South Korean pop star Park Bom released her new single “Spring” today (March 13), marking her long-anticipated return to the world of K-pop.
The former 2NE1 member’s “Spring” leads a three-track single album of the same name, and is her first solo single since 2011’s “Don’t Cry.”
An ambient pop ballad produced by Korean hitmakers Brave Sound, “Spring” blends sweet instrumentals with woozy synths over which Park sings reflectively about whether things will get better during dark times. While ostensibly about romance, the song took a personal note regarding the singer’s career: the single is the first from the singer since a 2014 scandal put her career on hold after she was caught in controversy over her previously being investigated by police for bringing in prescribed attention deficit disorder (ADD) medication into South Korea illegally from the U.S.
The song’s choral query of, “Will spring come for me again?” along with every other reference to the season acts as a play on words, as “Bom” means “spring” in Korean. It adds a deeper meaning to the song, with the overall message of the song serving as an answer to the question: will Bom ever return to the industry? The answer comes towards the end of the song, where she declares, “Spring will be there for me.”
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“Spring” also features former 2NE1 bandmate Sandara “Dara” Park as a featured rapper, with the artist delivering sleek bars that matches the similarly hopeful nature of the song.
The floral-enhanced music video takes the pair to a variety of lushly decorated settings, alternating between warehouses and gardens. Wearing regal trappings and surrounded by backup dancers as well as Dara, the cinematography puts the camera on Park without truly putting the focus on her for many shots — most of which she is alone for aside from her dancers and occasionally Dara — as if emphasizing the hazy place she metaphorically stood with regarding her career while waiting for “Spring” to come.
During the song’s finale, however, when a chorus appears beside her, Park appears in all black with a veil while surrounded by a glowing triangle and multitudes of people around her.
As a member of 2NE1 and soloist in her own right, Park was last featured on 2NE1’s “Goodbye,” released as a disbandment track at the start of 2017 a few weeks after they announced their break-up. The iconic group’s final album, 2014’s Crush, peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in 2014.
Watch the music video for Park Bom’s “Spring” below.