JungGiGo has returned with his first full-length album since his debut over 8 years ago! His full album titled as Across The Universe features the title track of the same name and the collaboration which was released early this year with Chanyeol (EXO), Let Me Love You.
Across The Universe is a really good track. It is quite calming and relaxing to listen to. The song has its roots in RnB, but the instrumental makes it sound like pop. Overall, the instrumental adds a nice upbeat feel, which you don’t commonly associate with RnB. His vocals are on point throughout the song. Not once wavering despite singing at such a high pitch. It is quite catchy and addictive. Honestly, while listening to the song and writing this review, I have been bouncing along to the sound. The song itself has a romantic meaning to it. The lyrics are like a confession that makes you go “nawwss…” when you read them. It’s the type of song that I won’t mind listening to constantly and it is the same type of song that puts a smile on my face when I listen to it. And that is just from the tone and melody of the song itself! Highly recommend!
The music video simply contains shots of a couple going on dates and hanging out together. It is a simple video, which matches with the simplistic sound that comes from the song. The shots were taken quite nicely, with the aesthetics shining brightly throughout the video. That is quite ironic because the entire video was quite dark. Not too troubled by it since it contributes to the aesthetics. It is also the first video in the history of KPOP and Korean culture that has made me feel lonely. Not sure if that is a good thing, but hey, it meant the video was impactful! Overall, the video was very nice to watch.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
Another cross-company collaboration has been unveiled (last week). Last time it was Soyu & Baekhyun’s Rain. Recently, I reviewed Honey Bee, which featured Luna, Solar and Hani. Now, Junggigo and Chanyeol from EXO has come together to give us a new song. Both of these artists are quite successful in their solo work. Junggigo is one-half of the ‘Some’ collaboration and Chanyeol has been ranking high on the charts with his solo OSTs. Hence, making this song something to look forward to.
Let Me Love You is a ballad and RnB infused track. It sounds very smooth and ‘easy on the ears’ (if you understand what I am trying to get at). The song itself is pretty simple, with no aspects of the song overcomplicating it, hence something that is quite nice to listen to. The song also is the type that gets you swaying along to the music. That is one of the signs it is a pretty good ballad, in my point of view (which when I say it, sounds a little odd). Both Junggigo and Chanyeol sounds amazing in the song. This is expected of Junggigo (just haven’t been digging his recent releases) but I get surprised every time I hear Chanyeol sing, though. He is a rapper in EXO yet he has a very nice voice when singing, which was unexpected when I discovered that he could sing. There really isn’t much else to say about the song. I will just happily listen to the song in the background, while I continue on with the review.
When I saw images of the music video, I thought the song was a soundtrack for the new Power Rangers film that is due to come out this year (who else is excited about the new Power Ranger film?). But then it turns out to be just a simple music video with a Power Ranger type of setting. The video does make me chuckle a bit, though. The moustached Power Rangers battle a giant cockroach. Actually, now I think about it, the Power Rangers are probably just pest control dressed in funky clothing to make their work a little more interesting. But it turns out there is a romantic twist with the guy playing the cockroach having a mad crush on one of the rangers. It seems like she is also interested as she is the only person to pay attention to him (the other rangers and staff don’t seem to care about him). While the two hang out, everyone packs up, leaving the two ‘friends’ behind. They spend even more time together, to the point where the girl can’t seem to kill her love when they working on set for the film or show they are shooting. They are a very cute couple and watching the guy walk around with the costume on made me go “awwww” for most of the video. Couple goals 2017? Wait… Sorry, it should be #CoupleGoals2017. That’s the way to write it in 2017.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 10/10 Overall Rating – 10/10
Code: RED FONT – WINNERS BLUE FONT – HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST ROOKIE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
2014, like the past few years, have seen so many new KPOP bands debut. So many new bands, so much that I have a really difficult job to select certain artists and also keep up with the old styles. 2014 saw the big 3 companies debut their own groups, but I have to be honest, the stand outs came mostly from the smaller companies. One group in particular stood out from the rest: Mamamoo. Harmony and totally different style from what we are used to. Honourable mentions go to GOT7.
BEST INSTRUMENTAL
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The one song that is overlooked by everyone on the album is the instrumental. I freaking love instrumentals, and this year, KPOP decided to tease me with so many new instrumentals. That being said, this year the winner of Best Instrumental is Ain’t Nobody by Ye-Eun (Ha:tFelt). Honourable mentions go to Sugar Free by T-Ara.
BEST VOCALS
WINNER
KPOP = Singing. There for it is only right for this year to have an award for Best Vocals, right? Well, the winner goes to Ha:tfelt – Ye Eun (Wonder Girls). I was so amazed by here singing this year that it blew my mind, particularly her title track Ain’t Nobody. Honourable mentions go to IU (yes, I think most of us agree).
BEST RAPPER
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Many KPOP songs have many rapping parts. At the same time, rappers need some recognition. Though, I feel my choice this year could be a little odd, only one person (in my opinion) did a really amazing job. Junhyung from Beast did a wonderful job in Good Luck, 12:30 and the many songs he featured in. Zico from Block B takes Honourable Mentions.
BEST SUBUNIT
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Since 2013, many subunits have been on trend. Even though subunits have been losing trend, many bands this year debuted their own subunits. However, I think we should move away from the new subunits. Cause this year an old subunit wins. Orange Caramel steals Best Subunit with release of three different songs. Honourable mentions goes to Rainbow Blaxx.
BEST COLLABORATION
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The new trend for 2014. Collaborations between artists have been on the rise. This year though, if you were a KPOP fan for a while, you would know already who the winner is. Soyu & JungGiGo’s Some steals the show, topping the end of year charts conducted in South Korea and winning Best Song as well on the SBS Music Festival. Well of course they would win, considering that they SLAYED the charts. Honourable Mentions go to Sane and Raina’s collaboration, Midsummer Night’s Sweetness.
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
WINNER
WINNER
This year there has been so many stars that have started to become more popular. The nominees tend to be bands that have debuted in the previous year, and with help of comebacks, started to become well known in the industry. I think for the first time ever, I am going to be honest and put forward two winners to this category. First of all, BTS say a boost in popularity and have become a band that I look forward to listening to. Second of all AOA saw new popularity with release of Miniskirt, Short Air and Like A Cat. Both bands, obviously, rose a lot this year and I found it hard to differentiate them.
BEST JAPANESE SONG
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
If you don’t know (I won’t be surprised) I also review some Japanese song. 2015 will be the year where I start to review more Japanese songs for you all. However, 2014 also had a lot of catchy and cool Japanese songs. The winner for this year is Korean boy band MYNAME’s F.F.Y. Such a catchy song. As for honourable mentions, it goes to AAA’s Showtime.
BEST DANCE
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
KPOP is also known for its dancing. 2014 saw some interesting dances, catchy dances, and some dances that have no words to describe it. And that can be a good thing or a bad thing. This year, T-ara took the position as best dance. It was probably the most addictive dance and it was pretty easy as well. It matched the song and most importantly, I loved it. Honourable mentions to Infinite’s Back.
BEST ALBUM
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
A brand new category for 2014. Every award show or some kind of award giving platform has the “best album” award. And yes, this year, there are so many freaking great albums (like any other year). In my opinion, the best album of the year goes to F(x)’s Red Light. All, if not most, of the songs were amazing to listen to and were so great. Every freaking song was different, and though that maybe risky, F(x) pulled it off as a flowing album. Honourable Mentions goes to AKMU’s Play.
BEST MALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Solos don’t tend to be the trend this year. Some bands saw new members branch into a solo career, however it seems like more and more KPOP idols (whether male or female) are branching out to acting or variety shows. However, the winner to this category is a person who started offically his own solo career with a lot of experience in the music industry. Crush is the winner. Damn, this dude’s songs are so good. You should check them out. Honourable mentions: JungGiGo.
BEST FEMALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
It seems like more and more females are branching out onto the stage. We saw many KPOP divas making their solo debuts on the stage with new and fresh songs from bands like T-Ara or Secret. We already have divas who have accomplished a start to their solo career and saw comebacks of very big names. This year, one solo stood out and that is Secret’s Song Ji Eun. Releasing her first solo mini album, she did quite well considering the competition she was going through. Honourable Mentions goes to Sunmi.
BEST FEMALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Sexy concept by girl groups have been on the rise. If you know me well, then you probably already know my pick. However, so many girls groups made their comeback this year. Some picked up a lot of popularity and saw massive wins for the first time. Girl’s Day hitted big with their amazing single Something. They later went on to release Darling and I Miss You. Being one of the biggest girl groups of the year, they were sure to pick some prize up. APINK steals honourable mentions this year with their massive single Mr Chu and their latest hit Luv, which blew up and swept all the December trophies for 2014.
BEST MALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
There have always been a large influx of boy groups and this year it is no different. I was so impressed I was just going to choose all 10 nominees as winners. However, there can only be one winner (well, technically), so I guess I have to choose one. I am going to put down VIXX. They released Eternity and Error this year and both songs were hits for the band. Not only that, they displayed great dance moves and skills. Beast takes out honourable mentions with Good Luck and 12:30, both being very great songs that also delivered like what VIXX had to show. (Just VIXX nudged a head a little bit).
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
This year, most of my Best Music Video Nominees saw the depressing side of KPOP. 8 music videos had this sad or dark storyline to tell. 2 music videos were made in a soft hearted and were really cheerful. G.o.D’s music video for The Story Of Our Lives, told the amazing bond between family and that the outside will never be able to define the inside. Megan Lee features in the song and both band and soloist did an amazing job singing and pouring out their emotions. By the way, SM made a video outside of the box. F(x)’s Red Light, takes honourable mention.
BEST SONG
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
25 songs were nominated for Best Song for 2014. All were to an excellent standard. There were clear stands out. Something by Girl’s Day, EXID’s Up and Down and Beast’s Good Luck are this year’s honourable mentions. However, which song took Best Song category for 2014? Check the song and music video down below.
After countless number of awards for his official debut single into the KPOP scene, JungGiGo is back with a brand new song as a solo artist. This time, he does not rely on any other featuring artists (with the exception of the rapper, who only takes up 15% of the song). He released his “first” single back in February titled as “Some” earning him an all kill and also 11 first place awards with this new song. Now that he is back, classy and simple as ever to make sure he secures his position as a rising soloist in Korea. And that he did. This song is not quite as successful as his earlier song, but still managed to rank quite high in the charts, being nominated first place a number of times and also ranking from memory in the top three (not sure if he ever made it to the top position on the charts) and basically rivalled the big names that recently made their comeback. So basically in summary, I think it is same to say that JungGiGo has secure his position in the ever-expanding industry.
This song has its RnB roots, in which JungGiGo has been known for and what he has been doing for the past decade (yes, he was originally a singer, but with lesser known songs). Secondly, this song has Justin Timberlake era attached to it. Like seriously, as soon as I heard this song, Justin Timberlake popped into my mind. This song further showcases his unique vocals and I think he did a pretty damn good job with the song. As I said before, this song is quite simple. There is literally nothing loud about this song and it still seems amazing. The chorus “Only one for me” is so addictive. Like I continued to listen to the song. for the beat of the chorus since it sounded so good. The one thing, though I don’t think is much of a complaint, but like “Tiggy Tock” sounds awkward, but at the same time fits the song’s classy feel as well. The rapping was perfect and I am not going to say anything else because I know how professional Beenzino sounds and is. Overall a pretty strong and good song.
The music video is really simple. Like, to the point where I can outline the video and then just finish off the review. LOL. Basically it was shot in a black room, with that type of one shot camera style (cringes). Nothing that amazing to be honest and I don’t think purple was a good choice in colour lights. Maybe it is and I am just overlooking it, but to me, it really did not suit the video. And he looks pretty cool with the glasses and microphone. Basically this looks really low-budget, but shot as if it was a music video with a very high budget. Pretty good.
7/10. Pretty good song that I think will be from an artist that is well-loved by the public.
Soyu is back with a brand new collaboration on stage with another singer in her on label’s sub label. Yes, I hope this will be a thing that Soyu will continue doing on stage from now on. She is basically now called the “Charts Queen” or something because both of her songs which she had duet in last year (Stupid In Love) and now this song which literally took over Korea. Like wow. But we must not forget that this is Soyu and JungGiGo. Did a little research and turns out this guy debuted back in 2002 I think and has a lot of fans. But now that he signed with a major label, he gets to showcase his singing skills. Both two are match made in Heaven (I think I said the same thing for Mad Clown as well).
This song is freaking amazing. Last time it was vocals and raps. Now it is just vocals and the smoothness of the both Soyu and JungGiGo’s voice in this song is amazing. The RnB sound in this song suits him so well and Soyu accompanies the song quite well as well. I entirely in love with the chorus. To me it sounds like one syllable getting pushed from one side to another at the very start of the chorus. The instrumental is sweet as and sounds romantic. Like appropriate for yesterday! The rapping was okay for the song, but the rapper did not suit the song. Maybe Mad Clown should step in, but his voice sounds a little too serious. And for your information, the rapper is LilBoy from Geeks. Honestly, I love this song at the moment and have been replaying it each time my headphones are in. I guess it won’t be as catchy as other songs, but I found myself listening to the song again and again for quite some time.
The music video shows two people, which we will name them as Baro and Dasom (for no apparent reason). Baro is a pilot who is never home, whereas Dasom is always on home. Now, they have a crush on each other and I guess they know each other as well. Once Baro comes back, it seems he is waiting for his friend’s calls or text messages and at the same time Dasom expects her friend’s text message as well. Until the guy (yay!) decides to text first and I think they arrange an outing with each other. And while the girl is preparing for their date, the guy falls asleep on the bus and makes a fool out of himself, causing him to be embarrassed. Or more like frustrated. I don’t know what happened next, but both become quite upset. Then Dasom takes it out on her bear, which turns into a live white teddy bear, which usually I think I would hug, but she just decides to WWE the bear and hurt it. Poor bear. But then the couple remember that they should be somewhere and go looking for each other. Baro runs into the bear who wants revenge on who ever caused his pain and decides to attack Baro. Yeah, that failed. And then the pair meet up. And the end. Pretty funny video if you ask me. Baro being a pilot and an oversize living teddy bear is pretty interesting. But it is a great music video.
10/10. Such a romantic duet with a funny video. What more can you ask for? Still waiting for Mad Clown’s second song, JungGiGo’s second song and Soyu’s next collaboration!
KPOPREVIEWED 