This should be a good week for Mamamoo fans, as two of its members are releasing solo albums. First up is Wheein, working under her new agency The L1ve. So far, her solo material has trended toward more subdued sounds, though last year’s Water Color found a satisfying groove.
New single Make Me Happy (오묘해) takes subtle cues from K-pop’s retro trend and gives them a muted makeover. Looking back at Mamamoo’s history, it’s interesting to trace the group’s change in vocal delivery. For me, the members are at their best when conveying strength and power in their singing. Too often the past few years, their vocal technique has embraced a whispery tone. Wheein’s performance encapsulates this sound, joining the hushed instrumental with an equally low-key approach. Vocalists like Ariana Grande have helped popularized this style worldwide, but I’m not sure it’s right for every track.
Make Me Happy’s sleepy appeal makes for great mood music, with just enough punch in its percussion to get your head nodding. But, it’s too one-note for me. The melodies are pretty and Wheein’s vocal has a delicate sort of beauty. It just feels so ephemeral. The track is content to groove on its light, slow-disco beat without making any waves. A sly, addictive hook might have given this unexpected staying power. But, every element feels targeted in the same drowsy direction. She deserves more dynamic material.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 7 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
“She deserves more dynamic material”
This is the exact conclusion I arrived at as well. I have never been too into ballads or dreamy like songs – but with the right amount of power they can end up being quite amazing as proved by a lot of my favourite songs.
In fact, the other solo this month from Swan of Craxy is a perfect example of a powerful ballad-like song. I absolutely adored it and her live showcase is even better than the original.
Wheein has a great voice and would have been amazing if the song had more punch. I can only hope for more songs of that kind in the future.
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Im still waiting for something like decalcomanie. They have soo much potential! But not the right material! I really want jazz from them!
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Snoozefest of an album considering what a great performer she is.
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It actually isn’t a bad song, but Wheein plays it very safe. Except for the vocal fry on the edges of the enunciation, this sounds like it could be a b-side off one of the 1990’s female R&B albums. Imagine if this were a long lost Mariah b-side from the “Honey” / “Butterfly” era – Mariah would have taking liberties with the melody and enunciation to give it a real edge beyond just vocal fry. It’s that kind of song.
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There are vocalists who sound great on this style of song but Wheein is not one of those for me. Agreed that more dynamic material would be welcome. I did playlist “Letter Filled With Light”, “Pastel” and “Paraglide” – the first in particular is the kind of mid-tempo indy-rock that I like the play for bgm and the latter are solid R&B tracks.
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