2024 has seen a few collaborations drop. But I don’t think any got as much fanfare as SPOT! did, which sees ZICO and JENNIE (from BLACKPINK) join forces. Both artists are widely popular in their own right. ZICO is a very familiar name when it comes to collaborations and JENNIE is widely known for being part of BLACKPINK and her solo works, as well. SPOT! dropped at the end of April, so apologies for only getting around to reviewing it now.

I will be honest – I didn’t pay much attention to the song when it was released. I can’t remember the exact reason, but I just never really turned my attention to it. As such, time allowed SPOT! to develop on my mind. And now, SPOT! is a song I cannot get out of my head. The songs’ two major hooks are extremely catchy. JENNIE’s vocal hook is probably the song’s primary hook and it is executed in a way that really demands your attention. Some might call it forceful – had I reviewed the song back in April, I probably would have said just that. But the vocal hook now feels very bold and I liked how it developed into a shoutier line. The hype and buildup within just that one line is definitely grabbing. ZICO’s repetitive rapping that follows the choruses (i.e. the “Up and down, Round and round, Everybody hit the spot“) follows through from the energy of JENNIE’s part. The backing maintains that hype energy and adds further excitement. Elsewhere in the hip-hop song, ZICO and JENNIE executes their parts just fine. You’d expect a good rap sequence from ZICO in his songs, and JENNIE adds some extra colour in SPOT!. Talking about colour, I quite like how fun that pitchy and windy synth at the end was. It was one of the elements that I remember being unsure about. But once again, time has allowed it to grow on me, just like how SPOT! did.

The music video sees both ZICO and JENNIE have a casual time alone, with one another and in the company of others. I am glad they managed to get JENNIE in the music video, which isn’t always the case for collaborations. This usually creates a void in those music videos. But for SPOT!, this was not the case, given the presence of both artists. I quite liked JENNIE’s parts. For some reason, I don’t think I ever connect JENNIE to such a causal fit or atmosphere, given her more elegant visuals on stage and at events. So, it was quite refreshing to see in her in that style and environment. ZICO’s parts add fun to the video and I like how he could do that in any situation, as evident throughout the video. Not the most memorable music video ever, but it does the job and keeps the casualness of SPOT! alive.

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