SUNGWOON – 'MY MOMENT'

Track List:

1. Don’t Forget (Feat. Jihoon)

2. BIRD

3. Tell Me I Love You

4. Remember You

5. Lonely Night

Ex-Wanna One member Ha Sungwoon launches his solo career with the self-produced EP, 'My Moment.' Why is he an ex-member? The bad sadly disbanded earlier this year. Of the 11 former Wanna One members, he's the second to go solo, following Jisung. His debut EP features 5 songs, including the title track "Bird."

"Don't Forget" features his bandmate Jihoon. Still, if you were missing Wanna One, this might not be the song for you. It does have a fair amount of bass, though so maybe... Regardless, it's actually a light and refreshing song, perfect for springtime. "Bird" is even lighter and poppier with extensive use of falsetto. If "Don't Forget" was different, this is light years away from what he did in the past. The title comes from his time in Wanna One, and his fan club, Sky. The experience gave him wings, and he wants to use those wings to fly high. If you want another upbeat, happy song, then "Tell Me I Love You" is for you. He seems even more bright and playful on this track. So far, this EP has been fairly joyful, and this one is no exception. It also seems to pass by before you can think about it. But you'll have a good time listening to it.

The ballad "Remember You" appears suddenly, after all these other high-tempo tracks. It's a warm experience, for all that, and seems to be also cheerful, though in a quiet, unassuming way. It has some tinges of regret, as the guy didn't know what he had till it was gone, and he's trying to remember her. It still feels good to listen to it. "Lonely Night" is a jazz-inspired piece, with primarily piano as accompaniment, set against his measured falsetto. What's interesting is while he complains that he's lonely, the tune itself doesn't reflect that. It's never maudlin, despite how much he whines about his predicament. But then, that might be its strength.

As I said, this EP is fairly cheerful, except for the last couple of tunes. Sungwoon has said he has no plans to rejoin a band, and this stands as a fair testament to his skills as a solo artist. One thing is certain: he has the chops to carry an album. So hopefully his career as a solo singer will take off like a bird.

MV REVIEW

Sungwoon wants to fly like a "Bird" in his new MV.

There are several vignettes in this MV, rather than particular overall narrative. Sungwoon is in a library, looking for a particular book. He takes books off a shelf, flips through them, then discards them looking for the holy grail. He finds it soon enough, a book called (wait for it)...'Bird.' In other sequences, either framed by clouds or sitting on them, he already has the book. And sometimes he just decides to dance.

There are also some cute shots of him in a decidedly old-school pilot's outfit, complete with the goggles and all that, laying on maps.

Of course, the takeaway from all this is not that he wants to be a navigator, but rather that they are playing up the fact that he's cute. Down to the silly smile, and the dangly earrings. The vignettes take a backseat to that, just like usual. The disjointed nature of all this tends to play it up, though.

Still, we are treated to his dancing, part of the reason he was selected as a member of Wanna One. The dancing, for the most part, isn't as amazing as it could be, but then the song isn't really a club-banger. Instead, it shows how light on his feet the man is, and sometimes does give you the sense of flying like a bird.

I would have totally had him achieve his dream of flying, though, and maybe include some aerial drone shots to punctuate that. Overall, though, it's not a bad MV. I can't deny it was fun to watch.

Score

MV Relevance............8

MV Production...........8

MV Concept...............8

MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....8

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting................8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.0