[Review] How “Lovely”: Minzy returns as a solo, independent artist

Remember how good 2NE1 was? For such a successful group, it’s hard to imagine why none of their members haven’t hit it big as a solo artist yet since their disbandment. Will Minzy be the one to have a breakthrough? Blackjacks hope so!

Making her solo debut with acoustic-pop song, “Lovely”, I think Minzy is off to a good start. I’ll keep this short and sweet but this is a really good song. I’ve talked about it in my past reviews, but sometimes simplicity is what makes a good song good. It’s not always necessary to have a thousand things going on at once. Instead, focusing on the bare-bone aspects of the song such as melody and harmony can make it good no matter how it’s presented – whether an album version or a solo voice and guitar. I think that’s what the writers and Minzy were going for in this release and that’s exactly what they achieved.

Everything is constructed so seamlessly between the verse, the pre-chorus, and chorus. I, especially, love the pre-chorus. The first verse starts with a lovely (no pun intended) fingerpicking rhythm in the guitar. But when the pre-chorus hits, that constant rhythm drops out and is replaced with not only sustained guitar chords, but a really cool crescendo into an extended tambourine shake. Honestly, what this does, is set-up the chorus in such a skillful way. The pre-chorus now becomes a very low-key buildup (which is also represented through the increasing guitar rhythms) until that chorus hits, thus making the impact that much stronger. Whether this was intentional or not, I can’t say for sure, as it doesn’t appear the second time round! Either way, it’s a really cool detail in the production.

The melodies in each section are really strong. The chorus melody is both generic and tasteful, combining a good range, a back-and-forth between little and many syllables, and finishing up with a super catchy riff of “ooh’s”!.

As simple as the composition is, I think the arrangement and production added some really cool elements to the piece. Overall, this is a great debut for Minzy. I am pleasantly surprised! This is especially really good for a new independent artist, not under an agency. I think if this song got more promotion, it would have been a hit. Welcome back Minzy!