Tag: Weki Meki

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Today sees the return of Weki Meki, with the group making a long overdue comeback with Siesta (the title track) and I Am Me (the 5th mini-album). Their last comeback, COOL, was over a year ago in October. Since then, I don’t think we heard much from the group. I think some of the members ventured into acting, but other than that, it has been pretty much radio silence from the group. Until today, of course.

My first impression of Siesta was that it was somewhat plain and lacked that creativity and innovation that I look for in a song. But with some repeated listens of the pop song in the bag, Siesta now comes off as super catchy thanks to its infectious hooks and melodies in the chorus, and also its vibrant energy thanks to its instrumentation. Unfortunately, the plainness is still there. But I feel is localised during the verses. There just doesn’t seem to be anything memorable about them. There is some deep house in the verses that hints towards the direction of the song, but it just doesn’t enough. The nature of the chorus in Siesta just outshines the verses. From the start of the pre-choruses, Siesta ramps up in a spectacular fashion, bridging the plain nature and the energetic chorus together. The energy that comes from the chorus is almost explosive, thanks to the brass, electronic and percussion elements that make up. Paired with those already mentioned memorable hooks and melodies, it is definitely a blast and fun part of the song. I also find that the chorus comes off as somewhat light in the chorus thanks the hooks/melodies, balancing out the heaviness of the instrumentation and also contributing to a refreshing and revitalizing tone, for me. For the vocals/raps, I thought the members sounded great throughout Siesta. The outro of the Siesta was also quite satisfying, with the extension of the chorus and the funky guitars easing us out. I am sure there are in Siesta elsewhere, but I just thought it was a nice detail to have at the end. I guess I wished more was done to the verses to ‘level up’ Siesta.

The music video opted for an aesthetic direction, which I thought looked fine. I think the aesthetic push behind the video adds a plain tone to the visuals, similar to the song’s verses (and it feels a bit heavy handed as well, extending throughout the video . But I am not as troubled by it. It is also nice to see a video that is paired with an energetic song that doesn’t conform to the need of bold (and sometimes harsh) colours that you might expect to see from set designs. Shooting the video outside also really helped sell that refreshing and light tone that I got from the video as well. The fireworks and the members being more happy/enjoying life at the end was a nice compliment to the blasting nature of the choruses and lyrics of the song as well.

The performance was fun and also somewhat cute. But nothing that memorable, to be honest. I just liked the vibe coming from it, and the energy the members bring to it.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

Sorry for the many days late review.

Making their comeback this past Thursday was Weki Meki, with their fourth mini-album, New Rules. Leading Weki Meki’s attempt to write some ‘New Rules’ in the KPOP industry is COOL. This is also Weki Meki’s third comeback of the year, following Dazzle Dazzle released back in February and Oopsy, which was released back in June.

Their 2020 tracks have been a mix bag thus far. Dazzle Dazzle was probably my pick for one of their best title tracks ever, while Oopsy stepped away with a more generic release that ended up being quite forgettable post-review. COOL steps back into the area which Dazzle Dazzle lies on the spectrum of Weki Meki releases, which is definitely some good news for this group. The song has this edgy club beat opening that is quite promising. It is a very strong part as it left a strong impression on me. I really like the rap-singing that occurs during the first verse. It gives COOL a unique spin. The song takes a bit of a melodic detour for the pre-chorus, before going back to the club beat for the first part of the chorus. The chanty style of their delivery workers really well with the chorus. The vocals that follow the chant sequence of the chorus really pop out and show off some vocal flair from Suyeon (‘Keep It Coming Baby~’) before we proceed to some settled down vocals from other members. The second verse was more vocally centric, allowing it to become different to the first verse. Many songs these days have pretty repetitive verses, which dulls out the song. Suyeon, once again, shines for her vocals. For the bridge, the members returning to rapping with a stripped instrumental backing before we are launched back to the final chorus, which just pops even more. Overall, COOL lives up to its name and can be accurately described as one of their coolest songs yet!

The music video comes off fierce, which it fitting for the song. I really enjoyed it. I really like their white jumpsuits on the black/dark background. The minimalist vibes from those choreography shots were so strong and powerful. I really like the other ‘dark’ scene, when the members are dancing on individual platforms. That looked really cool and took the video to a whole new edgy level. Their individual shots looked awesome and I liked how the shadows on the wall behind them (earlier on, in the video) were not of them, but of the object they were holding. That probably has symbolism. But that imagery alone looked cool.

I like this performance. Not only do we see some attitude, but it seems like Weki Meki fully embraces their mature side, which is 100% fitting for the song. I really like the powerful direction of their moves, which really made the performance captivating to watch. I also liked the energy, which also fits in with the club vibes of the performance.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

After dazzling their way with Dazzle Dazzle earlier this year, Weki Meki has returned with their second release of 2020. The new song is called OOPSY and features on the group’s Hide and Seek. As it has only been four months since their Dazzle Dazzle comeback, not much has seemed to happen with the group from what I can recall. And with that, let’s just stuck right into the review.

The main backbone of the instrumental (i.e. beat) for OOPSY is quite generic. It just didn’t feel exciting. A better description would have been ‘pretty linear’. But without the other elements in this song, OOPSY would have gone in that direction. For example, the addition of all those details and sound elements over the top of the main instrumental really helped add an exciting energy to the song. All of that whistling and twinkling effects we get from the instrumental are thanks to the detailing and additional sound elements. It added texture, which resulted in the instrumental in being very appealing. It also added a slight funkiness to the song (i.e. that low guitar strumming during the verses), as well. Add to the song some catchy hooks, such as the ones you hear during the chorus of OOPSY. While I am sure they could have been more defined and dynamic, what we got had a slightly fun tone to it, which helped boost the appeal of the song. The members vocals and rapping were also pretty good as well. It might not be their most skillful display of vocals and rapping, but there was a lot clearness and crispness in their voices. Oh, and while the title does have that childish association to it (which I have noted in reviews for songs with the same time), I found that Weki Meki managed to put a decent mature spin, whilst also keeping that fun tone which is true to their style. Overall, a good song in my opinion.

The music video consist of choreography and very crisp and elegant closeups of the members. So it seems like the group’s music video takes on that close up and choreography formula that feel boring and generic. However, I am slightly convinced that there is more to video which I can’t just seem to decipher. You have one member whispering something to a member with a white cloth over her head. That has to mean something, right? And that glass feather, as well. Their solo shots also look very suspicious, as if they are hiding something within them. On top of that, there was some Morse code that I noticed appearing on screen during the video. Someone deciphered it off YouTube says the Morse code meant ‘I always think about you’ and ‘I will always be with you’. That has to be mean something as well. This video has to have some sort of story or meaning, right???

I liked the choreography. It was rather clean and felt straightforward. It also made the group look a lot more confident and mature, at the same time. It isn’t a mind blowing routine if that what you are looking for. But it definitely makes the members look good and more refined.

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

The next artist that needs to be reviewed (according to my list of comebacks) is Weki Meki, who made their return yesterday with Dazzle Dazzle. 2019 saw the group return with Picky Picky and Tiki Taka, which I enjoyed moderately and forgot the existence of the two songs quite soon after. I do know that since their last comeback, Yoojung did go on a hiatus to attend to some health concerns, but has returned as part of the full lineup for Dazzle Dazzle. Let’s find out if the group is able to dazzle their through this review and get a high rating.

To me, the song reminds me of the many female tracks that we got over the past few years that just never got popular in the industry. But guess what? Many of those songs were totally big highlights and standouts to me. And it seems like Dazzle Dazzle is going down that under appreciated route. Sorry to say that, but given the other big name artist that just dropped their new track today, Dazzle Dazzle will definitely be overshadowed. But here are some reasons to why you should check out this track. Firstly, the energy coming from the instrumental is so infectiously fun. The brass, the very bubbly synths and the synthpop backdrop in the chorus was just a fun and vibrant combination. The vocal work was pretty good. I really liked how they toned the track down for the bridge and how it allowed the vocals of Doyeon and Suyeon to be showcased in the limelight. I am not usually one to enjoy this, but I thought it was a good change in this song. I do find the rapping a little standard, but it was fitting for this track when I think back. The song was also smothered with catchy hooks, which definitely is appealing. Overall, I think the group did managed to dazzle me with Dazzle Dazzle.

Despite it being a pretty video, it wasn’t much to it. There some diamonds and other stuff to give off some dazzling effect. But I think the producers could have been a little more creative when it came to the music video. Maybe they could have revolved it around the diamond or something that dazzles. That is probably is a lame idea. But the video honestly needed a little more of something to give it some sort of memorable element. On a more positive note, I did think the video had a nice pastel colour palette and highlighted the visuals of the members in a beautiful manner.

I find the performance of the song pretty unique. The foot and hand move they did during the chorus and verse actually looked cool. It is probably very hard considering they need to move their limbs while balancing on one leg.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

It is time to start focusing on the releases for today! Literally kicking off today was Weki Meki, who released their new single at midnight (KST). It is called Tiki-Taka (99%) and it follows their promotions of Picky Picky, which was released back in May. 3 months on, the girl group has returned in time before Summer closes out for the year. (The 99% in the title simply misses that there is 1% that a person isn’t satisfied with their lover. Find that 1% and you will be perfect!)

To me, Tiki-Taka goes in a completely different direction to what they have released previously. It still follows the dance-pop genre that we know the group for. Just this one doesn’t have an ‘in-your-face’ type of hook, which has always been the case, as it becomes engraved into my mind with multiple listens. Nor is the instrumental of that nature as well, which has been the case for some of their tracks as well. Instead, everything is very toned back on those fronts. This resulted in a more melodic and vocal-dominant track, which I think was quite nice. This also makes Tiki-Taka so much easier to get into, which has been the case for some of their tracks in the past. The instrumental does fall into that typical route, so nothing worth mentioning. But it very upbeat and definitely a sound/energy rush you would want to hear closing out the Summer month. I say that because we are approaching the end of the season and the track seems to find a nice balance between the more upbeat season of Summer and the more vocally driven sound of Autumn. Overall, Tiki-Taka was a nice surprise from Weki Meki. 

If we were to cut out the introduction and the outro of the music video, I would have been satisfied. The members’ acting has been overly cringy in the past and it felt like that was the case in the music video’s opener and closer. Not even sure what was going on. It seems like the group was listening to some sort of message on the radio/alarm clock (i.e. a mission was being given). One member went to smash it, while everyone tried to stop her. Instead, it seems like they ignored the mission and went to have some fun. In the end, they discovered that the alarm clock followed them, which they were not happy about. The same member goes to smash it, with no one stopping her. As for the group having fun, I don’t find their parts overly cringy here as it was part of the fun concept you get throughout Summer.

Based on what I saw in the music video, the dance element of the comeback looks good. The chorus section and the Tiki-Taka part looks like it is going to be the best part of the choreography. Just nothing really stands out as an amazing section to constantly repeat video performances for. But we will have to wait and see.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

Yesterday, Weki Meki made their return to the stage with their latest single, Picky Picky. Once again, I was a tad busy to actually write any reviews yesterday. But it is here today. This is Weki Meki’s first comeback since the dynamic release of Crush in October of last year.

Picky Picky continues their ‘girl crush’ sound that they had as part of their Crush release. I thought the track had a nice edgy tone, which I really enjoyed. A prime example of the edginess came during the start and end of the song, which I thought was very addictive. The autotune really helped out with this section. The main hook of the track, the ‘I’m So Picky Picky‘ repetition was also quite nice but it wasn’t as impactful as the intro and outro of the track. But as the hooks drew my attention to the song, the verses became very forgettable. I am not sure why that is the case though. I thought the vocals were nice but they weren’t as memorable. The rapping was amazing but that is because I am already biased and the rapping in the song was mainly the intro/outro of the track (which I have already stated that I really enjoyed a few times). Overall, the track had a pleasing rush of energy and ended up being a decent track to follow on from the likes of Crush.

But I was not impressed was the schoolgirl concept they went with. Compared to the previous comeback (which is my standard for this review, if you have not realized), the use of a school girl concept for an edgy concept was rather odd and looked out of place (especially since they went with a private school girl look). Maybe it was their intention to be different but it just doesn’t work for me. What also didn’t work for me was their use of aegyo in the video, which also seemed out of place. It isn’t as overwhelming as other videos but there was enough to cause a negative reaction. As for the plotline, the girls blow up the science lab; get detention (which forced them to clean the music room); they ended up discovering a whole bunch of guitars, and started their band. I liked it as it went with the edgy sound but did not see where the aegyo really fitted in. For the most part, it is bearable but the above are thoughts I have in the back of my mind.

While I thought the verses in the song were forgettable, the opposite happened when it came for the choreography. I thought the moves for the verses looked dynamic and more interesting than the chorus. The main hook of the song felt slightly awkward for some odd reason. I really liked the final set of moves, where they moved as a group with the exception of one member. On top of that, I thought how they ended with the start was rather cool.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

With the ongoing issue regarding Fantagio, I did not expect to hear the return of their artists to the stage so soon. Astro surprised me with their special mini-album and Always You release. And now Weki Meki has returned with their second comeback of the year, the first being La La La. Kicks Kicks, the group’s first single album dropped on Thursday with Crush as the title track.

Crush gives off the same vibes as BLACKPINK’s songs do. However, it seems to be more pop than the hip-hop sound that BLACKPINK tends to go for. Crush is a tad messy with its overload of sound. It does get overwhelming during the initial listen but the song does grow on you as you listen to more of it. I thought the verses were good and I did like the explosion of instrumentation for the chorus (which is what I want when it comes to the most upbeat songs). The chorus was quite catchy but I felt they could have lowered the instrumentation a small amount because their voices were a little overshadowed by the music. I am also not a fan of the ‘Crush’ at the end of the first chorus (and end of the song). It just felt like it was thrown in there and didn’t really serve any purpose to the song. Vocals were okay and I thought they could have given more of Yoojung’s rap lines to another member. But overall, it was still a good song.

Watching this video, I felt like it was a BLACKPINK video mainly due to the presence of the black and pink throughout the video. I liked their concept but felt they could have fully committed. I didn’t like the producers presented the girls as cute and innocent when it came to what could have been an edgy concept. It just defeats the purpose of the ‘girl crush’ concept, in my opinion. Everything else was quite good just the execution of the video was a complete mismatch.

Their dance was a lot sexier and maturer than their previous comeback. And this does suit the song to an extent. It also proves my point in regards to the music video. Because when you see this dance routine, you do not think of cutesy girls.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

Weki Meki has officially returned with their first comeback since their debut with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend last year. This comeback features their second mini-album, Lucky and the title track, La La La.

To me, this new song is redemption from their disappointing debut track. La La La sounds so much better than I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend. But a common aspect between the two tracks is that the songs can be considered to be ‘in your face’. Their debut track was just obnoxious, while La La La seems to be more pleasing. The instrumental seems to fall under the standard KPOP umbrella. It just didn’t stick out to me but it was still good. Following the ‘in you face’ comment, the instrumental was definitely ‘loud’ as it dominates the entire song. However. the vocals were in the foreground of the song, as opposed to being hidden by the loud instrumental, which is a definite plus. I want to say the vocals and raps were good but I feel like they could have tweaked with some autotune to enhance the song. I am not a major fan of autotune as it can be overly used in songs but I think it would have definitely benefited this song. The chorus has potential to be catchy but it might take a few more listens for that to be a reality in my case, as it didn’t really stick the first time around.

Once again, the visuals for the comeback is amazing. It is one thing that Weki Meki nailed before and they nailed it once again. The girl crush concept really suits them. I am also a major fan of the sets for this music video. It looks extremely cool, particularly the one with the big flashing W in the background. That one scene where they walk towards the camera in one long line really blew my mind as if they were doing the walk on a catwalk.

Watching their dance performance, I really liked how in sync they were. I particularly like the pre-chorus routine they had, which I thought was a lot better than the chorus. I also like the body rolls just before the final chorus (2:10 ish of music video).

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

Fantagio’s latest girl group, Weki Meki, has finally made their debut with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend. The eight-member girl group is made up of Ji Suyeon, Elly, Choi Yoojung, Kim Doyeon, Sei, Lua, Rina and Lucy. You might find two of the names (Choi Yoojung and Kim Doyeon) very familiar as they participated in Produce 101 Season 1 and ended ranking in the top 11, thus forming I.O.I, which disbanded at the start of the year.

Let me start off by saying that the song caught my attention. But sadly, I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend is probably one of the messiest songs that I have ever heard in KPOP. You do get used to it after a while but those same initial feelings remained. All the members are rapping and singing, which is okay. For the most part, they sounded very good and there is clearly potential behind them. It’s the instrumentation that I don’t really understand. There seemed to be many styles jammed into the one song. It doesn’t necessarily sound bad but since there was a number of styles, it felt confusing and quite heavy in terms of its sound. People are saying it had a fierce sound, but I don’t really hear that. There was intensity in the song but I don’t think there was enough to give that ‘fierce’ label. Instead, that intensity seemed to has dissolved by the end of the song as it all felt very neutral by the time the song wrapped up. For example, the introduction was full of bass but the first verse was extremely flat and ‘mute’ in comparison to the bass-filled introduction.Looking at their mini-album, there were other songs that could have served as a better debut track, so it was fairly disappointing for us to be presented with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend.

The music video was actually pretty good. Unlike the song, visually a video full of different styles can be a lot cohesive. And that is what we got here. The girls were stunning in the video. It isn’t the best video out there, but it does justice for their debut. The colours were bold and bright, which made the video feel refreshing and perfect for the heat. They could have been a little more creative with the sets. Some of them looked a little boring. The fast editing made it hard to focus on the elements in the video, so I had to watch the video more than usual to be able to comment on the video.

It isn’t a mind-blowing dance but the choreography was pretty good. The only part that I was disappointed in was the ending, where they slow down the main point of their dance. That part of the song was already upbeat but did call for a less intense (or slower) set of dance moves. Just they made it look painfully slow.

Song – 4/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10