February 2025 was a month full of high-profile comebacks and long-awaited returns, from G-Dragon, to Chungha, to ZeroBaseOne. Like always, each comeback came with its ups and downs, its pros and cons; this month’s Unsung Artists are no exception. Indeed, many of these picks are songs with obvious and significant issues. Nevertheless, they are all worthy of consideration as successful vehicles for their artists’ undeniable star power.
Ive – “Attitude”
Though it was somewhat outshone by rock-influenced pre-release “Rebel Heart,” Ive’s Empathy title track “Attitude” has its own charms. Continuing the self-love message of “Rebel Heart,” “Attitude” is all about being an it-girl, with Liz sharing the central message in an impressively ear-piercing pre-chorus: “No matter what anyone says, I honestly like who I am.”
In the MV, the members of Ive pose, dance, and strut their way through generic, semi-corporate hallways. Their surroundings may be bleak, but they are never anything less than completely confident and irrepressibly joyful.
Fashion-wise, “Attitude” is a feast of office- and academia-chic: an on-trend and always-fun aesthetic. The only thing to lament is that “Attitude”—which sonically finds Ive back in pure pop territory—doesn’t have much to offer musically. Its verses and choruses are instantly forgettable, and poor transitions between the track’s various sections limit momentum. The song’s strongest musical element by far is its sample of Suzanne Vega’s iconic “Tom’s Diner,” so praise is due to the producers who pulled that fragment, even if they deserve criticism for not offering anything interesting of their own.
All that being said, when Ive launch into the catchy (thanks, Suzanne) and buoyant final dance break, it’s hard not to bop along. “Attitude” may not boast the greatest sonic chops, but it offers its titular characteristic in (delightful) spades.
Plave – “Dash”
By far the most successful of K-pop’s ventures into virtual idols thus-far, Plave have been making steady inroads in both music and variety. Their most recent release, “Dash,” showcases both their compelling strengths and consistent weaknesses.
“Dash” is an engaging rock-influenced track that features impressive vocals and an aggressive rap verse that certainly leaves an impression, even if it may not be to everyone’s taste. It’s interesting to note that Plave’s virtual nature is essentially limited to their physical presence; each virtual idol represents a real person who provides their voice, and presumably, their personality.
Musically, “Dash” leaves no doubt as to Plave’s talent. The MV also has a pretty high level of animation, presenting a vibrant virtual world where Plave must battle a dystopian robotic force (a bit ironic, one must admit). Comparing “Dash” to early Plave releases, it’s clear that the group’s team have made real progress visually, especially in terms of increasing the fluidity of the virtual members’ movements.
On the flip side, Plave’s visual world and the members themselves retain an undeniable stilted stiffness. This has many consequences, including stripping the song of some emotional power, and fascinatingly, making it much harder to line up the MV’s action sequences with the song’s musical beats in a satisfying way. Overall, “Dash” is a solid encapsulation of Plave’s mixed present capacities… though if they keep growing and improving at the current rate, we could be looking at a very different picture very soon.
Evnne – “Hot Mess”
The JBJ to ZeroBaseOne’s Wanna One, Evnne is comprised of seven of Boys Planet’s top runners-up. The high quality of that show’s trainee pool is apparent in Evnne who, in their brief career so-far, have taken on pretty much every concept under the sun with remarkable success (even if their lack of consistency is regrettably hampering their chances to build a clear artistic identity).
Their latest pivot sees them bringing the phrase “I’m a mess” to cheerful life. Bouncing around an underground network of quirky rooms, Evnne are charming mischief-makers, even if “Hot Mess” itself is a forgettable track. The MV’s best move is to include a brief but delightful blooper reel at its close. It would be wonderful if Evnne’s future songs come closer to matching the talent and potential of the members themselves, but for now, “Hot Mess” lets the group stay on a fun, if somewhat conventional, ride.
Jisoo – “Earthquake”
It hits me like an earthquake
The way you make my heart race
We’re dancing till the night fades
The feeling that I can’t fake
So goes the refrain to Jisoo’s “Earthquake,” a catchy, club-ready track that effortlessly showcases Jisoo’s strengths: her deep and rich voice, mature charm, and a sense of humor. The MV is surprisingly witty and light-hearted for being painted in shades of black and gray. From the on-the-nose sets (Jisoo and her crew dance on both a polygraph machine and the surface of a cell phone containing flirty messages), to the literal tremors shaking Jisoo’s otherwise grim office workplace, to Cha Seung-won’s amusingly straight-faced cameo as an agent of the ‘Department of Heart Security,’ “Earthquake” brings its titular metaphor to life with a wink and a smile.
The MV is also an exercise in elegant maximalism. It screams high-budget, but tastefully and strategically so, with money well-spent on good sets, a few striking VFX moments, and excellent styling. To top it all off, “Earthquake” has stellar choreography that is filmed to perfection in the MV. (Each of the song’s three choruses feature distinct moves, all of them cheeky winners.) “Earthquake” is, simply put, a blast.
KiiiKiii – “I Do Me”
I may have a lot of questions for whoever picked the name ‘KiiiKiii’ for Starship Entertainment’s newest girl group, but everything else about this debut is wildly promising. Pre-release “I Do Me” is easy-listening magic, combining minimalist production and strong melodies to great effect. In the MV, the quintet are charming and confidently at-ease as they galivant through idyllic valleys, mountains, and forests. The technicolor sheen in “I Do Me” does undercut the group’s attempt at a ‘natural’ vibe and look, but it’s probably aiming too high to expect any product of K-pop to fully elide artificiality.
KiiiKiii’s laidback energy and down-to-earth aesthetics also provide an important contrast to Starship’s current preeminent girl group, the aforementioned Ive. This is even more important since, if “I Do Me” is any indication, the two groups may share a common message of self-love.
It’s reassuring that KiiiKiii do already stand out though, not just from their sisters at Starship, but in K-pop at large. The lower vocal register and unusually relaxed dance style of “I Do Me” are particularly intriguing, as is the playful streak showcased in their subsequent special video “Debut Song.” With their official debut still ahead of them, KiiiKiii are poised for success.
Hearts2Hearts – “The Chase”
In contrast with KiiiKiii, Hearts2Hearts debut “The Chase” manages to intrigue despite the shakiness of many of its elements. Conceptually, SM Entertainment’s new girl group seems to be aiming for a soft but strong energy. The closest comparison might be Loona, in their early creative heyday.
Visually, this translates to an MV that mixes natural and industrial settings with a tinge each of futurism and fantasy. Despite the some fancy editing and limitless budget, “The Chase” never progresses beyond establishing an occasionally intriguing but largely muddled mood. Hearts2Hearts’ styling deserves to be singled out for special criticism, jolting between office wear, bohemian influences, and nondescript preppy or streetwear pieces, with not a single flattering cut or interesting color to be found.
Musically, “The Chase” has a more equal mix of strengths and weaknesses. The track could definitely use a couple extra hooks; the titular line “I love the way you love the chase” is one of the song’s only refrains that doesn’t go in one ear and out the other. Additionally, while the spoke-sung chorus is a good idea in theory (it attempts to add some variety to the otherwise smooth, mid-tempo track), in practice it’s a bust — because it simply isn’t compelling or catchy… we now have rock solid proof that “sparkle sparkle” is a decidedly uncool phrase to chant.
On the plus side, “The Chase” flickers to life in its final minute. A beautiful, extended bridge leads into a final chorus that brings together previously disparate parts of the song into a satisfying whole (a SM signature move!). A largely instrumental section in this closing stretch is accompanied by a spiral dance formation and ad libs that create a goosebumps moment as several members announce:
My adventure
This is the first step
Wherever my heart wants
There I wanna go
The dream has already begun
“The Chase” is not a homerun debut, but there’s enough, well, sparkle here to merit interest. If Hearts2Hearts can organize their aesthetics and fully harness their ethereal tough-girl potential (now, there’s a phrase I never thought I’d type), then their sophomore effort may prove truly exciting.
(YouTube[1][2][3][4][5][6]. Lyrics via YouTube[1][2][3][4]. Images via Blissoo, Empire, SM Entertainment.)
