Welcome to Celina’s first ever article on the site, it’s a double feature, with a partner article of songs for the pandemic. This is part of the Manelies, so check out the hub page for all things award season. Take it away Celina!
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed doing is making song playlists based on emotions or events. So, for my category, I decided to make two categories. The first one is a bit of a silly category and the second category I went for something a bit more relevant to the times.
For my first category, I decided to make a list of songs that made me feel like a bad bitch in 2020. The only criteria I had for this category was that each song I chose had to make me feel confident and ready to take on the world, whether that was through the lyrics or just the overall vibe of the song. I chose seven songs from this year that embody this feeling.
“Say my name baby ratata, I’m shining even more, Say my name, shout out loud nanana.”
As soon as I heard this song, I fell in love with it. There is just something about the beat and them yelling, “Say my name,” that just makes me feel like I’m ready to kick some butt. Looking at the lyrics, I can see why this song makes me feel confident. There are lines, such as, “Wherever I go, I become the highlight,” and “Look into my eyes, look at my smile, you’ll start to follow me.” To me, this song epitomizes the type of woman I would like to be. It talks about a woman who is confident in who she is and who knows that confidence can be seen by others.
2. Refund Sisters - Don’t Touch Me
“No matter how I age, I don’t lose to anyone. Don’t wanna follow others, wanna be original, don’t care about what others say.”
I love this song and I’m so happy that we got this project group this year. To me, all these women are ladies who are confident in who they are and aren’t afraid to go against what is normal in society. I especially like how the song talks about subverting cultural norms and how that is okay. It talks about how it’s okay to look fierce, and how a woman still has value and can still “win” even once she ages. Society nowadays says so much about how a woman should be, and I like that this song says that’s okay to not be what society says women should be.
3. 3YE - Yessir
“Don’t wanna fake it, you have so much to lose. Trapped in a mask sign, come on, hold my hand.”
I’ll be honest, I’m still not 100% sure what this song is meant to be about. The way I have interpreted is that 3YE is saying that they know you are “you are different on the inside.” However, I believe they are saying that you don’t have to hide who you are and that they are going to help you show your true self. Towards the end of the song, they even say “reveal and show real you.” I feel like we, as people, feel like we have to hide who we really are in order to be accepted by family or friends. I like that this song says it’s okay to reveal that hidden part of yourself and that you no longer have to hide it. I believe that being my most authentic self is the true definition of being a bad bitch.
4. Ryu Su Jeong - Tiger Eyes
“You can’t escape from me now, slowly getting absorbed, it’s so fun tiger.”
Looking at the lyrics, there really isn’t a reason why I should feel like this song makes me feel like a bad bitch. Unlike the previous songs on this list, it doesn’t really talk about female empowerment. However, there is just something about the overall beat of the song that just makes me feel like I can do anything. I also like the references to “tiger eyes,” as to me, tigers are confident and lithe creatures. In the song, Ryu Su Jeong talks about how she’s “chasing you in the dark” and that “you can’t escape me now.” While this song may not scream female empowerment like the previous songs, it does talk about a girl who is confident in going after what she wants and knows she will get it.
“I just wanna make you scream (devil eyes come).”
Now this section may seem biased, as Dreamcatcher is my favorite female group. However, I really believe that Dreamcatcher has some of the best songs in kpop and I love that their songs are more hard hitting than typical kpop songs. There is just something about a song that goes hard that really makes me feel confident. I think the overall progression in this song is absolutely amazing. At the beginning of the song, it seems like the members of Dreamcatcher are being attacked and feel like they can’t get away (“Even when everyone throws rocks at me, I cannot escape”). They start the song by saying “Please I don’t wanna scream.” However, as the song progresses, they change to saying, “I just wanna make you scream.” I love that they go from being powerless to powerful. Instead of just sitting down and taking it, they decide to get back up and fight.
“I want you and I know you want me too, so now no more games come through and I’ll make your dreams come true.”
Technically, this isn’t a kpop song, but I felt it was okay to include it anyways since it’s by a kpop artist. I love how at the beginning Chungha knows that her lover can’t keep their eyes off her and she isn’t shy about knowing that fact. Ultimately though, I love that this song talks about a woman being confident in her sexuality. It’s nice to see a song depicted where a woman isn’t afraid to say she also wants the man sexually.. She isn’t even subtle about her want of him as she tells him, “Come on in, I got whisky, I got gin and lingerie.” This song depicts a woman who isn’t afraid to own her sexuality and to confidently come on to a man. To me, I feel like this type of woman just isn’t something we see nowadays. Even if we do, these women are often seen as “dirty” or “promiscuous.” I love that Chungha is singing a song about a woman who is confident in her sexuality and that the song shows there is nothing wrong with that.
Anyways, those are the six songs this year that made me feel like a bad bitch. For my next category, I will be talking about the songs that I feel describe the pandemic.