Filled with eternal sunshine
Here are some sketches I did in my bedroom to practice drawing using references! I usually use images of different K-pop idols when I do this, but sometimes I’ll just use any image I see on the internet. I will show the sketch as well as the reference I used for it. I hope to one day start playing around with colors, too.
Maya Angelou was a contemporary poet born on April 4th, 1928, and died on May 28th, 2014, at the age of 86. She was a skilled poet and civil rights activist. She authored books such as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “And Still I Rise,” and “On the Pulse of Morning.” Before she began writing, Maya Angelou was a singer and dancer, and, at one point, had turned to acting. She began writing when she was 31 years old in 1959.
Maya Angelou wrote about racism, economic oppression, and sexual oppression. When Maya Angelou was seven years old, she was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. The man was later killed by her uncles, causing her to become selectively mute for many years. During these years, she read many books and gained a love for literature. This period is why she authored her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” At the age of twelve and a half, she began to speak again with the help of an African American woman named Mrs. Flowers, which she talked about in her book “Mrs. Flowers: A Moment of Friendship.”
Maya Angelou was a student at Mission High School. She later dropped out and became the first African American cable car conductor. She then went back to Mission High School and earned a scholarship at San Francisco’s Labor School. She studied dance, drama, music, and progressive ideologies which had been a foundation for her social and political activism. After she graduated, she gave birth to her son, Claude. To support herself and her son, she worked in many fields such as a waiter, dancer, cook, and prostitute. These experiences had been used as inspiration for her later poetry and prose.
She met a South African freedom fighter named Vusumzi Make in the early 1960s. She moved to Egypt with him and her son. She learned many languages including Fanti, French, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic. When she left Egypt for Ghana, she met Malcom X. When she returned to the United States, Malcom X was assassinated, and, years later, so was Martin Luther King. Because of these events, Maya Angelou was encouraged to begin writing. Some of her experiences as a civil rights activist were emphasized in her book, “The Heart of a Woman.”
Maya Angelou ended up releasing several autobiographies, books of essays, and books of poetry. She also has been credited with several plays, movies, and shows. She even wrote the screenplay for “Georgia, Georgia” which is the first screenplay by an African American to ever be filmed. She also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for her poetry collection, “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie.” Maya Angelou was an inspiring writer and activist who used her writing abilities to shed light on her experiences and the experiences of those around her.
Bibliography
Moore, L. (2003, April 1). Growing Up Maya Angelou. Smithsonian; Smithsonian.com. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/growing-up-maya-angelou-79582387/
Angelou, Maya. (n.d.). National Women’s Hall of Fame. https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/maya-angelou/
Maya Angelou. (2000). Poetry Foundation; Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou
Maya Angelou | Biography, Books, Poems, & Facts. (2018). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Angelou
Staff, H. (2021, February 11). Maya Angelou. HAVEN NH. https://havennh.org/maya-angelou/
McGraw, P. (2019). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Encyclopedia of Arkansas; CALS. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/maya-angelou-1085/
Continuing from where we left off last time:
KiiiKiii: I first heard about their interesting and abnormal concept on YouTube. It gives me “girl next door” vibes. At first, I thought their concept wasn’t going to stand out much to me because it didn’t have a concrete theme, something I see often in 5th-generation K-pop groups. As time went on, I became more interested in the group’s music and retro vibes. Their ability to sing well live also caught my attention. Their newest release seems to lean more into their retro concept. I look forward to them possibly taking more inspiration from 2nd-generation K-pop groups in the future.
NEWBEAT: I honestly wasn’t interested in their pre-debut singles like “JeLLo(Sleepers)” and “HICCUPS”. It was mostly their concept that caught my attention, and the cool visuals they feature in their music videos without needing to use AI. Once their debut album, RAW AND RAD, was released, the title track, “Flip the Coin”, didn’t really interest me either. However, the other, less-promoted songs on the album sounded so amazing. I especially loved their song “Wonder”. Though their newest song, “Cappuccino,” slightly disappointed me (as it uses ANOTHER chant chorus), I still want to wait until their next album to see what other songs they may have hidden in their B-sides.
XngHan&Xoul: This isn’t technically a group, but more like an honorable mention. I was so sad when Seunghan left RIIZE, and, though I still tune into their music, it’s hard for me to see them as 6 members. Nevertheless, I am glad to see Seunghan performing again. I love watching his performances, and hopefully, the future will bring him and his crew to try new things and perform on even bigger stages, as they already seem ready for it.
82MAJOR: I initially started listening to 82MAJOR because of their song “First Class”. When they released their song “촉(Choke),” I became a bit less excited about their musical direction (especially because one of the members was wearing cornrows for that era). Once they released their song “혀끝(Stuck),” I became interested again. The music video had a very fun storyline and, even though it was quite short, I couldn’t help but listen to the song over and over again. Their newest song, “TAKEOVER,” really sealed the deal.
1VERSE: I didn’t really plan on being a fan of them, but after a year of seeing them release pre-debut content, I was eager to see what their debut would be like. They released the song “Multiverse“ before their official debut, and I enjoyed the song’s aesthetic. Their official debut song, “Shattered,” was also very cool, and I liked the chorus. Their concept intrigued me because it reminded me a bit of The Matrix with its glitchy cosmic feel.
Continuing from where we left off last time:
POW: I really loved their song, “Dazzling”! Afterwards, I didn’t really hear much from them until they released their single “Valentine” and their mini-album Boyfriend. I later tuned in to their latest mini-album titled Being Tender. Since I’ve been consistently liking their releases, I’ve decided that I’ll stick around to see how their music develops. Also, they are one of the only 5-member boy groups that I actively listen to besides Tomorrow by Together.
&Team: &Team might be the oldest group that is mentioned in this series, but I really couldn’t help but be drawn to their talent. I first began listening to their pre-releases for their album Yukiakari (雪明かり) (which, to be honest, was basically the whole album). I enjoyed listening to “Deer Hunter” and “Big好き (Suki)”. I also really like their newest song “Run Wild”. Since I listen to Enhypen, I’m not surprised that I found myself becoming interested in &Team as well.
Burvey: Though, at first, I was concerned about their ages (the oldest member is YOUNGER than me), I actually think that their styling is appropriate and I am liking their music so far. I first listened to their song “AQUA BLUE” and became curious about the rest of their discography.
SAY MY NAME: The most I had heard of SAY MY NAME was just many people online talking about how they disliked their debut. I didn’t really understand why, but I still decided to stay away from them. Then, I happened to listen to their song “ShaLala,” and I couldn’t stop myself from listening to the rest of their discography. So far, I really like their sound and style. I love how their newest song “iLy” samples “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli.
Ifeye: Since they’re extremely new, there isn’t much of a discography for me to listen to. I tuned into their debut with “NERDY” and caught myself vibing along to “r u ok?”. Some of the members are still very young, and their styling worries me just as Baby DON’T Cry did. I hope that their company will go on to style them appropriately, as many of the members are still teens (including the leader). Inappropriate styling is a big topic of discussion in K-pop spaces, with some arguing that many teens already dress inappropriately. I understand where these types of people are coming from; however, that should not be an excuse to force minors to dress that way or to encourage such styling.
This is a piece that I made for my Introduction to Visual Arts class. It was meant to help me learn perspective and I think it turned out really well. Maybe in the future I will draw it again in color.
The K-pop group UNIS has been on a roll since their debut on March 27, 2024, with the EP WE UNIS, and, their later release, the single “Curious”. It’s starting to seem like I have a habit of getting into 5th-generation groups after their 3rd release (the same happened with ZEROBASEONE, RESCENE, and BOYNEXTDOOR lol). I continued to put off getting into UNIS because I wasn’t interested in getting into any of the 5th-gen girl groups, as many of them had a similar look and sound to me. Later, I decided to give them a chance, and I’m happy I did.
Thoughts on the Songs (In Order)
The first song of the EP, “From a seed called ‘Hey, what’s up?'”, Is similar to Red Velvet’s “Lady’s Room” in the sense that it shares a similar style, but with a more toned-down instrumental. It has a more theme song feel. The message of the song is about starting something new from “a seed,” which in this case is a simple “Hey, what’s up?” It tells us how easy it is to start a new relationship with someone just by starting a conversation.
As many have said, the title track “SWICY” does give TWICE and J-pop girl group vibes. It slightly reminds me of “Chikyuu” by PAiDA and “Saijyoukyuunikawaiino (最上級にかわいいの!)” by Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu, with it being fast-paced and having a cuter instrumental. “SWICY” stands out in the 5th generation for its similarity to the 3rd generation, but not in a way that it seems like it’s trying to take from another group’s style, but is trying to make a style of its own. The speaker is describing herself as a “sweet and spicy” girl. With lyrics like “Can make it everything with imaginary words. Spooky chilli, affectionate syrup. Fresh bite in your daily routine, I can do more”, the speaker is basically saying that she is the “girl of your dreams”, someone who can do more for you than anyone else. She uses a recipe of “sweet and spicy” to keep a hold on the audience (“Hey boy, I’ma get ya…”).
The third song on the EP, “DDANG!”, is an anthem of confidence and being unbothered by haters. The speaker states, “This is not school… Why should I get a report card?” implying that their world is all about “ratings”. Though the speaker is surrounded by judgment, they say, “Who can rate my thang? Whatever you say, sorry, I can’t hear anything.” The speaker doesn’t mind any of the outside noise and exclaims “Now my mood is the best of the earth, no matter who says.” In a way, this song sounds like something ITZY would release as their main message is confidence and power. This is probably my favorite song on the EP.
The song “Good Feeling” is a slow and light song. Honestly, it was hard to analyze some of the lyrics. It was a bit disappointing that I struggled to understand the story of the song, but it could have just been that the message was lost in the English translation. Maybe if I had continued studying Korean, I wouldn’t have had such a hard time (아이고…). Still, I will try my best to explain my understanding of the song. The lyrics mostly talk about the speaker having a good start to their day and an overall “good feeling” with lyrics like “Alarmless morning, refreshing air.”
The last song, “Spring Rain”, is another song I really liked. The melody of the song is similar to GFRIEND’s “Season of Memories”. I really enjoy the chorus. The lyrics talk about “taking the umbrella for granted” and “feeling good even with wet sneakers”. It’s a cute song, and the lyrics remind me a bit of Red Velvet’s “Day 1”.
Closing Remarks
Ultimately, the SWICY EP seems to be a defining point in UNIS’ careers. If they continue to release songs with a similar sound to the ones on this EP, they will surely continue to stand out among their 5th-generation peers.
Bibliography
“Genius English Translations – UNIS – “뭐해?”라는 씨앗에서 (from a Seed Called ’Hey, What’s Up?’) (English Translation).” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-unis-from-a-seed-called-hey-whats-up-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Genius English Translations – UNIS – SWICY (English Translation).” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-unis-swicy-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Genius English Translations – UNIS – 땡! (DDANG!) (English Translation).” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-unis-ddang-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Genius English Translations – UNIS – Good Feeling (English Translation).” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-unis-good-feeling-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Genius English Translations – Red Velvet – Day 1 (English Translation).” Genius, 2015, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-red-velvet-day-1-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Genius English Translations – UNIS – 봄비 (Spring Rain) (English Translation).” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Genius-english-translations-unis-spring-rain-english-translation-lyrics. Accessed 11 May 2025.
Many people have expressed that they see lore in K-pop groups as just another way to boost music video views and simply gloss over any lore-related content. In my opinion, I don’t think that’s always the case (or at least not the main reason). One of my favorite K-pop groups, P1Harmony, came out with an actual movie back in the year they debuted. The movie serves as an introduction to the group and its lore. I would hate to see this whole movie regarded as something a company uses just for the sake of gaining more money (like 2-minute songs and higher concert ticket prices).
The Never Ending Story
I understand, however, why one might view lore as a special technique used by companies. Some groups, such as ATEEZ and Tomorrow by Together, have lore that seems to continue on forever just to keep fans interested, but it may be hard to end a story when a group isn’t temporary, unlike most survival show groups that usually have a 2-year contract. Also, there is the issue of what kind of songs the group can do. Some solutions to the lore issue could be to have more groups with a “conceptless concept”, a different story for each release, or a story that has an ending but still allows the group to continue after it ends.
Possible Solutions
A conceptless concept could be girl crush, cutesy, or summer fun. When I say conceptless, I mean that there isn’t a set story, just vibes. If a group has a creative enough concept, there’s no need for lore, as people are already interested in the little world a group resides in, like aliens on another planet or dolls in a dollhouse playing with their own imaginations. Songs and music videos, of course, have their own stories and meanings. Even so, I really enjoy the story aspect of groups, so how about another option?
A different story for each release could allow for a group to explore more concepts if they don’t wish to only continue one story for the rest of their careers. The only issue is that someone would have to come up with something original for each release, so they don’t end up repeating a story or getting accused of copying another group, which, with how saturated the K-pop industry is at the moment, would be hard.
Lastly, a group could have a story with an ending but could still continue to release music and evolve musically. Yes, stories can be a fundamental part of a group’s sound and style, but they don’t have to dictate whether or not a group can continue to operate and remain relevant when they have talents and/or passion. A potential example of this is Stray Kids, but I don’t know if I want to dive into all of Stray Kids’ lore.
Groups that Caught My Eye
Now, I’d like to introduce lore that really got me interested in a few groups. ATEEZ, in short, are time-traveling, dimension hopping pirates who are trying to bring a love for art back to a dystopian world ruled by a government that hates self-expression. I like their lore because it feels like something that can apply to our society today, how society needs more artists and art that reflects reality instead of new phones and ways to escape reality.
P1Harmony made themselves known to the world with their pre-debut movie, A New World Begins (A.K.A. The Beginning of a New World), which runs for 1 hour and 38 minutes and is not a regular thing in K-pop. The movie tells the story of 6 boys who are split between the past, the present, and the future, and must unite to save the world from a deadly virus (which is kind of ironic as they debuted during the COVID-19 pandemic). The movie is available on YouTube, and I would highly recommend watching it!
Last but not least, Tomorrow by Together. Tomorrow by Together has an extremely intricate storyline that is slightly similar to the story of Peter Pan. It revolves around the idea of having to grow up and transition from childhood to adulthood, and how one might want to stay young forever. They explain this story through their music videos and lyrics, as well as other forms of media. Tomorrow by Together’s lore may seem more complicated than the lore of the groups I have mentioned before, but I still enjoyed learning about it.
Closing Remarks
Some honorable mentions are Billlie, LOONA, Dreamcatcher, EXO, and VIXX, though there are other newer groups with flourishing stories that would be good to check out too! I hope you use this essay to allow you to ponder more on the stories of your favorite artists.
Bibliography
Paisley1117. “Ateez Lore: The Who, What, When, and Where of It All.” Ateez Storyline, 4 May 2024, www.ateezstoryline.com/post/ateez-lore-the-who-what-when-and-where-of-it-all. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Lore. “The Kraze.” The Kraze, 19 Oct. 2024, thekrazemag.com/latest-updates/2024/10/18/the-lore-of-p1harmony. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
hanquokka.official. “TXT LORE: Explained.” Quotev, 7 May 2024, www.quotev.com/story/16533801/TXT-LORE-explained/1. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Johnson, Amelia. “Unraveling the TXT Storyline: Comprehensive Analysis of Their Lore across Albums and Music Videos.” Regent Studies, 26 July 2024, www.regentstudies.com/2024/07/26/txt-storyline-analysis/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
John F. Kennedy once said, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.” In the fiction novel Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, freedom is explored in both personal lives and politics. The protagonist Kambili begins to stray away from her structured life that was governed by her father. At the same time, her country, Nigeria, experiences the effects of changes in leadership and the empowerment of young students. While it is unclear what permanent changes were made to Nigeria throughout the book, changes in Kambili’s life and way of thinking become more apparent as one reads on. In the end, one can infer that not just freedom of speech, but freedom of one’s mind is the most important in one’s life.
Adichie first introduces the theme of freedom of the mind by describing Kambili’s aunt’s hibiscuses as “fragrant” with “freedom” (16). This description portrays Kambili’s aunt, Aunty Ifeoma, and her home in Nsukka as a place where Kambili feels free. Adichie further emphasizes that it was “a different kind of freedom,” it was a “freedom to be, to do.” (16). This quote illustrates how Kambili desires to be able to decide how she spends her days without having to consult the strict schedules her father has for her at home. When her aunt’s home gave her freedom, her home only restrained her.
Adichie further develops the theme when Kambili’s father, Eugene, tells Kambili that because “God had given” her much, he “expects much from” her (47). Eugene uses this reasoning to force his children to do what he asks without question. Kambili’s mindset is structured around this belief that she must “be better” and “do better” than others at all times, which is evident in her constantly trying to please her father. Eugene also claims that God “expects perfection” (47). This is another tactic to make Kambili act like the perfect child and do things like get perfect grades and never let anyone get ahead of her. By instilling the fear of God within Kambili, it causes her to feel powerless.
Lastly, Adichie presents advice to Kambili through Father Amadi, one of Kambili’s friends that she met in Nsukka, who tells her that she “can do anything” she wants (239). This sentence reveals the change in Kambili’s mindset. This seems to be a tipping point for her as she makes her decision of whether or not to continue obeying her father’s rules. Later on, Kambili does not “think about going back” to her home but thinks about “how many card games” she had lost that day (251). This evidence reveals how Kambili’s mind has been freed from her fear of her father. She no longer obsesses over her father’s expectations and instead enjoys living in the moment.
When considering the freedom Kambili felt in Nsukka and the pressure she felt at home, it is evident that the only way one can truly feel free is when they are free to think for oneself. In a world that lacks free thinkers, the idea of freeing, or decolonizing, one’s mind is becoming more prevalent with each passing day. People are freeing themselves from the beliefs forced upon them at home and by society. Ultimately, Adichie illustrates that real freedom is not physical but mental. When one’s mind is free, freedom can be found anywhere.
Works Cited
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple Hibiscus. HarperCollins UK, 2012.
“John F. Kennedy Quotes.” BrainyQuote.com. BrainyMedia Inc., 2024. 11 December 2024. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_f_kennedy_124908?src=t_freedom
Continuing from where we left off last time:
CLOSE YOUR EYES: I listened to CLOSE YOUR EYES’ debut album, ETERNALT, on a random day in April. Of course, this was another K-pop group I had no knowledge of (besides the few posts I saw of people insulting their name lol). However, I loved the album so much that I had to write a review of it. I liked their concept and musical style. What solidified my tuning into this group was their mini-album Snowy Summer. The music video for the title track was so funny, and it made me desire more music videos with set storylines.
HITGS: I didn’t really care or notice HITGS (which you’ll notice is a pattern here) until they released their song “Gross”. I thought that the lyrics were interesting as they talked about how “gross” love is, which isn’t a common theme in songs (especially K-pop). Later, they released their song “CHARIZZMA“ (which I prayed wasn’t going to be filled with horrible uses of AAVE) and I adored it! I hope they release a mini-album soon.
TripleS: At first, it seemed to me like TripleS was just a girl version of NCT… Until I learned more about their concept. I love the fact that TripleS is less focused on having a set of concrete sub-units like NCT and instead continuously creates many different sub-units that produce unique songs that still promote with the group as a whole. It allows members to show different sides of themselves and try out new things whenever it’s possible, and I think that’s really cool. I’m not sure if I’ll begin learning every member’s names as I did with NCT, since it would be more difficult as there aren’t a set few sub-units. Still, I will continue to tune in to the group’s new releases as their musical style intrigues me.
Indtt: For Indtt, I like them for the same reasons I like TripleS. I guess I may be more interested in them because I am getting to experience them pre-debut and can easily familiarize myself with the members (I may also like boy groups more…). Something I found funny was how people were saying that their “skater boy” aesthetic was “fresh” (“fresh” being a word that I find thrown around a lot nowadays (cough* ALLDAY PROJECT cough*)). It was funny to me because I’ve already seen groups with the skater concept (especially the street kid concept) and it just isn’t “fresh” anymore for the 5th-generation. Nonetheless, I am still looking forward to their debut.
Kandis: I’m still warming up to them, but I really loved their debut album! I watched the music video for their title track sometime in January and didn’t really pay an attention to them. After seeing some of their live performances, they really caught my attention with their vocal stability. I hope they come out with some new music soon as I am super excited to see what sound they will try next.
This is an art project I did at a youth camp. We mainly talked about the role of youth in the world and why they were important. We also talked about how the decisions youth make can affect their ability and desire to engage in service as an adult which is why I decided to create a piece surrounding that. The pink person inside represents a youth while the purple person is an adult. The youth carries a seed within them that will grow into a tree that will bear sweet fruits. As an adult, these fruits can be used to serve humanity, spreading joy and fostering unity.
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