K-pop Duets: Boy X Girl (Part II)

Here is a list of romantic duets that are perfect for the blooming season of spring! See also: Part 1

1. Taeyeon X Dean - Starlight

Taeyeon and Dean become a romantic couple in "Starlight". The Girl's Generation vocalist and Alternative R&B soloist collaborated on this 90s inspired R&B track which appeared on Taeyeon's second mini-album "Why". This was a very welcomed duet because both of the singers' voices meld together perfectly and float along the light melody! Listeners can also appreciate the feel-good vibe and the fluffy, romantic lyrics. "You are my starlight, I can’t hide it. When we’re together, it feels like my heart is dancing. You are my starlight, I’m so thankful. Your love is like a dream."

2. Jimin X Xiumin - Call You Bae

Jimin and Xiumin show the love interactions between a boy and an immature, but sincere, girl. "Call U Bae" is full of cute and silly chemistry. In the video, the pair jump from scene to scene, encouraged by people with cartoonish emoji faces. What puts "Call You Bae" apart from being completely cookie-cutter is Jimin's high pitch rap. The AOA main rapper offers a vocal tone like no other, and that can be good or bad depending on whether or not you like the sound of her voice. Either way, this duet is a thing of interest for AOA and EXO fans. It shows Jimin and Xiumin taking on a concept that they normally don't when in their respective groups!

3. Yuju X Jihoo - Heart Signal

Yuju is a rather familiar face and name - she's the main vocalist of the very popular girl-group GFriend. However, Jihoo is much lesser known - he's the lead vocal from rookie group IZ that debuted in September 2017. The two come together in this mid-tempo song about the butterflies a boy and girl feel when they meet. The song subtly incorporates jazz and swing sounds into its instrumental. Together, Yuju and Jihoo are cute, silly and sometimes a little awkward!

4. Baekhyun X Soyou - Rain

"Rain" is a ballad recorded by two especially talented vocalists: Baekhyun (from EXO) and Soyou formerly from Sistar. The lyrics detail a person who is reminded of a past relationship with the rainy weather. For them, the rain provokes pain and nostalgia. Neither Baekhyun or Soyou appear in the music video. Instead, the video show scenes of a high school student who is by herself on a rainy day.

5. Eunha X Chunji - Hold Your Hand

In Part I, I talked about the spring duet between Yuju (Gfriend) and Sunyoul (Up10tion), which was the first part of "The Best Friends Project" between TOP Media and Source Music. "Hold Your Hand" by Eunha (Gfriend) and Chunji (Teen Top) is the second part of the project and portray the pair as a lovey-dovey "campus couple". Hand in hand they walk together in the autumn breeze like two college students. And what's more, Eunha and Chunji performed "Hold Your Hand" live on MCountdown in the form of a special stage!

6. Eric Nam X Wendy - Spring Love

S.M. Station is a music project from S.M Entertainment which intends to showcase collaborations between the company's artists and artists from other labels (though they do so quite often anyway).  As the fourth single from S.M Station Season 1, "Spring Love" is sung by S.M. girl-group member Wendy and soloist Eric Nam. The duo sing the acoustic ballad while having fun at an amusement park like good friends.

7. Doyoung X Sejoung - Star Blossom

Sejong is a former member of I.O.I. and is a current member of Gugudan. However, I find it that she shines the most in projects like this, in which she is able to showcase her own vocals without a plethora other voices. "Love Blossom" is a vocal-based SM Station ballad between her and NCT's Doyoung. This romantic song opens with the sounds of a music box and moves into a jazzy, piano-based composition. The duo has an entertaining chemistry - Sejeong exudes her charming, bright personality and Doyoung is perfect boyfriend material!

8. Sungjae X Namjoo - Photograph

Sungjae and Namjoo are from BtoB and Apink, respectively, both of which are groups that boast great vocals! "Photograph" is actually produced by the same team that produced 4minute's Crazy and Cold Rain, but it quite different from those two. One verse that captures the charm of the song "Let's smile like in the photograph, your smile is as sweet as ice cream" Funny enough, Sungjae and Namjoo aren't very focused with each other- instead, they are focused on melting the hearts of viewers!

Sources

Info: 1, 5

Images:1,2,3,4,*,6,7,*
* are screencaps I made myself

Collage: a,b,c,d,e,f

Playlist 15. Unplugged

Theme: Acoustic
Songs with a [♥] are my preference/a personal favorite

K-pop songs that feature the classic sound of an acoustic guitar.

1. Taeyeon - 11:11

Korean

'11:11' is suited for your inner contemporary musician. It has a simplistic acoustic composition: there's a constant strum of a guitar and soft notes of a piano. Unlike the typical pop song, '11:11' is stripped of all audio bells and whistles, but perhaps it's too bare? Taeyeon's vocals and the melody are rather stagnant and never reach a significant intensity. With that said, there are two sides of a coin: some people may find this song boring where others may find it to be relaxing!

Review: Song - 3/5 MV - 4/5

2. Blackpink - Stay

Korean

With 'Stay', Blackpink has added dimension to their discography. It's not too often that you see a rookie group take such a big musical risk. 'Stay' is a folksy pop-ballad, with rap verses from Jennie and Lisa packed inside. It gives me a campfire song feeling, perhaps because it's somewhat cheesy and a fun sing-along. I can see that it was intended to be a double-edged sword of uniqueness and trendiness, but didn't quite amount as apparent by the relatively low sales compared to Blackpink's other releases.

Review: Song - 2.5/5 MV - 3/5

3.  Winner  - Color Ring

Korean

The term 'color ring' refers to how the phone keeps ringing because their ex isn't answering. "The melody flowing out of the phone is sweet but why does it sound painful to my ears." I noticed that Winner are able to portray very strong emotions without a strong sound. The lyrics and the overall vibe is very expressive despite the low, subtle melody.

Review: Song - 3/5 MV - 2.5/5

4. HA:TFELT - Peter Pan

Korean

Hatfelt's, or Yenny from the Wonder Girls, song 'Peter Pan' narrates the classic story. The tune is ambiguous in that it could be interpreted as either happy or sad. Happy, as it's a cheerful anthem of wanderlust: Wendy wants to escape with Peter Pan and be young forever. Sad, because it all is a hopeless fantasy.

Review: Song - 2.5/5 

5. Big Bang - If You

Korean ♥

It has been said the this out of their 10-year career, 'If You' is the saddest song Big Bang has released. In fact, they purposely didn't release a music video for it so people can completely focus on the music and lyrics. I do agree that this a very (beautiful) heartbreaking song. Instead of a serenade to draw someone closer, it's a serenade to painfully let go.

Review: Song - 5/5 

6. Chanyeol & Chen (EXO) - If We Love Again

Korean

These two members from the boy group EXO sing about not wanting the make the same mistakes in love again. Apparently, loving someone too deeply or making too many promises can bring pain, Chanyeol, who is a rapper, proves his ability as a vocalist. His deep voice contrast with Chen's higher, smoother voice and makes the song a nice listen.

Review: Song - 3.5/5 

7. 2NE1 - Lonely

Korean ♥

Around the time 'Lonely' was released, 2NE1 was in the habit of releasing music with a very processed sound. So, fans were taken aback with this bare and basic acoustic number. It has no auto-tune, no bass, and not even a rap verse from CL. However, 'Lonely' proves that less is sometimes more: it's one of the group's most haunting songs and is a long-time favorite of mine.

Review: Song - 5/5 MV - 3/5

8. Twice - One In A Million

Korean ♥

Unlike their popular songs Cheer Up and TT, 'One In Million' is a mid-tempo, mellow song. It relies on its sweet melody, rather than a catchy chorus. The meaning is rather uplifting: Twice make sure that you know you're one in a million! 

Review: Song - 4.5/5

9. Solji (EXID)  - 3%

Korean

The probability of Solji dating her boyfriend again is very slim, 3% to be exact. I think it's very suitalbe as an OST for a K-drama. It's very emotional and expresses the pain you feel when someone betrays you. "You are like a different person The person I knew, the person who used to hug me..."

Review: Song - 2/5

10. Eric Nam X Jeon Somi - You, Who?

Korean

In the past couple years Eric Nam has did duets with a variety of female singers including Red Velvet's Wendy and Park Jimin of 15&. It's always nice to see how his voice will complement and be complemented by that of others'. This time he collaborated with Jeon Somi, and though their voices don't quite match each other like I hoped, the music video is so cute!

Review: Song - 2.5/5 MV - 4/5

Sources: 

Info: 2, 5