[IDOLOGY] Taeyeon - 'Weekend' Single Review (2021)

 

Not long ago, Taeyeon appeared on SBS ‘MMTG’ and talked about her music style saying, “In the past, I wanted to have a distinct voice or a characteristic, so I used to be self conscious that I didn’t have that. If you put it positively, I have a voice that doesn’t sound awkward in any genre, but if you put it negatively, I don’t have a distinct colour. But I think it’s my characteristic that I have no colour.” Listening to her answer, I felt that she understood and carried out her own use as an artist quite accurately. It could be her own natural talent or a know-how that she’s learned after doing activities for a long time. To reinterpret what she said, it can be said that Taeyeon is doing music that can be interpreted in many ways without any aspect of the song being wasted carelessly.

 

Rather than 'Weekend' being a song that's simply aimed at summer, it appears to be a single that was presented with a clear aim to draw an extension to [Taeyeon's] career. As her career extends in various directions, its distinct points also coexist. This can be the strength of Taeyeon's music, which has been shown in her solo activities since 2015 (putting aside her group activities). First of all, it's not difficult to notice that 'Weekend' has adopted 'Newtro', which is expected to be a global trend over the next 10 years, led by 'The Weeknd' in 2020. In particular, many formed the opinion that Doja Cat's 'Say So' and 'Kiss Me More' were likely to be used as references. However, this goes beyond just a simple reference - this creates the impression that Taeyeon has become localised in a way where she can pull it off. Rather than jumping on the bandwagon, it should be considered suitable for her to connect the music of the current era to her career, which slowly extended from singing high notes in her earlier music (such as in 'I' and 'U R') to intimate, flexible directions (such as in '11:11', 'Something New', 'Four Seasons'). Of course, this doesn't confirm that Taeyeon's vocals will be only capitalised in such a 'flexible direction' in the future. She is still subtly trying to sing various vocals in one album, in one single.

 

One of the characteristics that made me feel this way is that she displayed singing rap, which she has never shown before. Of course if you look at it in terms of the current trend, it wouldn't be anything special to compare it to Doja Cat's songs, which combines vocals and rap, but if you think about Taeyeon's past career, you can understand it as a change and expansion. And, it is also interesting that this is not a completely out of the blue transition, but that there are also fun elements planted in the song that can be linked to her past songs such as 'Why' (in expressions such as 'nameless flowers' [Why lyrics] and 'unknown small flower' [Weekend lyrics]). (Refer to this video comparing Why and Weekend lyrics). Perhaps this is artist Taeyeon's versatility which can be seen even in a single song.

 

This versatility is felt well in the music video too. In particular, the bridge part, where Taeyeon rides a kickboard and struts to her heart's content through the empty spaces in a shopping mall where all the lights are off, catches the eye. In light of the song's message to get away from the boring daily life and have a freeing weekend, this scene seems quite meaningful. As a celebrity who is always aware of the dangers of exposure to her privacy and the ripple effect that follows it, is the real weekend like that for her? At the same time that the screen zooms out, she covers her face with a magazine and she leaves the light, disappearing on the kickboard into the shadows - she seems to be conscious of the audience behind the screen. Beyond the concept of a formal weekend that contradicts the weekdays, where is the real weekend where we can enjoy a happy deviation? The music video for 'Weekend' raises questions like this, evoking an ample appreciation for more than just a simple summer vacation song.

 

Written by: Cha Hyunjoon

Translated by: Bee (@taengab)

Source: IDOLOGY.KR