U-Kiss & Infinite

It's already been more than three months since I wrote my first review on Psy. Unexpectedly, time has really flown by since then. During all this time, I never got to review a mainstream K-Pop artist, despite my initial goals for starting this blog. And when you say mainstream K-Pop, you can't leave out boy bands. So for what will probably be my final post for this blog, I will do a dual review on two of my most favorite boy bands, U-Kiss and Infinite.

U-Kiss
Label: NH Media
Debut: August 28, 2008
Singles: "Am I That Easy," "0330," "Neverland"

Dongho, Kevin, AJ, Soohyun, Hoon, Eli, Kiseop (l-r)

I first got to know about U-Kiss in Asian Media Club. It seems like that's where most of my K-Pop revelations have come from. Julia showed this music video, of their song, "0330," and almost immediately, I was hooked. At first, it was just because of their music (I know, surprising, right?), but as I gradually got to know them, I eventually fell in love with them. One of the best things about the K-Pop industry is that it lets you get to know your favorite bands and artists, through "variety shows," or essentially talk shows or "a-day-in-the-life" shows that document their lives. Although some variety shows are similar to American reality shows, and therefore what they show sometimes seems kind of fake, a lot of them do a good job of portraying the real lives of K-Pop artists (or that's what I like to think). The thing that got me to fall in love with U-Kiss is that they seemed a lot more open and honest than most K-Pop boy bands. Usually, most K-Pop groups just say the obvious thing, where they only answer the questions that they're directly asked. However, U-Kiss has a knack of sometimes saying the  wrong things and being a little too truthful. For example, in one of their interviews, they were sneakily asked if they watched porn, and they confidently answered yes, they do watch porn, sometimes. Most boy bands would act all shy and innocent, and cleverly divert the question. I think that U-Kiss is one of those exceptions for K-Pop boy bands, who try to show their real personalities instead of just promoting their flawless looks and talent. Although a lot of boy bands try to do this these days, U-Kiss was the first boy band that I could really relate to, or at least feel like I could relate to, and therefore will always have a special place in my heart.

Infinite

Label: Woolim Entertainment

Debut: June 9, 2010

Singles: "Be Mine," "Paradise," "The Chaser"

Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sunggyu, L, Hoya, Sungjong, Sungyeol (l-r)

I just found about Infinite this summer, on the first day of August to be exact. This time, I actively searched for them, because of all the hype surrounding them at the time, and because I was just bored. Infinite is one of the most popular boy bands these days; they're essentially called the trend in the K-Pop industry. They're rising in the K-Pop scene day by day, despite the fact that they only have two years of experience behind them. Their huge following is only increasing in Korea. However, what really got me to like this band is their similarities with U-Kiss. On the surface, Infinite and U-Kiss don't look at all alike, but I got the similar feeling from Infinite as I did with U-Kiss. After all the watching, observing, poring over their performances, interviews, and shows, I really felt like Infinite were just seven ordinary guys pursuing their dreams in the music world, who happen to be really attractive and talented at the same time. They have that boy-next-door appeal, but on stage, they are the idols, the K-Pop stars that they're known to be. In a way, they're kind of the younger version of U-Kiss, in my mind. Perhaps even more talented, and lucky, in terms of their success in the K-Pop industry.