If online reports are to be believed, R.Tee & Anda’s What You Waiting For (뭘 기다리고 있어) is a song originally intended for BLACKPINK. That’s some pretty good press for Anda in particular. She’s already had a lengthy career, but her music has too often flown under the radar. In fact, I think this is the first time I’ve written about her on this site. Hitching her wagon to YG subsidiary The Black Label was a smart move, and results in her most ear-catching single yet – even if it follows the dreaded “beat-drop-as-chorus” trend.
What You Waiting For adheres to a familiar template, throwing all its melodic heft into its verses and pre-drop build. Even so, there’s not much for pop melody lovers like myself to grab onto. The structure is repetitive, relying most strongly on Anda’s commanding performance. Luckily, she’s up to the task. Her vocals are more robust than ever before — brash and dominant and capable of twisting unimaginative melody lines into something quite magnetic.
She’s paired with producer R.Tee, who has also upped his game. I’ll never be a fan of song structures that throw so much attention towards one insistent instrumental flourish. However, What You Waiting For’s glitchy beat drop spawns addictive energy, enough to overcome the song’s reductive arrangement. At every corner, regurgitated tropical synths try to bring us off course. An uninspiring, slow-as-molasses bridge nearly undoes everything that came before it. And yet, the track comes out unscathed. Despite its worst instincts, this is a fun addition to 2019’s K-pop playlist.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.25 |
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The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I’ve always presumed Anda was an ‘indie’ artist, she never seems to have made a mainstream breakthrough, and frankly that’s kinda why I like her. She’s a highly talented artist and performer. A lot of her previous music is super eclectic, not dumb dance music. And unusually for a k-pop artist, she doesn’t seem to be shy about her sexuality. She did a great performance on this song, but it’s far closer to mainstream than I’m comfortable with – I want to keep her all to myself. Still, I wish her all the success she deserves. Anda is one of my favorites!
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Yeah, she’s great. I haven’t always loved her music, but I’ve always admired her charisma.
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i’ve been a silent follower of your blog here for too long, so i’d like to break my silence by saying– yay for your first Anda review! i’m not sure if being under The Black Label will ensure her finally getting her time in the spotlight, but i sure hope so, especially after her album with Primary was…. practically ignored. and i had thought collabs with Primary were a sure-fire way to success for indie korean artists….
if you aren’t opposed to introducing yet another new female soloist to The Bias List, i’d love to know how you would rate DALsoobin’s (formerly Subin of Dal Shabet) “Katchup”– hopefully you’ve heard her songs “Circle’s Dream” or “Strawberry”, although i understand if no, since they aren’t really the kind of songs that you immediately gravitate to after all.
thank you for the great and consistent reviews, as always!
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Thank you for your first comment! Don’t be a stranger 🙂
My DALsooobin review is up today. Would’ve gotten to it earlier, but this has been a very busy week for new music.
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i definitely noticed that– you did a great job spreading it out in a manageable way! and i loved your Subin review, you’re just so good at describing the music i’m hearing in written words.
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