2015 has come and gone, so that means it’s time to start looking back on the events, stories, and media that made 2015 worthwhile. To kick off our look back, here are some of our favorite MVs from the year (of course, in no particular order).
Xia Junsu “Flower” | March 2, 2015
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, “Flower” tells the story of Kronos in artistic fashion. The beauty of the MV shows stark contrasts between destruction and luxury complete with references to The Terminator and the Four Horseman as well as the beginning of humanity. Junsu’s ability to tell a story is the most eye-catching element of “Flower,” but it’s a shame it didn’t get enough recognition.
GOT7 “Just Right” | July 12, 2015
For fans who grew up with N*SYNC and their song “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “Just Right” is right up your alley! The GOT7 boys are miniature versions of themselves and telling a young girl she’s perfect as is. “Just Right” is equal parts cute and charming, but it’s full of nostalgia. It doesn’t focus on power and in-your-face action, so it’s subtleties are much appreciated. The MV is just sweet and, well, “Just Right.”
Gain “Paradise Lost” | March 11, 2015
“Paradise Lost” exudes artistry as it paints a tapestry of lustful sin. Interpretive dance and beautiful scenery juxtaposed against light and dark sets help create the contrasts between innocence and embracing sin to tell a story. “Paradise Lost” capitalizes and Gain’s effortless sexiness to generate an interesting video worth watching on repeat to catch all the subtleties you may have missed the first time.
Jihoon Owl’s Project “Fly to Your Dream” | July 2, 2015
Straight from a storybook, “Fly to Your Dream” utilizes animation and whimsy to create an MV that’s different and magical despite some of its bleakness. The animation doesn’t have a lot of movement, but the detail it includes makes it heartwarming and hopeful.
BIGBANG “Bae Bae” | April 30, 2015
As our sister-blog states, “Bae Bae” should be an acronym for BIGBANG’s Acidic Euphoria, Big Arousal Experience. Pretty much everything in “Bae Bae” references sex in a fun, colorful way. It’s like erotic art come to life. There are so many wild references and scenery that “Bae Bae,” although contemporary, has a timeless quality to it.
Red Velvet “Dumb Dumb” |September 8, 2015
Colorful, cheerful, and trippy, “Dumb Dumb” is a visual treat although headache-inducing at times due to scenery shifts and the duplicity effects. “Dumb Dumb” shows off Red Velvet’s youth and maturity factors flawlessly with bright pops of color, storybook charm, and adult takes on life. However, why does SM insist on making Red Velvet verge on the creepy-side with same-y appearances and expressionless faces?
F(x) “4 Walls” | October 26, 2015
While it may be difficult to follow at first, “4 Walls” is an adventure of an MV as Amber, Krystal, Luna, and Victoria seemingly exist on a different plane to experience a Butterfly Effect. In simplified terms, they experience an event as it happens and see the chain reaction it causes, but the event hasn’t happened. They do, however, get an opportunity to fix the occurrence before it happens. Set to muted colors and gorgeous shots of nature, “4 Walls” has an ethereal feel to match it’s mystical, EDM beat.
Wonder Girls “I Feel You” | August 2, 2015
Wonder Girls, while currently a four-member group, made their long-awaited comeback with “I Feel You.” The MV is perfectly 1980s thanks to the stylists and directors, matching the strong synth the song presents. While it’s not the most exciting MV, its nostalgia-factor makes a difference.
SHINee “Married to the Music” |August 2, 2015
Many agree that SHINee is one of the true SM Entertainment gems, and for good reason: They’re not boxed into one concept. When SHINee makes a comeback, it’s almost guaranteed it’s going to be different. “Married to the Music” takes a bizarre turn and is unusually dark for a SHINee MV with beheadings and body parts randomly disappearing. Its dreamlike eeriness set to one of the year’s most addicting tracks makes it a memorable MV.
Lizzy “I’m Not an Easy Girl” | January 22, 2015
“I’m Not an Easy Girl” gets creativity points for the almost seamless additions of Lizzy into the 1961 film Seong Chunhyang. When paired with the movie’s story, the song’s spot-on theme feels oh-so-right. The MV gets credit for (hopefully) introducing new fans to the film, and that cannot be ignored.
Rainbow “Black Swan” | February 22, 2015
The black and white aesthetics and theming from the film Black Swan make Rainbow’s “Black Swan” a beautiful and severely underrated MV. The girls’ acting in the MV is spot-on with subtle facial expressions that express insanity and inner turmoil, while the artistry add more depth and soul to what seems like a simplistic MV on the surface.
Anda “Touch” | June 3, 2015
While unintentional, “Touch” is progressive as it’s LGBTQ-friendly due to its portrayal of seemingly female-female relations. “Touch” has a guerrilla-style quality that adds more authenticity to the MV. The dark scenes, muted colors, redundancies, and dance help enhance an MV that could have been boring, but it has plenty of layers to it.
Mamamoo “Um Oh Ah Yeh” | June 18, 2015
The gender-bending MV for “Um Oh Ah Yeh” has spunk and shows off why Mamamoo is a girl group on the rise with many devoted fans. Mamamoo is not afraid to smash expectations and play it safe like other new female groups. They’re far from boring
VIXX LR “Beautiful Liar” | August 16, 2015
In this dark and lovely MV, Ravi and Leo have more chemistry then many other couple in a K-Pop MV. There are two ways to view this MV with one interpretation focusing on Ravi being Leo’s lie and the other where Leo represents the lie. The passion and electricity that power this MV should be of particular focus because it makes for great storytelling.
TWICE “Like Ooh Ah” | October 19, 2015
Often overdone, the zombie motif still crops up a few times a year in the K-Pop world. For “Like Ooh Ah,” the visuals are campy as he MV plays tribute to teen horror flicks while the TWICE ladies play different character stereotypes. It’s a cute introduction to the group that combines elements from Warm Bodies and many other zombie and teen films to give it 1990s flare with modern touches.
EXID “Ah Yeah” | April 12, 2015
“Ah Yeah’s” appeal is due in part thanks to EXID poking fun at beauty-obsessed culture in a time when censorship strongly runs rampant. The contrasts make “Ah Yeah” a social commentary piece in addition to showing off how multi-faceted and quirky EXID are. We’re happy they’re finally getting attention.
PSY “Daddy” | November 30, 2015
While it’s downright disturbing at times (PSY’s head on a child’s body anyone?), “Daddy” is 100 percent PSY complete with iconic dancing. Even though it still feels like he’s stuck in a loop since “Gangnam Style” took off (we seriously recommend checking out “Right Now” era and anything prior to get a sense of PSY’s layers), “Daddy” is all at once humorous and terrifying.
Joelle Halon earned her MFA in English in 2010. While teaching a college humanities course, she woke up one morning realizing she was unhappy. She had a crazy plan: Leave teaching to become a writer. She’s now here at KCrush, so it seems to have all worked out since she writes about what she loves: K-Pop and Korea (although Indiana is far away from Korea).
K-Pop consumed her in the late 1990s, although she’ll tell you Baby V.O.X was the first group she truly loved. B.A.P is her ultimate bias, and she considers Bang Yongguk and Himchan her inspirations to do good. One day, she hopes to thank them for inspiring her. She once got to talk to Nu’est’s Aron and Lunafly’s Sam Carter through their Arirang radio programs, which caused a fan-girl explosion.
In her free time, Joelle loves to draw, write fiction, and engage in other crafty endeavors.
—-Joelle Halon