[Bonus] Girl Group Soloist Theory

1. Minzy (2NE1)
Minzy. Needs. A solo debut. This girl is a premier girl in Kpop when it comes to being a jack of all trades, master of none. Minzy possesses a stable lower register, flighty rapping skills, and is a top notch dancer. That's the complete package, and if that isn't worthy of a solo debut I don't know what is. Minzy could easily have a more dance-oriented number as the title track, and have other songs on the album like a slower ballad and more poppy tunes like some 2NE1 stuff. Unfortunately, this will either not be happening soon or at all, with CL's impending march onto the American market, any other 2NE1 related activities will be on hold.

2. Taeyeon (Girls' Generation)
Rumors are this is already going to be happening, but Taeyeon obviously would excel as a solo artist. She's pretty much perfect for ballads (something along the lines with Kyuhyun's "At Gwanghwamun" for example) but has proven she can do pop and other genres, as seen in Girls' Generation's variety of music. Taeyeon is already the #1 of Girls' Generation in so many aspects, giving her a solo debut on top of the subunit might make up for the fact that 2014 was completely disastrous for GG. Oh and while we're at it, let's not have troll teaser concept photos either. Please and thank you.

3. Soyu (Sistar)
Now Soyu had a pretty busy 2014. While a plethora of collaboration projects is nice, that doesn't substitute for a full length solo album release. Soyu has a beautiful stable voice. Her range is far lower than Hyorin's, but she's very consistent and I've never heard her strain for notes (though perhaps that's because Hyorin takes all those). Each release has utilized her graceful vocals so a solo debut would be no exception to this. I think that Soyu's best song this year and a half was "The Space Between" with Urban Zakapa, which really capitalized on her smooth voice. Something similar would do her (and Sistar) a lot of good.

4. Eunjung (T-ARA)
Jiyeon, Hyomin, and Eunjung are perhaps the biggest names in T-ARA, and logically Eunjung should have her chance at a solo debut next year, following the footsteps of Jiyeon and Hyomin. Eunjung is similar to Minzy in that she's a very well-rounded idol. No specific strengths (outside of looks heh) or flaws, and if Jiyeon had a fantastic release that brought out her talents, then Eunjung can surely be just as good if not better. T-ARA had a good year with "Sugar Free" and Jiyeon's "Never Ever" (both songs just missed out being on the Best Of 2014 at #21 and #23, respectively), An Eunjung solo should help wipe the memory of the other T-ARA member solo that we don't like to talk about as having happened. Seriously.

Just Outside: Sera (ex-9MUSES)
I actually want this comeback the most, especially since we've seen Nicole leave her group to return with a produced solo, I'm hoping something like this is in the works for Sera, though I don't think she's signed on with any label. She's been uploading clips to Youtube relatively frequently. If this is the fate she's left with then it's a shame. Sera's got one of the clearest and purest voices in Kpop alongside Secret's Jieun. Would be unfortunate to see that go to waste.

Just Outside: Luna (f(x))
This nomination is also technically a stretch, given how unlikely f(x) activities will occur in the foreseeable future. Still, Luna is amazing and her versatility could also come into play, letting her tackle electronic dance pop, while still having a reliable beautiful voice for slower songs. Luna is the only person keeping f(x) relevant in terms of music, so give this girl a chance at the solo stage, I'm sure she'd kill it.

Honorable Mentions: Bohyung (Spica), Seungyeon (KARA)

[Bonus] Girl Group Radar 2015

Editor's Note: Being the clumsy fool that I am, I accidentally deleted the original while trying to make some edits on mobile. And ever since I started using Blogger I haven't been saving these on my computer either. I'm just going to list the groups from the original but unfortunately all the text / thoughts won't be there. Sorry, I'll try to be more careful next time!

1. Girl's Day

2. Sistar

3. Apink

4. AOA

Just Outside: Mamamoo

Just Outside: 9MUSES

Honorable Mentions: KARA, EXID

[Bonus] Best Of 2014 (#4-#1)

4. Soyu & Jungigo - Some

Soyu has been on fire lately. Perhaps the best combination / collaboration of hers to date, Soyu and Jungigo provide some relaxing sweet harmony. Given no prior knowledge of Jungigo, suffice to say that I was very pleased with his voice and how it matched with Soyu. One of my favourite things (I really hate using this word) to see in a duet or collaboration is that no voice overpowers the other, and that when both of them are singing or harmonizing, you can hear both equally. You need the right combination of singers / voices in order to achieve that. I may have mentioned this before, but Kyuhyun & Tiffany's "Rise and Shine" is the perfect example. Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that this combination of Soyu and Jungigo is really good. While this is essentially a ballad duet (duet ballad?), it's not better than "Don't Look At Me Like That" because of the rap from Lil Boi. If there's one thing that has stuck with me since I got into Kpop, it's that nasal singing and rapping just don't sit well with me.

3. Orange Caramel - My Copycat

If this was a few years back I would have never imagined Orange Caramel would land a top 3 finish, but here we are. "Candy culture" was certainly never my style, and Nana's nasally voice compounded my interests to stay away from this subunit. But when "My Copycat" rolled around, All the walls were broken. "My Copycat" is very addicting, and very fun. Nana's nasal delivery isn't as prominent, and the instrumental is equally as goofy. "My Copycat" is hands down the best music video of 2014. Sure, another Orange Caramel nominee "Catallena" is arguably better, but the actual song of "My Copycat" is far superior. Anyway, the MV has you play a game where you find what's different between the scenes and subsequently has you try to find OC amidst a crowd. The dance is just as fun, silly, and carefree, not to mention that the "sexy outfits" are fantastically meta.

2, Girl's Day - Darling

"Darling" is cute. Going from sexy to cute seemed questionable at first, and I certainly thought so, but I couldn't blame them for returning to a familiar concept that drew them fans in the first place. And what do you know, Girl's Day is really good at being cute. With the combination of multiple strengths: a cute butt dance, the most inefficient car wash ever, everyone in a banana-esque outfit, "Darling" knows what it is and doesn't try to hide it. Once more, Minah really comes into her own with the adlibs at the end of the song, and even makes Sojin's support vocals look pedestrian here (I'd like to note that this was a good ploy, as in the following track "I Miss You" the lines were rebalanced to be more equal). Like I mentioned in my "Darling" review, the success of this song is not only related to Girl's Day as a unit, but because they showed even after a year of maturing into adults, they can still effortlessly pull off their original style.

1. Epik High - Happen Ending

"Happen Ending" is one of those songs where you don't need lyrics to be understanding. The calm, laid back nature of the chorus with the fast impactful raps is truly the Epik High formula we have all come to enjoy and love. It's worth mentioning that most people were wary of the YG signing as they feared Epik High would lose their trademark sound (and become YG-ified). It's clear that this did not happen, and this song and subsequently the album did not disappoint. I won't comment much on Tablo and Mithra as I believe I gave them enough praise during "Born Hater." Jo Wonsun's original feature was stable, but what "Happen Ending" really benefited from was having many different vocalists feature in live performances, and each brought their own distinct style, interpretation, and feel to the song. Younha was the closest the Wonsun's original sound; softer, but with the serene emotional grace that she usually provides. Lee Hi and Minzy brought a strong rich undertone to the chorus. Suhyun and Yoo Inna, while not amazing, were impressive in how they held their own in comparison. Surpringly, I find myself at a lack of words to talk about "Happen Ending." Maybe that's just how good the song is.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you have a great time with friends and family during the holidays. Before the year comes to an end I may drop a few more bonus writings I've been toying with, and most importantly, I'd like to thank everyone that takes time to view my blog and listen to my thoughts about the Kpop world. It's been awesome, and I hope that 2015 will be a much kinder year for Kpop.

[Bonus] Best Of 2014 (#8-#5)

8. Mamamoo - Mr. Ambiguous

If you want to talk about an impressive year, look no further, because Mamamoo is about to blow you away. With a lineup of fresh new faces boasting incredible vocals (and a capable rapper), Mamamoo catches your attention right away with the classy smooth vibes of "Mr. Ambiguous." Seriously, Wheein, Solar, and Hwasa are nothing short of fantastic and show charisma, sass, and power in just a few minutes. Combining the fantastically smooth song with the stacked roster of cameos in the MV (Wheesung, K.Will, Baek Jiyoung to name a few), and Mamamoo made a statement that they're here to play. (Somehow "Mr. Ambiguous" photos don't exist, so I used "Piano Man," rest in peace consistency)

7. Girl's Day - Something

"Everyday is Girl's Day"? More like "2014 is Girl's Day." This year arguably couldn't have gone better for the girls. And they kicked off the year with the extremely mature and extremely classy "Something," The progression from "Expectation" and "Female President" to "Something" was really well done, and everything about "Something" shows that. The dresses, the choreography, the sensual vocals, and even the more serious tone of the music video are all welcome. When I first heard Minah, I wasn't as impressed with her as I thought I would be, but as Girl's Day kept releasing more songs with her carrying, I've really come to love her voice and the work she does for Girl's Day. Still, the support from Sojin, Yura, and Hyeri is solid, and the reason why Girl's Day has such a talented vocal lineup.

6. Jieun - Don't Look At Me Like That

Jieun, like Hana, suffers from a identity disorder where her group just can't decide what they want to be. That's why her solo work shows the best side of her, the side we often don't get to see. With "Don't Look At Me Like That," Jieun absolutely stuns with emotion and grace, and her clear voice really sells the message. This piece is easily Jieun's best to date, and shows just what kind of soloist she could really be if given the opportunity. If only Secret could play more to her strengths, "Don't Look At Me Like That" is the premier ballad of 2014, and I'm glad Jieun is the recipient of this award. Considering the competition with established veterans like TTS, and the vocal juggernauts of Hyorin and Ailee, Jieun did a damn good job with what she had.

5. Epik High - Born Hater

And now we move onto 2014's best rap track. "Born Hater" is awesome. Just straight up awesome. Combining all the various elements of rap: veterans Epik High, Verbal Jint, Beenzino, newbies Bobby and Mino, hilarious set and video capture, and strong lyrics make this a classic. The new kids are so impressive I didn't even know they were actually YG group members. Still, the lines from the previous generation (Beenzino especially) wouldn't get beat by a few young ones and the whole "Seven Deadly Sins" theme behind the video is excellent. Tukutz, in this season's most beautiful shade of orange, drops a sick beat and everything else is history. When they performed this live (most of them anyway) it was just as fun and hype as I imagined, and that's good. I imagine this will be a favourite rap track for a long time.

[Bonus] Best Of 2014 (#12-#9)

12. INFINITE - Back

To me, Infinite is the male group equivalent or counterpart to A-Pink, at least musically. Both groups have a very specific sound that jumps right at you, and the vocal distribution of voices on the roster certainly speak to that. However, "Back" was a little unorthodox and different for the group, but artistically "Back" is expertly crafted and the execution is just as good. Woohyun and Sunggyu do a solid job leading the pack, but you can also see (hear) the growth in the weaker vocals like L and Sungyeol. Lastly, Dongwoo and Hoya don't need a rap to show presence as they have more than adequate lines, too. "Back" was just what Infinite needed for the repackage album.

11. Wheesung - Night & Day

The soul king returned from the military to drop a beautiful power ballad on us. "Night & Day" is as powerful as it is beautiful. Wheesung delivers power and emotion right from the beginning, and his belts at the end are really damn good. The instrumental is underappreciated in my opinion, and the MV is descriptive with good support acting from Yura and CAP. The last 30 seconds or so (starting from the last chorus) is really strong, and stands out for other music that as mentioned before, have not had good finishes or consistency. Not to be outdone by all the youngsters debuting, Wheesung really made a returning impact with "Night & Day."

10. Juniel - I Think I'm In Love

See what I said about this list being all over the place? Juniel graces us with "I Think I'm In Love," and as I noted in my bias list, she's the only genuinely sweet girl that I just love. Her sweet voice does wonders for this track and unlike last year's "Pretty Boy," the instrumental doesn't sound out of place and subsequently doesn't interfere with the song. This means you can enjoy "I Think I'm In Love" from start to finish, and the acoustic versions aren't all that different (still wonderful). The MV is just about as sweet as Juniel, and if I ever wanted to have a date with Juniel, this video sums it up pretty nicely. Compared to past releases, this song is a bit more poppy, and the versatility of Juniel and the guitar make this song a good listen on any kind of day.

9. AOA - Miniskirt

And now onto something entirely different (again). AOA saw their biggest climb in popularity and on the charts, with Brave Sound at their side. "Miniskirt" is all sorts of classy, sassy, and sexy. They may just have dethroned KARA as the premier butt-shaking crew, and that dethroning was more like a revolutionary coup. "Miniskirt" scores high in all the right places, from the delicious eye candy to the short and punctual rap, from the fanservice hook and synchronized sound to Choa's powerful belts. As far as debuting on my radar goes, AOA set the standards very high, placing within the top 10 with their first song.

[Bonus] Best Of 2014 (#16-#13)

16. SPICA - You Don't Love Me

SPICA are talented. Almost everyone knows this, and yet time after time they come back with a new song that blows me away. "You Don't Love Me" arguably boasts the most vocal power on the list, with Bohyung continuing to melt my heart with her voice. It's rich and powerful, and even Boa (who I usually am not a fan of) shines. Considering this is a retro track, I wasn't really paying attention to the choreography because this music video is just fantastic. All of it. From the hilarious outfits, to popping up behind doors, to flawlessly throwing laundry on yourself, this MV is all kinds of great and the 2nd best MV of the year.

15. Super Junior-M - Swing

I realize that this may be a bit of a cheat, but since this song has been released in both Korean and Mandarin "Swing" qualifies to be on the list. "Swing" is a energetic dance number and man this dance is awesome. Even during the dubstep break, Eunhyuk and friends command attention with the choreography. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook continue to deliver with vocals that are just right for this dance song and wrapped in an aesthetically pleasing MV and you have all aspects covered. Similar to CL and "MTBD," Super Junior-M's "Swing" is a welcome return to form. During the years where "Sorry Sorry" and "Super Girl" dominated, "Swing" gives us a friendly reminder of the good ol' days of Super Junior strength.

14. Younha - What Does My Heart Become

Younha had a good year, though most of that goodness was actually from feature work. Still, "What Does My Heart Become" is an excellent addition to Younha's "Songs with Long English Titles that are Awesome." See "The Real Reason We Broke Up" and "Would We Have Changed" for reference. Anyway, everything about this song is very serene, from the enhancing instrumental to Younha's soft and delicate voice. The buildup into the final chorus is also very strong and beautiful. In a year where most songs were characterized by strong starts and weak finishes / bridges, "What Does My Heart Become" remains consistent from start to finish with Younha's trademark sound.

13. Girls' Generation-TTS - Stay

Girls' Generation had a tough year. "Mr. Mr" was rather quiet and "Holler" was a bit too loud in the wrong way, but the rest of the album had promise. And of this promise was "Stay." This is the highlight of the album, and the prime reason you put Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun together in a subunit. This song is amazing and doesn't disappoint. All the girls show off their skills, and even Tiffany has a rapping segment. Now naturally such a thing should never happen, but truth be told Tiffany is the only girl (in the group) who can put that amount of pizzazz and spark with her California accent and make the rap work, which I can respect her for that. "Stay" clearly should have been the title track on "Holler," but I will forgive Soshi this once considering the crazy year they had.

[Bonus] Best Of 2014 (#20-#17)

2014 was not a kind year for Kpop, as I'm sure most of you know. Contract terminations, lawsuits, drama, and member changes were ripe all year round, and we saw staple giants like Girls' Generation crumble and rising stars B.A.P suffer all of these conditions. The Kpop shenanigans were certainly at an all-time high, but not to be forgotten were the music releases. This year, I originally had a list of 12 songs, with an Honorable Mentions group, but that category grew to 8 songs, so I figured I'd consolidate all the songs into one premier list of 20. This year's list is all over the place, partly because of having more songs and partly because that's pretty much how this year went down. So here we go!

20. Sistar - I Swear

While Sistar's "Touch My Body" didn't have the same type of impact as previous summer releases. "I Swear" more than made up for that. With a solid base in the music video, which followed the girls' trip to Saipan, Sistar delivers a bright and happy "I Swear," spearheaded by none other than Hyorin's divine vocals. Seriously, her work in this song cannot be understated. Still, Soyu and Dasom make ends meet with support vocals (especially during the bridge), and Bora's rap, while a bit grating with aegyo, is still solid. It's a rather weak finish this year for Sistar, considering they clocked in within the top 10 the last 2 years, but nonetheless, they're going to be a prime group in 2015.

19. J-Min - Shine

J-Min was finally brought out of the S.M. dungeons this year after having worked in Japan. I was tempted to pick one of her Japanese works like "Sorry" but I'm being true to the Kpop name and only picking Korean songs. It's a solid number, however I can't help but think that "Shine" pales in comparison to "If You Want," but that's probably an unfair assessment. I think the instrumental is a little too loud and messy, which obstructs J-Min's incredible voice. That being said, however, J-Min's delivery is still flawless and the song as a whole is a lovely trip down memory lane to the older days of pop rock that first drew me in.

18. KARA - Mamma Mia

KARA suffered from losing Jiyoung and Nicole, but really made a statement with the addition of Youngji and "Mamma Mia." This type of high energy vocals is right up KARA's alley with Seungyeon and Gyuri. Even Hara and Youngji made waves for their work as well. I'm a bit displeased with the scattered English, and it made the song weaker without fluent pronunciation from Nicole, but man the MV was all sorts of eye candy and the choreography was pretty good, and pretty pretty. Personally, I was really interested in what direction KARA would take after another roster shuffle, but with the hilarious Youngji (literally never stops laughing) the changes were handled rather splendidly.

17. CL - MTBD

When I first saw this song on the "Crush" tracklist, I clicked with caution. After all, I wasn't impressed with the "Baddest Female" era that CL seemingly has herself wrapped in, but man was I pleasantly surprised. This song is all of what CL was that first attracted me to her style. Her charisma is still on point, lyrics and delivery are smooth and the instrumental is beast. The quality of this "MTBD" is so high that if this was released circa 2009 (the "To Anyone" era) this would've easily been a top song then, too. "MTBD" signals a return to form for CL, and I hope that her foray into the American market will have more of this and less of the "Baddest Female."

[Review] Nicole - Mama

The ex-KARA member has spent months in preparation to unleash "Mama" upon us. Videos of her progress showed promise, and if anything, I was looking forward to see what the new Nicole would bring to the table as a soloist. Nicole's position in KARA was more or less subdued to pseudo-rapper since she was outclassed in terms of vocals and dance was never the focal point of the group.

"Mama" is a really soothing song. Nicole plays her voice to her strength, sounding soft and sultry, something that Jiyeon did for her piece which worked well in "Never Ever." Given that Nicole is arguably a stronger singer than Jiyeon, it's a more pleasant outcome. The instrumental is a little louder than I'd like, as it drowns out Nicole in certain parts but isn't a very big problem. Nothing extraordinary out of Nicole as far as singing, and to be honest the vocals remind me her previous solo work "Lost" with the similar structure and breathy vocals. Still, I liked "Lost" and so in transitive I guess I like "Mama," too.

Now that she's a solo artist, choreography can be her prime showcase, and that's definitely true in "Mama." Nicole struts her stuff and damn does she look good while doing it. All the various interactions between her and the backup dancers were pleasantly artful and that sort of interaction was never shown in KARA dances. I'm sure that performing this song live is the highlight for her, and am glad to see it. The music video doesn't really trail off from the standard. Nicole looks amazing and has excellent dance scenes to show off her skills. I wasn't impressed with the choice to have a toilet set. It's not as good as when Epik High did it, and especially so since this bathroom looks much more grimy. Oh well. I'm far too entranced with Nicole in the other scenes to really care.

Perhaps due to the musical similarities with "Lost," I wasn't that excited with this release. Nicole fell a little short in comparison to other solo rivals, with Hyosung having much more punch, Jiyeon bringing a better song, and even G.NA with stronger vocals. Nicole had a very specific role in KARA which I was hoping to see a different side of her with this debut. Still, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a philosophy which I can respect, and Nicole certainly isn't breaking anytime soon.

[ Score: 80 / 100 ]

[Review] Zhou Mi - Rewind (feat. Tao)

S.M. has had diverging paths in the year 2014. Their group management has been atrocious, with members leaving left and right. On the other hand, they have been shifting sights towards solo artists, debuting a handful with rather solid results. Zhou Mi is the latest to crawl out of the dungeon. The Super Junior-M member has had chances to shine with the group but now has his own stage.

"Rewind" is a good song. It plays to Zhou Mi's strengths as a singer with his soft and clear voice for the R&B sound. The intro is especially strong with the toned down background instrumental for Zhou Mi to lead. This is Zhou Mi in his comfort zone, which is a good place to be when you're making your solo debut. The background repetition of "Hey hey hey" was quite annoying, but not more than the autotune in GOT7's "Stop Stop It." At least that wasn't around in the chorus or I'd have flipped.

Oh, the token white girl in a Kpop video. How often does this happen? Probably more often than we'd like. This title literally gives S.M an excuse to spam the slow motion reverse controls they adore so much, and the camera work for the choreography shots are pretty good. Zhou Mi has such a height where some of the dance moves look a little lanky and awkward, something that usually is hidden behind Super Junior-M, but perhaps he's in the spotlight front and center this becomes more noticeable. The choreography itself is also pretty good, with the chorus and bridge sections being both highlights and in character with the title "Rewind."

Tao's showing in "Rewind" is quite strong. I'm glad that they didn't have Henry appear, as Tao is an infinitely better rapper than Henry. Tao's lines are short and to the point, and the Mandarin flows well (in comparison to Chanyeol in the Korean version) and his tough rap was a nice addition and compliment to the smooth vocals from Zhou Mi.

Maybe S.M. is just trying to divert attention away from the disaster of a year that their groups have suffered, but nonetheless, the stream of solo releases have been very kind to each singer. With news of more solos on their way in 2015, I think S.M. will be picking themselves up a bit, at least in terms of music.

[ Score: 82 / 100 ]

[Review] GOT7 - Stop Stop It

GOT7 made a flashy debut this year with "Girls Girls Girls" and their acrobatic dancing. Most were reminded of an early 2PM, myself included. What followed was "A," something more cutesy and innocent and here we're at "Stop Stop It."

I'll give credit where credit is due. Most of the GOT7 members have very clear voices, which is good when you're a vocally oriented group. What doesn't deserve credit though, is the grating autotune in the background at the beginning and chorus of the song. Holy crap that is disgusting to hear repeated over and over. "Stop Stop It" would have been far more tolerable without that junk. Even without the obnoxious autotune though, the song isn't particularly impressive. A routine method that works for what it's worth, but GOT7 is more dance and less vocals, so I'm not sure what I would expect for "good vocals" from this group.

The rap showing was pretty decent I suppose. I'd much prefer Jackson's appearance with Mark's voice. They sort of flip flop on that regard, as Jackson looks like the stronger rapper but Mark's voice is way better. Regardless, Mark is leagues ahead of Jackson and Bambam, which is funny since all of them aren't Koreans. It'd be interesting to see a scenario where Jr. and Mark are the main rappers, since I still think Jr's showing in "Bounce" was solid.

I'm not entirely sure I follow the MV, but I'll throw my signature "the MV has a plot of sorts and is therefore superior to box videos" all the same. That and it's also a copout to really dive into the elements of the video. The choreography, like the vocals, is also relatively tame, which is fine and all, but I much prefer the athletic and dynamic showings in their debut. What are those outfits though? Would have made more sense if they were wearing school uniforms or dress shirts.

I'm not that pleased with this release. On it's own, the song isn't that memorable and neither is the dance, which should ideally be this group's strongest aspect. The rapping is average but since everything else is weaker it stands out, so I suppose that's a plus. This song lacks the quality seen in "Girls Girls Girls" and certainly not to the standards from "Bounce."

[ Score: 70 / 100 ]

[Review] Hi Suhyun - I'm Different (feat. Bobby)

Suhyun of Akdong Musician and Lee Hi of Lee Hi join together for this YG subunit release. Lee Hi had been inactive for a while so it was nice to see her return to the stage / studio with this song.

While the subunit name "Hi Suhyun" wasn't very clever, the actual pairing was. Lee Hi has a very rich voice and in contrast, Suhyun has a really clear and light voice and they match well. One of the true markings of a good collaboration is that neither voice overpowers the other, and that both members have proportionate line distribution (obviously). Hi Suhyun scores high on both marks, and combined with the quality combination of both voices, and there was little room to fail.

Unfortunately, YG managed to find a way to do so with having the prechorus in rap form. Perhaps it's not completely traditional rap but they're certainly not singing and they certainly would've been better off without rapping. Like I get it, they're cute and sassy but this is definitely not their cup of tea, and it just might've been better if Bobby was doing the prechorus for the girls.

Speaking of, Bobby shows up for a short bit and is pretty solid. I first saw him in Epik High's "Born Hater" and he really impressed for such a young one / rookie and he kept up the good work here. Surely Bobby saved Lee Hi and Suhyun because if not for his actual good rap, I'd have marked them down a ton for the prechorus.

The MV is adorable and compliments the song and lyrics. There isn't much to talk about, since the MV speaks for itself. Poor girls.

"I'm Different" is different in many ways. The song is light and catchy, the vocal pair is really strong, and the MV is absolute quality. Bobby's rapping is good, and the girls' rapping is not. Still, it's something I didn't really expect out of YG and pleasantly exceeded expectations.

[ Score: 85 / 100 ]