Tag: Youngjae (GOT7)

[Album Review] Do It (1st Studio Album) – YOUNGJAE (GOT7)

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged , Leave a comment

For those who don’t know, I am a massive fan of GOT7 and the member that always drew me in was GOT7’s main vocalist, Youngjae. So naturally, I just have to make time and sit down to write a review for Youngjae’s studio album release, Do It. Youngjae’s Do It was released back in November 2023 and features a total of 10 songs, which includes the title track of the same name. Bias aside, I like the album. It isn’t the knock out album that I seek, but it is another great taste into what Youngjae has to offer as a solo artist, following his past mini-album releases of Colors from Ars (lead by Vibin) and SUGAR (lead by the title track of the same name).

Do It Album Cover

1. Flower – Starting the studio album is the synth pop Flower. I liked the prominence of Youngjae’s vocals over the synth instrumentation. I also enjoyed the impact that Flower (as a whole) has impact as an opening track – thanks to those prominent vocals and hefty synth work. (8/10)

2. Do It (Title Track) – Click here to read my review for Do It. (8/10)

3. Deal – Youngjae turns to a groovy motif for Deal. I really enjoyed his vocals in this track, as it had so much character and personality from Youngjae. The instrumentation made me want to boogie in my chair, as well. The unexpected moment in Deal is definitely Youngjae rapping in the bridge and he does so effortlessly. The meatier tone that he uses is definitely shocking for a fan like me, but I also like how his vocals backs up the rapping in the latter parts. A definitely strong track on this album. (9/10)

4. Dreaming Again – R&B and synths comes together in Dreaming Again. It is a good song, again with prominent vocals from the solo artist and some trendy twinkling synths. I do wish that both aspects of the song were toned down a bit to potentially appear more aesthetic, and that there was something to cut through the consistency of the track. I think both of these could improve Dreaming Again by quite a bit. (7/10)

5. Problem – Youngjae returns with a deeper tone and a really slinky R&B instrumentation in Problem. Both sets Problem up quite well and are carried throughout the track. I also liked the touch of bass in the background and how his vocals climb towards the end. The song also features catchy melodies and hooks, which helps making Problem a memorable track to me. (9/10)

6. Errr Day – Err Day is actually a single released much earlier in 2023 and is one that I haven’t been able to review yet (it also got a music video; in case you missed it). The track itself has a nice light summery vibe, which complements the warmer season that was approaching at the time of release. Err Day also features dreamy vocals from Youngjae, which helped make the melody comforting and pleasant sounding. (8.5/10)

7. Fluffy – If you are a fan of Youngjae, you are probably aware that he has a pet dog named Coco. And he is definitely massively in love with Coco, given that Fluffy isn’t the first song he has written for his dog. Regardless if you knew the context of the track or not, Fluffy is definitely a sweet-sounding track – you can definitely feel the love from Youngjae. I liked the guitar and wooden xylophone in the background, particularly since they gave Fluffy such a playful and fun vibe. (8/10)

8. Snooze – Snooze brings the acoustic guitar into play, whilst also bringing back the dreamy and comforting vocals that we have heard earlier on in the album. While the track isn’t usually my style or go-to, I can’t help but smile to the track. Youngjae has always had that effect on me, and Snooze is just proof of that in song form. (8/10)

9. Thinking of You (자꾸 네가) – Thinking of You is the ballad you could see a mile away. It is beautifully instrumented with piano and Youngjae’s vocals are quite captivating, especially as you get towards the end. The band instrumentation that kicks in for the final chorus brings the track home. Definitely one of the best tracks on this album. (9/10)

10. Never Leave You Again – The final track on Youngjae’s first studio album is Never Leave You Again, a song from him to his fans. I am sure fans of his (and GOT7 more widely) have found this to be a touching song. Music wise, I really like his vocals in this track, especially when they are backed by his own backing vocals. While it could have been a ballad, I also appreciate the pop vibes that feature in Never Leave You Again. It feels on brand for Youngjae. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

Youngjae’s Do It Teaser Image

[Review] Do It – Youngjae (GOT7)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

Youngjae made his solo comeback last week with his first studio album and title track, both of which are titled Do It. Since his last review on the blog (2022’s SUGAR), Youngjae has gone a tour with following his 2022 mini-album that Sugar is featured on, released a digital single Err Day earlier this year (which is featured on the new album), and has been active in a musical and on his radio show.

Youngjae’s Do It is a simple and melodic pop track. It is simple to the point where there isn’t too much to say about the song, which can either be a good or bad observation. Since I am a fan of Youngjae’s, I will admit I lean towards the “good”. Do It is straight forward, easy to get into and feels like an extension of Youngjae’s bubbly and ‘boy next door’ personality that I have grown to associate with the artist. The instrumental was warm and inviting, featuring a slight groove that makes the background enjoyable. Youngjae, himself, offers a lightness to Do It via his vocals and melodies that makes it a pleasant and easy-on-the-ears listen (as already mentioned). The flow of Do It is also quite good. While everything I have mention points towards Do It being a very lovely song to listen to, I do find Do It to be quite quite reserved and safe. It barely strays away from how it starts. I wish Youngjae offered something with a bit more flair, especially since I do think that Youngjae has the potential to offer something else that isn’t too straight forward and simple. But nonetheless, Do It is still an enjoyable song.

While Do It is pretty safe and simple, the music video is much more than that. In the music video for Do It, we see Youngjae develop a crush on a waitress at the diner. He follows her out of the diner when she goes out to throw out the trash, but he is met with no one outside and a truck crashes into him shortly after. From there, we see Youngjae wake up in his bed (very much alive) and the calendar flip backwards, suggesting a Groundhog Day type of scenario. Throughout the subsequent scenes, we see Youngjae pursue the waitress in what looks to be romantic scenes (e.g., the infamous Tobey McGuire Spiderman catching his crush/lunch tray of food scene; putting headphones on his crush’s head like in that one romantic movie; shooting a zombie to save his crush from being bitten etc.). But they all end horribly in some form (e.g., Youngjae fails at catching the food and causes a mess for his crush to clean up/looks uncool; rocks up to the party with headphones in hand but finds crush is embracing someone else; crush was already bitten, turned into a zombie and ends up biting Youngjae), which all result in Youngjae waking up at the start of the same day. The only way out is to successfully catch the waitress’ attention. And in the end, we don’t really know if he was successful – though the ending is open ended. Other than that, the video shows off the bubbly and fun side of Youngjae, exploring different concepts and looks that all look great on Youngjae.

Every time I watch the performance for Do It, I found myself smiling. That bubbly (recurring word of the post!) and fun nature comes through the choreography, and Youngjae’s interaction with the dancers adds to that directly. I really like the set of moves at the start of the chorus (up until and including the body wave) – this sequence pretty serves as the key dance point of the routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Album Review] SUGAR (2nd Mini Album) – YOUNGJAE (GOT7)

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged , 2 Comments

Youngjae’s second mini-album, SUGAR, released mid June is the next album to be reviewed. I think, by now, you can tell I am not sticking to any particular order for these album reviews. I am just posting the ones that I have completed, and so longer albums (i.e., those that are studio length) will be published later. For now, I will be looking into SUGAR, Youngjae’s latest mini-album release that features the title of the same name and four other side tracks. SUGAR (both the mini-album and title track) follows Youngjae’s debut mini-album Colors from Ars, and title track Vibin’, from October of last year.

As you can see, I didn’t review Youngjae’s debut mini-album. So I promised to myself that I would review a future release from Youngjae, subjected to the usual vetting process that I have for the album review segment of the blog (i.e. an initial listen to see if the album has much to talk about and/or is worth writing a review for), and I was quite satisfied that SUGAR was good enough for an album review following the vetting process. In addition to the catchy and fun title track from SUGAR, there are a few other strong tracks that I would recommend you tune in for when listening to this mini-album. Read on to find out which songs these are.

SUGAR Album Cover

1. SUGAR (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for SUGAR. (8/10)

2. Focus – Focus carries forward the upbeat nature of SUGAR, this time mixing the likes of R&B and pop together to create a very satisfying track. I really liked how Focus didn’t feel heavy or serious. It has this laidback vibe and a fun tone to it. The energy, Youngjae’s vocals and melodies from Focus made me smile, and I also have a small boogie very now and then when the song hits just right. An instant favourite for me. (9/10)

3. Crema – Youngjae dives deeper into the R&B genre with Crema. Parts of the instrumentation feature a coffee house like vibe or dreamy orchestral, but other parts just have some extra bass that just doesn’t fit that environment. Regardless of which part of the song, there is still a nice upbeat kick to the song that helps the song not feel so dry. Youngjae’s vocals are smooth throughout the song. (8/10)

4. Nothing – Nothing slows down the album slightly further with this nice track. While this song isn’t as great as the other, it was still extremely likeable and pleasant to enjoy. I really liked the swayable melodies of Nothing, and I liked how the orchestral instrumentation plays a bigger part in the song. Youngjae does a fantastic job with his vocals, providing a warming and comforting pillow to rest your head on whilst listening to this song. (8/10)

5. With You – With the continuous slow down of momentum as the album progressed, it came as no surprise to me that the final song on the album was a ballad. This is the type of ballad that I found myself sitting extremely still and had my eyes closed to really take it all in, particularly when it came to the chorus. That is another sign of a good ballad, in my opinion. The orchestral instrumentation, which is the main player in the background this time around, was beautiful. And Youngjae was so captivating. With You is my pick for hidden gem on this mini-album. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

SUGAR Teaser Image

[Review] SUGAR – Youngjae (GOT7)

Posted in KPOPTagged , 1 Comment

Making this solo comeback last week was Youngjae with his second mini-album and title track, both of which are titled SUGAR. This is his second comeback following his solo debut with Vibin’ in October of last year (his first was via the winter single Walk With Me, which I didn’t review). Youngjae’s solo comeback also follows GOT7’s recent long awaited return to the industry, to which Youngjae and all his fellow members participated in, after almost 1.5 years absence from the industry.

SUGAR has yet to really catch on like how Vibin’ did. But more time could change that. And based on what I am going to be saying in this review, I expect that it will. Nonetheless, SUGAR has proven to be an extremely enjoyable track. The funky pop instrumental made up of pronounced guitars was quite consistent throughout the song. While consistency has been an issue in the past for some songs, the consistency issue is not really a thing here in SUGAR. This is thanks to the guitar work, which is so vibrant and punchy that it offsets any consistency concerns. That being said, there is also a bit of trap thrown into the mix for the second verse and finger clicks in the bridge that gives some variety to the background. SUGAR features strong vocals from Youngjae, whose tone matches the vibrancy of the guitar in the instrumental. It really allows him to pop out in the song. He also adds a bit of sweetness to the song, which works really well with the title of the song. His ad-libs at the end channels a fair bit of energy, as well, creating a dynamic end. Youngjae also tries his hand at rapping for the second verse. It was a fair effort. I do think maybe a featuring rapper could have made it more dynamic and enticing, but Youngjae did well on his own. I quite like how he handled the ‘That’s how you do it‘ line midway through the second verse. The melodies of SUGAR were also quite catchy and enjoyable. Overall, SUGAR is a nice follow-up single to his debut track.

The video starts off a bit dark, with Youngjae awakening from a slumber at the dinner table, just in time to see a female presence leave the room. He has a flashback of the nights event, and runs after the female. We are then shown what happened. The day started very bright and outside. He seeks the attention of the female character from the beginning of the video, trying his best to look cool (which I personally think he achieved, but that might be my bias for him talking now). He then throws a classy dinner party. He is so infatuated by the female character (as expressed in the lyrics). and continues his cool streak that he fails to catch on her efforts of putting him to sleep. The motive is unclear, but I guess she and her friends want to have a good time at the expense of Youngjae (who in the credits is shown asleep, while everyone else has fun at his party). I quite enjoyed the chemistry that Youngjae had with the camera throughout the video, looking quite confident and cheeky. The settings were also really nice.

Like in the music video, I quite like how charismatic he is on stage. It creates a strong atmosphere for the performance. Aside from that, I liked the energy he and the dancers channel throughout the performance. Nothing really stood out, until the end, where he pushes through the dancer dramatically. That I felt was a cool moment.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Review] Vibin – Youngjae (GOT7)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , 1 Comment

After seven years, the members of GOT7 are finally getting their well deserved solo careers. Some members were able to make their own solo start prior to leaving JYP Entertainment, but other members had to wait until after they were released left to begin their solo journeys. Youngjae was one of the final members of the seven to go solo, kicking it all off with his acting debut in the Netflix sitcom So Not Worth It. Today sees the release of Youngjae’s solo debut mini-album, Colors, and the title track Vibin.

Due to his status as GOT7’s main vocalist, I was expecting to hear the title track to go down the typical direction of R&B or a ballad. So it caught me by surprise when I heard something upbeat in the teasers for this song last week. Vibin is a very neat pop track that is extremely pleasant. For this review, I use the term ‘pleasant’ in a positive manner, as I quite enjoyed Vibin. I liked the subtleness of the funky elements in the song, which definitely made the song more energetic and fun-sounding. A lot of songs nowadays are very upfront with their retro or funky profile. There is nothing wrong with being upfront, as this is how the retro and funkiness can be its most impactful. But in Vibin, holding back on those elements, almost felt refreshing. I also like the wholesome feel of the song, and that is all thanks to Youngjae’s vocals in Vibin. He just imparts that feeling onto you with his clear vocals. I also liked the energy he brings via the vocals to the song, which compliments the dance pop nature of the song. The repetitive hooks for Vibin are also quite catchy. If I had to be critical, I do think the hooks could have been taken a step further. I also think that Vibin could have been improved with some sort of textural element. The song had this constant smoothness to it (which was very appreciable), but it could have been balanced out. Overall, I think Youngjae’s solo debut single sounds well done and is a decent showing of his skills.

I think the music video did a good job of encapsulating the vibes and tones of the song. The outdoor scenery, even though was very desolate, felt refreshing and breezy. I guess this was the movement of the camera, especially when Youngjae is driving, that allows that feeling to come through. I think the sun and the denim outfit also adds to that vibe. In the more darker scenes, there is this golden aura that felt appropriate and kept the video from being overtaken from the darkness. The glow from the lighting also helped here. Content wise, I do think the video falls on the dry side. But overall, a decent music video.

Based on the challenges on TikTok and the snippets of the choreography in the music video, the choreography isn’t that overly complicated, which matches with the straightforward nature of the song. I also like the energy he brings to his performance (based on what I saw in the music video), as he is literally all smiles throughout the performance, which comes off very positively on the viewer. I am also excited for his pairing with the female dancer. Looks like an interesting dynamic.

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