One way I keep up with the latest K-pop music is by searching up clips from weekly music programs such as Music Core, which feature most mainstream idol stars. It usually doesn’t matter when those performances were originally broadcast because they are of the same song and choreography, with changing outfits. I don’t blame artists for performing the same routine each time since that is hard enough as is considering the number of similarly themed programs they have to cover each week. Performing on these shows also doesn’t generate a lot of revenue in comparison to doing it for private events or as part of their concerts. One group, however, has been breaking the norm: Mamamoo.

Their latest song “Um Oh Ah Yeah” has been well received. Mamamoo is a vocal powerhouse backed by the songwriting group that, last year, produced the highly popular “Some.” Aside from these notes, what has set Mamamoo apart from the rest of the many hardworking idol stars at the moment is their stage improvisation. It’s still the same song and choreography, but Mamamoo adds a few changes each time, making their stage so much more lively and interactive. My favorite one so far has to be the one in which Mamamoo blurts out kimchi/radish names. Watching Mamamoo in these clips, I am convinced that they themselves are having fun on the stage rather than plowing through another of these weekly television gigs, and that makes it easy for me to enjoy and awe at their talent all the more.