Mamamoo’s Hwa Sa recently joined her labelmates ONEWE on the collaborative song “Q”. The song is part of their latest digital single “3/4” and was released on 2nd April 2020.
The track has a very chic, slow groove to it, and signals the typical stylistic shift that occurs in K-Pop when the summer months start to roll in, albeit with a slight rock edge. It’s somewhat melancholic, somewhat soothing. The instrumental backing has a somewhat “beachy” vibe with the higher pitch, tropical chords. However, the vocals are more breathy and monotone.
Hwa Sa’s diversity as an artist is tested, and she displays her ability to tackle anything that is thrown her way; fast rap, the staccato moment which has a jazz undertone as well as the slower choruses. The vocals on the track are also rather auto-tune heavy, which is a shame considering the fact that they are portrayed as a band with a clear understanding of instruments. This does seem to be part of their sound, and appears in several songs including ‘Ring on my Ears’, and thus may simply be an element of the group’s style that I do not appreciate as much.
With the band only just beginning to release new must under their new name which was adopted in 2018, it is an interesting decision to produce music that is highly distinct from the rest of the Korean music scene at the moment. There are no bass-drops, no electric beats, no up-beat rhythms. The band are clearly marching to the beat of their own drum, and it’s one that is worth looking at in the long term.
Watch the video for the song below:
