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Taemin ‘Press Your Number’ Music Video & Song Review

February 28, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by KultScene

By Sana Parvayz K-pop is becoming a global phenomenon, and the bridge between Western Pop and K-pop is rapidly decreasing. 2016 has already kicked off as a year filled with Western collaborations, beginning with 4MINUTE and Skrillex on their latest album and now SHINee Taemin’s collaboration with Bruno Mars. There’s been hype for his newest […]

HISTORY Talks Teamwork & Upcoming Releases [INTERVIEW]

February 27, 2016/in Features /by Eve Backhouse

K-pop boy band HISTORY wowed British fans at their concert in London on February 21. But even before the show began, KultScene caught up with the Loen Entertainment quintet. Despite their tight schedule the members sat down with us and, with the help of an interpreter, opened up about their career, upcoming releases, and their […]

Taemin ‘Press Your Number’ Music Video & Song Review

February 28, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by KultScene

HISTORY Talks Teamwork & Upcoming Releases [INTERVIEW]

February 27, 2016/in Features /by Eve Backhouse

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

Taemin ‘Press Your Number’ Music Video & Song Review

February 28, 2016/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by KultScene

By Sana Parvayz

K-pop is becoming a global phenomenon, and the bridge between Western Pop and K-pop is rapidly decreasing. 2016 has already kicked off as a year filled with Western collaborations, beginning with 4MINUTE and Skrillex on their latest album and now SHINee Taemin’s collaboration with Bruno Mars. There’s been hype for his newest album “Press It” since the teasers. And now that the music video for the title song “Press Your Number” dropped, we’re witnessing nothing less than perfection.

Song

Taemin’s “Press Your Number” is produced by Bruno Mars and team Stereotypes, who have worked with various famous western musicians in the past. The single is an urban pop dance song about a man expressing his broken heart while waiting for the loved one. The song starts off with sensual sighs and a guitar accompanied by synths. Further, the song falls into an electronic beat. The song is amazingly recorded and the sound quality is rich. The chorus is catchy and the vocals are pleasing to the ears.

Moreover, as the title says, Taemin keeps on calling his lover, hence the pressing of the numbers. However, he never gets an answer from the other side. The following lyrical lines expresses the situation really well, “… I started talking to myself often. even though I call you, you don’t answer often. where are you now? Please come back to me….”

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The song definitely has those Bruno Mars vibes we all know with a hint of SHINee flavour. “Press Your Number” shows a mature side of Taemin as an artist. Interestingly, this song has some similarity with Bruno Mars’ “Press It” demo. The demo has a laid back tone, where as Taemin’s “Press Your Number” is more upbeat and lively.

Music Video

The music video starts with Taemin robbing a convenience store. The idol played the part of the criminal and victim as well, from robbing the store to crashing his car. The video shows a lot of symbolism and artistic themes, such as the blue roses that followed him everywhere he went that referenced his past following his present. Eventually, his gang is caught by police, but Taemin escaped. Later on, Taemin started to hallucinate and reached a point where he could no longer bear himself. So, he sets himself and his car on fire. Although the video doesn’t show any direct relation between the girl and Taemin, it still signifies that there was something important between them. The girl casted in this video was also a part of SHINee’s “View.”

Furthermore, the choreography is unique and exquisite. Taemin’s dance moves showed Michael Jackson’s influence. The back-up dancers synced really well with Taemin. The music video captured heavenly landscapes which made it aesthetically pleasing. The cinematography of this video was graceful and the locations were beautiful. Also, the colour correction is mind-blowing; it was like blending the Victorian era with the 21^st century. The castle, car, his suit and dial-up telephone gave a vintage feel to the video, blending with urbanization by showing cityscape and modern apparel. SM Entertainment really made sure to highlight Taemin as a promising artist. Taemin portrayed mature and intimidating image through his recent music video and album.

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SM Entertainment also released two dance versions for Taemin’s “Press Your Number.” Both of the dance versions were shooted in different places and different costumes, following the theme of the music video. Have a look at the both dance versions which higlighted Taemin’s dancing skills.

Overall Thoughts

Excluding BoA and Kangta, Taemin is the first SM Entertainment artist to get a solo full-album. Without a doubt, “Press Your Number” is remarkable in every perspective; from song to video, both are aesthetically pleasing. I think Taemin has raised the bar for other SM artists and K-pop idols alike. It definitely showed artist growth since “Danger,” and I can proudly say that I am in love with this work.

Taemin 'Press Your Number'

Let us know what do you think about this video? Would you look forward to Taemin’s stage performances or not? Be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to stay updated.

HISTORY Talks Teamwork & Upcoming Releases [INTERVIEW]

February 27, 2016/in Features /by Eve Backhouse

K-pop boy band HISTORY wowed British fans at their concert in London on February 21. But even before the show began, KultScene caught up with the Loen Entertainment quintet. Despite their tight schedule the members sat down with us and, with the help of an interpreter, opened up about their career, upcoming releases, and their European concert tour.

KultScene: Thank you so much for sitting down with me and welcome to England! What aspect of meeting your European fans are you most looking forward to?

Jae Ho: We have only been to Finland so far and just arrived in the UK. We had the chance to meet a few of the fans in Helsinki, though. It seems like the European supporters are quite vocal, so we are looking forward to hearing more of their enthusiasm for our performances on the other stops of our European tour.

KS: Let’s talk about your career a little bit. What qualities does HISTORY feel they have as a group which make them unique in the K-Pop world?

Do Kyun: All K-pop idols work very hard on stage, but I believe that HISTORY’s main strength as a group is the teamwork among our five members. This is what allows us to produce a very powerful performance on stage for our fans.

Also on KultScene: Fans Go ‘Psycho’ At HISTORY’s London Concert

KS: How does the experience of performing for your fans in Europe differ to that in South Korea?

Si Hyoung: The Korean fans just like to listen and watch us on stage, whereas the European fans we’ve met so far preferred to interact with us. They danced and sang along loudly in unison to our performances.

KS: A lot of your music videos, including the Hitchcock inspired “Psycho” and drug- related “What Am I To You,” have intense concepts with graphic storylines. How much of a role do History’s members have in this creative process?

Kyungil: We don’t have any input into our music video concepts, but our personal influence with regards to songwriting is increasing with every album. Our next release, which is coming out soon, will have a lot of our influence and thoughts put into it.

KS: My next question is for Yi Jeong. Even though you’re the youngest member you’ve showcased a lot of talent writing songs for HISTORY, such as the group’s latest Korean single “Might Just Die.“ However your solo track, “1Century,” was geared more towards hip hop. What made you go in that direction?

Yi Jeong: HISTORY as a team usually has a gentler image, but I personally really love hip hop and wanted to try out a different sound for my solo track, mostly to challenge myself.

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KS: What can we look forward to from HISTORY in 2016?

Do Kyun: In 2016 we plan, as a group, to find more ways to communicate with our fans through broadcasting activities. We don’t have any specific plans for solo projects at the present time.

Kyungil: HISTORY is working on an album right now as a group, so the fans can expect to hear that very soon.

KS:Do you have a final message for your fans at KultScene?

Kyungil: Please give HISTORY a lot of love and support from Europe and we will return soon with more activities and surprises for you!

What do you think of HISTORY? Are you a fan? Share your thoughts and what you’d like to ask HISTORY in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

[Picture by: Sophie Tang]