On cloud nine
IN a scene saturated by increasingly younger K-pop idol singers, what are the prospects like for a seasoned popstar? Not that bright, to be honest.
It’s an observation propelled by an entertainment industry where girl group members in their late twenties are called “ahjummas” (a Korean term for old woman) and a teenager succeeds a thirty-something actress as the face of a cosmetics brand.
Thus, Uhm Jung-hwa’s decision to make a comeback with her tenth studio album must have taken courage.
The Cloud Dream Of The Nine comes almost a quarter of a century since the 48-year-old’s debut in 1993.
Divided into two parts, the first half of the record was released in 2016 with an opening track featuring the late Jonghyun of SHINee.
Now, the triple-threat singer-actress-designer is taking another stab at the music charts with the full release of her record.
Uhm admitted on a variety show recently that it is hard for her to compete in the digital age of music.
“The problem is, because of the age of my fans, they don’t know how to download singles on streaming sites,” she joked.
Sonically, The Cloud Dream Of The Nine isn’t trying to catch up with today’s music trends. On the contrary, the sexy K-pop queen from the 1990s dials up the retro factor, delivering numbers with a pleasantly dated soundscape.
The hypnotic synths of Ending Credit glides comfortably with Uhm’s breathy vocals.
Meanwhile, So What and Dreamer are quintessentially classic dance offerings – all spacey and shimmery disco.
Elsewhere, the Jecheon native enlists the help of 1990s contemporaries such Lee Hyori (of Fin.K.L) and Jung Ryeo-won (of Chakra) for a taste of legendary girl group members.
Instead of a walk down memory lane, think of The Cloud Dream Of The Nine as an education in the roots of K-pop. CAMILA Cabello’s rather bitter departure from Fifth Harmony in 2016 was met with much confusion and derision among fans.
After all, at the time, the US X-Factor runner-up outfit had been tipped to bring the golden era of girls groups back into the Western pop music market.
And to be perfectly honest, Cabello’s then solo repertoire (the most notable being I Know What You Did Last Summer ,a rather vanilla duet with Shawn Mendes) wasn’t exactly career-making stuff.
Then, along came Havana, featuring Young Thug, which became a huge smash hit. The conversation since then has shifted from “Camila the ex-Fifth Harmony member” to “Camila the popstar”.
In a way, the eponymous title of this 11-track debut album serves to strengthen the later statement.
Originally titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving, Camila is a record that seeks to establish the 20-year-old as a solo artist. It’s one heck of a pop gem that doesn’t dilute its talent’s voice despite the obviously manufactured production.
Immaculately polished yet personal, it’s the kind of record that sets all the right foundations for a young soloist.
Cabello’s artistry is not lost as evident on the Latin-flavoured Havana and She Loves Control that tap into her Cuban roots.
Slick opener Never Be the Same shapes up to a shimmering pop confection with tight rhymes and an earworm chorus.
Elsewhere, Inside Out banks on mainstream radio’s obsession with tropical-tinged songs.
But it’s on the second half of the record that Cabello steps away from the sexy pop siren template and delivers something far more vulnerable.
The tender Consequences conjures up an image of a downtrodden girl-next-door
Meanwhile, introspective lyrics on tracks such as Real Friends and Something’s Gotta Give inject plenty of personality into the album.
With Camila, Cabello is letting her music define her instead of the headlines – and it’s a pretty darn good introduction.