♡ ALL I EVER WANTED WAS THE WORLD ♡

THIS MUSE IS A RECOVERING DRUG ADDICT/ALCOHOLIC, AND AS SUCH THIS CARRD WILL BLUNTLY AND FACTUALLY MENTION SUBSTANCE ABUSE THROUGHOUT.
[ GMT ] ㅤLAST UPDATEㅤ : 01 JUN 2020BEST VIEWED ON DESKTOP

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ㅤPART 001ㅤ : AN EPITAPH IN PROSE.
ㅤPART 002ㅤ : SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
ㅤPART 003ㅤ : DAVIS MOTOMIYA.
ㅤPART 004ㅤ : MOST YOUNG KINGS.

WARNING: themes of parental neglect and loss of a sibling present in part 1, along with a non-specified traumatic event alluded to. part 3 details a sexual abuse victim confronting their abuser.

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♡ ㅤ6 MEMORIESㅤ

UNO.it's not as if anybody has ever paid much attention to him, but this is the first time cory has ever felt alone.he sits in the doorway, legs outstretched into the sun outside. thin and lanky, showered by kisses by the carribean sun, leaving freckles behind and discolouring the bruises on his knees. christmas time in one of the osada family's holiday homes has never felt so off. someone is missing.thirteen years old and depressed on christmas. have you ever heard of anything so tragic? further out in the yard, there's a rare moment of tenderness as brooklyn learns how to ride his new bike. for the first time, seweryn osada pushes brooklyn around sans-training-wheels. karina oh watches with a silent, faraway look on her face. she's beautiful like a film actress and her red lips betray her cold glamour with a smile as seweryn lets go and brooklyn takes his first ever un-aided cycle around the grass.brooklyn never looked anything like adam. cory was his double. as seweryn and karina begin to play the role of loving parents to their youngest child, cola understands that, for the rest of their lives, he and brooklyn will always be two very different types of reminder of what has been lost.DOS.often, cory finds himself longing to just sit in adam's bedroom. often, he'll run into karina there. that makes him angry.he wants to raise his voice and scream. he wants to tell her that she never wanted him anyway, never wanted any of them. he wants to tell her that it's not enough to pretend. pretend to miss adam, pretend to love brooklyn. it's not enough to make her a good mother. but cory never does, never even gets to start talking. ever since she came home from the hospital that day, she'd never been able to look him in the eyes. cory looks like him.whenever cory enters the bedroom. or any room. she leaves.it's not about him, and he's always been a clever child. he's clever enough to understand. but it still doesn't numb the sting whenever he thinks about the fact that his mother cannot bring herself to look at him. it doesn't medicate whatever it is he feels in his chest when he hears karina and brooklyn next door, brooklyn sniffling and crying for his oldest brother, karina's hushed whispers of comfort, promising their hearts will stop hurting soon. it doesn't do him any fucking good to understand, not when her shadow passes quickly by his bedroom door. she doesn't even check in.he knows that whenever he's in adam's bedroom, karina is waiting down the hallway for him to leave. cory can be spiteful. he stays as long as he can. it's usually around three hours before the need to pee starts to hurt, and cory had never tried to go back after he's left. the second time karina goes into adam's bedroom is always when she begins to cry. cory won't watch that.he deserves to mourn more than she does.TRES.cory had always taken a special pleasure in reading books. he could probably recite the entire harry potter series by memory (children like him were destined to place far too much of their identity into their relation to hermione granger,) but by fourteen he's worked his way through a vast amount of the classics too. the only time he's ever gotten a low grade in english was because he plagiarised emily dickinson from memory. and so, after a year of his parents doing all they can to avoid dealing with him for too long, when he starts failing english to an extent that the school calls home, he'd think his parents would take notice.he'd think they'd understand what he was trying to do. he'd want them to sit him down, have a long talk, find out what was wrong with him. he'd hope they'd at least care. he'd settle for a punishment.they hire him a tutor.QUATRO.please, don't make him recall this part.CINCO.we'll say he's been away from his family for a while. it can be left at that. a year has passed when he's reunited, and everyone whispers when he passes, so when everything is taken care of, the osadas agree that they need a fresh start.they leave brooklyn behind. the place. not the brother. obviously, they bring him.it's a fresh endeavor for his mother, too, despite her korean nationality, she'd never placed stilleto on her country's soil since she'd been shipped away in her infancy. south korea is new for all of them, and none of them will ever fully adapt. they'll do their level best to try, though. and cory will be enrolled in international school, a year behind his age group due to all the time he'd missed. nobody will ask uncomfortable questions, nobody will gossip, and a boy in his class will turn to him and smile. cory will say hello, and the boy will say his name is jetaime eun and beg to be called jet.SEIS.jet loves to make music like cory loves to read. cory is fascinated by that, fascinated by the way jet tells him music can be stories. cory has a lot of stories he needs to tell, and he writes them to jet's melodies. some of them are kind of heavy, but his favourite ones are silly. cory tries to rap, sounds a little okay at it. and he likes this form of humour, he likes the set up and adores the punchline. jet's a little better at it than he is.sometimes they'll make a song that will make them laugh until their sides threaten to split in two, and cory won't feel so alone. those songs make him feel a little more like the child he deserved to be. he thinks that it makes him fall in love with jet - it doesn't. it's music he's falling in love with."wait." cory hesitates, just before jet pushes upload. they're about to share their songs for the very first time. it's just to make it easier to show their friends. they'd never imagine anybody else would care. but still, cory says;"i think i should use a different name."

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♡ ㅤPASSAGE TAKEN FROM A 2017 MEDIA INTERVIEW.ㅤ

there are multiple colas.most relevant to the media’s interest, there’s the otherworldly cola. like a moving instagram picture. made up and rocking brands. covered in glitter and distant, self aware enough to get away with his provocatively artsy tendencies. then, with the presence of what one may consider a nostalgic friend, is online cola. ever present on twitter, he crops up every pink moon on mixtapes and soundcloud gifts, cracking jokes and giggling. swamped in riot grrrl band t-shirts and recording rhymes in his bedroom. relatable, and funny enough to run the risk of becoming a parody. on hold, waiting for a fight, is a-game cola. this is the weapon that you’ll be held to if you ever dare to come for him. he’s a hearty mix of both previous cokes, thrown in a cauldron and stirred in with a heavy dose of vindictive mockery. then there’s studio cola- we’re blessed with this cola as we arrive. dressed more casually than one has come to expect, circular glasses pushed right the way up his nose and he works harder than any teenage boy who’s nearing four years of fame would be expected to work.“i got all the partying out of my system too early.” i’ve asked him if it’s all work and no play for cola these days. it must be true. they may have left recent public memory, but in 2015, year-old photos swarmed of a sixteen year old cola drinking at a club. considering his former residency at kid flash- an underground nightclub located underneath a comic book store, it was standard to see the underage rapper around the club scene. there’s a difference between performing and partaking, however. and cola had just resurfaced from the spectacularly fast major rise and major fall of boygroup peridot, which took him from internet personality to public figure. a teenage public figure? that’s a role model. and sixteen year old boys who are role models cannot be seen drinking alcohol in clubs.and thus, the internet held it’s breath. what on earth would he do next? surely, with his career in the air so early on, he’d spiral out of control, right? a spears-esque breakdown was on it’s way for us to consume and exploit, right?well, no.in the midst of the media frenzy, he released his mixtape, the sext pixels. shortly after, he signed a contract with rnn entertainment, and cracked on with recording his first full album. of course, people like cola are naturals at attracting attention, and his career has certainly not been without scandal. but the complaints- explicit lyrics, 19+ rated music videos, have done little to drown out the fact that cola has so visibly worked his ass off- improving his musical skills, be it rap, vocals or production. he’s been so busy practising that the darkly entertaining, theatrical downward spiral that everyone was waiting for never came.“the night is still young.” he laughs. “but right now, i haven’t gotten nearly enough number ones to pull it off."the remark makes the point that i’m sure he knew it would. cola is a "scandalous” figure, but one that lives in a controlled level of controversy. he cringes at the words “shock value”, but it’s undeniable that with every sexual and/or vulgar word, every misappropriated christian icon, every mocking jab at a slight-senior, more and more people go to hear the source material for themselves. and when they realise that containing the lyric in question is a solid, catchy song, they don’t realise that they’ve been tricked into becoming a cola fan until it's too late.it’s with this information that we meet the fifth cola. in fact, he’s not a cola at all, but rather cory osada. the center of the russian doll. he’s the one painting the masks, and the one slipping the amber flags into songs that he’d otherwise claim were written by any of the ‘characters’ from which he writes his songs.in the context of a casual interview like this- somewhere where cola clearly feels at ease, it’s easy to pick up on cory lurking behind the facade. underneath the giggling, the nonsensical tweets and foul-mouthed jokes is a very clever young man- one who was met with opposition as fierce as the sun and, rather than burning, installed solar panels. it’s an intimidating thought. what’s funny is, when just about any interviewer meets a powerful or intimidating figure, they note that they expected them to be bigger. in the case of cola, i’m taken aback by his height. it's not that he's particularly tall, but he's an average height, shoulders level to mine with forearms i could fasten my thumb and index finger around. he is, in fact, a human being. seeing cola- no, cory, in person, i begin to relate him to boys i knew in school. we all knew boys like cory in school- they’d smoke at the gates with little regard for getting caught. read fancy books with foreign titles, star in school plays with a little hint of irony- too cool to be there, but also to cool to deny themselves of hobbies they find fun. boys like that were destined to do stuff like fabricate personalities under which to release pop-genre concept albums, and cover themselves in glitter and label themselves a starlet.in a silent kind of way, it opens up a whole new topic. i relay to him that, often, people-on-the-internet’s first question when seeing his behaviour would be to ask, 'where are this boy’s parents?’ the words cause cola to flinch.“i-” is all he says, eyes darting towards the manager at the door- who, earlier in the evening, had advised me not to let cola talk about taylor swift or politics. “i don’t tend to talk about my family to the press."it’s a statement of the obvious, and so instead of pushing, i redirect my line of questioning. cola’s whole niche makes the most sense when you consider that he was born in coney island. he seems to carry a lot of pride in his birthplace, and it’s intriguing to find out how big an impact the idealistic childhood backdrop has had an influence on his style and music."it’s quite a pretty place to have a childhood, but obviosuly, it’s not one big theme park. i wasn’t in that environment 24/7, but i think that it did influence my music a little- of course, the carnival rides and neon signs and prize tickets are pretty good aesthetics to draw from. but in those same parts of coney island, you also get places that sell curiosities like shrunken heads and fiji mermaids. and there’s still freak shows there. i had an obsession with that kind of thing as a kid.”
so, what type of way do freak shows and shrunken heads inspire a song? lyrically?“no… more, like… i rarely get inspired by other people’s music when it comes to what i want mine to sound like. it’s more like, images and settings, and funny little objects like shrunken heads- they give me "vibes.” and then, i’ll try to recreate that vibe musically. i kind associate different sounds with different images, or colours. so, because of that, when i produce a beat, it’s like i’m trying to paint a picture. lyrically- sometimes i’ll follow a format. on f5abb5, i was very strict on myself to format my songs like pop songs should be formatted, because i wanted to make a very pop record. but usually, it’s very stream of consciousness. i’ll usually write down a word or phrase and base my beat and melody around it, and then write the song last. it’s sort of a tricky process to explain.”i ask, once more, maybe cheekily, if he spent a lot of his childhood at the theme parks with his parents.“i would go with my brothers. they weren’t really around- and no, you haven’t caught me out. i’m saying no more. you won’t trick me.” he waves a cherry red fingernail in my direction, impish grin as he pretends to scold.of course, cola will not be tricked- as established, he’s a lot smarter than he comes across. it’s a thought that makes me wonder- are there really multiple colas? maybe, rather than handpainted personas, what we’re seeing are simply the different facets of cory osada's personality- a young man on the verge of adulthood. one who likes glitter and fashion, and is funny and wears riot grrrl shirts, and can weaponize his mean streak to defend himself, and who works hard and sometimes wears glasses instead of contacts, all at the same time. perhaps he really is just one of those boys we knew in school, one who’s smart enough to keep us second guessing that there’s more to it, when in fact it’s primally simple.unless you can read cola’s mind, there’s no way of knowing. the only thing that’s certain is that whatever he’s doing, he knows, it’s on purpose, and it’s working.

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♡ ㅤAUGUST 2019.ㅤ

"davis motomiya. still taking your fake name from that fuckin' cartoon. how'd you get a good enough fake id to get in here?""i have friends in low places."really, it was easy. his life had revolved around sneaking into places he wasn't supposed to be. clubs, vip sections, fancy restaurants. now he can add prison visitation areas to the list. he was great at making up lies, forged relations and make-believe personalities. all davis motomiya was doing was making use of his day off to visit his uncle-not-by-blood. what reason was there to suspect that he was faking? that every aspect of davis motomiya was farce, secretly cola, pryde of the four boroughs, back in his hometown yet an ocean away from home? he'd flown in from incheon at 5am in the morning with no luggage, leaving nothing but a futile note asking kyujo not to worry to explain his disappearance. his to-be husband was almost definitely worried, but cory hadn't brought his phone, either. he didn't like keeping kyujo in the dark, not one bit. but he also knew that kyujo would kill him if he knew what he was doing."what are you doing here, cory?"cory takes a seat, opposite the monster under his bed. james morrison (nickname jim) was, of course, uncle to no-one. as far as cory knew, james had no living family left. he wasn't anything. he had been a moderately handsome young man with horrific skills in manipulation and a truly evil brain. now he's pale skin and sunken eyes. carelessly shaved stubble and greasy hair. cory looks at james morrison, (nickname jim) looks at him and thinks to himself that he's the ugliest thing he's ever seen. and also the weakest."i wanted to look you in the eye." james can't look cory in the eye, though. it's clear by the way he fixates first on the table, and then cory's hand, and then the pink diamond on his finger. "i won. i got my happy ending. you didn't beat me in the end. i'm going to start a new life. my own family with someone who loves me. so i'm killing off all my demons and i wanted to look you in the eye.""congratu-""shut the fuck up."there's a pregnant pause. james sits back on the plastic chair they've been provided and stares at cory's chin. still can't look up, so cory looks away. for a second, his eyes wander to the family next to them, a family visiting their father; infant son giggling like crazy as his dad tells him a story. pathetic fallacy. james breaks the silence."when i saw that davis motomiya was requesting me to put him on my list, i thought that maybe you'd forgiven me."he's as well slapping cory in the face, for the look he gives him is about the same. "i will never forgive you." cory spits, venom and poison."i... i was twenty-""i was fourteen!" cory hisses, keeping his voice low enough for the guards watching over the visitation room not to hear, leaning in closer, but only so he can lower his tone. "i was a child. you- you fucking. you took me away from my family. not even that, you convinced me to come, because you made me believe they didn't love me. i was a child and you made me believe my family didn't fucking love me.""it wasn't exactly paradise in the nuclear family-""they did love me. the lost their son and they didn't know how to grieve and they didn't know how to cope but they loved me. they still love me. you made them think they lost another- and for what? that's what... i sit up at night and rack my brain over this. why? why did it have to be me?"james stares at him, vaguely though, without reaching his eyes. something is bubbling in there, something unreadable. finally, he says, "i don't need to listen to this.""yes, you do. you owe it to me to-""i don't owe you shit." james snaps, fist hitting against the table. his mouth curls up into a grim frown, and cory sees the monster again. so what? he's defeated plenty of monsters, by now.cory laughs humourlessly. "you owe me your fucking life, james." he shakes his head, pinky scratching his eyebrow. "i never told anybody the full extent of what you did. but you know what they do to men like you in here. men like you who do what you did to a kid. you owe me everything. and i've been afraid of you for eight years. it's your turn to be afraid.""i'm not afraid of you, cory." james says, meeting his eyes."you should be. i have friends in low places." cory says. "i came here because i wanted to look you in the eyes and tell you. someone is coming for you. i want you to know i sent them." cory scrapes his seat back, ready to stand. james steels his gaze but cory knows him well enough to know. james morrison (nickname jim) knows what cory is capable of, behind all the dollie smiles and glittery cheeks. james doesn't know shit about who cory is, but he knows damn well how dark things can get.“you owe me your life.” cory repeats as he stands, looking down at james once more. he says, voice hushed, as the guard approaches to escort him out; "i'm taking it."

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♡ ㅤJULY 2020.ㅤ

so, an alcoholic walks into a bar.or, rather, a club. and it’s broad daylight, closing hours. cory has the keys; and a sense of comfort washes over him the second he steps foot in kid flash.he thinks it’s because nobody can touch him here. kid flash is cory’s palace to be highness in. more than any viral youtube video or subsequent record label; kid flash was the birth of Cola, for better and for worse. it had been a while since he’d been here, sobriety making it difficult to spend time in a nightclub; and yet it hadn’t changed at all. glitter covers the floor, and cola stands at the altar of the dj booth and looks up at the huge, ridiculous oil painting of l:oveless as religious icons hung on the wall behind it. he blows it a kiss, as is tradition; and he thinks about how sunnie is his friend now and his life has changed so immeasurably since he was fifteen years old playing his first gig here.he thinks about locking eyes with migum in the crowd, sharing cigarettes with him out back. cola had sold the club owner enough of his prescribed ritalin to ensure he and his friends’ ids would go unchecked until the day of their eighteenth birthdays. he thinks about him and migum, and jet, who is his own pandora’s box of complicated emotions, and he thinks about paris and liesl stumbling in their stiletto heels. he suspects they’d danced to more britney songs than britney herself. they’d had an unconventional childhood, sure; and maybe not an appropriate one. but he stares at the idols on the wall; so otherworldly and unattainable, and thinks about how his friends had all drank the kool-aid and joined their ranks.he’d gotten everything he’d ever dreamed of, and yet he misses cigarettes with migum. first kisses with jet. screaming girls generation lyrics with paris until their voices give out. concocting evil plans to scam male clubgoers out of their salaries with liesl. sometimes he forgets that his life was perfect more often than it wasn’t.sunnie staring down at him has always been comforting. the stage is opposite to the dj booth, and he remembers looking at her portrait before his first performance and thinking “please, don’t let my voice crack.” he gives her a smile and heads on to the dressing room.he skips every chair in the tiny little box of a room, and he sits instead on the windowsill. if kid flash is his palace, this is his throne. a hundred little black circles line the unpainted wood of the window frame. cola had been using it as an ash tray since his first day here. he takes the cigarette from behind his ear and lights it with the pink lighter he’d picked up from the convenience store on his way here. it was his first cigarette in three years; and hopefully will remain his last. he knows he’s undoing a lot of progress. but better this than a drink, and in his defence, the path ahead of him was rocky.cola had been slaying monsters his whole life. but the next beast was behemoth. if cola was going to stand up against two of the most influential companies in his industry, he deserved one smoke.he takes his phone from his pocket and is greeted by a text from koushiro; the only ‘grown up’ to ever fully trust his vision; the only grown up to ever let him be a kid, and the closest thing he had to a real parent.“give ‘em hell, kid.”cory’s head rests against the glass of the window, and he opens his music app and searches his own name; and he plays his own song. that song. the one that started it all. his whiny, teenage voice tells brooklyn to get out of his room- an accidental recording that had become one of his most famous samples. he closes his eyes, takes a deep drag from his cigarette and listens to the kid on the recording. he remembers the day itself; laughing with jet until their sides hurt, he remembers the bursting excitement when one of them thought up what they thought was a particularly clever rhyme and the other loved it just as much. he remembers hitting upload. he was proud of this song. excited to show his friends at school. he never thought more than ten people would hear it.and there it is again; that strange pang of longing and pain. who knows where he’d be had that song not gone viral. he’d be graduating university, maybe. he’d always planned to go back to america after high school and study english literature. and it’s conflicting, because he feels robbed of a life and yet all of his fondest memories could not exist and all of his best friends could not know him had he not been rebirthed into Cola.the song ends with his teenaged self ad-libbing nonsense through a cloak of laughter. cory thinks how much fun he had been having, and he opens the letter he’d written- all of the pain he’d went through in this industry, his unfiltered anger and his demand to be treated with respect, to be paid for the work others had made millions off of. if there was ever any hesitation to post it, the sound of his own laughter drains it away.cory promises his younger self that he’ll finally be as brave as he used to be. he promises to get justice for him. to get something, be it physical or mental, to get some sort of reparation for the way the industry had beaten the youth out of him in such a vicious way. he’ll make them pay for turning that laugh into a rarity for as long as they did.cory finishes his cigarette, adds another black mark to the window frame, and presses send.

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♡ SKELETON.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ cindy this is a skeleton this is bones

♡ PHYSICAL.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ pretty face but don't make me get sinister

♡ HEALTH.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ big boobs? what?

♡ FAMILY.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ running with my roots pulled up

♡ CAREER.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ if you got a check, i got a talent

♡ FAVOURITES.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ boys & their toys & their 6inch rockets

♡ PERSONALITY.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ cause guys love those . . .

EVERY BOYFRIEND IS 'THE ONE'
(UNTIL OTHERWISE PROVEN)

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FORMER GROUPMATES [MALE - 96 OR OLDER - 2/5] The five former members of Peridot. These muses debuted in a group with Cola in 2014, and despite achieving mass success, disbanded early in the following year. See more in the 2014 and 2015 sections of the Career page. Please message OOC for more info, as there are a few requirements and future plans for the group.LEAD STYLIST [ANY GENDER - 97 - 0/1] A former classmate of Cola's during the short period he attended international school in Korea in 2013. While they would have definitely made acquaintance with Cola during school, they would have just been casual friends. They'd already be working as a stylist by 2017, when Cola would have found out about their work and recruited them to style him for his 'ICON' era. Upon the formation of Chapel, he hired them as his sole stylist, and they'd also take the position of lead stylist at the company, putting together teams and providing insight on the other artists. As this is such a specific plot, I would require a lot of plotting beforehand!**MAKEUP ARTIST & HAIRSTYLIST ** [ANY GENDER - ANY AGE - 0/2] This plot is much more open, and when they would have started working with Cola is entirely flexible and up to the mun, as is any work they outside of working with him.**3RD GEN FRIENDS ** [ANY GENDER - ANY AGE] I'd love for Cola to have more friends who debuted around the same time as him, from 2012-2014. As it's just ordinary friendships, there aren't any requirements.**PROTEGE ** [ANY GENDER - 98 OR YOUNGER - 0/1] A young and somewhat new artist, preferably a soloist who's sound isn't too far from Cola's, who he takes under his wing and offers guidance to, and enjoys collaborating with. Almost becomes a muse for him. Doesn't neccesarily have to be signed to Chapel. This plot would obviously spawn a close and meaningful friendship, but would never develop into anything romantic or sexual.**1 NIGHT STANDS / FWB ** [MALE - 99 OR OLDER - 0/1] People with whom Cola has casual sex with, either once or regularly. Note that Cola generally does not feel comfortable being intimate until a trust and friendship is developed; however he is good at keeping sex with friends casual without developing romantic feelings. While this plot is open to muses as young as 21, Cola mostly finds himself attracted to people his own age or up to a few years older. This plot does not have to culminate in writing smut, but despite the fact I am content for the sex to happen 'off-screen' it's still not open to underage muns (under 18.) At all.

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SINCE 15 IT'S BEEN A REAL ASS WHIRLWIND !

♡2013♡

- Cola first surfaced on YouTube in January 2013. At the age of 15 years old, he released a string of ~2 minute long rap songs he'd written to beats produced by his classmate, Jet Eun, who was using the pseudonym NYX. The vast majority of the songs were humourous in nature, and were only ever intended to make Cola and NYX laugh. Just a fun hobby for the two boys, their YouTube channel and Soundcloud account (named COLAxNYX) rarely got views beyond the few friends from school they shared their songs with.
- On the 27th of March, 2013, Cola and NYX shot a homemade music video for the track 'tbh tho,,,'. The video began to pick up steam after it was randomly shared by a very popular YouTuber, and it was subsequently featured in several reaction videos on the platform. The newfound popularity of the song began to prompt several covers, remixes, and parodies. After worrying over what to do, NYX convinced Cola to make the song available for purchase on official music services.
- Following it's official release on April 1st, 'tbh tho,,,' peaked at #2 and reached the top ten on all korean online charts. 'tbh tho,,,' would remain Cola's highest charting song until 2016.
- As the song became a mainstream hit, it began to fall under harsh criticism. Garnering an incredibly polarised reception, the track was frequently labelled as ‘so bad it’s good’ as well as a ‘guilty pleasure’ song. While the opening sample of Cola whining ‘get out my room!’ was used as a sample by several DJs and producers, many picked up on his lack of polish as a rapper and mocked his sleepy, mumbly flow. The song would be treated as a serious effort by almost every outlet to review it, creating mass backlash for Cola. Cola was likened to a male Rebecca Black (a topical reference at the time) and became a subject of ridicule and hate, both online and amongst serious rappers who were offended that the song had become a hit.
- However, Cola decided to use the hype built around 'tbh tho,,,' as a springboard, enjoying the attention despite never intending to pursue music. Cola released his first mixtape 'Sleepy Starlet' on April 17th, 2013. The tape was seperated into two 'disks': disk one containing Cola's nine previously released songs, and disk two comprised of eight brand new tracks. 'Sleepy Starlet' was made available free of charge due to an uncleared sample of 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen featuring heavily on one of the tracks.
- Despite critical reception of 'Sleepy Starlet' creating an even wider schism among the people who liked Cola and those who despised him, he began performing gigs. In the summer of 2013, Cola was offered a weekly gig at the Itaewon night club Kid Flash.
- Starting from the end of June, Cola and NYX were hosting weekly events at Kid Flash every Saturday, called 'Candy From Strangers.' The nights would involve DJ Sets from NYX, as well as a live set of original songs and covers from Cola.
- Towards the end of the summer, NYX's presence at Kid Flash became spotty, and Cola began appearing on flyers as the sole host of Candy With Strangers. Around this time, some of Cola's classmates began to post online that Cola had been absent from school on a regular basis, and had eventually just neglected to show up. Soon after, NYX confirmed that he and Cola were no longer working together, nor were they friends, through a response to an anonymous question on his tumblr. In his answer, NYX referred to Cola as Cory.
- The first the public had heard of his real name, the post soon led to Cola being doxxed. This led to the discovery that Cola's step-father was Seweryn Osada, the frontman of the famous heavy metal band Baphomet, and that his mother was the CEO of a massive company. Many netizens filled in the gaps on Cola's sudden unpredictable rise to fame, and rumours began to spread. Many assumed that 'tbh tho's,,,' out-of-nowhere-success was bought by his parents. Despite this not being the truth, it was an accusation that would stick to Cola's name for years to come.
- Cola took a hiatus from hosting Candy With Strangers, embarking on the 'Terrorbyte Tour.' Consisting of twenty shows across different clubs and small music venues in Korea, the tour lasted from the end of July to the beginning of September. During the tour, Cola also made a couple of appearances at summer music festivals. The tour was sponsored by STC Media, a label held in very high esteem in the hip-hop world on account of it's large roster of rappers. Despite both parties denying that Cola had signed with the label, rumours spread that if the tour was successful, STC would be signing Cola.
- Cola returned to Seoul in late September, celebrating his sixteenth birthday on the 25th. He signed a trainee contract with STC Media a few days later, officially joining the company's roster. Thew news of his recruitment caused an outcry from k-hiphop fans and other rappers alike, and Cola was branded with the nickname 'the death of rap.'
- In November, a highly respected underground rapper by the name of spvnsugar released a song entitled 'Venus as a Boy.' The track was a diss at Cola, named after a Björk song that Cola had often covered and who's title he used as display names across several of his social medias. The track infamously included a graphic verse in which spvnsugar described brutally and slowly torturing Cola to death.
- Cola made no response to the diss, and did not perform again for the rest of the year, recruiting guest performers to perform at Candy With Strangers, only doing his DJ sets.
- At the end of the year, STC formed a trainee group consisting of Cola and five other boys, all of whom had been training for at least a few months longer than Cola, intending for them to be the company's first ever idol group.

♡2014♡

- On April 21st, Cola makes his debut as the leader rapper and maknae of Peridot. As STC Media had built a stellar reputation with the Korean public for it's artistry and musical quality, the company's first idol group was highly anticipated. Riding off the hype, Peridot debuted to mass success, with their debut single 'One Shot' charting in the top 10.
- Despite some backlash regarding Cola's inclusion in the group, Peridot ultimately expanded Cola's fanbase; the access to top-tier producers and shift in genre even garnering him more respect among a few of his naysayers as it arguably highlighted his skill a little more clearly.
- Peridot promoted 'One Shot' for six weeks, and though they did not achieve their first win in that time frame, they came very close several times. Peridot were quickly labelled monster rookies, and as such, STC had them record their next mini album almost immediately after promotions wrapped.
- Peridot's first mini album 'Semi-Precious' dropped in late June, alongside the title track 'Nillili Mambo.' The track exploded, garnering success not only in Korea, but making a huge international wave online too.
- 'Nillili Mambo' peaked at #5 on the charts, and Peridot received their first win when they debuted the track on Inkigayo. During the promotional period, one more performing the songs over the course of six weeks, 'Nillili Mambo' gathered six more music show wins.
- Following the end of 'Semi-Precious's promotions, STC agreed to let Cola record a solo album. Despite beginning writing for the album as early as July, STC arranged for Peridot to have one last comeback at the end of the year, with the promise that Cola's solo debut would be the company's first release of 2015.
- Peridot released their third release of the year, a four-track mini album, in late October. Named 'Danger,' the mini's eponymous title track became Peridot's first ever #1 single.
- Danger saw almost unprecedented success, achieving an PAK within a day of it's drop and collecting a sum of ten total music show wins.
- Despite the craxy success of the comeback, however, petitions began to surface online to let the group rest after several performances in which the boys looked tired, and an incident in which member Yara fainted backstage and subsequently could not participate in a stage. Promotions of 'Danger' were cut short as a response, with STC promising to let them rest.
- During what should have been his rest period, the label had Cola complete his solo album, including the filming of music videos and jacket shooting.
- In December, a scandal broke in which the CEO of STC Media was exposed for several crimes. As such, Peridot did not attend any end of year awards, and were snubbed of any nominations due to the controversy surrounding their company.

♡2015♡

- In January 2015, STC posted a teaser for Cola's solo debut, an album entitled 'Wonder Boy.' Alongside the hate Peridot were beginning to receive for their association with STC, many Peridot fans were upset that Cola was recieving a full length album before the group were.
- Cola released the music video for ‘Bubblebath’ on January 3rd 2015, intending the song to be a hype builder for ‘Wonder Boy.’
- A few days later, a cryptic message was posted to all official STC pages announcing that 'Wonder Boy' had been delayed. Soon after, news broke that due to the CEO's overwhelming debts and the company's stocks plummeting, STC had declared bankruptcy. As a result, all of STC’s artists saw their activities halted until further notice. Finally, STC shut it’s doors on February 17th, terminating the contracts of all of it’s artists.
- Peridot lost the masters to their songs with the termination of their contract, as STC's CEO had sold them to their respective producers in a desperate attempt to make money. However, the six of them were able to retain the rights to use their group's name, as such, a plethora of labels reached out to sign Peridot to their label.
- On March 3rd, images surfaced online of Cola drinking in a club in 2014. As he was only sixteen years of age at the time, he came under massive scrutiny, with netizens going so far as to label him a delinquent. Due to the scandal, Cola's reputation took another hit and Peridot were dismissed by a big-name label who they were in talks with.
- Unfortunately, after a month of meeting with different labels, no two members could agree on where to sign. Alongside the strain on their personal relationships caused by the stress of the situation, this caused the six of them to go their separate ways, disbanding the group after just under one year.
- Cola did not rush to sign another label, claiming to want to be sure he was signing somewhere that would let him grow as an artist. On March 13th, Cola released his third mixtape ‘Sext Pixels’ for free online. Due to the inclusion of ‘Bubblebath,’ it’s safe to assume that the tape is ‘Wonder Boy’ released under a different name. ‘Sext Pixels’ would later prove itself to be a defining moment in Cola’s career, with almost the entire tracklist going on to become fan-favourites. However, the mixtape would not reach it’s full potential until later on.
- In April of 2015, Cola signed a contract with record label RNN Entertainment. A few weeks after RNN announced that Cola would be joining their ranks, an article was released which sparked interest in cola’s contract terms. Unlike most Korean entertainment contracts, Cola had not signed under the company for a set amount of years. Instead, much like western artists, Cola’s contract agreed that Cola would release three full length albums under RNN Entertainment. Not counting digital singles or mini albums, the contact would be up for renewal after the end of the promotional cycle for cola’s third album.
- On May 17th, Cola allowed 'Good Boy,' a track from 'Sext Pixels’, to featured in an episode of the Korean drama ‘Phonecall’. Bringing the song to the public’s attention, it was later used as background music in a video posted by a popular Korean beauty youtube channel. The exposure resulted in the song reaching an unexpected level of popularity.
- Due to the spike in interest, 'Good Boy’ was rereleased as a single on May 2th, and Cola began promoting it, taking it to music shows for a promotional cycle of two weeks.
- During this cycle, Cola won his first trophy on MNET’s MCountdown. He continued to win again on Music Bank and Inkigayo, before gaining a final win again on MCountdown. 'Good Boy' would be considered Cola's signature song for years to follow.
- In late June, Cola flew to Japan to meet with producer and former pop singer Shigeki Koushiro, who would be working as executive producer for Cola's first album. Koushiro had taken interest in Cola's music after hearing his mixtape, and had reached out to RNN to express his desire to write with him. The album was produced and recorded during the month Cola was in Japan, almost completely working from demos Cola had cut whilst under STC or labelless. Cola was inspired to sing some of the tracks with a throatier and more animated voice than usual after he and Koushiro listened to Koushiro's old songs and Cola’s father’s band, Baphomet’s, music- although Cola later clarified that he in no way was trying to emulate his father's vocals.
- On August 16th, RNN posted a teaser poster for C1, revealing the title to be ‘Pretty Everlasting.’ This was explained to be a literal English translation of the Latin name for daisies, Bellis Perennis. Cola stated that he chose the name because “on one hand, it could mean ‘beautiful forever,’ but on the other it could be an oxymoron- kind of everlasting." The second interpretation fir the overall theme of the album, which was contradiction.
- RNN held a private listening party entitled ‘Attic Party’ on the 20th of September. Whilst Cola himself was not present at the event, several music journalists were invited to listen to ‘Pretty Everlasting’ in it’s entirety ahead of release. With a far less digital sound and notably devoid of rapping in favour of singing, the change in sound was received well by critics, with many noting how shocked they were at the difference in the album in comparison to Cola's two mixtapes and Peridot's music. Tracks ‘Jungle Book’, ‘Wildcard’ and ‘Sunday Morning’ were most frequently named as highlights of the album. Alongside Attic Party, Cola also released ‘Automaton’ as the album’s presingle on the 20th.
- ‘Pretty Everlasting’ was released on September 25th in conjunction with Cola’s eighteenth birthday. Despite the warm critical reception and hype surrounding the release amongst international audiences, ‘Pretty Everlasting’ failed to make a lasting impact on the album charts, peaking at #20. Dual title tracks ‘American dream’ and ‘Jungle book’ peaked at #16 and #9, respectively, but did not hold their position for over a week. despite ‘Jungle book’s music video seeing unexpected traffic due to the impressive choreography, in which Cola performed acrobatics with an aerial hoop, Cola failed to score a win on the music show cycle.
- Despite speculation that 'Good Boy’ would be nominated for Song Of The Year at MAMA, Cola was once more snubbed by the end of year ceremonies. However, he was invited to perform at the SBS Gayo Daejun, delivering a performance of 'Jungle Book’ and 'Good Boy.’

♡2016♡

- Cola spent the remainder of January 2016 performing small stages at awards shows, but did not see any more nominations. The seemingly unfair lack of credit paid towards ‘Good Boy’s success was a key component in a public’s shift in opinion towards Cola- a basebreaking, controversial figure gradually becoming recognised as a musical underdog.
- Towards the end of the month, Cola confirmed that he was beginning to work on C2, with no intentions to slow down after his busy 2015. He reported that his second album would be his biggest project yet.
- In mid February, RNN Entertainment announced C2 to be entitled ‘F5ABB5.’ This was in reference to the hex code of Cola’s official fanbase color, which was revealed in conjunction with the album title. ‘F5ABB5’ was revealed to have a more typical pop sound, and would take form as a concept album telling the story of ‘the life and death of ‘The Sleepy Starlet.,’ the title character of Cola's first mixtape.
- F5ABB5’s release date was confirmed to be April 17th, on the third anniversary of Cola’s first mixtape, and the Sleepy Starlet's 'birthday.' However, the album was revealed to be preceded by an 'Art Film'- a three-in-one music video consisting of the albums first three title tracks. The Art Film was released on Cola's debut Anniversary; March 27th. Consisting of tracks 'Rulebook', 'World Is Mine' and 'Boys Don't Cry', the art film was swamped in controversy due to allegedly 'homoerotic' scenes in the 'Rulebook' segment of the film, taking place in the shower room of a public swimming pool. The short film was banned from airing in it’s entirety on television, with the 'Rulebook' segment being edited out.
- The trio of songs from the film were released as a maxi single following the art film’s release. Despite ‘Rulebook’ 's controversy, it rose in ranks and peaked at #04 on the charts. Meanwhile, 'Boys Don't Cry' reached #03, and 'World Is Mine' peaked at #01, Cola's first number one single.
- Becoming an infamous moment in Cola’s career, the art film rekindled a disdain from many in Cola’s actions, accusing him of relying on shock value over talent.
- ‘F5ABB5’ was released on April 17th, 2016, with a fourth title track 'Sodapop.' Upon release, the album climbed the album charts at the quickest rate of any of his prior releases. Peaking at number eight, F5ABB5 became the first of Cola's records to hit the top ten in the album charts.
- ‘F5ABB5’ was not particularly loved by critics, as many viewed the music to be too safe to justify the dramatic and drawn out means of promotion. However, the production values of the music as well as the storytelling aspect of the album were praised as stand-out elements.
- ‘F5ABB5’ has proved incredibly popular with Cola’s fanbase even years after it’s release due to the accessible and catchy pop vibes mixed with the vulnerable lyrics. The story told about Sleepy Starlet as a fictional character inspired many fan theories and speculations. As Cola changed his fashion style to embody the character, the visual aspect of the album would become his most memorable look, especially the heart-shaped beauty-mark he would draw on his cheekbone for every public appearance.
- Cola promoted a censored edit of Sodapop on music shows for six weeks, yet once more failed to secure any wins.
- Upon the end of F5ABB5's promotional era, Cola released one final music video for a special single entitled 'Lights They Blind Me.' The end of the video saw Cola wiping the heart from him cheek, and he confirmed that that symbolised the death of Sleepy Starlet.
- Starting from May until July, Cola was spotted flying to and from Japan. He confirmed that he was once more working with Shigeki Koushiro. In late July, RNN announced that Cola was gearing up for his Japanese-language debut. This was later expanded upon to reveal that he would be releasing an EP entitled ‘White Hot Room.’ The title track was confirmed to be called ‘Lights.’
- Cola released the Japanese track ‘Detox’ on August 28th, as a surprise pre-single to ‘White Hot Room.’ ‘Detox’ featured a stronger and more mainstream hip-hop/EDM sound than any of his previous releases, garnering attention in Korea for the sharp twist in image.
- Cola released ‘White Hot Room’ on September 1st, along with the music video for the title track ‘Lights’. The album did not make a large dent in the Japanese market, but, strangely, was well received by Cola’s american fans. Particular attention was paid to the track ‘Venus/Virgo’, in which Cola candidly discusses his struggle with his identity and anxieties as an idol.
- After promoting ‘White Hot Room’ in Japan for two weeks, Cola returned to Seoul a few days before his nineteenth birthday. On September 25th, Cola celebrated his birthday by performing at Kid Flash. headlining an event entitled 'Flash Family Values’- featuring performances from multiple artists who were veterans of the club, Cola’s set included three new songs, which he reportedly told a fan afterwards would be on C3.
- Cola announced that he would be taking a break for the rest of the year, in order to work on music with no outside distractions or priorities. Due to this small hiatus, he turned down offers to perform at end of year shows- however, many netizens speculated this decision was more of a reaction to, once more, being snubbed and receiving no nominations despite having a high profile and successful comeback.

♡2017♡

- Cola was quiet for much of the beginning months of 2017, though it was announced that he would be working on his third album alone- taking on the task of writing and producing it by himself, with no outside help.
- Despite promising a summer release date for his third album, it was announced in March 2017 that C3 would be postponed towards the end of the year. In response to fans speculating on the reasoning, Cola affirmed it was “nothing to worry about. I’ve been meeting deadlines, but C3 is, so far, very ambitious. I’m involved in other projects this summer, and so i need to set aside a substantial amount of time to work on it with the level of focus it demands.”
- It was announced in April that Cola would be making his acting debut in ‘Jawbreaker’, a horror film with a star studded cast. A gory tale about the dangers of bullying and revenge, Cola was cast as ‘Lee Sook’, a vengeful ghost who was the central antagonist of the story. The filming of Jawbreaker was confirmed to be the reason that C3 was postponed.
- On September 2nd, Cola released the single ‘Lotus Eating Machine.’ ‘Lotus Eating Machine’ was released as alongside it's instrumental, with the title ‘C3: Chapter One.’ It was announced that, until it’s release, Cola would release a single on the first Saturday of every month leading up to C3. As it wasn’t promoted and didn’t have a music video, ‘Lotus Eating Machine’ only peaked at #32. However, the fact it charted at all without promotion was taken as a good sign for the rest of the album. Cola has stated that ‘Lotus Eating Machine’ is the bridge between F5ABB5 and the upcoming album; ‘It’s like an epilogue to F5ABB5, and a prologue to this album, which isn’t a story so much as a diary.”
- On September 25th, Cola once more threw a birthday concert/party at Kid Flash. This time, several friends of his gave guest performances. Fans who had found out about the event through Cola’s mailing list were gifted with party bags- four of which contained fidget spinner-shaped usb drives containing a teaser video for C3; and a notes file instructing the fans to leak it. The end of the video was alleged to reveal the album name- however, all four fans reported a different name to appear- Chemosh, Ishtar, Naamah, and Oyama, respectively. Each name seemed to have been taken from ‘The Infernal Names’, a list of mythological figures found in the Satanic bible, for use in Satanic ritual.
- On October 5th, Cola released C3: Chapter Two, consisting of track ‘Mass Text Booty Call’ and it’s instrumental. The single includes an intro skit entitled 'Mass Text Booty Call-In' in which Cola phones up a radio station to request his own song, but this is combined with the track in the music video. Featuring vocals from the artist ‘Slade’, the track was praised for combining a contemporary r&b melody and hook with the signature cutesy digital sound of Cola’s early music. Cola promoted the track solo on music shows for a week after release. The track peaked at #05.
- On October 25th, Cola released an official teaser video for C3. The video ended with two announcements; the album would be titled ‘ICON’, and would be released on November 11th. The album’s title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Cola’s habit of using the word ‘iconic’ often when praising himself or other artists.
- October 31st saw the theatrical release of the film Jawbreaker, in which Cola portrayed Lee Sook, the vengeful ghost of a boy who had died at the hands of his classmates in a prank gone wrong. The film performed well at the box office, but received polarising reviews. While some felt the movie was corny and relied too heavily on gore, many felt it was a cult-classic in the making. Cola was praised for his subtle and creepy performance, with one critic saying ‘Cola, with his self-processed love for all things camp, ironically resists the urge to go ham with his villain role, and is genuinely frightening for it.”
- C3: Chapter Three was released on November 5th. Consisting of the track ‘Don’t Date The DJ’ and it’s instrumental. ‘Don’t Date The DJ’ was well received, charting at #10. The track detailed a summer fling that was, while fun and passionate, only ever temporary. With a chilled out city-pop beat, many felt the track would have gone to #1 had it been released in the summer as intended. A few years later, when city-pop became a huge musical trend, Cola stated that the song was simply ahead of it's time.
- ‘ICON’ was released on November 11th, 2017, alongside the music videos for title tracks ‘Athena Nebula’ and ‘Barbie Jeep Getaway.’ The album received favourable reviews by many music critics, and quickly become one of his most well-liked bodies of work among his fanbase. After one news outlet pointed out that Cola was credited as the sole producer on all fourteen tracks, media attention picked up steam and the album became popular enough to peak at #01 on the album charts, making ‘ICON’ Cola's first #01 album. ‘Athena Nebula’ peaked at #01 on the singles chart, becoming Cola's second number one. ‘Barbie Jeep Getaway’, released at the same time, charted at #02- and as 'Don't Date The DJ' was still holding it's spot at #10, Cola had three singles in the top ten.
- ‘ICON’ was described by one journalist as ‘a gorgeous collection of dreamy, introspective, carefully-detailed pop.’ The album was praised for it’s cohesive sound and the 80s influences present in many tracks- particularly ‘Athena Nebula’, which was recorded with equipment used in the 80s. Cola claimed to have studied and ‘dismantled’ several hit eighties songs to get a feel for the styles and techniques popular in both production and singing during the era to ‘make the song sound and feel authentic.’
- Cola promoted ‘Athena Nebula’ on music shows until mid-December, and achieved his fifth solo win (and first since ‘Good Boy') on Inkigayo.
- Due to the release date, ‘ICON’ was not eligible to be nominated for most end of year awards, and was once more not nominated for those where it could have been. Cola made news again after MNET did not invite him to perform at MAMA despite his high profile comeback. Fans began to protest over the lack of recognition Cola was receiving for his work every year.
- At the end of December, Cola flew to the states to celebrate Christmas with his younger brother. Before leaving, Cola promised fans they would see him soon in 2018, but he would be working on grander projects- and while there was no intention to slow down immediately, he was preparing to grant himself more substantial breaks after the stress of creating the entirety of ‘ICON’ by himself. He finished the statement with the promise that he would ‘become a Cola that his fans could always be proud of.’
- Before the year ended, it was confirmed that Cola's contract with RNN Entertainment had expired, due to him completing the terms of his contract by releasing three full length records under the label. Fans grew anxious as the year ended with no word on whether or not Cola had renewed his contract.

♡2018♡

- On New Years Day, RNN Entertainment announced that they would be launching a subsidiary company known as Chapel Records.
- Revealed to be the brainchild of Cola, the label was founded and set up in the summer of 2016. Chapel Record’s official launch had been awaiting the fulfilment of cola’s three record contact with RNN Entertainment. the imprint was intended as a branch for cola to release his own music with total creative control. Due to Cola not wishing to compromise the effort he could put into his music, and not feeling qualified to run a label, the position of CEO would be held by Shigeki Koushiro. Koushiro had previous experience running the Japanese record label SF Nation for ten years, but had sold the company in 2012.
- As was becoming tradition, Cola enjoyed a brief break throughout the early months of 2018, but announced that he would be making his comeback in Japan in Spring.
- One April 19th, Chapel Records announced that Cola would be embarking on a world tour in the summer. Entitled the 'Twink Peaks Tour', the tour would kick off at the end of May and Cola would perform in 10 cities across Asia, America, and the United Kingdom.
- Cola embarked on the 'Twink Peaks Tour' starting from May 25th, kicking it off with a sold out arena show in Seoul. The performance was incredibly well received and Cola was particularly praised for the spectacle and visuals of the show.
- On May 27th, Chapel Records posted a teaser for Cola's Japanese comeback, which had been postponed from it's estimated Spring release date. The teaser confirmed that the EP would be titled 'Sunshine.' A second teaser was posted two days later, revealing the tracklist. The title track was revealed to be called 'Genie.'
- 'Sunshine' was released on June 2nd, in conjuction with a music video for 'Genie.' Set in an abandoned bowling alley, 'Genie's MV drew in minor controversy as it featured a comedic scene in which Cola appeared naked, his modesty protected by an upright bowling pin.
- Cola performed in Japan a week later, embarking on the international legs of the 'Twink Peaks Tour.'
- Cola wrapped up the tour with a performance in London on July 13th.
- The 'Twink Peaks Tour' raked up a large revenue, and despite his efforts to keep the donation private, it was revealed on July 18th that Cola had donated 75% of the tour's profits to several charities revolving around aiding sexual assault survivors.
- On August 19th, Cola shocked fans by dropping his fourth full length album, 'Russian Doll,' with no prior announcement. Revealed to have been primarily written and recorded by Cola and Koushiro during the time they were waiting for 'ICON' to be released after it's delay and revisited at the beginning of the year, 'Russian Doll' primarily consisted of music that was more akin to the genre of Cola's first record than the electropop/synthpop sounds of the two preceding it.
- The same day the album came out, Cola released the music video for it's title track, 'Juice', who's 80s synthpop sound was more akin to Cola's usual stylings and would help solidify an 80's influence as one of the main characteristics of Cola's music. Juice saw Cola receive his third #01 single, alongside 'Russian Doll' becoming his second #01 album. Upon it's release, Cola confirmed that he would not be promoting 'Russian Doll' due to needing more time to recuperate after his physically demanding tour.
- 'Russian Doll' received mass acclaim, especially for it's highly personal and bluntly open lyrics, as many of the songs detail Cola's mental health struggles. The album also sparked varying levels of controversy due to songs like 'Motherfucker' and 'Far Less Grace.' 'Motherfucker' was seen as a middle finger to the industry as a whole, with it's lyrics seeming to highlight Cola's refusal to play ball with the expectations of the industry that he would be expected to meet to maintain success and favour of the media. Meanwhile, 'Far Less Grace' saw huge backlash. While Cola's music was no stranger to social commentary, his unfiltered criticisms of war, bigotry and rape culture. While most would agree these topics should be criticised, many thought it contained an anti-Korean sentiment- particularly ill-received by some members of the population due to Cola's American nationality and westernised upbringing; with his step-father since infant-hood being Polish and his mother being raised by a Mexican family, many felt that his upbringing invalidated Cola's Korean ethnicity or at least his right to make social commentary on the country. On top of ire amongst nationalistic parties, 'Far Less Grace' also sparked outrage amongst prominent Men's Rights Activisim communities online, for it's openly feminist viewpoint.
- With 'Russian Doll' and 'Juice' both reaching #01 with no promotion and 'controversy' surrounding some it's subject matter, as well as the signage of certain big names to Chapel Records, it was beginning to be clear that Cola's influence on the industry had grown more than many thought possible- and indeed further than many were comfortable with.
- True to his word, Cola spent the remaining months of 2018 out of the public eye, beyond occasional social media posts.
- On December 17th, Cola performed as a guest at boy group 5OGUE's 'P2NK MONDAY' anniversary concert. Alongside 'Good Boy' and 'Athena Nebula' and a cover of the Turbo song 'Cyber Lover,' Cola also performed an unreleased song, which interpolated several lyrics from 'Sonic Adventure', a track on 'Sext Pixels.'
- Rounding off one of the busiest years of his career, Cola released a digital single 'uberCOKE' on December 31st. Cola also released an accompanying music video that was shot in LA. 'uberCOKE' peaked at #15 on the charts and was not promoted on music shows, though Cola did visit radio stations to promote the song.

♡2019♡

- Following the release of 'uberCOKE,' Cola continued his hiatus, with Chapel's steadily growing lineup taking priority.
- On June 21st, Cola released the single 'Call Me Mom,' an EDM dance track, and it's accompanying music video. One of Cola's most energetic singles, the song peaked at #01 on the charts, Cola's fourth number one single. The song quickly became a fan-favourite, particularly well received online and overseas due to a line in the song which outwardly makes a point to include non-binary people. Cola confirmed that 'Call Me Mom' was the first single from his new album.
- The following month, Cola released 'Anime Eyes,' the second single from his fifth album. A music video was also released for the track. 'Anime Eyes' did not match 'Call Me Mom's success, though still peaked at #15 on the charts.
- Many fans expected the next single to come out at the end of August, however were left disappointed when the month passed with no single nor explanation from Cola. As September passed also, many worried that the album would not be released at all.
- At the end of October, Cola recieved his first ever Awards Show nomination, following six years of being snubbed. Nominated for Best Male Artist at MAMA, many people were confused by the nomination- despite 'uberCOKE,' 'Call Me Mom' and 'Anime Eyes' all being eligible for nomination and performing well commercially, Cola had not yet released an album that year after doing so for four years in a row- and had consistently had much more notable accomplishments ignored throughout his entire career.
- Cola continued his album roll-out on October 29th, releasing track 'S.U.P.E.R.' and it's music video. The song was well-received by fans due to the 'cheerleader chants' hearkening back to Cola's older music. The track still didn't perform as well as 'Call Me Mom,' though it did breach the top ten, peaking at #09.
- Cola released the tracklist for his fifth album on October 30th, announcing it to have fifteen tracks in the process.
- On November 1st, a teaser for the album announced the title to be 'Richer Than God & Twice As Pretty.' While the title caused a stir amongst religious groups, many agreed that it was too ridiculous to be truly offensive.
- Cola released 'Richer Than God & Twice As Pretty' alongside the title track 'The Craft' on November 5th. 'Richer Than God & Twice As Pretty' was, once more, recieved well with music critics. Cola had described the album as 'the comeback his debut-era self would have released if he had the resources,' which opened up favourable comparisons to his early work and discussions of how far Cola had come as a musician in his career. His constant experimentation with his sound was especially praised; becoming more and more unconventional without losing the pop charm.
- However, very shortly after the album's release, it was revealed that 10 out of the 15 tracks had been deemed inappropriate for broadcast and subsequently banned. This included 'The Craft,' the album's intended title track. Having anticipated this, Cola submitted a censored version of 'The Craft,' which was not approved, causing Cola to delay his promotions in order to replan the era. Many felt that Cola was being unfairly treated for these bans, especially as 'Call Me Mom,' 'Anime Eyes,' and 'S.U.P.E.R' had all been included in the song's banned tracks, despite having been released as singles without issue earlier in the year.
- On October 8th, Cola released '11:11' as a single, and began promoting the track. However, due to the stunted promotions, 'Richer Than God' charted at #10 and The Craft did not enter the top ten, peaking at #27. 11:11 managed to reach #17- which, despite not being a particularly bad ranking, seemed particularly low as it broke Cola's streak in which he had achieved number ones with each title track for three albums in a row.
- Despite receiving the most unanimously positive reviews of any of Cola's albums, 'Richer Than God' was his lowest performing era since 'Pretty Everlasting.' Cola received no music show wins, and ceased promoting '11:11' after just three weeks. Cola openly admitted to feeling angry and hurt by the bans and the refusal to let him censor his title track, and publicly agreed that it felt like unfair treatment.
- On November 17th, Cola was a guest performer at girl group SPICED's annual charity concert. Cola performed 'Call Me Mom,' '11:11,' and 'Sonic Adventure 2,' as well as performing 'The Craft' for the first time. Cola also took the stage with four other male idols to cover the song 'Can't Speak French' by the UK girl group Girls Aloud.
- Cola attended MAMA 2019 in Japan, where he was nominated for the 'Best Male Artist' award. He did not receive the award, but did make headlines due to his performance. Due to the bans, Cola elected to perform songs from 'Russian Doll.' Cola stunned audiences with a performance of 'Juice' which incorporated use of Aerial Silks. However, the song was cut short so Cola could also perform 'Far Less Grace.' This proved to be a controversial decision which was seen as many as a response to his bans; and it was later confirmed in a statement by MNET that Cola had not cleared with them that he'd be performing the song and was supposed to perform 'Juice' and '11:11' instead.

♡2020♡

- At the end of February, it was announced that Cola would be performing in a minor role in the web-drama True Beauty. Cola would be playing Yoon Seyeon, a character who appears in two episodes. A month later, it was announced that Cola had also been cast as one of the ensemble-leads in 'Frontline,’ a Netflix original teen-drama that would deal with mature subjects such as drug use. These would be Cola’s first acting roles since 2017’s 'Jawbreaker.’
- Cola and his younger brother Brooklyn, who had been working as an actor since 2017, appeared on the cover of the US publication Paper Magazine for it’s April issue. In his interview with the magazine, Cola further opened up about the 'Richer Than God’ era, and admitted that he was still upset about the way it panned out. Cola also stated that his sixth album would not come out this year, claiming that releasing an album a year for five years straight had been detrimental to his mental health. In the interview, Cola also said that his return to acting was in response to a desire to pursue new areas after seven years of exhaustively creating and promoting music.
- In June, Cola was revealed to be among the headlining performers at music festival Lost Land, to take place at the end of June & beginning of January. hough Cola had played festivals in the past, this was his very first headliner set.
- On June 8th, ahead of his Lost Land set, Cola released a digital single titled 'La Vie En Rose.’ Similiar to the synth-pop of Richer Than God, 'La Vie En Rose’ carried an uplifting tone, and Cola described the track as being a song about recovering, and the calm 'after’ the storm.
- Cola kicked off his first Lost Land performance on June 26th, and would be performing at the festival for the following two weekends as well. Performing a 33 song setlist, on June 29th Cola shocked audiences with a surprise reunion from Peridot, their first performance together in six years. Performing their title tracks, the group began trending on social media almost instantly. Cola performed his last set on July 12th.
- A day after his final Lost Land set, on July 13th, Cola released his first ever mini-album, simply entitled 'cory.’ Released digitally, with no intention of promotion, 'cory.’ contained five tracks, including 'La Vie En Rose.’ In an interview regarding the EP, Cola described the EP as a sort of accidental project, which he began writing only to make himself feel better and fall back in love with writing for the right reasons again. Feeling like five of the tracks he wrote gave a good insight into where his mental state was at at the time, he tentatively put them together as an EP. Although he was originally planning to keep it to himself, he decided to release it after seeing people cry and sing along to his music while performing at Lost Land, as the experience made him realise that regardless of the previous year’s misgivings, his place in the industry was as someone who could connect with his fans through his music.
- On July 17th, Cola penned an open letter to 'the industry.’ Within it, he detailed several of the hardships he’d gone through as an idol, particularly in the form of mistreatment from others. Alongside directors refusing to cast him despite thinking he was a good actor, spvnsugar’s diss track, and the way that several k-pop fans viewed him as an acceptable target for bullying, Cola also mentioned that two massive record labels had plagiarised demos he’d sent in to them, and had their artists release them without crediting or paying them. Cola demanded that he would be treated like a human being and vowed to stand up for himself from now on, and threatened legal action against the two labels were they not to either belatedly credit him or pay him for his work. The letter got mixed responses, but most people sympathised Cola and supported him for standing up for himself, with several idols publicly applauding him. In particular, the line 'I’ve done something this industry has fearfully hoped I never would. I’ve learned my worth.’ garnered a lot of positive attention.
- On August 28th, Cola teased the release of a digital single entitled 'Sad, Blonde, Twenty-Three.' Along with the teaser, Cola also posted a quote by Marilyn Monroe; 'Lets say I hope I'm finding happiness, right? Well, for me, if I can realise certain things in my work, I come the closest to being happy. And I can say that also about my life. Well, it only happens, I think, in moments. I find it very stimulating to keep studying and working but I'm not just generally happy. If I'm generally anything ,I guess I'm generally miserable."
- On September 1st, Cola released the single 'Sad, Blonde, Twenty-Three.' The track was notably far more stripped back than is generally expected from Cola, and contained raw lyrics in which Cola spoke about feeling like he was just a novetly to the people in his life and felt like nobody ever stuck around. The song wasn't promoted and as such did not perform notably well on the charts, though it made a huge impact upon his fanbase.
- On September 7th, the anime 'Digimon Adventure: (2020)' began using the song 'Q' as their ending OST. The song was written and produced by Koushiro Shigeki, and sung by Cola.
- Cola released a collaborative single entitled 'L.C.S.' (abbreviated from 'lights, camera, satisfaction') featuring fellow Chapel Records soloist Melo and Ty, a member of the rookie group Aftershock. The song came with an accompanying music video, and was soon revealed to be the precursor to 'Dinner Party,' Cola's third mixtape.
- 'Dinner Party' released on October 1st. The tape was marketed specifically as a 'collaborative mixtape' and each song featured collaborations with fellow artists; which was of particular note as Cola was known to rarely collaborate with others.

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