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Best K-Pop Idol Songs (2007-2017) by Kim Youngdae 본문

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Best K-Pop Idol Songs (2007-2017) by Kim Youngdae

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Into The New World - Girls' Generation (2007)

 

When this song was first announced in 2017, I wonder how many people thought that this song would be talked about for so long and that it would be recognized as the representative of girl group songs. Last year, this song was sung under a completely different social and cultural context. In that sense, this song perhaps has become the most famous and most influential song in girl group history. This song has meanings for many beginnings: the beginning of the longest-running girl group Girls' Generation. the beginning of modern girl groups, and the beginning of K-Pop's prime. That feeling of tragic beauty in the chorus section has become a music style that a lot of girl groups will emulate later. It is also a representative of the work of K-Pop's most successful composer, Kenzie.

 

Can You Hear Me - Taeyeon (2008)

 

There is something special about this song. I don't know whether it's her voice, the lyrics, the overall atmosphere of the song, or the images I got from the drama 'Beethoven Virus'. The certain thing is that this is the song that made Taeyeon recognized by the public before they knew her as a member of Girls' Generation. It is a representative song of OST ballad music that will come out many times in the future. It is definitely a timeless song with unmatched charm. I've heard that male fans in particular like this song, so maybe that was why I chose it? I don't know.

 

Gee - Girls' Generation (2009)

 

The response to some songs at their time was so amazing. That prime time was so intense that as time goes by, there is music that is not understood by people in terms of how it was amazing and what it means. "Gee" is a perfect example. If you listen to it now, it's a fun and playful song, but at the time this song didn't hold that status. Rather than a hit, it is a song that is closer to a phenomenon. Even though they gave the top spot to Wonder Girls who debuted with them in 2007, this song "Gee" has become a counterattack that fights back with earnest. It is one of the few dance music numbers that uses a pentatonic scale among modern K-Pop dance music.

 

Genie - Girls' Generation (2010)

 

From girls to women. It is a natural transition in pop music that all female singers go through. In just two years, these young girls transformed themselves into a mature female group having a more professional image. The song captures their growth and professionalism very well. This is the song that surpasses the success of "Gee" in the US and Japan. I can say that it is a song that made Girls' Generation widely known for the first time in the global scene. Compared to "Gee" which had a wide appeal to the general public, I think this song is a little more attractive to people who know Girls' Generation's charm well. Beyond "Gee", it is a song that was important for their career.

 

I Got A Boy - Girls' Generation (2013)

 

My first reaction to this song was.. ‘Wait, what’s happening here? Is this really okay?’ How should I describe this feeling? It was.. like hearing a really strange piece. But the more I listen to it, you cannot resist its unique addictive charm. I have analyzed this song in the past, it was a song with at least six elements below three large structures. Previously, I had an interview with this song’s composer ‘Will Sims’, he said that when he himself first made the song he didn’t think it would be this complicated and he laughed. It was a song that led to the atmosphere of K-Pop in 2013, which was going towards a little more of a Kitsch and an experimental direction. It is a song that was recorded as Girls’ Generation’s biggest transformation.

 

I - Taeyeon (2015)

 

I'm not sure if I can name another artist who built such a perfect career while being an idol group member and a solo act simultaneously. Taeyeon firmly established her position as both the main vocal for Girls' Generation and a solo, and neither role seems awkward or ill-fitting. Perhaps in the background, there are many virtues that solo singers should have: a unique voice, vocal power, and the ability to execute each different genre. For Taeyeon of Girls' Generation, "I" is a song that was a crucial turning point that began to reveal a little more of the pop diva's dignity beyond an OST style singer. The color of her voice breaks through the sounds of electric guitar and drum, clear like the ray of light after the rain. What a beautiful song.

 

I Just Wanna Dance - Tiffany (2016)

 

An atmosphere that is reminiscent of the prime of 80s pop, which creates a romantic atmosphere due to the consistency of the synth sound. There weren't many people who expected this retro yet contemporary track to be such a good fit for Girls' Generation's Tiffany. There aren't many alterations in the sound, but it is a song that progressively repeats with a minimal arrangement. In particular, Tiffany's strength is expressed well by her charming voice that is vulnerable and fragile. The image of fit, multi-racial dancers and the song's dynamic message that is expressed well makes it a pleasant track.

 

Fine - Taeyeon (2017)

 

It's always nice to see a top artist evolving into something new yet again. Taeyeon's solo album, which came out this year, is one of the best well-made pop albums. It shows Taeyeon's development as a versatile vocalist who can respond to different genres, styles, and sentimentalities. "Fine" is a song that displays the loneliness and the melancholy that is felt in the bright mood. I feel that it's a song that brings out her personality well. Pop as a genre has an awkward stature; it could be considered a step below black music and other genres. I feel fortunate that Korea has vocal pop music like "Fine", and a singer who can perform this as well as Taeyeon can. It is superb audio pop.

 

 

Narrated & Written by: Kim Youngdae (@toojazzy25)

Translated by: Bee (@taengab)

Source: Kim Youngdae's Youtube Playlist

 

*Kim Youngdae is a music critic and a member of the Korean Music Awards selection committee.

 

 

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