Still of ‘Bug and Peace’ music video
Other music videos worth mentioning
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
With the school year done and the summer term beginning, it is that time of year when summer songs are released and we determine what the song of the summer will be. In this column this year, I’ve talked a lot about music videos of J-Pop and K-Pop. While there were a few interesting music videos released in North America in the past few months, there were not a lot that wowed me. However, there were still plenty of music videos that I would have liked to showcase in this column but did not have room to include. Here are some of them.
IZ*ONE – Violeta
I was originally not going to showcase this music video because it has the same components that you would expect in a K-Pop video. However, the choreography and the song are so good that I’d like to talk about it. I’ve heard the song—which is IZ*ONE’s recent hit single from their recent EP HEART*IZ—a lot in various Korean restaurants, which suggests that the group is very popular worldwide. The music video of the song looks like a jewellery commercial. We see Jang Won-Young in a flower field, Sakura Miyawaki, Nako Yabuki, and Hitomi Honda singing more in Korean, and Ahn Yujin doing a dance solo while splashing water.
HKT48 – Bug and Peace
A side note to the previous music video: Before Sakura Miyawaki was in IZ*ONE, she was a member of HKT48 and was originally going to be the next face of AKB48. We have her as one of the lead members in the music video of this song “Bug and Peace” from 2017. This video is like Westworld HKT48 style, especially during the beginning where now-former-member Rino Sashihara malfunctions while playing a video game. We see the members fixing mistakes, or “bugs,” in everyday life. Compared to the choreography in Violeta, the choreography in this music video focuses more on hand movements. The music video is very fun and you will probably sing along a lot.
Shawn Mendes – Lost in Japan
Toronto’s Shawn Mendes is one of the biggest Canadian singers in the world right now, with his recent self-titled album getting Best Album in the Juno Awards this year and him now being a model for Calvin Klein. The music video of the second hit single from the album pays homage to my favourite film: The 2003 Academy Award-winning comedy Lost in Translation. In the music video, they recreate some of the key scenes in the film like the opening scene when Bob arrives in Tokyo, the scene where he films the Suntory Whisky commercial, and when he and Charlotte go on a night out in the city. The scenes were recreated frame by frame to show what it would look if the film was remade today. The song produced by Zedd sounds like Tokyo life when it gets to the chorus.
The Dead South – In Hell I’ll Be in Good Company
This music video fits for a Canadian summer. The Regina band made the music video of this hit single from their album Good Company (2014) two years after it was released, and the music video caused the band to go mainstream. While it looks like it was filmed in one shot, the band is seen performing the song in many places. The dance that the two lead members do reminds me a bit of the end of The Beatles’ TV movie Magical Mystery Tour. The music video combined with the quietness of the song makes it feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere.
