I have to be honest, I am finding it difficult to concentrate on what I want to write about for this post because that picture up there is mesmerizing me to the point of distraction. For me, there is so much perfect going on in that picture from G.O’s gorgeous profile, elegant and graceful hand, to the black suit jacket and tie (I don’t know what it is about G.O in a suit that just unhinges me, but it does). Framed by the glow of the stage lights, he looked so at ease as he moved through the choreography of 전쟁이야 [This Is War] back on 17 May 2013 during MBLAQ’s Japan Mona Lisa Event. Today, I open The J-Files treasure chest to look back on the short and oh-so-sweet promotion of the release of MBLAQ’s Japanese version of Mona Lisa.
As an international fan, I think I envy the Japanese the most. For one, they live so close to Korea! Moreover, they are richly blessed by Korean bands because the groups will often release special Japanese versions of their albums. Or, release separate Japanese albums independent of any of their previously produced Korean music. That’s just AWESOME! And, MBLAQ is no stranger to either, having released a few Japanese mini albums (Your Luv, Baby U! and Still In Love), and re-released some of their Korean music in Japanese, specifically in March 2013 with Mona Lisa.
MBLAQ began the Japanese Mona Lisa tease in February of that year when they held a fan meeting for their JA+. It wasn’t until April that the MV was released (I will save that for another post because I can talk all day long about that MV~😜 ). The men made their way back to Japan in May to promote the album.
*Perfection*
Those two days in May were filled with a lot of music and a whole bunch of gorgeous. Remember, MBLAQ were readying themselves for their Sexy Beat comeback. It was kind of cool that JA+ were getting a preview of G.O’s upcoming Sexy Beat style, too.
Ok, Seungholics, I am giving you some love today with this post:
* * *
In watching the evolution of MBLAQ, there are few things that remain abundantly clear to me: (1) the road they journeyed musically from debut to the present was always on their terms; (2) as they matured, they became vocally and artistically stronger both individually and collectively; and (3) they possessed a charisma that will continue to soar with a trajectory that is impossible to contain.
Especially with this here guy . . .
~💜 ~