Yoonmirae is one of those rare artists you can always count on.
Whether she’s singing, rapping, or a combination of both, the woman exudes capability in her craft. When she’s with her group MFBTY, she’s a funky hip-hop queen who can spit with the best of the boys. When she’s solo, she’s a relatable everywoman with a regal weight to her words, singing about her struggles, loves, and life. After years of staying in the background of the public eye and consistently churning out quality work, she’s back again with yet another track that deserves more attention than it will probably get.
“JamCome on Baby” is a smooth ride down a cosmic road. An electronic beat keeps the song feeling current as it begins with sample of Mirae’s distorted vocals. The feeling is immediately of being launched into a spacey dream world. The rap bridge breaks up the sexy vocals, but doesn’t detract from the song, because Mirae makes the transition seem effortless. The rap also injects the otherwise smooth track with some tension and energy in the right spots. I also really liked the use of the subdued guitar notes near the end. It added an organic, down-to-Earth element to an otherwise dreamy, electro-pop song.
I say it with sincerity
in a moment of clarity that
when we get together it be like
we having therapy and
I’ll be waiting lights down
you don’t have to come soon
but come right now please
The lyrics are simple in their theme. Knowing Yoonmirae’s history and her love story with husband Tiger JK, fellow member of MFBTY, admittedly gives more weight to the lyrics. “JamCome on Baby” isn’t a song about falling in love or first love; it’s about that hard to attain lived-in love that gets more comfortable as time goes on but also never quite loses its intensity. It’s the kind of love that all grown folks want to have.
The MV is simple (and obviously done on a budget) but still exuberant. On a black stage, Mirae appears, dressed in all white and positioned in the midst of a cast of colorful characters. As they dance and perform around her, she commands attention with her mere presence.
The MV for “JamCome on Baby” could’ve been a more typical affair, of course. It could’ve featured sexy love scenes or warm lighting or moody set pieces, but they decided to go a more quirky route. Confetti guns, paint bomb explosions, B-boy dancers, roller rink skaters, trampolines and guitars that shoot sparks all make an appearance in this MV. It was fun to watch, but surprisingly didn’t detract from the feel of the song. Tiger JK and Bizzy, the third member of MFBTY, also show up near the end in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos.
The use of slow motion effects was a saving grace, as was the clean lighting. This is another instance of an MV that could’ve gone really wrong but, somehow, works and compliments the song. Lumpens, the director, has a long track record of working with Yoonmirae and MFBTY and it shows. The director seems to understand exactly what kind of image and message Mirae wants to portray and I think the collaboration is a successful one.
It’s not as flashy or attention grabbing as it could’ve been, though, and that might be my one complaint. I think song and MV compliment each other but this is not the kind of MV that is going to make waves. It’s small in scale, well-done, capable and surprising in its own little ways, but it’s not an MV that anyone is going to talk about around the water cooler. Like Yoonmirae, perhaps, who’s settled into the career of a respected artist but not a star. It’s a shame that she’s not bigger than she is, but that’s life, I suppose.
After a week full of some high profile idol releases, it’s a breath of fresh air to listen to a track with so much soul, sexiness, and depth to it. Yoonmirae has lived life and experienced the things she’s singing about and you can feel it in her voice. This is authenticity; this is real life. Also, “JamCome On Baby” is just an honest-to-goodness jam. It’s not flashy or highly conceptual. It’s not a heavily promoted comeback that’s going to win on music shows or cause a huge amount of buzz, but it’s still one of my favorite Korean releases this year.
MV rating: 4.5/5
[Youtube, images via Ghood Music, lyric translations by klyrics.net]
