[Review] Younha - Run

Departing from the classical structure of my music reviews, I have to write a little differently to talk about Younha. Younha has no fancy choreographies to show off, and hardly ever raps in her pop rock dominant style of music. So, the only viable options to talk about are her vocals and the music video, both of which I will rank out of 25.
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Vocals: 25 / 25

I have said this numerous times and I will say it numerous times more, Younha is hands down the best vocalist in South Korea. Yeah, she is under some serious competition with the rising powerhouses like Ailee and Hyorin but for the moment she remains #1 and will be there for some time. Younha miraculously blends enough power and proper emotion into anything she sings. Between quality control, high levels of energy, an innocent / cute sound, lower husky voice, beautiful falsettos, Younha can do it all. Having all these talents grants her incredible versatility in singing bubblegum pop in “1,2,3” to emotional ballads like “Broke Up Today” and powerful songs in “Hero”. “Run” in particular emphasizes her smooth vocals and happy / upbeat emotions, along with some brilliant falsettos. You can practically be swept away if you just close your eyes and follow the song. With the vocals and music video, it really flows well together, almost as if truly running. Needless to say, Younha does not disappoint.

Music Video: 23 / 25

This is a very straighforward and colourful (okay, it’s mainly black and white, but still) music video! The song is called “Run” and Younha is running! And looking good, while at it. Younha is one of the original short cut wearers, and while it’s a great / cute look for her, the long hair is far more flattering and more mature. Younha’s eyes shine brightly (a sort of radiant bright, different from the Tiffany moonshine eyes or Sulli’s eye smiles), especially at the beginning of the video. The various camera angles and effects were perhaps a little excessive (like the turbine part, what) but they did compliment and enhance the straightforward video. Throughout the crazy effects and flares, Younha is running for her life amongst flying debris, some creeper on a carriage, and a metal whale(?). How she managed to land on her feet after getting absolutely slammed by a large chair is beyond me. You mean she’s athletic, too? Man that’s practically not fair! All in all it’s a different type of video for a different type of song than what most Korean music is used to.

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Overall: 96 / 100

After what seemed to be an eternity, Younha returned with a spectacular album with standouts in “Run” and “Would We Have Changed”. “Run” is a refreshing ballad that will surely lighten your mood, and is a song which covers Younha’s struggles when she was under Lion Media.