Whatever that means. If you think what the acronym stands for is weird, you have yet to find out what BEAST and MBLAQ stand for. Though BAP is pretty cool while the acronym sounds funny.
I've heard of them before as rookies but took no notice. The name VIXX is hardly impressive or intriguing.
I only looked them up after coming across a picture of them on Instagram. They were performing on stage, each member clad in a fitted suit, perfectly made up face and the it-never-gets-old sexy mic strapped to their cheek. What caught my attention, though, were the yellow contact lenses and black nailpolish.
I'm a sucker for guys in nailpolish and eyeliner; the talent was an added bonus.
Curiosity led me to the song in which they donned the outrageous -even for k-pop standards- getup, 'On and On', or 'I'm Ready to Get Hurt'.
S&M? Not quite. It's about the pain of love, of course, as most k-pop songs are about. And damn was that addictive. Though an avid k-popper, I need a few listens to a new song to really get into it but I loved 'On and On' from, well, the ONset. Heheh.
One thing led to another and as is the usual case when it comes to k-pop groups, -girls, y'all know what I'm talking bout'- I get to know the whole group and a little more.
 |
| VIXX in high fashion. Hyuk, Ken, N, Hongbin, Ravi, Leo. |
ERAS
1. SUPERHERO
As a k-pop rookie group, this may not have been the best choice of debut song to grab the attention of the masses (dramatic, epic songs about heartbreak often fare better) but this is delightfully catchy. It's also good for easy listening, okay, easier listening.
2. ROCK YOUR BODY
Carrying on with another infectious dancey tune, Rock Your Body started to mark a signature style -or so we thought- for VIXX. It's a feel good song with a catchy melody but again, not the kind that usually pulls in the fans by the truckloads.
3. ON AND ON (I'M READY TO GET HURT)
Only towards the end of this era did I pay attention to VIXX. And as is common in K-pop, the bad boy/heartbroken/dramatic kind of music which is a trademark of this genre worked well in VIXX's favour. Like me, many other k-poppers started showing VIXX support. And if I'm not wrong, this is their most successful song to date. Eyeliner, coloured contacts, black nailpolish and suits did wonders for VIXX. Another nice song from this era is 'I Don't Wanna Be An Idol'.
4. HYDE
Learning from their new found success, their next comeback -which I eagerly anticipated- was along the lines of a boy being an emotional wreck for a girl and becomes a monster, hence Hyde from Dr Jekyll and Hyde. I was on the fence about Leo's shoulder length wig but towards the end the company came to their senses and removed the item from their performances and promotions completely. Song is good too, the MV a little freaky and dark but you get to see a different side of the group. An amazing ballad in this album is 'Love Letter' in which all members, even Ravi show off a little of their vocals. Leo is a real show stealer in this one for me. 'Light Up the Darkness' is really catchy too.
5. JEKYLL
Well, no surprise here. Though the song they are coming back with currently as of early August is 'G.R.8.U.' or 'You're Impressive'. I actually really like this song and it's much lighter than Hyde and it waxes lyrical about a girl being, well, GR8 (great). And ooh, VIXX's bare collarbones.
MEMBERS
Leo, the devil-may-care bad boy who hardly ever cracks a smile or says a peep but has a soft spot for animals, plays football, plays the piano, sings like an angel, is a pretty fine dancer too. He beats up his members -with love- when they make fun of him or when he doesn't get what he wants.
First time I saw Leo on TV, VIXX were playing a game. I had no idea who they were but k-pop groups' antics tend to be funny so I watched and this guy caught my attention because while pretty much all k-pop stars are either bubbly and crazy or sweet and diplomatic; Leo looked like he couldn't give a damn. Looking either bored or disinterested half the time, I kinda fell for this socially awkward tough guy. My bias in VIXX.
 |
| Hyuk, the youngest in the group, constantly the object of the members' abuse, cheerful, sometimes absent and indifferent like Leo, a good kid. I can't tell you too much about this guy. |
Hongbin, basically the face of the group. I think he's a decent dancer and has a nice voice too but most people and even the directors of their company/group peg him as just a pretty face. Seems pretty charming in videos. Very likeable.
Ken, the dork. He's that one friend who has a knack for comedy. Also a really good singer. Loves attention, trying -and succeeding the most among members- to make Leo laugh, and being known as the cute guy. Cute as in adorable. I'm talking Gwiyomi and Buing Buing.
Ravi, the necessary rapper in this k-pop group. Has a nice singing voice though. Has 'chocolate abs' whatever that means. Is nice, I suppose. Good dancer and helped with composing some of their songs.
N, the oldest which makes him -most of the time- the leader of the group. Something of a bully in my opinion honestly, but the members often get even. Always teased for being dark-skinned. He's a pretty funny guy too, an excellent dancer, has never really changed his hairstyle since debut except for the colour.
POPULARITY
Something totally irrelevant about VIXX which I find myself liking is how they're pretty similar in height, around 180cm.
They're a talented bunch, with catchy songs and good looks to boot, but then again, nothing too different from the other existing boybands. Not to say they're not special, but if you think they're much, much better than all the other boybands, you're being a little biased without reason.
I think they definitely deserve more support than they're getting. They work really hard for performances and even variety shows. But of course, the company's popularity greatly affects how well you do in shows, rankings and fanbase. Debuting around the same time as EXO from SMENT, BAP from TSENT and BtoB from CUBE to name a few, this group while growing in popularity steadily, did not start out as well received as the others, especially EXO.
Nevertheless, people are beginning to recognise their talent so yay :) !
So here I conclude my beginner's guide to VIXX. Join us Starlights today ! :D
Oh yeah, and I made a cover of 'I Don't Wanna Be An Idol' :)
https://soundcloud.com/jessrockstah/vixx-i-dont-wanna-be-an-idol
No comments:
Post a Comment