Author: kpopreviewed

Hi, my name is Tony and I am the man behind the site, kpopreviewed. Currently an university student who wants to introduce people to KPOP and if you are already into KPOP, different groups and bands.

[Review] Serious – Park Ji Hoon

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Remember to support favourite artists, songs and performances in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote!

A month overdue, but here is my review for Park Ji Hoon’s latest song titled Serious. Serious was released at the end of last month (28 October – to be exact) and is featured on Park Ji Hoon’s fifth mini-album, Hot&Cold, since his solo debut. This is also his second comeback of the year, following the likes of Gallery and My Collection back in August.

To be honest, Serious is one of the releases that somehow slipped my radar. I do remember it being teased and its release. But I haven’t listened to the song at all. Tracking my listening pattern through my Weekly KPOP Charts, it appears that I only ‘discovered’ Serious two weeks back. So, I am kind of going into it with a fresh mind today. But there might be a reason why I had only ‘discovered’ the song so many weeks after it release. Even when I do sit down to listen to it for this review, I find Serious to be a little plain. There really isn’t anything memorable within the song. The instrumentals of Serious falls into the R&B/pop territory. While this combination can be innovative and creative, Serious just isn’t a good case for that potential. I did get a moody sense from it, which I think compliments the lyrics of the song, and I did like the sleek start. But other than that, Serious was your standard backing to a dance song. Hook-wise, there was a bit of repetition in Serious, which helps build the song’s momentum to an extent. But they don’t stand out as much. Like the instrumentation, there isn’t really anything fresh or new that blows my mind or peaks my interest. Similarly, melody-wise, not a big fan of what the song did. I feel the strongest aspect of Serious was the vocal work. There were some good vocals in the song thanks to the slight raspy nature of Park Ji Hoon’s voice, and I did like the pre-chorus rapping and the momentum that we got out of that. The one vocal aspect that I disagree with is the switch to rap-singing in the chorus. its fine in the verses, but I just didn’t like how it came to be to the chorus. Overall, Serious is a lacking and unmemorable release, and ultimately a letdown following the likes of Gallery.

While the song might have not blown me away, Park Ji Hoon in this video did. Park Ji Hoon shows off some serious acting chops in this music video, and its so good that it makes this music video so much better. From what I see in this video, I think Park Ji Hoon’s character recently broke up with his partner, which leads him to this emotional state he is in throughout the video. He is locked in a hypothetical room. One moment he was writing a message in the bottle to his partner (I am assuming to ask for forgiveness), with the room being peaceful and lightened up. The next moment, it is trashed and the message in the bottle that he originally had written had gone missing. It appears that there is two sides of Park Ji Hoon in the video (represented by the scenes lightened up with the white light vs. the scenes lightened up a red light). I think the one side really wants to make amends (the white light), while the other side doesn’t want to. It got to the point where the glass bottle was ‘laid to rest’ in the boot of the car, as if it was kidnapped (which might explain the missing message above). The yellow light at the end seems to represent that Park Ji Hoon comes to terms with his emotions, and the sorry that we do seem is acceptance that he was the cause of the breakdown of their relationship and that there won’t be any chance of going back to what they were, even though he is ‘Serious‘ about going back. Serious guesses on what is happening and I could be very wrong, but I find the music video to be quite interesting.

The choreography is plain for me, but the entire performance still felt fitting for the song. It did bring to my attention that Serious doesn’t have much of a break in it and Park Ji Hoon is constantly moving and singing at the same time without any seconds to breathe, so I give him some points for that. But the moves don’t really impress me.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] TRAUMA – SF9

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SF9 is nominated for Best Male Choreography (Group) for Tear Drop and Best Special Performance for their cover of Taemin’s Move in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support SF9 and your other favourite artists, songs and performances by clicking here to vote!

Kick starting this week is SF9, who returns with TRAUMA. This is featured on their tenth mini-album since debut, Rumination, which also dropped today. TRAUMA is the group’s first comeback in almost five months, following the likes of Tear Drop (their previous title track) and TURN OVER (the group’s ninth mini-album), which I really enjoyed. Let’s see how TRAUMA stacks up against Tear Drop and the rest of the competition out there.

I find TRAUMA to be on the pleasant side of the spectrum, but I feel that there is potential for the song to grow on me. TRAUMA falls into the all too familiar funky and groovy motif that is basically everywhere in KPOP at the moment. But what I liked about TRAUMA is how SF9 had taken the style and made it sensually refined. While it isn’t the most innovative or creative use of the funk and groove, it definitely allows SF9 to tap into their own skills and also complimented the rest of their discography/style. Personally, I am not sure where I stand with that brassy trumpet-like synth that is present during the chorus. It definitely acts as a nice filler in the background. But I am not sure if I really like its overall presence in this song and it feels almost whiny, which doesn’t reflect a good impression on me. I also thought the vocal work in TRAUMA was a bit neutral overall. I wished there was a bit of more energy and tone to it. The rapping was a lot more inviting and had more of the dynamic that I wanted to see. Zuho’s part stood out, as it referenced his iconic line from the Move cover earlier this year (‘the male version of Venus‘). That definitely really emphasises the sensual atmosphere that I had already pointed out. Also sticking out at me was the Chani and Hwiyoung exchange in the bridge. Youngbin also did a good job in the second verse. For TRAUMA‘s hooks, there was a decent ring and it caught on during the first listen. Overall, TRAUMA could have been more, but it definitely achieves its primary goal as a (pleasant) sensual dance track.

So, there seems to be a reason why Good Guy, Summer Breeze, Tear Drop and now TRAUMA had the same aesthetic. It turns out that this was a whole series of music videos. I somehow have no memory of the trailer for the series (which was released back at the start of 2020), or somehow missed it. According to the description on SOOMPI, TRAUMA is the ‘prequel to their “9lory” storyline and reveals the past stories of the nine members who were scattered in the real world’. I am not exactly sure how TRAUMA showcases these ‘past stories’ exactly as they already looked pretty scattered already, but I figure I would probably need to go through all the videos to formulate a full story (Music Video Theory post, maybe?). I, however, did notice similar elements to those past music videos in this music video, including the chessboard as in Good Guy; bar scenes as in Summer Breeze; and (I think) the rain and feather reminded me of Tear Drop (not too sure about this one). I also wonder the tunnel they walk through at the start is meant to be similar to their |Believer| stage from the final episode of Kingdom: Legendary War.

I like how they captured the sensual energy in the performance, and the passion the members exuded as well. I also liked the use of the chairs was really cool at the start, and how they were reintroduced at the end of the performance as a sort of climax within the choreography. It also added a bit of a refined touch to the video. The pounding head in the chorus also looked very cool and made sense given the English lyrics in the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] BAD LOVE (1st Mini Album) – Key (SHINee)

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Key is nominated for Best Male Choreography (Solo), while BAD LOVE is nominated for Best Electronic Song and Best Album in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. SHINee and fellow member Taemin are also nominated for other categories, as well. Support Key, Taemin and SHINee in their respective categories by clicking here and voting for your favourite acts of this year.

On September 27 of this year, Key made his solo comeback with the amazing BAD LOVE. On the same day, he also dropped his first mini-album of the same name. BAD LOVE not only features the title track BAD LOVE, but also the pre-release single titled Hate That which also featured Taeyeon from SNSD. Originally, I had planned to review the pre-release single separately before the album review. But after putting it off for so many weeks, I have decided to just push forward with the album review without the separate review for Hate That. Otherwise, this album review will not see the light of day. Regarding the album (spoiler alert), I highly recommend to anyone who just want to discover something new. It is so good that BAD LOVE has managed to score a Best Album nomination in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards and is also my pick for Best Album of the year! Though not all songs scored a 10/10, there is not a bad song on this album whatsoever, so I am sure you will find something that you like. But that’s the whole overview of the album, let’s dive into each of the songs.

BAD LOVE Album Cover

1. BAD LOVE (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for BAD LOVE. (9.5/10)

2. Yellow Tape – Continuing on from BAD LOVE with the electronic instrumentation is Yellow Tape. I really like how hard-hitting Yellow Tape was from start to end. It is the type of consistency that I quite like, with a refreshing tone also coming through at the same time. The bolstered beat and electronic textures in Yellow Tape makes this a knockout song. I also enjoyed the hype and satisfying energy that Key himself brings through his vocals. They were powerful and well-defined over the instrumentation. The breathy ‘breathe in, breathe out’ whispers were catchy and iconic, increasing the memorability of the song. A solid follow-up track to BAD LOVE. (9/10)

3. Hate That… (ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)) – As mentioned previously, Hate That… is the pre-release single of the album, and was released a month in advanced to the rest of BAD LOVE. It is a R&B track that brings out the best of both Key and Taeyeon. It is pretty much an outlier in the album, but it also gives us a bit of reprieve from all of the electronic influences. The pair really dug deep for this song, with each of them bringing a lot of emotion. To me, I find the instrumentation to be quite stilling for the most part, aside from the somewhat pulsing beat that adds depth to the song. This really compliments the emotional and R&B roots of the song. Their harmonies took the song to a new level, while the melodies for the main hook in the choruses were definitely memorable ring to it that just stayed in my head even after the song had wrapped up. Apologies for not reviewing this song earlier. (9/10)

4. Helium (헬륨) – Helium brings funky vibes to the album and also uses this opportunity to incorporate an all-English track. While the funky instrumentation was great, I wished it was bolder and had more gratifying bass, all of which would have taken the song to the next level. But that being said, my suggestions don’t mean that Helium is a bad song. I really enjoyed Key’s falsetto vocals and his rap-speak delivery during some parts of the song really helped make this one a memorable track. Not exactly my favourite off the album, but definitely still ana amazing track. (8.5/10)

5. Saturday Night – Saturday Night is blissful and atmospheric during the verses, before ultimately unveiling its true nature as another funky and groovy track when it came to the chorus. This one is a laid back and chill in terms of its energy, but effective and impactful at the same time. Key’s falsetto vocals return in this song to compliment the funky notes of the instrumentation.  I really enjoyed this song and was definitely grooving along to it when I heard it the first time. (10/10)

6. Eighteen (End of My World) – The final song on the mini-album is Eighteen and is a nice ribbon to tie the entire album together, in my opinion. To me, Eighteen felt like a concentration of everything that came before it and definitely showcases Key’s abilities. It started off as an emotional sounding track, similar to a ballad. The twist here would be the instrumentation, as it still emerges with that electronic influence that is throughout most of the album. When the chorus kicks in, the song brings forth a slow rock vibe, which in conjunction with the electronic created a very impactful and powerful instrumental. Key’s vocals were consistently powerful during the entirety of the song, emotionally charged and wholesome all at the same time. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

BAD LOVE Teaser Image

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 3rd Week of November 2021

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Another week has flown by and so it is for a quick look back through the Weekly KPOP Charts segment. Today’s post is going to be a quick one as I have a bit to do today for the blog (I want to smash out at least two album reviews and also get onto some song reviews).

Just a quick side, the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards have opened now for public/fan voting, so get your votes in to support your favourites. It closes at the end of December, but if you are a forgetful person like me, I find it better to do it earlier on! Click here to vote for your favourite artists, songs and performances!

New Releases of the Week

In addition to the reviews for T-ARA’s TIKI TAKA, Weki Meki’s Siesta, MONSTA X’s Rush Hour and Ha Sung Woon’s Electrified, the following songs are also new releases of the week.

  • Bad Influence – Bernard Park
  • Stardust – Younha
  • To.Lie – E’LAST

Throwback Corner

With Lovelyz’s disbandment earlier this month, I had a trip down memory lane with many of their songs. And as it is also unofficially Christmas season (since it is November, but the stores seem to have Christmas in full swing), Twinkle is my pick for this week in the Throwback Corner.

Non-Korean Song of the Week

TWICE’s The Feels is this week’s feature song in this segment of the Weekly KPOP Charts, simply because it has been make the rounds on Instagram.

The Charts

Congratulations to ONEUS’ LUNA for topping KPOPREVIEWED’s Weekly KPOP Chart for the 3rd Week of November 2021. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

3rd Week of November 202114th Nov – 20th Nov 2021
Pos.TitleArtistStatus
1LUNAONEUS(▲ 2)
2TIKI TAKAT-ARA(NEW)
3SiestaWeki Meki(NEW)
4Favorite (Vampire)NCT 127(=)
5Rush HourMONSTA X(NEW)
6SCIENTISTTWICE(▲ 5)
7MAVERICKTHE BOYZ(▼ 6)
8Adore YouB1A4(▲ 53)
9Rock With YouSEVENTEEN(▼ 7)
10Tamed-DashedENHYPEN(▲ 19)
11DDARAGolden Child(▲ 5)
12CHERRYAB6IX(▲ 16)
13Don’t Teach MeAilee(▼ 7)
14Shouldn’t Known2AM(▲ 45)
15No Good in Good Bye2AM(▲ 38)
16VibinYoungjae (GOT7)(▼ 7)
17ElectrifiedHa Sung Woon(NEW)
18COSMOSB.I(▲ 44)
19FrostTXT(▲ 43)
20Calm & PassionNam Woohyun (Infinite)(▲ 3)
21Let Me InWJSN (Cosmic Girls)(▲ 20)
22Sweet TravelVICTON(▼ 8)
23Take OverDo Hanse (VICTON)(▲ 10)
24Do 4 MeEPEX(▲ 38)
25VIVACELIGHTSUM(▼ 12)
26Santa MonicaNIK(▲ 24)
27Out of the BlueDowoon (DAY6) with Song Heejin(▼ 2)
28GHOSTDREAMNOTE(▼ 1)
29FRESHICHILLIN’(▲ 33)
30Savageaespa(▲ 21)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have completed their nine week run on the charts, and will not be eligible for next week’s edition:

[Review] Electrified – Ha Sung Woon

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Ha Sung Woon is nominated for Best Male Soloist, and his release, Sneakers, is also nominated for Best Male Choreography (Solo) in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support Ha Sung Woon and your other favourite artists.

Making his return yesterday as well was Ha Sung Woon. The title track of his sixth mini-album, Electrified: Urban Nostalgia, which also dropped yesterday is Electrified. His is Ha Sung Woon’s third comeback of the year, following the release of Sneakers in June and Strawberry Gum in August of this year. This also is the last release for Ha Sung Woon under Star Crew Entertainment, which he has been under since his debut in 2014 as part of HOTSHOT, which disbanded earlier this year.

Unlike what the title suggests, Electrified is not electrifying. It is more groovy and funky, in a laidback manner. While I do enjoy this style, I do think that what Electrified ended up being like was pretty typical and standard for nowadays, especially since groovy and funky has been really honed into this year once again. I wished that there was more of a zing to the song (i.e. be more electrifying) to match what I personally expecting from the song when I read it title. But I also think a bit of zing would have been helpful in giving Electrified some uniqueness to the song to set it apart from the rest of the other songs of a similar nature. But as I mentioned before, I am not troubled by the direction that Ha Sung Woon had ended up going in. I applaud the smooth consistency of the song throughout its almost four minute run. Had this been released earlier on in the retro and funky resurgence, I think Electrified would have been extremely satisfying to listen to. It is still satisfying at the moment, but just idea of the song sounding similar to others kind of gets in the way now of the feeling. Contributing to the smooth atmosphere of the song are Ha Sung Woon’s smooth vocals. While that might sound like the Electrified might be overly consistent, I find his breathy additions to be a nice change, yet also being within the boundaries of the smoothness parameter. His breathy moans throughout are quite memorable. The hooks and melodies felt subtle and don’t stick out as much like in other songs, but they still managed standout and had a nice ring to them as well. I also enjoyed the ‘La La La‘ at the end, especially with the slightly amped up instrumentation. I liked and enjoyed Electrified for the most part, but felt it could have been more individualised.

The music video was a bit bland for my taste. Ha Sung Woon essentially describes his feelings that the person who caught his attention in the lyrics. To match that type of vibe, we get a serenade from Ha Sung Woon to the female character in the video who is just browsing LPs. I did like the retro side of the video, with the LPs, the black and white style processing of photographs that is Ha Sung Woon’s job in this video and the neon lights. And I thought he looked good throughout the video. But aside from that, nothing else stands out for me.

It doesn’t seem like Ha Sung Woon is promoting Electrified and there isn’t much choreography in the music video (aside from some spinning), so I am skipping this part of the review. It won’t be factored into the score below.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Performance – 7.3/10

[Review] Rush Hour – MONSTA X

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MONSTA X is nominated for for Best Stage Presence and their single GAMBLER is nominated for Best Concept. MONSTA X member I.M is also nominated for Best Rapper, while God Damn is nominated for Best Rap or Hip-Hop song. Support MONSTA X, I.M and your other favourite acts by voting in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote now.

Yesterday, MONSTA X made their comeback with Rush Hour. This is the group’s first official comeback as a five member group, with Shownu enlisting into the military in July of this year. The group previous promoted as a five member group back during their GAMBLER comeback, which was their most recent comeback before this one as Shownu has to sit out of promotions due to health reasons. Since their last domestic comeback, the group has been busy with some solo work and preparation for an upcoming English album and documentary.

I have had a couple of listens to Rush Hour since its release yesterday, but I haven’t really been convinced that it is their next big track. But before I dwell on this point, there are still some aspects in Rush Hour that I still appreciated that I want to point out. The ‘stand out’ element of this song is Joohoney and I.M’s rapping. I really liked the dynamism they both brought to the song. Their aggressive energy is always present in MONSTA X’s title tracks at the very least, but I felt like they pushed themselves even more in Rush Hour. Per usual, Rush Hour is synonymous to other MONSTA X title tracks, with bolstering beats and intense electronic instrumentals. But what sets Rush Hour apart is some suspenseful whistling. While it isn’t a memorable tune, it gave Rush Hour an interesting airy vibe and is used sparingly throughout the song. It isn’t the main centerpiece of the song unlike many other tracks nowadays, and so it isn’t overused or overbearing. The chorus was pretty decent. I find the vocals to be the star element here, especially with Kihyun’s explosive and powerful vocals here. I felt he was on par with the rappers in this song. I also like the sharp beats in the chorus, which stands out in the crowd of the ‘noise’, as some might describe Rush Hour as (and MONSTA X’s title tracks overall). Unfortunately, the hooks and melodies are mildly memorable, which isn’t exactly ideal. I wished they were stronger and punchier, which would have made Rush Hour so much more memorable. I also find Rush Hour to lack cohesiveness overall and bit messy. I wished everything in Rush Hour was better pulled together. Overall, Rush Hour is a decent song with a few standout elements, but not their best work.

It seems like cowboys are the new big thing in KPOP, with a few music videos and comebacks over the years featuring the theme. But I feel MONSTA X’s version of the cowboys concept is more style rather than substance. I did like the dynamic vibes from the music video, which is thanks to the way the video was shot and the various moving camera angles. The industrial sets and the outside scenes also looked quite cool, though I think the lighting could have made the video a bit more interesting. Minhyuk also looks great throughout this video and I felt that he owns this comeback. I do wonder if this video connected to the events of GAMBLER. The police vehicle they step out of at the start of the video reminded me of the vehicles the members drove off in at the end of GAMBLER.

The performance looks fierce and aggressive, as you would expect from MONSTA X. Nothing really stands out, but it was a pretty decent routine overall.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Siesta – Weki Meki

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Voting for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is now open, so click here to support your favourite artists.

Today sees the return of Weki Meki, with the group making a long overdue comeback with Siesta (the title track) and I Am Me (the 5th mini-album). Their last comeback, COOL, was over a year ago in October. Since then, I don’t think we heard much from the group. I think some of the members ventured into acting, but other than that, it has been pretty much radio silence from the group. Until today, of course.

My first impression of Siesta was that it was somewhat plain and lacked that creativity and innovation that I look for in a song. But with some repeated listens of the pop song in the bag, Siesta now comes off as super catchy thanks to its infectious hooks and melodies in the chorus, and also its vibrant energy thanks to its instrumentation. Unfortunately, the plainness is still there. But I feel is localised during the verses. There just doesn’t seem to be anything memorable about them. There is some deep house in the verses that hints towards the direction of the song, but it just doesn’t enough. The nature of the chorus in Siesta just outshines the verses. From the start of the pre-choruses, Siesta ramps up in a spectacular fashion, bridging the plain nature and the energetic chorus together. The energy that comes from the chorus is almost explosive, thanks to the brass, electronic and percussion elements that make up. Paired with those already mentioned memorable hooks and melodies, it is definitely a blast and fun part of the song. I also find that the chorus comes off as somewhat light in the chorus thanks the hooks/melodies, balancing out the heaviness of the instrumentation and also contributing to a refreshing and revitalizing tone, for me. For the vocals/raps, I thought the members sounded great throughout Siesta. The outro of the Siesta was also quite satisfying, with the extension of the chorus and the funky guitars easing us out. I am sure there are in Siesta elsewhere, but I just thought it was a nice detail to have at the end. I guess I wished more was done to the verses to ‘level up’ Siesta.

The music video opted for an aesthetic direction, which I thought looked fine. I think the aesthetic push behind the video adds a plain tone to the visuals, similar to the song’s verses (and it feels a bit heavy handed as well, extending throughout the video . But I am not as troubled by it. It is also nice to see a video that is paired with an energetic song that doesn’t conform to the need of bold (and sometimes harsh) colours that you might expect to see from set designs. Shooting the video outside also really helped sell that refreshing and light tone that I got from the video as well. The fireworks and the members being more happy/enjoying life at the end was a nice compliment to the blasting nature of the choruses and lyrics of the song as well.

The performance was fun and also somewhat cute. But nothing that memorable, to be honest. I just liked the vibe coming from it, and the energy the members bring to it.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Double Review] Should’ve Known + No Good in Good Bye – 2AM

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Voting for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is now open, so click here to support your favourite artists.

While T-ARA returned earlier this week, another 2nd generation KPOP group returned two weeks ago (shame on me for not covering them sooner). 2AM, known for their ballads and being a brother group to 2PM (who also made their grand return earlier this year after a hiatus), has returned for the first time in over seven years! The quartet (made up of Jo Kwon, Changmin, Seulong and Jinwoon) was last on stage together with Over The Destiny, way back in 2014. Since then, the group parted ways for their solo careers, venturing into music and acting careers, along with their military enlistments. Earlier this year, the group confirmed a reunion was on the cards, and on November 1, they released the mini-album, Ballad 21 F/W, and double title tracks Should’ve Known and No Good in Good Bye.

Given that ballads is what the group is known for, it comes as no surprise to anyone that both Should’ve Known and No Good in Good Bye are both ballads. And it comes as no surprise that both ballads sound amazing, given that they mastered the style back during their prime. Should’ve Known has the edge for me, however. I feel the instrumentation of Should’ve Known was a bit more complex, with acoustic guitars, classical strings, piano and drums coming together to form up a ballad that feels timeless. In addition, the melodies in Should’ve Known brings forth that unconscious swaying that I use to measure the effectiveness of the ballad more readily. They also help make this ballad more memorable. The members’ voices appear to be more piercing at times and are quite commanding throughout the song, which gives off a jolting effect that keeps your actively engaged. I also enjoyed the harmonies that made up the second verse.

But while I do prefer Should’ve Known, No Good In Good Bye is still a good ballad. No Good In Good Bye has a more straightforward classical instrumental. But it also has its individual style. Instead of acoustic guitars, electronic guitars are used instead, and there is a bit of a delay at the start of the chorus, which helped added some punch to the background and make the song more engaging. When it comes to the melodies in No Good In Good Bye, I find it a bit lacking (relative to the previous song) and hence not as engaging. They were undoubtedly present and evoke that same swaying effect. But the melodies in this ballad just don’t seem as memorable as the other song. However, the vocals were powerful (and commanding like the previous song), which worked well with the classical instrumentation. I also felt the emotions from the members a bit more in No Good In Good Bye. So essentially, which song I preferred seemed to come down to the tiniest of details, and in this case the melodies in Should’ve Known was the additional element that really sold me the song.

The main purpose for this review, however, are the music videos. Talking about them separately will just be confusing, so they need to spoken about together (hence the double review format). I find the pair of MVs to be quite creative and unique, even though they might sound mind-boggling at times. Should’ve Known‘s music video starts with the ending of No Good in Good Bye‘s video, while No Good in Good Bye‘s music video starts off with the ending of Should’ve Known. So essentially, you are stuck in a loop. Whichever video you pick up first is the starting point of the story you get, which then leads into the other video. So if you start off with Should’ve Known, you find the story starts off with Kim So Hyun (the female actress) breaking up with Lee Jun Ho (the male actor). She regrets her decision and the memory of her boyfriend brings them back together. In No Good in Good Bye, the video begins with their reunion and the restart to a happy relationship, to which Kim So Hyun breaks off at the end of the video. If we start off with No Good in Good Bye, we see a happy relationship between to the two that ends up with Kim So Hyun breaking it off, before realizing her mistake in Should’ve Known, to which the pair reunites at the same train station they had broken up in. I liked how the video works both ways, and how they worked in tandem with each other with the small details of the letter than Lee Jun Ho writes and leave behind for her and the hair tie scene as a reality/memory.

Shouldn’t Known
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

No Good In Good Bye
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] TIKI TAKA – T-ARA

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Voting for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is now open, so click here to support your favourite artists.

Another second generation group has returned! T-ARA has officially made their long-awaited return today with the new single TIKI TAKA. The last time we heard from T-ARA was through What’s My Name back in 2019, after which the group left their company (MBK Entertainment) and went their separate ways. However the group consistently reminded and reassured fans that T-ARA had not disbanded and would return one day. And after four years, the members delivered on their promise with an actual comeback! I am excited to see what T-ARA in store for us, so let’s dive right in!

While I am super excited for a T-ARA comeback given their wide range of title tracks, I will be honest and say that TIKI TAKA is slightly underwhelming at first. It isn’t that bold or upbeat track that I guess I was expecting from the group. Instead, the group went with a mature dance track that feels drawn out at times (in terms of its style) to sound more sensual and mature. I guess this makes sense given that T-ARA has matured over the years themselves and this style works well with that in mind. However, TIKI TAKA just lacks innovation and imagination for me, and felt like a standard mature dance track that we have heard from many female groups over the years. However, I note that I used the word ‘slightly’ in that first sentence. And that is on purpose. While TIKI TAKA‘s first impression was as I have discussed, I am ever so slowly warming up to the song. The TIKI TAKA repetition in the chorus is actually quite catchy and the melodies in the second half of the chorus makes me sway along unconsciously when I repeat the song for the purposes of this review. I am also digging the extension at the end of the song after the final chorus, which to me really emphasised the mature tones of the song, but also attempts to end the song on a more powerful, focused and impactful note as well. As for the instrumentation, it is pretty standard (as I already had mentioned) and that hasn’t really budged for me. If anything, I liked how slightly groovy vibes in the chorus. Overall, TIKI TAKA seems to be a slow grower and I might be completely on board with the song with more listens. But for now, it isn’t what I had expected initially, but it is still a decent song.

The music video really pushes that mature vibe from the song, opting for elegant visuals from the members. I feel that this is a great homage to T-ARA and reflects their current status in the industry really well. The video appears to be set in a very sophisticated bar for the most part. In addition to the bar, every other place chosen as a backdrop in the music video had a similar wow factor to it that worked extremely well with the bar setting, adding more heft to the video. Overall, a fitting video for the group and their grand return.

To me, the choreography was okay. Like the song, it isn’t their best work. But I still think it works well with the song and the mature/sensual vibes. But I am also glad we still got an opportunity to see T-ARA to perform again in some form.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Do 4 Me – EPEX

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EPEX is nominated for Best New Male Group in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Voting for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards is now open, so click here to support EPEX and your favourite artists.

I start off this week with a review for another track which I should have reviewed sooner. This particular track, Do 4 Me by EPEX, was released on 26 October 2020 and is the very first comeback by the new male group who debuted earlier this year with Lock Down. Do 4 Me is featured as the title track on the group’s second mini-album, Bipolar Pt.2: Prelude of Love, which also dropped on the same day.

Swapping out the hip-hop dance track style their debut had gone for, Do 4 Me opts for a much different vibe – a funkier, colourful, vibrant dance track with a lot more personality and individual style. I quite enjoyed this change up and found it to be fun and lighthearted. So out of the gate, Do 4 Me is already ‘speaking to me’, as one would say. What makes Do 4 Me a bit more interesting is the way it is described. Their company has described the song as a homage to ‘Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, INXS’s Need You Tonight, and Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart‘. While I am no music expert, I kind of get hints of the three songs in Do 4 Me. Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust comes through quite faintly the Do 4 Me‘s main hook (i.e. the line ‘So what are you going to do for me‘). It gives off a similar vibe and I feel the melody of the line to be somewhat similar. INXS’s Need You Tonight influence seems to come through the guitar work, with the heavy strumming present throughout both songs which both sound somewhat similar. To me, Dua Lipa’s Break My Heart is most prominent, with it influencing Do 4 Me‘s retro instrumentation style and the first line that opens the choruses. To be honest, the idea of the three songs in one is a bit out there and left field for me (especially with Dua Lipa’s song being part of the mix), but it somehow works extremely well. I liked how defined everything felt in this song, making it heftier and more pronounced. What EPEX do exceptionally well, in addition to the top three influences, was make themselves prominent over the instrumentation. Their vocals and raps were pretty strong and well-showcased throughout, adding additional boldness and defintion to the song. Overall, Do 4 Me comes off as a unique song, stands out in the crowd, and is ideal as a follow up song following a debut.

The song is about the feelings of falling in love for the first time. And the music video showcases that well through the group scenes, where the members look like they are crowding around a phone screen to compose the perfect text message to their crush. I am unsure if their solo shots adds to that. but they appeared to have a fun vibe that works well with the song. Elsewhere, I quite enjoyed the video – from the vibrancy that the colours offer, to the cool post-productions and transitions, to the camera shots. The only aspect that I disliked was the elementary boarding school boy outfits they wore (i.e. white/cream jumpers and black shorts). I get that they are trying to incorporate the idea of ‘first love’ into every aspect of the comeback (in this case – when does one experience their first love). But I found that it made them look way too young and the style just doesn’t suit them.

On stage, they are dressed much better and look like high school students, which is a better image for them. No specific moves stand out for me, but I enjoyed the bounce in the choreography and felt that it works extremely well with the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Special/Awards] 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Voting Opens

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Welcome all to the next phase of the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Over the last few weeks, I have posted the nominations and announced my personal picks for who I personally thought was the best of the best in 2021. But in keeping with the annual KPOPREVIEWED Awards from previous years, the final decision of who should win each category will ultimately lie with you (the audience and readers of the blog).

From 15 November 2021 to the final second of 2021, you will be able to vote for your favourite artists, choreographies, visuals, songs and albums. Voting is officially now open, so click the link at the bottom of this post to be taken to the survey and get voting! 37 categories, including Best Male and Female New Artist, Best Male and Female Soloists and Groups, Best Music Video, Best Male and Female Choreography (Solo and Group), Best Album of 2021 now rest in your hands.

Like previous years, you will be able to vote up to five songs in the Best Song of 2021 category at the end of the survey, with your votes making up 50% of the criteria for the category (and the other 50% being my personal Weekly KPOP Charts). Putting five songs down is optional, however. But you must vote for at least one song. If you are certain you know which song is ultimately the best of 2021, then you are allowed to put down that one particular song. But you are open to putting up to five songs, so that you do not need to dwindle your list down to just one song. As always, there are some rules for the categories and they are as follows (you will be reminded of them once you get to that stage of the survey as well):

  • Please type out the title and artist, especially to differentiate songs with the same title. If I cannot tell which specific song by a particular artist it is, I cannot count your vote.
  • You can only vote for one song once. You cannot list the same song five times.
  • Eligibility period for this category is between 30th November 2020 to 24th October 2021. For a list of songs eligible, view this spreadsheet to help you out. (Note this is just a list of songs that I reviewed this year, and there are many other songs eligible that I haven’t reviewed yet).
  • Only title tracks or songs with a music video will be accepted for this category (sidetracks with a MV are permitted, but sidetracks without a music video are not).
  • English and Japanese language songs (like the ones nominated earlier) will be accepted this year in this category, so if you want to vote for BTS’s Butter or TXT’s Magic (for example), feel free to. However, title tracks or songs with MVs only – see the list above for eligible songs.

Happy voting. Check the blog in January 2022 to find out if the groups/artists you supported, songs you liked and the performances you enjoyed were awarded in the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT YOUR FAVOURITES IN THE 2021 KPOPREVIEWED AWARDS.

[Weekly KPOP Chart] 2nd Week of November 2021

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Another week has passed, and so I will be looking back via another Weekly KPOP Chart – the 2nd Week of November 2021 edition. 🙂

Just a reminder that the 2021 Award Circuit is still ongoing, with more winners and nominations being announced on an almost daily basis! Most recently, the 2021 Critics’ Circle announced their winners for the 2021 Critics’ Circle Awards. You can find out more about the winners and more about the 2021 Award Circuit by clicking their respective links above!

And since we are on the topic of awards, the public voting for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards are about to get underway. From midnight my local time (which is about in 10 hours), everyone will be able to vote on who they think are the winners of the many categories that I provided nominations for (including Best Artist, Album, Song, Performance, Choreographies etc.). For a refresher of those nominations, check out the nominations post. More details will be provided in the post going live at midnight, which will also contain the link to the voting page! Until then, here is the Weekly KPOP Charts for the 2nd Week of November 2021.

New releases of the week

In addition to VICTON’s Sweet Travel, ONEUS’ LUNA and TWICE’s SCIENTIST, the following new releases also dropped this week:

  • RUN – Lee Jun Young (NOIR
  • Adore You – B1A4
  • RING X RING – Billlie
  • HIDE & SEEK – JUNNY
  • FRESH – ICHILLIN’
  • COSMOS – B.I
  • vertigo – DRIPPIN
  • BARCODE – Lilli Lilli

Throwback Corner

I have been revisiting some inactive groups – one of them is T-ARA, who will be making their long awaited reunion and comeback tomorrow! I leave you with their last comeback, What’s My Name, in this corner this week.

Non-Korean Song of the Week

This week’s non-Korean song this week continually popped up on my playlist and I have been listening to it constantly as a result. So featured in this corner of the post is Stray Kids’ Scars.

The Charts

Dethroning the reigning top song for the past three weeks (SEVENTEEN’s Rock With You) is THE BOYZ’s MAVERICK, who has clinched on to the top spot (but not by much) for this weeks. Coregulations to THE BOYZ. For more of the charts, keep scroll down.

1st Week of November 20217th – 13th Nov 2021
Pos.TitleArtistStatus
1MAVERICKTHE BOYZ(▲ 1)
2Rock With YouSEVENTEEN(▼ 1)
3LUNAONEUS(NEW)
4Favorite (Vampire)NCT 127(▼ 1)
5bugAboobugAboo(▲ 3)
6Don’t Teach MeAilee(▼ 1)
7SeriousPark Ji Hoon(▲ 37)
8XOXOJeon Somi(▼ 4)
9VibinYoungjae (GOT7)(▲ 5)
10BAD LOVEKey (SHINee)(=)
11SCIENTISTTWICE(NEW)
12strawberry moonIU(▼ 6)
13VIVACELIGHTSUM(▲ 34)
14Sweet TravelVICTON(NEW)
15Gone AwayHan Jisung, Seungmin, I.N (Stray Kids)(▲ 10) (FINAL WEEK)
16DDARAGolden Child(▲ 1)
17Deja VuATEEZ(▲ 6) (FINAL WEEK)
18SpaceBOL4(▲ 44)
19SWIPEITZY(▲ 43)
20No More XTO1(▼ 9)
21SoberN.Flying(▲ 41)
22Black CrownKINGDOM(▼ 9)
23Calm & PassionNam Woohyun (Infinite)(▼ 14)
24VENI VIDI VICICRAVITY(▲ 48)
25Out of the BlueDowoon (DAY6) with Song Heejin(▲ 37)
26WAITINGWOODZ(▼ 10)
27GHOSTDREAMNOTE(▼ 8)
28CHERRYAB6IX(▲ 1)
29Tamed-DashedENHYPEN(▼ 22)
30Red LightsBangchan & Hyunjin (Stray Kids)(▲ 32) (FINAL WEEK)

Songs leaving the charts this week

The following songs have wrapped up their nine week run on the charts, and will no longer be considered part of the charts in the next week:

[Album Review] Crazy In Love (1st Studio Album) – ITZY

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As teased in my latest song review, the next album review on this blog would be for ITZY’s first studio-length album, Crazy In Love, which is headlined by the title track LOCO and the follow-up single, SWIPE. The album dropped on 24 September of this year. In addition to the two already mentioned songs, Crazy In Love also features 7 other new songs from the group, an English version of the title track, and instrumentals for LOCO and all their past title tracks (from DALLA DALLA to M.A.F.I.A (In The Morning). I thought the addition of all the instrumentals were interesting. To sum up my thoughts on the entire album before we delve into each song, Crazy In Love is a pretty good album with some awesome songs on there. It definitely reiterates a lot of characteristics of the group, including their youthfulness, vibrancy and edginess. Anyhow, on with the rest of the album review!

Crazy In Love Album Cover

1. LOCO (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for LOCO. (9/10)

2. SWIPE – Click here for the full review for SWIPE. (6.5/10)

3. Sooo Lucky – Bubbly and fun is how I would describe Sooo LUCKY. I really enjoyed this song, especially following the likes of both the title and follow-up promotion track. It delves into a pop territory that freshens up the group’s tracklist, features a prominent guitar presence in its instrumentation that adds to the fresh energy, and features a catchy chorus (both hook and melody wise) that has me hooked. The song is suitable for Summer and showcases a fun side of the group that I would like to hear more in the future. (9/10)

4. #Twenty – Returning to the hip-hop transmission of this album is #Twenty. I liked the clashing percussion throughout the song, reminding me of the 90s. The rapping was very cool, with the rappers showcasing their skills with rapid delivery of their lines. Here is where I think the song might break for some. The pre-chorus was sugary and pretty random. I personally enjoyed it and felt like it fit in with the theme behind the song. This is followed by a chorus that really concentrates the hip-hop genre into a dynamic and powerful centerpiece. Though I can understand if someone was to say it feels empty and soulless. The bridge upticks the energy with a sparkly and thumping background. Overall, a fun song for me. (9/10)

5. B [OO] M-BOXX – When B [OO] M-BOXX kicked off, I was reminded of some of ITZY’s past instrumental. This is definitely exciting, as I think B [OO] M-BOXX could have been a title track for the group. It is a dynamic pop track and features a fun and catchy chorus, with the booming bass fitting for the song titled B [OO] M-BOXX. The vocals and rapping in this song highlight the skills of the group and they add a depth of appeal that makes this song more than just flair and noise. Definitely one of my favourites of this album. (10/10)

6. Gas Me Up – Gas Me Up, once again, returns the group to the hip-hop genre, with a rap centric song. Personally, I wasn’t much of a fan of this song. I found the rapping to be on the lazy side of the spectrum, and I didn’t like the drawn-out vocals to match the rapping style. Gas Me Up also had a plain instrumental that I didn’t remember much of. Sadly, a skippable song in my mind. (6/10)

7. Love Is – Love Is a good song, but it isn’t the best. I liked the song’s pop direction and the energy explosion we get as part of the chorus. Vocals and rapping-wise, the group nailed it in Love Is. I just wish the song was a bit less predictable and more innovative. That would have made the song more memorable for me. (7/10)

8. Chillin’ Chillin’ – Another pop track greets us on this album. Chillin’ Chillin’ is another step up compared to the songs directly preceding it. It is a bit standard, but I still enjoyed the energy that comes from the chorus of Chillin’ Chillin’. I also enjoyed the members’ vocals in this song, especially since they sounded very sweet throughout this song. The rapping was also quite nice and didn’t feel overly heavy for a song about unwinding. The melodies and hooks were pleasant and enjoyable. (8/10)

9. Mirror – The final new song on the album is a ballad. No surprises, to be honest. This is after all where most albums place their singular ballad. I liked the pop instrumentation of Mirror and enjoyed the vocals, but I wouldn’t go to the length in saying it is their best. Mirror also has a nice melody that closes out the album on a soft and soothing note, especially after all the energetic and fun songs that preceded it. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

Crazy In Love Teaser Image

[Review] SWIPE – ITZY

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In preparation for their album review later today, I am reviewing ITZY’s SWIPE! For those who may have missed it. ITZY returned with LOCO (the title track) and Crazy In Love (the 1st studio length album – coming very soon) back at the end of September. In less than a week, ITZY also unveiled a music video for the sidetrack SWIPE, which ultimately became the group’s follow-up song, following the conclusion of LOCO‘s promotions.

When I first heard SWIPE whilst browsing the album when it was first released, I wasn’t much of a fan of it. That is the case with most hip-hop dance tracks, with exceptions. But SWIPE definitely benefits from its really infectious hook that really helped the song grow on me over the last two months. And since the song has grown on me, I have found some aspects of SWIPE to be quite interesting and well-executed. The members’ rapping and vocals in the song were pretty good, and their delivery definitely works well with the song’s leaning into the hip-hop genre. Their spoken delivery of the song’s main hook in the chorus helped it be memorable, and surprisingly kept it fresh and fitting for the group. I also found myself enjoy the ‘Ring Ring Ring Ring‘ hook that featured in the bridge of the song. It was clever of the producers to incorporate that into the song, given that the song’s theme revolves around mobile devices. But I also thought it was catchy and added a nice melody to the song. The biggest part of SWIPE that I am still not on board with is with the instrumentation. It definitely aligns with the hip-hop genre, and I do like how it is pretty low-key throughout. But I found the high pitch whiny vocal effect in the background following the first chorus and just before the final chorus to be quite obnoxious. Not a fan of it. I also find the entire backing to be quite plain and lacks excitement. I feel a more vibrant and poppier instrumental would have worked fine with the song, and this would have done a lot to boost the appeal of SWIPE. Overall, SWIPE is a decent song that I am in the middle of. Some of its good, other parts are not so good.

I liked all the mobile phone references throughout the music video. From the portrait orientation of some of the shots to the QR code that I am sure we are all familiar with to the massive green/red accept and deny call buttons. There are also some swiping references, such as in the choreography (more on that in the next section of the review), and the fun swiping Tik Tok trend. Everything just made sense. I wasn’t a fan of the choreography sets and the colours used in the background of the ‘portrait modes’, however. They felt noisy and had a lot going on.

The choreography looks good and suits the edgy vibes the song was going for. I particularly enjoyed the swiping move in the chorus, along with the vibrations they incorporated into the section for the ‘Ring Ring Ring‘ part of the song. Definitely some memorable moves there.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] SCIENTIST – TWICE

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And now I bounce back to the present day with a new song release. TWICE returns to the stage with their latest comeback today with the song SCIENTIST and the third studio album, Formula of Love: O+T=＜3. This is the group’s first comeback in five months, the last being Alcohol-Free. Since then, TWICE has been active in both Japan with the release of Perfect World and in the Western music scene, with their debut English single, The Feels (where at the end of the music video, they had teased this particular comeback).

Compared to the previous song I just reviewed, SCIENTIST seems to have the same issues but in the opposite places. For me, SCIENTIST‘s verses stand out. I really like the deeper tone the members had opted for with their vocals, complimenting the deeper and funky instrumentation. Even though it was brief, I also enjoyed the order in which the lines were presented to us (i.e. vocal, rap, vocal, rap) and how they flowed into one another. The pre-choruses were also quite promising and brought my hopes up for the chorus. Unfortunately, that hope didn’t come through. The chorus that we got in SCIENTIST ended up not carrying forth or building upon the elements and undertones from the verses. By no means in the chorus is terrible. It was just safe and doesn’t evoke much excitement as you would expect. Maybe SCIENTIST‘s chorus will grow on me into the future, but for now, it just felt lackluster. I also wished the English pronunciation was a bit clearer, as it felt a bit messy to me. Dahyun and Chaeyoung’s rapping part in the bridge was awesome. I actually liked the start to the final chorus with their staggered approach. It changed things up in a way that helped make the feel less repetitive and kept the song dynamic as much as it could be with a plain chorus. The dance instrumental outro we got was pretty cool as well, adding in a bit of that funky tone from earlier in the song. Overall, I would say that SCIENTIST is a good song from TWICE, even though the chorus could have been more fun and exciting.

As a bit of a science geek myself, I am pretty happy with the idea of the science concept. I liked how they tried to interlink the lyrics with the visuals as much as they can and kept it creative throughout (a big emphasis on ‘creative’ here). Their visuals were also very strong throughout the video (though I do question Dahyun’s standing hair – it looks really childish). The cutesy vibes and visuals in this music video seem to throw it back to their earlier videos (i.e. TT, Cheer Up etc.), which I thought was pretty nice given the string of mature comebacks from the group. Some of the video it was good, whereas some had some questionable/exaggerated acting which I don’t really get (or like), such as the crying in the crowd over a bit of dancing at the end of the video. It felt a bit too much. Other than that, I enjoyed the sets and the post-production.

The choreography here looks decent. While the video looked like it was cutesy and takes you back to their early days, the choreography opts for TWICE’s style nowadays (which is a bit more complicated/mature and doesn’t have that simple and repeated ‘main move’ as like their early comebacks). The best part for me has to be the dance outro we got at the very end. It was by the far the coolest part of the whole routine. I also liked how they represented the title of the album for this comeback in the second verse.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] XOXO – Jeon Somi

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Time to bounce back around the timeline and cover some past releases. This post covers Jeon Somi’s XOXO, which was released two weeks ago! XOXO is the title track off her very first album release since her solo debut in 2019, which also shares the same name as the song! The album is also her very first studio length album and it also consists of her past hits, like her solo debut single, Birthday, and her most recent solo comeback prior to XOXO, DUMB DUMB.

When XOXO was first released, I didn’t care for the pop song as much. I found it to be quite plain, with her earlier solo works being more memorable and catchy. Two weeks on, XOXO has grown on me. But I am still of the opinion that this is Jeon Somi’s plainest song since her debut. The song’s anthem-like chorus is without a doubt the song’s centrepiece (as a chorus always is) and is the main reason why the song has grown on me. It has a nice fluid melody, which in combination with her vocals and backing, adds oomph and definition to the chorus, which in turn provides a substantial and satisfying feeling. The ‘XOXO’ in the chorus is quite catchy. Altogether, the chorus now does come off as memorable and definitely is my favourite part of the song. Unfortunately, the rest of the song was pretty plain. Even after just finishing listening to the song, I don’t think I can even properly describe the verses as there just isn’t anything memorable or interesting. On a more positive note, XOXO is vocally driven and it is a fair showcase of her vocal abilities. The one thing I did pick up on was the reference to Jennie’s (from BLACKPINK) solo song, SOLO (from 2018) in the second verse. I guess that means that XOXO could potentially be a song passed up by Jennie (but this is just me speculating). I wished the instrumentals were more striking, similar to her past releases. I also miss the ‘switch-up’ that usually comes in the final chorus, as per her previous songs. I find that keeps Jeon Somi’s songs dynamic and maintains interest for me, which was lacking in XOXO. Overall, a pretty safe and standard pop song with a catchy chorus. I just wished XOXO was more than that.

XOXO‘s music video is a continuation of the story from DUMB DUMB, but the story turns goes from a high school crush to heartbreak. Essentially, the guy in the DUMB DUMB video (which was confirmed at the end of the video when the dog mask came off) has been cheating on Jeon Somi. Jeon Somi and her friends kidnap him and torture him with a variety of methods, and I think in the end, they end up killing him by crushing him in a car. I liked the edgy change that we saw Jeon Somi undertake for this video, which I think works really well with her visuals and the story. There were also some laughable moments, such as the disclaimer at the start of the video that this video is fiction, and when the police officer drove past and they made it look as if the guy was not kidnapped. Not suspicious whatsoever. I also liked how she ‘accidentally blew up the building at the end, despite rigging it with explosives just a matter of seconds prior.

The choreography was pretty decent. The song restricts it, so it can’t be as punchy as some of her past performances. But it is still good to watch. I really like the big X and O she and the dancer make on stage when the title XOXO comes up.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10