Back in 2022, HA SUNG WOON made his solo comeback with FOCUS and his 8th mini-album Strange World. A couple of months following that, HA SUNG WOON enlisted into the military. It has been almost 2 years since that last comeback, but HA SUNG WOON finally made his solo return last week with his 9th mini-album and a lead single, both titled Blessed.

The hip-hop genre that Blessed goes with stands out very strongly, which isn’t what I usually associate with HA SUNG WOON. I had to fact-check that to be sure, just to make sure I hadn’t forgotten all of HA SUNG WOON’s past tracks. Though, I wouldn’t put it pass me – a lot has happened in KPOP since HA SUNG WOON’s last comeback. I am not exactly put off by the direction of Blessed. I feel like I should be, based on my past experience. But HA SUNG WOON’s handles it well. Just some of Blessed could have been better executed, in my opinion. Starting off with the positives, his vocals in the verses were quite good, particularly the way he transitions from more a hip-hop to a R&B delivery. The instrumentation was quite engaging, despite it not bring anything new or different to the table. I did like the little synth blasts behind HA SUNG WOON’s utterances of the song’s title. I also like how the instrumental smooths itself out as part of the pre-choruses to match with the R&B motif of his vocals. As for the chorus, this is where Blessed falters the most for me. Currently, I am on the fence about it, which is the resultant of multiple listens to Blessed. The “I’m so blessed, uh, uh, uh” hook itself comes off as unimaginative and becomes obnoxious as Blessed goes on. But without it, Blessed would be without some much needed attitude and sass that HA SUNG WOON does delivers the hook with. This ultimately would have made the song less impactful, compared to how it is at the moment. I would liked something a little more developed on this front. Similarly, I would have liked the instrumental and delivery of the final chorus and instrumental break to not feel the same as earlier in the song. This could drive up the dynamism of Blessed and closed out the song in both a more satisfying and bolder way.

I liked the darker style that HA SUNG WOON goes for in the music video. It brings out a more seductive and alluring side to the soloist, which I can’t remember if we have seen before. It also works with the hip-hop style that the song leans towards. But the darker style does contrast with the more hopeful message of the song, which is about feeling blessed for living one’s dream. This contrast does make the video feel aesthetic and interesting to watch. I liked the various solo shots we see of HA SUNG WOON, as well as the post-production effects. I also enjoyed the subliminal messaging that he is the missing piece to this own puzzle, as revealed in the end.

The performance for this comeback is very good. I found the entire routine from start to end is worth watching. HA SUNG WOON and his dancers hold their ground really well, bouncing along when the song is most dynamic and smoothing out their moves when the instrumental goes down that same path. He also shows off some footwork towards the end which looks really good.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10