Why U Mad? K-pop stars Bobby from iKon and TVXQ’s Yunho release angry album tracks thanking haters
- The two tracks – U Mad and Thank U – challenge people’s stereotypical view of K-pop being bright and cheerful
- In fact, K-pop stars often comment on social problems and sing about dissatisfaction with the state of the world
K-pop is witnessing a new trend at the start of 2021, if the new solo projects by two prominent boy band members are anything to go by: they’re really upset.
Monday saw the arrival of “Lucky Man”, the second solo album from iKon member Bobby. It’s fronted by the boisterous track U Mad, which sees the rapper seriously letting loose.
“Enemies are everywhere, I love my enemies,” he declares. “Because of them I also become who I am / Feeling adrenaline / Feeling energy”.
Upon the release of the album, Bobby said the song was an expression of anger towards himself, and was also a criticism of people’s materialistic and opportunistic nature.
Bobby’s song arrived a week after a similarly themed song from Yunho, aka U-Know of TVXQ, who released a film noir gangster-inspired music video for the track Thank U on January 18.
In it, he shares wisdom for those trying to endure and get over hardships, and uses the chorus to sardonically thank those who dislike him.
“Thank you for diss / Thank you for like / Thank for me /”, he sings, bringing them all together for the kicker: “Thank you for dislike me.”
When the album was released, Yunho said the single “really reflects who I am and where I am headed”, implying that the simultaneous expression of frustration and gratitude towards haters expressed in the song is a true reflection of how he feels.
Things are clearly not perfect in 2021, either on a global level or in the lives of these stars – and they are using their art to express that.
Neither Bobby nor Yunho, who also released a dance-focused music video featuring Red Velvet’s Seulgi for second single Eeeny Meeny, sound angry throughout their albums, but by venting their anger on prominent singles, it’s clear they feel the time is right to share those feelings with the world.
Although K-pop is often portrayed as bright and cheerful, many releases don’t conform to that stereotype: many of the biggest hits by early K-pop acts, especially boy bands, have dealt with societal ills, and as the industry has grown, artists have continued to express unhappiness with the state of the world.
Recent years have seen BTS, for instance, dealing with sociopolitical issues as well as regularly releasing songs addressing their haters.
Other groups, such as Nu’est and Stray Kids, have also addressed such issues, and rookie K-pop acts are increasingly building their foundations on talking about the world around them.
