K-pop supergroups aren’t common, but the idea is very fun. GH Entertainment seems to agree, as they’ve taken their two idol groups (B.I.G and 3YE) and merged them into 777 – a co-ed project group. Today, they’ve made their debut with digital single Presente, which takes obvious influence from another notable co-ed act.
What is it with co-ed groups and Latin-inspired music? I know that K-pop loves embracing trends, but from KARD to Checkmate to 777, it seems the only concept the industry can come up with for mixed-gender acts is “vaguely Latin.” Agencies seem desperate to conflate Latin music (a vast and complex umbrella encompassing hundreds of sub-genres) with sexual tension, and it’s starting to feel lazy.
With that said, at least Presente is a solid example of this cliché. B.I.G and 3YE mix well, despite individual discographies that are quite different from one another. Both the guys and the girls cosplay KARD to some degree, but the song allows for welcome spotlight on their talents. Presente’s chorus hits with impact, even if it feels quite familiar. I’m less enthused by the constant breakdowns that follow. It’s hard to get into a track that sputters here and there, and the various pieces aren’t seamlessly connected. There’s too much pussyfooting around when Presente needs to go in for the kill. Ideally, the song would showcase what’s special and unique about both groups. Instead, it shoehorns them into an unfamiliar sound that seems more commercially calculated than truly organic.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
I do like it. I fully acknowledge it’s very generic and also that I’m fully biased because it’s 3YE, but I like listening to it in the same I like listening to YESSIR. I like the energy and the groups, and KARD kind of drifted off this style anyway and it’s not really a trend anymore at least in k-pop. They perform it well at least from the The Show showcase.
I do prefer the Spanish version, but that’s just because it rhymes more.
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There is a Spanish version? …. …. ….
Yes it does rhyme better. Spanish (and Italian) are easier to rhyme in naturally anyway.
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The other day a cover of the The Boxer showed up on my feed. It wasn’t bad, just the nth time someone has covered the Boxer. The lyrics seem apt for this song review here today, the nth time a mixed group has gone vaguely Latin.
“No it isn’t strange, after changes upon changes we are more or less the same.
After changes, we are more or less the same.”
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JUbFj0BIc4
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Yeah, why? Given the name, I was hoping they’d take more from Triple H (fuck Cube for this, honestly). We don’t need another Latin-inspired co-ed group, no thank you. Song sadly is pretty generic and sounds pretty low-budget to these ears too. The chorus was promising but the obviously sampled brass post-chorus kinda takes the wind out of the sales. It’s a shame, as I like 3YE quite a bit. Oh well.
On the topic of co-ed supergroups: as the resident InSomnia, I will happily plug Happyface’s D.D.C. (Jinyoung from D1CE, Dami from Dreamcatcher, Byeongmin from Classmate.) It’s just a one-off (for now) for a video game promo that only has a lyric video but wow is the one song they did so good. Brings me back to those days when I had artists like Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar on loop. Why doesn’t K-Pop do more of this brand of electro swing?
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So much fun!
Sometimes the ad hoc special projects are so much more fun than the regular every day stuff. Such as Troublemaker and their song “Troublemaker”
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-zRAQmKUkI
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YES to Trouble Maker. Thanks for reminding me of them. Man, Cube really pissed away so much by losing Hyuna and Dawn…
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If you like Not A Dream, I have a J-Pop suggestion:
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This is nice, thanks for this! It reminds me more of salsa/Latin than electro swing, but it’s nice anyway!
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I know, but they seem to remind me of one another for whatever reason.
The only K-Pop electro-swing song I can think of at the top of my head is TVXQ’s Chance of Love. The options are kind of limited.
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Yeah electro swing is hard to come by for K-Pop. The next best thing I have is the outro on one of those Even of Day albums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liheq4926SY
And then Girls Day has this, I guess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7crt2Ip93VI
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I am no connoisseur of the genre, but I believe Momoland’s “I’m So Hot” is also considered to be electric swing. There was one or two other girl group releases around that time (spring 2019) that were were also electric swing influenced.
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If not for the post-chorus, I think I’d really love this. It makes that absolute misstep of a post-chorus even more irritating.
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As a fan of 3YE I’m always happy to see more stuff from them,this release is not my cup of tea. The chorus sounds nice even tho it sounds very similar to despasito or other Latin pop songs really, it still different enough to not fully be annoying. If this was sung by Latin artist I’m sure it would actually do good to be honest. It’s wierd to be that if kpop group intend on doing Latin style so much why not go with a actual dirty reggeaton beat? That would be super interesting.
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Off Topic: I am really excited for VERIVERY’s upcoming comeback!
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Sv6z68NxM”
Heart Attack just sounds so “oomph”!
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I like it a lot. The stages are fun too; the groups have charisma together.
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