The Art of Kpop Intros
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
- This is an overview of why Intros are important within bodies of work in Kpop, we touch on two groups that use these intros in different ways, respectfully leave your thoughts below!
We love ourselves a good intro.
Previous Video: • Taejiu's Top 25 Kpop S...
Instagram: / _robbie_dunn
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Timestamps -
Intro - 0:00
The World is My Oyster - 4:37
The Hydra - 6:51
Burn the Bridge - 10:10
Dreamcatcher's Instrumental Intros - 16:28
3 Mins of DC Intros - 22:41
Conclusion - 25:25
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#kpop #kpopessay #lesserafim #dreamcatcher
Not sure why SKZ abandoned their intro songs post 2020, most of their early work had them but recently they've just quit making them, and relied more on pre-comeback marketing to do the trick, to each their own I guess.
Not!, who?, and you. are some of my favorite intros for kpop too
Totally agreed! I am a stay and with the absence of intros I have noticed as well the quality of music go down as well. I listen to ‘NOT’ on a weekly basis with “A SIGN AN OMEN A….A GLITCH’. Love ur videos taejiu! Keep making them!
I think is was one of those trinity things
Because it was easier for the company to do that. That’s why almost no group has them. For them an album or a song is not a work of art, it’s literally just another way to make money. That’s why artist should have more control over their releases or at least strive to have more control over their releases, pushing back against their company and sht
I really really wish Lesserrafim’s “burn the bridge” was a full song, it just gave me something I don’t really see in K-pop and I really need that energy from them
I loved when Dreamcatcher or Loona had a good intro to their album made me more immersed and into the albums
Agreed.
Odd Eye Circle and TripleS have some of the best intros in kpop, i never skip them, even if i already know the songs that come after, they still make me excited and hyped, they have gorgeous production, especially "Did You Wait?", like that is the ultimate intro for me, because it combines snippets from their old songs so it really feels cohesive
i love before the rise
+(82) IS SO. GOOD. its one of the best triples songs even if its only less than a minute
I'm in love with ENHYPEN intros. Idk, as someone who loves narration, their intros just do something to me and my soul
when i listen to "The World Is My Oyster" and "The Hydra" i feel like they're good itros and i enjoy them. But whenever i listen to the UNFORGIVEN album and hear "Burn The Bridge" i genuenly feel so excited for what's to come next and i really feel like it "prapares" me for the EP. Kinda a shame how it directly leads you into UNFORGIVEN. I like the song but it dosen't feel as hype ish yk?
Le Sserafim’s intros always hit and I absolutely love that they incorporate them into their award show performances!
Purplekiss was the first group I thought of when I read the title. Purki slays intros like no one else.
lol I wrote a comment similar to this. Since day one they've have intros that usually has a dance MV to go with it. One was so popular it became a full song! Remember how Freaky Perky turned into Pretty Psycho?
enhypen, bts, lesserafim and triples have some of my fav intros
I will never get over Dreamcatcher's intros they just sound so amazing, I have a babit of always listening to their intro before their title, even if I'm not actually listening to the entire album
One of my favorite intros ever is "Propaganda" from Ateez's THE WORLD EP 1: The Movement. It's so good and PERFECTLY sets the stage for their whole album. They actually have a lot of intros for their albums and they all tie into the lore and the sound. But "Propaganda" is my favorite. From the lyrics to the amazing guitar to the background vocals, it's amazing. (I also recommend literally all of their intros. Very well done.)
YESSSSSSSS I couldn't have said it better myself. 😮😮
I second this - and yes the intro are great but also the OUTROS or even the interludes (eg. crescent) like it really sells the storyline for me
i could write a whole essay about loona for this topic. they have had intro's for every single group and subunit album. not only were they used to show the subunits' individual sounds before their comebacks, add new lore, and introduce genres such as rock, classical music, ambient music, hyperpop etc to their discography, but they were also mixed together for their debut to introduce loona as a full group. my favorite one from them is still XX though, the album itself is one of the most cohesive projects in kpop and the intro just encompasses the atmosphere of the whole era perfectly.
Burn the bridge gets me hyped and gives me goosebumps EVERY single time i listen to it. LSF absolutely has that IT factor when it comes to intro songs.. world is my oyster, the hydra.. iconic. can’t wait to hear what their next one is
Purple kiss has one of the best intros present in every single release with an mv and choreography
Burn the Bridge is genuinely a great GREAT intro. it's a 10/10 for me
I love enhypen intros sm especially walk the line and fate
Dreamcatcher’s intros are generally so good that they can stand as their own songs. There’s usually a good period after a new release where the album intro trends as one of their most popular songs on Spotify, managing to keep up with the likes of the title, Boca, and Scream.
Dreamcatcher's intros are amazing, and it's proof of what happens when companies care about making the album a unique but cohesive experience, rather than a random collection of singles jumbled together for easy money. I also love Loona, Laboum, and A.C.E's intros too.
Intro: Save Me by Purple was unironically one of my most played songs last month. In my opinion, Purple Kiss has some of the best intros out there!
An artist who's intros i like A LOTTTT is KWON EUNBI, especially "OPEN" from the OPEN EP and "The Colors of Light" from her Color EP. Now I do agree that they don't really introduce the whole album in itself, but I do feel like they introduce her title tracks extremely well. It's basically her title tracks but kinda remixed, which I find super cool. So while these intros don't serve as an introduction to the album, I still think they do a fantastic job at introducing the title track. Eunbi is seriously so underrated and has so much potential if she continues this way, I hope she gets the recognition she deserves.
18:05 I'm fairly certain Ollounder is the one playing guitar and bass in all of Dreamcatcher's songs.
bts have really good intros. among 4th gen groups, enhypen has the best intros. recently, newjeans had an intro (new jeans), interlude (get up) , and outro (asap) on their ep.
HERE ARE MY FAV KPOP INTROS
aenergy - aespa
intro (lowlife princess noir) - bibi
intro (summer holiday) - dreamcatcher
see the light - kep1er
the hydra - le sserafim
burn the bridge - le sserafim
heal - lovelyz (the queens of intros ur legacy lives on)
odd - odd eye circle
x x - loona
did you wait - odd eye circle (this song makes me cry im not joking)
new jeans - new jeans
intro: illusion - purple kiss
intro: bye bye bully - purple kiss
intro: save me - purple kiss
access - triples
chowall - triples
number 8 - triples
the new TripleS EVOLution intro is really good as well
oh shit totally forgot abt go:live - skz (we know lee know)
@@chelleange1swhen talking about TripleS intros you cannot skip over ↀ it served us a great remix of Chowall & a dance break on top of it. Absolute perfection
@@bad_reveculait’s triple s worst intro.
@@driftby7825 noooo it's in my top 10 songs from them 😭😭
DC, Loona, Purki & LSF are definition of good intros
Kingdom is a group that always has intros in their albums. For each album they represent a different country/region’s king and the intros are a showcase of the music of that country. I do think they don’t stay consistent with the theme through all of the mini album but it sure starts in a cool way 😅
I think a good example of a groups with good intros that can actually count as actual song is Iz*One, every intro song sets the mood of the album for an experience and that kinda tells a story.
enhypen imo does some of the best intros and outros, and most consistently alongside the lore/concept of each release
Dreamcatcher intros really are something else. I love them everytime and I love the dedication to the rock sound. Like you said instrumentals are what carry a good rock song and I feel like they always go extra hard for the intros. They always get me soooo hyped. Their intros and instrumentals frequently make it on my most listened spotify songs if the month. I still think Scream has one of the coolest instrumentals of all time I listen to that so often and chills. Every time
This is rare, but I would love to hear more reprises in K-pop. The most recent example of a perfect reprise of a song is Victoria Monet's recent album Jaguar II with the song Smoke and Smoke (reprise). When I watched the video and then later heard the song Smoke alone, I could not get out of my head the reprise version that was added at the end of the music video. It added so much flavor to the album as a whole. IT IS SO GOOD Y'ALL NEED TO LISTEN TO IT!!!
Reprises could be an excellent way to use parts of a title track, change a few aspects of the composition while maintaining its concept, and, as a result, get a new audible perspective of a song. It is a concept that is sometimes used in Western music but vital in musical theater. Reprises can give you a different feeling and view of the album, making it all the more enjoyable. I hope we get something like that in K-pop because so many songs could have a reprise version, and it would be fantastic to hear.
Honestly before i got into BTS, i didn't appreciate intros, interludes and outros but they really helped me appreciate it in other artists as well like silk sonic.
XG's first mini album has a great intro with an introductory track with no member vocals that sets up the atmosphere/story, and that seamlessly transitions into the vocal intro track, giving an introduction to the sound of the group, with hard hitting rap and heavenly vocals.
ateez don't have intros/outros on every album, but i like that they consistently have an intro on the first album of a connected series of albums, and an outro on the last album of the series. they usually have narration in them, and typically sound sonically similar to the title tracks/b-sides, sometimes incorporating significant muscial motifs (there are exceptions to the pattern of release and sound, etc). it's like they're bookmarking the start and end of each chapter of their story/lore.
some examples:
1. TREASURE EP.1: All to Zero -Intro: Long Journey
2. TREASURE EP.3: One To All- Crescent (intelrude)
3. TREASURE EP.FIN: All To Action (first full album)- End of the Beginning (intro), and Beginning of the End (outro)
4. TREASURE EPILOGUE : Action To Answer- Outro: Long Journey
5. TREASURE EP. Map To Answer- Declaration (intro) **compilation album
6. ZERO : FEVER Part.1- Dear Diary: 2016.07.29 (intro)
7. ZERO : FEVER EPILOGUE- Outro : Over the Horizon
8. BEYOND : ZERO- INTRO [BEYOND : ZERO] **compilation album
9. THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT- PROPAGANDA (intro)
10. THE WORLD EP.PARADIGM- Intro : Siren, Outro : Liberty **compilation album
11. SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS- Outro : Blue Bird **compilation album
ateez are still in the world series of albums, so we haven't gotten an outro for the world yet. xikers, their labelmates, on their debut ep (HOUSE OF TRICKY : Doorbell Ringing) have an intro- The TRICKY’s Secret, and an interlude- Dynamic 淸亮 (청량) (Cheongryang).
other comments have mentioned it already, but purple kiss have really fantastic intros as well!
Also the piano part of "the tree of language" intro sounds kind of like the beginning of scream up to the 'tell me why, I don't lie' lyrics
I love Enhypen intros….
my favorite album with an intro on it has got to be aespa's savage mini. the album is where the girls finally confront black mamba, each song sounding like different stages within the fight.
aenergy is like if they took a video game & turned it into a song, i mean the girls literally have their own "choose your character" moments with them saying their name + weapon of choice. and winter's high note along with the harmonies in the background MY GOODNESS! it's like she called black mamba to fight them one on one & stop with the silly games. it is perfect!
I know you can't point out every group who does intros and wanted to just highlight two different takes on them, but I thought I'd join the crowd in the comments and point out a group who does intros and does it well.
Purple Kiss. They've done them from day one, most of the time the intros have dance mvs specific to the album's theme, mostly showcasing the feel of the title. One intro (Freaky Perky) was so popular they made into a full song (Pretty Psycho) for the next album.
Also, as a bonus, one of (G)I-DLE most "stay-on-theme" albums, I BURN, had an intro before HWAA that really sent home what the sound of the album.
I never noticed this about KPop. I love the detail you went into these compositions and how they work with the rest of the music!
Honestly, I’m pretty indifferent to intros. Some albums have a primary track that serves the dual function of being an intro and starting the album immediately. I think a great example is “Dynasty” off of Rina Sawayama’s self titled album. It starts off gently and then builds up into this grandiose production! So, there’s no need for an intro on an album like that. In KPop, I think a decent example is Red Velvet’s “Psycho” from the Reve Festival compilation album.
But when it comes to interludes… I don’t view them so favorably. Some albums use them more like intersections than merging lanes. And that jarring shift in direction is a bit much for me at times. So, I don’t mind those being excluded.
So yeah, something like this wasn’t even on my radar. And now that you bring it up, I don’t think I can recall any intros/interludes aside from these two groups and BTS (who you mentioned already). This is the kind of content that makes me love KTube! ❤️
Love Kwon Eunbi's intro "The Colors of Light" it transitions so well into Glitch
i peeped that too omg! and from glitch into croquis is a seamless transition
IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD!!!!! I always listen to "The Colors of Light", "Glitch" and "Croquis" one after the other and it just hits different!!
Do you think you could cover Enhypens Intro aswell
For their first 4 comebacks their instros and outros and ibterlude were simply jake talking
But their last 2 comebacks their intros and outros (Walk The Line, Foreshadow and Fate) have become more cinamtical similar to lesserafims
It would be fun to know your opinion on them
Oh my gosh. We're finally talking about actual music again in the form of a real essay. Thank you.
This is so much what ktube imo needed right now or what I was personally longing for.
Finally a ktuber makes a good essay on objectively well produced albums/artists!
The group that comes to mind for making the most awesome intros for their EP/albums is ONEUS. Not only do they tell you what the project is going to be about, but they actually sound like songs, too!
Did You Wait, Before the Rise, and Burn the Bridge all gave me chills when listening for the first time.
I have quite a lot of bts interludes on my study playlist with almost all soundtracks and instrumentals and no lyrics, I really love interludes in general and a really good produced instrumental in an album
TripleS has not only a great discography but also great intros!! :D
Enhypens latest intro FATE was so good and they didn't even use it for their concert it was such a waste
So happy to see you do DC content again! and what better topic than Intros since they excel at it.
Another group with phenomenal intros is Purple Kiss! They’re second only to DC in terms of intros for me.
Yeah this is why DC and LSF are my favorite kpop groups ever. LSF does such a great job at hyping up the release of the album. I enjoyed burn the bridge way more than unforgiven as far both the song and video as their own separate things. Whereas DC does such a great job at giving you an instrumental tease on what the title track or album will sound like so it wets your palate.
one of the groups u have seen me mention is OnlyOneOf... something i really like about them is they have had cinematic albums. the digital version of their instinct eps r just title track and bsides but on the physical version there is intro and then atleast 3 interludes making a story out of their every installment. (u would hv to dig their names out and search em up on UA-cam) i wish they had made it available in digital form and i wish cinematic albums were more of thing in kpop. This was a take i never considered but now it does really explains alot of the albums i liked and how intros played into them.
You can tell which groups actually have good A&R bc they have well constructed EPs and albums with intros and outros that tie each release together instead of just throwing together songs that vaguely align with the sound that a group is known for (which is fine, albeit not as interesting usually). Jaden Jeong immediately comes to mind with his work with LOONA, and now tripleS and OEC. Their releases are always very polished and cohesive. I especially like that across the different subunits, tripleS uses their intro and outros to different effects. AAA and KRystal Eyes intro, as well as the intro for Rising, all give you a sample of what the title track will be, where as the intros for Lovelution and Evolution are more mood boards for their respective EP’s. Also the fact that +(82) from AAA’s access was a teaser for KRystal Eyes is just exquisite
To be fair there are groups that outsource songwriting and music production so their team has all the time in the world for extras, and those who don't. If they're merely buying demos instead of creating music themselves - it doesn't jave to be idols, it coukd be the songwriter team at the company - well you can imagine they have more free time for other things and things like polishing up an album
i personally ADORE enhypen and le sserafim's intros SO MUCH !!
enhypen's intros and outros are EXTRA ORDINARY, you should really check them out.
i was actually pretty upset that enhypen wasn't mentioned here but i guessing you're more of a girl group stan :)
( yes enha is one of my ults
one of the best intros I listened to is Intro: Youth by BTS, now I want them to reuse its instrumental
I believe that the production team for dreamcatcher is now the same as for ateez (I think earlier their og producers joined edenary (team at kq ent)) and the team is honestly so good at making intro altogether like ateez's discography uses intros and outros really nicely for storyline (and many of them actually connect the albums into like a sort of timeline in relation to their lore) but even other groups they produce for like xikers also show creative use of intros or outros- 'the tricky's secret' is hands down is one of my favourites for the storyline it had that really ties the title (tricky house) and concept together
most cohesive albums/eps in the year so far with intros; purple kiss: cabin fever, odd eye circle: version up, loossemble: loossemble, triples lovelution: muhan. at least these are the groups i listen to.
i feel like billlie is a group that would benefit from intros just cause they have heavy storytelling throughout their songs.
yes i agree, i would love Billlie to do intros as long as it doesn't replace full songs like enchanted night or my b
Another group that makes amazing intros is Kingdom, they do an excellent job into building the hype and epicness for the title track
I love an intro and outro but I really dislike them being used to turn an A/B single into an EP/mini-album by pretending they are actual song tracks.
I don't really count Unforgiven as a full album to be honest. Source just wanted to get Kim Garam off LE SSERAFIM's most played tracks so added re-recorded songs to a mini-album and sold it too us as a full album. From a business perspective it was quite clever, but from a musical perspective it's a Frankenstein's monster of compilation and mini-album and as a result lacks overall cohesion. The tracks are individually great, but they don't work as a whole. I'm really looking forward to a real full studio album from LE SSERAFIM as they keep getting better and better.
Can you do a video about bts intros and outros also interludes
Burn the bridge is the best K-pop intro song I’ve heard
i was so hyped for unforgiven because of how how fantastic burn the bridge is and the bloody rose concept photos,,, it still gives me goosebumps and i wish unforgiven lived up to the hype
when someone says album intro, "neo got my back" is the first thing that goes in my mind.
I'm so glad you made this video bc i absolutely love intro songs
I FINALLY had time to watch this video and now I really wanna check out dreamctacher's entire discog. The intros have me sold!
My all-time favourite intro is intro: Ringwanderung from BTS's face yourself album, with intro: boy meets evil being a close second from their wings album. My World by Illit and Good bones by lsf are my recent faves.
Purple Kiss has some of my ultimate favorite intros and sometimes makes me wish they weren’t intros because of how good they are
Enhypen have the best intros as well as outros.
3:46 oh yeah totally agreeee, also today I discovered that some of tripleS sub units use intros and outros, for example “Access” in Acid Angel from Asia’s “” as intro and “+(82)” as outro, the other sub units have “Beam” + “Before the Rise” (I know those are “Beam” has the length of a song, but “Before the Rise” is an intro to me :) ), “Cherry 100%”, “ↀ”(LOVElution ) and “⟡”(EVOlution ). I just love intros and outros I agree completely with you with them EP’s and Albums just feel completely complete:))
i need to thank you Taejiu because i didn't knew dreamcather and now i love it
Lovelyz has by far the best intros, and they have the best discography in kpop, all produced by legends like yoon sang (the father of korean electronica and ballad, and the father pf anton from riize) and sweetune who produced songs for kara, infinite, 9muses and rainbow
I really like the intros on Rocket Punch and Loona albums.
Ahh I was hoping you'd mention ateez, like their intros are so good T-T Like "Propaganda" was the perfect intro to not only the album, but their lore.
i've been saying this for so long !!! it's such a shame that most groups don't do intro's anymore because it helps set the vibe of the album, even something like an album opener would be AMAZING to see pop up in kpop again, especially because a lot of groups (such as nct and skz) ended up abandoning interludes/intros after 2020ish. one of my fav examples is yukika's "from hnd to gmp" off her album 'soul lady' because it's the perfect embodiment of the album's classy, yet urban feel and is a string arrangement of one of the songs off her album, neon.
I love the intros to albums, it makes the album feel more complete. I love BTS's and Le Serrafim's intros.
my personnal favorite intro ever is save me of purple kiss or just any purple kiss intro
i absolutely love intros i even have a playlist just for intros, mainly bts, skz, dreamcatcher, and enhypen. you is my fav skz intro ever skz dont do it anymore i guess :')
I love enhypen’s intros and and outros!! listening their albums fully are like listening to an audiobook where you could really appreciate the main message of their albums as well as their lore. also if u are deep into their lore, u would see how intros and outros from their previous albums foreshadows what their next album will be
my favorite intros are from purple kiss, especially save me,, it's too good
Oh and LOONA has some intros, like “The Journey” from the summer special [Flip That]. I love that intro, but LE SSERAFIM’s Intros just hit different. I love them 💕 [ 4:51 ]
Honestly Purple Kiss will forever be my favorite group when it comes to Album Intros, Crown, Freaky Purky (Which later become Pretty Psycho in their next album), Illusion, Bye Bye Bully, and Save me. All of them are so amazing and I love listening to them constantly
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONEEEEEEEE
Kpop intros are so special to me, I'm so happy you're talking abt them
Yooo, I love "My Toys" so much!!!!! It actually reminds of the theme song from the "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" tv show :)
I think SourceMusic did the same conceot with lesserfim as they did with gfriend. I like both of the groups. And both had a trilogy as there debut. And I think there might be a story telling with the TT as SouMu did with Gfriend.
But also are Gfriends Intros really nice
Great Video! I really enjoy these types of videos.
my favorite intro has to be nct’s neo got my back
you should check out tripleS intros, outros and interludes!
Zyo Zone is perfection
NMIXX's Expergo
Have you guys heard of the group Rolling Quartz? They have a similar rock sound to Dreamcatcher. Rolling Quartz doesn't really have intros.
Great video! I wish discussing Kpop as an art form got more oxygen in the discourse.
I also want to add that I think the middle step of intro songs like aenergy is also worth analyzing in full. Lots of great albums have full songs that are clearly made to be intros. A recent Western example that is really effective would be brutal by Olivia Rodrigo.
I think when releases are so short, it can feel a little lopsided of 20% of an EP is intro. But I think every EP could have a first song that's not just the title track.
i need someone to do video essays of this type on loona or seventeen’s music, probably my favourite type of content to watch
8:29 Yeah ok, now I agree with you the b-sides on FEARLESS standed more than those on ANTIFRAGILE 😅🤝
Purple Kiss have amazing intros. In fact the fans are starting to say their intros are too good!
What does that even mean? Well fans, including me, wish the intros were actually full songs because they're that good.
One of their intros did get made inte a full song but ironically it was probably the least popular of their intros. It did, however, turn into a great song.
One thing I thought a lot is how "Burn The Bridge" isn't an intro, but an outro. Not only feels like an epilogue, but the "burn the bridge" phrase gives finality because you, literally, can't be traced back, allowing you to move on. But in the context of the album, this feels wasted. This is the central track, and the new songs are only the second half of the LP, so the project isn't the main focus, but the OT5 versions of selected songs, and that's a shame. Maybe the company didn't believed in "UNFORGIVEN" that much, but you had EP&TBW right there! Still baffles me how secondary the album feels to the story and the whole career of Le Sserafim. At least, they're awesome.
Lesserafim’s intro tracks make up most of my favorite songs by them tbh
these>>
BTS have the best intros and outros
The problem in K-pop is that most albums are not album, they are just long Eps. An album is like a puzzle and the intro, the songs, the cover art ext. are the pieces. Albums are supposed to be art not just bunch of random tracks put together. That’s why I respect le sserafim for doing what they are doing because they are trying to change that and a big part of it is the members wanting to change that, especially Yunjin. There is no other group in big 4 that has so much control over their songs and their themes like le sserafim. The girls are a big part of why their themes and songs are so good. They could have just been another group, releasing dumb songs about love with girl crush concept but they decided to do their own thing and it’s working. More people need to realize how what we are witnessing is literally K-pop history
Intros and interludes are not that common in western pop though. In hip hop, yes, but for pop music it’s not that common.
Yes it is (?)
@@acorn9134 Then name examples. Intros/interludes/skits are way more common in hip hop than they are in pop.
7:49 Ok, I know that’s an opinion thing, but I can’t understand how you can say it’s “worse” than FEARLESS. I love that EP more than the FEARLESS one, cause I like every song. But yeah… I guess that’s just an opinion thing 😅😭🥹🫶🏻
I noticed that intros used to be more present in kpop around like 2nd gen? Maybe that's only my perception but I know for sure groups from Cube did it. It changed with time tho. I personally have a love-hate relationship with intros. Sometimes they are thought through and they elevate the album. Sometimes they are too good and in fact better than most bsides and it makes me angry they are not a full song. And sometimes you can tell they are just a filler. Like if I see an intro on an album that doesn't have AT LEAST 5 songs overall it makes me mad. I rather don't like interludes. I can bare maybe 1 on a full album maybe 2 depending on the amount of songs but more than that is completely unnecessary.
My fave intro in existence has to be hands down BTOB's Complete. It's long enough to feel like a song, it totally serves as an introduction to the group and their first full length album and showcases the absolute talent this group has, plus it's a banger. They made it almost fully A CAPELLA. I am yet to see anyone repeat this in kpop, it's that extraoridinary.
Could you talk about ENHYPEN intros or share your thoughts on them if you do listen to them?
Ateez always has intros in their albums.
imo lesserafim has yet to beat their debut album. fearless is their second best title after antifragile.