Rules
"Your World" - Kim Hye Rim
- 1 song per artist per list
- No set rankings (order is generally good to best)
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"Your World" - Kim Hye Rim
Music Video
Live performance (acoustic version)
Kim Hyerim was in two k-pop groups in the past, but both groups disbanded, sadly. She was also on two competition shows, but didn't win (she was one of the runner ups on K-pop Star 6 though!) She debuted as a soloist in 2022, and I enjoyed this single off her debut EP!
"Your World" is a pop rock track, co-written by Hyerim, that highlights Hyerim's vocal tone. The verses are quite simple, with a pretty guitar riff and her vocals, then the full band sound comes in during the chorus. Listening to the verses, you wouldn't think she has much power, but her vocals really soar in the chorus to match the intensity of the instrumental!
The first video is the mv, so you can hear the studio version. The second video is a live performance, with Hyerim accompanied by acoustic guitar. She did an amazing job in the live performance. She has great control and stability, and she did it all while sitting on the ground!
"My Cat" - Mauve
"Your World" is a pop rock track, co-written by Hyerim, that highlights Hyerim's vocal tone. The verses are quite simple, with a pretty guitar riff and her vocals, then the full band sound comes in during the chorus. Listening to the verses, you wouldn't think she has much power, but her vocals really soar in the chorus to match the intensity of the instrumental!
The first video is the mv, so you can hear the studio version. The second video is a live performance, with Hyerim accompanied by acoustic guitar. She did an amazing job in the live performance. She has great control and stability, and she did it all while sitting on the ground!
"My Cat" - Mauve
Live performance
Mauve is also a former girl group member that debuted as a soloist in 2022. The majority of this song's instrumental gives me strong "Psycho" by Red Velvet vibes, to be honest. It's not until the chorus where there's a change, which most people will find pretty polarizing. Personally, I like it even though it's rough around the edges production wise; the low-key jarring chorus synth hook adds a memorable element to an otherwise simple instrumental.
If the studio version isn't for you, I recommend listening to the live video. The arrangement in the video is entirely different and features only electric guitar. The song is definitely calmer and smoother with the guitar arrangement, but I enjoy both versions. I admit this song is mainly meant to highlight Mauve's vocals, but I think said vocals are really good. She shows great control and a solid vocal range in "My Cat". Hopefully, her next song will be a little more dynamic!
"Sparkling Rain" - Hyeon Seo Park
If the studio version isn't for you, I recommend listening to the live video. The arrangement in the video is entirely different and features only electric guitar. The song is definitely calmer and smoother with the guitar arrangement, but I enjoy both versions. I admit this song is mainly meant to highlight Mauve's vocals, but I think said vocals are really good. She shows great control and a solid vocal range in "My Cat". Hopefully, her next song will be a little more dynamic!
"Sparkling Rain" - Hyeon Seo Park
Music show performance
Radio show performance
I don't know much about Hyeonseo, as there doesn't seem to be much info on her online. I just happened to stumble upon her promotions for this single on music shows and liked the song. This song definitely has more of a typical k-pop production quality to it than the previous two songs.
"Sparkling Rain" is a bright pop song, and Hyeonseo's vocals match the instrumental really well! She doesn't showcase as much range as the previous 2 artists, but her vocals during the bridge are quite lovely. However, this song does have choreography. The choreo is pretty average, but it does add another layer to this song. I've linked a music show performance and a radio show performance. She didn't sing live during her music show promotions, so I shared the radio performance so you can hear her live vocals. She's very stable!
"Child" - Mark (Lee)
"Sparkling Rain" is a bright pop song, and Hyeonseo's vocals match the instrumental really well! She doesn't showcase as much range as the previous 2 artists, but her vocals during the bridge are quite lovely. However, this song does have choreography. The choreo is pretty average, but it does add another layer to this song. I've linked a music show performance and a radio show performance. She didn't sing live during her music show promotions, so I shared the radio performance so you can hear her live vocals. She's very stable!
"Child" - Mark (Lee)
Music video (English subs available)
Live performance
Mark is one of NCT's most well known members, since he's in almost every sub-unit, and is one of the main rappers. Mark isn't really known for his vocals, which is why "Child" was such a pleasant surprise. This single is a rock, hip-hop fusion song. "Child" starts (and ends) with a nice electric guitar riff and Mark's lovely vocals. I honestly wasn't expecting such a pleasant vocal tone from him. When he gets into the rap sections, he showcases a decent amount of variety.
Another aspect of "Child" I really enjoy is the honest, relatable lyrics. It's a coming of age song where he expresses frustration and a desire to free himself from the expectations of others. Mark co-composed and co-wrote this single. It was really cool to see another side of Mark on this song. The first video I linked is the mv, so you can appreciate the lyrics, and the other video is a live performance.
"Crazy" - Wonho
Another aspect of "Child" I really enjoy is the honest, relatable lyrics. It's a coming of age song where he expresses frustration and a desire to free himself from the expectations of others. Mark co-composed and co-wrote this single. It was really cool to see another side of Mark on this song. The first video I linked is the mv, so you can appreciate the lyrics, and the other video is a live performance.
"Crazy" - Wonho
Music video (English subs available)
Music show performance
Wonho's been pretty successful as a soloist, but most of his singles sound the same to me. Honestly, the majority of "Crazy" sounds similar to his previous house based singles as well, but the addition of some staccato electric guitar made his usual sound more appealing to me. I should also note that Wonho co-composed and co-wrote all of his songs from 2022. "Don't Regret", one of his other 2022 singles, also has a rock vibe, and I enjoyed that single too.
I chose "Crazy" because I prefer this chorus, and it has choreo. The dancers' choreo is pretty cool at times, and the point choreo (the move when he says "we're going crazy") is really memorable. The only thing I'm not crazy about (lol), is the rap sample that opens the song and can also be heard at the end of the choruses. It doesn't really add anything to the song, and I find it a bit annoying. Still, I have to admit this chorus gets stuck in my head really easily.
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So, my band/soloist singles list starts off with deep cuts from 3 "nugu" artists. There weren't too many on my b-sides list, so I'm glad I was able to highlight some of them on this list. The production level may not be as polished as artists with larger budgets, but I believe there is something really beautiful about these diamond in the rough type of tracks. Sometimes, the songs seem more raw and heartfelt when there isn't a bunch of slick production/mixing/mastering work going on. I'm going to try to get part 2 of this list up tomorrow, but it may end up going out 2 days from now.
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