The 9 Most Questionably Mature K-Pop Songs Performed By Underage Idols
There has been a lot of discourse lately about the young ages that K-Pop idols sometimes debut at, most recently in the case of NewJeans and allegedly upcoming girl group BABYMONSTER. And while debuting underage K-Pop idols is one thing, having them perform what could be considered suggestive songs is a whole other issue that’s arguably even worse. “Cookie” by the mentioned NewJeans is one of the most well-known recent examples of this.
Recently, a post was created on Reddit for fans to share what they believe to be the most questionable and suggestive K-Pop songs that were performed by groups with minor members, and there were several shared. Here are 9 of the questionably mature songs mentioned in the post.
1. “Drippin'” by NCT DREAM
“Drippin'” was released on September 3, 2018, when NCT DREAM’s youngest members Chenle and Jisung would have both been underage (17 and 16 respectively). Even the title of the song sounds potentially risque, but when you take a look at some of the lyrics, it gets even worse! Among them include the lines, “You stimulate me/I will go inside, I will begin when you least expect it” and, “I devour it all/I fill you up with my everything/I slowly fill you up until you overflow/And I dive in deeper/Drippin’, drippin’, drippin'”.
2. “Hug” by TVXQ
“Hug” was released on January 14, 2004, when TVXQ’s Changmin would have been 15 and Junsu would have been 17. Most of the lyrics for this song aren’t too terribly suggestive, but there is one verse that is just sort of… Odd. The lyrics go, “Just for one day/I would like to be your kitten, oh baby/While staying in your soft bosom/Enjoying the delicious milk you give.”
3. “Ice Cream Cake” by Red Velvet
“Ice Cream Cake” came out on March 17, 2015, when the group’s maknae Yeri would have been just 16 years old. There has been a fair amount of discourse over whether or not the lyrics are suggestive or just playful, but you can determine that for yourself. The chorus includes the lines, “Please give me that sweet taste, ice cream cake/With a flavor that fits this special day/The ice cream that’s on my mouth/Makes your heart pound and you’ll come to me”.
4. “No More Perfume On You” by TEEN TOP
“No More Perfume On You” was released on July 26, 2011, when every member of TEEN TOP apart from C.A.P was underage (between the ages of 15 and 17). The theme of the song is about the singer cheating on his girlfriend with another, older woman, which is just unpleasant overall, especially for minors to be singing about. While the lines aren’t extremely suggestive, they still include lyrics such as, “No more perfume on you/If you do so my girlfriend will find out/Don’t put glitters on you/Because you can’t let it stick on my clothes.”
5. “Quit Playing” by U-KISS
“Quit Playing” came out on June 1, 2014, when their maknae Jun was 17 years old. Based on the lyrics alone, the song seems just flirty and sensual, but the couple choreography that the members were made to do for performances was so suggestive that Kevin has spoken up about how uncomfortable it made him. To have an underage idol perform it was even more upsetting.
6. “Catch Me” by Cosmic Girls (WJSN)
“Catch Me” came out on February 25, 2016, when three members (Yeoreum, Dayoung, and Yeonjung) were 16 and three others (Eunseo, Cheng Xiao, and Mei Qi) were 17. As with “Stop Playing”, most of the lyrics of the song aren’t too suggestive, but there are an oddly high number of moaning and other somewhat uncomfortable sounds in the song, along with the lyrics “I’m coming”, that could easily be taken the wrong way.
7. “MMM” by TREASURE
“MMM” came out on November 6, 2020, when the four youngest members of TREASURE (Doyoung, Haruto, Jeongwoo, and Junghwan) would have been between the ages of 15 and 16. With a third of the group’s members at the time underage, it’s surprising that their producers would risk having suggestive lyrics in their songs, but “MMM” is one of two that were brought up on the Reddit post. The lyrics include the lines, “I’m thinking of you again every night/Smell the scent of heaven and fly/Everything is perfect, today is the D-day/Let’s make our own secret, my babe/Naturally, I’m gonna be the leader who leads you/Actually, when I see you, I’m nervous/Tense, you harden me like Medusa”. It’s mostly that last line that has netizens side-eyeing the lyrics.
8. “Fever” by ENHYPEN
“Fever” was released on April 26, 2021, when Sunoo was 17, Jungwon was 17, and Ni-ki was 15. Again, nothing about the lyrics alone are extremely questionable, but there was some controversy over underage members (especially Ni-ki) performing what can be considered a pretty sultry, seductive choreography to go with the equally sultry song.
9. “I LOVE YOU” by TREASURE
“I LOVE YOU” was released on September 18, 2020, with the four youngest members mentioned earlier still underage. This song is arguably even more suggestive than “MMM”, with a couple examples that can be taken directly from the lyrics. They include the lines, “Oh my god/Everyday, up and down/You are the one who soaked me/Every night, you’re driving me crazy”, as well as, “We goin’ hard, hotter and hotter/La-la-la-la-la/We make it pop, to burn it/La-la-la-la-la/Put your hands up In the air, say/La-la-la-la-la/Let’s make love (Hey)/Let’s make love (Hey)”. And a lot of people think that this just isn’t appropriate for 15 and 16 year-olds to be singing!
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