(TW: discussion of death and mental health, mention of suicide)

100% was formed in September of 2012—they’re just coming up on their 12th anniversary—by Andy Lee of SHINHWA, of all people. At debut, they had seven members: Rockhyun, Jonghwan, Chanyong, Hyukjin, Sanghoon, who left in 2014, Changbum, who left in 2016, and lastly, Minwoo, who passed away in 2018.

Here are my credentials: As is par for the course by now, I really don’t know much about this group. But my interest in them now isn’t only because of their upcoming anniversary. If you’re only here for the music review, please skip the next few paragraphs and heed the warnings.

Intro:

And, well, you know what they say, you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. So, here I am, realizing that if I wanted to paint an accurate portrait of Minwoo I would have to do it myself. So, here I am, doing this review, hoping both to find a good song or two and to find out more about a man I don’t know and will never get the chance to meet. If you’re in the same boat as me, come along for the ride! And if you’re a fan, I hope I do him justice. To read my full post about Minwoo, click here.

Single #1: We, 100%

Bad Boy was 100%’s debut, and I’d say it’s a pretty good one, if aggressively 2012, between the slow motion, the dramatic rain, and the leather…everywhere. It never stops moving, and has this dance-floor ready, synth-meets-orchestral sound reminiscent of Infinite’s biggest hits. The hook has such powerful harmonies, and manages to be catchy without being irritating, although it’s now stuck in my head, so let’s see how long I say that. One of my pet peeves is raps that don’t work, but these flowed well too. As for the MV, I was a bit too distracted by the interesting fashion choices and the hilariously homoerotic staring to form much of an opinion otherwise.

From the EP, I enjoyed the incredibly dramatic intro We, 100%.

Single #2: Guy Like Me

Guy Like Me, like Bad Boy, is very much of its time, but in the complete opposite way. Basically, it’s every single ballad-esque love song b-side from a second gen k-pop group. And that’s not to say it isn’t a good song, but it isn’t very unique. The vocals are lovely, I’ll give them credit for it, and it’s led by this warmhearted acoustic guitar. Also, I enjoyed the BTS scenes from the music video, and it was nice to see someone actually playing an instrument.

EP #1: Real 100%

Want U Back follows in the footsteps of Bad Boy, though it’s a bit more streamlined rather than taking its time to build up drama with orchestral flourishes. It’s a good song; I could absolutely see it playing at a club and getting everyone to come out on the floor, myself included. (She says, as if she goes to clubs). I think the strongest part is the chorus, though I think its outro could have been a bit more complicated than just vocalizing. I’m also not the biggest fan of the raps here; I don’t think they flow as well as they could, and certainly not as well as Bad Boy’s did. Also, I recognize that I’m not the target audience here, but was having them all shirtless necessary? Really?

From the EP, I enjoyed the sunny acoustic guitar of Only You (Guy Like Me’s more interesting cousin), and the confidently jazzy sound of Why (my hidden gem).

EP #2: Bang The Bush

I wasn’t sure what kind of sound Beat was going to go for, but thankfully it’s also made for the dancefloor. As 100% goes on, it seems like their titles are destined to feel grander, bigger, and bolder, and though none of them have managed to eclipse Bad Boy for me, this one comes damn close. The insistent piano and synthy background made such a great combination, and besides that, I loved the dramatic, building EDM, which sounded like a heartbeat spinning out of control. I’m not sure if that was the intention, but either way, it was great. I also really liked the vampiric inspirations for the video, though I’m less enthused about the costuming decisions.

From the EP, I enjoyed both the gentle sway of You & I and the forceful beat of Superman. By the way, I still have no idea why this EP is called “Bang The Bush” by the way. Please let me know if you do.

Single #3: Sunkiss

U Beauty takes a different route to the formula that 100% has been establishing. Firstly, instead of being a breakup song, it’s a love song. Secondly, it has the pulsing beat that drove their last few hits, but with this delightfully sunny undertone and sort of…bounce (?) that’s so much fun. It’s lighthearted and airy, with just the right amount of drive and some great bursts of brass. It reminds me of Joy’s Hello, one of my favorite k-pop tracks, and while it’s not quite that effervescent, it’s still pretty good.

From the single, I really enjoyed the intro, just called Sunkiss. It perfectly captures the feeling of summer joy. But my hidden gem was the b-side, Summer Hero, which takes all that’s great about U Beauty and ratchets it up to 100, with a whistling hook, solid synths, and a never-stopping beat. It’s  a great song.

EP #3: Time Leap

Better Day was the one 100% single I’d heard even a smidge of before this review, and for good reason. It feels like a performance, in the best way: delightfully dramatic, vital, and sweeping, it pulls you along for the ride, whether you’re planning to be swept away or not. With its swirling chorus and slowly building orchestra, it’s an entire journey in three and a half minutes, and there’s no getting off the ride. Nothing beats a song like this for me, a song that is so completely invested in its own emotion. To make something like this work, its performers have to believe in it wholeheartedly, which it’s clear that they absolutely do.

It was odd; I didn’t realize, until this song, that I’d forgotten the original reason for this review. But here we are again. Minwoo was absent from the last two singles due to military service, and I actually missed hearing his voice with the others. And then it occurred to me that that missing piece won’t be coming back again, which is a tragedy in and of itself. So, I’m writing it down on record that the first thing I discovered about Minwoo is that he had such a powerful voice, the kind of voice it takes decades of hard work to cultivate. As a singer myself, I mourn the loss of the person whose love went into creating it.

From the EP, my hidden gem was the power ballad No Goodbye, with its heartbreaking vocals, but I also enjoyed Not Today.

EP #4: Sketchbook

Sketch U’s beat is still solidly poppy, but goes for more of a sharp EDM than is usual for 100%. I loved the soaring vocals and the sprawling chorus, the twinkling piano and the sunny beat. Though it doesn’t quite reach the peak of Better Day for me, it certainly comes close, and I regard it a little like Better Day’s brighter, younger cousin. Its music video, however, is heartbreaking, a splitscreen of the before and after someone is gone. It’s all about missing someone, and with Minwoo as its lead, looking back at his band wistfully, it hit me right in the chest, even more so because it was his last Korean comeback with the group. And despite the fact that no one knew that at the time, it still feels like a goodbye.

From the EP, I enjoyed the lightfooted piano of One Day, the rushing beat of Gorgeous, and the soft heartbreak of Meet Yesterday.

EP #5: Sunshine

Heart is another lighthearted summer track, but something about it feels…tempered? Different. Though it’s still perfectly lovely—the verses and bridge especially really give that summer energy—it just feels a bit subdued and less all-in. The band is called 100%, but if they’ve been giving 110 before, it’s at about 80 in this one. Is that harsh? Maybe. I don’t want to make it sound like there’s nothing I like about this song, because that isn’t true; I like the handclap-led pre-chorus, the tropical influences, and the instrumental hook, but it just doesn’t come together for me.

From the EP, I enjoyed the relaxed beachside sound of Grand Bleu. Overall, this was a much quieter, more subdued album than any of theirs before. It was still good, but, I’d say, less my style. Also, I’m glad that this EP marks the return of their intros, which have been some of my favorite parts of their releases.

Unfortunately, this EP also marks 100% first release after Minwoo’s death, and I miss his voice all over again. But this time, it won’t be coming back. And even though I knew it was coming, even though it was the reason that I started writing this review in the first place, seeing four members on screen and only hearing four voices still hit me like a punch to the gut. I can’t claim to “grieve” someone I don’t know, but the empty space felt so painfully palpable all of a sudden. Perhaps I’m projecting and this is why the song seems less enthused to me.

EP #6: Re:tro

Still Loving You is a strange little track, which makes it right up my alley. It takes the usual sounds of kpop and retro music and blends them together in ways I’ve never heard before. The whistling hook, 70’s / 80’s coffee shop beat, funky interpolations, and slightly trippy piano make for quite a unique combo, in a good way. I could see this being a theme song for a kdrama, or, set to a rockier beat, a song in Day6’s catalogue. It defies exact categorization, I suppose.

From the EP, I enjoyed the wistful, airy The Truth Is, the sunny One Love with its ending fade-out, and the piano-led To.. This is such a strong release, and we haven’t even spoken about my hidden gem yet. It’s definitely going on my best albums list!

As mentioned, Better Day was the one single I knew from this group, but Remember was the first full track I heard. A b-side from the Re:tro album, it’s a special song from the four remaining members of 100% (Rockhyun, Jongwan, Chanyong, and Hyukjin) to Minwoo, released just several months after he passed away.

It’s a beautiful and heartbreaking song. The line that cuts to the core most, if one can even choose in a song like this, may be Chanyong‘s “Hyung [older man I’m close to / lit. brother], I should’ve cherished you more, but I don’t have the chance to now.” It’s a sweeping, mournful song that slowly builds to something that’s not quite a crescendo, not quite catharsis, but might just be enough to start healing. Either way, you’re not quite the same after you listen to it.

Single #4: Can’t Say Goodbye

Can’t Say Goodbye, besides being the name of this review, is also the name of 100%’s most recent comeback, which marked their 10th year in the industry. It’s simpler than most of their other titles, but still strong. I don’t have much to say about it, to be honest, but I felt like I should include it. I’m not that much of a fan of the rap, but I did like the nice mix of strings and EDM, and, of course, their voices. I also enjoyed watching them record this behind the scenes.

TL;DR

My Top 5 songs were Better Day, Sketch U, Remember, Bad Boy, and Summer Hero, with To as an honorable mention. 100% gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me. I had no idea what to expect from them, but I really liked their music! They’re so talented and it’s a damn shame both that they aren’t really known in the industry and that they lost one of their best singers at the height of their career. But I’ll be keeping an eye on them, and I hope they’ll be back and I get to edit this with a brand new single or even (Hera willing) a full album!

Outro:

I normally end my reviews with the phrase “I’m glad I did this”, but that didn’t seem appropriate for a post like this. I don’t know how to end, and in a way, I don’t know if I have the right to. Can I say I know Minwoo? Not well enough. I found out he had a cat named Simba, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I searched through the internet and discovered his Instagram and short YouTube clips of him being funny in interviews and in Behind The Scenes content. And I was right; he clearly loved to sing. It practically radiates off of him whenever he gets the chance to stand on stage.
But I still wish I could learn more. I want to know more about this talented man who passed away far too soon. Whether it was by his own hand or natural causes, Minwoo only got to 33, which, despite what your teenage cousin will tell you, is so, so young. There’s no doubt in my mind that he would have gone on to do so much more than he got the chance to, and I would have loved to hear him sing again sometime when I could fully appreciate it. He seemed like a lovely person and I’m sure his bandmates miss him. And for any Perfections out there who miss him too, I’m so sorry. I hope it’s a little easier, and I hope I did him justice. Please, if you have any interesting facts that you think I should know, tell me!

Next time, we’re back with our regularly scheduled programming; more specifically, a soloist ranking and a boy group. Tschüss, and take care of yourselves out there, everyone.