Unsung Artists: May 2015

Hello and welcome to another installment of Unsung Artists! In this segment we take some time to discover some of the lesser-known releases of the previous month. With so many artists vying for the spotlight, it’s easy to miss some real gems. So, here are my picks for May:

1. Big Earth Little Me, “Gravity”

First up is the upbeat electronic pop song “Gravity” by Big Earth Little Me. The lyrics express the almost weightless and warm feelings that come from falling in love. The singer expresses how she is drawn to the object of her affection by a force as strong as gravity. However, unlike cold outer space, the pull is warm and friendly. At times like an adventurous astronaut she feels “out of breath, with a thumping heart.” But the exciting new world of love doesn’t scare her.

The music video is simple and almost psychedelic with all of the bright colors. The singers’ profiles and hands are windows into their inner worlds. And from the diverse number of scenes, we get the sense that each person is almost like an unexplored planet by her or himself; each person contains hundreds of experiences and thoughts that we’ll never truly discover in each other. Fans of this song can check out the group’s other equally addicting videos for “A Waiting Star” and “Biggest Fan.”

2. Zion. T, “Eat”

“Eat” is a relaxing love song with a bit of R&B soul in it. It’s different because in the lyrics he’s not quite certain what he feels is love, but throughout the song he’s concerned about his crush’s daily struggles. It’s also a bit on the sad side, because it seems like he cannot offer much to relieve her stress and depression; all he can do is tell her to listen to his song and ask her to eat well. So there’s also a sense of helplessness on his part.

When you feel hungry, take out this song. Eat it like a morning apple.
Make sure you eat your meals even if you’re tired. Then you’ll be able to sleep better at night.

The video is a bit strange at first because Zion. T is in the weirdest positions, including being wedged in the couch. He’s wearing his iconic glasses, but one lens is cracked. Later we see that he is her phone, which has a cracked screen. The girl is tired and lonely, but he wants to show that he’s always around through his songs. He compares his song to both chocolate and an apple, something that provides comfort as well as health. So even though she feels burdened and alone, a part of him is always there supporting her through the difficult times.

3. Kim Bo-kyoung, “Tablet”

On the opposite side of love is Kim Bo-kyoung with her upbeat breakup song, “Tablet.” The song begins with a strange chant “love, parting, bad medicine.” It repeats over and over, mimicking the cyclical thoughts of the singer who can’t believe that her love has actually ended. In the song she keeps going back to the beginning of the relationship, wondering why it had to end. She is also eager to move on, but gets sucked back into her memories.

I collect memories with you, recollections with you/I rinse them out and make a powder
Because I collect it, I make a tablet /If I swallow it, can I forget you?

Towards the beginning of the video, there is a collection of jars of pills of important memories (first date, first kiss, 100 day anniversary, etc.). The sheer amount of pills shows how many memories she has to process after the breakup. In the video, Bo-kyoung is left trying to live life as a single woman again in various scenes. What sticks out is her style which is more tomboyish in the band scenes and more girly in other scenes; she rocks both effortlessly.

4. Nu.D, “Perfume”

Next is an easy-breezy love confession, “Perfume.” The song brings up images of the sunny side of summer with its soft instrumentals and vocals. The singer talks about all the things he likes about his crush, from her grace to her physical beauty. One lyric that sticks out is, “your eyes that look like mine stole my heart.” It might be a clever way to say that she’s a soul mate, since he can see himself in her. The video is simple, but just as easygoing as the song. It’s filled with bright flowers, a blue sky, and greenery everywhere. It shows the blossoming nature of love in a very real way. But even though the singer and actress do a decent job, the dog inevitably steals the show.

5. Lee Na-kyeum, “Brazen”

Last let’s look at something a little more upbeat! “Brazen” is a fun song about completely shameless boyfriends. The singer talks about how even an alias wouldn’t be able to change his reputation. Even though he’s a good boyfriend, his antics make her feel embarrassed. She talks about all the girls beside her laughing, and just thinking about what he’ll do next makes her heart burst.

Shameless, too shameless (2x) Do I seem so full of confidence too?
What do I do, what do I do with you? The answers of how this happened aren’t coming

But the song is not mean-spirited. Like the song, the video is fun and feature some not-so-smooth Casanovas being both sweet and then acting completely shameless. The boyfriend can be embarrassing, but at the same time the singer seems to envy his freedom. He can be himself while she worries about the social consequences.

So, those are my picks for May! What about you guys? Any artists you wished were on the list?

(YouTube [1][2][3][4], images via Daum Music)