It’s Jennie
time to shine! The singer-rapper of Blackpink
released her first single called Solo
on Monday, November 12th 2018. Jennie is the first Blackpink
member to go solo. Other members will follow her steps in several months.
Jennie solo attempt surprises public. It is
quite unusual for a girlband member to have a solo single on second year of
their career. Plus, Blackpink still has not release full album. But at the same
time, YG Entertainment decision
regarding Jennie’s solo endeavor makes sense. She is the current it girl in
entertainment industry. They need to establish her brand.
Solo would be a test for Jennie. Could she stand out on her own without other
Blackpink members help? How much Solo differs
from the group materials? Check out my review for Jennie’s first solo single
below……….
Solo has an interesting start. It mixes between classic and modern sound. The
usage of violin represents first element while Jennie’s way of singing along
with strong beat fits into current music trend. This is an unusual combination
yet it works well. It makes Solo becomes
dramatic. It also manages to keep Jennie’s image, a young girl with elegant and
chic style.
Unfortunately, the promising verses do not have
solid follow up. Solo decides to
stick into YG Entertainment’s dance song formula rather than explores something
new. It has a music breakdown with catchy hook during refrain part. Yes, it
sounds catchy, but it becomes repetitive. The transition between each part also
sounds jarring.
Solo does not supported by strong instrumental at refrain part. It only
relies on Middle-Eastern inspired tune. There is not much going on, especially
if we see how the song stops before three minutes. It is such a pity to see Solo potential covered up with formulaic
recipe.
The disappointment towards music cured by
watching Solo music video. It looks
stunning with various setting and wardrobe. We see Jennie wander around in
different type of dresses from garden, swimming pool to laundry. Her activities
describe Solo theme about how Jennie
keeps strong after breaking up with her boyfriend.
Although it presents various setting, Solo music video does not look
complicated. This is because all scenes have similar cinematography. Solo plays out with pastel color tone
such as blue and pink.
As for Jennie, she mostly does her job well in
front of camera. She is captivating and gorgeous to look at. However, she still
lacks of charisma in scenes that required her to act fierce such as during rap
scene. This makes her presence looks awkward. Jennie performs better when doing
sweet and melancholic themes.
Solo has potential to present Jennie’s identity as modern girl with classical
vibe. The song verses as well as music video theme clearly represents that.
However, YG Entertainment is not eager to take risk. They maintain the similar
breakdown formula during refrain part. This makes Solo does not only belong to Jennie. But, it could also sing by
other Blackpink members, even as group. It seems there still a long way for
Jennie to be able distinguish her own music style with Blackpink.
Rating: 3/5
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