It’s out with the old, in with “Something New” for Taeyeon’s latest song and album. The Girls’ Generation member released her latest EP on Monday (June 18), and showcased a new side to herself in an adventure film-inspired music video for its title track.
The music video for “Something New” shows a a new side to Taeyeon, featuring the K-pop star as a femme fatale in an action flick-style short where she has to take on several adversaries, throwing punches and bashing hammers as she does so. It ends with the singer throwing suitcases off a cliff and shooting them, clay-pigeon style, revealing that she’s throwing away money and other items before she runs into the ocean. The video correlates to the song’s motivational lyrics.
“It’s special in itself/ So what if it’s a bit different,” she sings. “You don’t need to work hard to/ Change for someone else.”
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The neo soul single is a neat example of how Taeyeon continues to grow as an artist, pushing herself to explore new styles of music through which she can deliver up expressive vocals and lyrics. Its ethereal, vocoder-affected opening recalls that of Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek,” and leads into a warm, ‘90s-inspired soft pop and funk track. With a lilting hook in the form of the chanting “na-na-na-na” refrain, the chorus sweeps over groovy synths and leads into a melody fronted by jazzy instrumentals and rhythmic bass. It’s truly “Something New” from the soloist sonically.
Along with the single, Taeyeon’s Something New EP features four other tracks, including the paunchy “All Night Long,” which features NCT’s Lucas, and the stand out “Circus,” a dramatically evocative, piano-driven pop ballad that recalls the melody of Girls’ Generation’s “One Last Time” off of last year’s Holiday Night album. It is the singer’s third regular EP since she released her first solo album in 2015.
Something New is Taeyeon’s first album of 2018.
Since starting out with Girls’ Generation in 2007, Taeyeon’s risen to the top of the Korean music industry as one of the decade’s most prominent young female vocalists. She’s seen three albums break into the top three of the World Albums chart, and her latest EP, last December’s seasonal album This Christmas: Winter Is Coming, peaked at No. 6 on that same chart.
Watch the video here: