Gosh, it’s been ages since I wrote about a Kim Jaejoong track! He’s spent most of his recent music career in the Japanese market, but now he’s back with a full Korean album. To put it in perspective, the last time this happened The Bias List had only been around for about a month!
It’s always satisfying to hear a veteran artist return, especially with material as buoyant as Nobody Like You. The song feels like waking up, opening the curtains and being hit with a beam of morning light. There’s an optimistic quality to the music, from the bounding beat to the choir-like arrangement that makes the chorus such a welcome release. True to form, Jaejoong’s gives a virtuosic performance. He’s K-pop royalty for a reason, able to take the reins of a track and propel it to greater heights. On its own, Nobody Like You is a standard pop song. But, it benefits greatly from its bombastic arrangement and skillful vocal.
There’s a veritable army of composers behind this work, but Swedish artist Robin Bengtsson’s name caught my eye in the credits. As a fan of Melodifestivalen/Eurovision even before I came to love K-pop, it’s fun to see crossover between markets and artists. Nobody Like You certainly has a Eurovision feel – big and anthemic and feel-good (plus a little corny). This also plays to Jaejoong’s strengths at this stage of his career. The “edgy rocker” guise worked well for him back in the early-2010’s, but this bold energy feels well-earned and authentic.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Oh I knew something was up when I heard the build-up. But now that you brought it up… I sort of get the Eurovision influence in this song!
This is my first time hearing a song of his and I must say he’s got a nice vocal tone! 🙂
(Also with this and Xia’s HANA released this year… Kind of tempted to do a joint review of those 2 tracks…)
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Haruko, you should check out his early solo songs, especially if you enjoy rock. Mine, Just Another Girl, and Maze (the last from his days in TVXQ) are all 9+ classics.
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Thanks 108ent! I’m a sucker for rock so already I was excited to hear his rock-styled songs.
The songs you’ve suggested are great! I can see the high praise from everyone when it comes to his songs. Shame I can’t seem to find ‘Maze’ on Spotify though… : (
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Glad you enjoyed them! For more of his Korean work, I suggest his WWW album as a start.
Unfortunately, none of TVXQ’s five-member stuff is on Spotify, blame it on SM and Avex. Thankfully, there are several playlists on YouTube.
Plus, forgot to mention it, but Jaejoong has some fantastic new J-Pop singles, try Brava Brava Brava and Breaking Dawn in particular.
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Yes, this sounds like classic leading man material. Well done. Not my style, but I appreciate the JaeJoong is still active and promoting great songs like this.
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Far from Jaejoong’s best, but I enjoy his voice a lot right over here. Such a charismatic singer!
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I like the song but I find the b-side BPM even better. BPM kind of reminds me of Drummin by TO1.
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