ZE:A has unfolded a treat for their fans through their official YouTube channel.
Since they re-entered the industry a few weeks ago with “Here I Am“, the boys decided to revitalize their promotions with not just one, but nine new music videos!
Each video focuses exclusively on one member, as he performs and poses to “Here I Am”. It’s an innovative move by Star Empire, as it allows fans both old and new to become acquainted with ZE:A’s individual personalities.
Check out the videos below, and tell us which member you got to like after watching them!
==
✩ Kwanghee
It’s comeback season, and in true girl group fashion, the five lovely ladies of 4minute have sashayed back onto the scene this week with their latest mini-album, “Heart To Heart“. For the last few months, 4minute have been busy tapping into the Japanese market, releasing and re-releasing hit after hit to claim their own little glamorous spot in one of the most fruitful music industries around.
After quickly dropping their fourth Japanese single, “Why“, 4minute have finally returned to familiar territory, but are they back with their same rough-around-the-edges, sassy-meets-grungy attitude and style that we’ve all grown to love?
Well, would this be a K-pop comeback if they did?
–
“Heart To Heart” Track List:
01 4minutes Left
02 Heart to Heart
03 Sweet Suga Honey!
04 You Know
05 모르는 척
–
4minute may have teased with a darker concept last week, but “Heart To Heart” is anything but dark. Clearly, they got their concept previews mixed up with those of “Steal 20“, a full album set to be released very soon.
Instead, 4minute have stepped into the light and unveiled a mini-album filled with girly, sappy tunes à la mode.
If this had been any other girl group, this routine wardrobe change from a ‘dark’ to a ‘cute’ concept (probably) wouldn’t have me seething with frustration, but that’s just it; this is 4minute. Cute does not exist in their vernacular, and it’s a stretch to think they can pull it off at 100%, both in song and in image.
The juvenile twist on 4minute’s music isn’t necessarily the issue, because there are several other groups who live and thrive from aegyo, and who do it well; it comes down to the believability and identity-recognition of the content when a group with a dead-set style like 4minute dares to dabble in those fronts, and whether we, as the audience, can genuinely believe this to be a part of who they are as entertainers.
But what is 4minute’s dead-set style? Why so disappointing?
From their debut back in 2009, 4minute stepped onto the scene with one thing on their mind: to be the loudest thing on the market. Not only have they checked that off of their list, but 4minute have also established themselves as the ’sex symbols’ in K-pop. Love them or hate them, 4minute have seriously pushed the boundaries on how low they could go in a relatively conservative environment, and up until now, they’ve managed to sell the whole package like candy to children.
4minute’s music has always been over processed, over done, (and I use this term loosely) trashy-pop. There might be some talent within the group, but it has never been the main focus of their music.
If you pry open your listening skills, it is easy to hear that 4minute’s music hasn’t been designed to showcase their vocals, but molded as to insert as many stress points where the ladies can strut their stuff and work as many pelvic thrusts as possible without breaking a hip. It makes sense when you listen to “Huh“, arguably their best single (and EP) to date. It is everything 4minute stands for and where the bar has been set.
Sure, they can tone it down a few (as they’ve done with their Japanese song, “FIRST“) and still retain their style, but it’s 4minute’s mind-numbing guilty pleasures that we expect from them every single time, because it just works.
—
What “Heart To Heart” has done is turned the dial all the way left rather than all the way to the right. Maybe even popped in a completely different album altogether, it’s hard to tell.
The mini opens with an intro (4minutes Left) that might have worked had the following songs not thrown it off course. It has a decent beat and synths to get you moving, and a typical 4minute hook.
The title track, “Heart To Heart,” is the buzz kill. The song itself isn’t awful, but coming from 4minute, it is awfully disappointing. This song sets a mellow atmosphere with its steady pace and simple melodies; it’s something that faithful 4minute fanatics will defend as an off-handed attempt to “explore and expand” the group’s “music“, but this change has magnified a specific attribute (or lack there of) that any entertainer should make sure to never lose as a part of their act.
Whether an artist is pulling rabbits out of his/her hat or dropping it like it’s hot, entertainment must be done with conviction, and that is exactly what is missing throughout this entire mini-album.
A bubblegum-pop song like “Sweet Suga Honey!” (song number 3) is simply too far-fetched and mundane for any girl group to try to sell to the masses, let alone 4minute. It wasn’t even composed to allow any shining moments for gratuitous high notes, or at the very least, some choppy runs. “You Know” (the fourth song on the mini album) falls into the same sack of underwhelming moments and falsehoods, with the closing song (모르는 척) delivering a forgettable ballad for the ages.
—
The only saving grace in “Heart To Heart” is the production, which is cleaner than anything 4minute have ever released. But there is no harmony among any of these tracks, as blatantly ‘cute’ as they may be. None of them jive together and it’s hard to tell what exactly the point of this mini album is; what are 4minute trying to prove? What direction are they whipping their hair to? Will they ever actually whip their hair again? These questions can’t be answered by this EP because it’s simply vacant of answers and steered by nothing more than a lazy concept and a dig at everyone’s wallets.
Perhaps the next time Jupiter aligns with Mars, this concept will ring true to who 4minute are as a girl group, but right now, this is the dawning of a disappointing time in their musical repertoire.
I’m holding out for “Steal 20″ to deliver the dance floor wrecks that K-pop so desperately needs right now. — Overall Rating: 3.0/5 — What are your thoughts on this mini album? _
Suggestions for a future review? Hit the author up on Twitter (@rothsresidence) or via e-mail (arnold.arteaga@allkpop.com)!
— Note: This article does not reflect the opinions of allkpop, only of the author.
Music Bank is back once again with a fun and exciting show that was chock full of amazing performances!
Besides the usual stages, Kim Tae Woo, U-KISS, Yangpa, Seo In Kook, and Orange Caramel all made their comebacks, while project group Clover made their debut. Meanwhile, Song Ji Eun had her goodbye stage together with her featuring rapper, Bang Yong Guk. TVXQ and CNBLUE were up against each other for the K-Chart tonight, but it was the latter who clinched the win and followed up on their win yesterday on M! Countdown.
Congratulations to CNBLUE on the win!
Other performers from tonight include K-Will, Wheesung (feat. Hoya), ZE:A, J-Cera, Maya, Girl’s Day, Insooni, M4, Kan Mi Youn, Na Yoon Kwon, and Ye Ara.
Breaking his year-and-six months hiatus, soloist Kim Tae Woo is back with a new song called “Echo“! He’s finally performed on his comeback stage with “Music Bank“, and many agree that “Echo” could repeat the success of his 2009 hit, “Love Rain“.
Co-produced by Lee Hyun Seung and Kim Tae Woo himself, the song aims to express the theme, “True love will return, just like an echo.”
Despite his 12-year history in the industry, Kim Tae Woo aimed to show fans that he’s still learning about life through his passion for music, thus coming up with the perfect title for his second album, “T-School“.
Check out his comeback stage below which also includes, “Before It’s Too Late!”
A new project group called ‘Clover‘, whose members are Eun Ji Won, Gilme, and Typhoon, officially begun promotions on this week’s KBS’s Music Bank.
Member Eun Ji Won of Sechskies fame explained, “I’ve been working with them for a while, and I often thought that if the three of us came together as a group, we’d be able to pursue the type of music we wanted to. We’re all passionate about the same genre of music, which was the basis for us getting together and forming this project group for promotions.”
He continued, “This project album won’t feature any of the auto-tune and hooks that are so popular with mainstream music. Instead, we’ll be writing and composing everything in order to produce something unique to ourselves.” 1N2D’s PD Na Young Suk was in attendance to show his support.
After a quick listen, it’s indeed a bit unique. It might not go over for some people, but for those with eclectic tastes, it could very well be a classic.
Check out their debut stage below!
SECRET’s Song Ji Eun concluded her successful solo promotions with her featuring rapper, Bang Yong Guk for “Going Crazy” on today’s episode of “Music Bank.”
Through her solo promotion, Ji Eun has certainly showed her capability as a solo singer while at the same time, also introducing Bang Yong Guk, who will be in a boy group to be unveiled at a later date.
So check out the goodbye stage below!
Having gone through member changes and a new concept, the U-KISS boys are finally back with their brand new 5th mini album, and are also returning to the Music Bank stage.
Their new title song, “0330“, stands for 3:30 AM – a time of restlessness for those who have yet to fall asleep. It tells the story of a man who is unable to sleep after breaking up with his girlfriend. His grieving heart is expressed soulfully through the song’s soft lyrics and melody.
Check out their slick comeback performance below which also includes “Everyday!”
After a long four year hiatus, female soloist Yangpa finally makes her return to the Music Bank stage.
Having released her mini album, “Elegy Nouveau“, earlier this week, Yangpa has certainly not lost her touch with her traditional ballad style delivery.
Her title track, “It Hurts“, is a sorrowful track which blends the sounds of piano melodies and string instruments to express the pain of a woman who refuses to let her past love go.
Besides her title track, she also performed her medium-tempo track, “I Wish It Were You.”
Check them out below!
After their last two cute concept songs, the Orange Caramel girls are back with their new digital single, ‘Bangkok City‘, and they have begun their comeback promotions on KBS’s Music Bank tonight.
They’ve gone for a funky yet fantasy-like concept this time, paired with over-the-top hairstyles and exciting colors that definitely sets them apart from their previous concepts. “Bangkok City” itself features a strong club rhythm that combines analog emotions with electronic sounds for an addictive mix-and-match track.
Written by poet Won Tae Hyun, lyrics like “One man’s eyes shake, 11 times in a second, shake shake / This kiss calls out to you tonight,” express the modern growth the girls have undergone for this concept. “Bangkok City” is the first of many ‘Asian city themes’ to come for this global project group.
Check it out below!
After headlining for his ‘five level transformation’, singer Seo In Kook has finally made his official comeback through today’s episode of “Music Bank“. JellyFish Entertainment commented, “Last year, Seo In Kook shook up the ladies’ hearts with sweet love songs like ‘I Love U‘ and ‘Baby‘. After eight long months of arduous planning, Seo In Kook has prepared an album for a genre he feels the most confident with.”
His title track, “Broken,” compares the sorrow of a break-up to the shattering of one’s heart. Produced by Hwang Se Jun, the song features emotional lyrics and an impressive chorus.
Check out his comeback stage below!
After girl group 4minute announced their official comeback with “Heart to Heart“, which was released earlier this week, fans were stoked to see that the EP wasn’t all the girls had in store for fans. It was also revealed that the girls would release their first official album, “4MINUTES LEFT“.
The album cover for “4MINUTES LEFT” (seen above) along with the track list was just revealed courtesy of YesAsia.
포미닛 1집 – 4Minutes Left
01. 4Minutes Left – 1:17
02. 거울아 거울아 (Mirror Mirror) – 3:35
03. Heart to Heart – 3:49
04. Sweet Suga Honey! – 3:25
05. 모르는 척 (Pretend) – 3:52
06. You Know – 3:54
07. Already Gone – 3:32
08. First – 3:30
09. Hide and Seek – 3:25
10. 나쁘게 (Badly) – 3:32
The full album is slated for release on April 5th. Stay tuned to allkpop for further announcements on 4minute’s upcoming album release!
Source + Photo: YesAsia
Tip: oume15
SBS’s Inkigayo is back once again, and this week’s show was full of amazing and fun performances from the top participating K-pop artists!
The ‘Take 7‘ nominees were K.Will (“My Heart is Beating“), TVXQ (“Before U Go“), Wheesung feat. Junhyung (“Words That Freeze My Heart“), INFINITE (“Nothing’s Over“), Girl’s Day (“Twinkle Twinkle“), CNBLUE (“Intuition“), and Song Ji Eun feat. Bang Yong Guk (“Going Crazy“).
Song Ji Eun did not perform today.
We had a new Mutizen winner this afternoon, and it was announced to be K.Will who wins for the first time since making his comeback with his new song! This was also his first-ever win since becoming a singer 4 years ago. Congratulations to K.Will on the long-awaited win as he teared with happiness!
MC cuts.
Big Bang and 4minute’s comeback were teased for next week.
Other artists who performed on this afternoon included ZE:A, Kim Hyun Jung, J-Cera, M4, Barbara, Nemo, and Sori feat. Crispi Crunch.
After a long four year hiatus, female soloist Yangpa finally makes her return to the Inkigayo stage.
Having released her mini album, “Elegy Nouveau“, earlier this week, Yangpa has certainly not lost her touch with her traditional ballad style delivery.
Her title track, “It Hurts“, is a sorrowful track which blends the sounds of piano melodies and string instruments to express the pain of a woman who refuses to let her past love go.
Besides her title track, she also performed her medium-tempo track, “It Should Be You.”
Check them out below!
After their last two cute concept songs, the Orange Caramel girls are back with their new digital single, ‘Bangkok City‘, and they have begun their comeback promotions on SBS’s Inkigayo tonight.
They’ve gone for a funky yet fantasy-like concept this time, paired with over-the-top hairstyles and exciting colors that definitely sets them apart from their previous concepts. “Bangkok City” itself features a strong club rhythm that combines analog emotions with electronic sounds for an addictive mix-and-match track.
Written by poet Won Tae Hyun, lyrics like “One man’s eyes shake, 11 times in a second, shake shake / This kiss calls out to you tonight,” express the modern growth the girls have undergone for this concept. “Bangkok City” is the first of many ‘Asian city themes’ to come for this global project group.
Check it out below!
A new project group called ‘Clover‘, whose members are Eun Ji Won, Gilme, and Typhoon, officially begun promotions on this week’s SBS’s Inkigayo.
Member Eun Ji Won of Sechskies fame explained, “I’ve been working with them for a while, and I often thought that if the three of us came together as a group, we’d be able to pursue the type of music we wanted to. We’re all passionate about the same genre of music, which was the basis for us getting together and forming this project group for promotions.”
He continued, “This project album won’t feature any of the auto-tune and hooks that are so popular with mainstream music. Instead, we’ll be writing and composing everything in order to produce something unique to ourselves.”
After a quick listen, it’s indeed a bit unique. It might not go over for some people, but for those with eclectic tastes, it could very well be a classic.
Check out their debut stage below!
Having gone through member changes and a new concept, the U-KISS boys are finally back with their brand new 5th mini album, and are also returning to the Inkigayo stage.
Their new title song, “0330“, stands for 3:30 AM – a time of restlessness for those who have yet to fall asleep. It tells the story of a man who is unable to sleep after breaking up with his girlfriend. His grieving heart is expressed soulfully through the song’s soft lyrics and melody.
Check out their slick comeback performance which also includes “Everyday!”
Breaking his year-and-six months hiatus, soloist Kim Tae Woo is back with a new song called “Echo“! He’s finally performed on his comeback stage with “Inkigayo“, and many agree that “Echo” could repeat the success of his 2009 hit, “Love Rain“.
Co-produced by Lee Hyun Seung and Kim Tae Woo himself, the song aims to express the theme, “True love will return, just like an echo.”
Despite his 12-year history in the industry, Kim Tae Woo aimed to show fans that he’s still learning about life through his passion for music, thus coming up with the perfect title for his second album, “T-School“.
Check out his comeback stage below!”
5dolls has received the baton for the “Traffic Safety Song,” a collaborative campaign between SBS’s “Inkigayo” and the Korean Transporation Safety Authority in promotion of safe driving and environment protection.
The girls showed much determination in delivering the meaningful message of the campaign by coming up with their own choreography for the song, so check out their music video below!
