Girl Group Challenge - WJSN

Welcome back, Coziers! It is once again time for my weekly girl group challenge. It's that special time of week that I set aside to check out and learn about a new (to-me) girl group. This week, we are checking out WJSN aka Cosmic Girls.

For you, coziers, this is week two of joining me in this challenge - but for me this actually week twenty-six. Part of the fun of this weekly challenge is truly appreciating differen concepts and seeing beyond a cute music video. Where better to start than a group, like WSJN, known for softer, bubblegum-y, synthpop sound?

I will admit to having done a bit of a deeper dive on this group in advance, because their subunits were a point of confusion. But it's okay friends, I have done the research, so you don't have to! Grab a unicorn frappe and a macaroon and let's get started.

Learning about the group - just the basics

WJSN aka Cosmic Girls is a 13-member girl group under Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment. They debuted on February 25, 2016. Similarly to some other larger kpop groups, they have a number of subunits.

Much like Loona, a many of their subunits have more relevance pre-debut. So when you see, subunits listed with Grecian alphabet titles, those were part of an earlier concept, involving astrology, that is not so relevant to where they are as a group now.

A friend, (that I consider an expert on girl groups), explained that as many members are currently pursuing acting careers or potentially unable to participate as much due to Chinese promotions, or membership in temporary girl group, Rocket Girls; the current subunits allow for comebacks with the members that are available at the time. Or similarily to the rotating subunit of NCT, NCTU, it allows for concepts that fit some, but not all of the members.

So to sum up, here are some existing subunits that are not relevant now: αγυρτης (The Imposter), ενύπνιον (The Dreamer) and φορευς (Dream Carrier). Further divisions are: Wonder, Joy, Sweet and Natural or WJSN.

Subunits that are used more currently are: WJSN THE BLACK (which skews more towards harder, "girl crush concepts"), and WJSN CHOCOME (which focuses more on sweeter, cuter concepts).

However, for each member I will be listing all units, current and former. Let's learn each member's name, subunits, position and age. Please note, that a few members are on hiatus and that will also be noted.

EXY

-subunits: Sweet, αγυρτης (The Imposter) and WJSN THE BLACK

-position: Leader of Sweet subunit, Main Rapper, Vocalist

-line: 95-liner

Seola

-subunits: Sweet, ενύπνιον (The Dreamer), WJSN THE BLACK

-position: Lead Vocalist

-line: 94-liner

Xuan Yi: on hiatus

-subunits: Joy, αγυρτης (The Imposter)

-position: Leader of Joy, Lead Dancer, Vocalist

-liner: 95-liner

Bona

-subunits: Wonder, ενύπνιον (The Dreamer), WJSN THE BLACK

-position: Leader of Wonder, Lead Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper, Visual

-liner: 95-liner

Soobin

-subunits: Sweet, αγυρτης (The Imposter), WJSN CHOCOME

-position: Main Vocalist

-liner: 96-liner

Luda

-subunits: Natural, ενύπνιον (The Dreamer), WJSN CHOCOME

-position: Vocalist, Rapper

-liner: 97-liner

Dawon

-subunits: Natural, ενύπνιον (The Dreamer)

-position: Main Vocalist

-liner: 97-liner

Eunseo Sub Unit: Joy, αγυρτης (The Imposter), φορευς (Dream Carrier), WJSN THE BLACK

-position: Vocalist, Rapper

-liner: 98-liner

Cheng Xiao: on hiatus

-subunits: Wonder, αγυρτης (The Imposter)

-position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Visual, Face Of the Group

-liner: 98-liner

Mei Qi: on hiatus

-subunits: Natural, ενύπνιον (The Dreamer)

-position: Main Dancer, Vocalist

-liner: 98-liner

Yeoreum

-subunits: Joy, φορευς (Dream Carrier), WJSN CHOCOME

-position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper

-liner: 99-liner

Dayoung

-subunits: Wonder, φορευς (Dream Carrier), WJSN CHOCOME

-position: Lead Vocalist

-liner: 99-liner

Yeonjung

-subunits: φορευς (Dream Carrier)

-position: Main Vocalist, Maknae

-liner: 99-liner

This is just scratching the surface of WJSN, please check out their Kpop Profile for additional trivia and fun facts.

Music to check out and live stage

Okay, now that we know about the twisted web that is WJSN and their subunits, we are going to check out a few songs and stages. To get the full picture, we're going to try, WJSN - THE BLACK'S - Easy, WJSN - Unatural, WSJN - Happy and WJSN Chocome - Super Yuppers!

Expectations - before watching

Before watching WJSN THE BLACK's Easy, I expect it to be a more hard-hitting sort of banger. From what I can see in the YouTube thumbnail, we have one of my favorite girl group concepts, ladies in suits! I am sucker for executive realness!

Prior to viewing WJSN's Happy, I am expecting a brighter, bouncy sound. Everyone appears to be dressed as cheerleaders, so I am thinking lyrically, it will be about overcoming personal obstacles.

WJSN's Unnatural looks to be more intense. Black and red outfits are showcased in the thumbnail leading me to expect a hard dance-type track.

Finally, WJSN's Super Yuppers! is giving me sweet and girl-y. Even the title of the song suggests a carefree agreement to some wholesome fun. I am expecting soaring vocals and a bouncy beat, little or no rapping.

Thoughts - after watching

Before we get down to my thoughts on these tracks and performances, I would like to emphasize that I will be approaching each one with an open mind and will be taking care to bring up positive aspects of any track that is not entirely to my liking. If I don't love something, it may just mean that I need to check out different songs that will better suit my sensibilities.

Let us all take a minute to hum the MST3K theme song and pretend it is about music and not shlock films. "I should really just relax!"

WJSN THE BLACK - EASY

The mv and lyrics

WJSN's Easy has a wandering bass line with a bit of funk to it. Honestly, that bassline is easily my favourite part of the track. I am a sucker for great bass. (I did used to play bass guitar in high school band, so it is especially close to my heart). Is the song a certified banger? Yes! The vocals are a good deal airier and breathy-er than I expected. The tone of the song is very flirtatious. EXY and Bona's rap sections are a standout. Lyrically, it is a simple song about being confident in approaching the object of your affections, possibly for some adult fun times.

Ladies! In! Suits!

Choreography shown in the mv is very reflective of the lyrics. There is a good deal of satisfying hair-ography. They are sharp in their movements, flipping it every which way to channel the confidence in the lyrics. The floor work is on the sensual side, with a particular emphasis on and highlighting of their legs. Again, this is dovetailing perfectly with the song's overall message.

The actual concept of the mv scenes, is a bit hard to follow. Are we rich office ladies planning crime?

Is Seola interrogating Bona?

Or are we spies?

Just Seola doing heist things.

Heist plan or crime solving board? (Eunseo with gray hair is killing me, truly!)

Or are we cowgirls with a side hustle in office work and a secret side-side hustle in bank robbery? (The most amazing head canon possibility for the mv.)

They said, "señorita bandidos."

Either way, it is engaging to watch, so it doesn't really matter. They will take your valuables and look good doing it. It will be "easy" to give them your wallet. Insert high hat cymbal smash here.

The performance and choreo

All four members and their back up dancers are looking great in white suits. The intro involves some sexy chair work. The choreography uses a fair amount of jacket flipping and adjusting, or letting it slide off the shoulder for emphasis.

Seriously, Eunseo, you are doing too much!

The most common movements are about long arms and swift hip motions. The chorus begins with some rear-stage facing moments to enhance, a come hither effect. It also suitable heavy on body rolls, often starting from a hand behind the head and the arms following the roll down the body. The chest pops are very eye-catching.

I was looking for some gifs from this stage that had more than just Eunseo doing the dance moves, I mentioned, but here we are. Thank you for your hard work, bravegirlss tumblr.

The bridge is where the floor work, I mentioned in the mv comes into play. There is also a tightening of the jacket cuffs move that stands out as it, shows that these women mean business.

Legs for days!

WJSN - Happy

The mv and lyrics

Happy is giving you exactly what you would expect from that title. It has all the colours! It is on beyond bouncy! Conceptually simple, with so much sunshine yellow, that you are choking on it, but in a good way. To me it looks like were are in a doll house, that is also a boarding school with an important volleyball match. The members are both cheerleaders and volleyball participants. The animated effects are super cute.

Welcome to the WJSN dollhouse!

Sound-wise the upbeat bubblegum is strong with this song. EXY's rap is fast and amazing! It is the kind of song that is stuck in your head for the rest of the day, after you hear it. This bright sound with synth tickles the other 80s music part of my brain (not the parts obsessed with new wave and dumb hair metal), the part that loves Cyndi Lauper.

Choose your player!

Lyrically, I am less enthused. Please I am looking at translations of lyrucs that may not be as nuanced as the original. I am also not blaming my problems with these lyrics on WJSN as a group, but rather on the sings lyrists.

To pharaphrase the song according to the translation I saw, it tells the story of a girl that was too difficult, to date. So she was dumped. Now you can stare at her as much as you want, just smile and stroke her hair. She was not confident with thick thighs, she just needed to be told she was cute. She is cute like a puppy (there's not a direct comparison there, but the juxtaposition of a dog named Happy and her feeling happy is taking us there anyway). She's not a person, she's just a girl to be dated is the subtext of that to me. Honestly, the sum of the lyrics is an old man telling a female cashier to smile, in my opinion. Again it is possible that some details were lost in translation.

Am I against girls feeling cute and pretty and having crushes? No. But lines like "Watch al