Edited by Yoon
Translated by Eungee Joh
Queendom 2 is slated to air on March 31st. The program has made headlines with the news of its second season heading to production, and many wondered who would step into this big game as contestants. Taeyeon, who will be presenting the show, is a perfect fit for the emcee role as she has been actively engaging in her career as a solo singer and longtime lead vocalist of Girls Generation. The second season will feature six girl groups with various levels of experience: Brave Girls, VIVIZ, LOONA, Kep1er, WJSN, Hyolyn. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the six contestants who are waiting to get on board.
Hyolyn – Falling
Hyolyn has been at the center of attention since her arrival on the K-pop scene with the following mega-hit songs: “Alone,” “Loving You,” and “Give it to me.” In 2013, she released a solo album named Love & Hate with Brave Brother, Kim Do Hoon, and other famous music producers. Although the title track “ONE WAY LOVE” received rather disappointing reviews due to its similarities with another idol song, the rest of her tracks received excellent reviews. For instance, “Falling” is a song that perfectly shows her incredible singing skills. She nailed the track with outstanding performance and a vast vocal range. Unlike other idol solo singers who often got themselves into trouble for plagiarizing foreign artists’ songs, she has yet to land herself in hot water with her creativity and talent that can cover a wide variety of genres.
Brave Girls �” FEVER (2021)
Brave Girls dropped a quality fifth mini-album, Summer Queen, after achieving massive success with “Rollin,” which climbed up the music charts years after its release. “FEVER” clearly shows that it concentrates on the musicality of the disco genre with its subheading “Saturday Night Fever,” and the four members dance along to the retro rhythms in harmony and excellence. Among all parts, sub-vocalist Yuna’s singing stands out the most as she perfectly starts off the song with her mesmerizing low voice that enriches the track.
VIVIZ – Tweet Tweet (2022)
VIVIZ is a girl group formed by former GFriend members: Eunha, SinB, and Umji. Around February of last year, they put together an album called Beam Of Prism with unique songs like “BOP BOP!,” the title track that brings a fresh vibe for them start to begin anew; “Mirror,” a song that reminds us of GFriend’s heyday in the Kpop scene; and “Tweet Tweet” a catchy and groovy song that flows on the mid-tempo rhythm. Among the seven songs in this album, “Tweet Tweet” shows a completely different charm from what they have shown before. It has a colorfully evolving melody sequence with dynamic rhythms that can bring out the cheerful and fresh vibe of the album.
LOONA �” WOW (2021)
LOONA’s journey so far has been filled with unique tracks, ranging from their grand debut project “Hi High” to their famous single “Butterfly.” The mini-album they released last year includes many songs that can show their eccentric charm better than their title track, “PTT.” Unlike “PTT” which continues the line leading to the “So What,” “WOW” and “Be Honest” focus on delivering their core values in music. The fast tempo of “WOW” brings out both the mischievous and thoughtful side of the girls who root for each other’s happiness and success while breathing their vibrant energy into listeners.
Kep1er �” MVSK (2022)
“MVSK” is a song written, composed, and arranged by Jung Ho Hyun (e.one), who made IZ*ONE’s killing track “Sequence.” It creates a melody and atmosphere similar to “Sequence” and expresses sophistication. The lyrics that attempt to bring out one’s real self hidden under the mask subtly reflect on the pandemic’s impact on our lives.
WJSN �” Pantomime (2020)
“Pantomime” is a track in WJSN’s 2020 mini-album Neverland that should never be missed. It is a song that has much dynamic and variety than the title track “Butterfly,” and just by looking at these terms – “Theater,” “Prelude,” “Ensemble,” and “Heroine” – we can tell that their music was inspired by a musical stage production. In the chorus where they say “Mute” and “Stop,” there is about 0.5 seconds of silence, immediately followed by a small bursting sound similar to a popping sound. The bridge also adds increased depth to the song with an unexpected ambiance after “Pause.”
Editor Yoon: I love music, especially K-POP, and I dream of becoming an A&R person, lyricist, artist, etc. I will cover various articles, including song reviews, artist reviews, and K-pop market analysis.
