Build Up Episode 0: Getting to Know the Boys Part 3: Team Power
Hey, friends! Welcome back to this crazy project I set out for myself -- writing up a bit about each of the 40 contestants on MNET’s Build Up before I dive into the recaps. Last post, I covered Team Soul. This post will be about Team Power. Let’s do it!
Same caveats apply: 1) I’m pressed for time, so proofreading will suffer; please be kind! 2) screencaps will be awkward due to technological issues and 3) All of these guys are amazing vocalists; my critique is splitting hairs and just my opinion at the end of the day.
Choi Haram
I also have almost no information about Haram, except that he’s a musical actor. In his teaser, V08, I Want to Fall in Love by Johan Kim, he sings in that classical “musical actor” way, which is just not my favorite style of singing. That doesn’t make it bad! He also is singing a ballad. Which does mean it’s bad! Ha ha, jk.
I'll do my best to evaluate him even though the song is a ballad. I'm a hero, right? His soft tone he uses in the verses is just too breathy and nasal for my taste. But I do like the belt on the chorus part -- nice work. This guy definitely knows how to sing. I wonder what he’ll sound like singing more of a pop song.
Kim Minseo
This is Kim Minseo, 21, who also appeared on a show I’d never heard of called “The Origin - A, B, or What?” It “was a new type of survival program that combines balance games along with K-pop,” whatever THAT means, and it created the group ATBO. On the Wikipedia page for that show, it says that he was born in January of 2003, making him 21 now, and it also says that he lived in China for ten years and can speak Chinese. I wonder if he and Wumuti will ever speak some Chinese together?
I really, really liked his teaser performance of Rolling in the Deep by Adele (V39), slight pronunciation issues aside. It was actually kind of cute how he sort of just gave up on pronouncing ‘underestimate’ halfway. He has a distinct, real voice that shows some training but also some rough edges. For me, he’s one to watch. Watch? Listen to? Whatever.
Yoon Inhwan
Yoon In-Hwan, V23, is one of the enigmas of the show -- I have no information about him. For me, his mini audition showed an unpleasantly throaty, nasal, thick vocal color that I didn’t exactly love. He sounded like he had just drunk a whole gallon of milk or something. I don’t know if that’s how he always sings, or if he just was feeling unwell that day or what. As promised, he did have a lot of power, and he also had a good sense of pitch. Hopefully he’ll do better going forward!
Jo Hwanji
I haven’t been able to get a decent screengrab thus far, but Hwanji is the guy in the uniform in episode 1. He’s only 24 -- isn’t that surprising? Before this, he went on other shows called Phantom Singer 3 and Fantastic Duo 2.
He’s another musical actor, but in his teaser song V26 he breaks the musical actor mold by singing an upbeat retro swing song by JYP -- yes, that JYP -- called Swing Baby. I like the song, and I also like the way he sings it. Clean but full, with fun little growls to brighten things up, varied dynamics, impeccable pitch, and the power he promised. Good stuff! He’s also so hilariously square. I mean it literally. He looks like a Pixar character. It’s cute. I'm looking forward to hearing more from him.
Lim Junhyeok
Junhyeok, age 30, debuted as part of the JYP-based k-band Day6 in September 2015, singing and playing keyboards. In late 2015, it was revealed that he’d been chatting with a female fan online, and that they might have been dating. The controversy built, and he felt obligated to leave the group in February 2016, getting to enjoy less than six months with the group. God, that must have been just heart wrenching for him. I can’t imagine.
Afterward, he joined another band called Be Blossom, but stayed only about a year. Since then, he was on a survival show called The Unit, which was about rebooting debuted idols’ careers. (A few other contestants of Build Up also went on The Unit, too.) He also continues to compose music, which I think is actually his first love.
His teaser song performance, V05, was I Love You by Shin Hyo Bum, and you can see in the silhouette that he’s playing the keyboards as he sings. I didn’t love his performance, unfortunately. It felt a little shrieky to me at times, and his softer notes were a little too breathy for my taste. He definitely belongs in the Power group, though. He can sure belt when he wants to -- it’s the softer segments that challenge him. Maybe it’s just my bias against ballads acting up, as well.
It’s kind of a bummer, because for whatever reason, I like him. I can’t help but cheer for a guy who (a) was kicked out of his group after six months for dating, like, omg, how dare a young person want to date! (b) is a bit on the older side (c) composes music and plays instruments and most importantly (d) shows up to a survival show in a goddamn hoodie. Like, yes, king. So I hope that I grow to like his vocals better as I hear more from him.
Side note: The Korean family name “Lim” is often transliterated as “Im” since that’s actually closer to how it’s pronounced. So if you see his family name written as “Im,” that’s why. (Nayeon from Twice has the family name of Lim/Im -- hence her album name.)
Park Jeup
Park Jeup makes himself known by wearing an enormous bow on the first day. It’s just such a choice, when he’s so masculine looking. Own it! Yes!
Anyway, he’s 30, and is a member of IMFACT. He’s been on a bunch of singing shows, as well as The Unit, which would have put him in company with Lim Junhyuk (former Day6) and Hyukjin from Fave1.
His group IMFACT debuted in January 2016 and put out several albums and singles, but none of their songs have even one million views on Youtube. Most of them don’t even break 500,000 views. In 2022, all the members of IMFACT left their agency (Star Empire). The group hasn’t officially disbanded, but the members are listing themselves as soloists. They really weren’t a bad group, and it’s a shame that they never caught on, but it’s just such a crowded landscape. Their song Only You spent some time on my playlist a few years back, and Jeup’s voice in that song is really sweet.
I tried my best to give his teaser song a try -- he was V34 -- but I just dislike ballads so much that I can’t judge him fairly. Vocally, though, he sounds well trained. He has a surprisingly high pitched timbre considering his appearance.
Here is a performance he did in 2018, in which he made the MNET reaction editors play the instant replay buttons like a xylophone. I think there was some sort of gas leak in the studio that day, because, yeah, his voice is nice but people are having spasms in their excitement and it’s a bit much. Also, he's singing another ballad so it's kind of a no from me.
A song that’s a bit more palatable for me is this cover of Exo’s Monster on The Unit.
Jeup doesn’t seem to be the main vocal, but he is the one who sings “I’m sorry…. You make me… so crazy, you know you do.” He also does the higher harmony line/descant/whatever it is over the “Come here girl, you… call… me… monster” line. And he pulls it off!
I recognize Jeup’s skill, technique, and passion for the art. I’m not as sure that I love his timbre for whatever reason. I hope his voice grows on me, in part because I always have a soft spot for hard working nugu idols, and in part because I always gravitate toward the older, more broad shouldered idol types, like Baekho from NU’EST and Wyatt from ONF. Jeup, fighting!
Hyukjin
Hyukjin is 30 and is from a group called Fave1, where he’s lead vocal and lead dancer. He also appeared on The Unit, so he may also know Park Jeup and Lim Junhyuk.
Ok, so his background is kind of sad, fam.
His first group, 100%, debuted in 2012, so he’s been at this a while. There were originally seven members, but two quit, and then one member, the leader Minwoo, passed away in 2018. That had to be so hard on Hyukjin and the rest of the team, to lose not just their friend and teammate but also their leader. The group disbanded in 2021, and three of the four remaining members formed Fave1 at a new agency. So they’re kind of like Loosemble or Vivez that way.
100% started off doing ok -- their older songs had 1 or 2 million views, good for the time period -- but their more recent songs max out at around 400,000 views. Fave1, unfortunately, is really not doing nearly as well as even 100%. Their songs usually have views measured in the thousands, and their videos look like they were shot on someone’s iPhone. Really, the whole thing is kind of heartbreaking.
In his teaser, Hyukjin was V22 , and sang a quasi-heavy metal song -- think Dreamcatcher style -- called Lazenca, Save Us. It was a unique choice, that’s for sure! I think he was hoping that it might make a splash for being the guy who did THIS song. I’m not sure how I feel about his performance. I think I need to hear more of him to make up my mind. But I mean, gotta respect someone who comes out of the gate with that! I think his natural voice is not quite as deep and rich as it should be to successfully pull off this kind of thing, but he displays strong sense of pitch and a lot of power. It does gets a bit shrieky and it sounds like he’s hurting his throat. I’m looking forward to seeing what else he can do because I just want to see him succeed.
Ok, that's about it for this post! Sorry if it was a bit of a bummer. So many sad stories in this industry. In the next post, we'll be visiting with Team Unique, and then we'll finally get into the recaps! See you soon.
- okay. So I just learned that Jay Chang is not Korean AT ALL. He is a white boy from Bergen County Jersey. my pussy is DRY.
- but, In all my years of life, I have NEVER thought a man's HANDS were sexy before I saw Jay Chang's. like put them on me Jersey boy.
- okay, here we go
HUN-MIN-JAY-BIT
V2: Jay Chang (22) (ONEPACT) - 8.5 > 8 > 10 > 5 > x (
V36: Bitsaeon (28) (M.O.N.T) 5.5 > 3 > 10 > 5 > x (
V1: Seunghun (24) (CIX) 4 > X > 7.5 > 8 > x (
V39: Kim Minseo (21) (nothing) 4 > 4 > 5 > 6 > x (
- I like that Jay's the short one haha!
- omg, SO fucking cute Minseo wanted to team up with Jay since day 1. AND he loves Seunghun? Minseo is me.
- Seunghun suggesting Woodz <3<3
- in tshirts, Jay looks super petite next to Seunghun which is saying something cause Seunghun keeps himself like gross thin for promotions
- Minseo;s voice could be alot better but it does have a REALLY pretty tone to it
- I mean, I dont care about this song TBH. I ONLY want to hear them do R&B.
- wonder how main vocal Seunghun feels about being backup to Jay
- I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they love Seunghun
(sooooo, spoiler alert. I know they win). I think their positions will be:
Bitsaeon - Leader, lead vocal
Seunghun - main dancer, lead vocal, visual
Jay Chang - main vocal, face of the group
Minseo - maknae, visual
PARTNERS
V34: Park Jeup (30) (Imfact) 8 > 10 > 8 > 8 > x (
V20: Lee Donghun (30) (A.C.E.) 6 > 10 > 8 > 7 > x (
V3: Bain (22) (JUST B) 9 > 6 > 6 > 7 > x (orange hair)
V11: Jeon Woong (26) (AB6IX) 3 > 4 >4 > 5 > x (
- god, Jeup's pretty. TBH, HE's the one I want to get the most recognition and success. Every thing he tries he comes up JUST SHORT of big success. Imfact. The Unit. His solo shiz. Plus, his laugh is EVERYTHING.
- oh! Bain looks 1000% better with the darker hair
- yuh, Jeup has a whole ass other instagram dedicated to working out
- Jeup's always been in shape and dedicated, but he crazy bulked up. wish he would bulk his waist too though.
- the combo of Jeup & Donghun voices is fucking butter.
- Jaehwan goes "Oh yeah!"
- okay. fuck. Jeup picked his team good. I wasn't sure about Jeon Woong, but he comes with a built-in fanbase. I get it.
- Donghun really is pretty. and sexy in this. which is funny cause compared to the rest of A.C.E, he's the least sexy dancer
WATERFIRE
V4: Sunyoul (27) (UPT10TION) 2 > 2 > 6 > 6 > x (
V12: Wumuti (24) (Solo?) 8 > 6 > 7 > 6 > x (
V7: Kang Hayoon (20) (Loud) 7 > 5 > 5 > 2 > x (
V17: Choi Suhwan (22) (X101) 3 > 4 > 7 > 9 > x (
- so this is dumb. it's a dumb song to begin with. Suhwan should swap with Jeon Woong from the last team, and I'm there.
- meh. I meannnnnn
MILKY UP
V30: Jung Soomin (19) (Solo) 4 > 7 > 4 > 6 > x (
V10: Lee Geonwoo (22) (JustB) - 2 >2 > 3 > 2 (pinky hair)
V18: Kim Seohyung (22) (musicals) 2 > 3 > 5 > 3 (
V8: Choi Haram (22) (Musicals) 2 > 6 > 5 > 5 > x (
- okay, first off. Geonwoo this hair, this hair Geonwoo. SEE THE DIFFERENCE? omfg. so much better.
- wait! the sweet deep-voiced baby Kim Seohyung speaks english??
- HOW is his voice that deep? and his face like that?? I do not understand it.
DO RE MI FA
V19: Lee Gwangseok (25) (solo) 1 > 4 > 4 > 2 > x (
V5: Lim Junhyeok (30) (Ex-Day6) 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > x (Day 6 kid)
V40: Yeo One (27) (Pentagon) 2 > 2 > 3 > 2 > x (pentagon kid)
V29: Hwang Inhyeock (25) (Nada) 3 > 6 > 4 > 5 > x (
- TBH, I skipped it. I just dont care.
MY RANK:
Partners (Taemin Guilty)
HyunMinJayBit (I forgot what they sang)
Water Fire (Aespa Drama)
Milky Up (Uptown funk)
DO RE MI FA (boring song)
THEIR (Judges + Audience) RANK:
Milky Up (Uptown funk)
Partners (Taemin Guilty)
HyunMinJayBit (I forgot what they sang)
Water Fire (Aespa Drama)
DO RE MI FA (boring song)
- haaaaa! Jay Chang squinting at the score. does he not understand the power of fangirls yet? we'll follow a handsome man anywhere!
Lim Junhyeok is the belt king. Its beautiful when he belts. His voice is amazing. I love him so much. I don't own any of these pictures. All the credit goes to them.
Time to take a brief break from my MNET Build Up Recap Project to hand out some BRAPPY Awards for Excellence in the Field of Excellence! In this post, I'll be giving out BRAPPIES based on how everyone did in the 2x2 Rival Mission. Let's go!
Favorite Performance Overall:
I have to give it to River, of course. I was thinking, “Which of these do I most want to just rewatch right now?” and that’s the one. You can fairly point out that I also like the song, and that’s true. But there you go.
Honorable mentions: Sherlock, Dangerously
Favorite Performance of a Song I Don’t Like:
I’ll give this one to Moon. The song itself is whatever, but I liked Joohee and Euibin’s performance.
Honorable mention: Still Love You by Hyukjin and Inseong
Performance Helped Most By Song Choice:
I have to give this one to My Sea. The song is so incredibly emotional that it’s hard to deny, even if the performance had been a little weak. I’m not saying the performance WAS weak, but having a song like this is nothing but a boon.
Honorable mentions: End of a Day, To My Youth
Performance Hindered Most By Song Choice:
Woong and Seokhwa’s performance. No question. Blackpink can make almost any song seem good, but I’m not sure even they can save Kick It, much less two nervous idols alone on a stage with critical judges.
Honorable mention: Sungwon and Taehwan doing Play.
Teammate Most Screwed Over By a Teammate:
What? What's this? There's a tie?? This is unprecedented!
The awards go to Kwon Euibin AND Kim Seongjeong.
In the case of Kwon Euibin, not only did Joohee get most of the lines in the song, he got most of the attention on the show in general. We didn’t hear a single word of feedback about how good/bad Euibin did. Then, the duo got a comparatively low score primarily because Joohee couldn’t keep it together. And yet, the damn judges saved Joohee! Someone get that fire extinguisher and keep it handy. Grrrr.
Kim Seongjeong went through basically the same thing. His teammate Gwangseok was the problem in their performance, and yet, the judges saved Gwangseok.
Team Most Screwed Over By The Team Itself:
This award goes to Seokhwa and Woong. I think both of them would have been better off working with someone else.
I keep thinking, what if Yeo One had been obsessed with working with Seokhwa for some reason, instead of Lim Junhyeok? And then what if Woong had ended up with Junhyeok, who was his old hyung from his JYP days? I really ended up enjoying Yeo One and Junhyeok’s performance, but if Woong and Junhyeok had sung that same song together I think it would have been even better, as Woong is no question a better vocalist than Yeo One. And Yeo One and Seokhwa could have sung a sweet, light song together; perhaps they could have done Been Through by EXO. There, I fixed it. You’re welcome.
Biggest Discovery:
Kwon Euibin. I just loved his performance, and I never noticed him that much before.
Biggest Glow Up from Previous Round:
Kwon Euibin again. Round one, he looked like an actual robot. Round two, he looked like a slightly thicc dude. Huge improvement.
Biggest Dimming Down from Previous Round:
Geonu, sweetie, darling, honey pie. You were a nominee for best sweater in the first round and then there's... this??? What. Is. This. Sweater.??
Biggest Coat-tail Rider:
Geonu again. I believe strongly that his team won primarily because of Soomin’s performance, not Geonu’s.
Honorable mention: Kim Seongjeong, who *wanted* to ride on Gwangseok's coattails very badly.
Best Sweater:
This is it. This is the best sweater from this round. There wasn't a lot of competition, but this one would have won anyway.
Team That Seemed To Have the Most Fun:
Taehwan and Sungwon, Play. 'Nuff said.
Team That Cried The Most:
Donghyun and Sunyoul, I assume. We didn’t see them actively crying in the montage, but I get the feeling they were crying a lot in private.
Song That Made Me Cry the Most:
End of a Day, but that’s kind of a special case.
Honorable mentions: My Sea, To My Youth
Most Random Judging Moment:
The judges hating Hwanhee and Hwanji. No question. Did Hwanhee like, park in VCG’s parking spot? Did he take the last cherry danish? WHAT. HAPPENED. HERE.??
Most Spot on Judging Comment:
When VCG pointed out to Seokhwa and Woong that lowering the key to adapt a female song for males to sing it would also mean lowering the intensity and interest of the song, it was such an interesting lightbulb moment. I think there's some real truth to that.
Best Dahee moment:
Dahee had a lot of great moments, but the best was when she came up to Jeup and Suhwan after their performance of Sherlock and murmured that she enjoyed it more than the original version.
Honorable mentions: When she danced to Hmm Cheat, When she told someone she thought they were cool even though they lost
Judge Who Pissed Me Off The Least:
I was going to give an award to the judge who pissed me off the most, but I found that I couldn't make up my mind on that. All I knew is that it wasn't Wendy. So, I decided to give her this award instead. She’s also Wen-fucking-dy and I love her voice. Reveluv for life.
Ok, that's it for this round of Brappies! Is there an award I got wrong? An award you'd give out? Let me know!
I'll see you in the next post, when we gear up for the 3x3 Death Match. I don't know what it is about that name that makes me anxious. Must be all those threes.
Como sabem, o DAY6 originalmente debutou com seis integrantes. Infelizmente Lim Junhyeok saiu do grupo em 2016 por motivos que ninguém sabe ao certo. A boa notícia é que no início de 2018 Junhyeok fez seu debut solo com Stay. ^^