Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Music / Astro

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astro_ot6_switchon.jpg
We come as ONE.note 

"We can't be normal, We are not seeking to be normal."
— Moon Bin

Astro (Hangul: 아스트로) is a South Korean boy group consisting of six members. They debuted on February 23, 2016 under Fantagio Entertainment with the song "Hide and Seek".

The group was initially introduced as as 'iTeen Boys' while training as part of Fantagio iTeen, a rookie talent development program under Fantagio. The group's name and members were announced in August 2015. That month, they starred in a web drama series titled To Be Continued.The web drama featured the members as themselves, as well as actors Kim Sae-ron, Seo Kang-joon, and the girl group Hello Venus.

In January 2016, Astro starred in their own reality show, Astro OK! Ready, which was aired on MBC Every-1 at 7PM KST.Astro debuted on 23rd February 2016, with the extended play Spring Up, featuring title track "Hide and Seek". The group held a debut showcase where they announced their official fanclub name, "Aroha". Astro and Aroha (sometimes abbreviated to 'Astroha') share the same anniversary.

On February 28, 2023, Rocky departed from the group, following the expiration of his contract with Fantagio Entertainment. On April 19, 2023, Moonbin passed away at the age of 25. This leaves the group as four members.

    open/close all folders 

     Members 
Current:
  • MJ: Full name Kim Myungjun, born 5 March 1994. Main Vocalist, Oldest member of the group.
  • Jin Jin: Full name Park Jinwoo, born 15 March 1996. Leader, Main Rapper, Lead Dancer.
  • Cha Eun Woo: Full name Lee Dongmin, born 30 March 1997. Lead Vocalist, Visual.
  • Yoon San Ha: Full name Yoon Sanha, born 21 March 2000. Lead Vocalist, Maknae.

Former:

  • Rocky: Full name Park Minhyuk, born 25 February 1999. Main Dancer, Lead rapper, Vocalist.
  • Moon Bin: Full name Moon Bin, born 26 January 1998, died 19 April 2023. Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist, Center.

     Discography 

  • Extended Plays, Albums, Singles:

    • 2016

    • 2017

    • 2018
      • Rise Up (Special Album)- July 24, 2018

    • 2019
      • All Light (Full Studio Album)- January 16, 2019
      • Venus (EP, Japanese debut)- April 3, 2019
      • Blue Flame (EP)- November 20, 2019

    • 2020

    • 2021
      • All Yours (Full Studio Album)- April 5, 2021
      • Switch On (EP)- August 2, 2021
      • ALIVE (Digital Single)- September 2, 2021
      • Happy Virus (Digital Single, MJ Solo Debut)- November 3, 2021

    • 2022
      • Restore (EP, Jinjin and Rocky subunit)- January 17, 2022
      • Refuge (EP, Moonbin and Sanha subunit)- March 15, 2022
      • Drive to the Starry Road (Full Studio Album)- May 16, 2022

  • Others:

    • Korean Dream (Cover by Astro)
    • You're My Everything (OST)- MJ
    • Sweet Spring (OST)- MJ
    • Like Today (OST)- MJ, with Lucy of Weki Meki
    • Cheok-cheok- MJ
    • Mad Max- Jinjin
    • Like a King- Jinjin, with myunDo and SUPERBEE''
    • Together (OST)- Eunwoo
    • Rainbow Falling (OST)- Eunwoo
    • Please Remember (OST)- Eunwoo
    • Love So Fine (OST)- Eunwoo
    • Have a Good Day- Rocky
    • Star- Rocky, with Chawoo
    • Shiny Blue (OST)- Rocky
    • Break (OST)- Sanha
    • Ichiban Sukina Hito ni Sayonara (OST)- Astro
    • Don't Cry, My Love (OST)- Eunwoo

     Videography 

     Fantagio Crisis and Hiatuses 
  • During late 2017 and the whole of 2018, Fantagio, the label they were under, faced a severe crisis, which drastically affected their momentum as a group.
    • In 2018, a chinese investment group gained the majority of shares in the parent company and kicked out a lot of staff in charge, including removal of the CEO who founded the company. This post delves into major detail on what went down during the crisis, but in summary the company has had a history of financial issues that put ASTRO on halt for promotions for almost a year early on in their career. During this time, the CEO left and others that worked alongside ASTRO left the company as well. Moonbin has joked about being the longest remaining employee of fantagio because of all the changes in staff.

  • On November 12 (2019), Fantagio Music announced that Moon Bin would be going on a hiatus to recover from health issues and focus on his treatment. He focused on recovery from mental health concerns, allowing him to take a break from group promotions as parts were re-distributed temporarily to other members. He was also unable to perform in the year-end performances.
    • This was Moon Bin's first appearance post-hiatus.
  • On January 28th (2022), the agency announced that MJ would be going on a hiatus due to health issues. His first appearance for an official activity post hiatus was the AAFnote  on April 9th, where he announced that he would be enlisting on the 9th of May.

Astro provides examples of the following tropes:

     Band and Member Tropes 

  • Affectionate Nickname: Moonbin is usually referred as 'Bin' or 'Binnie' by the members and fans alike. He himself prefers it more than being called by his full-name.
    • MJ calls Jinjin by 'Jin-ah', an affectionate way of referring to younger siblings, or just friends in general.
    • "M-hyung" for MJ.
    • Sanha is often called "Ddana" by the fans, and he himself uses it at times.
    • "Nunu" For Eunwoo, though it's not used often.
    • They also have one for their camera out of all things. It was named 'Ddoca' by Moon Bin and Rocky.

  • All for Nothing: The members mentioned that they had even filmed a whole music video for Again (SHOULD'VE HELD ON), the lead single for the special EP Winter Dream, but said music video was never released as it did not 'match' their concept at the time.
  • Animal Motif: All the members have at least one, be it self-assigned or fandom-assigned:
    • MJ: Duck/Fox/Pig
    • Jinjin: Dog
    • Eunwoo: Cow/Bear/Rabbit
    • Moonbin: Cat
    • Rocky: Wolf/Otter
    • Sanha: Chick/Alpaca
  • The Baby of the Bunch: Sanha. Rocky also counts, being just one year older than Sanha.
  • Badass Adorable: Sanha is the maknae of the group, and is one of their most versatile members when it comes to both singing and dancing. Initially, even one of his nicknames was "Astro's Secret Weapon".
    • Rocky, being the second youngest member, also counts- can dance, rap and sing. He is also trained in Taekwondo (Level 4, black belt), and is arguably one the strongest members in Astro in terms of physical strength and endurance.
      Moon Bin: Rocky's thighs are very strong. Go touch concrete outside. That's it, Rocky's thighs.
  • Beautiful Tears: MJ. According to the members, his crying is like that of a baby's which makes it adorable and funny at the same time. And his attempts at smiling away the tears make one want to hug him all the more.
  • Berserk Button: Mostly Played for Laughs, but do not mention Jinjin and MJ's heights in front of them.
  • Big Brother Mentor: The hyung-line, especially Jinjin and Eunwoo are this to the younger members. Rocky is an interesting example in that while he isn't an older member, he often helps out the members and gives them advice during dance routines.
  • Big Little Brother: Sanha, the maknae, who is also the tallest of the group, towering over his hyungs at a daunting height of 185 cm (6'1").
  • Brutal Honesty: While the members are pretty honest and frank about most things, Moon Bin and Sanha in particular definitely come under this trope.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: All six of them are absolute dorks, with their antics and interactions being a huge source of comedy. Expect them to say the most random things or even start bizarre, impromptu skits when left to their own devices. But don't let their cute and quirky personalities fool you, because once on stage, they are excellent and highly competent performers, and have an impressive knowledge on how to engage with the audience well.
  • Butt-Monkey: Jinjin, being at the receiving end for most jokes and pranks.
  • Candid Camera Prank: "This prank" that the staff, along with Eunwoo and MJ planned, in order to surprise Jinjin for his birthday. Not only were they dumbfounded, but also relieved the moment it was revealed to be a prank, with Moonbin pointing out how it was strange for MJ to say those things about Eunwoo during the interview.
  • Catchphrase: "Wanna be your star! We are Astro!"
  • Child Popstar: Sanha was 15 (turning 16 the next month) when the group debuted, and Rocky was only 17.
  • Cuddle Bug: Rocky is often seen clinging to the other members, be it linking his arms with them, or back-hugging them, etc., making him very endearing. The other members also have the tendency to be cuddle bugs, especially Sanha.
    • MJ loves hugs and cuddles too. Just look at this little exchange between him and Rocky in an Astro Play:
    Rocky: Anyone wanna sleep there after eating?
    MJ: Let's sleep hugging each other.
    Rocky: Can I sleep with my back to you?
    MJ: No no, we have to sleep hugging each other. We have to sleep hugging each other tightly. I will sleep beside you.

  • Cute, but Cacophonic: All the members have this tendency, but MJ in particular can be really loud due to his shrill voice. Just try watching compilations of them playing the "Annyeong Cleopatra" game.
  • The Cutie: Sanha, being the youngest, is one of the most adorable members of the group.
    • Then there's MJ, who fits this to a T despite being the oldest.
  • Dancing Is Serious Business: Rocky is a very, very skilled dancer, with even professional dancers and trainers referring to him as one of the best dancers in his generation. And when he was a contestant on Dance War, he had the highest scores from the judges among all the participants.
    • For this matter, trainers who have formerly trained ASTRO have said that all of the members are, in fact, really good dancers, and are one of the most synchronised boy groups within the third generation. ASTRO's ISAC aerobics performances, in particular, have been often praised due to their insane energy and synchronisation; they even won the first place for aerobics in both the years they participated (2017 and 2018).
    • Jinjin excels at house dance, and was the best house dancer in his school as a high-schooler.
  • Even the Guys Want Him: Eunwoo, which is no wonder considering his title as the 'face genius'.
  • Fan Boy: Of BTS, if their pre-debut clips are anything to go by.
    • Eunwoo and Rocky are fanboys of Bruno Mars, some instances being this predebut dance cover and Rocky's covers of his songs (here's his cover of Grenade). Eunwoo even specifically asked for a shirt that Bruno Mars wore in his music video of 'Leave the Door Open' for one of their All Good stages during ONE promotions.
  • Friend to All Children: MJ and Eunwoo are really good with kids, especially considering their adorable interations with the kids on "The Return of Superman".
  • Friend to All Living Things: Jinjin, with his extremely kind and caring nature, definitely counts.
    • MJ as well. The cat in the music video for 'Hanasake Mirai' was actually a stray cat that had started following him out of nowhere and hence ended up in the MV. He has also had a pictorial shoot for the 'Dazed' magazine with a cute little chick out of all things.
  • Genki Guy: MJ, despite being the oldest, is one of the most energetic and cheerful members of the group, with Moonbin saying that he has a weird personality (4D character).
    • Averted, pre-debut. In a Liev, Moonbin mentioned that before becoming close with them, MJ was more distant with the other members as they mostly saw MJ and Sanha during practices.
  • Gentle Giant: Moonbin fits this to a T. He may come off as intimidating due to his build, but is in fact a very sensitive person. And not to mention, his eye-smile can probably melt the coldest of hearts.
  • Group Hug: A lot. During concerts, every-time they have had an emotional win, this Mucore win, at the end of their Knock win v-live,etc. In fact, whenever they win on major shows, their first instinct is to gather for a group hug rather than receive the trophy first.
  • Hidden Badass: MJ, of the Stronger Than They Look variety. He may look physically tiny compared to the other members (especially considering his age), but is an amazing vocalist and performer when on stage, and easily one of the best vocalists of their generation. Not to mention, he is an excellent actor as well, having given some really impressive performances in musicals despite being a rookie actor.
  • Hidden Depths: Many.
    • MJ is really good at art and craft, so much so that the members (and the fandom alike) call him 'golden hands'. He once moulded a Robong (ver.01) out of clay.
    • Eunwoo, Moonbin and MJ can play the piano; Sanha can play guitar, and Jinjin has received training in drums.
    • Rocky's affection for craft and the things he creates.
    • Eunwoo's and Jinjin's appearances in Master in the House and Unboxing, respectively, showed a lot more new sides of them- with Eunwoo getting more opportunities to showcase his wits and him talking about his struggles, and Jinjin opening up about a lot of interesting personal details while on Unboxing with Kino.
    • Despite his 'happy virus' status, and generally outgoing personality, MJ is a much more shy, reserved (to an extent) and introverted person in real life, though only with people he is not close to.
    • One of the main reasons (apart from their personalities) MJ and Sanha get along so well is because of the fact that both of them are the youngest in their respective families.
    • Their Wonderwall interviews provide a lot of insight into them not only as idols, but also the people they are off stage, and the members' respective ways of how they tend to approach music, and their goals for the future.
    • MJ is surprisingly good at ice skating, especially for someone who has never tried the sport before.
  • Jack of All Trades: With time, almost all the members have veered into this category as they all are excellent with vocals, known for their dance prowess and have decent skills at rapping.
  • Kids Hate Chores: Averted with MJ, who, as a child, loved doing chores and helping his mother at home. He mentioned that it was probably because of this, that his mother somewhat raised him 'like a daughter'.
  • The Leader: Jinjin is the official leader of the group, and keeps the group together by acting as a mediator, often speaking up on their behalf whenever they need to ask the company for something, and overall makes sure to take care of the members, especially their mental well-being.
    • Rocky, while not an official leader, often takes the lead during dance practices. And, according to Jinjin, MJ 'leads' more in the emotional aspect of matters, and Eunwoo helps him catch up on things he might have missed out as the leader in charge.
  • Like a Son to Me: How the members, especially Jinjin, tend to view Sanha.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Rocky had long black hair (later brown) during the promotions for "All Yours" era, and boy did it look pretty on him.
  • Meaningful Name: 'Astro' means 'star' in Spanish. Hence their catchphrase, "Wanna be your Star!".
    • The fandom name, 'AROHA' consists of three different parts, ASTRO, Heart, and All fans. The name is supposed to symbolize the love between ASTRO and their fans and was chosen by the members themselves.
    • AROHA also means 'love' in Maori.
  • No Social Skills: Rocky mentioned that he had no social skills when he was training under Fanmu, and prior to debut, because of which he had difficulty making friends as he simply didn't know how to. Thankfully, with the help of Moon Bin and rest of Astro, he's slowly but surely been able to grow into a more sociable and confident person through the years.
  • Not a Morning Person: Moon Bin is very hard to be waken up, and tends to sleep a lot in general. In an Astro Play, Eunwoo once jokingly asked Moon Bin if he would be able to sleep for 20 hours out of the 24 hours of a day... and his first instinct was to genuinely contemplate the answer, not even questioning the ridiculousness of the question. Cue Eunwoo laughing even harder in amusement.
  • Older Than They Look: MJ, the 'fake maknae' of the group. It also doesn't help that he gets along REALLY well even with Sanha, which is what sometimes causes non-fans to mistake him as a part of the maknae-line, when in fact, he's the oldest.
  • Shrinking Violet: Rocky was a lot more shy during their initial years, though he has become considerably outgoing and has grown a lot through the years, thanks to the members and the affection of fans.
    • Moonbin mentioned that as a child he was very introverted, and people often misunderstood him due to his status as a child star, which in turn made it difficult for him to make friends.
    • MJ, as mentioned by Moonbin in liev, was a lot more shy and closed off when they first met. MJ talks about it in his Wonderwall interview as well, revealing that he was very shy as a student and was initially afraid of being the center of people's attention in any way.
  • Singer-Songwriter: Jinjin and Rocky write their own raps, participating in the lyric-writing of most, if not all of their songs. All the members have also participated in writing (sans Sanha) and composing (sans Moon Bin) songs.
    • Jinjin and Rocky have also composed and written songs for other groups.
    • 'gemini' is fully written and composed by MJ, from the lyrics to the composition and arrangement. Bloom (with Jinjin) and Sunset Sky are two more fan-favourites that were both written and composed by him.

  • Snark-to-Snark Combat: MJ and Jinjin do this, and boy do they do it often. Here's one such exchange they had while cooking breakfast in the last episode of Astro Zone:
    MJ: You're such a bad cook.
    Jinjin: All you know to cook is ramyeon.
  • Stage Name:
    • MJ: Kim Myung-Jun
    • Jinjin: Park Jin-Woo
    • Cha Eun-Woo: Lee Dong-Min
    • Rocky: Park Min-Hyuk
    • Averted with Moon Bin and San-Ha, as those are their actual names.
  • Stepford Smiler:
    • MJ is nicknamed the 'Happy Virus' of the group because of his bright and optimistic personality. He is also the member who usually talks the least about himself, and according to the members, is the most prone to bottling up his emotions as he seldom talks about his negative feelings. So much so that even when he is about to cry, he will try his best to smile his tears away instead.
    • Jinjin has a really charming eye-smile and smiles a lot in general, endearing him to fans and non-fans alike. Being the leader, he's often described as a 'counselling office' by the members, because of how good of a listener he is, and he gives really good advices. However, as admitted by the members, and Jinjin himself, he tends to keep his feelings to himself and bottle them up, which is one of the main reason why he is so Prone to Tears during their concerts, and whenever they secure a win.
    • Moonbin mentioned that he also has a tendency of keeping his emotions to himself, and finds it difficult to express his more negative emotions.
    • Sanha once revealed that he was suffering from depression around the time when Confession was released, something fans wouldn't have otherwise realised/noticed because of his usually cheerful and cheeky disposition.
    • In fact, all of Astro could count as this during the fantagio crisis. Not only did they not have any proper promotions during the whole of 2018, but there were even disbandment rumours going around during the time. Most of the staff that Astro had been working with, left the company, leaving them on their own, and even more troubled. The members, however, put on a strong facade for the fans' sake, to convince them that they were 'okay' despite everything. It was only during their 2nd official solo concert that they finally opened up about the struggles that they faced during the crisis, with almost all of them breaking down on stage. Even MJ, who never usually cries, broke down into tears that day.
  • Team Dad: MJ has the tendency to be this for the other members, with Jinjin often referring to him as his mental pillar.
  • Team Mom: Jinjin, all the way.
    • Rocky as well, from nagging the members, to asking them if they have had their meals and what not.
  • Teen Idol: Four of the members- Sanha, Rocky, Moonbin and Eunwoo were 16, 17, 18 and 19 respectively (international age) when they debuted, with Sanha being the first male 00'liner to ever debut.
  • The Show Must Go On: During the Confession stage from their 1st Astroad to Seoul, the music stopped midway through the performance. The boys, despite seeming confused for a split second, continued singing till the end.
    • During the promotions for All Night, they once performed on a wet stage, while it was still raining, although only slightly.
    • Their Again performance, along with the others in 2018 Dream Concert, where they continued dancing on a wet stage, despite the dangerous condition. In one of those stages, the members slipped and fell several times, still getting back right away to continue with the performance, earning the fans' praise for their professionalism. Thankfully, none of the members faced any severe injuries.
  • Trademark Favorite Food:
    • Sanha loves potatoes.
    • For Rocky it's his mother's homemade kimbap note . He even brought a lot of it during one of their fan-signs in 2019, to share with the fans.
    • Moon Bin and Nesquik are inseparable.
    • Eunwoo loves ice-cream.
  • Training from Hell: Idol groups in general tend to have intense training sessions, but Astro's training sessions during debut and pre-debut were even more intense and gruelling than what is considered the norm, as admitted by the Ko Kyung Joon (their trainer) himself in an interview. While normal sessions last for 2-3 hours, they were made to practice non-stop for 7-9 hours everyday for two years.
  • True Companions: All six members. Moonbin once mentioned that even during the pseudo-survival show, which would determine whether they would even make it into the final line-up at all, the members would often look out for each other, despite all the competition. They are practically inseparable and often straight-out refer to each other as their family. This is not even considering how they continue to be such good friends despite the infamous popularity gap between Eunwoo and rest of the members, with Eunwoo referring to Astro as his 'home'.
  • Wardrobe Malfunction: Moonbin has ripped his pants during performances quite a few times.
  • Wholesome Crossdresser: The group once cross-dressed with cheerleader uniforms (complete with female counterparts of their official stage names) and pretty wigs for a special stage- in fact, MJ and Eunwoo could easily pass as girls in their get-up.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Eunwoo and Sanha, the scaredy-cats of the group, are afraid of anything scary, particularly bugs and ghosts.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: In spades. Expect them to casually throw playful insults, expose embarrassing facts and tease each other just because they can (even their birthday wishes for each other including posting funny pictures of said member). Though, at the end of the day, they are really close group with members who deeply care for each other.
  • Vocal Dissonance: Jinjin is very, very cute, has an extremely charming and heart-melting eye-smile... and also has a very deep voice.
  • Younger Than They Look: Rocky's is often mistaken as an older member by people due to his calm and mature demeanour... keep in mind he's only one year older than Sanha. MJ, when he first joined the i-Teen Project, mistook Rocky to be the oldest member.

     Music Tropes 
  • All Just a Dream: The events of "Bad Idea" are implied to be Sanha's nightmares that Bin rescues him from.
  • Alternate Timeline: As speculated by many fans, "Bad Idea" is supposed to be this to "Knock". In "Knock", Eunwoo successfully travels back in time and rescues Sanha, while Bin ends up crossing over into another, darker dimension, resulting in the events in "Bad Idea".
  • Break Up Song: They have a lot of these in their discography, though notable ones would be:
    • "Innocent Love", a ballad, is about the clumsiness of a first break up and how the pain of break up can be especially unfamiliar for someone who's experiencing it for the first time.
    • "Should've Held On (Again)", the single of the special album Winter Dream, talks about the lingering feelings of regret a break-up leaves behind. Despite not being promoted on music shows, the song is very much loved (and popular) within the fandom.
    • "Growing Pains", "It's You (너라서)", "Lie (다 거짓말)", "When the Wind Blows" etc. are some more fan-favourite break-up songs, and the list goes on.
  • Call-and-Response Song: Any song with a fan-chant counts as this.
  • Call-Back: "Footprint" contains lyrical references to all their previous title tracks, in a perfect reverse order.
  • Catapult Nightmare: Happens twice in the music video for "Bad Idea". Once in the beginning of the MV where Sanha wakes up in an eerie dream after drinking the potion given to him by Moon Bin, and then at the end when it is implied he truly wakes up from the nightmare that he has been experiencing throughout the MV.
  • Chronological Album Title: Dream Part.01 and Dream Part.02.
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Each member represents a colour from the rainbow, while Aroha(the fandom) represents violet.
    • MJ: Orange
    • Jinjin: Green
    • Eunwoo: Blue
    • Bin: Red
    • Rocky: Indigo
    • Sanha: Yellow
  • Concept Album: Spring Up, Summer Vibes, Autumn Story and Winter Dream- all are based on seasons. In fact, most, if not all, of their albums are usually based on a certain concept:
    • Dream Pt.01- A store that sells dreams.
    • All Light- based off a more royal and elegant concept.
    • Blue Flame- Partially based on 'Beauty and the Beast'.
    • GATEWAY- Time travel.
    • In-Out (Moonbin & Sanha)- A therapist concept.
    • All Yours- This album is more anthemic, as the concept for this album primarily revolves around Astro and Aroha (Astroha, for short) and the bond that they share.
  • Concept Video:
    • "Breathless": The boys turn into... soda bottles. However it is later implied that them being the bottles was a dream all along, and the girl who had been playing with the bottles was actually the soda bottle. The girl in the dream is either the soda bottle's 'spirit' or just someone made-up that they dreamed of, based n that bottle.
    • "Confession": It's about a girl who draws a boy band in order to cope with her crush's rejection. These boys come to life and keep her company to comfort her even though she cannot technically see them, and end up falling in love with her. At the end, they try to confess their, feelings, but it's in vain as she can't actually see them; because they are fictional characters, created from her imagination, and hence disappear one by one.

  • Dancing Is Serious Business: The music video for "ONE" lays a lot more emphasis on the choreography than their usual music videos. Then there's also the dance break that ensues after the bridge.
  • Darker and Edgier: Their pre-debut image/vibe definitely counts as this, leaning more on the hip-hop side. In fact, the members themselves have admitted more than once that they never expected to debut with a bright and cute concept like "Hide and Seek".
    • "Always You" is definitely this compared to their previous title tracks, which were mostly peppy, feel good songs. The lyrics are heavy on the emotional spectrum as well, as the song delves into the members' feelings and mental state during the 2018 hiatus.
    • "Blue Flame", both aesthetically and lyrically, exudes a much darker vibe as compared to their earlier concepts.
    • While "Knock" isn't as 'dark' as "Blue Flame", their previous title track, it still leans on the more emotional side of things, lyrically speaking.
    • Moonbin and Sanha's "Bad Idea" as well; the song itself is about fighting your inner demons.
  • Flower Motif: All Light and Blue Flame both have particular emphasis on flowers.
    • In "All Night" MV, the boys are all somehow linked to flowers, with Rocky appearing to be experimenting on something , with the flowers. In "Blue Flame", MJ is seen freeing a flower in the midst of a dark forest.
    • As for what the flowers symbolise.... is completely up to fan-interpretations as all that the members have ever mentioned about the videos is that they are connected to each other.
    • A flower briefly appears in the music video for "Bad Idea"... along with a flame.
  • Garden of Love: Or "Garden of Eternity", to be more accurate, is the concept for the "All Night" music video, and All Light, their first studio album.
  • Gift of Song: In order to express their gratitude towards Arohas, the members often include fansongs in their discography; since the Fantagio crisis, they've always made sure to include at least one song dedicated to their fans in every mini-album and album.
    • In fact, the Rise Up album as a whole was a special gift to the fans, especially those who stuck by the group through the hiatus.
    • ONE & ONLY, a special single album was released as a gift to the fans on 23rd February 2020, to commemorate ASTRO's 4th anniversary. The song is about the bond between a singer and their fans, and just how important an idol's fans are to them in general. All the members participated in the lyric-writing of the song. The cover of the album reads:
      "Aroha, you are my one & only love. This song is for you, as you always make me shine."
    • MJ's self-composed "gemini"(별비note ) is a present to the fans; the name 'gemini' is a reference to the twin constellation Gemini, the twin stars symbolising ASTRO and AROHA, as they stay in the same place.
  • Grief Song: "Bloom" (피어나), composed by MJ and Jinjin, can have two interpretations, both leaning on the same trope- the death of a lover, OR the death of a romance.
  • Hotter and Sexier: The b-sides "Role Play", "Moonwalk", "Someone Else" have a much more sensual vibe than their usual style. Especially "Role Play" and "Moonwalk".
  • I Will Find You: The main reason Eunwoo (and potentially Bin too) travels back to time in "Knock"- to find Sanha who has been trapped in the past.
  • Incredibly Long Note: MJ, as the main vocalist of the group, sings these in a lot of their songs.
    • MJ and Rocky's high notes in "Innocent Love", Sanha's harmonising part in "Your Love".
    • MJ's high notes during the bridge of "Our Spring". Not only is there an unusually long note, but the adlibs that follow the said note are pretty continuous, giving him no time to rest.
    • "Waterfall" starts off with a long note from MJ.
  • Insecure Love Interest: The protagonist in the song "Butterfly" is afraid to confess their love, in fear of losing them, and hence vows to just look at them from a distance.
  • Love Nostalgia Song: "When the Wind Blows" and "No, I don't", among others.
  • Music for Courage:
    • The lyrics of "Lights On":
    Don't be afraid now, I'll be by your side
    I will always be the light that shines on you
    • "My Zone", composed by Jinjin, is primarily about facing your fears and striving to be a better and braver version of yourself:
    As if this long haze is pulling an anxious me in,
    Let it go, let it go
    Gotta go, gotta go
    I'll rather prepare an even stronger light
    So that I won't ever lose

  • New Sound Album: Most notable examples being Blue Flame, GATEWAY and All Yours. While their earlier albums were mostly pop and bubblegum pop, in the most recent ones they have shifted more towards electro-pop focused sound.
  • Pep-Talk Song: "My Style". "Dreams Come True" could also count as one.
  • Signature Move: The 'mole dance' during the chorus of "Breathless" choreography.
    • More like 'signature jumps', when they briefly went viral for their crazily synchronised jumps in the "Baby" choreography. There was also an inside joke within the fandom where they would pause the those parts and draw a line to see if all the members were jumping at the same height. They were.
    • The 'sculpture dance', as the members like to call it, from "ONE".
  • Silly Love Songs: A majority of their title tracks are different variations of these- "Hide and Seek", "Breathless", "Confession", "Baby", and "Crazy Sexy Cool".
  • Singer Namedrop: 'A-S-T-R-O' In "Polaris".
  • Songs of Solace: This is a recurring theme in b-sides, as one of their main intentions of creating music is so that the songs can be a source of comfort for their fans, with some of the most notable examples being "By Your Side", "Lights On" and "Don't Worry".
    • "By Your Side" is a ballad written by all the members, with lyrics promising the fans that they will stay by their side no matter what comes their way.
    Even if time passes, even if you change,
    I will always be here
    Even if you are shaken by a lot of pain,
    I'll protect you from behind (by your side)
    • The whole Rise Up album counts as this, as it was released during a time that was considered a really turbulent period for Astro as a group. The album was meant to be a special gift to the fans to thank them for staying by their side through the tough times.
    • "gemini", written and composed by MJ, is a song dedicated to the bond between Astro and Aroha, with the english name being a reference to the twin constellation gemini. The meaning of the song becomes even more poignant after MJ's Wonderwall interview, where he opened up about writing the lyrics during a time that was really difficult for him. The last verse of the song ends with this:
    The place I drew with you remains in my heart
    I'm always by your side, in this place forever
    • "Don't Worry" from Switch On:
    Even if you feel like you're losing yourself
    That's you
    It's fine if you take breaks
    I'll be there for you
    Remember all the love by your side
  • Song Style Shift: "Don't Worry"- the bridge is strikingly different from the rest of the song.
  • Surreal Music Video: Quite a few fall under this trope, but the most notable one would be the music video for "Crazy Sexy Cool". A very mind-screwy MV with reference of sorts to The Chronicles of Narnia.
  • Theme Naming: Spring Up, Summer Vibes, Autumn Story and Winter Dream- all are named after seasons.
    • All Light and All Yours also could come under these, as they're called the All series collectively.
  • Time Travel: "Knock" revolves around this. The song is about going back in time to find a lost one. In the music video, the members, specifically Eunwoo, travel back in time to rescue Sanha, who's implied to be trapped in the past.
  • Trapped in the Past: Sanha, in the music video for "Knock".
    • If the fan theories are anything to go by, Sanha has been trapped in the 'past', away from his hyungs, since the "Always You" music video.
  • Vocal Tag Team: Often seen in the bridge of their ballads, some of the most stunning ones being MJ and Bin's duet in "gemini" and MJ and Rocky's harmonies in "Waterfall".
    • Jinjin and Rocky also do this, but as a rap-duo rather than a vocal team, some iconic ones being their duet at the end of the tracks "Confession" and "Knock".
  • A Wild Rapper Appears!: Jinjin and Rocky, the rappers of the group.
  • You Are Not Alone: Something that the members always emphasise, is that we are not alone in our struggles, and that together, we can overcome anything. One of the best examples of this culminates in the bridge of "Don't Worry", where each line is sung by a different member (thus signifying all the members' presence for each other and the fans) and it is topped off by MJ's line, "Remember all the love by your side", beautifully concluding the bridge.
  • Your Days Are Numbered: At the end of the video for "Confession'', the comic characters who came to life to cheer the protagonist up say goodbye to her, appearing in front for her to finally confess to her and then disappear, as their 'mission' to help her heal is done. Eunwoo is the last to go, and is seen crying at the end of the video, as he is 'erased' away. This could be seen as a reference to how all idol groups eventually have to disband and go their separate ways, be it in 10 years or 20 years, in order to focus on their own lives, and settle down. Which is why it is important to cherish the present.

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top