Heize releases “Star” as an Ambien substitute, but video a visual win

Heize is back with “Star”, a lullaby with rapping.

“Star” is a lot of things, but memorable is not one of them. It sounds a lot like something that Taeyeon would release via SM Station, and the only thing keeping it from going full SM Station is its utilization of Heize’s voice. Heize sings much like she talks, and that means that her distinct, Kermit The Frog voice is on full display here. Said voice is a bit polarizing, but I feel that it adds an interesting layer to the otherwise formulaic melody.

As formulaic as it may be, much of the individual components of “Star” work adequately well. In addition to Heize’s voice, the song’s backing instrumentals (the piano and guitar in particular) provide a gentle, delicate foil to the video’s emotionality. These components all work in tandem to build a satisfying final crescendo filled with vocal layering and well-executed runs.

Heize, as a former contestant on ‘Unpretty Rapstar‘, is most known for her rapping abilities. Her various releases and features have made it clear that she is a competent rapper with a decent flow, but interestingly enough, “Star” is not the best vehicle for her rapping skills. The rap break suffers at points from the jarring discord between the speed of Heize’s flow and the slowness of the song. Instead of sounding like a cohesive addition to the melody, the rap break sounds a bit like a rapper freestyling over a background beat. The rapping is nowhere near terrible, but it does not work for “Star”.

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There is a dreamlike quality to the entirety of “Star”. The video, while probably unintentional, gives off Antoine De Saint-Exupéry’s ‘The Little Prince‘ vibes in its presentation of the smallness of man in reference to the vastness of space. Such vastness immerses the viewer in the dream scenes and adds depth to the narrative.

The commitment to the dream/space narrative is quite commendable. Everything, from the pastel-colored sets to Heize’s star-dust colored highlight and nails, serves to establish “Star” as a visual success.

Also, look at this cat. He’s cute as fuck. 1000% worth watching the video for.

While the video and song work well together, the end result is still a rather boring effort.

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‘Star’ Single Album

“Star” Song