Originally, I was going to do a full album review for Secret for this week’s ‘Past Album’ review. However, a few things popped up last minute and I decided to go with an album with fewer songs, instead. After all, I already skipped the album review on Sunday, so I didn’t want to miss out on this one. Secret release Letter From Secret back in 2013 and it was a return to the group’s cutesy concept. Unfortunately, the album and title track didn’t do too well when it was released, so it never got that much attention. I find the songs on their album to be very nice and today, I will be sharing this album with you.
2. Daddy Long Legs (키다리 아저씨) – The title of this song is rather odd like it isn’t the first title that comes to your mind when you hear this sweet ballad-like song. After some digging around, the song title seems to allude to someone with a fatherly figure. While this could easily be applied to a lover, I think the song is more directed to the member’s fathers. After all, the song has quite an innocent sound (or at least I assume it is). I really like the melody of the track and the guitar in the background, which gives off that swaying effect that I look for. I also enjoyed their vocals in this song. If it were to be memorable for anything, it would most likely before its touching lyrics towards their fatherly figures. But it is still quite pleasant, overall. (8/10)
3. ONLY U – Only U is a rather bittersweet song. The song is once again another ballad. While the lyrics seem to be about regretting letting someone go (let it be a past lover or a friend who they friendzone and now regrets), the song is still quite light. Rather than being straightforwardly sad, the song sits in a weird limbo based on its light tone and their sweet style vocals. However, I do hear the hints of sadness in their voices, which does complement the song’s message. I like Jung Hana’s rap sequence is the entire verse section of the song. The only downside to the song is that Sunhwa sounded like she was straining herself in the bridge and this didn’t sound as pleasing compared to the rest of the song. But to me, it is another great ballad. (8/10)
4. B.O.Y (Because Of You) – Out of the three ballads on the album, this one probably is my favourite. Unlike the other two which used a softer approach in its sound, B.O.Y used a harsher mix of instruments and this made the song feel more vibrant out of the rest. I would say that B.O.Y could be taken as a ballad, but it can also have some dance moves to it. But don’t let its vibrancy fool you. The song isn’t a vibrant song when you consider the lyrics. It is another emotional song that talks about how they cannot move on after a breakup. Once again, their vocals do a fantastic job of portraying these emotions and I also liked the harmonies during the chorus. (9/10)
As a fan of Secret, it is time for a freaking comeback from this girl group. It is way overdue, with their last comeback from 2014. Secret Summer (the album in which this review revolves around) was released in August 2014 and is the last comeback as a four-member girl group. Since then, there have been no Secret comebacks, which leaves the year feeling empty, in my mind. So, while we wait around for their comeback, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at their 5th mini-album, Secret Summer.
Secret Summer Album Cover
1..Feel The Secret (Intro Track) – Intro tracks aren’t really my thing. I usually gloss over them and then get right into the more fulfilling songs that follow. However, Feel The Secret is a show-stopper from the get-go. It launches you into the retro feel that Secret is known for and definitely hypes you up for the following tracks. (9/10)
3. Look At Me – One of my favourite tracks (other than the title track) on this mini-album. I thought the track was extremely sexy with their soft vocals. The song itself was extremely catchy. The random violin insert was what the song needed and despite it being random in theory, I thought fit in well with the song. The constant glass breaking sound throughout the vocal gave it a more interesting feel. The rapping could have been better in the song, but overall, it was definitely a highlight on the mini-album. (9/10)
4. U R Fired – The English in this song could have been better. However, it is a totally amazing song that is up there with the rest of the mini-album and Secret’s discography. The entire song felt like a mix between pop and country to me (mainly because of the guitar). Once the song hits the chorus, you can feel the song heating up, providing a somewhat intense but good beat. I thought the song grew to be a great song as it progressed, especially during the bridge of the song, where electronic components are brought into play. The song also hits some ‘high notes’ (not literally) with the vocals of the members, their best on the release. (9/10)
5. I Would Do Well – The song fulfils the expectations of a ballad track that is mandatory on every KPOP album. Though, I feel the track does that only. Their vocals are great, with each member (weak or strong) participating in the track. It feels weak overall doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the album. But it does end the song on a more relaxed and sweet note. I am just glad that this ballad still feels somewhat upbeat, rather than it slowing down to a standard ballad. (6/10)
Song Ji Eun is another member of Secret that has been active in promotions (the other being Hyosung) since Secret’s last comeback. While this review will be for Song Ji Eun’s latest song, Bobby Doll, some sad news has emerged. Sunhwa, has unfortunately decided to leave the group and company once her contract is up. Secret is a 4-member girl group and with Sunhwa’s departure, the group will be continuing on as a 3-member girl group. And now, let’s move back to Song Ji Eun’s solo.
It is a nice song, but honestly, it was not what I was expecting. A side of me really likes the songs for a range of reasons. Another side just feels like this song lacks a bit. Let’s start with the good. Love her vocals (as I have always had). Her voice is quite smooth like what you expect a doll would sound like, but rough at the same time (that probably makes no sense), which complements the instrumental. There are slight parts where she is rapping, which I think she handled pretty well. Her vocals herself have given the song another dimension. The song was quite catchy and addictive to listen to. Though, the overall shape and sound of the song make it quite memorable for some odd reason and I quite like that. However, the instrumental feels quite dead and she feels like she is holding back. That brings the song down quite a bit and it, unfortunately, gives off a dull vibe. Her pronunciation of ‘Bobby’ still irks me. I understand it was probably to prevent the song from being banned from the music shows (since Barbie is a brand), but it sounds a lot like she is mixing up between the two. I understand in Korean, the two words sound quite similar, but it does give off a different impression of the song.
Finally, a dance centred comeback with the traditional dark vibes that I (and many fans) love Song Ji Eun for. In the video, Song Ji Eun is a doll (who is controlled – not too sure about this part – by a sadistic Joker-like guy). One night, she manages to find her way out of her doll house and enjoys the freedom she has been deprived of. I don’t understand why she didn’t run away, but the Joker will manage to get her back (against her will) anyway. I liked the plot, which made the video much more interesting than it is. The main issue is the dullness of the video. There isn’t anything else to comment in the video. And that I am quite disappointed in.
I didn’t like the how the stages were set up for her comeback week. Pink doll houses? The song is more suited for the dark concepts honestly, and something like the music video would have been ideal. Love the use of the fans though. It gave the stage a more interesting and elegant feel. Overall, it did come off a little dry.
It has been quite some time, but as a die hard fan for the group Secret, I (and all their fans) have all be requesting a comeback from the girls. 2015 was focused primarily on solo work, with a few group appearances here and there. Hopefully 2016 will be more group work. But in the mean time, we have been gifted with a solo comeback from Hyosung herself. It has nearly been a year since we last saw her on stage, with her last promotions being Into You.
Compared to my thoughts last year for her comeback, I am going to say this once and once only. DROP EVERYTHING AND LISTEN TO THIS SONG!!! Too forceful? Yeah, but really, listen to this freaking song. This is the exact song that I want from her. Powerful but still feminine. It is a really nice pop track that has a really solid instrumental. But I love the small things in the song more. Those addictive drum beats and flute whistles are just spot on and really give the song that extra dimension. The song, especially the chorus, is highly addictive (Yep, I have been singing along to the song as soon as I first heard it). The song starts off slow, but at the right volume, the chorus sounds so amazing. As soon as the beat drops, I was in awe. Only one minor thing, the entire rap section done by D.Action from Untouchable (who happens to be from TS Entertainment as well) could have been left out. It suited the song, but it wasn’t necessary. What we have is amazing already.
Music video is beautiful. Her figure is amazing (even though all her fans preferred her before her diet). And the dresses that she where for this video are amazing. The dance set as well is amazing and beautiful. Beside the sets and the dance, the rest of the video sees Jung Hyosung have magical powers or something. On top of that, her reflection shows her tied up, when she is free. It seems like to show if she was taken away or bound to something. We see her also around some water. A little confusing and I am as lost (or distracted by her) as a sheep without Bo Peep. Editing the video is really good. Timed everything to the beat of the song, which made it look really good.
Dance wise, I thought it was amazing. Love the arm waves she makes when the flute whistle comes along. Dance fitted the beat of the song really well. I thought the dance was quite sexy, but still had that dance element. Once again, TS Entertainment has put too many back up dancers on the stage, so the stage looks quite crowded though. But oh well.
Overall, excellent comeback which is what I wanted to see from her. Amazing. Jaw Dropping. High recommended. 9/10
They are back!!! It has been so long since I’ve done of these and I promised that they were gone. But they are back. Sorry… But this way, I can get more reviews done. Sometimes I have to cancel reviews because I have no time to do it, or newer artists are coming out and therefore, the certain artist’s review would usually be trashed. Yeah… Like for example, Park Boram’s review. I was meant to do that at the start of May, but I have so much work to do :(. Anyhow, I tried to theme them. This theme is female soloists. Yes, if you haven’t guessed, all the artists here are female soloists. Let’s go.
Also under the name of Elise as well, but for my purposes, let’s keep with Eunjung for now. This song features K.Will in the actual song, while K-iO from Speed has helped with the live performances for the first two weeks. I like the song. It is a nice dance ballad that fits in with the current weather in the Southern Hemisphere. The vocals of both Eunjung and the male artists featuring was really good as well. The music video was of a typical “break up” and “sorrow” type of video, where they used to be lovers, but then they drifted apart for whatever reason. It was okay to watch. The dance was cool as well. It matched the song quite well and the instrumental. However, there just happens to be something missing from this comeback which I can’t really identify. I just feel this entire comeback lacks attention and appeal to the public. 7/10
Any one who has read my reviews probably know how much of a big fan I am for Secret. I consistently love every song they put out. But this one, yeah, I thought was very boring. I was pumped for a Hyosung comeback, but this was not what I was expecting. There is too much focus on the sexy and not enough on the talent. There was nothing that was amazing from the song. The music video was a total bore to watch and the performances, I just gloss over. I’ve listened to the song once, and have not gone back to it since then. Even writing this review, I am putting the part where I listen to the song and watch the music video off. Sorry, but not this time Hyosung 😦 2/10
Now, while the last song was terrible and Eunjung was good, this took the cake for a “great” song. I love this song. It is catchy and it is fun to listen to. I am not turned off from it in anyway. Though, that phone vibration seems like what my phone sounds like, so every time I hear it, I think my phone is trying to get my attention. The music video is also quite colourful and matches the summery feel from the song. As for the dance, I don’t expect Park Boram to do much, so this dance took me by surprise. Her debut one had very little movement and it seems like she is becoming more comfortable on stage. Her debut was also another review that landed in the “maybe next time” pile. 8/10
I’m not going to do another Catch Up Review for the next one. Mainly because BOA’s comeback has been sitting on my waiting list for quite some time. And guess what, it is a DOUBLE REVIEW!! So expect Who Are You? and Kiss My Lips for the next review. Bye Bye!!
Welcome to the end of the 2014 charts. This chart has every single song that was released from the 1st of January 2014 to the 1st of December. I left the nitty gritty stuff out (aka. the numbers I used for the ranking) and made sure that everything was fair. So that means for songs that were released towards the end of the year would have received some extra increment to make sure that they were levelled out with the songs released in January. Other numbers used included whether songs were on the YouTube Playlist of The Month and each song was re-reviewed in categories of “song, music video and dance”. Below are just some interesting facts that you may enjoy in regards to this chart.
The very first song released to be included on the charts are Rain’s 30 Sexy and La Song. The last song released before the cut off date was Infinite F’s Heartbeat.
T-Ara’s Sugar Free (2) was the only song throughout the whole chart to score the maximum of 40 for the song re-review.
VIXX is the first boy group to appear in the charts at 14th place with Eternity.
As touched on above, this year the charts are dominated by the girl groups, with 13 boy groups versus 37 girl groups (repeated groups not excluded).
Heavily promoted songs tend to rank higher than songs that were released as a single and not promoted.
The following artists achieved the next few positions after 50th place: SPEED, Crayon Pop, Z:EA, Zhou Mi (Super Junior), BTOB, Infinite, UKISS, AOA and Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
1
Something
Girl’s Day
2
Sugar Free
T-Ara
3
Up & Down
EXID
4
Monday Blues
Sunny Hill
5
Piano Man
Mamamoo
6
Darling
Girl’s Day
7
I’m In Love
Secret
8
Mr. Chu
A Pink
9
Yasisi
NS Yoon G
10
Red Light
F(x)
11
One More
Fiestar
12
Good Night Kiss
Hyosung (Secret)
13
Ain’t Nobody
HA:TFELT (Yenny – Wonder Girls)
14
Eternity
VIXX
15
You Don’t Love Me
Spica
16
So Wonderful
Ladies Code
17
This Is Love
Super Junior
18
Luv
APINK
19
Like A Cat
AOA
20
B.B.B (Big Baby Baby)
Dal Shabet
21
Good Luck
Beast
22
Cha Cha
Rainbow BLAXX
23
Full Moon
Sunmi ft. Lena
24
Error
VIXX
25
Catallena
Orange Caramel
26
My Copy Cat
Orange Caramel
27
Don’t Look At Me Like That
Song Ji Eun (Secret)
28
Back
Infinite
29
8Dayz
Megan Lee
30
What About You?
Laboum
31
Dont Touch Me
Ailee
32
I Swear
Sistar
33
Singing Got Better
Ailee
34
1004 (Angel)
B.A.P
35
Danger
BTS
36
12:30
Beast
37
Mr. Ambigious
Mamamoo
38
Lonely
B1A4
39
Beep Beep
BTOB
40
Mamma Mia
Kara
41
I Need You
Bestie
42
Solo Day
B1A4
43
Whatcha Doing Today?
4Minute
44
Pretty Age 25
Song Ji Eun (Secret)
45
1 Minute 1 Second
Jiyeon (T-Ara)
46
Peppermint Chocolate
Mamamoo ft. K.Will & Wheesung
47
FxxK U
Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
48
Touch My Body
Sistar
49
Evanesce
Super Junior
50
Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms
HIGH4 ft. IU
THAT’S IT!!! 2014 IS OVER AND 2015 IS APPROACHING. WISHING YOU ALL (IN YOUR RESPECTIVE TIME ZONES) A HAPPY NEW YEAR. I only have 6 hours to go and I am excited. Party hard (but not too hard) and I will see you next year!! aka. in the next few days ^^
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.
As many of you guys know how much of a fan I am for Secret, this review has two parts and (sadly), one song will live up to the standard the world has, while the other really does not. I know I know. But as these reviews tend to get a little long, let’s just carry on shall we?
This song was amazing. I freaking love this song. All of her past singles were always dark themed and had powerful yet emotional lyrics. This song is no different. The vocals were superb. However, let’s take some time to look at the lyrics and the music video. The lyrics were well written with the lyrics hinting towards relationships such as homosexuality, large age gaps and interracial relationships. It was really meaningful and very “on point” as these are relationships that some us hides from. The music video was equally well done. We see Song Ji Eun chained up and put on display. With everyone around her wearing masks, it seems like Song Ji Eun is different in a way. When they see her, they are shock, but then start to bid for her. However, as she struggles, and manages to break free, everyone flees as if they are trying to get away from the different person. This occurs quite a lot in real life and I am pretty sure that many can relate to this. 10/10
Okay, I just want to start off buy saying that this was not the actual comeback I was expecting. Song Ji Eun had multiple comebacks that had a dark themed running through them, yet she made a comeback with a bright song. As you can tell, I was pretty disappointed. However, the song was still pretty catchy but it is definitely not her best song at this very moment. There was another problem. The music video was cutesy and “flower girl” like. The song had this potential to be a sexy style kind of song, so there was this mismatch of ideas I believed. The dancing was okay. It could have been a little more to it. Also, one of the performance that put her in a dress which exposed her shoulders, made her look really skinny. Too skinny to the point where every comment on that one video was concerns over her health. 3/10
Well, now that we got some of the girl groups out of the way and female solo artists, why don’t we move back to boy groups for the next review? Rising boy groups, it is then. See you next time!!!
At the start of the week, Secret had made their official return after 8 months absence from the stage. Since their promotion of I Do I Do, the group had disappeared from the spotlight (and yes, I was Secret deprived for the 8 months). Hyosung made her official solo debut with Good Night Kiss back in May. She, herself, started acting appearing in the crime drama Ghost-Seeing Detective (which I really liked watching) and at the moment, My Dear Cat (which I also happened to be watching). Member Sunhwa recently restarted her acting career on Marriage not Dating. Besides that, I honestly have no idea what the other two, Ji Eun and Hana were up to. But who cares, they are now back with the sexy concept and a killer song.
This song is mega awesome. I really don’t know why they are not charting. It is driving me insane. But then again, a bigger rookie group just debuted and it seems that group is currently overshadowing Secret’s comeback. It is so depressing. Anyway, the song. Oh yes. I freaking love this song. You could say that “I’m in love”. Hahahaha…. This song is really catchy and is a lift up from their previous two songs that were a part of the cutesy concept. Now, they are becoming serious. Song Ji Eun probably has to be one of my most favourite main vocalists in all of KPOP. Her voice, especially in the bridge sounded so amazing. Talking about main vocalists, Sunhwa has gotten a decent amount of lines in the song, singing parts of the chorus. Hana sang about 1 line and rapped as well, but hey, it is a combination we have been dying to see from Hana. The slow ballad part is something that I don’t mind, but when you look at the song overall, it really does not fit in with the song. I really liked the chorus and the “Think I’m In Love” part was really well done. Overall, the song was amazing.
The music video, in my honest opinion, could have been done a little better. It seemed rather confined and boring to watch. There is like little to no plot in this video and I feel the sexual concept could have been taken to another level with this music video. It felt plain and lacked that excitement of knowing what is going to happened next. The music video opened up with a scene of what the girls portray as innocent, wearing white and being quite sad and shy about things. They are seen to be interviewed by a guy who looks pretty intimidating. After a while, they turn into evil ladies, who turned sexual and it seems like the girls instead of being innocent and shy, they torment the man and also tries to flirt with him. I really liked the solo shots and the blue lighting in the background. That looked really cool. The dance sets are really not that great overall. They are big, just really don’t have that great feeling to them. Also, Hyosung had nude scenes in the music video. But yet it has very little views.
The dance is pretty good. The twerking, not so much, but hey, it is not a slutty job. I really don’t understand why Hyosung always have to have a little solo dance time in the choreography, it really takes her away from the group. I Do I Do, Talk That and now this. On top of that, I think the chorus dance was pretty good.
As I wrote this review (which spanned over what seems to be like 4 hours) I slowly realized that the group has been absented for far too long and no longer garner the same amount of views as before. Their company really needs to direct some more attention to them and get them back to the spotlight. They were at their peaks in 2011 and 2012, but now they are just going to be another forgotten group. 8/10
[Update] As part of my 2017 review of Secret Summer, the group’s 5th mini album, which features the title track I’m In Love, I had decided to ultimately increase the rating of this song to 9/10. This can be attributed to the changing perspective of the author.
As many of you guys know, I am a vivid fan of the girl group Secret. We all know that one group is also a solo artists, while still working with the band, and now another one has decided to go solo. Hyosung, the leader of the band, has finally gone solo with a really cool rocking song. You should how I have been dying to review this song. Now it has been out for 3-4 weeks now, further indicating how behind I am with my reviews, but hey guys, I am on a roll. And June was meant to be the World Cup and not that many bands are meant to be making their comeback. *Cough Cough* Beast, Boyfriend, Z:EA, UKISS, B.A.P, Davichi, Taeyang, AOA, Psy, Infnite, VIXX, Jiyeon, the list just goes on. (Unimpressed face).
But do you hate did impress my face, this song. Awesome link!!! Nah, but seriously. At first when I heard this song, I thought it was really awkward and not that catchy, but this song has grown a lot onto me. Like a lot. From a cringing face to a guy who now officially smiles when he hears this song. The song is described to be a “hip hop trend trap crossover”. I think someone used Google Translate for that. But this song does have the very subtle hip hop feel to it and it also has this really cool dance number sound to it. The vocals are really good, in fact, this song brings out the good qualities of her voice. As I said before, I did cringe when I first heard the song. I really did not like that part right after the chorus with the really high pitch vocals. It sounded weird and off putting. Now, I dig that part. I don’t know what is wrong with me. The chorus is really catchy and the “Baby Kiss Oh My, Baby Kiss Oh My” was also really catchy. Overall an amazing song.
The music video is so so. Not that memorable and not that outstanding, but it does have its good point. So we see a girl trying to seduce a guy. And I guess she succeeded in her mission. That is all. That was basically the plot. Okay, so lets get analysing. The scene where she rips the rose off the wall and also that heart beating on the painting scene reminded me of Song Ji Eun’s (fellow member of Secret) Hope Torture. The lighting and the background looks really similar and the darkness of both really showed something that is underlying and obviously troubling them. Okay, it was also said that Hyosung had 12 different outfits for the music video, transforming from cute to sexy within seconds, and I think that actually fitted the video. The sets for the video overall were not that great and reminded me of a large medieval party, which I don’t think it the right place to have a party overall.
The dance is pretty upbeat and it matches the song really well. It is slow and matches the clicks when they occur. Just come to the stage, there are a lot of people on the stage, making it hard to see things. But I love the dance, though sometimes it does seem a little too face (such as the dance for the last chorus seems like one that would suck the energy out of you).
8/10. Amazing solo debut. Can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. Maybe a Secret comeback? After B.A.P and the new girl group? Maybe? Yes? No? Please?
Hi all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow, 2013 is finally over. Can you believe it. With days to go, I will be unable to update this over my “break”. Beside that I have scheduled a whole heap of reviews. I promised you guys an End Of Year Charts, and with that very day 3-4 days away, I think it is time unleash the beast. Party hard! Welcome the new year in style! I will wish to see you all back on the 2nd of Jan 2013 (subject to change). At the very bottom of this post, there will be two links. One is a playlist for the winners of the BOB’s and the other is the top 20 songs of the year, as selected by this chart. Yay!!!!
Secret is back with a new Christmas single this time around. After finishing promotions for YooHoo as a group, filming dramas and Song Ji Eun’s recent promotions with Hope Torture, the group is set to grace the stage with a comeback full of cuteness and adorableness. I think this is the first year where there are loads of comeback on the topic of Christmas. Last year, there were a few songs on the celebration, but they tend to be more company collaboration within the company. Those songs still exists, but more and more bands are coming out with Christmas themed songs, which are pretty amazing. But still shocking to know that the year is about to end. :(.
This song is pretty good. I really am disappointed that Secret has gone for something Christmas themed. Seems quite desperate for a comeback. But I feel the song fits them quite well. I actually prefer them in their sexy form, but this song still rocks. This songs looks like it was thrown together in 5 minutes, which sounds like their company and producer did not take this seriously. It was catchy, but it was not memorable. This probably has to be their weakest song ever. But regardless, I felt that their vocals are improving. Hana (the rapper) actually has a pretty good voice and sounds pretty cool. The only part of the song which I really enjoyed is Song Ji Eun’s bridge, because it gave the song that extra lift. Not so great this time around girls.
The music video again is quite .. boring. There is nothing to talk about, except for the trending one shot videos. This song has a “somewhat clear plot” where this guy gets invited to this party. Interesting. Not really. Sorry, I was completely bored of this video. The lighting was so bright, which kind of ruined the video. Though some parts were cute (i.e. walking letter box and walking rubbish bin), this music video looked like something that was shot in 5 minutes and planned in approx 10 minutes. The music video did not show off the girls style, but instead confined the girls. Look at YooHoo, not much of a great video, but compared to this, much better by 10000.
The dance is quite cute, but not really that great. It really is not catchy, but shows off the simplicity of the girls. Though I think more could have been done, the dance fits the song quite well and suits the song.
5/10. Secret is one of my favourite groups in the industry, but seriously this comeback is lacking in so many ways.
Song Ji Eun, today, made her official comeback as a solo artist, with Hope Torture. It has been two years since we have seen anything from the singer, beside her usual Secret promotions. Back then, she paired up with Bang Yong Guk for Going Crazy, which became a hit to fans of both artists. Since then however, she returned with her group through songs such as Starlight Moonlight, Love Is Move, Poison, Talk That and YooHoo, along with numerous Japan singles like Madonna (Jap Ver), Love Is Move (Jap Ver) and Twinkle Twinkle, just to name a few. It is so great that we finally get to hear a song from her and with the official album release and music video release today, making fans, along with me excited. Not to mention that she has already made her comeback on the weekly music shows, last week.
Okay, the song is rather slow. I listened to the live performance, the music video and the release, but I find way too slow for me. I find it too does not fit Song Ji Eun’s style. However, I still find the song attractive and great to listen to. Yeah, I maybe bias just a little, but hell, I find this song so great. Many songs are about falling in love or an emotional breakup, but not many songs focuses on that thin ice or that thread of string that many people hold onto. In this song however, it is referred to that last piece of hope that is thrown away by one, but their partner holds onto it, facing the torture of love. Really poetic. I love the little English phrases scattered throughout the song, it adds that extra RnB touch to it. Also, her little al-lib at the end was pretty cool, on top of that the pretty epic sounding instrumental. As I said, I dig violins. I should learn how to play one, shouldn’t I?
Wow, the music video is really artistic. They portrayed in her in a way, where she looks beautiful in the video, but when she looks sad, we feel the emotion too. To me, the ending is such a show stopper. They use a light background, but then fade into a depressing and sad tone. That scene where that cake was destroyed (what a waste of cake) really showed the build up in the emotion, which actually links in the music video, where at one part she remembers her lover, but the very next moment, she hates him again. The dead spiral of leaves and branches, along with the burning guitar and sunflower added more to the scene that really gives that extra umph to to which makes it pretty cool. I am not sure about the hole in the hand part and the nail. Are they trying link something to Jesus, cause I don’t really understand much. Torture yeah, but that would raise a lot of controversies would it not?
As for the performance, she sounds amazing live. Great for all. Not sure about the dancers, because despite being a slow song and the dancers are dancing with very slow movements, this song really does not need the use of dancers. Oh and the dresses she wears are pretty beautiful. Not from my experience, but the point of views of others.
8.5/10. Pretty amazing. Maybe a little fine tuning in some parts, but seriously overall, I think she is going to do really well. That or I blame the slaughter of comebacks and debuts all schedule for tomorrow and beyond. Sorry, I was rather busy with my homework yesterday, so i could not upload Leessang’s review, but I will try to get it done tonight.
Secret is back with a brand new song. A new song that brings us back to the retro days and their award winning days. Shy Boy and Starlight Moonlight are the songs that brought Secret to higher grounds by winning awards. Did you know that? Their common theme, was the aegyo style. Poison and Talk That both ranked pretty high, coming 2nd in some cases, but did not have enough votes and popularity to win. As for Yoo Hoo, as it contains the ageyo style which many of us enjoy (men in particular), will they win? Or will Lee Hyori and 2PM take all the glory? Who knows?
Yoo Hoo is a very cute song. The title, maybe a little misleading, but overall the song pretty cool. I don’t have much to complain about the song. The only thing I have to complain about is the rap. Not the one at the end of the song. I have no problems with that. The ones in the verses, however, seemed to just be thrown in there to give Jung Hana some more lines (For those who don’t know, Zinger is Jung Hana. She just recently changed her stage name). The instrumental is quite addictive and the chorus was pretty cool. Their vocals have dramatically increases, each sounding better each time they make a comeback. The song talks about a girl who is trying to get out of the “friendzone”. I think. I may need to get back to you guys about that one.
The music video is quite funny. Hyosung was quite Hilarious in this video. But I will get back on that point a bit later. The music video starts off as the girls go on a holiday and a boat. They seem to be having the time of their life but soon becomes shipwrecked. Now, that boat looked like a bit grand. But why only does some planks of wood that comes from a different boat, maybe one a lot of cheaper, wash up to shore. They also seemed to be quite prepared for that. They have a mirror, dry set of clothes, a sand castle kit and an oar. Seems like they were not going to Bondi Beach or Surfer’s Paradise. An Australian Joke there. Anyway, they aimlessly try to find there way “off” the stranded island. They successfully find their way “off” the “deserted” island after finding a map and a guy’s jacket. Conveniently placed there. Just saying. Turns out they were not on the a deserted island, but near a rather busy highway. But it is how they get picked up is pretty funny. Here they let go of their shame and Hyosung, really acts silly here. But did you see who picked the group up! It was an old lady. Old Lady I say….
The dance is pretty cool. Liked how basic it was overall. The chorus and all were just perfect. However sport shoes don’t really seem to fit the feel of the song at all.
9.5/10. Really good. Will recommend to any fans out there. Linked below is also their Only U song as well. Have fun!
Towards the end of December 2012, an announcement was made by TS Ent about a secret collaboration between the companies two main groups, Secret & B.A.P. Later, it was revealed that Sunhwa and Youngjae had collaborated for a song which was later promoted in January of 2013. Talk about some boring talk, it is a good song, just did not fit well at all.
Now let’s get this straight, I really like B.A.P and Secret, and all the members for both groups. Just this song, was definitely not the best choice for these two particularly good voices. Both Youngjae & Sunhwa are pretty good singers, but this song was not the best option. I think this song would’ve have been much better for Daehyun (who I believe in being shoved to the side by TS to promote Youngjae) and JiEun. Youngjae’s vocals are very husky, while Sunhwa has a hint of cutey, aegyo voice in this song, just they both did not go well together. Actually, my ears kept saying something like, “They are not singing in the same harmony, Youngjae’s voice was too empowering for Sunhwa.” The instrumental was okay, but not as good. The song was not epic as I expected or anticipated. A major letdown.
The music video is just the singers singing and “recording” their song. Nothing much. So I will focus on the performance.
Let’s just say, this was one cute song. Sunhwa holding a picture of Kwanghee for Z:EA and Youngjae holding a piture of B.A.P’s fan group, BABYs. I liked the stage, and I think Youngjae actually toned down his voice just a bit for the performances, so it was okay. Nothing major though.
5/10. Sadly. But I am always sure that a better song or another couple can be chosen next time, if the two bands do collaborate again.
Secret is back with another song, however unfortunately cannot promote their song anymore after a terrible car accident, which left Zinger in hospital with serious injuries. As a KPOP fan and an actual human being, I would wish the girls the best in their road to recovery. But beside that, the song is much different then their previous songs which they had. This is much more slow and vocally dominated, rather than the usual dance dominated song.
The song is definitely much different than Secret’s past song. This song draws out their vocal talent, opposed from dance. Poison, Love Is Move, Madonna, Magic, I Want You Back, Shy Boy, Starlight Moonlight were all songs that relied heavily on dancing. This song however, you can hear that the group actually singing. Zinger also sang instead of rap. each of the members have really good voices and actually sound really good. It is good to have a song that is different to their usual image. This song talks about them the pain which the girls go through after their boyfriends betrayed them. The song has a hint of sadness which brings out their message, in the song.
The music video is just the girls having their reflection moment after their boyfriends had broken up with them. I really like the whole talking theme, and how they used the old can and string phone which is really cool and smart for a song that relies on the whole heap of talking. The music video also shows the girls walking around in the city and all of that. However, the girls do seem like they are lost and confused. This also further shows their pain and grief which they have.
The choreography also shows how lost and confused they are. They are dragged around and picked up. The backup dancers add to their confusion and to our confusion. Even the choreography tells them to walk forward a bit too much and then they have to back up, as they are in the wrong place.
KPOPREVIEWED 
