It's G.O.'s time to shine with the release of his digital single, "Even In My Dreams"...

I love it when an artist in an idol group is given a chance to go solo --- especially if that artist is very talented and deserves the break. It's always a great opportunity to establish a musical identity separate from the group they belong to. In the Philippines, usually that would mean that either the person was moving away from the group, or that the band was going to disband. The experience of going solo seems to be very different in Korea, since it's a regular thing when idol groups go on hiatus.

I was very happy to learn that the lead vocalist of MBLAQ, G.O., was going to debut as a solo artist with the release of his digital single, "Even In My Dreams". G.O.'s a very talented vocalist, and has contributed a lot to the growth of their group under the mentorship of the one and only Rain (yes... the guy from "Full House"... hehehe!).


For those of you who are unfamiliar with the group MBLAQ, the name of the group is actually an acronym for "Music Boys Live in Absolute Quality" (I know, it's a weird name for a group... I'd rather stick with the acronym too! Hehehe!). They were handpicked and mentored by Rain under his label, J. Tune Entertainment (funny thing is that Rain formed J. Tune when he seperated from JYP Entertainment, but eventually his company merged together with JYP late last year). The group is composed of 5 members, with G.O. taking the role of lead vocalist.

The boys of MBLAQ (L to R): Park Sang Hyun / Cheondoong (Thunder), Bang Cheol Yong / Mir,

Lee Chang Sun / Joon, Jung Byung Hee / G.O., and Yang Seung Ho / Seung Ho.

Since MBLAQ debuted in 2009, they have been known to be a pop-dance act that have always delivered both strong vocal and dance performances (which isn't surprising, since their mentor is Rain). Although primarily focused on high-intensity electro-dance-pop, they have experimented on different genres of music such as ballads, pop-rock and R&B. Rain has also encouraged the boys to come up with their own material to include in their albums.

"Y" by MBLAQ (MV with English Subs)

NOTE: In case you were wondering why this video is here, I just wanted to share it

since it's my all-time favorite MBLAQ dance track!

After a very busy year with the release of their first full-length album in the first quarter, and their Japanese debut in the 2nd quarter, the group is currently enjoying a short break to start preparing for the release of their comeback album in Korea. While on hiatus, it was announced that G.O. would be releasing a solo album (which I guess has been in the works for some time). Interestingly enough, some time in late May or early June, G.O. was invited to join the immensely popular celebrity singing contest "Immortal Song". I guess it was perfect timing too, since it's a great opportunity for people to see how talented a singer he really is (and a great tactic for building anticipation for his digital single release).

"Your Love Is Enough" by G.O. of MBLAQ

(Cut Scene from Immortal Song 2 - InstizHD)

When G.O. new single was released yesterday, I took some time out to listen to his new track. I would have to admit that I had thought that his new track would be a ballad. Considering the name of the song, and the initial images released by J. Tune Camp, anyone would've made the same first guess too. Besides, I think G.O. would make a fine balladeer. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was an R&B track. As usual, G.O. impresses with his crisp and clear vocals; it's only now that I've fully appreciated the full extent of his range. The mid-tempo arrangement allows us to drink in the smooth and simple arrangement (I love songs that are catchy, but clean and simple in instrumentation) of the song and G.O.'s strong vocals. 

"Even In My Dreams" by G.O. of MBLAQ (MV with English Subtitles)

There were two downers though with regard to G.O.'s solo debut --- the first was that he wouldn't be coming out with a full studio album any time soon; second was that he wouldn't be promoting this single on TV. Both pretty much stem from his busy schedule between MBLAQ preparing for their comeback, plus his appearances on Immortal Song.

I'm not entirely disappointed though since we still get to enjoy this new song from a truly wonderful artist. I just hope that he gets the chance to follow-up on this single, and eventually release a full album in the future. Now that's something that I can really anticipate!