The K-pop movement has evolved throughout the years, with many of the most influential groups, such as BTS (방탄소년단) and BLACKPINK (블랙핑크), making headlines in all corners of the world. But what happens when our favourite stars try tapping into the Western pop scene, straying away from the K-pop genre?
With the hype of Lisa’s (리사) first solo debut album ravaging through social media, music critics were quick to give their insights, ranging from the all the goods to all the bads. In a jarring review from Pitchfork, a popular online music magazine, of her album “Alter Ego”, the Thai-born artist received a 5.2 out of 10 rating, causing a mass uproar from netizens online.
Excerpts from the article highlighted how the album lacked depth despite exploring themes of various personalities relating to the star, “LISA, who is part of the record-setting K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, needs to convince you that she has depth without her bandmates. ‘Alter Ego’ proves she doesn’t”. The article has since been a topic of interest among netizens, with opinions torn on both sides.
Taking to Twitter, netizens showed support towards the artist, calling out the article as a clear mistreatment of K-pop artists. Netizens were also quick to fire at the online magazine, claiming their album reviews were irrelevant and biased. Twitter user @/illuminatedlex mentioned, “That Ice Spice album score makes anything relating from music from them null and void”, highlighting that most people are not agreeing with reviews from Pitchfork.
The author of the article has then taken to Twitter to back his claims, as fans have taken matters to flood his socials regarding the review. He claimed that he is unbiased and has already begun reviewing BLACKPINK’s member Jennie’s (김제니) solo debut album, which seems to be garnering a higher rating from the Pitchfork author.
Fans have since been actively supporting Lisa’s solo album debut despite the number of articles criticising the debut. How should we take on the matter of K-pop idols tapping into the Western pop scene? Is giving the benefit of the doubt for reviews like this appropriate, or should we be taking into account the creativity and effort that these idols take when curating their songs?
Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article
