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EXID ‘Ah Yeah’ Music Video & Song Review

April 13, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

Coming back after a term of great success can be a surprisingly tricky thing to pull off. EXID faced this after their sleeper hit Up and Down. The members and Yedam Entertainment alike always said they would stick to the formula that brought this unexpected rise to fame and they have remained true to their […]

Playlist Sunday: Korean Competition Show Songs

April 12, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Big K-pop groups from big agencies get all the attention abroad most of the times. But in Korea, the songs performed by contestants participating in competition shows chart regularly alongside established idols and artists and are immensely popular. That’s why we’re dedicating this week’s playlist to the songs that came out of our favorite shows. […]

EXID ‘Ah Yeah’ Music Video & Song Review

April 13, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

Playlist Sunday: Korean Competition Show Songs

April 12, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

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EXID ‘Ah Yeah’ Music Video & Song Review

April 13, 2015/in Entertainment, MUSIC /by Joe Palmer

Coming back after a term of great success can be a surprisingly tricky thing to pull off. EXID faced this after their sleeper hit Up and Down. The members and Yedam Entertainment alike always said they would stick to the formula that brought this unexpected rise to fame and they have remained true to their word. Up and Down’s trademarks like saxophone solos, pelvic movements, jarring tonal shifts, and Hani front and centre are all once again present on new single Ah Yeah. But EXID has not merely adopted the Up and Down formula without first reflecting on it.

Between the music video and song‘s interesting elements come up which are cause for a closer look. Not only has EXID they taken the time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, but the Up and Down elements themselves have been kicked up a notch.

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Song

Ah Yeah is an incredibly frantic song. It sounds like it is structurally all over the place like Girls’ Generation’s I Got A Boy but it actually takes an average pop structure and packs it to the brim with clashing elements. Ah Yeah’s through line is a hip-hop drum beat which changes in intensity depending on the corresponding music. The song houses four separate vocal styles throughout its runtime: Hani’s sweet, alluring verse and its counterpoint, LE’s blistering, angry rap, Junghwa’s nursery rhyme like pre-chorus and Solji and Hyerin’s chorus. Thrown together these all seem incompatible but somehow the song makes it out in tact.

The best of these is definitely the competing verses of Hani and LE. The two make up the bulk of the song and carry it so well. Hani’s simple melody and slightly affected voice plays up to her charming strengths perfectly. Put beside LE’s forceful rap though, which is accompanied by the reintroduction of the sax and an intensifying of the drums, it seems like a parody of what brought EXID to fame in Up and Down. In many ways this what Ah Yeah is really about.

EXID’s new song reuses and makes comment on Up and Down, or rather the strange success of it and turns it into something new. LE’s rap inUp and Down wasn’t contrasting enough? Let’s have her rap on five separate occasions in Ah Yeah.

The same can be said for Junghwa’s odd pre-chorus. In Up and Down she had a small part which had a nursery rhyme vibe to it which was probably a way of getting around her seemingly weak vocals. In Ah Yeah her part is similar enough except this time it’s repeated twice and has its own twinkly melody. Again, an element from before is being reused and brought up a notch. I think this is the most jarring part of the song, nearly bringing it into incoherence. This fits into the idea of the self parody as Up and Down wasn’t exactly straightforward itself but lets down the song as whole.

The chorus is the most straightforward part of Ah Yeah. Not changing much of the original formula, it does not however, come as a surprise since we already know it so well. It shows the dearth of options EXID have at hand when a vocalist as amazing as Solji is restricted to a chorus. Amongst girl groups, I’d put her in the top five working right now and thought she’d be the person that dragged them to success; it would be nice to see her do something more than the chorus.

Also on KultScene: Primary’s ‘See You’ Song Review

Music Video

The self-reflexion of EXID doesn’t end with the song though. The music video, like the song, uses different elements to comment and react on EXID’s rise to fame.

Again, Hani and LE’s parts work wonderfully together. Hani essentially playing herself, is seductive as she makes eyes with the POV camera similar enough to her famous fancam. LE also could be playing herself or maybe just another side of the argument. Her angry counterpoint plays like a musician’s reaction to EXID’s fame, not happy that a sexy video brought them there over interesting music written by LE herself. She also addresses the POV camera but this time in an accusatory manner. The video is giving us both sides of the story, letting us know there’s more to EXID than sexiness.

This duality theme continues with Junghwa, Hyerin and Soljin’s parts of the video. Junghwa seems to be playing a cam girl of some sort, similar to what you’d see from the Babestation Babes, with pixelated images dotted around her. She appears to engaging in some explicit activities before being revealed to be a news anchor or something like it. The same goes for Solji and Hyerin who are in generic rooms with pixelated images which are revealed to be cartoon images of animals. It also features some clips of EXID’s pelvis movements pixelated. They know they are likely to be censored so went one step ahead and did it themselves, exposing the ridiculousness of TV censors. The pixelation, in a way, makes the situation even worse since it comes across as more explicit than it really is. It wouldn’t seem any way explicit if it was never censored.

Rating

EXID took a slight risk reusing nearly the identical formula as last time. Unfortunately, Ah Yeah could be mistaken as a mere rehash of Up and Down.

It could also have been a failure on the charts as Up and Down was. While Up and Down is a great song, that was not the main reason for their popularity. EXID really went for it though and came out with something very similar but on a different level. Self awareness in pop music is a rare thing and really helps a group feel more invested in their music.

This is in large part thanks to the songwriting prowess of LE. Not only is she one of the best Korean female rappers working today but she has had a hand in writing every one of EXID’s songs. Her level of artistry lifts EXID from possible flash in the pan success to a group that could become one of the all time greats.

Playlist Sunday: Korean Competition Show Songs

April 12, 2015/in Fans, Playlist Sunday /by KultScene

Big K-pop groups from big agencies get all the attention abroad most of the times. But in Korea, the songs performed by contestants participating in competition shows chart regularly alongside established idols and artists and are immensely popular. That’s why we’re dedicating this week’s playlist to the songs that came out of our favorite shows.

A lot of contestants go on these shows to sing and sometimes most of them do just strictly that, which is understandable since it is a singing competition and they’ll want to showcase their voices and any other potential talent that they may (sometimes, may not) have. But every now and then there’ll be a contestant who’ll not only blow the judges mind away with their heart rending voices, but they’ll also leave not only the judges but the audience as well, feeling touched, with tears in their eyes. Jung Seunghwan proved to be that person. Whether you keep up with Korean singing competition shows or not, I’m sure you’ve heard about or read articles surrounding K-Pop Star 4 contestant Jung Seunghwan. He became a hot item back in December for his rendition of I Want to Fall in Love originally sung by Kim Johan. It was my first time hearing this song and I had no idea what the song was even about, but Seunghwan delivered it with so much warm and raw emotion that it truly felt as though he wrote that song from his own personal experiences; he owned that stage. With so much artistry in his voice and presence, I know K-Pop Star won’t be the last time we see of him.

— Tam

Also on KultScene: Primary’s ‘See You’ Song Review

This year K-Pop Star 4 brought us incredible talent. The Top 10 was filled with completely different singers, but one of my favorites since the beginning of this season has been Lee Jin Ah. Not only are her piano skills wonderful but she has such an unique voice that moves people and make the judges go crazy every time she performs. Her original songs have witty lyrics that make you feel nostalgic about past lovers, friends, and childhood memories. For a special stage during the competition, Lee Jin Ah had a duet with Kwon Jin Ah from K-Pop Star 3, who is currently signed with Antenna Music. Both singers gave a rendition of two of the most celebrated tracks from Lee Jin Ah and they made an incredible performance. Both of their voices fit perfectly with each other and the crowd went crazy when Lee Jin Ah hit the melody for Slow Down Time, the first song she auditioned with and made the top spots in the Korean music charts.

— Alejandro

Bobby’s performance of L4L (Lookin’ For Luv) with Dok2 and The Quiett on Show Me the Money 3 was what made him an actual contender and threat in the competition. Because up until that point, the YG Entertainment trainee had skated his way through based on his idol popularity, but with this performance, he surely turned skeptics into believers. Following a series of losses, Team Illionaire, Bobby and his mentors Dok2 and The Quiett, decided they were going to go big or go home. That’s why they basically went all out with this performance. From the girls in tight clothes and dancing sexily to the catchy EDM beat to the exuberance of swag and, of course, the featuring of the mentors, they brought the house down. L4L (Lookin’ For Luv) earned twice as much money as his opponent, Olltii, Tablo, and Masta Wu of Team YG. This track is not only a winner because it eliminated team YG, but because it’s quite a jam.

— Alexis

Kihyun of upcoming Starship Entertainment group Monsta X is a vocalist who literally leaves his competition out of breath while trying to keep up with him. After less than satisfactory ranking in the beginning of No.Mercy, Kihyun proved his worth throughout the show and made the final cut to debut as a member of Monsta X, but to be honest it didn’t even seem like a question after his first debut mission performance of SHINee Jonghyun’s solo song Hyeya. During the performance, not only did Kihyun get to show the softness of his vocals prior to building up to a massive crescendo, but the emotion of his voice brought expressions of awe to the faces of the judges and the other trainees alike, even as those very same trainees knew that he was nearly impossible to compete with.

— Tamar

I don’t watch much singing competitions so I’m drawing from a small pool of songs here. I doubt, however, there would be much that could compete with my choice, Cheetah’s semi-final Unpretty Rapstar song Coma 07. The track is a raucous but straightforward enough piece of EDM to give the lyrics centre stage. It includes a beeping line throughout which acts as a heart monitor constantly following Cheetah’s every move. This parallels the lyrics of the song which are about a coma Cheetah was in. It’s at the same time a vulnerable outpouring of emotion and a defiant statement of her character.

— Joe

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Like Joe, I don’t watch any singing competitions. I would love to, but unfortunately my work life does not provide an ample amount of time for me to become invested in competitions and other shows. With that, I’m going to go back a few years to K-Pop Star’s inaugural season in 2012. Park Jimin was the shows first winner and she clearly has done quite well for herself. She is one half of the successful duo 15&, she has co-hosted After School Club, and she just recently released her solo debut album. Jimin’s charisma and pure talent are what brought her to the final of K-Pop Star and it’s no wonder she won the show. Her vocals are absolutely stunning and her English skills are impeccable, and her personality is friendly and goofy. She has it all! her performance of Adele’s Rolling In The Deep is the perfect evidence of the talent Jimin had in 2012. Now that she’s with JYP Entertainment and her voice has matured, she sounds even better. I can’t wait to see what else this talented young woman has to offer.

— Tara

What’s your favorite song out of a competition show? Share your picks 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.