Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Hyorin didn’t waste any time continuing her solo career after the break-up of SISTAR, which isn’t all that surprising considering how active she’s been over the past year or so. Her work seems to be most successful when she’s paired with another artist to play off of. In the case of “Fruity“, rapper Kisum was a smart choice. Not only do the two share the experience of going through the ‘Unpretty Rapstar‘ variety series, but they both carry themselves with an effortless sort of cool girl appeal.
The same could be said about “Fruity” as a song. Though it doesn’t command attention or pull anything new out of the hat, its insistent, guitar-assisted beat and breezy hook refreshes without having to try very hard. The verses have a syncopated sort of flow to them, stuffing an unwieldy number of syllables into the melody until it becomes a balanced blend of rapping and singing. Hyorin and Kisum’s tones complement each other through contrast. The former has a lighter, airier appeal while the latter spits with a more aggressive charisma. It’s a dynamic combination, even if the song isn’t trying to be all that dynamic on its own.
If anything, the melody is almost too breezy. Though enjoyable in the moment, it’s hard to take all that much away once it’s over. More and more, I’m finding this to be the case with these groove-oriented tracks. Delivered by a different duo, I’m not sure if “Fruity” would be notable at all. It really goes to show how important a performance can be.
