K-Pop Colors: 90’s Throwback

This post is a part of a series of K-Pop Color Palettes. You can find a full list in the original post: Colors of K-Pop.

SHINee – 1 of 1

This video gives you a 90’s pop feel and the colors suit it perfectly. The song is reminiscent of New Edition with a bubbly and bright tempo. This feeling highlighted through the high-contrast colors against a white background. Throughout the video they use an almost-mustard brown as a neutral with bursts of red, dandelion, and shades of blue.

HEX: #d8a038
RGB: 216, 160, 56
HEX: #2b5562
RGB: 43, 85, 98
HEX: #b22858
RGB: 84, 185, 211
HEX: #1a1a4e
RGB: 26, 26, 78
HEX: #c2151e
RGB: 194, 21, 30
HEX: #5d4828
RGB: 93, 72, 40
HEX: #313030
RGB: 49, 48, 48

NCT U – Yestoday

This is probably one of my favorite videos (and song) so far. The song and video takes you back to a 90’s chill-hop with a personal, contemplative vibe broken up with a soulful, yet haunting refrain. There are two contrasting color palettes running through the video. The first palette showcases desaturated jewel tones that overlays dimly-lit rooms. The second palette is taken from the neon graphics that highlight each scene.

Palette 1 – Desaturated Jewel Tones:

HEX: #295369
RGB: 41, 83, 105
HEX: #3c858c
RGB: 60, 133, 140
HEX: #4b6c3c
RGB: 75, 108, 60
HEX: #c44254
RGB: 196, 66, 84
HEX: #554169
RGB: 85, 65, 105
HEX: #e2a972
RGB: 226, 169, 84
HEX: #2a2f2f
RGB: 74, 115, 201

Palette 2 – Neon Graphics:

HEX: #e4b241
RGB: 228, 178, 65
HEX: #80219e
RGB: 128, 33, 158
HEX: #dfa1bd
RGB: 223, 161, 189
HEX: #aead4d
RGB: 174, 173, 77
HEX: #6870d6
RGB: 109, 189, 186
HEX: #337698
RGB: 51, 118, 152
HEX: #3f8b75
RGB: 63, 139, 117

EXID – Lady

OK, this one is blatantly early 90’s hip-hop! It’s giving me TLC-like vibes with the rapping, vocals and synth beats. I mean, check out the proper running man, Timberland boots, overalls, and crop tops! The video is presented as though you are watching a tube-tv screen. The concrete jungle background is a nice backdrop to the muted colors and denim shown throughout the video. Out of all the 90’s palettes, this palette was totally my aesthetic back in the day…

HEX: #883f2b
RGB: 136, 63, 43
HEX: #dabd67
RGB: 218, 189, 103
HEX: #ddcfa5
RGB: 221, 207, 165
HEX: #4a3c56
RGB: 74, 60, 86
HEX: #2e677a
RGB: 46, 103, 122
HEX: #81a6af
RGB: 129, 166, 175
HEX: #686c6d
RGB: 104, 108, 109

I’m sure that there are other K-Pop videos that give off the same 90’s vibe. If you have any suggestions please leave them in the comments below!

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