Review

Song Review: (G)I-DLE – Super Lady

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(G)I-DLE - Super Lady(G)I-DLE’s music has gone through many transformations — most recently in the form of the polarizing, meme-ready Wife. Regardless of genre, their title tracks have become known for their catchphrases. Leader and composer Soyeon loves a concept, and nuance isn’t really her thing. Whether they’re a wife, a tomboy, a queen or a nude, the group will definitely hit you over the head with their main point.

This time, (G)I-DLE have become super ladies, and that concept calls for a clobbering EDM beat. I appreciate the song’s energy and go-for-broke bombast, especially during the first verse and pre-chorus where the vocals climb sky high and build tons of momentum. The instrumental drop chorus also works well, recalling the big room EDM of T-ara’s classic Sugar Free.

Sadly, this is also where (G)I-DLE revert to their usual tricks. Rather than go full bore on a chorus worth repeating, the musical ambition fizzles into a dull, spoken “Lady, lady, call me super lady.”

Catchphrases. I’ve become so weary of catchphrases.

In the case of Super Lady, its dynamic production elevates this meager hook, especially as the beat warps for a fun breakdown right before the climax. We end up veering into some reheated BLACKPINK chanted outro, but the energy remains high. If the group must insist on this dollar store version of “empowerment,” at least they’re throwing every bit of musical drama they can at it. That’s enough to make Super Lady an above-average (G)I-DLE title track — frustrations and all.

Hooks 7
 Production 9
 Longevity 8
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.75

Grade: C+

69 thoughts on “Song Review: (G)I-DLE – Super Lady”

  1. I’m the first person to complain about a (G)I-DLE song being gimmicky and pandering but this is well-suited to my tastes. I can’t find every single thing I disliked about their music on this song (i.e. goofy English lyrics & Minnie’s cursive singing). the chorus could be better but it doesn’t bother me as much, and there could’ve been a bridge to make the transition to the final chorus less jarring. I’d give it an 8.25 for now.

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  3. Remember, this is the same author who gave a score of 8 to the song Bouncy by Ateez, it is one of the worsed song that came out last year. And he really, really dislike self-produced idols/group s

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  5. I was so over popstars in spangly leotards declaring themselves to be empowered ages ago. The styling is so cliche that it isn’t shocking or empowering anymore. Actually it is the opposite, because it reinforces the body conscious expectation to fit to an idealized shape. Its not very empowering to have to diet and exercise for hours a day every day to meet that standard. It’s all a illusion of control that does not exist. 

    For the song itself, what happened to the opening salvo? Sure, it was too high to be sung live ever, E5. I surmise that line will be repeated on a recording as the girls are lifted from a trap door in the stage with all the lights blinking and the pyros detonating and the crowd going wild, standing and strutting in their spangly leotards. The line is never to be sung live ever. 

    Also, I lost track, but the song sounds like a grouping of 6 or 7 ideas held together by a common key and a shed load of delivery attitude. One part in the middle and the outro part sound like they are lifted from Blackpink styling. 

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    • “It’s an illusion of control that does not exist” is something I wish I could plant into teen girls (and many older women, or men for that matter) brains.

      I was going to comment the same thing about it being a bunch of ideas smacked together into one key (I probably still will), and I know the exact sections you mean that remind of BlackPink. I don’t know how to feel about it yet.

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      • I try to accomplish the same thing as best I can without being doxxed (again), so I keep it to forums of younger users like Pannchoa and YouTube comments. I’m a double board certified dermatopathologist and dermatologist with a practice specializing in cosmetic and surgical dermatology. When people get down about what they see from K-Pop idols, I try to give the “it’s not magical puberty, it’s cosmetic procedures or *fill in the blank.* It’s sad to see how many kids beat themselves up because they compare themselves to photos or videos of idols that have had a team of digital editors perfecting their looks, etc. So many still view the highly overprocessed images as the visual truth. It’s sad.

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        • There is a vocal equivalent of this too. Kids are growing up hearing autotuned recorded vocals all tinny and without vibrato, and learning to sing by imitating these songs and this sound, which is not natural or good. Then the kids watch a “live” recording on youtube where the vocals are pre-recorded on the performing mics to sound “authentic” even while doing complicated dance moves. Anything live live has a heavy post-production polish. Cue the “OMG so stable!!!”comments. So when someone videos an idol actually singing really live, it doesn’t sound “real” or as good, and the poor idol gets trashed on social media. 

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          • It’s sad but true. Funnily enough I was watching a YouTube video on the scarcity of live vocals. It touched on a few thing, like how frequently videos (particularly TikTok) that try to give the impression of live singing are autotuned and processed to death and the use of post during behind the scenes footage in recording studios. I can’t even think of an avenue to hear completely unedited vocals for kids listening to any mainstream pop genres, and K-Pop is even worse in that regard. Every time something attracts a new crop of kid to the genre, it[s back to square one in regards to explaining that no, just because it sounds different that the official album track, it doesn’t mean it is sung live, or that the only thing an MR Remove video can actually prove is whether or not a group is using the exact same vocal track as the official audio (I always wonder why those channels don’t bother to take one of the obviously prerecorded “live” vocals from one stage and compare it to others than the album track no ine uses).

            It’s going to get worse too, unfortunately. Little things are slipping through the cracks though, like Hybe’s acquisition of Supertone, which can analyze anyone’s voice and make a hyperrealistic AI duplicate, improve it. or create new voices from scratch… that actually can analyze text and use the appropriate emotions as well. The tech was actually used in a K-drama called Mask Girl, where they had the software combine the voices of the two female leads. Their goal is to create generative AI (in order for users to create their own on demand videos, songs, and images, which will inevitably be a massive shitshow when people misuse it. But I also have a verrrryyyyyy hard time believing that they won’t find a way to implement it for their current idols in (or out) of the recording studio. And I highly doubt there will be any regulations in place to inform consumers if they are getting an authentic recording by the artist, a computer processor generating the vocals from previous inputs to study the voice, or some hybrid of the two. It’s only a matter of time before more agencies pick u- similar tools. After all, if you combine it with the fast moving AR/VR fields, it will literally let people see and hear their favorite idols young forever/

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            • Speaking of HYBE and live live vocals, they have mastered the use of backing track during concert performances. I found one BTS, where there was the studio track, layered with several quasi-live or one take recordings (perhaps from the studio or the music show takes). Then when they wanted to sing or adlib, that truly live line nestled right into the other 3-4 lines and sounded great! Can it be called “live”? … … Lets just call it “entertainment”. 

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    • I was thinking the same thing (for Soyeon reaching E5 live), especially since it sounds like they needed her voice doubled in the official audio track for it. But she was just on Lee Mujin Service and somehow managed to pull some off there as well, though the more I watch that show, the more I notice how, uh… not live it is. It does sound like she’s worked on her voice, and funnily enough, she chose a 2NE1 song to cover, so now it’s starting to make more sense why we got Super Ladies this comeback. 😹

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      • To me it looks and sounds like there was a heavy post-production polish. Also not very rangy song choices, all within about an octave, so she is all in her comfortable mixed voice. Its not “Masked Singer” level song choice difficulty, but contemporary girl pop vocal level. 

        Funnily enough, she sounds at times like young Park Bom voice. 

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        • They like to deny it, but there is definitely a lot of work in post going on at that show… it[a the same across the board for the more prestige singing shows, even Masked Singer. I find Lee Mujin service fun regardless, because it lets you hear the guests independently, usually dropping the sort of character they embody while in their groups. I just 3ish they brought on a broader range of guests. After seeing Seoyeon having an episode, I was wondering why they didn’t pick any of the group’s main or lead vocalists only to find out that every single member has now had an episode other than Shuhua. Sure, they might all be popular idols, but there are so many other main and lead vocalists that should be way higher on the list for a guest spot on a singing show than the sub-vocalist of an objectively average to below average group for vocals/ and I thought the same thing about Bom. 😹

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  6. This is too short… I really think Soyeon should have rapped longer for at least 10 seconds in the 2nd verse. I was just about to bop my head for that then it just cuts out 5 seconds in. Despite all the Soyeonese she made, she is a great rapper especially when given a chance to go all out and this could have been the song to do that :/ Anw, this is an 8 for me ^^ I’ve always loved maximalist concepts and mv sets that are explicitly expensive.

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  7. Welp….I was excited for this, and maybe it’ll grow on me (and also maybe it’s because I just woke up so I’m too tired to feel anything else) but I’m a little disappointed. That’s all I can really say ATM.

    The EDM beat in the chorus is awesome if only because I like EDM (but T-ara’s Sugar Free will always reign supreme for me as far as EDM songs go in KPOP) Also GDI not another less than 3 minute song…..

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  8. instead of putting my opinion on this song (its not really a good one), im gonna put some SUUPERRRRRR!!! songs that i’d rather listen to

    -approved by franky

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  9. I tend to prefer Gidle’s b-sides over their title tracks, so I’ll have to listen to the whole album. I wish this song was longer, it was pretty good, but I feel like I only had a short taste of the song. The drawn-out ending made me feel like they were going to have some huge final chorus, but I guess not… I feel like there just wasn’t any *oomph*? When I feel that on my first listen, the song is usually a grower for me, though, it happened for Queencard!

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    • Honestly, I think this album’s b-sides are better than their other ones! Fate (straight out of an anime ost I swear) and Rollie (so cool it got banned by KBS) are my favorites right now, but Revenge has amazing instrumentals.

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  10. What’s the point in having a group where members have such unique vocal flavors, if you’re never going to make them sing? How I miss Hwaa and the like.

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  11. Welp. The chorus was just pure shite. That type of sound just falls too flat for what they were promising with the verses, the intro and the pre-chorus. Like the production, the bass there sounded actually dull. I repeated this song over 10 times since this morning and i still forget about that weird chorus drop cause of how dumb it was. Other than that frustration, the song is actually pretty good and the rythm is catchy. I especially loved the mumble-singing minnie was doing in the beginning. Also there is this weird, grating (in the best way) synth that builds up, almost like a scratch? at the end of pre-chorus and i just wish it was heard a lot more during the chorus.

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    • For a 2:40 song its actually impressively full and doesnt lack too much, so I’ll give them the best shortest title track award. For the song I would give it somewhere between an 8-8.25/10 for the song, probably higher than an 8.5 if the chorus was improved.

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  12. This makes me nostalgic for T-ara for sure, maybe early 2ne1 as well? Until the chorus at least :/

    As far as B-sides, I like Revenge, it seems almost like a spiritual successor to songs like Hwaa. Fate’s opening guitar and overall instrumentals feel overwhelmingly like J-indie rock (Eve is the only one I can think of right now, but there’s another one that I just can’t name).

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  13. It certainly packs a wallop with the energy, I’ll give it that! It is jam packed with different pieces, and while I think they do fit together, I also think it needed more time for each of the ideas to soak in. Too short. It was over before I could get into any of it. Ultimately, it’s not my thing, but I do love all of the energy in the production.

    To be added to my list of songs that I pause while listening to it in the car to make sure that isn’t an actual siren I’m hearing. Assuming I play it again. I don’t think I will, but you never know.

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  14. This is one of those songs that has moments I like and moments I dislike in almost equal measure. With songs like that, time will have to tell – either the parts I dislike become more grating and contaminate the good parts, or the good parts will keep me hooked and the parts I dislike grow on me.

    The girl-power chanting is not a point in its’ favour, though. I’ve never been partial to it, from girls or boys. If you have to hammer me over the head with a monologue about how cool/hot/powerful you are…you probably aren’t.

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  15. This actually isn’t terrible, though I do wonder if they were singing in too high a key at the beginning.

    But dear god. An actual chorus would’ve elevated this so much. Hell, if the beginning were the chorus, my quibbles about it aside, it would’ve easily been a mid-to-high 8s for me. Instead we have this half-baked song and I agree with your rating. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

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    • Well, Soyeon did arrange/compose Super Lady and she probably knows her limits. They’ll be on “It’s live” this week so we’ll see if she strains her opening line soon.

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  18. I think one of Soyeon’s biggest failings is that she tries entirely too hard to say something and give the work meaning and very frequently falls very short of any real insight.

    Overall it seems like an intro track at a festival or year-end show. 3 minutes of a big exciting beat and then the music fades as they get into position and the camera zooms in on them breathing heavy in dim lighting.

    And then idk they launch into Wife or something.

    Either way, not memorable, very try-hard, and overall not nearly as good as Wife was.

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    • Yeah that’s exactly it, you can tell she wants to put out some kind of message, but I think the satire never actually punches far enough to do its job? Like, when it comes to Queencard and Wife, I think average listeners can take their lyrics completely straight. Don’t know if it’s because she doesn’t go far enough or because she’s reined in or both… I get the impression she’s not as clear and deliberate in her lyrics as she would need to be to convey her message.

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  19. I an Idle fan, but I’ll have to pass on this one. If you’re going to have English words in a song, at least make an effort to pronounce them correctly. They don’t have to be perfect, but at least make the EFFORT. While we’re on the subject:

    “We’re here to take win.” WTF? Couldn’t bother to add an “a” or “the?”

    In parts I here similarities (not copying, just homages) to “Bang, bang, bang” and Everglow’s “Pirate” & “Adios.” Great songs to pull from, but the execution just doesn’t work for me. This song needed to be fleshed out more to be more cohesive.

    Love the heavy bass in the chorus!

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    • Dang, how did you ever become an Idle fan in that case? xD I feel your pain, I want only the best for Viviz, I love those women but I cannot stand listening to Maniac.

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  20. You are 1000% roght about the total lack of subtlety and nuance. The outro is YG, not just BlackPink, it’s been in 2NE1 songs, IKON song and so many others. Very recycled. I just don’t understand why Soyeon insists of giving herself the killing parts all the time. Why did she open and not Miyeon? Idle suffers from a bad case of “Soyeon and her backing crew”. They have some really unique vocals in Minnie and Yuqi that just don’t get enough air time. Look, its better than Wife and Nude. I’ll probably be listening to it a lot. But it is neither new nor original.

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  21. i would like it if it wasn’t in a string of songs that has awkward and flat mm messages. The video is great and I love the song sonically. Maybe if I was able to divorce it from the rest of the singles I could enjoy and think it’s fun and campy

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  22. the song is so bad, a hot mess. im really dissapointed since i was actually really excited for this comeback, the concept and overall styling is fire, and the mv is beautiful, full on flash and glam. but the song is just not it, for me it doesn’t work like one full consistent piece, i wish someone different sang the intro, i don’t think it really suits soyeon.

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  24. Surprisingly, I liked this song when I don’t normally like gidle’s songs. My main ick, however, was the chorus. Terrible. I literally have the urge to sign up to cube and write choruses for them. The chorus is single-handedly stopping me from listening to the song.

    To be fair, 4th gen K-pop groups are seemingly incapable of pumping out decent choruses. Songs like dash or sneakers would’ve HUGELY benefitted with a better chorus.

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  25. Verses are great, but the chorus feels like taken from a 2010 edm hits… which for me totally ruin the song. I prefer their b-side; doll is great! Anyway, I give this 4/10, I expect better title track from g-idle, maybe next comeback?

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  26. To me the main problem -aside from the blatant Beyonce aspirations- is that it’s startlingly passe? Took me back to the mid-2010s I think, to the times right before the tropical house wave. I don’t mind but I don’t think that’ll help their track!

    It sounds like Blackpink covering SuperM.

    Unless they’re trying to reverse-park into Aespa’s lane?

    Can’t even blame superhero movies because these are out too. When a track is so out of trend I figure it was made for a movie or something.

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  27. honestly superlady is such a bop, for soyeon’s rap i believe it could have been longer but people completely attacked her for singing the most in nxde just due to the fact that she was rapping for “too long” like what else is she supposed to do? she’s simply doing what she’s best at. soyeon was really able to deliver the message of girl power and empowering women all around the world. like using cruella de ville, beyonce, cleopatra, athena, and the queen of hearts as a role models for the song! i would def rate it as a 9/10! thank you gidle!

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