(Featuring Jimin, Jinyoung, D.O., Holland, and E’Dawn)
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 male soloists, from EXO to BTS. So, let’s get into it!
Artist #1: Jimin of BTS
Though I’ve done a review of BTS (which I’m planning on rewriting soon), I’m slowly making my way through their solo careers. I did V’s album Layover in the first part of my soloist rankings, though was a bit unenthused, and now I’m onto Jimin’s work. I can’t say I know that much about Jimin in particular, but for this I did watch an episode of Bangtan TV called “Mini & Moni Music”.
Who makes the choice to start chorus-first, always an interesting switch-up, and always a gamble. In a song like this where the verses are a bit more subdued and the chorus is the centerpiece, the gamble pays off. It’s a very light footed and airy track, punctuated with percussion, a twinkling piano, and a vaguely Spanish guitar. As mentioned, I don’t know much about him, but even I started the video and immediately went: “yep, Jimin is Jimin-ing again”. It has all the hallmarks of his work: the Michael-Jackson-esque dance moves, the retro influences, and of course, that distinctive voice. The moment at the end where everything just comes together as he does this pitch-perfect high note is just great; I love a good punch of drama in my music. It’s actually all in English, too, which surprised me as I didn’t think he was so fluent.
From the EP, I enjoyed the cinematic opener Rebirth (which is quite long for an intro), the carnivalesque Smeraldo Garden Marching Band, and Sofia Carson’s surprising feature on Slow Dance. I also absolutely loved the rock remix of Who. Sidenote, it’s interesting how “Who” is track 6 on this album; usually a title is the first one. This is quite a good EP; I’ll give Jimin an 8.75 out of 10.
Artist #2: Jinyoung of Got7
I first heard of Jinyoung through the k-drama The Devil Judge, which he gave a fantastic performance in as a young lawyer trying to investigate a mildly (read: very) suspicious judge with whom he has an complicated (read: incredibly homoerotic) relationship with. I later did a review of Got7 and really enjoyed their music. For this, I watched a compilation of him on Weekly Idol and I also had an excuse to watch a bit of the Devil Judge again, so no complaints here.
Cotton Candy, by complete coincidence, isn’t that dissimilar from Who, albeit gentler and muted. It’s a great fit for Jinyoung’s specific voice, which seems tailor-made to swoop in one ear and out the other, soothing and wispy, like gentle sunlight. Its beat is quietly synthy, the kind of song that’s groovy in an understated way. It’s not the kind of song I would go out of my way to listen to, I have to be honest here, but I’m certainly not mad at it; it’s lovely once in a while.
From the EP, Chapter 0: With, I enjoyed Jinyoung’s lilting voice in Animal and the coffee shop feeling of Sleep Well. Just like with Cotton Candy, this is a perfectly nice tracklist and a great fit for Jinyoung’s voice, but it’s just not my kind of sound. I’ll give Jinyoung a 7.5 out of 10.
Artist #3: D.O. of Exo
D.O. may be the soloist I know the least about on this list. While I know he’s part of Exo (who I keep meaning to cover and for some reason, haven’t yet), and that he has a decent solo career, I haven’t heard any of his music. So this one is more of me sticking my toes in to see if I might want to do a full review. I also watched D.O.’s interview on Youngji’s channel.
Rose is the kind of song that’s driven by acoustic guitar and a warm smile, and relies greatly on its performer’s charisma and vocal strength. Thankfully D.O. has both in spades. Rose sounds like it would be the soundtrack of a slice of life kdrama where the biggest conflict is who the cute vet from the big city will end up with, in the best way. I loved the partly illustrated music video too, and how seamlessly the chalkboard art blended in with real life, giving it this larger-than-life, nostalgic feeling. It’s a sweet song, though, like Cotton Candy, not something I would seek out.
From the EP, Empathy, I enjoyed the light percussion of bossa nova I’m Gonna Love You and the all-Spanish lyrics of ballad Si Fueras Mia. Kudos to D.O., because he did a great job. In fact, I liked the Latin Pop influences all over this album! But, my hidden gem has to be Dad. If you’ve spent any time on this blog, you’ll know that I’m a complete and total sap, and I’m not kidding when I say that this song made me miss my own Dad. It has such beautiful lyrics from D.O. to his father like “to you, I’m still a child; I have so much more to learn.” It’s probably also the EP’s most affecting vocal performance. I would give the album a high rating for that song alone, but taking the others into account too, I’ll give it a 9 out of 10.
Artist #4: Holland
Holland, unlike the other artists on this list, has never been in a band, and is in fact the first openly gay k-pop idol. Similarly to Jinyoung, I first knew of him from his acting in a drama, in this case Roommates Of Poongduck 304, but I’ve since heard a couple of his songs and for this, I watched an interview he did with Dive Podcasts and also tried out the other bl he’s been in, which I think (?) is called Ocean View.
I’m Not Afraid is kind of like Part 2 to a song Holland made towards the beginning of his career, “I’m So Afraid”, which discussed his hopes and dreams, and how he lives in a precarious place. The entire song feels like it’s holding its breath until the moment it can breathe again; in this case, the moment in which Holland kisses his boyfriend in the center of the screen, covered in rainbow lights and surrounded by a whole host of other queer people able to just live their lives. It’s beautiful, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me just a little emotional. It’s a simple song, true, relying just on quiet synths and empty space, but powerful in that simplicity, letting the lyrics speak for themselves.
From the EP, just called Holland, I enjoyed the instrumental hook of Nar_C, but my hidden gem was Number Boy. It’s smoother than most of his other songs, while still keeping the synths that make those so strong, and I hope he explores this sound more. I’ll give this EP an 8.
Artist #5: Dawn of Pentagon
I take back what I said about D.O. because I actually don’t know that much about Dawn either, besides the fact that he’s a former member of Pentagon and that he and HyunA were together for a while. So, I suppose now is the time to change that! I also watched a couple short behind the scenes videos.
Dawndididawn is…not a song for me. I’ve never been a fan of sing-talk or the I’m-cooler-than-you genre of music that was super popular in k-pop around the early 2020’s, and this song does nothing to change my mind. Between the harsh autotuning, the mumbled anti-drop chorus, and the random feature from Jessi which doesn’t fit at all, I had to fight against my urges to turn it off. None of this is a criticism of Dawn himself, who’s clearly a good performer who does this style well, but god, does this song grate on my ears. Yikes.
From the EP, enjoyed the snappy percussion of Still and the buildup (though not the payoff) of Tantara. This is just not a release for me either; I was either bored or annoyed, not a good combination when it comes to music. Dawn gets a 6.75 out of 10 from me.F
Verdict: TL;DR
My Top EP was D.O.’s Empathy, with Jimin’s Muse as the runner-up; an artist I really knew almost nothing about and an artist whose work I honestly expected to dislike.
Next time, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. Tschüss!
Let me know your thoughts!