MUSICAL STYLES
TWICE: It’s easy to see that since TWICE’s debut, they have always pursued young and cute styles. In their “Cheer Up”, “TT”, “Knock Knock”, “Signal” and even the most recent “Likey”, TWICE’s characters are always cute and playful girls who are shy and embarrassed in front of boys.
It is undeniable that their cute and sweet concept has helped them a lot to succeed. But this too is a difficulty that prevents them from going further. It seems like TWICE doesn’t dare to make a breakthrough and step out of their comfort zone, even though the audience expects them to do so. The songs themselves made many fans sit up and wonder “how long will TWICE continue to be cute?”
Red Velvet: While TWICE follows a safe genre and musical style, Red Velvet challenges itself with many different styles. In most of their comebacks, Red Velvet have refreshed themselves with a different style from the previous one. They went from bright and energetic in “Happiness” to luxurious and elegant in “Be Natural,” then unique and original in “Dumb Dumb” and cute, pure in “Ice Cream Cake.” Furthermore, their style was also sad and obsessive in “One of These Nights”, playful, mischievous in “Russian Roulette”, enthusiastic, passionate in “Rookie” and fun, cheerful in “Red Flavor”. The fact that a group pursues so many different styles makes the audience excited and… annoyed at the same time.
Black Pink: Black Pink’s musical style is probably the neutralization of TWICE and Red Velvet. Black Pink is not monotonous like TWICE nor does it change quickly like Red Velvet, instead it is stable and changes flexibly. It’s a strong yet feminine combination. In some of their songs like “Whistle”, “Boombayah”, “Playing With Fire” or “As If It’s Your Last”, the audience always sees a unique but sweet and charming Black Pink.
Dominant musical genres
TWICE: Until now, most of TWICE’s theme songs are pop genre focused on catchy choruses and lyrics that are easily remembered, listened to and accepted nationally and internationally. Their “Like OOH-AHH”, “Cheer Up”, “Knock Knock” and the most recent “Likey” were produced by composer Black Eyed Pilsung. Although TWICE’s music is considered old, their pop genre is never outdated and their songs are always suited to the taste of most contemporary audiences.
Red Velvet: Unlike TWICE’s pop genre, Red Velvet’s songs are mostly a modern electro dance genre which is the tradition of SM. However, in addition to first-time addictive songs such as “Ice Cream Cake”, “Russian Roullet”…, many other songs of the groups receive negative feedback from the public. “Dumb Dumb”, “Rookie”… created a messy feeling as if they were combined from different melodies, which made listeners’ heads spin when they heard them for the first time. Red Velvet’s music is like a hot dish mixed with too many spices that not everyone can eat, so their audience is divided into 2 types: listen once and never listen again; or listen to it several times and really like it.
Black Pink: Since their debut, Black Pink’s music has greatly impressed listeners. It is a popular and friendly genre of music that is not boring and still expresses one’s personality. Their songs often have a loud melody with a fast and strong speed along with YG’s signature hip hop. At first, the public was worried that Black Pink’s music would be the same as their sisters 2NE1. However, over time, the girls have finally established their own musical style.
Ability in singing and live performance
TWICE: Until now, TWICE has never been rated highly for their singing abilities. Their MR Remove videos (without background music, only include the singer’s real voice) showed that many members, especially Sana and Momo, always sing with their weak nasal voices. Furthermore, the fact that TWICE are continually accused of lip-syncing on weekly music shows or music awards has affirmed that they are a group that has good looks but lacks talent.
Red Velvet: While TWICE receives a number of negative feedback due to their singing abilities, Red Velvet has received a lot of compliments. If Wendy and Seulgi have amazing and strong voices that always surprise listeners with their “live like a CD”, Joy is no worse with this sweet voice than she can make anyone flirt. Although Irene and Yeri are not rated as highly as other members, recently their efforts and progress have been recognized by the public.
Black Pink: It is no coincidence that Black Pink is the group whose members’ voices are all the same. When performing on stage or on radio programs, all members sang stably and no different from the studio version. Lisa, the rapper of the group, also did a good job in the singing part.
Conclusion
At the moment, Black Pink’s music is rated more positively than the other 2 groups. However, it is still too early to draw conclusions. Who knows, after receiving feedback from the public, we will see a completely different TWICE in the next songs. As for Red Velvet, during this period, SM is mainly focusing on group activities, so perhaps the audience will soon witness a hit as famous as the old “Glee”.
However, TWICE, Black Pink and Red Velvet are helping to create a whole new aspect to the musical style of third-generation girl groups. In the future, these girls will definitely bring more high-quality music products to Kpop music lovers. Let’s stay tuned!
cr:kenh14
