As soon as one of our favorite bands announces a comeback, we count down the days and can hardly wait to watch the music video! When the big day is finally here, we watch the music video several times in a row just to enjoy it. But of course we want more. And we get it!
The release of a new album is only the beginning! In the following weeks, a whole bunch of videos about the new songs come out, and the idols also promote the new album on all kinds of variety shows. So there is almost always something new for you to dive into.
So that you don't miss anything as a new fan, we'll tell you which videos, specials and guest appearances you can keep an eye out for!
Music Show Stage
Even as a new fan, you probably know the music shows like Inkigayo, Music Bank and co., where all kinds of K-pop stars perform every week. How often exactly a band or solo artist performs their new songs there differs slightly, but usually they perform almost daily for two to three weeks. That means there are 10 or even more different music show stages of the new song!
On every stage, the idols wear new outfits, have different hairstyles, the stage is decorated differently and the video is filmed differently. So it's worth watching every single one of them!
Dance Practice Video
In these videos, we don't see the idols in glamorous stage outfits, but in leggings and sneakers. The videos are also filmed in the usual practice rooms and give us an insight into what the idols' dance rehearsals look like. Compared to music show stages, we also usually see the whole group for the entire video, without close-ups of individual members.
That also means we can see the entire choreography of the song even better than in the performances. That's why many fans use exactly these videos to learn the choreography!
On holidays like Christmas or Chuseok (a major Korean holiday in autumn), bands often also release special dance practice videos in which they are, for example, dressed up in costumes or wearing traditional Korean clothing.
Performance Video
Performance videos are like stage performances, except that they are not live but recorded in advance. The idols wear stylish outfits and dance to their new song. You can't hear any screaming fans in the background, because the videos are usually recorded in a studio that is decorated to match. Since it is not a live performance, the quality is often much better.
Both dance practice videos and performance videos are usually filmed by the artist's agency itself and uploaded to the official YouTube channel.
Performance videos or live performances are also often called “Special Clip”. So you can also search for new videos under that name.
Relay dance, Band LIVE Concert & Be Original
These are all projects by different broadcasters, especially Mnet, where idols can present their songs once more in a different way.
Be Original is like a performance clip. However, Be Original clips are known for being filmed in an empty white studio where the only decorations are different colors of light. That's why they look very clean and polished and put the focus on the performance once again. They also have 4K resolution!
In a Relay Dance, the members of a band don't dance to the song together, but one after another. After each line or part, the next person is up. Solo artists do the relay dance with their background dancers.
Band LIVE Concert is about singing instead of dancing. As the name says, the stars sing their new songs here with a live band. This often results in a slightly more rock-style version.
These formats have all existed for a few years now and are regularly filmed by popular K-pop artists. Of course, over the years it sometimes happens that a format is discontinued or a new one is added. We hope these will stick around for a long time!
Fan-Cam
Fan cams used to be the name for recordings made by fans that show the performances from a different perspective and often focus on one particular member. Nowadays, many music shows and Be Original publish their own fan cams.
A Nayeon (Twice) fancam, for example, shows Nayeon for the entire performance. Normally, the camera at performances focuses on the whole group or on whoever is singing or dancing in the center. Thanks to this fancam, we also see Nayeon when she is dancing in the background and so capture moments we would otherwise overlook.
Depending on the format, fan cams are also called Close–up Cam or Unfiltered Cam.
All these performances and special clips are perfect if you can't get enough of a song but don't want to keep watching the same video over and over. This often even leads to us liking a song even more, because in many of these videos we notice little things and details that we hadn't noticed before.
As a rule, all these videos revolve around the title track, but sometimes there are also individual performances of a B-side from the album. This is especially the case with particularly popular and successful artists.
Behind-the Scenes
If you want to see something other than a performance, there are often countless “Behind-the-Scenes” (BTS) videos. Sometimes they are published by the show where the artists perform, and sometimes by the agency. How many of these videos there are therefore differs for everyone. We can look behind the scenes and watch the artists prepare for their performances or joke around with their bandmates.
Cover Videos
Looking for some variety? Then we recommend a few of the countless cover videos you can watch on YouTube. There are many talented fans out there who learn the dances of new songs in order to record and upload them later. They often team up with others, form groups and perform together. They put on matching outfits and use all the props the idols use too. These are, for example, chairs, fans or scarves.
We especially like watching K-Pop in Public cover videos. The dancers perform in public: in parks, on streets or even in a shopping mall. So the backdrop is different in every video and you can watch curious passersby who stop to watch the performance. These videos come from all over the world, because fans from Asia, Europe, America or Australia all share the same passion!
Variety Shows
Alternatively, there are plenty of variety shows with idols that you can watch. They are broadcast weekly and have different idols as guests every week:
- Knowing Bros/ Men on a Mission
- Weekly Idol
- After School Club
On these shows, the guest talks about their new album and plays all kinds of funny games with the hosts. Each show is known for different games!
Beyond that, there are other shows that don't revolve 100% around the idol guests like Weekly Idol and co., but often have idols as guests.
- Running Man
- Amazing Saturday
- The King of Mask Singer
In between, many stars also film their own reality shows, so even when no comeback is coming up, you can hope for something new! Have you already seen all these videos of your favorite song or favorite star, or will you catch up on them now?
