The year is 2026. Old town road has denied Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Justin Beiber, Adele, Drake, Bruno Mars, and imagine dragons a number one hit. It is still number one after 300 weeks. All is lost.
@Gi-Gi-Gi-Gia Camole nope after Ariana spent 15 weeks at #1, Old Town Road finally dethroned her and still to this day is #1 for the 11th week and is on its way to break Mariah Carey and Despacito record and Old Town Road blocked Taylor and Ed Sheeran.
@Gi-Gi-Gi-Gia Camole Nope, Old Town Road is still topping the charts. Taylor Swift's "ME!" (Featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco) only made it to number 2 and has fallen to number 11 since then.
@@robo-nidai4236 I... uh, presume so, but "bad guy" by Billie Eilish is more or less so the actual new "Smells Like Teen Spirit", all from that sudden "DUH!".
Caz agreed. Yeah he was a corny white guy but that’s what made him fun. I know a lot of people like to hate on him but nah he’s not as ‘problematic’ as people make him out to be.
Was this a hit? I mean, for a relatively unknown artist, I'd say yeah. But consider the fact that this is a full collab between Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, arguably two of the biggest popstars in the world and it couldn't even get any traction. Pop is seeing a generational shift I think, and all the 'old guard' like Miley, Demi, Taylor, Katy Perry, Nicki, Justin, etc. are slowly giving way to a newer generation of Billie, Khalid, Cardi etc. The only 'traditional' popstar I think whose still killing it so far is Ariana.
@@Koujoung I have noticed only Ariana, BTS, Cardi and Billie Eillish is the most popular right now while Taylor and Nicki is trying hard to still be relevant and Miley and Katy is a Flop now.
The difference is I Don't Care is more completely banal to the point of never even caring for it, while Girls Like You is the ultimately amalgamation of what's horribly wrong with Maroon 5 (though Don't Wanna Know was a worse collab because of Kendrick Lamar sounding so poor when compared to his usual standards).
@Max Gaming&Tutorial The only reason it was so popular was because of all the radio play it got, if Billboard didn't count radio airplay, it would've been lucky to reach the lower half of the top 10
@@soniaantakusuma There's this entire _thing_ in certain circles of the Internet, revolving around the poorly researched claim that soy lowers testosterone and sperm count. The Internet being The Internet, it's led to a lot of self-important dude-bros and reactionaries using this "fact" as a bludgeon against...basically anyone they don't like. The phrase "soyboy" is meant as a derogatory term, implying a man to be insufficiently masculine (by the narrow definition espoused in such circles) and worthy of contempt. It's also usually conflated with left-wing ideas, by right-wing dumbasses who insist that leftists only believe in liberal ideals because of "the feminizing effect of soy". It's the same sort of "logic" that calls everyone the reactionary disagrees with a "cuck". For more information, go watch Hbomberguy's video(s) on Soy. They're fascinating and hilarious dismantling of these mentalities.
I think the single greatest piece of evidence that 2019 has been far and away the most interesting of the last few years of music is the fact that Todd has enough material to do four pop song reviews in a row.
He's kind of obliged to do Taylor's newer song haha. I think he'll have a lot to say ... unless he has a rule to not do an artist more than once a year ...
8:41 "Justin Bieber has always had decent music to lean on" Well, let's just add that alongside "President Donald Trump" and "Billy Ray Cyrus's new Number 1 hit" as phrases that would have gotten you laughed out of the room nine years ago.
@@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic Trump was the second worst presidential candidate in recent American history. He just happened to be running against the one candidate worse than him.
@@gabingston3430 That depends on what you mean by "worse candidate". If you're talking about which of the two I would have wanted to win, it's Clinton, no doubt, even though I absolutely can't stand her. But if you're talking about how they presented themselves and ran their campaigns, I think it's pretty close to objective fact that Clinton's ran one of the worst campaigns in the history of the United States, whereas with Trump... say what you will about him (and I have), but his campaign was revolutionary in many respects.
5:40 "You don't see the guys from Bon Iver working with Camilla Cabello" Out of all Todd's predictions, this one is surprisingly close to what happened in Folklore
Thank you for acknowledging the amazing gay subtext of Beautiful Liar by Beyonce and Shakira. My Livejournal community of teenage lesbians in 2006 went bananas for that song!
JB has been jumping on lots of features the past few years because the songs come 90% prepared, so he hardly has to do anything but sing, and doesn't have to perform them live, or go on tour.
@@TheAirBear2000 To clarify, I mean he adds value in THEORY. In THEORY people who wouldn't normally listen to Sheeran will listen to this track just cuz Bieber, and vice versa. IN THEORY..........In REALITY everyone hates everybody for everything that's been done.
Trouble is you're all trying to make Ed Sheeran a shiny pop star, when he is 'mainstream misfit, writing songs in various genres & topics, and singing in many languages, for himself and other artists/bands, and that's why he has become so successful
definitely get the point about male pop singers being uninteresting, & this is coming from someone who likes dudes!! i think it’s just that a lot of them are either one hit wonders featured on ur average edm song, or in the case of those w long lasting fame (shawn mendes, justin beiber, the jonas bros, etc) they dont really seem to show much personality through both their music and interviews + generic vocals where nothing rlly sets anyone apart the part about kpop boy bands being popular now is also a theory I’ve been thinking about too!! I remember just, kind of sitting slack jawed after watching shawn mendes performing @ an awards show looking like he’s about to play for ur local coffee shop talent show, acoustic guitar in hand, decent vocals, okay stage presence and all, only to have the follow up act be bts. all 7 of these motherfuckers were up there doing synchronized choreography while singing high ass vocals at the same time, were aware of when to focus on the camera in order to engage the audience, outfits/hair/makeup looking like their stylists were trying to sculpt them into models or some shit, and generally just looking like they were people with personalities who were excited to give a good performance u know they practiced hours for. it just kinda seems we have such low standards for male pop stars rn that most male kpop groups just run circles around them, and w the drought of american pop music in general, people are starting to take notice in Korea’s music industry a lot more. which is a good thing, bc there’s a lot of talent there! i just wish we didn’t have to have songs like I Don’t Care exist in order to realize that lmao (also on the off chance todd reads this long ass comment: would you ever consider reviewing a kpop song? i think you’d probably set the idea aside bc you’re not familiar w the genre, but personally id love to see from the perspective of a music commentator on the outside!!)
This also grants the possibility of America dumping K-Pop if our own male pop stars ever make a resurgence. It's arguably a double-edged sword in that sense.
K-pop seems more interesting than American pop in every way, at this rate. If we could have some American guy actually *interesting* be famous, I'd be all for it. But right now, it seems kind of unlikely.
@@thapoint09 I don't think BTS themselves are at any risk. They are incredible and genuine artists that cover a wide range of genres. They're also album artists in a time of 'singles' artists. Pretty much anyone can find something they like from the boys, if they put aside the prejudiced labels that come when thinking 'kpop' (BTS don't fit that mould and never have), and 'boyband'. As for kpop itself - it is a niche market and really isn't growing as much as the media would want people to think. Said media has always been in control on who is big and successful, but with BTS they cannot do that as they came out of nowhere. So now they are desperately trying to scramble and predict, 'the next big thing', when BTS are once in a lifetime artists and have more room to grow and aren't slowing down. Which is frankly, terrifying.
@@elikovak7075 BTS growth is freaking scary. I myself a fan since 2017 but already listen to kpop since 2010 and i do think they are once in a lifetime artists. They are really passionate about their music. And a producer who work with them said that BTS is genre-agnostic group. Mean they are really unpredictable which they could do ballad in one day and next day hip hop rock out of nowhere. I think whoever ever check out their album gonna realize this. Best example is Love Yourself: Answer album.
Speaking of Monsta X has a US release with French Montana that just came out called "Who Do You Love." I've been a kpop fan since 2009 because I got so bored with US pop.
I can already tell that I agree with Todd's opinion of the song because, in between clips of the video, I straight-up forgot how this song goes. This sounds like the banal white noise that the people at my job play just so we'll keep moving throughout our shift.
Looking back I think it’s safe to say that the “interesting male pop star” position has been filled by the same man whose horse song blocked the charts for weeks. Lil Nas is genuinely interesting as a personality. It’ll be interesting to see how his career progresses. At the very least, he’s no Ed and he’s no Justin
This take would be bad even if Harry Styles wasn't clearly the interesting male pop star of the present day. Lil Nas X just doesn't strike me as someone who's trying to make pop music at all -- he couldn't be further from the Justin Timberlake/Usher idea of male pop stars that's defined what the concept means for the past couple decades. To me, he's very clearly doing hip hop, and gets chart hits by being successful in that lane.
Thanks you for the Monica/Brandy, Beyonce/Shakira, and BTS palate cleansers peppered throughout the video. That was a very large serving of airport reggae to get through.
“If you combine the two, you get one Shawn Mendes” “Justin Bieber is musical tofu” “[Bringing on Bieber] is like pimping a car with a dead battery” Todd’s zingers are just the fucking best.
Fun fact: their voices (Sheeran and Beiber) contrast so little that when I first heard it, I literally couldn't tell who was singing which part. I made it a game with my friends, guess whose doing which line, and it was honestly way harder than it needed to be
You have a point since BTS are genuinely the only male pop singers I actually listen to regularly and buy songs from 😅 I can't think of any western male pop singers I even listen to nowadays.
Honestly I think metalheads and k pop fans are the only two groups of music fans I see who still go out of their way to actually pay for their favorite artists' music these days.
I've watch two Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra movies. Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town. Both of them were great together. Gene Kelly had this older and wiser look to him that offsets Frank's young stray eyed youth act. They worked well together because they knew how to act. Ed and Justin sound like they were even in the same state when recording this.
Sir Edward Scott Sheeran and Master Justinian Croverforth Bieber - "Personal Acceleration of Apathy (Both Literally and Figuratively, as in, in the Expression that is this Song, and on a Meta-Level, in the Making of this Song as Expression of Apathy about the Song's Effectiveness at Expressing Anything Beyond Meta-Apathy)"
When I saw this video, next to it was a video about some shitty game called "Apocalyptica" So my brain instantly registered it as that dreadful song with Adam Gontier instead
Cicabeot1: I don’t care what bullshit you haters say about this song just to make so-called “underrated” trash 2000s songs like Better Off Alone, How Do You Sleep (by Jesse McCartney ft Ludacris), Britney Spears and Crush (by David Archuleta) sound better, it deserved the completely positive score I gave it just to shut you meanies up! Todd in the Shadows (to Cicabeot1): i.pinimg.com/236x/cd/01/e8/cd01e86c2b1aa255ab0ae12cbce38fb0.jpg
Thank you for mentioning BTS. Kpop recently has become more interesting both musically and visually than what mainstream western pop is offering. s Sheeran was cute and new back in 2013 when he was that ginger English boy who sang and rapped with the pedal but now he just seems like a one trick pony. Same with Bieber I forgot his songs the moment I stop listening to them.
Nissl True but its ben going long enough that I can find a lot of old kpop that still new to me like Orange Caramel or Shinee. TWICE, Block B, Vixx, Highlight (formally Beast) are also really great.
It's kinda like what happened in video games. When Atari and other western game companies started failing, people turned to foreign companies like Nintendo.
It's actually been making a slow comeback after that whole Pop/stars song and then the success of BTS. For a while, it was strictly an internet and korean thing.
@@UBvtuber It's a _music_ thing that's been insanely _popular_ in the _States_ over the past couple _years,_ so I expect a _music_ guy from the _States_ to _mention_ it at some point.
@@kimifw58 Oh yeah, that reply didn't come off as condescending at _all_ . Like I said, despite it being a popular _music_ thing for years, after Gangnam Style and Gentlemen left the charts, there was a good solid dead-zone between 2014 to 2017 where K-Pop rarely touched the charts again, it wasn't until BTS that it became relevant to american pop music again. And since Todd is an _american_ *pop* music *_reviewer_* , that means he has to stick to what his niche is.
Something someone told me stuck with me and seemed relevant about the gender ratio of pop superstars. They were (rightfully) complaining about how female pop singers are expected to put on a visually appealing show, with cool music videos and flamboyant on stage performances, but men could get big just singing in street clothes, just sitting with their guitar. The big male pop artists- Adam Levine, Shawn Mendez, Ed Sheeran- they don't tend to have big, flashy, flamboyant acts. They have this more casual image, of t-shirts and plain guitars. The female pop artists- Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande- they all have very extravagant and colorful performances and music videos. I mean, that's actually what Lady Gaga is most famous for. The women in pop tend to have more flamboyant performances and it comes off as more pop star. The men tend to just come off as pop musicians rather than a superstar with all the glitz and glam. There's definitely a layer of sexism that caused this, even if it wasn't an intentonal or conscious layer. (Women are expected to be pretty, and men are expected to not be flamboyant) As for what else might be behind these tendencies I'm not sure. But they do seem to exist. Anyway that's the theory I stand by. Flamboyance is what makes a pop superstar. And the guys aren't being as flamboyant as the girls right now.
As a BTS fan, you hit the NAIL on this one. I couldn’t find what I wanted in pop and at that same time I got introduced to k-pop which I immediately fell in love with. They go with concepts, storylines, amazingly produced music videos and albums, constant music (an average of 2/3 and maybe even more mini albums/LPs a year if lucky), perfected choreographies which are very satisfying to watch, amazing fashion, talented people, great interaction with the fans, the list goes on. I think that’s the reason k-pop is getting so big in the US and just the west in general: although I still like a few, western pop stars are lacking, and basically non existent nowadays. I think it’s also a big threat to western pop since once you go k-pop it’s hard to go back... why would I give up perfect discographies and choreophies to the Jonas Brothers? (With all due respect, 8 year old me was Nick Jonas’ biggest fan 😳)
Same. I've pretty much gotten bored with what has become of western pop. Ariana is maybe the only artist I'd say is producing consistently good pop music and who has actual talent. Everyone else seems to be a singles artist or not experimenting/adapting (w/ boring lyrics). This coming from someone in their 30s who was never into boybands (I'm asexual so I couldn't give two sh*ts about "looks"). BTS's whole albums are good (not just the single), and I often find the b-sides to be better than the title track. It also helps that their themes and lyrics talk about more than the boring tropes we hear over and over again in western pop. Also, important to note that Jonas Bros specifically outsold b/c of bundling which has become a huge issue. When we take away merch bundles, we can see just how un-enthusiastic people are about buying the whole album.
Eli Von I agree 100%! I love Ariana and her music really falls into what I like (mostly non singles) but she’s a different type of pop star than what I grew up with and idolized so I can’t fall in love with her all the way up. That applies to pretty much every “pop star”, if they even exist anymore 🥺 But yes, BTS just recently became the beat selling group ever in South Korea, they had about 3 million physical album preorders with Persona which is a FEAT in today’s entertainment industry. Not only do they have a strong, consistent fanbase but k-pop albums are just worth buying because of all the craft put into them - you’re not just buying CDs. We’ve now seen western artists adapting to that and basically “copying BTS” but blatantly using bundles to try to achieve their numbers which is honestly embarrassing... I remember so called “music critics” attacking BTS for their album format only to have Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers “copying” BTS and just k-pop in general. That being said... the JBros sold about 400k first week but had an 86% drop in sales during the second week and their sales without the bundles would be about 40k.
@@ninanano It's kind of funny how the industry can't decide between promoting them (because they bring ratings) or trying to bury them (because they are a threat to the establishment). Will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years. Agree with you about albums. I don't mind if the album itself had work put into it (especially if it's part of a larger picture w/ many kpop albums having concept photos that tie into a larger theme and give hints to the message). I don't even really mind bundling tickets with album sales too much (it at least makes sense). But bundling things like pizzas, cups, even condoms??? Yeah, that's pretty sketchy....and desperate.
Eli Von yeah it’s clear the industry is still very reluctant towards BTS but they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with and their US label seems to know how to handle that. Yeah the bundles issue is kinda annoying... didn’t DJ Khaled have energy drink bundles? It’s ridiculous lol the joke writes itself
ArgentumS He isn’t ignoring them, he has no place to talk about them. They don’t stay in the top40 for long and they haven’t destroy their career with bad single promotion. Some of his picks for best songs last year were fullblown surprised cause he never talked about them
@@Abbaschand what makes them different from other acts is that they arent a one hit wonder they actually have hit albums and if u go to their spotify numbers say enough. fans stream the whole thing because their b-sides are usually not pop songs and are very diverse and im just waiting for people to realize that. i also love that about them because they wont die out that easily. jonas brothers for example had one hit due to their comeback and now are lowkey flopping having to do merch bundles to seem relevant
Side rant: There is a lyric in Bieber's "Love Yourself" that goes "But when you told me that you hated my fans, the only problem was with you and not with them" Maybe Sheeran singing that lyric would be fine, but Bieber? Fuck no, Bieber's fans are fucking terrible. They regularly sent hate to Selena Gomez, including telling her to kill herself, because she was dating him and they weren't. No, the problem was very much with them. Of course, some lyric sites are saying it's "friends" not "fans", which may be possible, but I don't think Bieber has some good friends. I mean, his best friend is a guy named Scooter Braun. HIS FIRST NAME IS SCOOTER.
"Friends" makes more sense if you pretend the song isn't from Justin Bieber's perspective. Honestly, that line would be more fitting in an Ed Sheeran song because I get the impression he had genuine friendships from "Castle on the Hill". He's more grounded and down to earth. I can't picture Justin Bieber hanging out with anyone who isn't another celebrity besides maybe his mom.
That's exactly why I started listening to jpop and kpop back in 2000. I think it's great the us gp is finally opening up to music that isnt from their home country and language.
Nope, they gayest thing in music was the video for "Dancing in the Street" by Bowie and Jagger. Insert Seinfeld "not that there's anything wrong with that" gif here
As a very avid kpop fan I can tell you that the blandness of the current pop climate in music is definitely one of the reasons I started gravitating towards kpop
As a kpop fan i agree. But wouldn't you say its similar now because everyone (media includes) is so focused on bts. Monsta X, TxT and NCT 127 had US runs but no one (other than fans) seem to care. Plus the girl groups seem to be ignored
Most of my music these days has an anime attached. The radio is depressingly monotone to the point I put on non fiction audio books instead. Long textbooks are more upbeat than the booze and Xanax cocktail on the radio.
It's 5 years into the future. The mainstream pop music charts is now called the "Ed Sheeran Charts". Who is Ed Sheeran doing a duet with today? Uh-oh, Ed Sheeran has just been knocked off the number 1 slot by Ed Sheeran! "Ok this is it," says Ed Sheeran, as he slowly steps into the cloning machine "the ultimate collaboration. Now I will finally reclaim the number 1 spot from Ed Sheeran." [Radio announcer] "aaand coming up next, we're gonna play you the new smash hit! Ed Sheeran (feat. Ed Sheeran) with his new banger "I wish I was Ed Sheeran" [off mic] "what's... what has happened"
Nah, it sounds more like he’s apathetic to it than outright bothered by it, and was only reviewing it because of the names attached. Which honestly sounds appropriate.
@@mikerivera373 yeah, but he usually picks stuff that's generically competent but bland over something worst but interesting (unless it's outright offensive). maroon 5's 'girl like you' was #1 last year after all
Laptopgirl42 calling Girls Like You competent is a stretch. In any case, there was clearly way more disgust when he was talking about that song compared to this one.
As another introvert, I can see how the message of someone who helps you get past the stress of the outside world sounds good, but it really doesn't sound palatable from these guys.
“Get it together fellas” for real, I’ve been listening to the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync and Jesse McCartney for the past few months! like, where the dudes with the tunes at??
Great review Todd! I pretty much agree with your thoughts on this song, ironically the track sounds like they don’t care about anything. Thanks for the video and I wish you could tackle BTS as well! I love them so I would love to hear your honest thoughts 💜
Here's all you need to know about the amount of care being put into Ed Sheeran's collab album: The followup to this song, "Cross Me," features a PnB rock sample where he's singing about how protective he is of his daughter, and he straight up calls her "my seed". Not only does Ed take this line and use it to describe a romantic relationship, but he actually crossed out the word "seed" in the lyric video. They knew it didn't fit. They just didn't care enough to change it.
@@catplayingapiano2799 pnb rock is talking about his daughter (seed), with Ed and Chance the rapper about their wives, its about the 3 important females in their lives...
I just try my best to pretend that he meant, like, he’s trying to help his girlfriend grow, in terms of personal life or career or whatever. It’s a stretch, but I can live with that lmao
You sum up my feelings on this song and modern male pop stars perfectly. It took me a few weeks of hearing this song to even remember how it went. It would come on the radio and I'd realize what it was and my brain would stop processing that I was hearing music.
They are known more as hit album artists. So many variety genres they cover so i bet there must be something that everyone gonna like. Their albums are consistently very high quality.
I'd love a summary of the "pop music downturn" around 2016-2018. I know you've talked about it before, especially in one of your annual review videos, I think, but a more comprehensive look over a longer period would be awesome to see. Maybe do it as a team-up with someone else if it's too broad a topic to do alone. :)
i also noticed that in top10 most streamed groups nowadays in spotify, its really fascinating to see the rise of old gen groups like The Beatles, Queen. This really show how people view music nowadays to the point people who still not born during those era for The Beatles, Queen also found older music are still interesting and worth to listen. And to see how BTS rising to the top without even singing in english prove it even more that people crave something new and different from pop nowadays.
Oddly enough, I agree with you. And I've been an Ed Sheeran fan since The A Team. I think his other single, Cross Me is way better because it feels a lot more natural. Seems like Ed's fan base feels that way too because the general reaction to I Don't Care was "why". None of them really like Bieber.
@@mayaklast6334 i get where u r coming from...most of the gp has this misconception but why would people actually waste their money onto something they dont like(bts's music) just becoz they are good looking...if u actually take a look beyond their boyband image and listen to their music (and i m not talking about title tracks but the b-sides) then u will understand why their fans are so passionate about them...title tracks are specifically made for promotional purposes but the actual treasure lies in their b-sides and that is the the reason why they have 3 #1 ALBUMS and not 'one hit SONG'...i m sorry for the long comment and english is not my 1st language so plz bear with me...have a nice day☺
rim skye Bts have many diverse songs besides the main title track. Their SoundCloud songs are absolutely amazing and very different from their main title tracks while their b sides are very diverse as well. They’re just very talented and interesting, example their latest album map of the soul persona the title track was boy with luv was meant to be a happy positive song to align with the albums name. They make many psychological references in their music. The next album is predicted to be named shadow, which everyone is predicting the title track will be a dark one. I would explain it more but it’s a bit complicated trying to write it in a comment
@@mayaklast6334 Personally I like that their songs are more hip hop, but they do a whole range from slow ballads to high hype songs so I never get tired of listening to their albums. It's okay if it's not for you the same music isn't for everyone, these days I think as long as people keep an open mind about different types of music that's good enough. At least we both we both agree they have good looks LOL
Ed is releasing a 'No.6 Collaborations Project' in July which is a fun compilations album with all features, and not a proper studio album. Ed also wrote Love Yourself and Cold Water which JB sings. Ed is good friends with JBs manager Scooter Braun and has written few songs for his signed artists. Ed filmed his green screen footage in Japan, and JB in LA.
Finally!! You can't ignore it no more, BTS is huge all over the world and there is a reason they are outselling everyone else, they have great music, lyrics and overall message and they are filling this need for people to feel connected. In a globalize music industry talent can come from wherever country and whatever language and if is goon enough it will impact everything, how we consume music is changing and we are no longer trapped by certain labels or certain languages, we can see talent and support it.
I absolutely agree with you. He thinks BTS is some product or objects being imported, he fails to understand that a group like bts comes once in lifetime for many reasons you listed. They are real artists with quality music. He doesn't get it, for him he is like: no it's wrong to listen to other artists coming from other parts of the world singing non English songs. Sorry but the west does not own music deal with it.
@@graceko4189 I really think you're putting words in his mouth, Todd listens to a lot of music and I doubt he's that close-minded and he's done One Hit Wonderland videos on artists like Falco so he's aware of non-english songs being popular. Also BTS aren't the first non-english speaking group to get and remain consistently popular in the US, Rammstein is arguably one of the top 5 most popular metal bands to come out of the late 90s/2000s and all their songs are in German.
@@bisexualmajima l understand what you trying to say I also listen to Rammstein. My point is, the way he said it and using the word "import" is wrong, he is basically saying the only reason ppl listening to Bts is because there is lack of good quality pop music in the west, does it occur to him that maybe ppl are listening to them because they are just THAT Good. I wish he does deeper research to understand the whys rather than coming up with excuses of why some non English singing artists are that popular. Anyway I hope you understand my point of view.
I've been a fan of Todd since the beginning and he has been really open minded about music and what is popular arguably in the US there has been many non English songs and groups that have been popular I'm thinking about Spanish music mainly, they are extremely popular in the US, so much that they had to make the Latino Grammys like another ceremony because they were so many crossing over, but that is a whole other story, he called BTS pop stars so I think he can see their impact but he hasn't gotten deeper than that, knowing Todd he will be very methodic in his research when he does decide to talk about them which I think is going to be sooner rather than later
I don't here much about them outside of places like this. No one plays them in shops and noone outside of their fanbase seems to care that much. Maybe it's just in the UK, do you here a lot of K-pop in the US?
- Boring reggeaton beat. - Phoned in vocal performance. - Stupid video that tries to be tongue in cheek but falls completely flat. Yep sounds like modern pop music to me.
I wish everyone who sees BTS as this phenomenon would actually dig deeper and find out why exactly they are the biggest pop band in the world, they came out of kpop shell long time ago and became a precedent of this new global Hallyu wave, nobody knows how far BTS will go but for how far our fandom is powerful to keep pushing the boys, all I can tell you this, BTS are writing history as we speak
I think you are looking far into that footnote joke for his opinion. If BTS manage to actually sit in the top40 radio / make his year end list, we can then tell what he actually thinks
KPop isn’t really my scene, but I do get the hype. Cute dancing boys will always be appealing, and the music ain’t half bad either. Regardless, just the way that a lot of Kpop groups are made, along with the suffocating contracts, and general exhaustion that comes with being Kpop singer, it just makes me kind of uncomfortable and I wish those kids can work in less restraint conditions.
Chicken Sox Yh that’s true for Kpop but BTS started from the bottom.. they literally helped their Company from bankruptcy. And the company treat the boys well.. so I’m guessing they enjoy being singers. But I can’t speak for all KPOP
@@chickensox6083 the fact that BTS are cute and can dance is merely a plus. The biggest reasons on why BTS is so big is because of the message in their music. A lot of their music touches on social issues such as bullying, the broken school system, problems with the government, loss of youth, loving and accepting yourself, mental health, and so on. All 7 of them write and compose music, and at the moment, at least 4 of them produce. They have producers in-house too that belong to the company but at least 3 of them will always be on the producing credits and that's really admirable. They're extremely versatile and do not stick to one genre. In fact, every album/EP they release is different from the last and have no problem switching up concepts. Some genres they've experimented with so far include Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM, R&B, Neo Soul, Jazz, Ballad, and etc. In their early years (contrary to expectation), they were mainly based around Hip Hop and R&B, but they've branched out over the years to a lot more genres. Their rappers are actually talented and you can see that in both the group and their solo work. All three rappers have at least one mixtape out each (their company encourages them to do solo projects whenever they want) so I recommend you to check em out if you're up for it. They got mentored by a couple of iconic Hip Hop artists back in the day such as Coolio and Warren G, so you can tell they're authentic since they're nigga certified. And they also attract people with the storylines that run through their music. I won't explain the plot here but there is a massive storyline that spanned over 3 years through BTS' music and there were music videos and other things you had to watch in a certain order to put the pieces together. I think that engages fans in their content more than someone who wasn't doing something like that. In these storylines they use a lot of literature, psychology, and Greek mythology references, so it actually gets their fans to research and learn more about things we would have not learned otherwise. And lastly, their personalities and their passion shine through, and you can tell they have amazing teamwork and they've remained so humble over the years because they started from literally nothing back in 2013. They treat each other like family and that bond is something that the fans appreciate and like to see. Their English interviews aren't the best way to see how they are irl. Look for their Korean ones and you'll see how well they express themselves for 7 men in their 20s. But anyway, that's all I had to say. If you actually read this, I hope you'll understand the hype a bit more.
I love you, Todd. Seriously. As a dueling piano player, your reviews are golden to us in the DPP community. I’ve even turned all of them on to your channel. Here’s my suggestion for One Hit Wonderland: Come and Get Your Love by Redbone.
That Old Town Road block clip and the 'I don't care' part where you move to the music is so hilarious. I love this review and it has shot up to one of my favourite of yours already(that's a pretty large list to be fair...)
I rly thought he'd do a review of Boy With Love since it features Halsey. Maybe he'd do a review for a BTS World OST song since it does feature other big artists like Charlie XCX, or Make It Right, see how BTS adapts an Ed Sheeran song.
Yeah like BTS are like the only male pop artists who fit Todd's criteria and I ain't even an Army brah. In fact I'm literally the same as Todd is regarding Western Music when it comes to Korean Music.
@@maxillebastille9079 I don't need it to be positive, I just think it'd be interesting to hear his take. Plus, Gangnam Style isn't really traditional Kpop. It was more of an ironic song making fun of Korean style.
@@meganbarineau3290 yeah and gangnam style's rise to fame was very different from how bts is gaining it. The landscape of the pop charts is very different now too.
Also, how on the nose is it to just sing the words "I have anxiety" it's not just the performance, the lyrics have no, well, music to them. The cannon of artists singing about anxiety is humongous "Can't sleep/My Bed's on fire." "The earth died screaming/while I lay dreaming" "I didn't love her till I began to let her down" or just every guitar lick in Suicide's Ghost Rider. Maybe it's just my anxious ass, but there are days where I'm convinced that at least 80% of all music ever written was intended to communicate anxiety or release it... and all he can write is "I have anxiety?" Push a little harder guys
Old Town Road cockblocking all the big names in pop music continues to be hilarious and I hope it keeps happening throughout the rest of the summer.
Not gonna be funny when this continues and a meme song dethrones Mariah's longest #1 record :/
@@Joseph-iu4jd Thats the world we live in now... memes over actual artistic creativity.
@@Joseph-iu4jd that sounds pretty funny tbh
i hope OTR will be in number 1 spot for as long as possible because i don't even care about the chart, let that meme song destroy everything
@@Joseph-iu4jd eh, I still hope it overtakes Mariah
“If you combine the two, you get one Shawn Mendes.”
There it is. That’s the best description for him yet.
I still think of him as the poor man's Charlie Puth
Charlie Puth is the poor man's Charlie Puth
I actually thought Love Yourself was a Shawn Mendes song at first.
Benjamin Heath except that charlie puth actually has a vision on his craft
Todd has the best fucking burns I’ve ever heard.
The year is 2026.
Old town road has denied Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Justin Beiber, Adele, Drake, Bruno Mars, and imagine dragons a number one hit.
It is still number one after 300 weeks.
All is lost.
Your math is way off.
I'm sure by 2026 all those artists will be replaced by younger generic pop singers
@Gi-Gi-Gi-Gia Camole nope after Ariana spent 15 weeks at #1, Old Town Road finally dethroned her and still to this day is #1 for the 11th week and is on its way to break Mariah Carey and Despacito record and Old Town Road blocked Taylor and Ed Sheeran.
@Gi-Gi-Gi-Gia Camole Nope, Old Town Road is still topping the charts. Taylor Swift's "ME!" (Featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco) only made it to number 2 and has fallen to number 11 since then.
👺
Katy Perry’s part in “Con calma” sounds like a soccer mom trying to seduce the mexican pool boy
HoLa ME lLamO KaTY
@@sheddingsnakeskin she rlly just went “holler, yo say llama Katie! Mee hablar espanol”
down to the short blonde hair cut 💀
Katy Perry’s short hair makes her look more like Karen Perry
“I got the poom-poom, boy ;)”
“eso es bueno, pero tu hija acaba de cagar en la piscina”
When will we get the mini-segment “OLD TOWN ROAD KILLED MY CAREER”
The only person for that being possible is Taylor Swift and that might be a stretch
In very much the same way that he has his 90s typical "NIRVANA KILLED MY CAREER" segment.
Would that mean Old Town Road is the new Smells Like Teen Spirit?
@@robo-nidai4236 I... uh, presume so, but "bad guy" by Billie Eilish is more or less so the actual new "Smells Like Teen Spirit", all from that sudden "DUH!".
So basically a novelty song is going to eliminate other songs/artist careers. Ssuurree... but seriously yeah I doubt it
I miss Mackelmore. His big hits were full of energy and creativity that so many male artists are thoroughly lacking nowadays.
Same. Plus he always seemed like he was having a good time no matter what. We need a positive happy go lucky guy like him in the music scene
Caz agreed. Yeah he was a corny white guy but that’s what made him fun. I know a lot of people like to hate on him but nah he’s not as ‘problematic’ as people make him out to be.
Caz yo ain’t he one that song with the guy from fallout boy
Yeah, so many male artists lack that energy nowadays. Including Macklemore himself. That last album he put out...not good.
Bliss I’d gladly give up that hack Lil Dicky to bring Macklemore back any day.
everybody: _insert song name_ is going to be a massive hit and get to number one in Billboard
Old Town Road: *well, yes, but actually no*
I G O T H O R S E S I N T H E B A C K
@@branhan215124 * THE Horses
I’m so out of the loop regarding music now that Todd’s vids are where I first hear these songs.
Same...
i heard about it then forgot it existed...
Same
I didn't even know Taylor Swift even released a single until Todd told me about it.
Listen to Lizzo, she is the only artist I care who released a song
Holy shit. Airport reggae. Musical tofu. The accuracy has me shaking.
Funniest thing is, the first time i heard about this song was from this review. The first time i saw this review was in an airport.
And the award for most boring hit of 2019 goes to......
Its still too early, Taylor Swift has a whole album dropping soon
i dont care...................the song
Was this a hit? I mean, for a relatively unknown artist, I'd say yeah. But consider the fact that this is a full collab between Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, arguably two of the biggest popstars in the world and it couldn't even get any traction. Pop is seeing a generational shift I think, and all the 'old guard' like Miley, Demi, Taylor, Katy Perry, Nicki, Justin, etc. are slowly giving way to a newer generation of Billie, Khalid, Cardi etc. The only 'traditional' popstar I think whose still killing it so far is Ariana.
I don't care is basically 'Girl like you' 2.0
@@Koujoung I have noticed only Ariana, BTS, Cardi and Billie Eillish is the most popular right now while Taylor and Nicki is trying hard to still be relevant and Miley and Katy is a Flop now.
I will never get tired of you calling Ed Sheeran a muppet.
ED SHEERAN calls Ed Sheeran a muppet. I mean, he literally has a muppet in a video because of it.
"You muppet" is a common cockney insult in England, fun fact!
"I don't care" is basically "Girls Like you" all over again
Two mega-stars who have no business being in a song together making a boring nothing of a song.
The difference is I Don't Care is more completely banal to the point of never even caring for it, while Girls Like You is the ultimately amalgamation of what's horribly wrong with Maroon 5 (though Don't Wanna Know was a worse collab because of Kendrick Lamar sounding so poor when compared to his usual standards).
Im sure Clearchannel, or I heart radio would agree.
but girls like you was actually popular
@Max Gaming&Tutorial The only reason it was so popular was because of all the radio play it got, if Billboard didn't count radio airplay, it would've been lucky to reach the lower half of the top 10
"Bieber is musical tofu." Certain men are afraid he'll lower their sperm count?
wait whAT
Naw, he means Bieber's a soyboy
@@soniaantakusuma There's this entire _thing_ in certain circles of the Internet, revolving around the poorly researched claim that soy lowers testosterone and sperm count. The Internet being The Internet, it's led to a lot of self-important dude-bros and reactionaries using this "fact" as a bludgeon against...basically anyone they don't like. The phrase "soyboy" is meant as a derogatory term, implying a man to be insufficiently masculine (by the narrow definition espoused in such circles) and worthy of contempt. It's also usually conflated with left-wing ideas, by right-wing dumbasses who insist that leftists only believe in liberal ideals because of "the feminizing effect of soy". It's the same sort of "logic" that calls everyone the reactionary disagrees with a "cuck".
For more information, go watch Hbomberguy's video(s) on Soy. They're fascinating and hilarious dismantling of these mentalities.
@@mierardi88 no he means bieber is bland
I believe that if you DO listen to Bieber exclusively, and for too long, you MIGHT still have testosterone, but it becomes entirely irrelevant.
I think the single greatest piece of evidence that 2019 has been far and away the most interesting of the last few years of music is the fact that Todd has enough material to do four pop song reviews in a row.
Crossing my fingers for a review of Bad Guy and Billie Eilish
that is very true
Yes I need to hear what he thinks of Billie.
He's kind of obliged to do Taylor's newer song haha. I think he'll have a lot to say ... unless he has a rule to not do an artist more than once a year ...
@@mikerivera373 that'd be great lol
8:41 "Justin Bieber has always had decent music to lean on"
Well, let's just add that alongside "President Donald Trump" and "Billy Ray Cyrus's new Number 1 hit" as phrases that would have gotten you laughed out of the room nine years ago.
That is true but his music changed
Trump had been hinting at a presidential run for years, he even briefly ran third party in 2000.
@@gabingston3430 Yep. And the idea of him actually winning was a complete joke to everyone until the moment it actually happened
@@DiamondAxeStudiosMusic Trump was the second worst presidential candidate in recent American history.
He just happened to be running against the one candidate worse than him.
@@gabingston3430 That depends on what you mean by "worse candidate". If you're talking about which of the two I would have wanted to win, it's Clinton, no doubt, even though I absolutely can't stand her. But if you're talking about how they presented themselves and ran their campaigns, I think it's pretty close to objective fact that Clinton's ran one of the worst campaigns in the history of the United States, whereas with Trump... say what you will about him (and I have), but his campaign was revolutionary in many respects.
5:40
"You don't see the guys from Bon Iver working with Camilla Cabello"
Out of all Todd's predictions, this one is surprisingly close to what happened in Folklore
What's on the menu for the 10-year anniversary episode Todd? How about a top 10 best and worst of 2010's(The entire decade)?
His Top 10 Songs he picked as number one for the last ten years.
Fernando Zevallos think of it as a retrospective and we are nearing the end of the decade.
@@AdamMitchyCat that may just go to "Royals"
Mile Gimenez you're right I forgot.
@A G Plus it'd be cool to see if his choices have changed at all since starting the channel
Thank you for acknowledging the amazing gay subtext of Beautiful Liar by Beyonce and Shakira. My Livejournal community of teenage lesbians in 2006 went bananas for that song!
"Why have Bieber at all? What does he add?"
A paycheque
Nah, that's what he takes away.
JB has been jumping on lots of features the past few years because the songs come 90% prepared, so he hardly has to do anything but sing, and doesn't have to perform them live, or go on tour.
I enjoy this spelling of cheque vs check. Tis fancy 💅
@@TheAirBear2000 To clarify, I mean he adds value in THEORY. In THEORY people who wouldn't normally listen to Sheeran will listen to this track just cuz Bieber, and vice versa. IN THEORY..........In REALITY everyone hates everybody for everything that's been done.
Ed Sheeran's career as a pop star who makes pop music continues to be one of the most...baffling music career choices I've ever seen.
The only song of his that I actually like is "I See Fire" from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, though I've never seen the Hobbit Trilogy.
Up until this song, he’s always stuck the landing.
@@EntertainmentFan11 I also recommend his song Bloodstream, plus the Rudimental remix if you're into that
Trouble is you're all trying to make Ed Sheeran a shiny pop star, when he is 'mainstream misfit, writing songs in various genres & topics, and singing in many languages, for himself and other artists/bands, and that's why he has become so successful
He's so successful tho
14:01 ...Pitbull better send you flowers when he makes an amazing comeback thanks to the Toddstradamus magic.
He's focusing on his movie atm
Pitbull still brings our music, be it as a featured artist, they just haven't been hits
You will refer to Todd by his proper name, Nostradumb-ass 😂
@@NeoGraena he has a movie coming out?
I actually miss Pitbull nowadays, I need his particular brand of stupid back on the radio
definitely get the point about male pop singers being uninteresting, & this is coming from someone who likes dudes!! i think it’s just that a lot of them are either one hit wonders featured on ur average edm song, or in the case of those w long lasting fame (shawn mendes, justin beiber, the jonas bros, etc) they dont really seem to show much personality through both their music and interviews + generic vocals where nothing rlly sets anyone apart
the part about kpop boy bands being popular now is also a theory I’ve been thinking about too!! I remember just, kind of sitting slack jawed after watching shawn mendes performing @ an awards show looking like he’s about to play for ur local coffee shop talent show, acoustic guitar in hand, decent vocals, okay stage presence and all, only to have the follow up act be bts.
all 7 of these motherfuckers were up there doing synchronized choreography while singing high ass vocals at the same time, were aware of when to focus on the camera in order to engage the audience, outfits/hair/makeup looking like their stylists were trying to sculpt them into models or some shit, and generally just looking like they were people with personalities who were excited to give a good performance u know they practiced hours for. it just kinda seems we have such low standards for male pop stars rn that most male kpop groups just run circles around them, and w the drought of american pop music in general, people are starting to take notice in Korea’s music industry a lot more. which is a good thing, bc there’s a lot of talent there! i just wish we didn’t have to have songs like I Don’t Care exist in order to realize that lmao
(also on the off chance todd reads this long ass comment: would you ever consider reviewing a kpop song? i think you’d probably set the idea aside bc you’re not familiar w the genre, but personally id love to see from the perspective of a music commentator on the outside!!)
This also grants the possibility of America dumping K-Pop if our own male pop stars ever make a resurgence. It's arguably a double-edged sword in that sense.
K-pop seems more interesting than American pop in every way, at this rate. If we could have some American guy actually *interesting* be famous, I'd be all for it. But right now, it seems kind of unlikely.
@@thapoint09 I don't think BTS themselves are at any risk. They are incredible and genuine artists that cover a wide range of genres. They're also album artists in a time of 'singles' artists. Pretty much anyone can find something they like from the boys, if they put aside the prejudiced labels that come when thinking 'kpop' (BTS don't fit that mould and never have), and 'boyband'.
As for kpop itself - it is a niche market and really isn't growing as much as the media would want people to think. Said media has always been in control on who is big and successful, but with BTS they cannot do that as they came out of nowhere. So now they are desperately trying to scramble and predict, 'the next big thing', when BTS are once in a lifetime artists and have more room to grow and aren't slowing down. Which is frankly, terrifying.
@@elikovak7075 BTS growth is freaking scary. I myself a fan since 2017 but already listen to kpop since 2010 and i do think they are once in a lifetime artists. They are really passionate about their music. And a producer who work with them said that BTS is genre-agnostic group. Mean they are really unpredictable which they could do ballad in one day and next day hip hop rock out of nowhere. I think whoever ever check out their album gonna realize this. Best example is Love Yourself: Answer album.
Speaking of Monsta X has a US release with French Montana that just came out called "Who Do You Love." I've been a kpop fan since 2009 because I got so bored with US pop.
I have 'boringly straight' trade marked. You owe me.
Mediocre & Heterosexual
I can already tell that I agree with Todd's opinion of the song because, in between clips of the video, I straight-up forgot how this song goes.
This sounds like the banal white noise that the people at my job play just so we'll keep moving throughout our shift.
Looking back I think it’s safe to say that the “interesting male pop star” position has been filled by the same man whose horse song blocked the charts for weeks. Lil Nas is genuinely interesting as a personality. It’ll be interesting to see how his career progresses. At the very least, he’s no Ed and he’s no Justin
This take would be bad even if Harry Styles wasn't clearly the interesting male pop star of the present day. Lil Nas X just doesn't strike me as someone who's trying to make pop music at all -- he couldn't be further from the Justin Timberlake/Usher idea of male pop stars that's defined what the concept means for the past couple decades. To me, he's very clearly doing hip hop, and gets chart hits by being successful in that lane.
@gordonstearns2232 you can't say someone's take is bad then say Harry Styles is good, that's just not logic
Thanks you for the Monica/Brandy, Beyonce/Shakira, and BTS palate cleansers peppered throughout the video. That was a very large serving of airport reggae to get through.
Its amusing hearing you talk about Americans importing popstars from Korea when both Sheeran and Bieber are imports as well
Western too non western pop
Oh yeah! Justin is from Canada but I don't remember where sheeran is from
@@linkisntzelda7619 England and he Also has Irish roots.
Shanw Mendes is also from Canada
The US doesn’t seem to be strong on male artist AT ALL
The west as a whole is failing us ffs
@@linkisntzelda7619 England. You might have heard of it.
honestly, as a gay man, I feel the same about most of those Male artists. I'm not so sure what you're feeling is straight guy bias lol
Me: trying to sleep
Todd: *plays piano*
Same
Todd: Plays despacito
...
Wait
Same. I'm so jetlagged right now.
“If you combine the two, you get one Shawn Mendes”
“Justin Bieber is musical tofu”
“[Bringing on Bieber] is like pimping a car with a dead battery”
Todd’s zingers are just the fucking best.
That clothesline joke about Old Town Road had me rolling 😂😂😂
That's how I'll picture Old Town Road's success now: Lil Nas smacking other singers around the ring.
Fun fact: their voices (Sheeran and Beiber) contrast so little that when I first heard it, I literally couldn't tell who was singing which part. I made it a game with my friends, guess whose doing which line, and it was honestly way harder than it needed to be
“I felt like we were gonna enter a new dark age for his career”
HOLY CRAP HE PREDICTED IT!!!!!
When I here the title "I don't care" I always think of "I love it" by icona pop
so I'm here now *icona
@@Truthmane2 thanks.
so I'm here now np
This song is whiter than Miley Cyrus in a blizzard.
It it's gentrified regeaton
Of rice on a paper plate.
@@Wired4Life2 And the rice wasn't rinsed first and is half-cooked.
philly_ sports while eating a vanilla ice cream and a mayo sandwich on white bread with the crusts cut off.
@@josh44026 Reggeaton had already been gentrified in Latinamerica, but these two White Anglos have taken it to another level.
You have a point since BTS are genuinely the only male pop singers I actually listen to regularly and buy songs from 😅 I can't think of any western male pop singers I even listen to nowadays.
Listen to prince.
Honestly I think metalheads and k pop fans are the only two groups of music fans I see who still go out of their way to actually pay for their favorite artists' music these days.
@brandon roberts Accuracy 100%
@@bisexualmajima Yup. The fans of both the genres are passion af.
@@bisexualmajima mmm, metal is definitely the most naturally flamboyant genre out there
I've watch two Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra movies. Take Me Out to the Ball Game and On the Town. Both of them were great together. Gene Kelly had this older and wiser look to him that offsets Frank's young stray eyed youth act. They worked well together because they knew how to act.
Ed and Justin sound like they were even in the same state when recording this.
Sir Edward Scott Sheeran and Master Justinian Croverforth Bieber - "Personal Acceleration of Apathy (Both Literally and Figuratively, as in, in the Expression that is this Song, and on a Meta-Level, in the Making of this Song as Expression of Apathy about the Song's Effectiveness at Expressing Anything Beyond Meta-Apathy)"
You worked harder on this comment than they did on the song.
Lol
this deserves applause
Thank you kind sir for keeping the verbose alive. *tips fedora*
"boringly straight", wasnt expecting to hear that chord striking term from todd in all places haha
HOLY SHIT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS SONG
MY BODY IS READY
Me neither
Me neither😂
Don’t worry, it’s really forgettable
MegaJabboy same
What is
“I DON’T CARE! I LOVE IT!”
Wrong song?
Eh, still better.
When I saw this video, next to it was a video about some shitty game called "Apocalyptica"
So my brain instantly registered it as that dreadful song with Adam Gontier instead
Heck yeah, Icona Pop's I Love It was fantastic
@@reid3031 well, we can agree to disagree.
@@Abbaschand I DON'T LIKE CRICKET - AH
OH NO!
I LOVE IT - AH!!!!!
wait... wrong song... oh well
Same thing came to my head
I love learning about mediocre songs through you
Cicabeot1: I don’t care what bullshit you haters say about this song just to make so-called “underrated” trash 2000s songs like Better Off Alone, How Do You Sleep (by Jesse McCartney ft Ludacris), Britney Spears and Crush (by David Archuleta) sound better, it deserved the completely positive score I gave it just to shut you meanies up!
Todd in the Shadows (to Cicabeot1): i.pinimg.com/236x/cd/01/e8/cd01e86c2b1aa255ab0ae12cbce38fb0.jpg
Thank you for mentioning BTS. Kpop recently has become more interesting both musically and visually than what mainstream western pop is offering. s Sheeran was cute and new back in 2013 when he was that ginger English boy who sang and rapped with the pedal but now he just seems like a one trick pony. Same with Bieber I forgot his songs the moment I stop listening to them.
Alejandra Ponze kpop is a wild ride mate
I did like Beibers What Do You Mean. But, then I may have been hypnotized by Zedd to like every song with a clock noise. So, never mind.
Nissl True but its ben going long enough that I can find a lot of old kpop that still new to me like Orange Caramel or Shinee. TWICE, Block B, Vixx, Highlight (formally Beast) are also really great.
It's kinda like what happened in video games. When Atari and other western game companies started failing, people turned to foreign companies like Nintendo.
AIRPORT REGGAE! Finally I have a description for Ed Sheeran's work! Thank you Todd!
Todd mentions K-pop for the first time since... his "Gangnam Style" review?
It's actually been making a slow comeback after that whole Pop/stars song and then the success of BTS. For a while, it was strictly an internet and korean thing.
@@UBvtuber It's a _music_ thing that's been insanely _popular_ in the _States_ over the past couple _years,_ so I expect a _music_ guy from the _States_ to _mention_ it at some point.
@@kimifw58 Oh yeah, that reply didn't come off as condescending at _all_ . Like I said, despite it being a popular _music_ thing for years, after Gangnam Style and Gentlemen left the charts, there was a good solid dead-zone between 2014 to 2017 where K-Pop rarely touched the charts again, it wasn't until BTS that it became relevant to american pop music again. And since Todd is an _american_ *pop* music *_reviewer_* , that means he has to stick to what his niche is.
I'm always impressed by your piano intros
like, not only do you spend the time making a review, but also learning an entire piano thingy
Todd has more musical talent in his shadowy fingers, than the "artists" he reviews. Keep the music in you music reviews Todd!
I'm glad of all these pop reviews pumping out this year!
Another Justin Bieber song hits the pop charts
More like poop charts😂
This song actually gave my song "I Don't Care" that I released a couple years back a lot of listens. So I say THANK YOU.
Something someone told me stuck with me and seemed relevant about the gender ratio of pop superstars.
They were (rightfully) complaining about how female pop singers are expected to put on a visually appealing show, with cool music videos and flamboyant on stage performances, but men could get big just singing in street clothes, just sitting with their guitar.
The big male pop artists- Adam Levine, Shawn Mendez, Ed Sheeran- they don't tend to have big, flashy, flamboyant acts. They have this more casual image, of t-shirts and plain guitars.
The female pop artists- Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande- they all have very extravagant and colorful performances and music videos. I mean, that's actually what Lady Gaga is most famous for.
The women in pop tend to have more flamboyant performances and it comes off as more pop star. The men tend to just come off as pop musicians rather than a superstar with all the glitz and glam.
There's definitely a layer of sexism that caused this, even if it wasn't an intentonal or conscious layer. (Women are expected to be pretty, and men are expected to not be flamboyant) As for what else might be behind these tendencies I'm not sure. But they do seem to exist.
Anyway that's the theory I stand by. Flamboyance is what makes a pop superstar. And the guys aren't being as flamboyant as the girls right now.
It makes so much sense now ○•○
This town isn't big enough for two pop superstars!
Oh, you're a popstar, alright. Just not a super one.
Oh yeah? What's the difference?
PRESENTATION!
Here before it inevitably gets taken down.
As a BTS fan, you hit the NAIL on this one. I couldn’t find what I wanted in pop and at that same time I got introduced to k-pop which I immediately fell in love with. They go with concepts, storylines, amazingly produced music videos and albums, constant music (an average of 2/3 and maybe even more mini albums/LPs a year if lucky), perfected choreographies which are very satisfying to watch, amazing fashion, talented people, great interaction with the fans, the list goes on.
I think that’s the reason k-pop is getting so big in the US and just the west in general: although I still like a few, western pop stars are lacking, and basically non existent nowadays. I think it’s also a big threat to western pop since once you go k-pop it’s hard to go back... why would I give up perfect discographies and choreophies to the Jonas Brothers? (With all due respect, 8 year old me was Nick Jonas’ biggest fan 😳)
Same. I've pretty much gotten bored with what has become of western pop. Ariana is maybe the only artist I'd say is producing consistently good pop music and who has actual talent. Everyone else seems to be a singles artist or not experimenting/adapting (w/ boring lyrics). This coming from someone in their 30s who was never into boybands (I'm asexual so I couldn't give two sh*ts about "looks"). BTS's whole albums are good (not just the single), and I often find the b-sides to be better than the title track. It also helps that their themes and lyrics talk about more than the boring tropes we hear over and over again in western pop.
Also, important to note that Jonas Bros specifically outsold b/c of bundling which has become a huge issue. When we take away merch bundles, we can see just how un-enthusiastic people are about buying the whole album.
Eli Von I agree 100%! I love Ariana and her music really falls into what I like (mostly non singles) but she’s a different type of pop star than what I grew up with and idolized so I can’t fall in love with her all the way up. That applies to pretty much every “pop star”, if they even exist anymore 🥺
But yes, BTS just recently became the beat selling group ever in South Korea, they had about 3 million physical album preorders with Persona which is a FEAT in today’s entertainment industry. Not only do they have a strong, consistent fanbase but k-pop albums are just worth buying because of all the craft put into them - you’re not just buying CDs. We’ve now seen western artists adapting to that and basically “copying BTS” but blatantly using bundles to try to achieve their numbers which is honestly embarrassing... I remember so called “music critics” attacking BTS for their album format only to have Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers “copying” BTS and just k-pop in general.
That being said... the JBros sold about 400k first week but had an 86% drop in sales during the second week and their sales without the bundles would be about 40k.
@@ninanano It's kind of funny how the industry can't decide between promoting them (because they bring ratings) or trying to bury them (because they are a threat to the establishment). Will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years.
Agree with you about albums. I don't mind if the album itself had work put into it (especially if it's part of a larger picture w/ many kpop albums having concept photos that tie into a larger theme and give hints to the message). I don't even really mind bundling tickets with album sales too much (it at least makes sense). But bundling things like pizzas, cups, even condoms??? Yeah, that's pretty sketchy....and desperate.
Eli Von yeah it’s clear the industry is still very reluctant towards BTS but they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with and their US label seems to know how to handle that.
Yeah the bundles issue is kinda annoying... didn’t DJ Khaled have energy drink bundles? It’s ridiculous lol the joke writes itself
"You don't see the guys from Bon Iver writing for Camila Cabello"
Well, we did see them working with Taylor, but y'know, semantics.
I mean it was written by Taylor and Aaron Dessner. He just wrote the bridge.
I didn’t think Todd would ever reference BTS in a video, but here we go.
Just my thoughts. I was sure he gonna ignore their existence until the end
ArgentumS He isn’t ignoring them, he has no place to talk about them. They don’t stay in the top40 for long and they haven’t destroy their career with bad single promotion. Some of his picks for best songs last year were fullblown surprised cause he never talked about them
Nobody cares.
If you want a song for the summer! A summer anthem! Look no further than Lizzo! Good As Hell or Juice!!!
Lizzo is amazing! I'm really happy she's been getting more attention lately. I hope she gets a huge hit so Todd has to talk about her :p
HazzMatt19 I just discovered her and I am hooked
HazzMatt19 looks like Truth Hurts is gonna be her hit.
Lizzo is such a breath of fresh air, finally a person who isn't depressed in every fucking song they sing
@@goodjobeli jimust keep looking at the bright side. Noting wrong if we like Old Town Road for nother 1000 weeks.
Oh god, I so want Todd to cover BTS in more depth...
He's too old he won't get it
@@brad6546 whats to get, its overproduced poo songs
@@brad6546 get what? It's k-pop not tick tock
@@Abbaschand what makes them different from other acts is that they arent a one hit wonder they actually have hit albums and if u go to their spotify numbers say enough. fans stream the whole thing because their b-sides are usually not pop songs and are very diverse and im just waiting for people to realize that. i also love that about them because they wont die out that easily. jonas brothers for example had one hit due to their comeback and now are lowkey flopping having to do merch bundles to seem relevant
BradPlaysGames there’s not age for music
Side rant: There is a lyric in Bieber's "Love Yourself" that goes "But when you told me that you hated my fans, the only problem was with you and not with them"
Maybe Sheeran singing that lyric would be fine, but Bieber? Fuck no, Bieber's fans are fucking terrible. They regularly sent hate to Selena Gomez, including telling her to kill herself, because she was dating him and they weren't. No, the problem was very much with them.
Of course, some lyric sites are saying it's "friends" not "fans", which may be possible, but I don't think Bieber has some good friends. I mean, his best friend is a guy named Scooter Braun. HIS FIRST NAME IS SCOOTER.
"Friends" makes more sense if you pretend the song isn't from Justin Bieber's perspective. Honestly, that line would be more fitting in an Ed Sheeran song because I get the impression he had genuine friendships from "Castle on the Hill". He's more grounded and down to earth. I can't picture Justin Bieber hanging out with anyone who isn't another celebrity besides maybe his mom.
i got an email from spotify and before i opened it i said to myself "i dont care spotify", and the song, low and behold, was i dont care
"You don't see the guys from Bon Iver writing for Camilla Cabello"
yeah cuz taylor swift got to them first
So glad YT for once pushed a video by one of my fav creators
That's exactly why I started listening to jpop and kpop back in 2000. I think it's great the us gp is finally opening up to music that isnt from their home country and language.
Nope, they gayest thing in music was the video for "Dancing in the Street" by Bowie and Jagger.
Insert Seinfeld "not that there's anything wrong with that" gif here
@Timothy Young although Angie has a habit of bad mouthing him and separating herself from him though this I buy
As a very avid kpop fan I can tell you that the blandness of the current pop climate in music is definitely one of the reasons I started gravitating towards kpop
I can't blame you. Pop Music has went downhill completely. It's just Ariana, Taylor and Drake that's dominating I guess right now.
Kpop is the new Europop
As a kpop fan i agree. But wouldn't you say its similar now because everyone (media includes) is so focused on bts. Monsta X, TxT and NCT 127 had US runs but no one (other than fans) seem to care. Plus the girl groups seem to be ignored
Most of my music these days has an anime attached. The radio is depressingly monotone to the point I put on non fiction audio books instead. Long textbooks are more upbeat than the booze and Xanax cocktail on the radio.
"What, is the room full of sevens?" Funniest line.
It's 5 years into the future. The mainstream pop music charts is now called the "Ed Sheeran Charts". Who is Ed Sheeran doing a duet with today? Uh-oh, Ed Sheeran has just been knocked off the number 1 slot by Ed Sheeran!
"Ok this is it," says Ed Sheeran, as he slowly steps into the cloning machine "the ultimate collaboration. Now I will finally reclaim the number 1 spot from Ed Sheeran."
[Radio announcer] "aaand coming up next, we're gonna play you the new smash hit! Ed Sheeran (feat. Ed Sheeran) with his new banger "I wish I was Ed Sheeran"
[off mic] "what's... what has happened"
$20 this is going to be on the worst list (or at least an honorable mention)
Being so low energy, and sounding so generic, it is a perfect fit for the Honorable mentions section of the worst list.
Nah, it sounds more like he’s apathetic to it than outright bothered by it, and was only reviewing it because of the names attached. Which honestly sounds appropriate.
@@mikerivera373 yeah, but he usually picks stuff that's generically competent but bland over something worst but interesting (unless it's outright offensive). maroon 5's 'girl like you' was #1 last year after all
Laptopgirl42 calling Girls Like You competent is a stretch. In any case, there was clearly way more disgust when he was talking about that song compared to this one.
@@mikerivera373 Todd has said, in the past, that being dull is worse for him than being obnoxious.
"We Care A Lot" is such a great Faith No More track. Too bad it's hella overlooked due to the fact that it's pre-Mike Patton.
Out of context, the title and thumbnail sound like Todd just gave up on the name of the song.
As another introvert, I can see how the message of someone who helps you get past the stress of the outside world sounds good, but it really doesn't sound palatable from these guys.
“Get it together fellas” for real, I’ve been listening to the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync and Jesse McCartney for the past few months! like, where the dudes with the tunes at??
Billboardguy1 Relatively speaking, you’re right! But he was a big deal when I was younger so it makes sense to include him for me.
Great review Todd! I pretty much agree with your thoughts on this song, ironically the track sounds like they don’t care about anything. Thanks for the video and I wish you could tackle BTS as well! I love them so I would love to hear your honest thoughts 💜
Most mismatched collab since Michael Jackson and Eddie Murphy, though that video was better.
Atleast the song they did was better
Ouch. You're right, but ouch.
5:42 Bon Iver guys writing for a pop singer.... I guess that's a score for Todd's correct predictions
What pop singer did they write for?
@@aaravos4371 T-Swizzle
@@kodyeldridge5847 oh yeah, wait they only wrote the bridge. But sure yeah.
"You don't see guys like Bon Iver writing for Camila Cabello"...
Huh....that didn't age well.
Here's all you need to know about the amount of care being put into Ed Sheeran's collab album: The followup to this song, "Cross Me," features a PnB rock sample where he's singing about how protective he is of his daughter, and he straight up calls her "my seed". Not only does Ed take this line and use it to describe a romantic relationship, but he actually crossed out the word "seed" in the lyric video.
They knew it didn't fit. They just didn't care enough to change it.
LOL
@@catplayingapiano2799 pnb rock is talking about his daughter (seed), with Ed and Chance the rapper about their wives, its about the 3 important females in their lives...
Take some poetic writing classes from Hozier, seriously
I just try my best to pretend that he meant, like, he’s trying to help his girlfriend grow, in terms of personal life or career or whatever. It’s a stretch, but I can live with that lmao
You sum up my feelings on this song and modern male pop stars perfectly. It took me a few weeks of hearing this song to even remember how it went. It would come on the radio and I'd realize what it was and my brain would stop processing that I was hearing music.
I've been doing my goddamn best to avoid this song, but for you, Todd, I'm going to listen to snippets. All for you.
At least BTS exists. Not just visually but musically they're miles more interesting and versatile, specially their b sides.
Tbh bsides>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>title track
They are known more as hit album artists. So many variety genres they cover so i bet there must be something that everyone gonna like. Their albums are consistently very high quality.
Thats one of many reasons I'm Army.. their title track is so good, but I mean their b-side always make me blow my mind, 😌😌
Thats the reason why people buy their album.
I'd love a summary of the "pop music downturn" around 2016-2018. I know you've talked about it before, especially in one of your annual review videos, I think, but a more comprehensive look over a longer period would be awesome to see. Maybe do it as a team-up with someone else if it's too broad a topic to do alone. :)
The video reminds me of Toki and Murderface's "Takin' It Easy."
Except that video had much better production values.
Still pissed that never made it onto a Dethklok album, lol.
TBH I do really like the little "Oo oo-oo" hook at the end of the chorus
i also noticed that in top10 most streamed groups nowadays in spotify, its really fascinating to see the rise of old gen groups like The Beatles, Queen. This really show how people view music nowadays to the point people who still not born during those era for The Beatles, Queen also found older music are still interesting and worth to listen. And to see how BTS rising to the top without even singing in english prove it even more that people crave something new and different from pop nowadays.
I love your piano intros. they always make the songs sound much better than they actually are
When YT forgets the Todd Alarm but you just happen to be on the site when a vid drops.
Oddly enough, I agree with you. And I've been an Ed Sheeran fan since The A Team. I think his other single, Cross Me is way better because it feels a lot more natural. Seems like Ed's fan base feels that way too because the general reaction to I Don't Care was "why". None of them really like Bieber.
You can feel BTS's passion for music in their songs and performances, they're the only artists that got me back into pop music in 5 years
I don't know about passion. I get the feeling their fame come from their looks more than their music. I've yet to hear a decent song from them.
@@mayaklast6334 i get where u r coming from...most of the gp has this misconception but why would people actually waste their money onto something they dont like(bts's music) just becoz they are good looking...if u actually take a look beyond their boyband image and listen to their music (and i m not talking about title tracks but the b-sides) then u will understand why their fans are so passionate about them...title tracks are specifically made for promotional purposes but the actual treasure lies in their b-sides and that is the the reason why they have 3 #1 ALBUMS and not 'one hit SONG'...i m sorry for the long comment and english is not my 1st language so plz bear with me...have a nice day☺
@@divyay.8687 👏👏
rim skye Bts have many diverse songs besides the main title track. Their SoundCloud songs are absolutely amazing and very different from their main title tracks while their b sides are very diverse as well. They’re just very talented and interesting, example their latest album map of the soul persona the title track was boy with luv was meant to be a happy positive song to align with the albums name. They make many psychological references in their music. The next album is predicted to be named shadow, which everyone is predicting the title track will be a dark one. I would explain it more but it’s a bit complicated trying to write it in a comment
@@mayaklast6334 Personally I like that their songs are more hip hop, but they do a whole range from slow ballads to high hype songs so I never get tired of listening to their albums. It's okay if it's not for you the same music isn't for everyone, these days I think as long as people keep an open mind about different types of music that's good enough. At least we both we both agree they have good looks LOL
Two best things, Ed got called a Muppet & I got to hear Faith no More for a moment...
Ed is releasing a 'No.6 Collaborations Project' in July which is a fun compilations album with all features, and not a proper studio album. Ed also wrote Love Yourself and Cold Water which JB sings. Ed is good friends with JBs manager Scooter Braun and has written few songs for his signed artists. Ed filmed his green screen footage in Japan, and JB in LA.
Bon Iver didn’t write for Camila Cabello, but Tame Impala did 😉
Also, Mark Ronson.
Bon Iver has written for Kanye as well
@@jakegibbard yeah but that was epic
@@katteycat not saying otherwise 😛
It felt like they were trying to do a bedroom pop hit but with none of the honesty or fun
“My Thoughts on NeoGAF Dying”
- JPEGMAFIA
Classic
Ay Dios Mios Peggy!!!
Finally!! You can't ignore it no more, BTS is huge all over the world and there is a reason they are outselling everyone else, they have great music, lyrics and overall message and they are filling this need for people to feel connected. In a globalize music industry talent can come from wherever country and whatever language and if is goon enough it will impact everything, how we consume music is changing and we are no longer trapped by certain labels or certain languages, we can see talent and support it.
I absolutely agree with you. He thinks BTS is some product or objects being imported, he fails to understand that a group like bts comes once in lifetime for many reasons you listed. They are real artists with quality music.
He doesn't get it, for him he is like: no it's wrong to listen to other artists coming from other parts of the world singing non English songs. Sorry but the west does not own music deal with it.
@@graceko4189 I really think you're putting words in his mouth, Todd listens to a lot of music and I doubt he's that close-minded and he's done One Hit Wonderland videos on artists like Falco so he's aware of non-english songs being popular. Also BTS aren't the first non-english speaking group to get and remain consistently popular in the US, Rammstein is arguably one of the top 5 most popular metal bands to come out of the late 90s/2000s and all their songs are in German.
@@bisexualmajima l understand what you trying to say I also listen to Rammstein. My point is, the way he said it and using the word "import" is wrong, he is basically saying the only reason ppl listening to Bts is because there is lack of good quality pop music in the west, does it occur to him that maybe ppl are listening to them because they are just THAT Good. I wish he does deeper research to understand the whys rather than coming up with excuses of why some non English singing artists are that popular. Anyway I hope you understand my point of view.
I've been a fan of Todd since the beginning and he has been really open minded about music and what is popular arguably in the US there has been many non English songs and groups that have been popular I'm thinking about Spanish music mainly, they are extremely popular in the US, so much that they had to make the Latino Grammys like another ceremony because they were so many crossing over, but that is a whole other story, he called BTS pop stars so I think he can see their impact but he hasn't gotten deeper than that, knowing Todd he will be very methodic in his research when he does decide to talk about them which I think is going to be sooner rather than later
I don't here much about them outside of places like this. No one plays them in shops and noone outside of their fanbase seems to care that much. Maybe it's just in the UK, do you here a lot of K-pop in the US?
- Boring reggeaton beat.
- Phoned in vocal performance.
- Stupid video that tries to be tongue in cheek but falls
completely flat.
Yep sounds like modern pop music to me.
I wish everyone who sees BTS as this phenomenon would actually dig deeper and find out why exactly they are the biggest pop band in the world, they came out of kpop shell long time ago and became a precedent of this new global Hallyu wave, nobody knows how far BTS will go but for how far our fandom is powerful to keep pushing the boys, all I can tell you this, BTS are writing history as we speak
I think you are looking far into that footnote joke for his opinion. If BTS manage to actually sit in the top40 radio / make his year end list, we can then tell what he actually thinks
KPop isn’t really my scene, but I do get the hype. Cute dancing boys will always be appealing, and the music ain’t half bad either.
Regardless, just the way that a lot of Kpop groups are made, along with the suffocating contracts, and general exhaustion that comes with being Kpop singer, it just makes me kind of uncomfortable and I wish those kids can work in less restraint conditions.
Chicken Sox Yh that’s true for Kpop but BTS started from the bottom.. they literally helped their Company from bankruptcy. And the company treat the boys well.. so I’m guessing they enjoy being singers. But I can’t speak for all KPOP
@@chickensox6083 the fact that BTS are cute and can dance is merely a plus. The biggest reasons on why BTS is so big is because of the message in their music.
A lot of their music touches on social issues such as bullying, the broken school system, problems with the government, loss of youth, loving and accepting yourself, mental health, and so on.
All 7 of them write and compose music, and at the moment, at least 4 of them produce. They have producers in-house too that belong to the company but at least 3 of them will always be on the producing credits and that's really admirable.
They're extremely versatile and do not stick to one genre. In fact, every album/EP they release is different from the last and have no problem switching up concepts. Some genres they've experimented with so far include Rock, Hip Hop, Pop, EDM, R&B, Neo Soul, Jazz, Ballad, and etc. In their early years (contrary to expectation), they were mainly based around Hip Hop and R&B, but they've branched out over the years to a lot more genres.
Their rappers are actually talented and you can see that in both the group and their solo work. All three rappers have at least one mixtape out each (their company encourages them to do solo projects whenever they want) so I recommend you to check em out if you're up for it. They got mentored by a couple of iconic Hip Hop artists back in the day such as Coolio and Warren G, so you can tell they're authentic since they're nigga certified.
And they also attract people with the storylines that run through their music. I won't explain the plot here but there is a massive storyline that spanned over 3 years through BTS' music and there were music videos and other things you had to watch in a certain order to put the pieces together. I think that engages fans in their content more than someone who wasn't doing something like that. In these storylines they use a lot of literature, psychology, and Greek mythology references, so it actually gets their fans to research and learn more about things we would have not learned otherwise.
And lastly, their personalities and their passion shine through, and you can tell they have amazing teamwork and they've remained so humble over the years because they started from literally nothing back in 2013. They treat each other like family and that bond is something that the fans appreciate and like to see. Their English interviews aren't the best way to see how they are irl. Look for their Korean ones and you'll see how well they express themselves for 7 men in their 20s.
But anyway, that's all I had to say. If you actually read this, I hope you'll understand the hype a bit more.
Chicken Sox if you read more into bts you will learn that your stereotyping and generalization would not be an issue with you for them
I love you, Todd. Seriously. As a dueling piano player, your reviews are golden to us in the DPP community. I’ve even turned all of them on to your channel. Here’s my suggestion for One Hit Wonderland: Come and Get Your Love by Redbone.
2:35 He went from saying his face looked like a character from Antz to saying he had a pretty face. Name a bigger character arc
That Old Town Road block clip and the 'I don't care' part where you move to the music is so hilarious. I love this review and it has shot up to one of my favourite of yours already(that's a pretty large list to be fair...)
As one of the people who has moved on to Korean music to satisfy pop cravings, I'd love to see you review a Kpop (BTS) song one day.
I rly thought he'd do a review of Boy With Love since it features Halsey. Maybe he'd do a review for a BTS World OST song since it does feature other big artists like Charlie XCX, or Make It Right, see how BTS adapts an Ed Sheeran song.
Yeah like BTS are like the only male pop artists who fit Todd's criteria and I ain't even an Army brah. In fact I'm literally the same as Todd is regarding Western Music when it comes to Korean Music.
He reviewed gangnam style and uh, he didn't have a lot of positives to say about it
@@maxillebastille9079 I don't need it to be positive, I just think it'd be interesting to hear his take. Plus, Gangnam Style isn't really traditional Kpop. It was more of an ironic song making fun of Korean style.
@@meganbarineau3290 yeah and gangnam style's rise to fame was very different from how bts is gaining it. The landscape of the pop charts is very different now too.
I love that you have been doing this series for 9 years and still your piano playing hasn't gotten any better.
Also, how on the nose is it to just sing the words "I have anxiety" it's not just the performance, the lyrics have no, well, music to them. The cannon of artists singing about anxiety is humongous "Can't sleep/My Bed's on fire." "The earth died screaming/while I lay dreaming" "I didn't love her till I began to let her down" or just every guitar lick in Suicide's Ghost Rider. Maybe it's just my anxious ass, but there are days where I'm convinced that at least 80% of all music ever written was intended to communicate anxiety or release it... and all he can write is "I have anxiety?" Push a little harder guys
Is Todd gonna engage with BTS finally?