24인조 걸그룹 트리플에스(tripleS)의 새 앨범 <ASSEMBLE25> 쇼케이스에 다녀왔다. 약 90분간 진행된 행사를 보며, ‘케이팝에서 쇼케이스란 무엇인가’에 대한 근본적인 회의가 들었다. pic.twitter.com/kgPEfo97gI
— 정민재 (@minjae_jung) May 12, 2025
I attended the showcase for the new album by the 24-member girl group tripleS. Watching the 90-minute event, I was left with a fundamental question: "What is the point of a showcase in K-pop?"
(t/n: original tweets in link)
They performed three new songs, including the title track "Are You Alive," and presented various entertainment segments. Fun elements like dancing to other artists’ challenge songs for fan service are understandable. Surprisingly, all three new song performances were lip-synced. I had expected at least one of them to be sung live.
When even the final performance (the title track) turned out to be lip-synced, I felt a surge of frustration. Why invite critics if you're not going to present a proper live stage? If it turns out it was live and I was mistaken, I’ll gladly apologize. However, I didn’t hear any live vocals from the members, and the other critics I attended with shared the same opinion.
With a setup like today's, it would be perfectly fine as an event just for fans to enjoy among themselves. However, if you're going to invite industry professionals or critics in hopes of receiving musical evaluation, I believe you should at least show the courtesy of preparing one live performance.
Some may consider a stage with enthusiastic dancing and lip-syncing to still qualify as a showcase, but I don’t. If future showcases don’t include live performances, there’s no need to invite me.
Separately, the new album, the title track "Are You Alive," and the performance itself are all quite compelling. That’s a different matter entirely.