As the sun continues blazing this Summer, this month’s Unsung Artists will offer a selection of new voices. We managed to shine the spotlight on popular releases in April. Winner’s Everyd4y and Pentagon’s “Shine” were comebacks worth waiting for, whereas The Rose’s “Baby” was also a tune gladly received by fans. Yet, many debuts and duets released during the past month slipped through our fingers. Presented below is a belated appreciation of artists and tunes that you might have missed out on.
UNB, “Feeling”
UNB debuted in early April through The Unit with a double title album Boyhood. “Feeling” is their first title track in the album, followed by “Only One.” The nine-member boy group consists of Jun, Euijin, Go Ho-jung, Feeldog, Marco, Ji Han-sol, Daewon, Kijung, and Chan. “Feeling” fuses R&B grooves into an EDM track, constructing a surprisingly impactful debut song. The song’s narrative intro begins the tune with an irresistible charm.
For a debut track, the MV is surprisingly intricate with its use of psychedelic aesthetics and unique camera angles. The overhead shots, coupled with the quirky colour scheme, makes the MV a work of art. The MV also carries a strong literary thread with its narrative break that quotes French author Andre Gide:
Any understanding that was not preceded by a feeling is useless to me. Look at the night as if the day were to die in it. And the morning as if it was where everything appeared. May your vision be in every moment, new. The wise is the one astonished by everything.
A charismatic start for the group, “Feeling” offers a performance telling of the member’s hard work and capabilities.
Yoo Seon-ho, “Maybe, Spring”
Receiving much attention after his participation on Produce 101, Yoo Seon-ho finally makes his debut with the mini-album Spring, SEONHO. “Maybe, Spring” is the perfect tune to close the season and embrace the Summer heat. Composed by singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah, the melody is playful and cheery, chasing away the sadness of winter.
Yoo Seon-ho’s gentle voice is a great fit for the blooming flowers scattered throughout the MV. The bubbly song is encouraging and envelopes listeners warmly:
I will sing every day
You’ll be able to hear my heart
Our spring will start from now on
I will remember you in my mind, my heart
It is hard to resist Yoo Seon-ho’s bright smile as he plays the piano in the soft sunlight. This song was a surprising discovery, but certainly a tune worthwhile treasuring for a long time.
Lee Hong-ki X Yoo Hwe-seung, “Still Love You”
As part of FNC Entertainment’s new experimental music platform FNC Lab, Lee Hong-ki of F.T. Island collaborates with Yoo Hwe-seung, the vocalist of band N.Flying. The meeting of two powerful vocalists has produced a spectacular song, “Still Love You.” Many might already be familiar with Hong-ki’s shocking vocal range, but Yoo Hwe-seung does not fail to impress when singing with Hong-ki. The belting of high notes performed by Yoo Hwe-seung in this heart-breaking tune pushes the song to an emotional peak.
Rarely do we see duet songs between male artists, but “Still Love You” is wonderfully executed by both singers. The beauty of the song lies not in its lyrics. Instead, the two male voices complement each other, infusing the song with its heart-wrenching depths of sadness. Neither singer overpowers the other, presenting the song as a well-balanced and affecting portrait of lost love.
Ahn Hyung-seob X Lee Eui-woong, “Love Tint”
Participants of Produce 101, Ahn Hyung-seob and Lee Eui-woong made their debut with a project album, It Will Be Good. This time around, they return with a different take on love. “Love Tint” carries a tune that screams out to youthfulness, with the MV popping in vibrant colours. Perfect to welcome the Summer, the boys take on the sun and sand in this song.
The play with the song’s title “Love Tint” in the expressions of being coloured by someone’s love is novel, and charming in its own way:
If I’m with you
My nights will be brighter
Than others’ days, stay here
Now I’m forever
Coloured by you
Returning to the concept of travel to frame the MV, the song makes one want to pack up and take a trip to a new place. The refreshing vibes that come with visiting beaches lined with palm trees and having the sea breeze in one’s face are infectious. It is hard to resist humming along to the tune and start pulling out those caps for a trip to the seaside.
Park Hyo-shin, “The Other Day”
Having waited two years for Park Hyo-shin’s comeback, “The Other Day” is nothing short of impressive. The veteran singer manages lyrical beauty with a moving delivery, accompanied by a bare instrumental background:
This song is you
Who lets me walk on a road without a single light
I’m looking for the meaning of this song
That I’ve written during long nights
The MV paints different experiences of loneliness around users of a telephone booth. The song then offers gentle words of comfort in response to these individuals struggling to find people to connect with. The luminescence that falls over these individuals creates a soothing concluding statement to the song. Park Hyo-shin’s voice is a gem that would be a pity to leave out, and certainly, one that has been missed in the break after his 2016 album.
(Korea Business News, Pop!gasa, YouTube [1][2][3]. Images via FNC Entertainment)
