Mo Kim

I wrote about Katseye’s “Touch” and Rose and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” for this list – check out what I wrote, along with the amazing blurbs from everybody else who participated!

Katseye – Touch

There’s a reason repetition works so effectively in love songs–there’s something about a crush that can warp your brain, keep it playing the same smile or text message or chance encounter on loop for days. On “Touch,” however, Katseye twists this feature of our psychology into a more subversive message: though the girls wiggle their fingers and pop their hips like records stuck on repeat, they offer a more empowering spin on infatuation, detailing how they value themselves too much to waste their lives on empty hopes and missed connections. So ends that indelible chorus: “You could have had my love / but you’ve been so out of touch.” It’s an empowering tale that wraps the girls’ wistful vocals in an austere, icy veneer–and like any good romance, “Touch” takes up more real estate in my brain with each listen.

Rose (ft. Bruno Mars) – APT.

For all the measuring contests K-pop fans enjoy getting into, cultural impact is harder to gauge than chart rankings and YouTube views (although “APT.” certainly doesn’t slack in either category). It’s something I’ve been attuned to since I was 12, seeing K-BBQ trucks for the first time on my church’s corner and white kids looking up the “Tell Me” dance during computer lab; or 22, finding my classroom swarmed with 10th graders who wanted to talk to me about BTS’ United Nations address; and now here I am at 29, scrolling through Instagram to find my former students posting reels of freshman-year parties soundtracked by a Korean woman. As much as I want to shrug and focus on the music, it does feel special seeing “APT.” burrow into the mainstream in ways I never imagined as a dorky Koreatown kid all those decades ago.
Many critics, reading “APT.”’s success through the lens of mass production, have pointed out the shrewd reverse-engineering that’s led to its success, from its immediately-recognizable pre-chorus melody to its strategic guest feature. I have a different read: “APT.” blew up this year because of how it welcomes listeners into Korean culture. From the moment it begins, you’re right in the action, sitting on the floor of a barren dorm room jumping into this new drinking game–and if you’ve never played, don’t worry, the apateu apateu chant is so easy anybody can pick it up. Rosé takes on her party host role with bratty ease, channeling her best Avril Lavigne kissy-face over a spartan pop-rock beat, but with each verse (and drink), the night grows more fuzzy, the emotions more intense, until she and Bruno Mars are both letting loose, laying bare how they want–no, need–each other right now. Sure, maybe it’s all just a formula, nothing but musical mixology. But  “APT.” is what a mainstream pop hit can be at its best–an invitation for everyone to step in, learn new rules, and play the game.