very strong hues.

- color analysis takes so much differenciation as color varies so much. a bright warm red (= spring, even winter) might not be bull’s eye for someone because the saturation/chroma is too much, but a soft warm red (= autumn) can. it’s hard to study at first, so sticking with the 4 seasons concept as a beginner can help, long as you remember the 6 color families.

- someone might wear items/hair color from different seasons at the same time. analysis difficulty mode 5000. say, the foundation could be summer, the eye makeup winter, the shirt spring, and the hair autumn. but you can figure out what feels right one by one. bts’ yoongi can wear warm toned orange hair and it’s not in his palette — he’s a cool tone. but depending on the rest of the outfit, the overall impression still works anyway and looks pretty good. 

since he’s a winter, he can balance the orange hair with black + silver accessories and pull it off better. too soft grey clothing doesn’t make him pop as much and the hair takes over. there’s a reason why the right-hand version went viral and is hard to forget. yoongi wears his winter palette very often. 💘

- what looks good on someone often resorts to subjective VS objective. what makes someone look radiant and harmonious can be very different to color analyst’s different perspectives and even biases. if you want someone to be season XYZ, you find ways to justify it. that’s why proper analysis means: sifting through dozens and dozens of pictures, and sometimes correcting your typings over and over. 

meanwhile, sometimes it’s easy — because the difference is so extreme. consider txt’ yeonjun with warm blonde hair before an orange color background and dark hair before a cool grey backdrop:

- keep in mind that certain seasons will be more prevalent among idols. the colorful spring tone era of kpop has blended into a more cool-tone dominated era in the industry. there’s a trend toward casting winters and summers into agencies, but mostly winter. their range of colors is more flexible and eyecatching, and always ready for a classic black tie event. a bright winter aesthetic is veeery popular for nct’s music videos, for instance (so pretty). 

(how do you know it’s not bright spring? it has strong black background contrast and silver in it.)

so, styling examples in warm tones are harder to find and analyse if seemingly all men’s fashion is blue-based and you don’t find comparison pictures. spring is already seldom worn, but autumn concepts like shinee’s are especially rare.

- some body types do some color palettes better than others. if you have heard of kibbe body typing, you’ll know what i mean. if your body type says ok, a vertical line of black color works best for you, but your personal color says you’re a soft or light season instead of a high contrast season? meeting halfway and typing well is even more difficult if you consider kibbe and aren’t a versatile gamine or classic type. i mean look at this recommendation table mess:

- often, people can never seem to agree on a typing online, even experts. everyone has their own approach and tweaks to the theory. the debate can get heated and messy; nobody wants to be wrong despite color analysis being so hard to get right. othertimes, i’ve seen color analysts or forumists type things like ‘ew, person XYZ looks the absolute worst in this color it’s horrible!!’ — i encourage everyone to stay civil and not insult the person you’re typing by saying they look terrible, awful, hideous, gross, nasty, et cetera. and even if a color doesn’t look right, say which one does, end on a positive note. color theory is no excuse or shield to hide behind to call someone ugly.

- lighting/editing/filters can also mess with correct analysis. photo backgrounds can reflect. the issue of artificial vs natural lighting — what helps to type more accurately? (...if you ask me, natural. but color harmony shows indoors anyway, and even in bad lighting.) if the person is wearing major cleavage, their own skin will ‘cancel out’/neutralize the effect of the garment’s color cast on the face. it takes time and effort to learn this system so mistakes sneak in, i constantly err myself. the list goes on. online typings can easily be inaccurate; we’re not doing the analysis in person, with clearly labelled color drapes and palettes under the face as the pros are doing it for consultations.

example: his company can edit and photograph taemin as a deep winter, icy lighting, heavy makeup, black clothes. but unwhitewashed pictures will tell you that all black everything isn’t as spot-on as more gentle summer colors. 

winter is too strong and deep. summer is just right, being easygoing and subtle enough.

- always remember that all colors can be made more cool or warm (by adding yellow or blue respectively), dark or light (by adding black or white), soft or bright (by adding or subtracting grey). yellow can be made cool or warm, blue can be made cool or warm. white can be crisp or off-white/beige. there are only a few dealbreakers in this system. for instance, cool seasons struggle with wearing either orange, and light seasons don’t pull off any black, and the warm color family is incompatible with very sharp white. but other than that, remember that any color is always able to be manipulated on a spectrum.

but usually, when you type someone into warm or cool, the difference can be quite glaring and you don’t have to go the extra mile and find them in a cool blue vs a warm blue, for instance. let’s look at felix from stray kids and which tone accentuates his face the best in random colors:

the cool and ashy purple of the dye, the blue-based background, and the black jacket don’t do him any justice. it’s a styling for a winter. instead, felix being a spring is best-complimented by warm blonde hair (guess why he wears it so often, it’s in his palette) and citrus pastels, with warm tone makeup like the peachy coral lip on the right. that’s all we need to check.

- seasonal color analysis works best when the person doesn’t wear makeup and you just observe the effect of the surrounding colors on their face, but then again: makeup is also ‘surrounding color’ and will read as either fitting or separate from the person. let’s look at taeyong:

the fiery red hair and orange eye shadow are mostly yellow-based and therefore suited for a warm undertone. on his cool tone skin, it needs deeper and more blue-based colors, or a strong contrast like on the right. a cool brunette tone and silver jewelry are just natural on him. even a very subtle makeup style can help him dress his season, despite taeyong handling tons of makeup on any given day. moral of the story, long as his outfit is deep-toned enough, he can go for anything except too much yellow-base. 

THE SIX COLOR FAMILIES IN DEPTH: EXAMPLES. 

to end this post, let’s practice again to sort idols into the big 6. because as long as you got these down, you can type someone on your own. 

bts’ namjoon’s color family is gently muted. his stylists don’t go for it often, but he wears beigey-peachy soft tones like no other. there’s a reason why he does honey blonde and brunette hair all the time: his undertone is warm. namjoon is a delicate soft autumn.

shinee’s key is very versatile in fashion, but his color family is cool. very breezy and a bit muted, but mostly full of blue-based greys and browns. not too much winter constrast, this is a more subtle palette. his undertone is cool. kibum is a cool summer. 

and finally, stray kids felix as we saw belongs to the warm tones, and the light family. that means minimum contrast and lots of subtle chroma, beige and cream are his forte. the more understated the tint of the clothing and accessories, the better. felix is a light spring.

yep, this can go on and on. i hope you picked up some knowledge bombs from this explanation and feel as intrigued by personal color as i am, do ask if you have any questions and need some help.