MAMAMOO’s Hwasa finally returns to us with another second single album Guilty Pleasure and title I’m a 빛.
God is back. I mean, Hwasa is back…. Same thing? Jokes aside, I was excited for this comeback and it was honestly long overdue. Hwasa is a charming, unique person and I think that reflects massively on her music making it a bit different than whatever else we have on the music scene. Her interesting tone and her confidence definitely carry a lot of her personality and paired with aesthetically pleasing concepts Hwasa mostly hits the jack pot, at least among GP. Twit and Maria were major growers for me, especially Maria so I am excited to see what we have here to review today.
I’m a 빛 definitely has that by now recognizable Hwasa sound and style and I’m here for it. It’s a lot less explosive than I might’ve expected it to be but it fits with both of her previous titles and seems like a logical continuation of it. The melody is a lot quieter, gentler than in her previous songs but it still maintains a catchy hook and a proper structure which might get stuck inside of your brain right away. I’m a 빛 once again brings us a lot of word play and showcases what Hwasa does the best – deliver a memorable performance. I think I’m a 빛 has a lot of growing potential like her previous songs but I already like it on the second listen and I think it really suits the feelings and atmosphere of this time of the year.
I also have to mention the absolutely stunning music video. I already knew Hwasa was going to treat our eyes as well as our ears and she really did that. The outfits are gorgeous and I’m quite frankly obsessed with Hwasa in anything black or red. I also love the parts of the video with her male dancers because they truly understood the assignment.
Smiling through the pain.
Why did we have to wait ages for a Hwasa comeback? It is not like MAMAMOO was really active… anyway the day has finally come and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hype nor anticipating this comeback. The teasers for I’m a 빛 sounded really good and as a Twit fan it sounded also really groovy. I did grow to really like the Maria comeback too but Twit is still superior in my opinion. Hwasa is such an interesting character when it comes to her solo music. I was intrigued what I’m a 빛 would sound like and so far I am not disappointed! The visuals of the music video are very on brand for Hwasa, also I have eyes and appreciate a good looking woman, so there is that.
I’m a 빛 is not even three minutes long but watching the music video felt pretty long. Probably because of that dance break which was really cool with the traditional elements it brought to the song. The studio version of I’m a 빛 does not include this break, which I am happy about because it did break the song apart a bit and killed the momentum. I’m a 빛 is as groovy as I expected it to be and has a certain retro feel to it. We get Hwasa’s on brand husky vocals and she performs the hell out of this song. I’m a 빛 (I love the word play on the Korean word and Bish. Hello my linguistic behind is having a boner here) lives off of Hwasa’s charm and charisma. On the third listen I really start to like I’m a 빛 a lot. Additionaly, the bridge of I’m a 빛 is pretty interesting and I do hear a slight bit of guitar towards the end of the song which I can’t help but wish we would have gotten more of.
As for the two b-sides of the single album are pretty solid but I’m a 빛 is the clear stand out and obvious choice for a title. FOMO is more out there and experimental with its tempo shift mid song, while Bless U is a beautiful Hwasa ballad with her power vocals, I prefer this one out of the two b-sides! This woman can’t do wrong and I wish she’d come back more frequently as she makes a really interesting soloist.
Header Image Source: RBW Entertainment
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