Tag: BSS (BooSeokSoon)

Another song released while I was on vacation was BSS’ (SEVENTEEN’s Boo Seungkwan, DK and HOSHI) CBZ (Prime Time). It is the title track from the unit’s second single album, Teleparty, which dropped in early January. CBZ (Prime Time) is BSS’ first comeback since their massive hit Fighting (ft. Lee Young Ji) from 2023 and their unit debut, Just Do It, in 2018.

All of BSS’ title tracks have been fun and always contain a positive message. CBZ (Prime Time) continues that tone and messaging. This time, the fun side of CBZ (Prime Time) comes from the instrumental’s jazzy elements. It made for quite a dynamic and funky piece. As for the positive message, CBZ (Prime Time) speaks to the idea that youth is not an age, but rather a mindset. The Korean title of the song is also a ‘Cheers’ acronym in Korean. The Korean title also means ‘jeans’, which is an element that the music video features (more on that in the next section). As for the other elements that make up CBZ (Prime Time), there is much to like in the song. I really enjoyed the expressive nature of the members’ vocals. A fun instrumental doesn’t necessarily guarantee a fun song. The vocals are a definite factor in helping bring life to the song, and CBZ (Prime Time) features an engaging delivery from the trio. The hooks were fantastic and got the song stuck in my mind after several listens. My only concern for the song is its longevity. Based on what I have seen, CBZ (Prime Time) doesn’t have the same pull on the Korean charts and social media as Fighting did. Regardless, it is another fantastic song by BSS.

As mentioned earlier, the music video visually conveys a few of the messages. With the youth mindset, this is done via the choruses, where the members have fun. They take the office workers to the pub while also partying it up at the end. The members also hand out jeans to bring that alternative meaning to the Korean title into the choreography. They make it the uniform of having fun, which makes sense, given jeans are more casual than office wear or school uniforms. The music video also features cameos from some Korean actors like Uhm Jung Hwa, Gal So Won, Jung Young Joo and Moon Sang Hoon.

Hands down, the best part of the choreography is when they launch into the final chorus. The dance challenge for this comeback may have played a part in this, but it was the most memorable section. Elsewhere in the performance, a fair bit is going on. I like how jumpy the dancing was – it probably feels like a workout. I also enjoyed how they integrated the idea of youth being a mindset and showed off their jeans in the routine.

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

It has been a while since we heard from BSS, one of SEVENTEEN’s subunits consisting of Boo Seungkwan, DK (Lee Seokmin) and Hoshi (Kwon Soonyoung). In fact, their only release before today was Just Do It from 2018. But that changes today, as the trio have returned with their 1st single album, SECOND WIND, and a new lead single titled Fighting. The new single also features the up and coming female rapper Lee Young Ji, whom Seungkwan has collaborated with via the collaborative cover of LIZZO’s Juice and Hoshi had previously featured as a guest on on Lee Young Ji’s webshow No Prepare (and it was hilarious).

If you are basing your expectation for Fighting on the unit’s first release, then you are going to be super satisfied with the likes of Fighting. It is a super energetic, dynamic and wild funky track that just gets you pumped and excited. This exact ‘effect’ is what the song intends to give off as the message behind the lyrics is telling us to not give up and push through the times of struggle and hardship (hence the title Fighting/Hwaiting – the Korean word for encouragement made popular by KPOP, Korean dramas and TV Shows). Again, the trio hit the mark in terms of expectations, delivering a fun and cheerful persona that helps liven and lighten up Fighting. There were some great vocal moments, especially that impressive high note at the end of the song and the energy they channel in the chorus. Fighting has catchy moments that just makes the song even better, such as the post-chorus hook that repeats the “Fighting” title and the ‘Na Na Na‘ that finds itself just ahead of the second verse. Lee Young Ji’s rapping was quite cool, and I felt it was a nice way to add a slightly more serious tone and keep Fighting grounded. I did think her part could have used a bit more bounce to just fit in better with the rest of Fighting. If I have to be critical, the one sequence that I am not exactly a fan of is the shouty rap pre-chorus sequence. The minimalistic vibe from this sequence just felt dull and the sequence really missed an opportunity to hype up the chorus and the song. Overall, Fighting is a fun track that delivers a positive message in the manner you would expect from BSS.

The music video for this comeback was super enjoyable. Firstly, I really liked the one set approach in this music video. Each set we get in this video is actually shot with another in the background or off to the side. For example, the bedroom location is right next to the coffee shop, while all of the sets of the music video appear in the background of the main choreography set (i.e. the street set). Not exactly a new idea, but what the producers did with this one set approach and how they tied the music video together to make it one cohesive video was super innovative in my books. Secondly, I enjoyed the energy that the members put into the video. They really made it funny and lighthearted. From their facial expressions to their actions with one another, it all made for a fun video. I also liked how the video ‘darkened’ for Lee Young Ji’s presence, which created a ‘serious tone’ to the video, which worked really well with the more ‘serious tone’ she brought to both the song.

I liked the comedic tone they inserted into the choreography, which helps keeps the performance true to their individual charms (and to their unit’s charm). From that, it was a fun routine that matches all of the characteristics you feel from the song. I really liked the first half of the “Fighting” routine of the choreography, which was probably the highlight of the entire choreography.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

SEVENTEEN is keeping the momentum going for 2018 with another special subunit debut. BSS or Boo-Seok-Soon is made up of three members, and judging by their subunit name, you could guess is it made up of Seungkwan, DK and Hoshi. It is expected that with the three funny characters of SEVENTEEN in one subunit, there must be ‘fun’ written all over this single.

And if you too expected that, then the trio delivers with Just Do It. The song has this fun vibe to it, which makes it enjoyable to listen. Listening to the song, you just can’t help but smile, even if you don’t understand a single word that is coming out of their mouths. It just has that cheerful element that is extremely hard to not notice. Certain moments reminded me of EXO-CBX’s Hey Mama, which also had a similar level of fun to it. The song itself is super duper catchy with my feet just tapping along to it as I listen. The instrumental is rather standard, with pop vibes and electric guitars supplying some details to the song.  DK and Seungkwan, who are in the vocal unit of SEVENTEEN, do put on a display of their vocals and the smoothness that they deliver really suits the song. Interestingly,  Hoshi and Seungkwan share the rapping load in this song. Hoshi was expected but Seungkwan was rather unexpected (but he can definitely rap). Overall, the song was awesome to listen and something I would love to play again and again when I am in a good mood.

We don’t actually have a music video for this song. Instead, we are treated to a live performance (but the audio is studio recorded for the video) of the trio performing on stage at their recent official fan-meeting. I am a tiny bit disappointed because I was expecting a proper music video. So I am going to just review the performance here. I think it was awesome. While it doesn’t have flashy moves or crazy stunts, they manage to get the performance to do its intended job, be fun. Acting like the cool dude on the street that is always combing his hair and the running on the spot aren’t your everyday moves. But it is simple and seems like something that could catch on.

Song – 10/10
Music Video & Performance (because they are together) – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10