[#28] 15& - "Somebody"

From: "Somebody"
Released: April
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Entries: First Appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2013: n/a

I may not have watched Superstar K2, but I have followed Kpop Star since the first season. I think both winners, Jimin and Akdong Musician, are extremely talented, so it's been quite easy for me to follow their careers after the contest. (Also the fact that they're not releasing that much new music D:)

Originally I was opposed to the idea of Jimin debuting in a duo because she has a gorgeous voice and can very well stand on her own. The thought of her getting paired with someone who couldn't keep up with her, or someone who couldn't stand her ground, made me wary. But I was proven wrong, and blown away in the process, because pairing Jimin and Yerin is possibly one of the best decisions JYP has made in the last few years. Yerin has a beautiful voice, one that can go toe-to-toe with Jimin's not because one is better than the other, but because they are equally talented in very different ways.

And the contrast in their vocals is very clear in "Somebody", yet another one of JYP's best decisions recently. First, I'm extremely thankful that they didn't get another ballad, because this is a song that's just as capable of showcasing the duo's gorgeous vocals. I hate it when people confine great voices to ballads, because the true measure of a good singer is how well he or she is able to go back and forth between tempos and techniques. And "Somebody" is proof of that. It's a song that's able to show off the forceful grace to Jimin's smooth vocals, and the calm richness to Yerin's equally smooth voice.

Like I said earlier this year, the other reason why "Somebody" works is because it's an age-approriate song for 15&. It has a catchy but light-hearted hook, pretty verses with "fun" sounding instruments in the background, and as a whole it's such a playful song. The other default action for good singers is, regardless of age, to give them these "power ballads" that makes young singers sound so much older than they actually are. And I hate that. Thankfully, "Somebody" is the exact opposite -- it's fun, it's girly, it's youthful. It works.

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