Let’s Discover: MAMAMOO
This Let’s Discover is a true one in that I will focus on rookie group Mamamoo. I’m not sure how many people have heard of this girl group, but I want to give them the spotlight. Personally, I didn’t discover them until a few weeks after their debut, and I decided to see what their music video was like. I am so happy that I stumbled upon this group. These four ladies have an immense amount of talent and I look forward to watching their career blossom.
Mamamoo consists of four girls: Solar, Moon Byul, Whee In, and Hwa Sa. They debuted in June with Mr. Ambiguous. The song has strong jazz and swing elements to it, which is the perfect style for their sultry vocals. I did not hear anything about Mamamoo leading up to their debut, or even after their debut. Nevertheless, Mr. Ambiguous is a great debut song.
(Top, L-R) Whee In, Hwa Sa (Bottom, L-R) Solar, Moon Byul
As I mentioned above, the jazz and swing elements in the song make it stand out among other K-Pop songs. The song sticks to traditional instruments and does not heavily rely on machine-made sounds. It is not overly produced and, to me, it gives off a crisp feeling, because of the different sound from the mainstream K-Pop songs out now.
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Aside from the refreshing sound, the music video for Mr. Ambiguous boasts appearances by well-known celebrities. Wheesung, K.Will, Lee Jonghyun (CNBLUE), Bumkey, and Baek Ji Young, among others, all make appearances in the music video. Even if these girls do not have a strong commercial following (yet), they are certainly given love by some of the big names in the business.
From the music video, it’s clear to see that these four ladies are talented individuals who shine as a unit as well. The style theme they chose for their debut sticks to the older sound of their song. They wear fitted, yet modest dresses, sensible heels and just the right amount of makeup to act as an accessory rather than a separate character. Their hairstyles and colors are also simple and do not take away from their vocals, which was the right decision for this debut. With voices like these, the outfits, hair, makeup, and accessories should accent their vocals, not overpower or overshadow.
Mr. Ambiguous was a perfect debut song for Mamamoo. And the fact that part of Mamamoo’s choreography incorporates fake mustaches was enough for me to like them. Their mini album Hello contains six songs all of which stick to the older, jazz, and swing sounds.
As I listen to the mini I picture myself in a lounge enjoying a cocktail while Mamamoo perform their songs flawlessly on stage. Their songs transport me to an era before I was born, but one that I long to experience.
Aside from a kick-ass mini album, I literally just found out today that Mamamoo sings a song from the OST of my favorite drama at the moment. Love Lane appears in the drama Marriage, Not Dating, and when I fist heard it played in an episode, I immediately paused the episode to look up the song. I was excited to see that it was Mamamoo, and not in the least surprised based on the vocals in the song.
I hope Mamamoo gains the love and support they deserve. I’m interested to see if their future comeback will stick to the jazz and swing-themed music or branch out into other genres. Quite frankly, with the vocal ability of these four ladies, they could probably pull off any genre. Only time will tell.
What do you guys think about rookie group Mamamoo? Do they have what it takes to thrive in the constantly-changing K-Pop genre, or will they thrive in other ways? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Bloglovin’ so you can keep up with all our posts.