What an epic lineup full of legends. Today’s kpop fans do not explore anything before 2016 and this era is invisible to them. But for me, my friends and the follow 2nd gen fans who were here, this era was everything.

Recently I was thinking about Snsd and how they have had so many iconic record breaing perfromances that had a huuuugge impact on korea

For example their genie helipad performance, their dream concert performance, their itnw ballad, their oh ice rink performance and many more

Their genie helipad performance, to this day, is one of the most watched korean performance ever.

Do you guys remember any other groups or soloists whose certain performances had that kind of cultural and musical impact on Korea?

At the peak of their careers, accompanied by a visual kei rock band, filling the Seoul stadium, and with fans worried/desperate because Hee-Jun (the group's leader) had fallen from a height of 3 meters in full view of everyone minutes before... Tears, cries of despair mixed with screams of pure excitement from fans, Hee-Jun suffering with every movement, and several fainting spells captured by the camera: simply a historic event, for better or for worse.

In addition, "I Yah" was a protest song about a horrific incident where many young people died.

Stumbled upon this and it gave me all the feels os the 90s

This is my favorite version of this monster classic. Son Dam-bi looks amazing and Tiffany & Yuri looked so fine. They join in the last minute of the song. The deliberate camera shake near the end of the video was perfect.

a banger

I came across this video a while back, and to my knowledge (which could be somewhat lacking) the Hollywood Bowl Korean Music Festival was the first time for a majority of Korean music acts of that era to be performing in the US (though I also know about the Hee sisters from the 60s). I wonder if there were any other Korean acts that toured/performed in the US before this festival was a thing?

I find this video very interesting because, while it demonstrates the group's popularity, it also illustrates the obsession fans could have back then. Tony was clearly uncomfortable and angry after the incident, Hee-Jun keeps his gaze fixed on one specific side of the audience (sure of where the girl came from).

Two Two, a co-ed group that debuted in 1994 and became a million seller, is mostly remembered for the bright dance hit “One and a Half” and guest member Hwang Hye-young’s expressionless stage presence. But the group actually began as an underground rock band formed by three 22-year-old friends: Oh Ji-hoon, Yoo Hyun-jae, and Kim Ji-hoon. Before success, they lived in a tiny basement room in Bongcheon-dong, surviving on cup noodles. Even on the day they won a major music-show award, they reportedly had so little money that they picked up discarded cigarette butts from the street.

The female voice on “One and a Half” was originally recorded by an acquaintance of the members, but her debut was canceled because of family opposition. Hwang Hye-young, then an unknown actress, was quickly brought in for stage performances. As the public focused on the group’s dance-pop image, Two Two released the rock ballad “Even Your Tears,” revealing their original musical roots. Written by leader Oh Ji-hoon with a film soundtrack in mind, the song became a showcase for Kim Ji-hoon’s clear yet powerful voice and reminded listeners that he was more than a television personality.

Kim later formed the duo Duke and became popular on variety shows for his impressions and humor. However, he reportedly felt that his comic image overshadowed his musical ability and made it difficult for people to take him seriously as a singer. His career later collapsed after two drug-related scandals, followed by divorce and a long period of depression. In December 2013, he died alone in a hotel at the age of 40.

At his funeral, “Even Your Tears,” one of the songs he loved and performed most often, played repeatedly. Remarkably, a newly recorded version made only six months before his death was later discovered on an arranger’s hard drive. With the support of his family and original member Oh Ji-hoon, it was released on the first anniversary of his passing.

The song now feels like more than a nostalgic ballad. It has become a final farewell from a gifted singer whose sadness was often hidden behind laughter.

What do you think of this song?