(Featuring Jeon Soyeon, Wendy, YooA, Hwasa, and Tiffany Young)
This time, I thought I would try something different on the blog. Instead of doing a deep dive into one group, I’m doing shallow dives into a bunch of soloists and their first mini albums, then comparing and contrasting. This time is female soloists, from Red Velvet to Oh My Girl. So, let’s get into it!
Artist #1: Jeon Soyeon of (G)I-DLE
Rapper Soyeon of (G)I-DLE was a presence in the k-pop community even before the debut of her group, with the solos Jelly and Idle Song, and is known for being one of few self-producing idols and one of even fewer women who do so, so it wasn’t surprising when she came back as a soloist with an EP in 2021. I’m a Neverland, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t biased a bit.
Beam Beam wasn’t her first single, as mentioned, but it is the first since being a part of (G)I-DLE, and establishes itself as different from their sound right away. It’s both peppy and sardonic from the outset, a combination that shouldn’t work but does. I’m not as much of a fan of rap as I am of singing, and so the more hip-hoppy direction it goes in isn’t as much for me, but I can still appreciate it for what it is. Also, as someone who’s all too quickly approaching the age that she was when she wrote this, I can definitely relate to the lyrics about the chaos that is growing up. I think that the chorus is actually the weakest part, relying a bit too heavily on vocalizing, but the rest of the track is pretty good, and definitely a lot of fun.
From the EP, Windy, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek tone and somewhat humorously creepy piano in Psycho, the build-up in the pre-chorus of Quit, and the relaxed, confident delivery of groovy Weather (my hidden gem). Soyeon gets an 8.25 from me.
Artist #2: Wendy of Red Velvet
Wendy of Red Velvet is a more quintessential k-pop soloist: known for her incredible voice and many OST’s. But, her career endured a setback after a terrible stage accident in 2019, and this EP was her first release after that time. She’s since returned with another comeback earlier this year, but I’m only doing one per artist here. I have heard this album before, since I’m a ReVeLuv, but I’m intrigued to see how it stacks up to others.
It’s hard to believe it’s already been three years since Like Water, since it feels so recent, but I’m glad to hear it again. It takes a totally different route from Beam Beam, with Wendy’s soothing vocals and the very gentle acoustic guitar in the background. Truth be told, Wendy’s voice is one of my favorites in the industry; it manages to be so powerful and emotional and yet light too, and I aspire to be that good in my music. The whole song just feels like taking a deep, calming breath, in the best way possible, and she carries it off perfectly.
From the EP, Like Water, though I loved the gentle strings in coffee-shop The Road, the jazzier sound of Why Can’t You Love Me, and of course Seulgi’s feature in the very sweet Best Friend, there’s never a competition where When This Rain Stops is involved. It’s one of my favorite k-pop songs of all time, and is damn near-perfect. Heartwarming yet heartbreaking, comforting yet moving, and gentle yet powerful. There’s really nothing I could say about it that hasn’t been said already, but I will say: if you only hear one song from this review, let it be this one. Wendy gets a 9.75 out of 10 from me.
Artist #3: YooA of Oh My Girl
YooA of Oh My Girl, like Wendy, seems to be headed for a longer solo career now that her activities as main dancer of OMG are winding down a little bit. She returned with a second EP earlier this year, but again, I’m just doing her 2020 debut. I’ve heard the title but not the album.
Bon Voyage was somehow also three years ago (almost four actually), and I can still remember when I first heard it. Though it also goes in a gentle direction, it relies on a sprightly beat of tropical drums, which makes it feel very alive. And that chorus? It’s honestly breathtaking when the background choir comes in and the camera pans around to show the beautiful landscapes she’s standing on.
From the EP, Bon Voyage, I enjoyed the soft piano and YooA’s great voice in End Of Story and the dancefloor worthy chorus of Far, but my hidden gem was the percussion-driven, summery, synthy Diver, with its insanely catchy “how deep, how deep is your love” hook. YooA gets an 9.25 from me.
Hwasa of MAMAMOO, like Soyeon, was set up as a soloist before even going out on her own, through MAMAMOO’s “4 Colors 4 Seasons” project, with each of the members given a spotlight. Hwasa herself has spun this off into a vibrant solo career, which began officially in 2019. Though I did a deep dive on them, I haven’t had a chance to give their solos a try. CW for this one: depression, mental health, suicide.
The singles before have been pretty light and feel-good, but Maria is…absolutely not, as I’m sure is obvious from the warning. Centering around the fictional character of singer Maria, Hwasa’s Christian name, the song discusses the hatred she receives and is her speaking both to herself and others to not denigrate themselves. While I do very much respect the message, I feel that it’s undercut a bit by the sexualization of the music video and especially the dancing. It comes across a little bit like romanticizing the issue, which I’m sure wasn’t the intention, but it makes me uncomfortable. The song itself is alright, especially when it leans into gospel, a genre that Hwasa’s voice works beautifully with, but I feel like she’s doing most of the heavy lifting. I would probably enjoy it more just listening.
From the EP, Maria, I enjoyed the intro, Nobody Else, as I think it takes the best of the title and leaves the less interesting parts behind, and the more lighthearted, swingy instrumental of I’m Bad Too. I was right that I did like Maria better without its music video, but not by much. Hwasa gets an 7.75 from me.
Artist #5: Tiffany Young of Girls Generation
Tiffany of SNSD is unique for a k-pop soloist, as, being from America, her work is in both Korean and English, and is more aimed at an American audience. She’s had a pretty prolific solo career, only overshadowed by her bandmate Taeyeon’s (who I’ll do a deep dive on eventually), so I was a bit more choosy with her work, trying to find an EP that I could compare with the others. I’m definitely a fan of hers, though, so I’m excited.
Tiffany has always been an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, so in some ways Run For Your Life isn’t that out of the box for her. But it was still fantastic to see a k-pop idol so openly embrace vogueing and queer culture, a la Born This Way by Lady Gaga, while giving a message of self-acceptance and love. It sometimes veers more into a performance piece than a song, but what a performance it is. By the time the chorus with its electric guitar and pulsing beat comes in, I’m already won over.
From the EP, Lips On Lips, I enjoyed the gospel-meets-pop vibes of Born Again, which reminded me of Madonna’s Like A Prayer, the gentler acoustic guitar of Runaway, and the minimalistic production and finger-snapping of The Flower. This is a fairly straightforward pop album, but Tiffany sells it, both with an interesting production and her charisma. I’ll give it an 8.5.
Verdict: TL;DR
My Top album was Wendy’s Like Water at 9.75, with the runner-up YooA’s Bon Voyage. I just don’t think that anything could beat how much I adore that EP, although the others were a surprise! I had a lot of fun, found some great b-sides, and I’m looking forward to doing something like this again! Tschüss!
Let me know your thoughts!