Song Jieun first debuted as a k-pop idol in the group Secret in 2009, and was with them for almost nine years before debuting under her own agency as a soloist. 

Here are my credentials: So, I know (and have loved) Jieun’s song Don’t Look At Me Like That for a while now, and consider it one of my Top 25 K-pop songs of all time. So, imagine my delight when I came across the announcement that she’s getting married on October 9th of this year to disability activist Park We. (Today, if I can ever get my publishing schedule in order). That led me to decide to discover a bit more about her, and I thought that this review would be a great way to do it. So let’s get into it!

Single #1: Yesterday

As is typical for many kpop idols making their solo debut, Yesterday is a pretty average ballad: it has nice vocals, gentle percussion, a touch of guitar and some wildly dramatic strings. But nothing about it is very unique, unfortunately. Also, the main version of the song, recorded with Hwanhee, hardly even features Jieun in its first few minutes. I listened to the solo version too, which is far better, and remember liking Jieun’s voice but not finding the rest very memorable. She has such a fantastic voice and tone, and in the last minute’s power ballad worthy moments, it truly shines.

Single #2: Going Crazy

Crazy initially seems like it’ll be another straightforward ballad, like Yesterday. And it is, a little bit, but to be honest, I couldn’t focus on that. One of my pet peeves when it comes to ballads (kpop in general, but especially ballads) is when a featured artist’s verses feel completely divorced from the rest of the song. Bang Yongguk’s solo raps definitely fall into this category; his addition to the chorus when singing with Jieun is perfectly fine. But alone, his sections just come out of nowhere and take away from what we should be focusing on. The song itself is good, especially the sprawling, dramatic chorus that has such solid vibes, but again, I can’t focus on it. I did really like the blue hair on Jieun though.

Single #3: False Hope

False Hope branches out from Jieun’s ballad-heavy sound, keeping the guitar and strings of Yesterday but adding snappy percussion and a Latin Pop twist that’s a nice switch up. It also doesn’t feel completely dejected, despite the title, instead toeing the line between caution and hope. As the last chorus blooms, Jieun twirls on top of the beat, wishing, reaching for something better. Along the way, the guitar clips with her, a great accompaniment to Jieun’s dramatic lone tear and shots of setting fire to flowers. It’s nothing too incredible, but it’s a step in the right direction.

From the single, I enjoyed the swingy, jazzy sound of Date Mate.

EP #1: 25

Twenty Five picks up where Date Mate left off, and is finally a title track of Jieun’s with some heft behind it. Operating on a smoothly jazzy base tempered with bubblegum pop, it slinks along with an infectious kind of confidence that will get you head-bopping along in no time. I especially liked the bursts of brass and the bits of sing-talk in the post-choruses. As Jieun sings about finally feeling grown up and no longer a naive girl, the video goes back and forth from cotton candy pink visuals to more mature ones. But, I couldn’t help comparing it to IU’s song of the same name (which I think came later, but I’m not sure) that I liked better. I know that’s not fair, but it’s the consequence of such a competitive, fast-paced industry. That being said, I liked this one!

Don’t Look At Me Like That, as mentioned, is one of my favorite k-pop songs of all time. Because of that, it’s been the benchmark I’ve compared her other songs to, which I know isn’t fair. So, what makes it so incredible, so one-of-a-kind? Well, I’m not even a ballad enjoyer typically; though I appreciate them, I rarely go out of my way to listen to them. But this one is different. Right from the start, you can tell that it’s a song driven by pain, and its barely restrained fury bubbles under its surface until erupting in the chorus, where Jieun screams, “Don’t look at me like that! All we did was love each other!”, a message that resounds from queer people to those in interracial or interfaith relationships. It’s defiant, fed up with politeness and making excuses, instead choosing to explode. The “tell me what is wrong, tell me, what is love?” lines in the bridge, backed up by electric guitar, always give me chills, and this time was no exception. 

The music video too is just so good, combining influences from Stephan King’s Carrie to Tarantino’s Kill Bill to show a whole collection of misfits finally rebelling against the society that’s metaphorically (and here, literally) kept them in chains. If you’d like to read about my other top songs, click here!

From the EP, I enjoyed the in-your-face confidence of intro Janus (which was just way too short), the percussive doo wop of La Boum (my hidden gem), and the hushed despondency of Star. This is such a good release!

EP #2: Bobby Doll

Bobby Doll skips along with an almost childish abandon, which takes on a terrifying spin when paired with eerie “lalalalas” and the gothic inspired music video. I liked the contrast between the almost soothing vocals and the hints of something being wrong that start to creep in. I also liked the interesting instrumental flourishes and the odd tempo of the percussion, but otherwise it didn’t stick out to me. I don’t think it’s as good as it had the potential to be, but it holds its own. It’s definitely got the mood down.

From the EP, I enjoyed the racing piano and hopeful mood of I Wanna Fall In Love (my hidden gem), the mysterious, sultry R & B of Oasis, and the lighthearted beat of Be Alright.

Single #4: Tell Me

With Tell Me we’re back to the coffee shop sound that’s become Jieun’s trademark. It has a snappy, easygoing beat and soothing vocals, an acoustic guitar, et cetera, et cetera. It’s perfectly nice but I know for a fact that she could make something so much more interesting. At this point, I honestly just feel like I’m repeating myself as much as Jieun has, so I’m not going to keep going. You get the picture.

EP #3: Dream

Make It Love starts with a somewhat trippy beat that feels just a bit magical, in a good way. I liked how the song skipped along in fits and starts, like a bunch of tiny bursts of sunshine. It didn’t go quite as far as I would have wanted; since it’s such a light song, I think it needed some kind of grounding element like a solid drum beat or some other underlying percussion. But overall, it was nice. 

From the EP, I enjoyed the soaring, full-to-bursting vocals in Mirage.

Single #5: Confession

Confession is sweet and heartfelt, with barely any instrumentation at all in its first moments, leaving the audience to really focus on Jieun’s voice. As it goes along and the warm feeling grows, it manages to make what could be an average ballad into something special, combining sweeping strings, a gentle guitar, and very light percussion. Again, this isn’t anything that unique or out of the ordinary, but Jieun makes it worth listening to.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this. I knew almost nothing about Song Jieun before this deep dive, and I’m glad to say that that’s no longer true. I watched a bunch of the videos on her now-husband’s channel that she featured in, including one where they talk about how they met (“The Story Of Us Who Fell In Love At First Sight”), and a couple performances from her time in Secret. Maybe they’ll be a future review!

My Top 5 songs are Don’t Look At Me Like That, La Boum, Date Me, Confession, and I Wanna Fall In Love, with Mirage as an honorable mention. Song Jieun gets an 8 out of 10 from me. Her discography reminds me a lot of Kim Sejeong’s actually, both known for OSTs and a kind of radio friendly pop that’s easy to listen to, but ends up going in one ear and out the other. Also like Sejeong, she’s made a handful of truly fantastic songs from when she’s stepped beyond those boundaries. But mostly, she plays it safe, and while that’s okay, it means that I didn’t really connect to most of her music. That being said, I loved her powerful voice and I’m still going to tune in to whatever her next comeback is. And of course, I wish her and her new husband the best!

Next time, we’re onto a pretty heavy two-part review of a boy group. See you then, and Tschüss!