Luna of f(x), Hani of EXID, and Solar of Mamamoo have formed the ultimate dream team to release “Honey Bee”! Produced by Mystic Entertainment’s Park Geun-hye (who notably produced Suzy and Baekhyun’s “Dream”), this is definitely one collaboration that cannot be missed!
The concept of this release is strong, feisty, and fierce, which really does reflect the women chosen. As for the style of the song, it’s pop with contemporary jazzy elements. The main “point” of the song is probably the instrumental sax refrain, which is immediately introduced at the beginning and then repeated over and over. While it is admittedly very catchy, I personally found it to be also a little grating and too screechy after listening to it for the fifth time. It almost draws away from the ladies’ vocals, which is slightly unfortunate seeing as all three members have killer vocals.
However, when we do focus on the vocal performance of the song, Luna, Hani, and Solar delivered. Their voices match and blend together very well, and each of the members get a chance to shine: Hani shows off her lower range, Solar gives us her high power vocals, and Luna proves herself as one of the vocal queens in K-pop with her powerhouse ad-libs.
Although the lyrics are quite (read: very) repetitive, they do convey a clear message and comment on the differences between what women and men want from each other: “When I said I like you / It didn’t mean that I’m yours” and “You’re talking about tonight / I’m talking about tomorrow / We’re going around the same spot again / We’re both pulled by different scents”. I appreciate that the ladies make clear their own thoughts and express what they want instead of just going along with their significant others. The ear worm of the song, however, has got to be the “Bee for the honey / Bee bee for the” catchphrase. Although it’s a little nonsensical, it does do its job by being exceedingly catchy!
The music video corresponds with the bold concept and takes place in a (don’t ask me why) bowling alley, with the actual music video having virtually no plot at all. The ladies switch between two outfits, an all-black one and a denim ensemble, with the former donned when they dance literally on the bowling alleys (how they didn’t slip or fall is beyond me) and the latter for singing and continuing the events of the music video. I really enjoy and appreciate the moments in the music video where it’s split-screen showing each of the members side-by-side, because it shows the difference in their style and character.
Although all three embody the sassy and confidence that is in line with the theme of this release, each put their own individual feel to it: while Hani is more sultry, Luna embodies the “cool girl” character, and Solar gives off cute and fun vibes. They each put their own spin onto the concept and let their true selves show. The only thing I would get rid of is the green contacts, which genuinely gave me a shock — and not a good one — when I saw Luna with them at the beginning of the music video.
All in all, while “Honey Bee” is an extremely catchy bop and is an amazing collaboration, I can’t help but feel that it’s missing something. It seems to fall short in reaching a climax in the song, and this might be due to the repetitive nature of the release; even an added rap could build the excitement and elevate the song from just another catchy bop to an memorable, winning piece of music.
Rating: 3.7/5.0
What did you think of “Honey Bee”?
(Youtube, Images via Mystic Entertainment)
