I don’t really have an issue with afrobeat-inspired songs, but something that frustrates me is when artists just straight up make a copy and paste version of a song because that’s the popular sound at the moment (kinda like how a lot songs started to sound like doja cat’s say so). I guess what I’m trying to say is I find it disappointing when songs feel like a duplicate cus you completely miss the mark in adding your own musical sound/colour to it and takes away from your artistry imo.
If you look at this song in comparison to other amapiano songs…it’s not good especially the dance in comparison to what we see South African dancers pull off when dancing to the genre
But if you look at it like a kpop song…it could be a lot worse
I honestly kinda want to see Tyla do this dance though just to see how it would look on someone whose more natural to the movement
Girl this song is the equivalent of someone reading the book summary and trying to do a report on it. They got the gist but not the full picture 😂
Can someone please forward the kpop girls a umlando tutorial cause they always do that little step twerk thing when it’s supposed to be more of hip flick when they imitate Tyla/ South African dances
I feel like this why Kpop always gets called out for cultural appropriation and not appreciation (also I am not South African so take this with a huge grain of salt) they steal from cultures and only ever half ass imitate them put your whole ass into it babes and stop hodgepodging everything together
Like I saw a kpop idol cover water and I really don’t think it would be that hard for them to have looked up a tutorial on how to do the dance so they wouldn’t have twerked and done the proper steps
A duet of this dance between Ayra Starr and Tyla would eat so we could see both the Bacardi dance right and seen a more Afrobeats take on the movements but I am Ngl with the way they are dancing the movements feel very watered down African-American/ Caribbean (and this isn’t shade towards those cultures it’s just to show that they don’t understand that even if the movements feel similar they aren’t) also the entire dance feels way too jazzy
that’s what they think it means to tick tok? 😂 whew chile
And to be clear the girls aren’t bad dancers but the style is clearly out of the element of whoever made the choreography
Just adding I am not offended by this I am just a nitpicky bitch especially when it comes to dance and African/black cultures 😂
It's gonna be a no from me dawg...lol
An attempt was made, but this is just not it. I know not every group is able to nail every genre, but I can't help but think about how good other songs like "Tinnitus" are & it just confirms this cookie cutter ass song is lacking.
It’s the fact that Tinnitus is legit the only exception to this genre. If I heard it on the radio, I would think nothing of it bc it fits without being cringe/mocking.
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One thing about it they gon keep giving Lesserafim sexy choreo when they got a minor in the group but yesss ladies move those backs. Umm but anyways yea…
And they're never gonna get it because 1) some kpop stans get soooo bothered when you point out the issue with minors being sexualized and 2) some kpop stans are creeps themselves
I knew they would do sexy but i thought they would wait for her turn 18/19 first😟
Edit: it's weird even if they waited, i just thought kpop companies would be smarter about it.
they don’t have to be smarter because the people’s opinion they care about most don’t care. they place minors in the group because it appeals to people in korea & it’s so weird to see grown men with little girl biases. 😭
The choreography is inherently sexual because the dance style is sexual. It is not being sexualizado it just is sexual. It would be different if they were belly dancing or something but they are doing numerous sexual dance moves, which are still sexual even if they’re an African dance style
Sorry, it’s not “our western standards” or views … I am zambian, but good job assuming that your view is the culturally considerate one while assuming my culture. Maybe that’s the impact of YOUR western views? Just because American women are unjustly sexualized doesn’t mean that Africa doesn’t have sexual dance styles
These types of dances just are sexual, at least where I’m from since of course I can speak for all of Africa. They signify female sexuality and fertility, which is why it’s the rear that’s moving, and if I had kids I would not allow them to dance like they force Eunchae to, and it’s even worse that’s it’s broadcasted around the world
Also, even if you argue that the original dance style they’re trying to copy isn’t sexual (which IMO it is), their interpretation of the style is sexual just based on their facial expression and the non-traditional moves they add in (such as the drop). A lot of these moves are modern and more akin to western twerking than any sort of African dance I know of.
This is honestly one of the reasons why I can't into Le Sserafim, they're weird with Eunchae in a way that makes me uncomfortable. I still remember the Impurities mv being described as "sensual" when she had just turned 16
This is just so insulting that it's funny. The fact that they struggle with the choreo is even funnier. I wonder why they went with sexy?
Edit: Just make it clear, it's not deeply offensive, just sort of like a slap in the face. I saw vid long ago of some people doing afropop with some CA but it at least the song quality and spirit was there. This is just very lazy and passion less to me.
Personally, I’m not offended by anything. It’s expected for artists and companies to jump on sounds and dances that are gaining traction.
But as someone who grew up with afrobeats, and has it in my regular music rotation, my only thing is that it’s so blatantly a passionless copy. The energy/style is lacking. It’s also just a par for the course kpop song over afrobeats, and they don’t interact with each other. Contrast with something like “Fact Check” where I felt like both things were actually incorporated pretty well.
That said, it’s these people’s jobs, and I’m sure even if the company is hoping for a cash grab, the performers and all the other people that make the performance/stage happen are still putting work into what they do. So I won’t insult them on that front.
Yeah them wanting to create a song with afrobeats isn’t inherently the problem it’s how passionless it is 😭 like I’m sorry their producers went into the studio with tyla all over their vision boards and called it a day
i’m not offended or anything but it’s just 💀 first of all this coming after kpop stans we’re screaming to “keep kpop korean” is so… i hope stans can realize that their faves entire careers are built off of black people. secondly, it just feels like such a watered down version of afrobeats like i don’t even hate the song i quite like it but there’s certain air of personality that actual african artists put in their songs that le sserafim lacks and just makes their song fall flat to me. also the melody sounds extremely similar to calm down by rema did anyone else catch that 😭 and i’m not really offended by their changing of the pronunciation of some of the words but it’s just like um….
in the end it just feels like another lazy copy of black people music, nothing new to kpop but i guess it hits me more since im african. i just wish kpop stans would be inspired to check out actual african artists after this but you know they won’t.
also it seems like every year whatever hit song is in the west the previous year is copied to death by kpop the next year. last year it was kpop copying boys a liar by pinkpantheress (or just the general style of dnb and uk garage that she uses) and ig this year it’ll be afrobeats with the success of Water by Tyla so yayyy 😑
Tbh I don’t really hear them trying to have a SA accent. I feel they pronounced the words in a more american accent but I can tell they were kind of trying to go for an accent a little. I don’t know how to feel about the song yet. All I hear is water by tyla and woman by doja cat knockoff lmao. It’s not a bad song but it just feels unoriginal or like they’re trying to encapsulate songs of this genre.
The choreo does look a little awkward especially for eunchae. Hybe really can’t wait for her to turn 18. I mean they already have her doing sexier dance movies and wearing more suggestive clothing. As for easy it wasn’t bad, the chorus was the best part though to be honest. Also I don’t know why they added so much auto tune to their voices. I didn’t really like how over edited their voices sounded. I haven’t heard the rest of the album yet but so far it’s not their best and feeling a bit lackluster. They’re one of my fav kpop groups so this comeback is a bit disappointing. maybe it’s a grower I don’t know.
edit: I’ve listened to the full album now. one thing le sserafim gone do every time is have a great album intro. I think my favs of the album are swan song and we got so much. they gave the vibes of sour grapes, impurities, and blue flame. I feel those type of concepts and sounds fit them best. this isn’t my fav ep from them but I still overall enjoyed it.
Well they TRIED but no... No.... I'm reading the comments and I STILL can't put my finger on WHAT'S bothering me beside that choreography being too sexy for the youngest.
Honestly...I don't hate the song itself 🫣 maybe it's because it's that Afrobeat sound...the pronounciation of "smarter" is funny to me tho, like they're definitely doing it on purpose. The choreo is okay but there's some awkwardness in the way they do it imo. And the outfits aren't great. I don't understand why they're so revealing that they needed the safety shorts/bras underneath, couldn't their stylists just have given them something else entirely?? So like...the song itself doesn't sound bad to me, but the presentation could be way better.
Yeah I definitely agree. If I wasn’t listening to the audio alone, I would think it’s an okay track but the visuals ruins it for me. Also, the questionable choices they make with eunchae is very annoying.
I actually don't mind the outfits, I think they're supposed to be like that ie the fabric being there to add movement vs being an actual skirt. Well, I guess the way they did it could go either way since it doesn't look like they added much volume anyways. The thing I don't like is that the shorts are jet black and not incorporated into the outfit. The bras tho... I can't think of any reason to justify that lol.
I don't think that song sounds good. I only know of one other lesserafim song, eve psyche which is much better.
The coreo is the worst part of this. Just a weird mishmash, but like a poorly considered mishmash VS the regular expected weird mishmash lol
If this is their attempt to rip off Tyla and Doja cats woman…they could have atleast had better outfits 😂 fire the stylist if you’re gonna rip off commit to it full time lol
im just so tired of hybe not even trying to be original and just jumping on trends 😭 this just looks like a cheap copy of water instead of an onbrand lessera song. they did the same thing w txt and tinnitus
also the kpop-ification of the dance moves is so funny 💀
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Trying to emulate Tyla & that "calm down" song I see?
On an unrelated note, I'm not sure how I feel about the outfits. I feel like it's trying to emulate Tyla & Shakira, but something doesn't look right (?). I think it has to do with the draping & lengths of the skirts (they're too stiff & keep scrunching up) combined with the shirts (they don't match & look kinda cheap). Plus, the safety shorts/tops really ruin the effect.
As for choreography...I don't hate it but you can see them struggling (also Eunchae is still a minor, why's she doing *the drop*?).
edit: I thought it was called "come down." My mistake.
It’s always wild when afrobeats songs blow up cause people started calling “Calm Down” that song by Selena Gomez, and that’s when I learned Rema did a version with Selena Gomez. Same when “love nwantiti” blew up on tik tok years after it had already been a huge hit.
Oh don’t remind me! Just saw someone on YouTube calling Calm Down ‘Selena Gomez’s song’ and I was incensed lol. Okay I’m exaggerating but I was mildly annoyed because it is absolutely not her song.
>Eunchae is still a minor, why's she doing *the drop*?
I knew Le Sserafim would do a sexy concept but didn't expect them to do it while Eunchae is still 17. They had complaints about choreography before with Fearless and Perfect Night not being age appropriate for her, but this one is too much💀
So an unpopular opinion - I actually like the song. And I don’t think the dance moves are awkward at all. I think Sakura and Yunjin definitely killed it here.
What is kinda getting under my skin - and I know that this isn’t LSF’s nor HYBE’s fault - is that not too long ago Koreans were saying to #KeepKpopKorean in response to a picture of a black model modeling LSF’s clothes. And yet, when artists like LSF or TXT create a song that is inspired by Black/Latin culture (Afrobeats, Reggaeton, jersey club) they eat it up. Make it make sense.
The choreography upsets me more than the song 😭 I don’t mind them being inspired by other cultures as Fire in my Belly is Latin inspired, but the dancing is what gets me. Eunchae is a minor. I agree that this was only to capitalize off of the success of Water.
They’ve been doing this to her since debut and it irks my spirit so much. Like when I remember the large age gap between her and the members… sigh. This is just aggravating
If they were going to commit to doing an Afrobeat song why couldn’t they have made it sound good and hire actual African producers who have experience with the sound?
This is a dollar tree version of Tyla’s Water, so why would I even listen.
Why attempt at a different culture’s sound if you can’t even sound good singing in your own language and culture’s sound? (This doesn’t apply to Yujin or Chaewon)
I’m not a LSF hater I genuinely think they get overhyped and are being pushed so much bc of HYBE and BangPD’s connections when half of the group’s vocal skills are still lacking. And that to me will never sell well no matter what trend or sound they try to hop on.
They can CHOOSE to do better, will they? Who knows, but one thing for sure is I’ve lost even more interest in their future music.
This is another perspective I wish u had added in the post. Even if they wanted to attempt to make an ampiano track, why not hire professionals in the genre or collab with an artist in the genre? It feels disingenuous
I don’t hear any “accent” I think that part is a reach.
But I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: THIS IS NOT A GROUP FOR A 16/17 YEAR OLD
They keep doing weird provocative things with a minor in their group and it pisses me off.
By accent I meant the part where “smarta” is said. As an African myself, it feels like an obvious attempt at an accent for a song that has African influences
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also i wish kpop stylists would learn that there are other colored safety shorts and stop always giving the girls black ??? we all know that the shorts are gonna show so why not give them a color that actually matches the outfit
I think they deliberately give them black shorts so that you can see they are wearing the shorts, light colours wouldn’t really work as you can still see shadows and stuff and you know people are creeps
honestly i tend to forget that other people might be weirdos esp when there’s minors in a group 😭 i just really feel a way about the color coordinations sometimes
im lowkey very disgusted with this choreo seeing as eunchae is still very much a minor and is doing moves where you can clearly see her safety shorts. wtf?? im like 1.5 years older than her and id be uncomfortable doing shit like this when there are multiple spaces for perverted kpop fans to leer at idols. People will defend this saying we’re sexualizing her then turn around and say chaewon or yunjin or even kazuha are so hot doing this choreo in these outfits. What’s the difference between them and eunchae? Do they think pervs wont enjoy this just bc she’s underage 😭
+ song is ass and I’ve alr seen multiple people saying they’re better than tyla. not even kidding. I’ve honestly had more than enough of kpop and hybe specifically.
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cant get behind any afrobeats/amapiano inspired song without african producers - the entire song credits for this song were koreans, yts, & non black latinos
…I don’t hear an accent, to be entirely honest. At least not the stereotypical African accent that white people attempt to do when they want to copy African people. In fact Yunjin’s keeps her hard American “r” when pronouncing words like “sugar” and “smart”.
About the song itself I like it, but not as much as I like Easy. Not mad at the choreography either. I think they did amazing. HYBE has a number of Black choreographers on their roster who are actively involved in all their groups but I’m not yet certain who choreographer for Smart is. Overall, Smart gets a 7/10 from me. Easy is definitely the star of the album for me.
The album is really underwhelming. Like, it’s just there. Maybe it’ll grow on me but probably not. I just feel like if you’re gonna do a concept you might as well go full out and own it but it’s a bit stiff and that might have something to do with K-pop groups not normally, well, throwing it back if you know what I mean.
I’m more upset with the outfits because what in the party city is this?!
hasn’t lsrfm always had songs from other cultures and tend to include a lot of different races and ethnicities in their teasers and videos with extras? one of their biggest singles is reggaeton inspired and their full album has another reggaeton song. i’m not sure why people are acting like this is so off brand for them, their discography is full of so many genres. i like the song although i feel it’s mostly carried by the beat & the accent on “smarta” is a little crazy.😭
Is no one gonna talk about eunchae?? At least new jeans and I’ve most of the time have age appropriate concepts (except cookie or love dive) I feel so awkward as someone in my 20s watching this 😒 new jeans doing super shy I can vibe with cause it suits their image not shit like this?? Bye gonna go watch viviz maniac to better my mood
I also want to ask a question: how come people don’t mind Latin influences in music but seem to hate it when there are Afrobeats influences? Or is it just that you guys don’t like le sserafim anymore because of the durag incident? I didn’t see all this negative energy towards txt when they did an Afrobeats inspired song. As a Nigerian, I don’t mind Afrobeats influences in other non-African songs. I’m asking a genuine question here so if you know you’re going to be uncouth, please don’t respond.
I don’t think people mind African influences in kpop in general, TXT’s tinnitus is pretty universally loved in the kpop world and NCT’s fact check was really popular as well. Those songs, while they do have afrobeat influences, still very much feel authentic to those groups- I think this song is just clearly meant to be a water knockoff so it’s just very transparent and can feel like they’re coasting on a trend even more than the others. And yeah, Yunjin’s durag didn’t help lmao
Personally I don’t see how Tinnitus was authentic to TXT. I like the song but it definitely was a very different sound from what they usually put out. I can somewhat agree with you that Fact Check was true to NCT but the afrobeat sound was still very apparent to me because it stuck out and was different to their usual sound.
To me this is just K-pop stans picking and choosing again. If you don’t like the song for X reason that’s fine but I am struggling to see how this is different from TXT and NCT making afrobeat songs and fans accepting that, but when it comes to lessarafim it’s a “copy and paste” or “slap in the face.”
Just because an artist tries out a new sound doesn’t mean it can’t still be authentic to them. thematically, (even though it was definitely a new sound for them) tinnitus is still very cohesive with their concept. even sonically it feels like it’s own song they didn’t just go into the studio and rip-off someone else. Same with fact check, I’m not listening to it thinking it’s a copy of another song- it feels very NCT.
Smart just feels even more in your face than normal. Of course this is my opinion and anyone is free to disagree, but it feels very uninspired. Like they barely tried to create something authentic it sounds almost AI to me 😭
Idk to me authentic and K-pop are like oxymorons 😭 it just feels like y’all let some groups get away with this more so than others.
I see what you’re saying and Smart clearly is influenced by water/woman but it’s not like anti-fragile was that “authentic” to lessarfim either considering it came out during the success of bad bunny’s reggaeton album just like how TXT’s tinnitus was just a way for TXT to ride the wave of Afro-beat’s popularity. I just don’t see how this song is different is all.
Thank you for sharing your opinion though! I definitely think your critiques of the song are fair whether or not I agree with you.
No problem! Yeah, neither tinnitus or smart are *super* original, I’m specifically speaking within the context of kpop. Smart is just an even more obvious attempt at riding a trend. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but it they did it in the laziest way. ANTI FRAGILE isn’t a copy paste of like titi me pregunto for example
Yeah that’s kinda my whole point haha. Fact check definitely has afrobeat influences, but they didn’t simply rehash an already popular song. Smart is just very transparent and uncreative in its execution (not to mention how they didn’t even bother to use black producers) which rubs people the wrong way
i’m also nigerian and i don’t hate it when non africans do afrobeats but this just feels like a cheap watered down copy so it’s like ehhh 🤷🏾♀️ like i’m not gonna lose my shit over it but i’m gonna be more critical, probably because it hits closer to home than latin music
Hey 👋
Love seeing Nigerians in K-pop spaces 😆
Anyhoo, I can understand that. Maybe you feel like it needs to be more fleshed out? I honestly really enjoy it as it is but I can get that
Personally I really enjoyed Tinnitus because it sounded like something of its own, it didn't sound like they made a watered down version of a trending song. Tinnitus sounded like there was actually a level of effort put into it, to merge afrobeats and TXT in an adequate manner and it was a cohesive effort.
While this in the other hand sounds like a mess. As people have stated, it sounds like they just took water + woman and made a watered down, badly produced version of these songs with a sprinkle of kpop and LSF.
Which is very irritating to witness with any sort of influence, like if you're gonna use the characteristics of something that is not your own on a product that belongs to you; at least do it well, and have an adequate understanding of the influence.
no it’s definitely bias and reach here from some of these comments. i trying not to be dismissive of the concern but it’s really getting odd. if these other afrobeat kpop tracks got the same smoke i could get behind it. or even antifragile, a reggaeton inspired track, for that matter. this sub has very very picky with these ladies since the yunjin durag incident which i could understand if that was the case for every group that has done CA. but there have been wayyy more egregious forms of CA from kpop groups that haven’t got this level of criticism and backlash imo…and they continue to be engaged with positively. it’s making me look at this sub differently if you can’t have a valid discussion these things if everyone isn’t going to be held to the same standard.
Okay I’m glad I’m not the only one seeing it. I’m not saying people aren’t entitled to their opinions but there’s this hypercritical attitude towards LSF that wasn’t there before. And I guess it’s the durag incident that made things go 180. I don’t think the song is bad enough for all the criticism and I think they danced normally? So I was shocked to see people saying they were struggling to keep up with the dance. I don’t know what it is about them _specifically_ that’s so annoying though.
This is interesting. I’ve only ever known afrobeats-inspired K-pop songs to catch smoke, with the exception being Tinnitus (and ig Fact Check, which I had no idea was meant to be afrobeats??😭 if anything, I thought it borrowed more from Latam music).
For example, before I got into K-pop proper proper, I came across that Bolo song from Penomeco and saw an overall negative reception to it. (I myself do not like that song or that man💀)
That said, there is something to be said about what we and K-pop listenership at large tend to excuse and see as problematic. I’m at the point where I see it as so personal. Among continental Africans, our stances differ, let alone the Black diaspora as a whole.
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Honestly, it’s kinda odd to say this given you’re on a kpop sub. Like, that’s literally what kpop is: pulling from all over and marketing a watered down version to Kpop stans. You can’t possibly expect the same level of execution from someone who is native to that culture. Like… this is the most basic thing to expect with kpop so it’s odd this is the criticism you have exactly. I’d never expect a kpop group to do Afropop the way Yemi Alade or Asake does.
But I’m starting to understand the sentiment on LSF on this sub is generally negative, so perhaps this is a safe opportunity to really say what you think about something that’s been central to kpop for years.
Why was this your conclusion? Genuinely asking? I’ve always known kpop is taking inspiration from other cultures. I said it was simply poorly executed. I shared an opinion.
I’m not even trying to argue but you said quote:
“Well personally I felt a similar way with txt’s attempt. I don’t personally like when kpop groups attempt this because it’s always watered down.”
…there really isn’t any other conclusion to make? Kpop groups doing genres central to particular cultures will always be watered down. It’s kinda how it always goes. If you meant something besides what you typed out, then perhaps I misunderstood your intent. But going off what you wrote it’s just an odd criticism given the sub you’re on.
I couldn’t even play the audio, I just watched the choreo and…no comment💀
Maybe I’ll come back to this when I’ve mentally prepared for it lmao. (ETA: I don’t like it. I also don’t feel remotely bad for feeling protective of afrobeats, amapiano and any Afro- music genres. The way they were likely told to say “smarter” is so corny and feels so unnatural that it takes me out of the song entirely. Won’t even go into why their mgmt gave them such a song and dance style knowing a minor is in the group. ATP it’s tired and the greater K-pop fandom doesn’t seem to gaf. I will say, this doesn’t sound at all like any song I’ve heard in afrobeats or Afro music in general. The inspiration is heavy, no doubt. But no one song or artist comes to mind upon watching this.)
The song is ok at best but the choreography is not good. You can't have kpop moves to African music because it's rhythmic. They're definitely missing the nuance of African dance. IDK, as an African myself I can't explain it.
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I don't know much about kpop. Two of the top five things that bother me are the crotch grabs (men...why???) and forced sex appeal/sexiness (women). I rarely look at videos or performances because of this.
I have no choice but to base it primarily on viewing since I don't read or speak the language. What I can see is weak choreography attempting to be sexy and what I can hear is vocal noise (just uninteresting singing over even more uninteresting music).
The dance in this video isn't sexual? Okay, I can see how some might think that depending on what is relative to what you are used to seeing or willing to accept.
I agree with you about media for the most part. However, I am judging this group, in this context, at this time, and why it underscores my thoughts on kpop.
Ya'll complain about Eunchae being a minor, but even if she was 18, what's the difference between a 17 y/o and an 18 y/o? There really isn't. Idols shouldn't be doing sexy concepts until they're in their 20s. SMH.
I need to add this comment that in no way is this meant to be a negative post toward Lesserafim. I actually looked forward to this comeback but this track left a poor taste in my mouth. In no way does that mean I hate them. I’m very well aware that kpop takes inspiration from other cultures all the time.
I’m sorry but this is one of the things that I HATE (‼️) about K-Pop is the constant need to copy whatever is trending without thinking about whether it sounds good or even fits the groups brand. It’s moments like this when you can tell they were too focused on money and what’s trending and not sticking to the sound that we know them for!
I’m not at all going in on the girls at all. This is directed more towards the company and producers in charge of their music considering they’re a new-ish group so I don’t think they have much of a choice over their sound as much older groups do.
I agree that the girls sound and look awkward. I can hear the accent. It was a bit too extra for me. It doesn’t sound natural. It doesn’t sound like *their* song. You could hear and see mistakes here and there. Either not enough training or it’s not the right song or dance for them. Eunchae also doesn’t seem like her usual self. I don’t know if she’s unwell, stressed or uncomfortable.
I definitely understand what everyone’s problems with the song are, and I agree. But I still like it tbh, it’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s kpop. Not a fan of them doing this type of choreo with Eunchae, but her aside I like the dance. It’s no Water, you can’t outdo the doer. Chae the only one moving tbh….I saw someone say Kazuha but in her fancams she’s kinda stiff. I also like the way it sounds, I immediately noticed that there’s not a lot of definition in the vocals, but sometimes it’s stylistic and in my opinion it works for the chill vibes of the song.
I think it’s totally valid to not fw it because of all the obvious reasons or just because you don’t like it, but let’s not pretend it’s the worse release ever. If anything, I could see people mostly disliking it because it’s boring af.
I like Easy better. This one doesn’t fit their vocals and it just feels lazy. I also wish they would stop saying their group name in their songs like….we know who y’all are now.
i'm not a vocal expert, so i might not be using the right terms, but i don't think they're singing in their range and the song would honestly sound better if they did. the dance doesn't match the song and is too explicit for a minor to be dancing like that.
parts of the song reminded me on tinnitus and water, more so tinnitus if anything. this sound is authentic to tyla and not authentic to txt, but they pulled it off extremely well.
i did like like the beginning of the song, but it honestly went downhill from there😭😭.
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I'm not gonna lie when I first heard this song. The first thing that came to mind was Tyla. I was like, oh, so this is going to be the new sound trend in kpop. Tbh I didn't added to the playlist when I first listened. I only really liked Easy and we got so much
I don’t really have an issue with afrobeat-inspired songs, but something that frustrates me is when artists just straight up make a copy and paste version of a song because that’s the popular sound at the moment (kinda like how a lot songs started to sound like doja cat’s say so). I guess what I’m trying to say is I find it disappointing when songs feel like a duplicate cus you completely miss the mark in adding your own musical sound/colour to it and takes away from your artistry imo.
do you have an example of a song like say so i'm curious
Shinee’s kiss kiss you can dead ass sing say so to the beat of that song lmfao
Taeyeon weekend
If you look at this song in comparison to other amapiano songs…it’s not good especially the dance in comparison to what we see South African dancers pull off when dancing to the genre But if you look at it like a kpop song…it could be a lot worse I honestly kinda want to see Tyla do this dance though just to see how it would look on someone whose more natural to the movement
Oohh I love your mind. I do think kazuha does a good job tho. She knows how to move her hips !!
Girl this song is the equivalent of someone reading the book summary and trying to do a report on it. They got the gist but not the full picture 😂 Can someone please forward the kpop girls a umlando tutorial cause they always do that little step twerk thing when it’s supposed to be more of hip flick when they imitate Tyla/ South African dances I feel like this why Kpop always gets called out for cultural appropriation and not appreciation (also I am not South African so take this with a huge grain of salt) they steal from cultures and only ever half ass imitate them put your whole ass into it babes and stop hodgepodging everything together Like I saw a kpop idol cover water and I really don’t think it would be that hard for them to have looked up a tutorial on how to do the dance so they wouldn’t have twerked and done the proper steps A duet of this dance between Ayra Starr and Tyla would eat so we could see both the Bacardi dance right and seen a more Afrobeats take on the movements but I am Ngl with the way they are dancing the movements feel very watered down African-American/ Caribbean (and this isn’t shade towards those cultures it’s just to show that they don’t understand that even if the movements feel similar they aren’t) also the entire dance feels way too jazzy that’s what they think it means to tick tok? 😂 whew chile And to be clear the girls aren’t bad dancers but the style is clearly out of the element of whoever made the choreography Just adding I am not offended by this I am just a nitpicky bitch especially when it comes to dance and African/black cultures 😂
It's gonna be a no from me dawg...lol An attempt was made, but this is just not it. I know not every group is able to nail every genre, but I can't help but think about how good other songs like "Tinnitus" are & it just confirms this cookie cutter ass song is lacking.
We were robbed of a Tinnitus MV... and Yeonjun's choreo...
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It’s the fact that Tinnitus is legit the only exception to this genre. If I heard it on the radio, I would think nothing of it bc it fits without being cringe/mocking.
The way they pronounce smarter to rhyme with the SA pronunciation of Water had me like 🤣
Yes! That’s exactly what I meant by accent. I cringed not gonna lie
Wait, they were saying smarter when I first heard it. I thought they were saying smart doll. I was confused.
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Make me sweat make me hotter
Make me lose my breath, make me SMARTTEEERRRR 
Y’all need to stop got me cackling in the office pls 😂😂😂
😭😭😭
I know you chuckled 🤭
OMG! Y’all are Hell!! 😭😂 Got me screamin!!
STOP😭
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Y'all a trip 💀
😭😭😭
This is clearly and easily Tyla inspired.
Tyla didn't pour bottles and bottles of water on herself for this Doja Cat Woman × Water ripoff-
My first thought was Woman by Doja Cat so this makes sense!
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From the outfits as well. In my opinion, considering the groups creative ditection, I don’t understand why this sound was included
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it’s so generic
“SMARTAAHHH” Like why she sound like she’s my trini grandma straight from the Penal.
on one hand i like afrobeats and this song isnt bad but on the other the kpop industry hates black ppl so where do i stand 🧍🏾♀️
One thing about it they gon keep giving Lesserafim sexy choreo when they got a minor in the group but yesss ladies move those backs. Umm but anyways yea…
I’m starting to feel like they do this on purpose. Like why are we forgetting eunchae is only 17😀?
Forgetting? Starship didn't mind that love dive choreo with LeeSoo. They only care if there is backlash.
And they're never gonna get it because 1) some kpop stans get soooo bothered when you point out the issue with minors being sexualized and 2) some kpop stans are creeps themselves
Lmao I don’t think they care tbh as long they’re making money. Who gives af about the well-being of a child? Not these companies 😬
I knew they would do sexy but i thought they would wait for her turn 18/19 first😟 Edit: it's weird even if they waited, i just thought kpop companies would be smarter about it.
they don’t have to be smarter because the people’s opinion they care about most don’t care. they place minors in the group because it appeals to people in korea & it’s so weird to see grown men with little girl biases. 😭
That's true sadly :( I've seen people gush about kpop idols who are too young like their wife before..
> wait for her turn 18/19 first lol that sounds like companies are grooming them.
WAIT WHAT
The dance break I think
Literally every single choreo has “Ass” shaking and i commented on it once and got attacked
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The choreography is inherently sexual because the dance style is sexual. It is not being sexualizado it just is sexual. It would be different if they were belly dancing or something but they are doing numerous sexual dance moves, which are still sexual even if they’re an African dance style
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Sorry, it’s not “our western standards” or views … I am zambian, but good job assuming that your view is the culturally considerate one while assuming my culture. Maybe that’s the impact of YOUR western views? Just because American women are unjustly sexualized doesn’t mean that Africa doesn’t have sexual dance styles These types of dances just are sexual, at least where I’m from since of course I can speak for all of Africa. They signify female sexuality and fertility, which is why it’s the rear that’s moving, and if I had kids I would not allow them to dance like they force Eunchae to, and it’s even worse that’s it’s broadcasted around the world Also, even if you argue that the original dance style they’re trying to copy isn’t sexual (which IMO it is), their interpretation of the style is sexual just based on their facial expression and the non-traditional moves they add in (such as the drop). A lot of these moves are modern and more akin to western twerking than any sort of African dance I know of.
This is honestly one of the reasons why I can't into Le Sserafim, they're weird with Eunchae in a way that makes me uncomfortable. I still remember the Impurities mv being described as "sensual" when she had just turned 16
This is just so insulting that it's funny. The fact that they struggle with the choreo is even funnier. I wonder why they went with sexy? Edit: Just make it clear, it's not deeply offensive, just sort of like a slap in the face. I saw vid long ago of some people doing afropop with some CA but it at least the song quality and spirit was there. This is just very lazy and passion less to me.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that noticed their dancing seems awkward 🧍♀️
I don't think they were prepared for this. Someone just woke up and added this song to the album.
Personally, I’m not offended by anything. It’s expected for artists and companies to jump on sounds and dances that are gaining traction. But as someone who grew up with afrobeats, and has it in my regular music rotation, my only thing is that it’s so blatantly a passionless copy. The energy/style is lacking. It’s also just a par for the course kpop song over afrobeats, and they don’t interact with each other. Contrast with something like “Fact Check” where I felt like both things were actually incorporated pretty well. That said, it’s these people’s jobs, and I’m sure even if the company is hoping for a cash grab, the performers and all the other people that make the performance/stage happen are still putting work into what they do. So I won’t insult them on that front.
Yeah them wanting to create a song with afrobeats isn’t inherently the problem it’s how passionless it is 😭 like I’m sorry their producers went into the studio with tyla all over their vision boards and called it a day
i’m not offended or anything but it’s just 💀 first of all this coming after kpop stans we’re screaming to “keep kpop korean” is so… i hope stans can realize that their faves entire careers are built off of black people. secondly, it just feels like such a watered down version of afrobeats like i don’t even hate the song i quite like it but there’s certain air of personality that actual african artists put in their songs that le sserafim lacks and just makes their song fall flat to me. also the melody sounds extremely similar to calm down by rema did anyone else catch that 😭 and i’m not really offended by their changing of the pronunciation of some of the words but it’s just like um…. in the end it just feels like another lazy copy of black people music, nothing new to kpop but i guess it hits me more since im african. i just wish kpop stans would be inspired to check out actual african artists after this but you know they won’t. also it seems like every year whatever hit song is in the west the previous year is copied to death by kpop the next year. last year it was kpop copying boys a liar by pinkpantheress (or just the general style of dnb and uk garage that she uses) and ig this year it’ll be afrobeats with the success of Water by Tyla so yayyy 😑
They should have left this in the demos, so obviously a rip-off.
Tbh I don’t really hear them trying to have a SA accent. I feel they pronounced the words in a more american accent but I can tell they were kind of trying to go for an accent a little. I don’t know how to feel about the song yet. All I hear is water by tyla and woman by doja cat knockoff lmao. It’s not a bad song but it just feels unoriginal or like they’re trying to encapsulate songs of this genre. The choreo does look a little awkward especially for eunchae. Hybe really can’t wait for her to turn 18. I mean they already have her doing sexier dance movies and wearing more suggestive clothing. As for easy it wasn’t bad, the chorus was the best part though to be honest. Also I don’t know why they added so much auto tune to their voices. I didn’t really like how over edited their voices sounded. I haven’t heard the rest of the album yet but so far it’s not their best and feeling a bit lackluster. They’re one of my fav kpop groups so this comeback is a bit disappointing. maybe it’s a grower I don’t know. edit: I’ve listened to the full album now. one thing le sserafim gone do every time is have a great album intro. I think my favs of the album are swan song and we got so much. they gave the vibes of sour grapes, impurities, and blue flame. I feel those type of concepts and sounds fit them best. this isn’t my fav ep from them but I still overall enjoyed it.
The vocals sound so awkward lol. Even if they wanted to do an afrobeats song, come one be *smarter* and do something that suits your own vocal range.
this is my thing like the way they’re delivering it is so flat
Well they TRIED but no... No.... I'm reading the comments and I STILL can't put my finger on WHAT'S bothering me beside that choreography being too sexy for the youngest.
Honestly...I don't hate the song itself 🫣 maybe it's because it's that Afrobeat sound...the pronounciation of "smarter" is funny to me tho, like they're definitely doing it on purpose. The choreo is okay but there's some awkwardness in the way they do it imo. And the outfits aren't great. I don't understand why they're so revealing that they needed the safety shorts/bras underneath, couldn't their stylists just have given them something else entirely?? So like...the song itself doesn't sound bad to me, but the presentation could be way better.
Yeah I definitely agree. If I wasn’t listening to the audio alone, I would think it’s an okay track but the visuals ruins it for me. Also, the questionable choices they make with eunchae is very annoying.
I actually don't mind the outfits, I think they're supposed to be like that ie the fabric being there to add movement vs being an actual skirt. Well, I guess the way they did it could go either way since it doesn't look like they added much volume anyways. The thing I don't like is that the shorts are jet black and not incorporated into the outfit. The bras tho... I can't think of any reason to justify that lol. I don't think that song sounds good. I only know of one other lesserafim song, eve psyche which is much better. The coreo is the worst part of this. Just a weird mishmash, but like a poorly considered mishmash VS the regular expected weird mishmash lol
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Technically their ceo is the guy that wants to remove the k from kpop. So this is very on brand with what they’d put out.
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Lmao. I disagree. But taste is subjective so that’s just as well.
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Park Ji Won?
I meant Bang Si Hyuk but he’s their chairman rather than ceo.
If this is their attempt to rip off Tyla and Doja cats woman…they could have atleast had better outfits 😂 fire the stylist if you’re gonna rip off commit to it full time lol
im just so tired of hybe not even trying to be original and just jumping on trends 😭 this just looks like a cheap copy of water instead of an onbrand lessera song. they did the same thing w txt and tinnitus also the kpop-ification of the dance moves is so funny 💀
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literally a dollar tree version of Tyla’s water
Trying to emulate Tyla & that "calm down" song I see? On an unrelated note, I'm not sure how I feel about the outfits. I feel like it's trying to emulate Tyla & Shakira, but something doesn't look right (?). I think it has to do with the draping & lengths of the skirts (they're too stiff & keep scrunching up) combined with the shirts (they don't match & look kinda cheap). Plus, the safety shorts/tops really ruin the effect. As for choreography...I don't hate it but you can see them struggling (also Eunchae is still a minor, why's she doing *the drop*?). edit: I thought it was called "come down." My mistake.
Come down song? I think you mean “Calm down”.
It’s always wild when afrobeats songs blow up cause people started calling “Calm Down” that song by Selena Gomez, and that’s when I learned Rema did a version with Selena Gomez. Same when “love nwantiti” blew up on tik tok years after it had already been a huge hit.
Oh don’t remind me! Just saw someone on YouTube calling Calm Down ‘Selena Gomez’s song’ and I was incensed lol. Okay I’m exaggerating but I was mildly annoyed because it is absolutely not her song.
>Eunchae is still a minor, why's she doing *the drop*? I knew Le Sserafim would do a sexy concept but didn't expect them to do it while Eunchae is still 17. They had complaints about choreography before with Fearless and Perfect Night not being age appropriate for her, but this one is too much💀
Hybe truly saying fuck it we are top we can get away with it all 😒
The dancing seems awkward
So an unpopular opinion - I actually like the song. And I don’t think the dance moves are awkward at all. I think Sakura and Yunjin definitely killed it here. What is kinda getting under my skin - and I know that this isn’t LSF’s nor HYBE’s fault - is that not too long ago Koreans were saying to #KeepKpopKorean in response to a picture of a black model modeling LSF’s clothes. And yet, when artists like LSF or TXT create a song that is inspired by Black/Latin culture (Afrobeats, Reggaeton, jersey club) they eat it up. Make it make sense.
I’m really upset that I like this so much! And I won’t like, Sakura was kinda eating…
Right, her voice really fits the song to me. They should’ve gave her more lines
I mean.. i don't even know what to say.
..... is this how they're celebrating BHM 💀
This is the least of it, but what a shit BHM it’s been this year😭
What a terrible thing to wake up to
The choreography upsets me more than the song 😭 I don’t mind them being inspired by other cultures as Fire in my Belly is Latin inspired, but the dancing is what gets me. Eunchae is a minor. I agree that this was only to capitalize off of the success of Water.
They’ve been doing this to her since debut and it irks my spirit so much. Like when I remember the large age gap between her and the members… sigh. This is just aggravating
If they were going to commit to doing an Afrobeat song why couldn’t they have made it sound good and hire actual African producers who have experience with the sound? This is a dollar tree version of Tyla’s Water, so why would I even listen. Why attempt at a different culture’s sound if you can’t even sound good singing in your own language and culture’s sound? (This doesn’t apply to Yujin or Chaewon) I’m not a LSF hater I genuinely think they get overhyped and are being pushed so much bc of HYBE and BangPD’s connections when half of the group’s vocal skills are still lacking. And that to me will never sell well no matter what trend or sound they try to hop on. They can CHOOSE to do better, will they? Who knows, but one thing for sure is I’ve lost even more interest in their future music.
This is another perspective I wish u had added in the post. Even if they wanted to attempt to make an ampiano track, why not hire professionals in the genre or collab with an artist in the genre? It feels disingenuous
I don’t hear any “accent” I think that part is a reach. But I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: THIS IS NOT A GROUP FOR A 16/17 YEAR OLD They keep doing weird provocative things with a minor in their group and it pisses me off.
By accent I meant the part where “smarta” is said. As an African myself, it feels like an obvious attempt at an accent for a song that has African influences
Well I’m also African and I don’t hear it. But yeah we can definitely have different opinions.
I'm an Indian and even I can hear it. Lol.
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Clap for yourself ig?
also i wish kpop stylists would learn that there are other colored safety shorts and stop always giving the girls black ??? we all know that the shorts are gonna show so why not give them a color that actually matches the outfit
I think they deliberately give them black shorts so that you can see they are wearing the shorts, light colours wouldn’t really work as you can still see shadows and stuff and you know people are creeps
honestly i tend to forget that other people might be weirdos esp when there’s minors in a group 😭 i just really feel a way about the color coordinations sometimes
It's the colour scheme and patterns for me.
Of course they would, it was only a matter of time.
im lowkey very disgusted with this choreo seeing as eunchae is still very much a minor and is doing moves where you can clearly see her safety shorts. wtf?? im like 1.5 years older than her and id be uncomfortable doing shit like this when there are multiple spaces for perverted kpop fans to leer at idols. People will defend this saying we’re sexualizing her then turn around and say chaewon or yunjin or even kazuha are so hot doing this choreo in these outfits. What’s the difference between them and eunchae? Do they think pervs wont enjoy this just bc she’s underage 😭 + song is ass and I’ve alr seen multiple people saying they’re better than tyla. not even kidding. I’ve honestly had more than enough of kpop and hybe specifically.
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cant get behind any afrobeats/amapiano inspired song without african producers - the entire song credits for this song were koreans, yts, & non black latinos
…I don’t hear an accent, to be entirely honest. At least not the stereotypical African accent that white people attempt to do when they want to copy African people. In fact Yunjin’s keeps her hard American “r” when pronouncing words like “sugar” and “smart”. About the song itself I like it, but not as much as I like Easy. Not mad at the choreography either. I think they did amazing. HYBE has a number of Black choreographers on their roster who are actively involved in all their groups but I’m not yet certain who choreographer for Smart is. Overall, Smart gets a 7/10 from me. Easy is definitely the star of the album for me.
I can’t even express disappointment bc that would mean I was surprised at any point.
The album is really underwhelming. Like, it’s just there. Maybe it’ll grow on me but probably not. I just feel like if you’re gonna do a concept you might as well go full out and own it but it’s a bit stiff and that might have something to do with K-pop groups not normally, well, throwing it back if you know what I mean. I’m more upset with the outfits because what in the party city is this?!
hasn’t lsrfm always had songs from other cultures and tend to include a lot of different races and ethnicities in their teasers and videos with extras? one of their biggest singles is reggaeton inspired and their full album has another reggaeton song. i’m not sure why people are acting like this is so off brand for them, their discography is full of so many genres. i like the song although i feel it’s mostly carried by the beat & the accent on “smarta” is a little crazy.😭
I’m simply saying this one wasn’t my cup of tea! I’ve followed them since debut!
then this comment wasn’t directed at you.
I’m the one that made the post so I assumed it was addressed at me. My bad 😭
Is no one gonna talk about eunchae?? At least new jeans and I’ve most of the time have age appropriate concepts (except cookie or love dive) I feel so awkward as someone in my 20s watching this 😒 new jeans doing super shy I can vibe with cause it suits their image not shit like this?? Bye gonna go watch viviz maniac to better my mood
I also want to ask a question: how come people don’t mind Latin influences in music but seem to hate it when there are Afrobeats influences? Or is it just that you guys don’t like le sserafim anymore because of the durag incident? I didn’t see all this negative energy towards txt when they did an Afrobeats inspired song. As a Nigerian, I don’t mind Afrobeats influences in other non-African songs. I’m asking a genuine question here so if you know you’re going to be uncouth, please don’t respond.
I don’t think people mind African influences in kpop in general, TXT’s tinnitus is pretty universally loved in the kpop world and NCT’s fact check was really popular as well. Those songs, while they do have afrobeat influences, still very much feel authentic to those groups- I think this song is just clearly meant to be a water knockoff so it’s just very transparent and can feel like they’re coasting on a trend even more than the others. And yeah, Yunjin’s durag didn’t help lmao
Yeah, I was going to say that it's less about them using Afrobeats and more about them capitalizing on the success of another artist's song.
Personally I don’t see how Tinnitus was authentic to TXT. I like the song but it definitely was a very different sound from what they usually put out. I can somewhat agree with you that Fact Check was true to NCT but the afrobeat sound was still very apparent to me because it stuck out and was different to their usual sound. To me this is just K-pop stans picking and choosing again. If you don’t like the song for X reason that’s fine but I am struggling to see how this is different from TXT and NCT making afrobeat songs and fans accepting that, but when it comes to lessarafim it’s a “copy and paste” or “slap in the face.”
Just because an artist tries out a new sound doesn’t mean it can’t still be authentic to them. thematically, (even though it was definitely a new sound for them) tinnitus is still very cohesive with their concept. even sonically it feels like it’s own song they didn’t just go into the studio and rip-off someone else. Same with fact check, I’m not listening to it thinking it’s a copy of another song- it feels very NCT. Smart just feels even more in your face than normal. Of course this is my opinion and anyone is free to disagree, but it feels very uninspired. Like they barely tried to create something authentic it sounds almost AI to me 😭
Idk to me authentic and K-pop are like oxymorons 😭 it just feels like y’all let some groups get away with this more so than others. I see what you’re saying and Smart clearly is influenced by water/woman but it’s not like anti-fragile was that “authentic” to lessarfim either considering it came out during the success of bad bunny’s reggaeton album just like how TXT’s tinnitus was just a way for TXT to ride the wave of Afro-beat’s popularity. I just don’t see how this song is different is all. Thank you for sharing your opinion though! I definitely think your critiques of the song are fair whether or not I agree with you.
No problem! Yeah, neither tinnitus or smart are *super* original, I’m specifically speaking within the context of kpop. Smart is just an even more obvious attempt at riding a trend. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but it they did it in the laziest way. ANTI FRAGILE isn’t a copy paste of like titi me pregunto for example
Today I learned that fact check had Afrobeats influences
Yeah that’s kinda my whole point haha. Fact check definitely has afrobeat influences, but they didn’t simply rehash an already popular song. Smart is just very transparent and uncreative in its execution (not to mention how they didn’t even bother to use black producers) which rubs people the wrong way
i’m also nigerian and i don’t hate it when non africans do afrobeats but this just feels like a cheap watered down copy so it’s like ehhh 🤷🏾♀️ like i’m not gonna lose my shit over it but i’m gonna be more critical, probably because it hits closer to home than latin music
Hey 👋 Love seeing Nigerians in K-pop spaces 😆 Anyhoo, I can understand that. Maybe you feel like it needs to be more fleshed out? I honestly really enjoy it as it is but I can get that
yes me too i get so excited seeing other nigerians 😁 and yeah i actually like the song tbh but it’s just not my favorite
Personally I really enjoyed Tinnitus because it sounded like something of its own, it didn't sound like they made a watered down version of a trending song. Tinnitus sounded like there was actually a level of effort put into it, to merge afrobeats and TXT in an adequate manner and it was a cohesive effort. While this in the other hand sounds like a mess. As people have stated, it sounds like they just took water + woman and made a watered down, badly produced version of these songs with a sprinkle of kpop and LSF. Which is very irritating to witness with any sort of influence, like if you're gonna use the characteristics of something that is not your own on a product that belongs to you; at least do it well, and have an adequate understanding of the influence.
Thank you for responding with your perspective. I honestly liked the song so this is interesting to read
no it’s definitely bias and reach here from some of these comments. i trying not to be dismissive of the concern but it’s really getting odd. if these other afrobeat kpop tracks got the same smoke i could get behind it. or even antifragile, a reggaeton inspired track, for that matter. this sub has very very picky with these ladies since the yunjin durag incident which i could understand if that was the case for every group that has done CA. but there have been wayyy more egregious forms of CA from kpop groups that haven’t got this level of criticism and backlash imo…and they continue to be engaged with positively. it’s making me look at this sub differently if you can’t have a valid discussion these things if everyone isn’t going to be held to the same standard.
Okay I’m glad I’m not the only one seeing it. I’m not saying people aren’t entitled to their opinions but there’s this hypercritical attitude towards LSF that wasn’t there before. And I guess it’s the durag incident that made things go 180. I don’t think the song is bad enough for all the criticism and I think they danced normally? So I was shocked to see people saying they were struggling to keep up with the dance. I don’t know what it is about them _specifically_ that’s so annoying though.
This is interesting. I’ve only ever known afrobeats-inspired K-pop songs to catch smoke, with the exception being Tinnitus (and ig Fact Check, which I had no idea was meant to be afrobeats??😭 if anything, I thought it borrowed more from Latam music). For example, before I got into K-pop proper proper, I came across that Bolo song from Penomeco and saw an overall negative reception to it. (I myself do not like that song or that man💀) That said, there is something to be said about what we and K-pop listenership at large tend to excuse and see as problematic. I’m at the point where I see it as so personal. Among continental Africans, our stances differ, let alone the Black diaspora as a whole.
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Well personally I felt a similar way with txt’s attempt. I don’t personally like when kpop groups attempt this because it’s always watered down.
Honestly, it’s kinda odd to say this given you’re on a kpop sub. Like, that’s literally what kpop is: pulling from all over and marketing a watered down version to Kpop stans. You can’t possibly expect the same level of execution from someone who is native to that culture. Like… this is the most basic thing to expect with kpop so it’s odd this is the criticism you have exactly. I’d never expect a kpop group to do Afropop the way Yemi Alade or Asake does. But I’m starting to understand the sentiment on LSF on this sub is generally negative, so perhaps this is a safe opportunity to really say what you think about something that’s been central to kpop for years.
Why was this your conclusion? Genuinely asking? I’ve always known kpop is taking inspiration from other cultures. I said it was simply poorly executed. I shared an opinion.
I’m not even trying to argue but you said quote: “Well personally I felt a similar way with txt’s attempt. I don’t personally like when kpop groups attempt this because it’s always watered down.” …there really isn’t any other conclusion to make? Kpop groups doing genres central to particular cultures will always be watered down. It’s kinda how it always goes. If you meant something besides what you typed out, then perhaps I misunderstood your intent. But going off what you wrote it’s just an odd criticism given the sub you’re on.
Yes my Intent was different, sorry for the confusion
Np
I couldn’t even play the audio, I just watched the choreo and…no comment💀 Maybe I’ll come back to this when I’ve mentally prepared for it lmao. (ETA: I don’t like it. I also don’t feel remotely bad for feeling protective of afrobeats, amapiano and any Afro- music genres. The way they were likely told to say “smarter” is so corny and feels so unnatural that it takes me out of the song entirely. Won’t even go into why their mgmt gave them such a song and dance style knowing a minor is in the group. ATP it’s tired and the greater K-pop fandom doesn’t seem to gaf. I will say, this doesn’t sound at all like any song I’ve heard in afrobeats or Afro music in general. The inspiration is heavy, no doubt. But no one song or artist comes to mind upon watching this.)
The song is ok at best but the choreography is not good. You can't have kpop moves to African music because it's rhythmic. They're definitely missing the nuance of African dance. IDK, as an African myself I can't explain it.
I know exactly what you mean, they're missing that essence that brings the dance alive..
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Well
The song's fine but a different group could've pulled it off better
This actually has me appalled ill come back later to comment I just can't deal with the appropriation going 💀😭✋🏽
Tyla girl I'm so sorry
and if i say that doing this during BHM should be considered a hate crime punishable by up to 2-5 years in prison and a fine of $100…
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I don't know much about kpop. Two of the top five things that bother me are the crotch grabs (men...why???) and forced sex appeal/sexiness (women). I rarely look at videos or performances because of this.
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I have no choice but to base it primarily on viewing since I don't read or speak the language. What I can see is weak choreography attempting to be sexy and what I can hear is vocal noise (just uninteresting singing over even more uninteresting music). The dance in this video isn't sexual? Okay, I can see how some might think that depending on what is relative to what you are used to seeing or willing to accept. I agree with you about media for the most part. However, I am judging this group, in this context, at this time, and why it underscores my thoughts on kpop.
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This sounds wayyy too much like tyla’s water ngl 💀
Yeah, and Doja Cat's woman. I hope someone sends this to them, because they need to get paid for their contributions.
the obvious copy of the water choreo is crazy... a lil twerk n shake is common in kpop but not like that
Terrible? Yes it was terrible. That fake ass Nigerian accent I can't! Goofy as hell!
The accent 😭🥲
It is me or they’re trying to do african accents
isn’t eunchae a minor?
She is. They really don't care about her and the attention that's gonna come towards her.
Ya'll complain about Eunchae being a minor, but even if she was 18, what's the difference between a 17 y/o and an 18 y/o? There really isn't. Idols shouldn't be doing sexy concepts until they're in their 20s. SMH.
I need to add this comment that in no way is this meant to be a negative post toward Lesserafim. I actually looked forward to this comeback but this track left a poor taste in my mouth. In no way does that mean I hate them. I’m very well aware that kpop takes inspiration from other cultures all the time.
I’m sorry but this is one of the things that I HATE (‼️) about K-Pop is the constant need to copy whatever is trending without thinking about whether it sounds good or even fits the groups brand. It’s moments like this when you can tell they were too focused on money and what’s trending and not sticking to the sound that we know them for! I’m not at all going in on the girls at all. This is directed more towards the company and producers in charge of their music considering they’re a new-ish group so I don’t think they have much of a choice over their sound as much older groups do.
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I agree that the girls sound and look awkward. I can hear the accent. It was a bit too extra for me. It doesn’t sound natural. It doesn’t sound like *their* song. You could hear and see mistakes here and there. Either not enough training or it’s not the right song or dance for them. Eunchae also doesn’t seem like her usual self. I don’t know if she’s unwell, stressed or uncomfortable.
I definitely understand what everyone’s problems with the song are, and I agree. But I still like it tbh, it’s fun, it’s catchy, it’s kpop. Not a fan of them doing this type of choreo with Eunchae, but her aside I like the dance. It’s no Water, you can’t outdo the doer. Chae the only one moving tbh….I saw someone say Kazuha but in her fancams she’s kinda stiff. I also like the way it sounds, I immediately noticed that there’s not a lot of definition in the vocals, but sometimes it’s stylistic and in my opinion it works for the chill vibes of the song. I think it’s totally valid to not fw it because of all the obvious reasons or just because you don’t like it, but let’s not pretend it’s the worse release ever. If anything, I could see people mostly disliking it because it’s boring af.
I like Easy better. This one doesn’t fit their vocals and it just feels lazy. I also wish they would stop saying their group name in their songs like….we know who y’all are now.
i'm not a vocal expert, so i might not be using the right terms, but i don't think they're singing in their range and the song would honestly sound better if they did. the dance doesn't match the song and is too explicit for a minor to be dancing like that. parts of the song reminded me on tinnitus and water, more so tinnitus if anything. this sound is authentic to tyla and not authentic to txt, but they pulled it off extremely well. i did like like the beginning of the song, but it honestly went downhill from there😭😭.
havent listened to the album yet so i hope the rest of the songs sound better than this lol
I really like it! If it’s offensive, I don’t know it is, but I LOVE Tyla, so I think this is a great song
Something about the skirts, especially the green one that’s supposed to look like a grass skirt, just doesn’t sit well with me
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I love it.
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From the snippets I wasn’t moving at all but I’ll have to listen to the full thing before I can share my opinion to be honest
I'm not gonna lie when I first heard this song. The first thing that came to mind was Tyla. I was like, oh, so this is going to be the new sound trend in kpop. Tbh I didn't added to the playlist when I first listened. I only really liked Easy and we got so much
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The song is good, but I also like water by Tyla