I Live Alone episode 585 (MBC)
Kim Rieun: Unless you’re actually in BTS, it’s hard to imagine what life as a member of the group must be like. Still, you can at least make some guesses. With j-hope constantly performing worldwide, finishing up his military service, and making music in LA, it’s safe to say it might feel like there’s never any room for the star to breathe. But the episode of I Live Alone that aired on MBC on March 2 gave viewers a glimpse into what the BTS member gets up to on a day off. j-hope gives off chill vibes, getting a healthy start to his day with an apple and a workout, later humming to himself while he’s out driving around. Even in those seemingly laid-back moments, though, he’s busy thinking about what comes next. While personal errands like going through a drive-thru and buying a burger or meat in English may be mundane for most, they’re hurdles for j-hope to overcome. The star is always on the hunt for new experiences: He finds inspiration for music in moments as simple as sitting back in the park with a burger he’s been looking forward to, and he talks about how “even this moment is inspiring” when practicing useful English phrases for buying meat. Despite being the kind of star who can afford the kind of stylish space in LA that would make anyone envious, the chase for something fresh never ends. Even though he’s famous enough that his fans stop him for photos and autographs at a popular shopping mall, he still practices speaking outside his native tongue so he can communicate better. In essence, j-hope’s appearance on I Live Alone is less about showcasing the glitz of superstardom and more about a universal truth: No matter who you are, the search for what’s next never ends. Even this special look into his downtime once again reveals his endless hard work to find the inspiration to take his music further and further.

A Complete Unknown
Bae Dongmi(CINE21 reporter): Picture a film that follows a nobody on their ascent to musical superstardom. You probably imagine the kind of narrative where they overcome hardships and eventually find success. But there’s another possible angle: a story focusing on the chaos that follows finding fame. The Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown delves into the legendary musician’s various incidences and complex emotions after he’s already gained all the name recognition. Early in the movie, Bob (Timothée Chalamet) is already a naturally talented musician, captivating an audience of one or two with nothing but his guitar. Though his unparalleled artistic ear gains widespread recognition, Bob sinks into uncertainty. Sometimes he feels like he’s splitting into different personas to satisfy the different images each fan has of him, while at other times, he feels pressure to remain the torchbearer of folk music’s roots.

Interestingly, this sense of fragmentation reflects the very world of 1960s America in which the film is set. Post-WWII, the US economy soared, and by the ’60s, waves of counterculture championing feminism, civil rights, and anti-war movements were in full swing. Everyone had a vastly different picture of America painted in their minds. Meanwhile, as the country grappled with its internal identity crisis, it was simultaneously engaged in dangerous brinksmanship through its arms race with Russia. A Complete Unknown is a faithful portrayal of the genius of Bob Dylan, the only musician to ever be granted the Nobel Prize in Literature, and what he went through as a result of his fame, including the isolation that came with it—an exploration that the biopic intricately weaves into the complex backdrop of 1960s America. On top of all that, the film is an absolute treat thanks to the scenes featuring the singer’s timeless songs.

“Love Me” (KIRARA)
Na Wonyoung(music critic): To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her career, KIRARA’s fifth studio album, simply titled KIRARA, sees the artist reimagining herself as a “scattered soul.” It takes the approach from her previous studio album, 4, and pushes it even further. A rich spectrum of guests spanning genres and generations sends a kind of chaotic vibrancy into every nook and cranny of the album. The first half is absolutely packed full as Sunwoojunga scats melody lines, untell ad-libs like a pro, Jang Myung Sun recites words about vegetables, and Swervy unloads rapid-fire lyrics. Each of their voices becomes almost like avatars of themselves, perfectly tailored to KIRARA’s distinct, tight, robust soundscape. These tracks deftly contrast KIRARA’s characteristic sense of humor—previously perfected in songs like “Numbers” and “Two Parties”—with the featured artists’ unique styles. But this comedic technique takes an intriguing turn in the second half of the new album, heightening the restless, floating state of someone looking for a way out. Ye Ram gives her part of the lyrics a quiet melancholy, after which HOLLOW JAN member Lim Hwan Taek’s dramatic, visceral cries then transition into calmly spoken poetry. Eventually, the escape reaches its pinnacle, colliding with Han Jung In’s reverberating vocals as they drift across the cosmos, echoing the emotional highs reached in the “Public Recommendation”-“Condemnation”-“Explosion” block off her previous album, 4. But unlike her earlier albums, which were dominated by singular emotions, KIRARA takes on a whirlwind of contrasting sentiments—nonchalance, excitement, sadness, anger—appearing in the sharp flashes of a layered symphony.

In the four tracks that bring it to a close, the album lays out scenarios that could end it in any number of conceivable ways, all fitting together seamlessly. Magnified delusions of escape are precariously and poignantly brought to the ground in “Shot Down,” day-to-day emotions are rhythmically pieced together in “Defragmentation 2,” and the emotions of someone with an “FP” personality type flit busily to and fro. That said, my personal favorite has to be “Love Me.” Sampling the classic Bulldog Mansion funk rock song “Destiny,” it transforms the joyous fervor of the original to give it a luscious French house vibe—a track that would be perfectly at home in KIRARA’s remix series. Lee Hanchul’s sampled vocals burst to life in a unique way here, with shouts of “love me!” surrounded by fragments of orchestral samples jittering and twirling like one big dance party. KIRARA puts her well-known mastery of melody and emotional, swelling riffs to work here to enrich the original track further still, resulting in an even more euphoric version of what’s “just dance music.” It's from these high-energy, hip-swaying moments that you can get a glimpse of what the track “The Theme Of This Album” evidently points to, and that is “the joy of making music”—the joy that fuels KIRARA and will continue to propel her for the next decade and beyond.