It’s around 2AM in the Atlanta area, and what better to do then to put on some K-pop jazz and soul? I would normally add Amy Winehouse to any jazz and soul list, but since Seoulbeats deals with Korean entertainment, I’ll keep it Korean. Even though I am going to TRY to keep it K-pop, I may also add some outliers to the mix (yup, that’s right I used a math term).
Alex (Clazziquai) and Daniel Henney feat. Uhm Jung-hwa, “Kissing You”
Before I get depressing all up on you readers, lets start with the lighthearted jazz oriented song “Kissing You” from the OST for the film Seducing Mr.Perfect, which starred Uhm Jung-hwa and Daniel Henney. It’s a cute lovey dovey song that will get your spirits up. I think Alex really carries this song more than Daniel Henney (sorry Henney fans), although admittedly Henney did a good job for someone who isn’t a singer. I like when Uhm Jung-hwa sings at the climax; it just brings a great musical breakdown moment where it all starts to wrap up.
Kyu-hyun, “Smile”
We all know Kyuhyun as one of the main vocalists of Super Junior and one of the trio members of Super Junior KRY. If you listen to a Super Junior song, you can bet the addition of Kyuhyun’s voice always makes the song better. The interesting thing about Kyuhyun is that his voice is rather low for the typical SM Entertainment male singer. Typically the main or lead male singer’s voice is more of a tenor, at least from what I’ve seen.
The reason I picked this song is that I think this is Kyuhyun in his element. His voice is nice and all on the fast songs, but I have always felt that he should try to sing a jazz song, and to my delight he did. After I first listened to this song, it later became my default study song. As I studied I would hum the melody, and soon afterwards find myself on Tumblr. I hope this song will be able to similarly help you readers with your studies.
Another reason I picked this song is that it’s not that well-known in the mainstream. Most typical Super Junior songs have been ingrained in our minds whether we like it or not, but there are some hidden gems that we don’t look out for unless we unexpectedly see it.
Big Mama, the whole “Like the Bible” album
You know I can’t do a jazzy theme playlist without Big Mama. Big Mama was the pioneer of how women that aren’t size 2 or less can make into the K-pop land. When they debuted in February 2003, I was only a 13-year-old boy, but I bought the album, no joke. I don’t usually buy albums because — let’s be honest — most of us download, but I knew Big Mama was just THAT awesome that I wanted to buy the album. At the time the content of the songs were too mature for me, but now that I listen back on it, I am really glad that I listened to their first album “Like the Bible.”
I’ll give you two songs from Big Mama. The first one is “Break Away” which was their debut single, which at the time changed the game for K-pop. The second song is “내안의 너” ( You Inside me). “You Inside Me” is actually a solo song from one of the members, Lee Ji-young. It’s a haunting song that literally sends chills down your spine. To this day, I know what track number this song is (7), even though it has been almost 9 years since I got the album. These two songs are just a taste off of their album; if you like what you’re hearing, I highly suggest you go check out the rest of the album as well.
That was my short list of some jazzy tunes — did you like it? What songs would you add or change to this playlist?
