Tag: HWANG MINHYUN

[Album Review] Truth or Lie (1st Mini Album) – HWANG MINHYUN

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Today’s album review focuses on Truth or Lie, HWANG MINHYUN’s first solo mini-album since his debut as part of NU’EST 11 years ago. Leading the charge on this min-album is the single Hidden Side, and it stands alongside 5 other side tracks. The mini-album is a mixed bag for me. We have one half of the mini-album that features the more mediocre songs, while the other half features smashing songs. To me, you have a better chance of telling which half is which, rather than what is the truth or the lie. Continue reading the review to find out which half is which!

Truth or Lie Album Cover

1. Honest – Honest opens up the mini-album with a balladry number. The instrumental predominately features piano, but we do get some soft guitar work in the mix as well. Together, it creates a calming piece. As with most ballads, there is a nice flowy momentum brought to life by MINHYUN’s vocals. However, it would have been nice for the song to be more memorable in some way (such as, via a more soothing melody) as a way to bring the audience back to the song after Honest finishes. (7/10)

2. Hidden Side (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Hidden Side. (7//10)

3. Crossword – Crossword is a more unique track, with its drum percussion and jazzy tinged guitar work. This combination makes the track feel upbeat and it helps make it stand out for me. I did like MINHYUN’s breathier vocals, however, I wished there was a more riveting melody and hook to the acoustically upbeat song. (7.5/10)

4. Perfect Type – Vocally, Perfect Type fairs much better than the side-tracks before it. MINHYUN brings his breathy vocals back into play in this song, but also combine it with falsettos and oomph (which allows it to go along way). This enables a sensual energy to come through. The rapping and speak-sing portions of the song were also cool moments in the song. The instrumental has a subtle groove to it and a fun retro vibe. (9/10)

5. Smile – We remain in upbeat territory with Smile, but it feels a lot more loaded with the brass elements and thumping beat combination that we can hear in the background. The strings gave the song an elegant touch. Everything altogether makes the entire instrumental package feels grand. MINHYUN’s vocals are a lot more vibrant (which makes sense, given the song’s title is Smile) and has more character, which does wonder for appeal. I do feel like the instrumental does drown out the vocals a bit, but not to the extent where it hurts the song. (9/10)

6. CUBE – CUBE begins in R&B territory. But as we get to the first chorus, the track unexpectedly reverts to epic synths that really wakes you up. From there, the song maintains the momentum. But despite all of that, CUBE sees MINHYUN maintains a R&B vocal approach. His vocals, again, have character and we also hear him draw on his breathy tones and falsettos in this track. The way song eases out at the end allows CUBE to serve as a strong and bold ender to the album. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

Truth or Lie Teaser Image

[Review] Hidden Sides – HWANG MINHYUN

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Minhyun has become quite the recognizable figure in KPOP. He began in KPOP by debuting as part of NU’EST and remained with said group until their disbandment early last year. Minhyun also participated in Produce 101 Season 2 as a trainee, where he ranked in the 9th position overall on the show, which earned him a spot in the highly successful project group WANNA ONE. Despite such a big career in the music industry, Minhyun only made his solo debut earlier this year (11 years after his debut) with the single Hidden Sides and the mini-album Truth and Lie.

I really looked forward to Minhyun’s solo debut, given that I have enjoyed majority of NU’EST releases. I found there was potential behind Hidden Sides, but the track fell short of being that track that pulls everyone in. It did have that trouble for me, as well. One of the reasons to why the song review for Hidden Sides has taken a while is because I don’t feel the urgency in the song to really motivate me to review the song. There are a few things I did appreciate in Hidden Sides. A subtle groove is present in Hidden Sides through its use of house influences and bass in the instrumentation. Minhyun himself does a decent job, showcasing his smooth vocals in the song. All of which made Hidden Sides a solid listen in the moment. But when you think of the song after it wraps up, nothing really springs to mind. The hooks do exist in the song, but just didn’t have that punchy or catchy aspect to them. Hidden Sides also felt stagnant in the energy department, which is always a major element in making a song appealing. This is particularly the case when you get to the final chorus, and it sounded like every other moment earlier in the song. Hidden Sides should have really concentrated at the end to give it some oomph and gone that extra mile to be a knockout track for Minhyun.

Minhyun’s handsome face and sensuous appeal makes up for a lot in this comeback. He has always been known for his looks even during his debut days and this music video reiterates that. Personally, even after 11 years, I am still blown away by his visuals. In the music video, he uses his handsome features to his advantage to attract the attention of ladies at the club and later to distract one of the people interrogating him – to get them to choose the ‘hidden side’ of him they want to believe in. I do find the storyline intriguing, but some of the elements (such as disappearing act with flying sparks and the magic tricks to be somewhat cheesy. But it was all a good watch, overall.

His charisma (in combination with his good looks) makes the performance aspect of the comeback quite a watch, as well. I do like the energy he puts behind his moves, and the effort the dancers gave to the performance to make the bridge pop by each sequentially flying into the air as Minhyun waves his arms around himself. I also liked how punchy and sexy the moves were.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Beautiful (Part 3) – Wanna One

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Never did I think this would be pulled off, but Wanna One has regrouped for the release of a special single, Beautiful (Part 3). This new single was performed by the group for the first time at the 2021 MAMAs (with the exception of Lai Kuan Lin, who was promoting in China), and was then confirmed for release on 27 January 2022. For a brief second in the days prior of Beautiful (Part 3)’s release, there was a possibility that the group would be unable to release the song due to some contracts not being signed by companies, but I am glad to see that they managed to pull everything together in time for the scheduled release. There are ongoing plans for a reunion concert and future album release, however, those plans appear to be slightly rocky with Hwang Minhyun and Ong Seong Woo’s companies announcing that their respective artists would not participate due to focus on their own group’s work and scheduling issues. I guess we have to wait and see if a concert and album can occur. But for the time being, we have a special single on our side.

Like the original Beautiful title track and Beautiful (Part 2) (featured as a side track on the group’s first and only studio album), Beautiful (Part 3) falls into the ballad category. It, as a whole track, definitely brings forth a sentimental and nostalgic feeling, which is no doubt the route that the members and the producers were going for. The pre-choruses in Beautiful (Part 3) were a capsule of these exact emotions, as the melodies and some of the lyrics connect the three tracks together. Elsewhere, Beautiful (Part 3) was new and original. I really liked the burst of sound when it came to the chorus. It, along with the rock elements that featured in the choruses, just took the otherwise simple ballad to the next level. Vocally, it was extremely nice to hear everyone as Wanna One again and I am happy to hear that Lai Kuan Lin managed to get a part in the song despite not being part of the reunion performance. Kim Jae Hwan’s vocals stood out the most of the pack, living up to this main vocalist position in the group. That being said, however, all the other members showcased their exceptional vocals in the song, highlighting their improvement from their post-Wanna One days. I am also glad to hear some rapping from the rappers (Kang Daniel, Park Ji Hoon, Kim Woo Jin, Lai Kuan Lin) as the instrumental for Beautiful (Part 3) allowed for it. Overall, Beautiful (Part 3) lives up to its name, just like the original and Part 2 did, and is a ‘beautiful’ reminder of the group.

The music video showcased shots from their MAMA performance back in December 2021, both on-stage and off-stage. It too did exactly what the song did, evoke these sentimental and nostalgic emotions. I liked how the editors synced up with shots of the actual performance with the lyrics of the song, allowing the performance to serve multiple purposes (i.e. MAMA award performance, this music video). I also liked the inserts of behind the scene shots (both video and images). It helped made the video even more special, especially for the fans of the group. I also wish to point out that it was extremely nice to see the members be given an opportunity to interact with fans and the audience (though from the stage, but still better than nothing!).

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

[Review] Universe – Minhyun (NU’EST)

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Out of all the members of the now-disbanded Wanna One, I think many people are excited for Minhyun. His group went onto Produce 101 as a final attempt to get themselves recognition. And it paid off. NU’EST returned as NU’EST W and continually topped charts with their new releases. Minhyun went on to be part of the popular Wanna One. And now that chapter has closed, it will be interesting to see what direction NU’EST will now take. And we will slowly find out from today, as Minhyun’s solo release (in preparation for a full comeback in the near future) was revealed.

Universe is the Minhyun’s solo track’s name. It is an R&B track but it diverts from that traditional slow tempo to a more upbeat pop and dance influence. And it is this diversion that really gets me into the song. A solo release will also get the member to shine and Minhyun does it effortlessly in this song. So altogether, the song does stand out for me. I find this particular route is very foreign for NU’EST, so it is quite refreshing when I reflect upon the song at the end. I really like the melody, which I thought was calming in a way, despite the upbeatness. Maybe it was the clearness in his voice or its rather easy-on-the-ears instrumentation. Talking about his voice, I really like the falsettos that he attempts at towards the end of the song. It did feel like it was missing something. It didn’t feel complete to me. I think I wanted a rap sequence somewhere to give a little more variety. But that would completely shake up the track, so I guess I understand why that didn’t occur. But overall, Universe is a really good track to kick start Minhyun’s return to the group.

The music video was shot in Budapest and is connected to NU’EST’s previous music videos (Overcome and Love Paint). It is a little confusing, but here is my attempt at the storyline. Minhyun used to be in a relationship but it ended badly (i.e. she leaves him). I think this break-up was a bit harsh on Minhyun, who becomes ‘soulless’ as we saw at the start of the video. However, there is an old man living in the apartment across from his and he comes by daily with a crystal (the same crystals shown in Overcome), that when connected to a machine, relays the good memories of a person. In this case, Minhyun relives the relationship, as we see the days repeat themselves. And this old man is always nearby to control the dosage (I guess) of the crystal. But on one particular day, he isn’t there and Minhyun uses more of the crystals, which unlocks the white Queen (the same Queen from the Overcome music video who went missing). It seems like Minhyun was still on his quest to find the Queen all along, as he bows down to her at the end of the video. Though we don’t know what happens after he reunited with the Queen. My guess is that this ending leads us straight into the forthcoming videos from NU’EST because the storyline doesn’t seem to be completed just yet. I am also unsure how Love Paint play into this (maybe another music video theory post idea?).

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