Kim Sejeong – KPOPREVIEWED

[Album Review] Door (문/門) (1st Studio Album) – KIM SEJEONG

December 31, 2023December 28, 2023Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Kim SejeongLeave a comment

KIM SEJEONG’s Top or Cliff is nominated for Best R&B Song and Door is nominated for Best Album in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support KIM SEJEONG’s releases and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

For the final day of 2023, I leave you with an album review for KIM SEJEONG’s first studio length album, Door. It was released back in August of this year, and features double title tracks, Top or Cliff (which I reviewed separately in a song review post) and Voyage (which I never got around to reviewing despite it having a music video due to time constraints). Door officially becomes of the highest rated albums on the blog this year thanks to the awesome and high quality line-up of tracks on this album, which earned Door‘s nomination for Best Album of 2023 in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards, as mentioned in the opening paragraph.

1. Voyage (항해) (Title Track) – Opening up the studio album is Voyage. Due to time constraints, I won’t be able to review Voyage separately (since it did have a music video), which probably makes the song the first ever title track to not be reviewed on its own ahead of an album review. But my thoughts on Voyage are very simple. I really like the folksy approach to the instrumentation, along with the bright and breezy energy that makes it appropriate for the outgoing summery period that the song was released in. Sejeong’s vocals feel comfortable and inviting, serving as a great opening door to the album. (10/10)

2. If We Do – The album shifts towards a minimalistic sound that is ballad-like in If We Do. It has me swaying side to side as I listen to it, and KIM SEJEONG’s pure and delicate vocals just whisks me off my feet. I also like the chorus of If We Do, where she compares parts of a relationship to different song genres. A little sample of the genre in question plays right after she makes the comparison in the lyrics. Without digging into the lyrics, this is an intriguing aspect of the song. But in the context of the lyrics, it feels logical and makes for a nice addition to the intent of If We Do. (9/10)

3. Sea of Hope (바라던 바다) – Sea of Hope is takes us further into the balladry style. And without doubts, Sea of Hope is a beautiful one. I really like the atmospheric approach of the traditional instrumentation, taking us down a dreamy motif. I am not immediately taken away by the melodies in this song, but they have grown immensely on me and I do like the build-up the soloist delivers in the song. KIM SEJEONG’s vocals are lovely and emotionally driven, which further emphasises the beauty of the song. (8.5/10)

4. Between Summer and Winter (권태기의 노래) – The next song picks up the momentum on the album with a soft pop-rock track. Again, Between Summer and Winter is pretty number that feels like a pleasant track to have on whilst taking a twilight walk. It isn’t the immediate standout on the album, but it still a worthwhile listen. I really like how KIM SEJEONG’s vocals captivated me in this track, especially with how breathy and delicate the delivery at certain parts of Between Summer and Winter. I also enjoyed the guitar solo in the bridge. (8/10)

5. Destiny (모르고 그려도 서로를 그리다) – I have a few favourites on this album and Destiny is one of them. I like how buoyant the instrumentation is in Destiny, with piano in the background and the pretty synth work. The upbeat nature of this pop track just hits the right spot and I liked the blissfulness this brings. The slight autotune applied to KIM SEJEONG’s vocals just allows her vocals to blend in so well with the rest of the track, but she remains crisp as always during other moments. The ‘Eh-Oh’ is also quite memorable hook in Destiny. (10/10)

6. Top or Cliff (Title Track) – Click here for the review for Top or Cliff. (8/10)

7. Jenga – Jenga is quite a stylish pop number, particularly when it came to the chorus of the song. I can’t tell whether if the chorus is based on synths or really nice guitar work. But either way, I found it to be a really cool sound that sticks around in my head, even after Jenga is over. I like the different ‘moments’ in the song, such as angsty rock sequence we get towards the middle of the song and the dramatic strings that appear at the start and in the bridge of the track. The melodies also bring a smile to my face. (9/10)

8. Indigo Promise – Breathy vocals is what I remember the most about Indigo Promise. The atmospheric instrumentation and melodies are also additional promising elements of the song. Together, they form another beautiful song that feels on brand for KIM SEJEONG. (8/10)

9. Send A Letter (편지를 보내요) – We delve further into balladry territory in Send A Letter. The usual suspects keep on bring me back to the song time and time again. I really like how her vocals shine in this song, the obvious emotional weight she conveys in the lyrics and the captivating melodies that has me closing my eyes to truly experience Send A Letter. I really like the strings in background, and also the jazzy riffs the piano brings to this ballad. (9/10)

10. Over The Rainbow (언젠가 무지개를 건너야 할 때) – Over The Rainbow keeps us in ballad land, with an orchestral instrumentation to back the ballad. Once again, KIM SEJEONG’s vocals and Over The Rainbow’s melodies keep me around. The vocals themselves are stunning throughout the length of the song (especially towards the end of the track), and the melodies are very pretty. Altogether, ‘beautiful’ is exactly how I would describe the song, and it is another favourite of mine. (10/10)

11. In The Rain (빗소리가 들리면) – Finally, we reach the end of the album. And to lead us out, In The Rain picks up the energy a bit, combining the likes of orchestration and band instrumentation into a brighter and dynamic number. I know I sound like a broken record, but KIM SEJEONG’s vocals are beautifully delivered and they also bring such a refreshing tone to the song. The choir sequence serves as an introduction to the end of In The Rain, bringing out wholesome vibes. But it is KIM SEJEONG’s vocals that signal the end and she does so in such a satisfying manner. It hard to skip to this song. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

[Review] Top or Cliff – KIM SEJEONG

December 27, 2023December 18, 2023Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Kim SejeongLeave a comment

Following the surprising announcement of Gugudan’s disbandment in 2020, the only member that has managed to stay on my radar is Kim Sejeong. This is more so the result of her growing popularity through the Korean dramas Business Proposal and The Uncanny Encounter. In August of this year, she returned as a solo artist with her first studio album, Door, and the title tracks Top or Cliff and Voyage. The former is the focus of this review post.

Top or Cliff takes us down the R&B path, with a flowy melody and a dramatic instrumentation. The guitar work that kicks off the song has this grip to it, while the dramatic nature of the instrumentation comes to life via the very paced percussion we hear in the background. This all accumulates towards a mature and moody atmosphere. Unfortunately, Top or Cliff doesn’t deviate from this composition at all as the song progresses, which is good for consistency purposes, but it also makes the song feel flat and lackluster as it goes on. I wished there was some sort of concentration of intensity towards the end to make Top or Cliff even more memorable on the instrumental front. Kim Sejeong’s vocals was very soothing, which I found to both complement and contrast with the rest of Top or Cliff. An interesting predicament. The breathy nature of the vocals accentuates the melodies and contributes to the mature and moody atmosphere. Yet it is smooth despite the dramatic flair. Overall, Top or Cliff has the hallmarks of a strong release. But I feel like better development, trajectory and an ending would have made everything even better.

Matching the mature and moody atmosphere of the song is the dark and violent music video. I would say that it feels rather unexpected. But it is a memorable aspect of this comeback. The music video opens up with Kim Sejeong arriving at the mansion. The staff all lineup to greet her at her arrival, but from some of the scenes, there is a level of distrust between her and the staff. I suppose she has a high rank in whatever this organisation is, and the staff (as we see later in the video) are planning a revolt. The staff keeps an eye on her, but she clearly knows that something is happening around the mansion. In the end, she takes action herself and takes down all of the staff themselves. A fight breaks ensues, but ultimately Kim Sejeong wins and burns the place down. While there is a lot of bloodshed in this video, I do find the start of the video where she is dancing around the mansion to be quite aesthetically pleasing. But I am assuming this is supposed to be intention so that it looks like she doesn’t know what is going on. I believe the message, when taking the events of the video and the lyrics into account, shows her strength and determination to not show her weakness.

The performance is very flowy, matching up with the melodies of the song. It looks nice and feels pleasant to watch, but nothing memorable comes from it.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Album Review] I’m (2nd Mini Album) – Kim Sejeong

May 23, 2021Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Kim SejeongLeave a comment

The next album that I am reviewing is Kim Sejeong’s second mini-album, I’m. Once again, I was drawn to the mini-album while vetting albums for review. A number of the songs on the album appealed to me. And so, I put the album on my reviewing list for review, which is where we find ourselves today. The release of this album, and the title track Warning, is her first major activity since the disbandment of Gugudan at the end of last year. Previously, Kim Sejeong’s first mini-album (unreviewed) was released in 2019 and titled Plant. It also featured the title track, of the same name Plant. But today, we are here to listen I’m.

1. Teddy Bear – Teddy Bear starts off the album with an easy listen. It delves into the pop rock genre, which I find brings a nice colour to Kim Sejeong’s discography. The drums and electric guitars were all a really decent pace that was appealing to my tastes. What also I like about listening to Teddy Bear is that it was a no fuss and no commitment type of track. Nothing felt heavy. But rather, the entire song felt blissful. The solo artist’s vocals were extremely fitting for the style and drove the song forward in a very soothing manner. (8.5/10)

2. Warning (ft. IlBOI) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Warning. (9/10)

3. Do Dum Chit (밤산책) – Do Dum Chit was a favourite of mine. I really like the refreshing colour that Do Dum Chit has. It is also an extremely likeable upbeat track with a really nice contrast of heavy and light elements. The heavy comes through via the instrumentation of the chorus, whereas both the verses and vocals brought lightness to the song. And this combination resulted in a really appealing song. I also find the addition of the phone sound effects to be a nice touch (working with the lyrcis). Kim Sejeong’s sweet vocals, rapping at the end and ab-lib were standouts as well. This song had it all for me. (10/10)

4. Let’s Go Home (집에 가자) – Let’s Go Home starts off with thumping beats that instantly sold me the song. The rest of Let’s Go Home falls into rock genre, but on the softer and maybe pop side of the spectrum. And it was no let down. To me, the song showed off Kim Sejeong’s vocals extremely well. She brought this breathy tone to Let’s Go Home. I also liked how the soft pop rock instrumentation and her vocals worked together to create a very dreamy and organic sound. (9/10)

5. Maybe I Am (아마 난 그대를) – Like all KPOP albums, there is a need for a ballad. And for this album, the ballad comes in the form of Maybe I Am. It is also the album’s final song. The presence of Maybe I Am on this album is no surprise to me, given that most of her well-known tracks have been of the ballad genre in some degree. And like those past works, Maybe I Am captivates with both vocals and instrumentation front. It is hard to describe the song any other way than ‘perfect’, especially when she gives us stunning vocals and a really soothing orchestral backing. It ticks my swaying criteria for ballads, is easy to get lost with, and was a beautiful listen to finish up this album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

[Review] Warning – Kim Sejeong ft. lIlBOI

April 10, 2021Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Kim Sejeong1 Comment

Next up on the weekend of reviews for solo artists is Kim Sejeong. This is the soloist’s first comeback since the official disbandment of Gugudan. For those who missed it, Jellyfish Entertainment announced that Gugudan would disband at the very end of 2020, after two years of being inactive. A number of the members have since left the company. One of the members staying behind is Kim Sejeong, who has established a pretty strong solo career ranging from acting to singing, whilst still promoting as Gugudan. We last saw Kim Sejeong through her release of Whale last year. Last week, she made her solo comeback with the title track Warning and her second mini-album, I’m.

Warning is a very pleasant pop song, with its main centerpiece being a catchy, bright and cheerful sounding piano riff that makes this song so enjoyable. The word ‘pleasant’ used here is a very positive compliment and does not describe the full extent of appeal for this song (which I have described some songs in the past). If anything, Warning could potentially go beyond that ‘pleasant’ descriptor in the right circumstances. As the song progresses, there is always something new to discover in the instrumentation as a result. Aside from that piano riff that I have already mentioned, Warning also includes a sprinkling of synths to give off modern vibes and sound effects to add some fun colour to the song. Kim Sejeong’s vocals were also very strong in the song. What I enjoyed the most is that she doesn’t shy away from different types of delivery. We see snippets of her rap-speaking just before the first chorus, just speaking for the catchy hooks of the song and also singing along with the rap sequence. Even her vocals do a bit of changing, depending on the part of the song in question. The rapping, courtesy of lIlBOI, added some oomph to the song that you would think the song needed at first. But it really cuts the otherwise really consistent momentum of the song. There is one more element that really grabbed my attention, and that is the main hook of the song. The simple spoken repetition of the song’s title was really addictive and reeled me into the song from the first listen. Overall, everything in Warning came together quite nicely. Within the song itself, there was a lot of variety, some of which have been explored by the soloist herself.

To match with the pleasant sound of the song, the music video opted for pastel colours as the main colour palette for the video. Everything from the sky, to the word Warning that appeared behind both Sejeong and lIlBOI in some parts, to the sets were all of the pastel colour. It made sense to me why such colours were chosen, as they don’t appear too pale or too harsh to the viewer. Sejeong acts in a cutesy manner for this video. It isn’t over the top and the video is still watchable, unlike other music videos where it is unbearable. Overall, a fitting music video for the song.

Unlike her past singles, Sejeong’s promotions of Warning also incorporates choreography. There really isn’t anything mind-blowing or ‘never done before’ in this routine. I don’t think it would be fitting for such a laidback song. Instead, the choreography opted for a satisfying and pleasing routine to watch. It also allows Kim Sejeong to focus on her live vocals, which is undeniably her main centrepiece of the entire comeback.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Double Review] Plant + Whale – Sejeong (Gugudan)

October 4, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Gugudan, Kim Sejeong2 Comments

While I am catching up on more recent reviews (barely even scratched the surface of that list), I am also keeping in mind some of the older releases which I haven’t reviewed yet. One song that falls into this ‘older’ category and has been continually emerging on my playlist at the moment is Kim Sejeong’s latest single, Whale. It was released mid-August and follows the release of Plant. That one was released 2 months prior in July of this year. Both songs haven’t been reviewed yet, so I am going to do it one go in this double review format.

Plant is a ballad, an expected starting point for the solo career of the main vocalist of any group, not just Gugudan. It is a features a pleasant orchestral instrumental, which can be broken down into nice strings and soothing piano. It is extremely slow paced, so it isn’t my preferred type of ballad. But it was still a good one, nonetheless. An interesting observation is that it never climaxes, despite it does do some building to reach that orchestral touch. Another interesting observation is that the song feels relatively short despite doing for almost four minutes. But all of that is okay as Sejeong captivates us with her vocals. They are beautiful and really helps elevate the ballad into an elegant piece.

Whale opts for a little more upbeatness but remains very light for the entirety of the track. But it incorporates a more pop aligned instrumental, which features some nice acoustic guitar and mid-tempo percussion. It reminds me of a number of songs, such as Jeong Eunji’s recent solo comeback, AWay, and AKMU’s Dinosaur. As a result, it feels typical. One good thing about the track is nice Kim Sejeong sounds in the song. I really like the entire bridge of the song, which features a short yet sweet high flutey note at the very end (and the entire sequence is in English). Unfortunately, the song doesn’t earn a 10/10 from me though. When it was first released, it was easily forgettable due to its lightness and typical nature. That bars the song from getting the highest ranking as that thought does linger to this day (and I quite like/recognise it now everytime it pops up on my phone/playlist).

The slow pace of the music video for Plant compliments the slowness of the song. I quite liked that. As for the meaning of the video, I pinched the following interpretation from a YouTube comment (courtesy of kyu). Essentially, Sejeong is lonely in this world. The plastic bags she encounters throughout the video (i.e. the plastic bags in her mobile home, the plastic bags that are floating about while she was in the car and the plastic bag art display in the abandoned warehouse that she dances around) represents the negative thoughts, perceptions and words that she has to deal with. The plant that she grows in her mobile home is essentially the only thing not in a plastic bag and represents positivity in her life, hence why she is smiling at the end. For Whale, there isn’t really a music video. Instead there is a ‘live clip’ that acts as a music video. It is an okay video, focusing on Sejeong and her singing. I would have liked if her company put a bit of money towards a music video, as Whale deserves something with a little more substance. The live clip was pretty unfocused and had this yellow hue hazy filter which dulled the experience for me.

Plant
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10