The new year is almost here! 2026 is the year of the horse - a year of intentional movement, discipline, connection, and freedom. Hereās what we should be doing as we move into the new year, and what changes we should be embracing in the new year.
Tips start here:
Designing the new year
Get a notebook (or open up a doc/notes app) and write down your goals for the new year. Do you want to travel? Get into honors society? Cut your hair? Write that down. Personally, I like to split my goals up into things like academics, appearance, activities (like travel), mental, and physical health. At the end of the year, itās really fun to look back and see all of the goals youāve accomplished!
Refresh
Start off the new year clean. This can mean anything for you - clean your room, or your phone, get rid of unnecessary items, drop people who are crowding your path forward, whatever you choose. Refreshing for the new year with a clean slate is the best way to grow forward.
Create the mood
Similar to the first tip, I encourage you to make some things to prepare you for the new year, like a mood-board (this can be digital or physical), playlist, or Pinterest board to help you visualize the new year and new you. It can also help you work towards your goals since you look/listen to it often.
Embrace change
A lot can change in a new year, and how you handle said changes is very important. Having optimism for change is my best tip. Donāt dwell or try to stop change, that will get you no where. Instead, imagine where change can take you (optimistically), be flexible, and allow yourself to grow.
What we are bringing to the new year:
2026 is the year to move forward in life. The year of the horse represents discipline and growth. This year, I encourage you to free yourself from things like toxic people and drama, and focus on what is most important. Connect with yourself and take the next steps forward!
don't you miss 2008? i know who does .. (insert disk to continue)
i remember seeing this tiktok a while back, and it was something along the lines of, "johnny's so old he felt like was doing an mtv crib tour during this interview". and while that's funny, it reminds me of how good an authentic early-to-mid 2000's concept could be in kpop. i think sooo many people try to get it right, but few groups i see execute it properly (first who come to thought are kiiikiii, who have fantastic directors and actually have a cohesive and accurate vintage concept, though i wish it was reflected in their music).
there's been many gripes and arguments in recent years about "authenticity" in kpop, which in the industries' current and historical context is very much deserved! so, what's more authentic than a guy from illinois, born in 1994, cosplaying himself as a teenager?? you might say "let go of the past", but I feel like, have you ever listened to justified from beginning to end? tell me you don't think cry me a river is on the same level as mozart, i dare you!!
sound-wise
johnny's an older guy now, as the industry would say .. stop it with the wannabe rapping or adlibs! sm is out for this man the way they made him "rap" in songs for 98% of his career so far. his vocal tone just isn't appealing when rapping, sorry! and even when it's actually good- they throw in random, dumb, english lyrics that make you scrunch your face and say, "what the hell, sure". now even though r&b is more up jaehyun's alley, I think Johnny could also suit the genre in a more pop-infused space. songs that I think he generally shined in are love on the floor and walk, both songs that heavily incorporate dance-r&b influences. think Timbaland.. that would be a dream if he wasn't so busy making ai music lmfao. realistically, think Piano by Max Changmin or Love like Oxygen by Shinee
this may be a hot take for certain kpop stans who have this strange, "keep kpop korean!" mindset (oh my god, do you hear yourself? look closely at that sentence..). but i would hope that johnny's solo album/ep/single would be fully in english. nct is a very uniquely talented group, so they've been able to reach a large american audience. but in my opinion, if sm would actually attempt to market in western spaces, they could be much, much more popular than they already are. marketing aside, johnny's mid-western accent makes him switching between english and korean while singing sound sort of awkward and out of place. in most ideal conditions, maybe a korean version of 1 or more songs, just to please people.
photo-wise and promotions
the funnest part.. for the photoshoots i would take inspo from prime tvxq! shoots, early nsync* shoots, mid-2000's catalogue shoots, and just general promotional images for celebrities around that time. (sorry the images are a bit choppy uhhhh I'm bad with html for now)
the specific 2000's subcultures i would want his solo to lean into include much less baggy clothing, I think there's this misconception in the music industry that in order to show 2000's fashion, it needs to be baggy. I want it to lean more into the other popular clothing styles from that period. inc: graphic tees, statement belts, bootcut-flare jeans, new balances', round sunglasses, polos, jerseys over t-shirts, ribbed shirts, wife beaters, ect.
the photos would look more like day-to-day photos rather than being glamor focused (if that makes sense lol). ex; the Justin Timberlake photo I included was a common style for posters, more realistic (?). the photos should be less serious considering johnny's personality. sometimes when I see really serious photoshoots of him- like the recent ones from acne studios this year- I'm like, "wow! can't believe he made that green screen travel video with Ten". kinda breaks the illusion haha. i want it to look like his mom took him to jc penny for holiday pictures, damn it.
i really would want sm to try to market to a western audience. instead of paying for the music videos to play as ads on YouTube, do an actual advertisement for the album. kpop albums are essentially the last living relative of cds, so buy now for $25! includes mesmerizing tracks like blah blah blah blah... or include a "as seen on m countdown" or something, because american audiences eat that nostalgia bait UPP. even if they don't buy the album, they'll likely actually listen to it. or maybe open the ad with johnny himself talking to the audience. (and don't let the quality be too low-res, its 2006, not 1996!!). maybe have Johnny do promotions with western and korean artists, rather than just dance challenges with other idols. i think Say Now, Jae Stephens, Eyedress, and even Addison Rae can bring in an audience who already is looking for that aesthetic in music. and I would also even find older artists from that period for him to associate with to bring in an older, more nostalgic audience (Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, Mya, and especially bsb, considering they're still active). i would even go as far as to say, have him cover a popular song from back then the help bring in this audience, like how I think Exo (?) covered a Beatles song that got seen by a lot of gen x and boomers. so maybe something like Dilemma by Nelly or Differences by Ginuwine.
for a music video, 2000's mvs were very simply shot and were wayyy less often story based. includes shots of lip-syncing in front of a plain background, lip syncing and posing around in front of another background, dancing with little to no camera movement aside from zoom ins, and just shots of the singers looking good. watch the music video for My Prerogative by Britney Spears. that's the exactly the vibe I imagine for his video/pos. it would be funny if they did a fake knock off mtv performance and uploaded it, he could live out his unc dreams.
maybe even a collab with a 2000s esque clothing brand. ed hardy, juicy, baby phat, or any other mens clothing brands popular back then
album/cd
I have much less of a strong opinion on this, because I'm not the type of person who cares much about album design. my main thing is that I would HATE if it was one of those fatass huge album photobooks (cough cough.. haechan.. cough..taste). sm usually has great album designs except for that one time so I'm not too concerned. though I do think it being in a jewel case or a dvd case (similar to p1h's ex album) would be cool, even if people consider it "boring". Companies tend to make multiple types per album, so maybe an AVERAGE SIZED magazine with a cover that looks similar to teen vogue or some older gossip magazines, with little bubbled headlines and stuff like "free posters inside!". or maybe just make it an actual magazine. like with interview articles and everything.
the cd shouldn't be too crazy or have a super extensive design (controversial). they didn't do that too often on older cds I've noticed. I would say just the album's logo top & bottom, i know, lame. for that magazine version i was talking about, i'm thinking the cd would be something like System of a Down's Steal this Album. as in it looking like a burned cd with writing all over it.
also no "postcards"!!! they're dumb tiny poster prints and I never use them for the intended purpose. if they want to include one, make it an actual postcard! like with his name on the front and a message! i liked how Newjeans did it in their Get Up bags. it was much, much more subtle, being literal landscape pictures taken by the members. they had room for writing on the back, so you would actually use it as a postcard to somebody! makes so much more sense with the concept and in general. and nobody gaf about sm minis so like whatever ..
anyways yeah thx for listening to my yap 0_o.. might archive if nobody reads this cause I really just wanted a way to visualize stuff like this, I think about it all the time!!1!! if sb beats me to this, istg I'll kems lolololol (ļ¾ź¤ Īµ ź¤ļ¾)ā«
i CANNOT express how much more lovable my friends are to me at their most annoying. i'd rather hear the same story 3 times than not at all. i'd rather read a 22 message text rant about something totally inconsequential than not hear from you all day. i'd rather you tag me in the stupidest post i've ever seen than not know that it made you think of a conversation we had a month ago. BE ANNOYING AT ME. I LOVE YOU
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