#yixing

250907 layzhang instagram story update with junmyeon

even kyungsoo can’t get his chance to shine in the MV: the bland production is rather unbelievably cheap for a song about being royalty. meanwhile, chanyeol is the only standout to reheat the mama nachos? everything is greenscreen and the comback stage (plus the widespread crickets online) is feeling empty and noise-laden with good reason. crown could be cool and a big statement but compared to lotto or love shot being catchy hardhitters in every aspect, the kpop world is upside down with this one-star comeback. even the lyrics don’t catch on with anything new, and if sehun doesn’t have a memorable meme tag line that everyone talks about, you know it’s not exo being exo. i’ve watched them since their debut and this is as far away from the inventive, cool, interesting exo growl-formula as possible.

even if you’re not keeping up with SM and stan other artists, i fear many big household names will be next with this ai downgrade phenomenon, i especially dread hybe pulling something like this on BTS after YG already fell. we need to keep demanding physical sets and fair idol contracts as fans, otherwise we can forget about what made kpop so unique and high in quality for the future. if exo doesn’t serve a groundbreaking comeback and is behind the curve, that is always a bad omen for everything else. they have so many unforgettable hits and stunning vocal highlights and crowd pleasers, but crown isn’t one of them: the message is bold but the overall presentation reduces it to nothingness. i know some people do like the vibe of crown, but where’s the jawdropper, the classic killing part?