Seo In Guk parties with the best of them with his new single, "Shake It Up"...

Filipinos love to sing --- and we're crazy in love with singing and singing contests. We have our good share of talent contests that catapault some virtually unknown person to instant stardom (that's if they manage to actually impress people... and it would take a lot to impress a Filipino when it comes to singing... at least I think so hehehe!).

That's why I got interested in featuring Seo In Guk in my blog today. Korea knows him as the first winner of 2009's Superstar K, one of Korea's own TV talent searches. Gifted with such a versatile instrument, it's no surprise that he won the prize during the first year of Korea's premiere talent search. Since then he has proven himself as a commercial success with the release of his albums and singles since he debuted.

          

He just recently released a new single titled "Shake It Up", which is a refreshing addition to his list of hits. His comeback was a surprise for me, but definitely a welcome one!

After doing a search on In Guk online, it would seem that he was being groomed by MNET Media, his home agency, as an all-around performer. Considering his vocal range and ability, it was a logical choice. Usually most talent management companies would position their most talented vocalists as balladeers due to the heavy vocal requirements for that type of music. But then again I look at really talented vocalists like Se7en, Yang Yoseob, Rain and G.O., and I know that great vocalists can go pop, and still be taken seriously as an artist.

One has to admit though that ballads do suit Seo In Guk a lot of talent behind that cute face of his. When I researched about him, I turned up with a whole lot of impressive songs. Just so that you could see an example of his previous work, here are some MVs from two of his popular songs --- "Broken" and "Love U".

"Broken" by Seo In Guk (MV with English Subtitles)

"Love U" by Seo In Guk (MV with English Subtitles)
NOTE: To get the subtitles, you would need to play the video in YouTube and access
the interactive transcript function to see the text of the subs.

I've been a firm believer that good music will always make you feel good, and it seems that this is the theme for Seo In Guk's new single too. "Shake It Up" is actually a love song about a beautiful girl, but what makes the song infectious is the the beat and the energy that In Guk puts into delivering it. It's dance pop at its best, and it's the kind of song that I know folks would love to hear over and over again. 

Apart from being a great song, the song was also meant to be visually appreciated too. The MV had a very simple theme that played around Seo In Guk fantasizing about meeting the girl of his dreams, played by none other than Jiyeon of T-ara. What follows are playful and fun scenes of In Guk having fun with friends in a dance club. It was nice to see tons of cameos apart from Jiyeon --- we see Norazo, Secret, and Mighty Mouth too! It's absolutely kick-ass to see that much support for this guy, apart from the fact that it was just a fun MV altogether.

"Shake It Up" by Seo In Guk (MV with English Subtitles)

It's great to see that Seo In Guk isn't a one-trick pony, and he's proven that he has a good amount of variety with the genres that he can effectively portray as a vocalist. It's not an easy feat too, since not all balladeers can do dance pop that well, and In Guk's transition was done with a lot of pizzazz and flair. I am definitely looking forward to a full album in the future.