Jisoo has by no means been in a rush. As the ultimate member of BLACKPINK to go solo, she arrives on her personal phrases with ‘Amortage’, a mini-album that doesn’t scream reinvention however as a substitute refines what the Ok-pop idol does greatest. The place Lisa, Jennie and Rosé have leaned into daring transformations and high-profile Western collaborations of their post-YG Leisure eras, Jisoo takes a extra understated strategy that highlights her ear for melody.
The mission’s title, which blends “amor” and “montage”, hints at a love story advised in snapshots, a traditional Ok-pop play on phrases. The mini-album mirrors this, shifting by the highs and lows of a relationship, from the second love strikes like an earthquake to the sluggish unravelling when the fantasy fades.
It’s refreshing to see Jisoo make music as playful as her character. On ‘Amortage’, she toys with rhythm and texture, as heard within the lead single ‘Earthquake’, which builds on the magnetic syncopation of ‘Flower’ – finger-snaps and all – however with a fuller, extra dynamic manufacturing courtesy of her firm Blissoo and producer duo The Wavys (who’re credited on all 4 songs of the mini-album). The place ‘Flower’ stored issues ethereal and contained, ‘Earthquake’ offers Jisoo’s voice room to bloom. The richer manufacturing enhances her vocals, making up for uncooked energy with heat and texture, permitting her supply to really feel extra assured and expressive.
On the similar time, she stretches her vary and vulnerability on ‘Your Love’, a propulsive pop ballad sung completely in English. ‘Hugs & Kisses’ brings bouncy power to the combination, pairing agile wordplay with sticky synths as Jisoo winks on the traditional story of falling for a heartbreaker, brushing him off with a pointy “miss me with that XO”. Then there’s ‘Tears’, a chill, bass-heavy bop the place she flips the script completely – she’s not crying over a man, and she or he makes certain he is aware of it, even calling him a loser in one of many music’s most satisfying moments.
There’s an irreverent attraction to Jisoo’s strategy, a breezy confidence that remembers the easy, sun-soaked pop of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ period – catchy, unforced and enjoyable with out making an attempt too exhausting. As a co-writer on each music, she shapes ‘Amortage’ with a way of pure, unpretentious pop. On the similar time, she doesn’t got down to redefine herself as a Major Pop Woman on the mission – but it surely does refine her.
There’s all the time been an enigmatic high quality to Jisoo, a way that she retains one thing simply out of attain. On ‘Amortage’, she steps ahead, however by no means too shut, embracing pop’s timeless pleasures – melody, emotion and a contact of mischief – with quiet self-assurance. It’s not a reinvention, nor does it should be. As a substitute, ‘Amortage’ performs to Jisoo’s strengths, proving that evolution doesn’t all the time must be explosive to shake issues up.
Particulars
- Report label: Blissoo / Warner Data
- Launch date: February 14, 2025
