Tag: YOON SAN-HA (ASTRO)

YOON SAN-HA made his solo comeback back in July with his second mini-album, CHAMELEON, and the single EXTRA VIRGIN. It is his first solo release since his solo debut last year with DUSK (led by the single Dive. He also made his return to acting recently through the Korean drama My Girlfriend Is The Man!. Meanwhile, fellow members MJ and JINJIN have formed a subunit, ZOONZINI (their debut single, Some Things Never Change, dropped last week – review to come), while CHA EUN WOO recently enlisted in the military.

EXTRA VIRGIN is such a snazzy track. Right off the bat, it is hard to avoid the extremely funky and upbeat nature of the song. Amongst this, EXTRA VIRGIN brings us groovy percussion, a tinge of country twang and interesting synth choices that consistently have made me think my phone notifications were going off, when in reality my phone is always on silent mode. YOON SAN-HA is extremely charming throughout EXTRA VIRGIN. His delivery was very bright and energetic, capitalising on his youthful personality. While the chorus did feel inherently strong, particularly with the shouty beginning, I did think stronger melodies would have strengthened the chorus further. But my personal favourite part of EXTRA VIRGIN was the bridge. The instrumental break was enjoyable, while the build-up from YOON SAN-HA that follows was really satisfying. The ad-libs at the end were also great, but I think there was room to be even punchier and not feel as constrained.

EXTRA VIRGIN‘s meaning is funny yet abstract and different, with YOON SAN-HA confirming the song is about being premium and top-tier, similar to how ‘extra virgin’ olive oil is relative to other types of olive oils. In the lyrics, YOON SAN-HA expresses the idea that he can be anything his partner wants him to be, proving himself to be of a premium standard. The music video sees YOON SAN-HA attempt to find a way to get into the city from outside the town. I suppose the country twang in the song and the cowboy hat he wears during the video imply that YOON SAN-HA starts off in the countryside and wants to be a city person, to be with the person he is pursuing. That is only what I got out of the video and lyrics, so I could be totally wrong with my interpretation of it all.

YOON SAN-HA was awesome on stage throughout this comeback. Just like what the song calls for, the choreography is energetic and upbeat. But the main selling point was how YOON SAN-HA really got into the performance. His facial expressions gave off a mischievous vibe (which was what he was going for, as confirmed in an interview that I read for this comeback), which adds to the fun vibe the song had.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

YOON SAN-HA made his solo debut eight years after debuting as part of ASTRO. His debut consists of the mini-album Dusk and the lead single Dive. This follows ASTRO’s surprise 8th-anniversary song Circles and their strong focus on solo work—CHA EUNWOO’s solo debut with STAY, a string of songs released by JinJin through his JIN LAB Project, MJ’s musical/OST works and a drama for the member of focus of today’s review.

It is great to hear from YOON SAN-HA after so long. I honestly thought Fantagio had forgotten about him – especially since he has grown considerably as a vocalist since ASTRO’s debut in 2016. It would be a pity for him to be absent from the music scene any longer. Dive is an alternative R&B track with a prolific chorus and heavy bass that gives so much definition to the song. I quite enjoyed the instrumentation as it is. I like how the verses simmer while Dive‘s full potential is reached in the chorus. YOON SAN-HA’s vocals can be described similarly. There is a nice deep tone to the new soloist’s vocals during the verses that match the tone of the background wonderfully. As for the chorus, YOON SAN-HA soars up high alongside the background when its powerfulness kicks in. I also like the emotions he puts into his delivery throughout Dive. It makes the song sound so much more powerful and passionate. However, Dive does have two problems in my mind. The first is the lack of a strong hook or clean melody to make the Dive more memorable. Everything I heard in Dive that could have served as a strong hook or clean melody just doesn’t feel fruitful enough. Secondly, I continually expect a bridge and final chorus once Dive ends. I don’t know if this feeling will be lost with further listens, but I keep expecting something more at the end of Dive to finish the song satisfyingly. But what we do get in Dive already makes it a strong solo debut release.

Dive expresses the loneliness caused by the departure of a loved one from one’s life. From what I got from the lyrics, his feelings for that person linger, and he regrets how things ended between them. In the music video, we see YOON SAN-HA alone in all of the scenes, depicting the loneliness he continually mentions in the song. But his acting really shows the emotional fatigue one gets following a breakup, and in the context of the song, processing that lonely feeling. With that in mind, however, I am not exactly sure what in the video would make me want to revisit it down the track. It is one of those videos you need to watch once, and you know the gist of things. It doesn’t help that it is straightforward and has only one constant theme throughout the scenes.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10