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| Our featured artists for this article (L to R): Navid, In So Yoon, The Name, Brian Kim and Daniel Lee (Krygen) and Mikey (Turbo) |
Like I mentioned last week, I still had a few more artists to feature who have recently released new singles for the past couple of weeks. Their songs are great, and I want to share them with the hope that we all broaden our musical horizons, even when it come to Korean music and Kpop (hehehe!).
As usual, there isn't much written about these artists in English (with the exception of Mikey of Turbo, since Turbo used to be a wildly popular group in the 90's), so I won't be able to give my usual intros to these folks; but then again, it's all about the music, right?
Navid - "상상이별" / "Imagine Parting"
Based on the album cover, I naturally assumed that the girl on the cover went by the name Navid, but, upon doing some research, apparently it was a female duo that debuted back in 2009 (and I was able to find a couple of pictures of the girls too). Based on the album cover, it seems that this isn't the case anymore.
The track has a catchy pop-rock groove with the usual instrumentation you would hear from a regular band. I guess what made the track work was the great vocal performance provided by Navid. Her vocal delivery was apt for a pop-rock single without needing to try very hard to achieve the needed effect.
The track has a catchy pop-rock groove with the usual instrumentation you would hear from a regular band. I guess what made the track work was the great vocal performance provided by Navid. Her vocal delivery was apt for a pop-rock single without needing to try very hard to achieve the needed effect.
In So Yoon - "Because of This Person"
I ran into a couple of dead ends while looking for information about this young lady, mostly since I kept on getting search results for "Kim So Yun / Kim So Yoon" (who's a popular actress in Korea). It's a good thing the video had the Korean spelling of her name, which helped me look for information and images (but, of course, everything was spelled out in Korean too... so tough luck, right?)
"Because of This Person" is a mid-tempo pop-ballad. It's the type of song that you would find when you're listening to a Korean drama --- it's got that sound that's unmistakably drama-ish (you'd know if you watch regularly... it's pretty hard to explain hehehe!). I particularly love the strings in the background that heighten the tension in the song.
"Because of This Person" is a mid-tempo pop-ballad. It's the type of song that you would find when you're listening to a Korean drama --- it's got that sound that's unmistakably drama-ish (you'd know if you watch regularly... it's pretty hard to explain hehehe!). I particularly love the strings in the background that heighten the tension in the song.
The Name - "Barely Alive" (feat. K.Will)
Just like the previous artist, pretty much most of the stuff that I came up with in my internet searches were all written in Korean. I'm just thankful that this is a collab track with a pretty well known artist --- K.Will. For those of you who are into Korean pop ballads, K.Will is a name well known for his passionate vocals, and amazing vocal range.
Since K.Will is involved in this track, I pretty much expected "Barely Alive" to be a ballad... and I was right! From the sound of things, "The Name" must be a balladeer himself (I guess it goes to show that artists of the same genre usually help each other out). The vocal play between these two balladeers left me speechless. It's a beautiful song that I hope gets snatched up by a drama or something (I love to cry to these things... hahaha!).
Krygen - "Coward"
Krygen is a duo composed of Korean-Americans --- Brian Kim and Daniel Lee. It's not surprising to see Koreans from the US finding their way back to their homeland in the hopes of pursuing a career in the music industry. Many well-known artists and actors in Korea did come from abroad, which I think also contributes to their ability in appealing to a broader audience.
When I listened to the track, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that "Coward" was an energetic pop-ballad (I assumed that it was supposed to be a ballad since they're supposed to be a ballad group, but then again, this song didn't sound like a ballad at all). The heavy beats in the background sets the pace of the entire song, and the entire songs brings you for a ride. It seems Krygen has been doing this for quite a while since their harmonization is top-notch! The ending of the song shifted the song from it's frenetic pace, and slows it down for a dramatic ending (pretty good choice for an ending... it lends a lot of style to the track).
When I listened to the track, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that "Coward" was an energetic pop-ballad (I assumed that it was supposed to be a ballad since they're supposed to be a ballad group, but then again, this song didn't sound like a ballad at all). The heavy beats in the background sets the pace of the entire song, and the entire songs brings you for a ride. It seems Krygen has been doing this for quite a while since their harmonization is top-notch! The ending of the song shifted the song from it's frenetic pace, and slows it down for a dramatic ending (pretty good choice for an ending... it lends a lot of style to the track).
Mikey - "All For You" (feat. Kim Jong Kook)
I'm a big fan of Kim Jong Kook. I've been watching SBS' "Running Man" recently (it's a reality game show), where he's a regular. I've developed a crush on the malevolent Sparta-Kook... hehehe! He's "Kook-y" (pardon the pun), and I love his dark, temper-ridden humor. Jong Kook is well-known in Korea as a singer, and he was part of the legendary duo "Turbo" from way back in the 90's.
This time around, Sparta-Kook is back to help out his partner in Turbo, Korean rapper Mikey, with his comeback single, "All For You". It gives you a taste of what made Turbo such a popular group back then... angelic vocals from Jong Kook, and energetic rapping from Mikey.
This time around, Sparta-Kook is back to help out his partner in Turbo, Korean rapper Mikey, with his comeback single, "All For You". It gives you a taste of what made Turbo such a popular group back then... angelic vocals from Jong Kook, and energetic rapping from Mikey.
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