Tag: JISOO (BLACKPINK)

JISOO made her long-awaited return to the music scene last week with the single earthquake and her first mini-album, Amortage. It is her first release since her solo debut in 2023 with Flower. In addition to the new music, JISOO has been busy with a new K-drama Newtopia. She will also regroup with the rest of BLACKPINK for a comeback and world tour later this year. So, keep your eyes out for more JISOO shortly!

earthquake starts off sleek and tense with low tones before building into a nice dance track. The instrumental brings in a slight grooviness and a hefty dance beat as it develops. Part of me thinks the combination is plain and straightforward, but I also believe it made earthquake sound more compelling (especially when compared to Flower). It also gave earthquake some dynamic flair, contrasting with the song’s monotonous melodies. But these melodies aren’t necessarily a bad thing. JISOO handles them well, especially the “da da da” post-chorus hook and the “It hits me like an earthquake” opener line to the chorus. I think they are the most memorable aspects of the song and have been on repeat since Valentine’s Day (the day earthquake was released). JISOO also flourishes in the pre-choruses, where her vocals are the strongest. I can’t think of anything bad about earthquake, and I find it to be a definite improvement from her solo debut.

I really enjoyed the music video. JISOO looks very stylish and fitting for the song. Essentially, this comeback is about how someone’s ex dropping back into that person’s life will shake it up, just like an earthquake. The music video shows her being interrogated by an officer from the Department of Heart Security (cameo by Cha Seung Won). But she gives in, blowing up the interrogation room (which also takes out Cha Seung Won). I like the explosions in the video, which feels cool and works well with the song’s title. JISOO also looks very cool in the driver’s seat of that sports car.

I also enjoyed the performance for earthquake very much, especially the aesthetics given off. The performance has some memorable moments, such as the vibrating dancers at the start, the serious post-chorus clicks and arm swings accompanying the first and last post-chorus hooks, and the sharp arms at the start of the second post-chorus sequence. JISOO also shows off her charisma throughout the performance, which adds to the performance.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

It was announced way back in 2018 that all the members of BLACKPINK would make their solo debut. Everything promptly kicked off at the end of 2018 with JENNIE’s release for SOLO. Then ROSÉ released On The Ground in 2020, followed by LISA’s LALISA in 2021. And now finally, after five years since the announcement of solo releases, JISOO makes her solo debut (as the last BLACKPINK member to do so) with the release of FLOWER yesterday.

To me, FLOWER sounds like the ideal song to become the next trend through TikTok/short form videos. The chorus of FLOWER reminds me of those Vietnamese songs that have been used as a backing to most of the shorts, reels and TikTok videos that I have been seeing on my social media. They all share a pretty similar appeal, in my opinion, and FLOWER would fit in quite well. However, FLOWER isn’t my cup of tea as a whole. The song’s chorus is quite lacking and feels very empty, as a result. I wished there was more body, lyrics or a catchy hook to it. Essentially, anything in addition would have been better than the empty feeling of FLOWER. I am not a fan of the whiny synth in the background the choruses, but they do have their charm. The chorus also disappoints as it follows on from some really decent verses that I felt was a nice showing of JISOO’s abilities, character, and vocal colour. Something to continue the momentum from the verses would have been ideal as the choruses, and I feel that the bridge is a good example of this. The inclination and oomph that we get from JISOO in that segment adds a lot more meat to the song,. The ad-libs and breathy “Hey” that follow also had a similar effect. Overall, FLOWER could have used a lot more to it. And as it stands, FLOWER is probably the weakest solo release from the group’s solo releases (thus far).

The music video was kind of boring. I hate to be a bummer, but I don’t think this particular video offered as much as the other solo music videos. The other videos had fabulous fashion, dramatic effects and cultural influences which helped make the video interesting to watch. And while we do have great fashion in this one and strong acting for JISOO, there just wasn’t anything else worth discussing. I do wish there was more to the video, similar to what I want from the song.

The choreography looks quite simple and was quite fitting for the song, from what I can see from the music video. I do hope that the verses have relatively more complex arrangements, like that spiral at the start of the final chorus with the dancers hands. That would give the performance bit more to it and something to get viewers to watch the performances for. What did see in the verses was interesting and heads in that direction, so I am definitely hopeful!

Song – 6/`10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10