It has been a while since we have heard from Secret, one of my favourite female groups in the KPOP industry. The most recent news of Secret (as a group) was the unfortunate news of their disbandment, which occurred in 2018 when Song Ji Eun (and fellow member Jun Hyo Sung) left TS Entertainment. Since the news of her departure and the group’s disbandment, Song Ji Eun has been active as an actress. For the most part, she has been absent from the music scene, with her last release being the 2016 Bobby Doll. However, that all changed yesterday with Song Ji Eun returning as a solo artists yesterday with the title track MIL (Make It Love) and her third mini-album, Dream.

If you travel back in time on this blog, you will notice that I was a super duper big fan of Song Ji Eun’s solo releases. My personal favorites have to be Hope Torture and Don’t Look At Me Like That, while Pretty 25 (which I reviewed as a bad song initially) has grown tremendously on me. But that’s a brief trip down my memory lane. With her most recent release, all I can do is yawn at MIL. MIL lacks all character that she had built up previously. Sure, she may have decided that she needs a new sound, since those previous releases are quite dated (going back in 2013). But she could have picked genres that are a lot more exciting and different, as her previous releases have been just that. Instead, she opts for an overused tropical synth based instrumental. It is something that feels very mid to late last decade. On a slightly more positive note, MIL has nice and easy to follow melodies. And the hooks were catchy. However, I do feel that the instrumental weighs these more positive comments down. The most positive comment I can give regarding this song (that is untouched by the instrumental) is that I like her voice. Personally, I miss her voice and MIL gives a nice dosage of her voice.

The lack of choreography in the music video suggests to me that Song Ji Eun isn’t promoting this song. That kind of stuck out at me, as I was hoping to see more of her in the coming weeks (so I can admire her beauty and continually remind myself of the good old days of teenage me fanboying over her). Instead, MIL features a bunch of cute shots of her singing and having a bit of fun. But this music video is a good opportunity to refamiliarise ourselves with the solo artist and her good looks (she literally doesn’t look like she has aged), it felt dry to watch. I wanted more people to be in the video to make the fun look more convincing. I wanted a memorable atmosphere to be created and help compensate the lacking points of the song. For example, a poolside party concept would be suitable. It works with what she already has planned here and it creates a more enjoyable and fun atmosphere. And a poolside party would compliment the tropical synths we had heard in the song. Don’t misunderstand, there isn’t really any issue with a music video of just her. I am just extending the idea of the video to make it go one step further.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5.4/10