Posts by Adecasc

Quote from citron-icy

I may be too interpretive as a fan

I think you might be on to something here...

Personally, I don't know Wheein so instead of trying to armchair psychoanalyze her by the 1% of her life that I get to see on camera I'm just going to believe her own words and what she says she wants to do and achieve. And I'm always going to give preference to what someone says most recently or in the present because opinions, attitudes, and goals can shift as time goes by and different life experiences are added. If at some point she says she want no recognition and wants out of the spotlight, I'm going to believe her then too because minds can change. I am just a fan and I am not privy to the full scope of her life and circumstances.

"I'm ready to move to a new environment"

Seems pretty obvious code for her moving to another company. I wonder who it will be. I would place my bets on AOMG or H1GHER because she has collaborated with several artists from that roster (Sik-K, pH-1, GSoul). Any announcement will probably come only after Mamamoo's WAW promotions end.

Why is this "Wheein is done with idol life" or even "Wheein is done with the spotlight" narrative so persistent and entrenched no matter what Wheein says recently?

Sure, Wheein has had her struggles but she looked happy, confident and in her element during Water Color promotions this year. She even said in an interview for Redd that she was at a good place both mentally and physically and expressed her wish to make music for a long time. In the recent WAW interview she reiterated that she was at her best physically and mentally during Redd promotions and wants to stay that way. She even said that the key word she likes seeing associated with her name is 'all-rounder' and while she is grateful that many people do already recognize her skills and talents, she wants for even more people to recognize her. Doesn't sound like someone who wants to leave the spotlight.

The possible end of an era...

RBW already said weeks ago that they were in final discussions with Wheein. And now the statement they released in response to those articles has the same weak, indeterminate phrasing. It looks like typical damage control. At this point I would be very surprised if it turns out that Wheein re-signs with RBW for all of her activities, group and solo.

I think there are two scenarios that are probable.

1. Wheein re-signs with RBW only for Mamamoo group activities and signs with another company for all of her solo activities. In this case profit distribution would already be clear because there would be two separate managements and contracts for two different aspects of her career. The only thing that would need to be agreed on is scheduling.

3. Wheein leaves RBW and fully signs with another company for all activities. In this case group comebacks would depend on how quickly and if at all RBW and the other company could agree on profit distribution + scheduling. This is probably the bleaker scenario. Even if the girls say they want to continue as four if one or the other company is stubborn about their piece of the money pie, then that's it for Mamamoo.

Last year I would have said that it was also possible that Wheein leaves RBW, leaves Mamamoo, and just exits idol life and the industry entirely. But Redd changed my mind. She seemed to genuinely enjoy her time promoting Water Color, looked happy and confident. And she had a really great time with the group of dancers that were hired for her solo promo. Now I think even if she leaves Mamamoo, she will continue as a soloist.

Wheein's always been my fave in Mamamoo and I'd love her to have all the solo singing and dancing success in the world. But there's something so special about Mamamoo singing and harmonizing together. I would really miss having new music from them as a group. Even their CF songs slap.

Nope, not happening anytime soon. The quality is simply not up to par if one compares the two. Kdramas are still on average better not only in artistic categories like script writing, directing, and acting but they are superior in technical categories like sound, editing, special effects.

Kdramas are making progress in reaching beyond a niche audience. For example, a series like Kingdom on Netflix was watched and got glowing reviews by people who usually don't watch Korean media at all. Meanwhile, outside of China and Chinese communities abroad, the popularity of even the most popular Cdramas is restricted to a very niche audience.

Politics and creators being limited and stifled by censorship is also a factor that will encumber any advances in popularity that Cdramas make.

Came here again to say that this bop only improves for me on repeat listening.

Also, she dropped a dance performance vid today for the b-side TRASH (feat. PH-1). Anyone who would like to get their eyes blessed should check it out.

Holwhee sh*t, she went off! From the outfit to the choreo this is a 100% serve.

Funky dance track with Wheein's honey vocals front and center? It's a bop of course.

I pulled a surprised pikachu face irl when I came online today and saw the drop date for her 1st mini. I did not expect that the album release would be this soon after the first teaser. But I'm happy it is!

Wheein has said that her new solo was not going to be either like Easy or Goodbye. I'm really excited to see what she's come up with this time.

Bop of course. Baekhyun delivered sultry R&B goodness.

Finally some good news. Wheein is probably waiting to see how her solo promotions in April go before agreeing to new contract terms.

To give a bit of background to my opinion, I'm from a European country that used to be under Soviet totalitarian rule for nearly half a century before regaining independence in 1991. From the stories of my grandparents, parents, older relatives I know very well what life can be like under an oppressive regime. People were spied on, threatened, they could be incarcerated, tortured, deported to Siberia, sent to Gulag's forced labor camps simply because of having an opinion that differed from that of the state.

I can understand how people can be in circumstances where they can't make choices freely. In a totalitarian regime the more visible you are publicly the less of an option you have of simply remaining silent. Anything other than enthusiastic and public endorsement of the regime could put you and your family in danger. If someone is highly popular and visible figure in a dictatorship but somehow exempt from making public statements of support, then it is very likely they are favored by somebody in high places who can convince the state to turn a blind eye. Dictatorships are fundamentally unequal.

However, because the CCP has a strangle-hold on information and there is no free speech allowed, there is no way for any fan to truly know who was forced to act a certain way or say certain things and who does it because they in fact believe in the ideology and support the oppressive and ruthless actions of their government.

This is the crucial difference between democracies and dictatorships - it's not that democratic governments don't fuck up or don't do morally questionable things (they do), but in a democracy a citizen is allowed to criticize the government without threat of repercussions from the government. If tomorrow a US celeb posts on social media and condemns police brutality and voter rights suppression, they will not get disappeared by the state the next day and their family members will not lose their jobs.

In a dictatorship on the other hand two artists might have completely opposing political views but their public statements can look identical. The problem is that there is no way for fans to be 100% certain which is which. Considering that, I think it is completely fair and understandable if a fan chooses not to support celebrities who publicly make statements that endorse the CCP and their policies.

At last an announcement! Queen of honey vocals coming soon to take our ears to heaven.

RV. Psycho really grew on me and it was a huge hit for them so I'm interested to see what they will follow up with. And it's been so long.

I did not like Black Mamba but I'm interested to see what Aespa's 1st comeback is going to be like.

SM - the group from them I currently like the most is NCT127, I also like EXO and Shinee. I casually listen to most of their groups and artists.

YG - I casually listen to some of their groups but am not a fan of any of them. Almost was a fan of iKon but then Hanbin left.

JYP - their groups' releases are very hit or miss for me. I like some of the songs but others not at all. The JYP group I like the most would have to be Wonder Girls but they've disbanded so that's that.

BH - I used to casually listen to BTS back in the HYYH and Wings eras but started losing interest with DNA and nowadays I don't check out their releases anymore. Currently I don't listen to music from any BH groups.

Honorable personal mention - RBW. I like most of Mamamoo's discography and casually check out Oneus and Onewe releases.

SM's high standard of quality for music production + willingness to try new sounds while still retaining the core music identity of the group + of course EXO's unique blend of talented and distinct voices. From perfect harmonies, to massive solo belts and high notes, to flexible runs and charming adlibs - they can deliver it all. They're like a record producer's dream group. No one does R&B in kpop like EXO.

It's a business move. I don't expect a for-profit company to not act like a for-profit company. Mamamoo is RBW's flagship group. Of course they want to retain them if they think they can manage to negotiate a contract that is still convenient and profitable for them as a company.

It's the same in every industry, not just k-entertainment. In contract negotiations both sides will use whatever levers of influence they have available that could get them closer to the ideal outcome they want. It's a push and pull.

I'm not saying that fans have to like it but it's the reality of the business.

The Mamamoo members are grown women with seven years of experience as highly visible professionals in a harsh and demanding industry. They've experienced way worse pressure and scrutiny than some random fans posting "Please renew!" in their Insta comments. They're adults capable of making their own decision and certainly have the means to consult with top class legal professionals to make sure those decisions are in their best interests.