YENA returned to the stage just under two weeks ago with NEMONEMO. It is her first Korean comeback since January’s Good Morning. She also released new music in Japan.
NEMONEMO cannot have come around at a more perfect time. I have been pretty run down the last couple of weeks because of work. However, one of the things that has helped increase my energy levels has been NEMONEMO. The dopamine hit NEMONEMO delivers and the hyper energy from the fast-paced instrumental really impacted me as the listener, especially when the song unexpectedly popped up on the queue. The overly bright synths and the cutesy energy YENA packs into the song also help. Interestingly, this combination should have made NEMONEMO feel artificial and excessive, and I would generally avoid this type of song (with the usual exception or two). But there is something about YENA that somehow makes NEMONEMO okay and standable. It could be that this is YENA’s style, and I know I should expect that. It could also be how YENA still makes it feel like a substantial song. The bridge brought a nice infusion of vocals into the mix, and the verses felt similar. The choruses were fun, and NEMONEMO‘s hook was addictive. My main concern with NEMONEMO is actually its repetitiveness. I can see myself getting tired of the song quite quickly if it were on repeat, which is why I have gone out of my way not to have it on repeat. But for now, listening to NEMONEMO has been a blast.
NEMONEMO compares love to a square. Falling in love should be akin to something warm, fuzzy, and soft. However, YENA has difficulties appealing to her to-be boyfriend, so she describes their love as more like a crooked square. Squares are more rigid and so don’t fit the descriptors above. Plus, a crooked square is nowhere near perfect. In the video, he is more occupied with his phone while she tries to get his attention. He also makes her jealous by meeting other people and is too popular to notice her. So, she hatches a plan to get his attention by kicking a ball (or a cube in the video) into him. As he is rushed to the ambulance, she runs after him and worries about him, which makes him notice her in the moment and fall in love with her. At the end of the video, the guy is revealed to be Park Myungsoo. Overall, cute video.
Just like the rest of the comeback, the choreography is cute. YENA looks the part, too! The square is also present throughout the performance, and some rigid moves resemble a square’s qualities. Also, the fan chants for this comeback were insane.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.2/10
Welcome back to another Weekly KPOP Chart post! I am posting this a little later in the day (due to being a couch potato this weekend), which clashes with the time I usually set aside to work on other parts of the blog. So that I can get back to doing that, I will cut this introduction short and get right on it! Here is the Weekly KPOP Chart for the 2nd Week of October 2024.
What else am I listening to?
Replacing the ‘Throwback Song’ segment of the weekly KPOP chart posts is a ‘What else am I listening to?‘ segment in the world of KPOP. It is the same thing, but framed in a way that should eliminate the idea that a more recent song (say released in the last year) is a ‘throwback song’. This week’s song is APINK’s D N D.
Non-Korean Song of the Week
As this blog focuses primarily on KPOP songs, I want to draw attention to a particular song that isn’t in Korean in this part of the Weekly KPOP Chart post. That song will be the top-ranking non-Korean song on each Weekly KPOP Chart post. The highest-ranking non-Korean song for the 2nd Week of October 2024 is NCT DREAM’s Rains In Heaven, which ranks in the 5th position this week. Rains In Heaven was previously the non-Korean song of the week during the 4th week of August, and the 1st and 4th weeks of September 2024.
The Charts
YENA’s NEMONEMO is the top song, ranking in the top spot on the 2nd Week of October 2024’s Weekly KPOP Charts. Congratulations to YENA!
It has been almost a year since I posted an International Song Review post, a segment where I do mini-reviews for non-Korean songs released by some of our favourite KPOP artists. While I have covered some non-Korean songs this year, I have practically neglected this area of the blog, unfortunately, due to time pressures. Over the coming weeks, I will be looking to revive this segment to cover some great releases I have yet to cover on the blog and have chosen not to write in a separate standalone song review format.
Today, I will review non-Korean songs released in the last year by IVE, Kep1er, STAYC, YENA, and ITZY.
All Night – IVE ft. (SAWEETIE)
Language: English Release Date: 19 January 2024 Release Type: All Night (1st English Single)
IVE’s All Night is a remake of Icona Pop’s song of the same name and is marketed as their debut English single. The dance-pop instrumentation was fine, and Saweetie’s rap part was my favourite sequence in All Night. But I question what value IVE add to All Night. Yeah, their parts ring in my mind for a bit. But the members had no separate lines, and they all sang together for the entirety of the song. The promotional material could have easily said it was just one singer singing in the track, and I wouldn’t have known the difference. Furthermore, their vocals were oddly plain and lacked any characteristic that allows us to call it an IVE track. They were literally stripped of any identity in the song. There were some ad-libs towards the end, but they were very in the background, and I didn’t notice them until today.
As for the music video, most of it was IVE and Saweetie stuck in a small windowless office. If the video ventured anywhere else, it was either to the office lobby, the hallway or the elevator. Surely, the music video could have been a little more exciting and featured some choreography. I don’t think I am asking for much here. As for the performance, it was okay. Again, it was plain. But the members were all smiles, making the routine feel and look much better.
Overall Rating – 5.9/`10
Grand Prix – Kep1er
Language: Japanese Release Date: 22 November 2023 Release Type: FLY-HIGH (3rd Japanese Single)
Ending Kep1er’s busy 2023 was the release of Grand Prix. While most of Grand Prix was simply fine, the chorus was a big miss for me. I appreciate that it tries to be different, but it was just too much of a disruption from the flow and energy the verses were building up. The weightiness and heaviness didn’t match the brighter vibe the verses were going for. The dragged-out refrain just ended up feeling sluggish and felt awkward. To revisit an earlier point, ‘simply fine’ doesn’t mean that Grand Prix‘s other parts are okay. The verses didn’t have much to grab onto and were largely forgettable. But considering the entirety of Grand Prix, the verses were not the weakest parts of the song. Sorry that I don’t like this song, but I would recommend their more recent Shooting Star comeback in Korea.
As for the music video, it is obvious and logical to go with a racing concept. While it did, I expected more of the video to focus on the members in a car or the race track potentially, rather than in a store selling toy race cars. Also, their outfits could have better aligned with the concept. For the choreography, I thought it was a good form of edgy when it comes to the chorus. I may not like the song, but I can see past that to appreciate the performance.
Overall Rating – 5.9/10
LIT – STAYC
Language: Japanese Release Date: 6 December 2023 Release Type: LIT (3rd Japanese Single)
To be honest, I also don’t remember too much of LIT after nine months. Relistening for the purposes of this review, I recognise LIT‘s potential, thanks to its catchy chorus. However, the final product played it fairly safe. The instrumental keeps to plain synths and a cutesy sound, thanks to those twinkling sounds in the background of the choruses. Most Japanese tracks by KPOP artists follow this formula. Rarely does it work. More often than not, like in LIT, it feels constricting and forced. The members appear to contribute to this cutesy demeanour with their playfully toned delivery, though I am not as upset with this as it is their hallmark in KPOP. The ad-libs and the follow-up to the first and second choruses were definitely the best parts of the song, which is where the relevant members break away from the consistency of the track and do their own thing. I think the instrumental could have been reframed to be slightly edgier, which could have given LIT a breath of new life.
The music video shows the members enjoying their lives, reminding us it can be lit wherever you are. The choreography was okay, and there was nothing groundbreaking or new from the group here.
Overall Rating – 7/10
DNA – YENA
Language: Japanese Release Date: 7 February 2024 Release Type: DNA (2nd Japanese Single)
YENA’s DNA is her first original Japanese single. Based on her solo releases in Korea, DNA‘s venture into the pop-rock genre isn’t much of a surprise to me. What surprised me is how muted the song comes across despite the presence of a rock band alongside YENA in DNA. I am unsure what caused it, but I keep feeling an imaginary barrier prevents DNA from realizing its full potential. The fact that DNA doesn’t sound electrifying weakens the song’s appeal for me. Her vocals were solid and consistent throughout DNA, but the thought of it coming off plainly and too sweet also lingers. This dampens the appeal of the song further but doesn’t do as much compared to the instrumentation.
The music video shows YENA rocking it out with the band in the background. Her attire fits the JPOP landscape well, ticking the cutesy and edgy boxes. The post-production was an intelligent move from the production team, as the various sketches and effects give the video a little more than just the industrial-esque backgrounds.
Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Algorhythm – ITZY
Language: Japanese Release Date: 15 May 2024 Release Type: Algorhthym (3rd Japanese Single)
Personally, I enjoyed Algorhythm. The upbeat deep house instrumental was quite remarkable, and their delivery was fun and classy. Had they stopped after the second run of the chorus, I think I would have been fine with the track—though I can’t promise that I wouldn’t comment about its length if that were the case. The change-up that we get right after the second chorus was really unnecessary. It was obnoxiously abrasive and loud (relatively speaking, which says a lot if that comment is coming from me), which did not complement the rest of the song. And that is a pity, as I liked everything except the change-up instrumental break. It does make for a good performance piece, however.
For the music video, the first half features the members as robots. The glitches during this section made the footage look rather cool. Halfway through the video, it is revealed that the members were simply shooting a fun video within the music video, after which they attempted to go on a holiday (I presume). But when you think the video ends, the members disrupt that thought and have a dance break at the airport. Interesting concept. As for the performance, it is the best out of the five releases that form this post. The routine started off doll-like, and then the moves became much more human-like. But the peak of the routine is undoubtedly the powerful dance break, which is aligned with the disliked instrumental break.
The next album up for review on my blog is YENA’s GOOD MORNING, her 3rd mini-album, which dropped in January of this year. It features the title track of the same name. The mini-album also follows on from YENA’s Hate XX single album that was released about 6 months prior to this release. I am particularly excited to review this album because it contains a song that really caught my attention back when it was released and I have been revisiting it quite often because it is soooo good. The rest of the mini-album follows the same vein, but this one particular song is just next level. Okay, enough hyping – find out which song that is by reading through the rest of the review.
2. Good Girls In The Dark – Good Girls In The Dark brings out a much darker and mature vibe from YENA. There is something about this track that I find so familiar. It might be simply that the track does reminds people (me included) of last year’s WICKED LOVE. But I think this sense of familiarity goes further than that. The guitar sets the moody tone, the bass gives Good Girls In The Dark some nice definition and a good thumping beat, while the synths helps makes the backing feel full and substantial. YENA’s vibrant vocals gives the track an alluring charm. I found it very hard to turn away from Good Girls In The Dark. (9/10)
3. Damn U – YENA finds herself in rock territory with Damn U. And this track is the exact reason why I am so keen to review this mini-album. The track starts off in with a swaying melody. Very vocal driven and soothing. When we get to the pre-choruses, the track becomes more dramatic and it takes us in the direction of a more punkish sound. I really like the “Woo Ooh” backing vocals in this part. As for the chorus, the rock sound comes through energetically. I personally loved the chorus and found myself rocking to the track with no shame on many occasions. The second verse sees YENA successful execute some rap, while the bridge revisits how the song started (which makes the final chorus even more impactful). Damn U is, without doubt, my favourite song on the album. (10/10)
4. Ugly Duckling – Ending this short mini-album is Ugly Duckling. We hear a more emotional tinge to both the rock instrumentation and YENA’s vocal delivery. Because of this, Ugly Duckling ends up being a song that you kind of have to reflect on. When doing that, you will find the track is about her persistence and resilience to the pressures around her. The lyrics are quite meaningful and inspirational, and I recommend you read through them (or find a translation) to really understand the track. (9/10)
Making her comeback yesterday was YENA, who returned with the single Good Morning and the mini-album of the same name. This is YENA’s first comeback since the release of Hate Rodrigo (which I have yet to, and probably won’t get around to, reviewing). For those who missed it, Hate Rodrigo ended up being quite controversial, as the music video featured images of Olivia Rodrigo (who, if you cannot tell by the title of the song, is the subject of the song) and this was seen as being a trademark and copyright issue. The music video ended up being taken down and re-edited to remove the images, but by then the public was not positively receiving the song as it was perceived to be about hating the famous pop star. In the end, the comeback was cut short and we haven’t heard much from YENA until yesterday.
For Good Morning, YENA takes us down an energetic and powerful pop rock/punk sound, which is bound to wake you up if you have a groggy morning. It definitely takes us back to her debut, which was of a similar sound. It is just Good Morning is very much amped up and bolder. I personally really enjoyed that rush of adrenaline and exhilarating feeling that comes right off the instrumentation of Good Morning. As for YENA’s vocals, one of her strengths is that she sounds extremely youthful, bright and sweet. This always contrasts well with the punk and intense rock vibes, and creates an interesting dynamic. Some female groups and artists have tried to pull it off in the past, but I don’t think anyone has ever been as successful with this style. And Good Morning is another great example to YENA’s repertoire. I also liked the airier and stripped back approach of the bridge, which gives YENA a chance to showcase a different side of her vocals, and I like how it gave her an opportunity to push the boundaries a bit with her vocals. Overall, Good Morning is thrilling and is a great dose if you are looking for a pop/punk rock sound.
The song is about ‘letting go of yesterday’s concerns and tomorrow’s worries while welcoming a good morning’ (taken from SOOMPI). And we see that in this video. We see her either travelling from or to work on the train, with one of the carriages set up to look like an office. We then see that this is like a dream sequence, with her waking up at midnight and see office workers outside her window – how scary indeed! From there, we see her tackle her worries. The masked dancers, I guess, represent her worries and she pulls the microphone from the stone (as a play on the story of The Sword in the Stone) to fight off her worries, which was successful in the end. She manages to fight back and scare them away. Parts of the video looked very cool, while other parts were cutesy and funny. She and the team behind the music video definitely know what they are doing and pulls it off well.
The choreography looks good. YENA doesn’t really participate as much as I had hoped. Instead, she spends most of the time with her microphone and singing live. That being said, the way she is interwoven into the choreography (executed by the dancers) was clever. There was also chemistry between her and the dancers, which is a good thing for the viewers to see.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 8.5/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.7/10
Following her solo debut in January 2022 with SMILEY and subsequent comeback in August of 2022 with SMARTPHONE, YENA is officially back with a new song release. The title of the new single is Love War, and the single also features rapper BE’O (who gained popularity through his participating in Show Me The Money 10 and his subsequent music releases since then).
What a drastic change to YENA’s sound. Last year, it was all about bright and addictive pop rock energy. This time around, YENA has gone for a much more mature sound, delving into the R&B genre. While I enjoy a good switch up and don’t mind YENA’s change in direction with Love War, I do think Love War could have been a bit more appealing. Personally, YENA could have gone with a more memorable melody for the chorus. I just can’t seem to pinpoint a strong melody in the first half. Luckily, Love War‘s main hook (“Oh My Lover, Its a Love War“) does have a memorable factor, though it is rather plain upon reflection. I also felt the choruses was too similar to YENA’s verse, with the only difference I personally could detect was some amplification. On a more positive note though, I really love YENA’s vocals in Love War. The soft and husky tone she brings just sounds so good, and brings a sense of fragility and vulnerability to the song, I also love her falsetto that she reaches following BE’O’s rap. That was perfection and handled really well. BE’O’s rap was a bit interesting. Part of me feels like he overpowers YENA’s presence in the song with his stronger oomph he puts behind his delivery/verse. But listening to Love War a few more times since its release has warmed me up to his sequence a bit more. I do like how both YENA and BE’O come together to deliver the final chorus, which I found to be a nice touch. Overall, I do like the change in direction (despite also missing the pop rock phase that YENA debuted with). Though more could have been done with Love War.
Love War (which is a play on the word Lover, as both sounds similar) describes the precarious point in the relationship where the couple are fighting with one another. They used to be in love, but that same spark just isn’t there anymore. In fact, a much different spark is present. This video depicts both YENA and BE’O having that fight. It is a tense and dark atmosphere at the dining table (with literal storms in the background). We see scenes of her storming away, setting the place on fire, throwing things about to express her frustration. On BE’O’s end, we see him in the corridor, as if he just left the apartment after a verbal fight to cool down. In the end, we see YENA takes extreme measures and approach BE’O in the streets with a gun, further highlighting the lyrics of Love War. Overall, I think this video nails the message behind the song and the lyrics. I also commend the pair on their acting.
I quite enjoyed the performance. There was a bit of choreography, but it was kept to a minimum. Instead, the focus was on the delivery, which I appreciate. It starts off with a couple (not YENA and BE’O involved) having a fight. It is a short one, but it sets the scene for this performance. We then get some dancers doing their thing, while YENA joins in during the key and doable parts that doesn’t distract her from her live vocals. BE’O joins her on stage for his rap. But the concept of this whole comeback is that they are angry with another and they do a good job of showing that. I quite liked the ending, where both YENA and BE’O separates and walk in different directions, ending the video in a very cool but fitting note.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.3/10
And the week long album reviews continue with this post being focused on YENA’s second mini-album, SMARTPHONE. The mini-album was released at the start of August, alongside the title track of the same name. Alongside the title track are four additional side tracks. SMARTPHONE follows the release of YENA’s debut mini-album, x‿x (SMiLEY), from very early on in the year.
YENA’s debut mini-album was a standout for a debut act. This time around, I feel YENA’s album release was a bit more typical, but it is still a fairly strong album release nonetheless. The SMARTPHONE title track was by far my favourite from the mini-album. Do you agree with me? Let me know in the comments below.
SMARTPHONE Album Cover
1. Make U Smile – Starting off the mini-album is a ballad. Usually, ballads are kept for the end of the album, but it isn’t unheard of for ballads to be place in the front of the release. YENA sounds really beautiful throughout Make U Smile. I liked that she sings in both low and high registers, and that her vocals were quite airy. The instrumentation was quite soothing and dreamy. (8/10)
3. WithOrWithOut – YENA revisits the punk genre with WithOrWithOut. You might remember the likes of Lxxk 2 U from her first mini-album, which was also delved into the punk genre and was a favourite of mine. WithOrWithOut is a bit softer around the edges, but it still has that nostalgic feel to it. Of course, this song is best during the chorus when the energy is at a high, and the bridge was super awesome. Her brief stints of rapping in the bridge in particular were awesome. (8.5/10)
4. Lemon-Aid – Lemon-Aid goes down the pop path. The instrumental alone was already extremely enjoyable and just hits right, for me. The energy that YENA and the instrumental comes together to form successfully brings a smile to my face. YENA’s vocals are cutesy and I am not too troubled by this. Her rapping was probably the weakest aspects of the song, especially in the pre-choruses. I wished they were just vocals in a similar manner to elsewhere in the song. (8/10)
5. U – The final song on the album is U, and this is probably the style I would have expected from YENA from the very start of her solo career. The pop instrumentation was fun and YENA’s vocals were quite cutesy sounding. It is just a bit too sweet for me personal taste, but it was still a neat way to round out the mini-album. (7/10)
We return to the usual transmission of reviews for new releases with the latest comeback. This particular comeback belongs to YENA, who made her solo debut earlier this year with the single SMILEY (ft. BIBI) following her IZ*ONE days. Today, YENA returns with a new single SMARTPHONE and her second mini-album of the same name.
YENA continues to delve into that fun style for this comeback, the same approach she took with her debut track. I must admit that I didn’t necessarily fall head over heels for SMARTPHONE upon the first listen like I did with SMILEY. But this fun style is definitely infectious and I was soon enjoying the track by just having a second listen. The instrumental definitely helps out a lot with this, taking on a very upbeat and energetic pop rock style that is pretty much all the rage now in KPOP. I do think SMARTPHONE‘s approach was more blastful, which instantly earns points for me. There was just so much energy coming from the chorus when the pop rock was at its strongest and coming at us relentlessly. I also enjoyed the extra oomph the synths added to the song, which was gave the song some additional appeal points. The pop rock was the more prominent aspect of SMARTPHONE, so the synths acted like detailing in the song. YENA sounds awesome in this song, with her youthful vocals and raps. The energy she brings into the SMARTPHONE is extremely bright, adding more to that fun and perky style of music I mentioned at the start. And it also helps that SMARTPHONE‘s hooks were catchy and addictive. If I had to be critical, I would point out the pre-choruses were the weakest part of the song, in my opinion. They just didn’t have the momentum I felt it should have to lead from the verses and lead to the choruses. But that had minimal impact upon me enjoying SMARTPHONE!
To match the fun and energetic style of SMARTPHONE, the music video takes it all on board with quite a concept. Essentially, YENA is part of a smartphone game, where she needs to save her friends from the evil and menacing duck, who has kidnapped them. She succeeds, giving the evil duck an uppercut. It was quite cute that the evil duck had sent its duck minions to fight YENA, which she easily defeated. In the end, they all party together – friends and foe – showing the light hearted nature of the video. Aside from the concept, I liked that the video was bright and colourful, and never lets up on these fronts.
The choreography looks great. It embodies the energetic nature of the song really well. I also liked the cuteness element to the choreography. Usually, I am not a fan of this. But I find YENA to be very adorable and her expressions just brought the stage to a whole new level. I quite the like the hand movements during the song’s chorus hooks, and the parts where her tongue are sticking out are quite memorable.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8.5/10 Overall Rating – 8.9/10
As already mentioned on this blog somewhere (most likely the Weekly KPOP Charts posts), we are officially in July 2022. And that means that an entire 6 months has already past. Per usual, a substantial number of KPOP releases have been released, many of which have been on repeat. Keeping to tradition in July, it is time to post a list of my personal favourite songs from the 1st half of 2022.
I am doing things slightly different this year. In addition to the usual 10 songs (in no particular order) for the first half of 2022, I will also be posting two songs from the November – December 2021 period, which were ineligible for the 2021 KPOPREVIEWED Awards due to the cut off date being in October. And I will be posting 3 non-Korean songs (i.e. English, Japanese etc.) by Korean artists that caught my attention so far this year. So without furtherado, here are the list of my personal favourite songs of the year thus far (in no particular order, of course).
From November – December 2021
Personal favourite non-Korean songs of 2022 thus far
Personal favourite KPOP songs of the year so far (January – June 2022)
Next up on the album review front is YENA’s solo debut mini-album, creatively titled as x‿x (SMiLEY). It features the title track SMILEY (which features soloist BIBI) and dropped on 18 January 2022. There are four additional side tracks on this album, as well. This release is YENA’s biggest promotion (to date) following the disbandment of IZ*ONE in early 2021.
Overall, another strong album release, this time for a solo debut. It is already led by the amazing title track, SMILEY, which you can read the full review below. And the additional four side tracks definitely showcase more of YENA’s potential as a solo artist going into the future. I can’t wait to see what new tracks YENA will comeback with in the future! Until then, here is my album review for x‿x (SMiLEY).
PS. The second album review that was supposed to come out today will be delayed until tomorrow. 🙂
x‿x SMiLEY Album Cover
1. Before Anyone Else – Starting off her first mini-album is a ballad. Usually, the ballads are kept towards the second half or ends of an album, and I can see why that is the case with this song. Personally, Before Anyone Else isn’t my cup of tea, simply because it a fairly slow ballad. I like my fair share of ballads, but this one didn’t have too much going on in it and felt too consistent from start to end. And it also started off the album in a pretty sluggish manner. Despite that, the ballad did what ballads do best – that is showcase the vocals. And Before Anyone Else did just that, with Yena coming off as dreamy and soothing throughout this song. (7/10)
3. LxxK 2 U –LxxK 2 U continues the rock sound from the title track, combining it with pop. The chorus was extremely memorable thanks to the melody and the energy that comes off it (head-banging in a way). What really stood out to me in Lxxk 2 U was how the rock element complimented YENA, never overpowering or overstepping the artist. Even during the bridge where we got angsty YENA, the intensity of the autotune and rock increased sufficiently to give off that angsty vibe but keep it within the wheelhouse of YENA herself. Compared to the rest of the song, the bridge was a bit of a curveball, but it managed to work without departing too far from the rest of Lxxk 2 U. (10/10)
4. PRETTY BOYS – PRETTY BOYS almost comes in as my favourite side track on this album (potentially a tie with Lxxk 2 U), but narrowly misses out. I really like the funky vibes from this track and the retro direction that the instrumental took. It is pretty much on point with what else is going in the industry at the moment. The repetitive hooks throughout PRETTY BOYS really made the song catchy for me. Combine that with the energy of the upbeat instrumental, you have a winning formula. However, when it came to her raps in this song, I wished the instrumental concentrated slightly, just to give those raps a bit more zing in this already upbeat track. (9/10)
5. VACAY – The album ends of with a fairly straight forward pop track. There is some good energy that comes from this track that reminds me of Summer, and I think this is a great song to have on repeat during those incoming hot months (for you Northern Hemisphere people). One thing that I haven’t yet commended YENA on for are her high pitch vocals. And while she does extremely well with them throughout the album, VACAY really showed off her tone and control. I also like how she manages to portray that summer energy in her voice as well. (8/10)
Next up on the reviewing block is probably my favourite release from Monday. That title goes to YENA’s solo debut track, SMILEY, which also features soloist BIBI. The track is featured on YENA’s first solo mini-album, which shares the same name as the title track with a cute smiley face preceding it (ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)). For those who don’t know YENA, you might better recognize her with her full name, Choi Yena, and she is one of the former IZ*ONE members to recently make their debut. She does so from under Yuehua Entertainment, which is home to EVERGLOW and WOODZ. She is also known for being Choi Sungmin’s (former member of SPEED and COED School) sister.
SMILEY (the song) does exactly what the title says. It made me smile and I can’t seem to get it out of my head. The amount of times I have revisited the song over the last few days since its release may suggest a bit of an obsession towards the song. I have no regrets and I can’t help it that I am totally loving it. There is so much to point out, despite it being a relatively simple track. SMILEY steers down the pop rock sound, with an energetic and upbeat instrumentation that brings forth a nostalgic vibe of the 2000s pop rock. YENA’s vocals were perfectly executed throughout the song, adding sweetness, cuteness (to give SMILEY a bubble-gum tinge to the track) and is such a great carrier of the melodies and hooks within SMILEY. The pairing of both vocals and instrumentation just makes me want to get up and dance (like the guy in the video) and it is quite infectious. I also like the autotuned pre-chorus, which acts like a mini momentum builder to the chorus and helps makes the centerpiece more explosive. BIBI’s featuring in the song is quite interesting as it offsets YENA. But at no point does BIBI overshadows YENA, and the edginess that BIBI brings to SMILEY helps balances out the song to prevent it from becoming oversaturated in sweetness and cuteness. Personally, I don’t think that was going to be a problem (this time around), but I see where the BIBI’s featuring is coming from. It also helped that BIBI’s sequence also used a higher tone, which compliments YENA’s vocals. Another thing about SMILEY that I really enjoyed is the messaging behind the track, which simply says to keep on smiling. Overall, SMILEY is a fun, addictive and wholesome song that I just cannot get enough of.
I will be honest, the opening to the music video when I watched it for the first time was a bit cringy. While it does set up the music video and YENA’s character as this smiley superhero, it just felt a bit too much for me. Now, after watching the music video a few times, the cringy undertones aren’t really there anymore. Anyhow, YENA’s character is a superhero whose superpower is to spread smiles everywhere. She does so after helping a boy get a balloon off the roof of the building (an important detail). After she spreads her happiness in the diner, she leaves to spread her happiness in the darkest depths of the planet (the Shady, who conveniently lives in the snowiest and coldest place on Earth). BIBI arrives to spread her darkness around, but I think she ends up being more interested in helping YENA by sending some of her power to help YENA combat the cold by upgrading her outfit with a bit of BIBI’s own dark taste. Unfortunately, the cold is too much and YENA collapses. But we do see the SHADY becoming infected with YENA’s happiness and goes out to help her. It turns out SHADY was actually the little boy who appeared at the start of the video and repays YENA’s action by helping her out. So, YENA recovers, continues to spread her happiness around the world (and turns it into a rubber duck in the process), returns to the diner at the start of the video to just rock it out. A fun, cute and playful concept that I really enjoyed.
The performance makes my smile even wider with YENA’s cuteness dominating the performance. Just like the concept of the video, the performance was fun, playful and definitely energetic and bubbly as well. Very suitable for the song and its energy!
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
KPOPREVIEWED 