Just a couple of days ago, it was announced that JEON SOMI would be making her comeback in just a few days. Those few days have passed, and JEON SOMI officially returned with a special summer single, Ice Cream, today. This is her first release since Fast Forward last year.
I have given Ice Cream a few listens since its release earlier today. My first impression was that the new song was disappointing. But interestingly, repeat listens have warmed me up to the music – even though that wasn’t the song’s message! Though the one thing I am sure of is Ice Cream won’t be a song I will necessarily go out of my way to listen. I find everything, from the instrumentation to the vocals, too consistent. Ice Cream comprises of constant rhythmic percussion, crunchy brass, and a singular tonal vocal approach from JEON SOMI. Aside from the one-dimensional comment, I am not upset with the instrumental. However, I wish the producers did something more in Ice Cream as it progressed. We got a hint of tropical influences in the pre-choruses and bridge (similar to the style we have heard in What You Waiting For, which I think the producers could have used more of in the song, especially since it worked well with the rest of Ice Cream. JEON SOMI’s vocals are unique, and Ice Cream does show off her vocal tone well. But I wish it wasn’t just the one tone throughout Ice Cream. It also didn’t help that her vocals sounded miles apart from the instrumentation, and they didn’t meld with one another to make Ice Cream a cohesive piece. I also wished her delivery was clearer – what she sings in the pre-choruses sounds different from what the lyrics say. The autotuned line ending the chorus and the chanty end to the song does give some variety, but it all felt the same and never pushed any boundaries. Overall, Ice Cream is a so-so track. It might get a few more listens out of me, but as alluded to above, I don’t think I will be head over heels for it any time soon.
The concept for this release was initially apparent, but then it got weird. Essentially, the song speaks to the hot weather, and the only way to combat it is by seeking ice cream from JEON SOMI herself. We see the people in the video swelter and later cool themselves off with some ice cream. Logical. Then, one of the people in the video drops their ice cream. All hell breaks loose in the community (big furry fake animal catching on fire, fights and the casual astronaut falling from space), causing the heat to rise to ‘heat-warning’ levels. Even JEON SOMI’s ice cream can’t cool them down. But a special appearance from actor Park Seo Joon saves the day, promoting JEON SOMI’s business and getting everyone to cool down again. I suppose the video is meant to be light-hearted and not taken seriously, especially since the song’s message is about cooling down (i.e. being chill).
The few listens I gave the song coincided with the music video, which does feature some choreography in it. At first, I also thought the performance was rather basic and boring. But it has grown on me. I did end up enjoying the shimmy and shakes. I was expecting another Fast Forwardroutine, which blew me away last year. A definite focus was on being pretty in this routine, which probably preoccupied the choreographer a bit when designing the routine.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 7.5/10 Overall Rating – 6.9/10
JEON SOMI is nominated for Best Female Soloist and her Fast Forward release is nominated for Best Solo Dance Performance (Female) in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support JEON SOMI and Fast Forward and your other favourite artists, songs and performance, by clicking here to vote today.
JEON SOMI made her solo comeback in August of this year, her first solo release in almost two years following on from XOXO. Today, I will be reviewing her 2023 mini-album release, which is titled GAME PLAN. It features the title track Fast Forward, the follow-up single Gold Gold Gold and an additional three songs. While I am not a fan of the follow-up single, I am impressed with the rest of the mini-album – enough so that I do recommend this mini-album release to anyone who wants to get into JEON SOMI’s music or expand their horizons a bit. I liked the mixture of genre and sound profiles on this mini-album, and how well JEON SOMI executed the mini-album (with the exception of that follow-up single). Continue reading below to see my thoughts on each individual song.
GAME PLAN Album Cover
1. Gold Gold Gold (금금금) – Prior to this album review, I had intentions to review Gold Gold Gold separately as it had its own music video. But upon relistening to Gold Gold Gold for said review, I quickly scrapped those plans. I just couldn’t find anything to say about the song aside from the fact that I found it be quite cringy. It is intended to be a fun track, with an admittedly catchy chorus hook and the lyrics which depicts JEON SOMI flaunting her riches at the listeners. While JEON SOMI handled this track decently, the track felt awkward to me and I am sure that is not the vibe that Gold Gold Gold should have been going for. (6.5/10)
3. Fxxked Up (개별로) – Following the title track is the single Fxxked Up. I remember being caught off guard by the chorus when I checked out the song initially, simply because it was a lot poppier and percussive than I had anticipated coming after the verses. Not only does it created a strong centrepiece for Fxxked Up and delivered the right amount of punch as JEON SOMI drops the f-bomb, it was rather bold and striking to make it stand out on the mini-album. The percussive instrumental and whistling was quite cool throughout, and I love the glitchier approach to the ending which intensifies the energy and vibe of the song so well. JEON SOMI’s vocals and rapping were less memorable and I wished they were bolder to match the rest of the song . (10/10)
4. Pisces (자두) – Pisces features a change of pace, opting for a relatively softer sound compared to the tracks preceding it. Pisces does remain upbeat for its chorus thanks to the electronic beats and synths, however, so don’t go expecting a ballad when I say “softer sound”. I liked that the track allows JEON SOMI to show off a more delicate side to her vocals, which was nicely executed by the soloist. The R&B influenced instrumental and vocal combination also reminds me of some of her past title tracks, for some reason. However, it’s the plainer melodies that hold back Pisces for me, and I wished that was not the case. (8/10)
5. The Way – Within a matter of two seconds, I fell in love with The Way all over again. The retro synth instrumentation was immaculate. Paired with JEON SOMI’s most powerful showcase of vocals on this mini-album, this track just hits the spot for me. The Way is also an all-English track, so international fans can tell of The Way’s emotional pull, which JEON SOMI conveys super well in the track. A very clean and clear 10/10 to end off the mini-album. (10/10)
It has been almost two years since Jeon Somi made her last comeback with XOXO (which featured the tracks Dumb Dumb, XOXO and Anymore). But fans welcomed her back on Monday with the release of her 1st ever mini-album, Game Plan, since her solo debut, which features the title track Fast Forward.
To me, Fast Forward is one of those songs where if you blink, you will miss it. Intentional or not, I think Fast Forward (like other songs spanning just over 2.5 minutes) deserves a bit more somewhere along the way. The fast tempo of the track, while contributes to a strong dance track, does drive the song towards its end sooner, rather than later. That personally is the biggest gripe I have about the song. Other than that, Fast Forward embraces a very cool rendition of 2010s deep house style that you might expect to hear in a club environment. The first verse begins and the pre-choruses shows a strong command of Jeon Somi’s vocals, before we launch into the song’s bold yet bouncy, upbeat and non-lyrical chorus. This is immediately followed up with a Madonna-Vogue-esque styled second verse (which I personally find to be the best part of Fast Forward and would have totally liked to have heard more of), before another run at the chorus. The bridge that follows doesn’t add much to the song, but does give a strong presence of keyboard, before a final run at the same chorus comes into play. Jeon Somi really did nail the song and its style, but Fast Forward could have benefited with a longer frame to give itself some thing more (potentially a strong ender that isn’t a direct repeat of what had already been heard).
The song serves as a message for a lover in the lover future and the desire to fast forward to being with that lover. We see the first high-school crush of Jeon Somi’s in the video via those scenes in the school yard where she is firstly crying and later on is shy in front of her crush (who has a terrible hair cut). These scenes may imply that she had opened her feelings to her crush, but got rejected and is thus heartbroken. But in the context of the lyrics, this heartbreak is the first of many due to come her way on the path of finding her true lover in the future. We then see Jeon Somi go through people at the club, who on screen appear glitchy (representing short-lived relationships, brief relationships, or lengthier one that she must experience before finding ‘the one’). I think the training scenes also represent that “I don’t need another person” mindset that many go through on their quest for love. Altogether, I think the video is a nice showing of the song’s lyrics. And of course, Jeon Somi looks very stunning throughout the video, particularly during the choreography and her goddess scenes.
From what we can see in the music video, the choreography is very well done. It embraces the bouncy aspect of the song and shows Jeon Somi off in an even more confident light, especially those moments where she is the centre of attention.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
I am finally getting around to posting my first International Song Review post in a long while. My last post was way back in October 2021, and since then I have been fairly busy and unable to write any of these posts. But I am now back on the bandwagon. For those who may be unfamiliar with this segment, I review songs that aren’t in the Korean language (or are not marketed for the Korean music scene in some cases – such as some side tracks on Korean albums) that have been released by Korean artists (or artists that have a direction connect with a KPOP group). In this post, I will be covering songs released by MONSTA X, SEVENTEEN, TWICE, WONHO and Jeon Somi.
You Problem – MONSTA X
MONSTA X spreads the ongoing groovy and funky trend that we are currently experiencing in KPOP to the Western music scene. The group, now down to five members as Shownu has enlisted in the military, released this disco number early December 2021. It is quite unlike any of their Korean title tracks, which have been very EDM focused and performance heavy tracks. You Problem settles for a simpler approach, and one that is quite pure and fun. I love the guitar work in this backing of You Problem, along with those disco vibes we get in the chorus (as already mentioned). I also enjoyed the vocal focus of the song, which each member (even the rappers) singing in this track, complimenting the lighter than usual tone for MONSTA X. Kihyun and Jooheon’s falsettos in the chorus make the song even cooler! The hooks are super memorable, and the hooks are so damn catchy. Even after two months, I am still digging You Problem!
For the music video, it is set in a bowling alley that is reminisce of bowling alleys from the 70s. Definitely suiting the light tone, fun vibes and retro direction of the song. There are also heavy presence of other retro elements throughout the video, such as the checked pattern (commonly associated with racing) and neon lights. Even the glittery tinsel decoration behind the group when they are performing as a ‘band’ screamed out retro. The performance I saw also had a fun vibe. It was loose and fluid, as if the group was freestyling their performance. But also showed their personality, which made it even more enjoyable.
Overall Rating – 8.8/10
Power of Love – SEVENTEEN
Power of Love‘s music video officially dropped at the end of November, and closes out their Power of Love project that started earlier in 2021 with the release of Mingyu and Wonwoo’s Bittersweet (ft. Lee Hi). It is a neat ballad with a really meaningful message that even in difficult times, having the Power of Love can help you through it. I liked how even though the instrumental had sleigh bells ringing throughout the whole instrumental, Power of Love doesn’t feel constricted to just Winter or the Christmas season like other songs that ultilises sleigh bells. It was also quite soothing and it was a nice display of all the members’ vocals. Unfortunately, however, Power of Love doesn’t fair well in the memorable arena. It is a good ballad, but I am not necessarily looking for the song when I feel in a mood for ballad. I guess Power of Love was produced to be more on a sweet side. I do think there could have been room towards the end to oomph up the ballad a bit, just so it didn’t feel the same from start to end. I think Power of Love would have come off better if it went down this path.
The parts of the video where some of the members were in built sets (I believe it was just limited to Joshua, DK and Vernon) looked quite cool, and I wished the video had more built sets (as it felt stylish and modern). But instead, the producers for this video chose to just use green screen, and I felt this really cheapened the video. While the actual backgrounds applied through the use of the green screen looked aesthetic and the members look good as always, I wished the post-production team incorporated the members better. We have seen great use of green screen in the past, and this is just not one of those instances. It is just quite unfortunate.
Overall Rating – 6.2/10
Doughnut – TWICE
Doughnut was released on 15 December 2021 and the track itself comes in the form of a ballad. Not exactly the first genre of music you think of when you hear of a sugary treat. But it does create an abstract appeal, which makes Doughnut memorable for me. Talking about abstract, I also like how the members likened the void they experience without their partner, and the constant looping they refer to in the lyrics to the shape of a doughnut. To me, the song definitely needed this extra appeal, especially since I thought it was a bit of a blur. Everything from start to end felt similar, and I couldn’t work out where the chorus was in the song had it not been for the music video. While I did like the city-pop direction the instrumental was going and the delicate nature of their voices (which isn’t something we get in TWICE title tracks that much), I just wished parts of Doughnut were more distinct. The most significant distinct moment of the song was during the finale sequence with the use of synths to give off textures. But it was too late to really sell Doughnut to me.
Visually, I thought this was a very neat video. The snow, warm indoor settings and dress colours compliments the Winter season in which the song was released. That scene in the bridge where Mina and Chaeyoung are lying on the ground over a wreath was extremely memorable for me. I am a bit confused about the start and end of the video, with the ‘doughnut crime scene’. My guess is that the crime scene symbolises that the loop and void represented by the shape of doughnut is broken and that the members had moved on from what they thought were ‘the only one in the world’. Though, I am more confused about the amount of jam spilling from the doughnut (How did they get so much in the doughnut to begin with? And in a doughnut with a hole?). As for the choreography, it felt fitting for the balladry nature of the song.
Overall Rating – 6.8/10
ON THE WAY～- Wonho
Wonho’s Japanese debut single, ON THE WAY~, is actually the oldest song in this review post as it was first unveiled on 27 October 2021. It is a decent track that pleases with its sweet lyrics, thanking fans for staying by his side and that he treasures them greatly. Don’t be fooled though. ON THE WAY~ is no typical ballad. Instead, it features a satisfying band instrumental that really makes this song more appealing. I also like how amped the chorus gets. It did feel somewhat overpowering at first, but Wonho manages to shine throughout ON THE WAY~ with his blissful and honey-like vocals. I did wish there was something more to the song, like a more profound electrical guitar solo sequence (we did get an instrumental break, but it did feel enough) to make it even more satisfying.
The accompanying video was also quite nice. Not one that I see myself going back to however, since it just Wonho acting sweet and grateful to match the lyrics of the song. There are also some band shots and some decent outdoors shots. I am sure fans would adore this video.
Overall Rating – 7/10
Anymore – Jeon Somi
The final song on this post is Jeon Somi’s Anymore. You would have heard Anymore way before the music video dropped (which occurred on Christmas Day), as it was originally featured as a side track on Jeon Somi’s first solo studio album, XOXO, which dropped at the end of October (the 29th to be exact). It is an all-English track that delves into pop-rock territory. I quite like this song because it doesn’t feel complicated or difficult to navigate like EDM tracks. Anymore just sounded pure and doesn’t mess or fluff around. The soft pop rock sound that we hear in this song just suits Jeon Somi’s tone and she sounds very good. The melodies were also very memorable and satisfying, as well.
I need to applaud Jeon Somi’s visuals and acting in this video. Both were highlights that draw me back to the music video. I liked how she well she portrayed her heartbreak and emotions, whilst looking stunning as always. As for the music video concept, all looked terrific and worked extremely well with the song. I liked how chaotic the chorus appeared to match the increased energy we get from the chorus, while the verses were more still.
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
Kick starting this new week and month in KPOP are three comebacks, all dropping on Monday (yesterday). First up is Jeon Somi, who is returning after a year since her last release, What Are You Waiting For?. Her new single is titled DUMB DUMB and today I am checking out DUMB DUMB in this review.
Blink and the song is over before you know it. And unfortunately, the appeal of DUMB DUMB is very brief and the combination of both a short song and brief moments of appeal doesn’t help the song become that memorable. DUMB DUMB starts off with whimsical whispering that give off a cheerful light. Jeon Somi tackles the verse with plain vocals and instrumentation, and forgettable momentum. I don’t have much else to say about the verses, unfortunately. It wasn’t until we got to the chorus where DUMB DUMB picked up. The whispering returns, but this time it gives off a mature vibe when it is joined with a moody groovy electro atmosphere. I quite liked this instrumental pairing and it gave DUMB DUMB a bit of intriguingness. Combined with Jeon Somi’s spoken lines as the chorus’ hook and you have a pretty sleek and memorable chorus. The song repeats the same profile for the second round, though we are given a rap sequence in the second verse. Another miss, to be honest. DUMB DUMB lacks a bridge, and instead replaces with a brief second of instrumentation with a chanty anthem to finish up the song. While I do like the concept of a change up and anthem to end this song, it just didn’t have the right level of energy to really bring the song home and give it a high/peak it deserves to end with. I found the instrumentation to be lackluster and simply an extension of what we have heard earlier in DUMB DUMB, while Jeon Somi’s vocals didn’t have amplification or momentum behind it. DUMB DUMB is good song, but it is more so an example of a song in which I want more from. Likewise, from Jeon Somi herself.
For the music video, Jeon Somi is a teenage girl who is trying to impress her crush. She imagines walking up to him all confident and wiping his lips. She dances at a party to attract his attention. But while she imagines him to be interested, it takes a simple well-timed bump in the school hallway to get his attention and for them to interact. Though, I wished he didn’t have a clueless face on the entire time. Aside from the plotline, I like how the lyrics are literally portrayed in this video, with Jeon Somi dancing on top of the male character’s head in the first chorus, right when she speaks the line ‘I’m dancing on top of your head, you DUMB DUMB‘. It was corny and made me laugh in a good way.
Based on what I can see in the music video, it looks like a good dance. I can see the chorus to be the next thing on TikTok, and I liked how it encapsulated the mature vibes of the section.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Jeon Somi was one of the most anticipated solo debuts of 2019, given her status as the number 1 trainee during the first season of Produce 101 and her promotions as part of I.O.I. And I felt that she exceeded my expectations with her solo debut single, Birthday. But she just disappeared after that and she did not release anymore songs in 2019. In fact, it has taken her over a year to return with What You Waiting For?, her comeback single released just today. Since her solo debut, Jeon Somi has been busy with variety shows and her own reality series, which I believe captured the preparation for this comeback (which ended up being delayed due to the ongoing health pandemic).
Described as a R&B dance track, What You Waiting For? is a definitely step up from Birthday. The first reason for this ‘step up’ is also the only flaw to the song. The melodic wooden xylophone-like synth that the song features during the verses really stood out to me due to its prominence. I liked its freshness and vibrancy in the first verse. While I did enjoy it in the first verse, it didn’t sit right with me in the second verse. I know they tried to keep the momentum going by having part of the chorus continue in the second verse. But the combination of said momentum from chorus and the wooden xylophone-like synth just didn’t blend with with one another and this unharmonious sequence just stuck out too much. But apart from that detail, everything else in this song was really good. I liked how they switched up the instruments for the final part of the song, opting for a metal xylophone-like synth and cow bells. It had that familiar melody of the start, but also an added level of freshness that made the song even more exciting. Somi’s vocals were fabulous. Autotune was used but it was balanced and not over the top. I also liked how the chorus brought a club-like atmosphere to the song. Definitely another memorable aspect the song.
I am not sure if I follow the story line of the video. The song is about waiting for love. So basing everything off this, Somi is waiting for her prince charming to come and save her from being trapped in that room. But instead of her prince charming, alter egos of Somi break her out. These include Black Somi, Hotel Somi, Boat Somi, Singer Somi and Dress Somi. I just love that credit sequence. My favourite part is when Singer Somi (I think) takes the industrial digger to the wall of her apartment. That was pretty epic.
[Updated] I am not exactly sure that I like this performance. The moves were plain and just didn’t fit in with the song. Maybe this is why they decided to omit it from the music video? It is hard to put my thoughts into words to explain myself. I do have to emphasise that I am no choreographer, so I can only speak about how the performance looks visually. It just looked like the focus was put on Somi looking good and not really on the music.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 5/10 [Updated] Overall Rating – 8.2/10 [Updated]
Interestingly, a major similarity of the post I.O.I and Wanna One activities are that both the 1st place winners of their respective seasons of Produce 101 have yet to embark on a solo career. Also, both Kang Daniel and Jeon Somi have experienced management changes since leaving their respective groups. We all know of Kang Daniel’s lawsuit with his former company, while Jeon Somi switched labels between JYP Entertainment and The Black Label (citing ‘different directions when it came to music’). However that all changes today, with Jeon Somi making her solo debut with Birthday.
Debuting under The Black Label (a subsidy under YG Entertainment), you can expect the song to go down a certain direction (mainly due to the YG part of that track). And well, as we expected, the song had some hip-hop influence, particularly around the chorus’ drop. While it does mismatch with the rest of the song, which came out to be more of a pop genre track, I think it was very dynamic and different. But it seems like a cliche thing to do, given other KPOP tracks from the larger company, and I am not sure if the song reflects upon Somi’s true identity. But that is a topic of discussion for another day. The pop genre verses reminded me of a Taylor Swift style track. And I find a lot of songs by Swift nowadays to have some attitude, which I think Jeon Somi channels exceptionally well through the post-chorus (‘You’re Not Invited‘) sequence. It is definitely a catchy track and it successfully reels me in, so I guess a few more repeats of the song is going to follow this review.
So when you think of a Birthday, you think of balloons, cake, presents and some fun times. Well, the music video for Birthday definitely delivers all of those components. A very large cake, might I add to that mix. So, I think the video ties in nicely with the song’s lyrics. The extravagantness of the music video is quite likeable, especially with the bold colours and very fitting sets for the video. The video does let Somi stand out and shows her in a very confident and powerful limelight, which is the only aim for her and her solo debut.
Like the strong drop of the track, the performance gives her a powerful dance move to compliment that. I also like the attitude she manages to channel through the post-chorus hook. As for the rest of the choreography, we have to wait and see when a live performance comes out.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8.5/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
KPOPREVIEWED 