Ten years after her debut with Red Velvet, Irene has finally released her first solo album. Better late than never — especially as the group enters a phase of their career when solo work tends to be more common. Like A Flower is well-suited to this musical era, drawing upon trends to craft a catchy brew.
This seems to be the week of ‘Afrobeats in K-pop,’ as Like A Flower follows TWS’s Last Festival from yesterday. It’s probably not fair to compare the two songs, but their closeness in approach and proximity makes that somewhat inevitable. For me, Like A Flower feels more concerned with its groove than the topline, and you can tell a great deal of effort went into making the rhythm pop. The percussion is robust and full, growing more hypnotic as the track goes on. It strikes a nice middle ground laidback and upbeat, giving Irene plenty to play with. The synth bass is an especially nice touch.
However, I’m not a huge fan of the song itself. The melodies are too flat and repetitive and the “I’m growing like a flower, unlocking superpowers, I’m singing in the shower” chorus is the worst kind of pop rhyme. There’s a monotony to the structure that suits the beat almost too well. I would have preferred a melody that counters the production and breaks the song out of its shell. Irene sells the package well and injects plenty of charisma, but I don’t see myself returning to this track often.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Pretty pleasant. Irene has a pretty soft voice so it works well. Though don’t see myself listen to it much.
Straight 8 for me.
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Quite cute and plesant. Irene has a soft voice so it works well. Don’t see myself listen to it much though.
Straight 8 for me.
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Wait, this got sent twice. I swear I didn’t see my first comment so I thought I forgot to send it before closing the tab😭
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UNIS did the afrobeats better and they’re all like 12
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when did unis do afrobeats what
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their debut, superwoman lmao
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Not bad…I like Irene a lot more than I like the song.
(7/10)
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Middling release, it’s a skip for me.
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Honestly? Big fan of that beat (although the chorus has yet to grow on me aswell)!!! Pretty solid release, the bsides aren’t bad either, her soft voice matches the concept well. The album cover is such a leap from Cosmic too lol. Might be my new favorite tt from their solo activities.
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I don’t think I’ve ever been a fan of the sounds that Irene seems to be comfortable with. She is a prominent idol and her debut should have happened some time ago. But together with Tzuyu solo, it doesn’t show me much but it’s ok
I give it an 8 rating, just like Tzuyu
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Honestly I was disappointed by this, in part because she’s probably my favorite voice in Red Velvet and I love when she actually sings.
This (and many of the tracks on the album) is pretty forgettable.
I liked Start Line a lot.
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Maybe not the most special song ever but I find it pleasant and catchy. I also like the instrumentals: 8-8.5 for me. And I quite like the album. Irene has a pleasant voice and I enjoy the songs.
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“the worst kind of pop rhyme”? While it’s not the type of rhyme that’s super popular today, half rhymes are now standard, it can lend to a cheesiness to a song. in this case, I feel like it was meant to be playful rather than lazy
The song’s not bad, but I just have no interest in afrobeat inspired kpop. Also, Irene wasn’t a person I was dying to see go it solo. She’s not a bad performer by any means, but she doesn’t have much vocal intrigue and certainly nothing that she doesn’t already provide within her place in red velvet. Even her performance in the video, while good, kinda felt like a compilation of her past moments.I probably won’t make much effort to experience this again
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I had the same immediate response to the lyrics. Apart from that, I actually like this better than TWS’ take on afrobeat – probably because this has a little more oomph.
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idk what I was expecting from an Irene solo but the song is just..meh
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