Another male soloist made his comeback this week – KIM JAE HWAN. He returns with LUCKY! – the title of his latest title track and the lead single off his sixth mini-album, JAM (Journey Above Music). Both LUCKY! and JAM follows KIM JAE HWAN’s earlier 2023 comeback, Spring Breeze.

If you want something funky, then LUCKY! is the song for you! I am totally digging and loving the track. Upbeat numbers like this are so welcomed in this current climate which calls for vibrant sounds (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) and if you miss the sunshine and warmth (if you live where I live where it is currently freezing cold). I just love how it is fun and colourful LUCKY! is. In addition to the funky backing, you have the usual suspects in terms of instrumentation, such as brass that bring so much energy to the mix and playful whistles at the midpoint and end of the song. Altogether, you have the start of an infectious and boogie worthy single. Adding to that infection and boogie is KIM JAE HWAN himself, who gets to show off his vocals in LUCKY! in a much more vivid and lively manner. He shows so much character and profile in LUCKY!, with the route he took to get to the powerful high note at the end being a great example of this. Plus it helps to have catchy hooks like in LUCKY!, which pretty much seals the deals for me. Featuring alongside KIM JAE HWAN is BOBBY from iKON, who brings a rapping element to LUCKY!. While I do appreciate his featuring and how it attempts to bring a fresh element to the song, BOBBY’s featuring is my pick for the weakest point of LUCKY!. It felt like the rap lacked oomph, which was present in all other parts of the song, and didn’t carry the same momentum as the rest of the song. And it made KIM JAE HWAN a lot of work to make up for in the rest of the second verse. But he does get there in the end once we return to the second chorus. Overall, LUCKY! is definitely a bold and fun return for KIM JAE HWAN, who nails it very well!

Music video wise, we just get a 3:23 minutes worth of KIM JAE HWAN having fun and enjoying life. The video does show a few scenes where KIM JAE HWAN gets lucky, such as when he breaks the egg to find a double yolk, he throws the plastic cup out without looking and it somehow deconstruct itself and each part lands on an angle perfectly balancing on top of one another and is rewarded with money from a rich older lady when he returns her shoe. I also think he wins the race he participates in. Just like the song, the video is playful and a vibe. KIM JAE HWAN successfully conveys this through his acting and facial expressions, which altogether made for a fun watch. It was also great to see BOBBY feature in the video, as well.

The playful vibes continue into the choreography, which was highly expected from the song. It was a fun and lighthearted routine, and at times looks hilarious. And based on what I can see from the music video, his facial expressions is going to be an important part of selling the choreography (which he does in the music video, as previously mentioned).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10