Former IZ*ONE member YENA is hitting the music charts today with her solo debut ‘ ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)‘. It has been about 8 months since she was active as a singer and with this EP she wants to show her different charms and talent.
The visuals and concept for this release looked adorable, charming and unique. Let’s dive in and listen to the music she prepared for the fans.
ˣ‿ˣ (SMiLEY)
We start off with YENA’s co-written and co-composed single ‘Before Anyone Else‘. This pop ballad comes along with a soft electro pop vibe I truly enjoyed. Her vocals are absolutely beautiful in this track, the high tones and falsettos are smooth and overall it’s a really pleasing song to listen to.
The title track ‘SMILEY‘ featuring BIBI takes over and I loved the pop-rock style she went for with this single. This track is playful, fun, and has a very cool instrumentation. BIBI’s section in the song is kinda angsty in comparison to YENA’s vocals but together they are a fantastic mix. This song is uplifting and I absolutely loved it.
For the music video YENA becomes a superhero that defends the happiness and smiles of the people of the world. This concept is very cute and unusual, the colours and effects used for the set were super fun and kept the MV super dynamic and surprising. Watch it below.
‘Lxxk 2 U‘ follows up with a lovely mix pop/rock and EDM. This song is an amazing listen! It has a lot of teen angst energy and YENA’s tone changes keep the track super interesting to listen to. Definitely a solid b-side.
We go onto the track ‘PRETTY BOYS‘ and with this one we get a more up-beat pop style with a lovely melody that will have listener jamming to this single. Last on this release is ‘VACAY‘ with a bubblegum style feel and lovely harmonies. This song closes this release with a up-beat tempo and beautiful vocalization.
YENA’s solo debut was packed with lovely surprises and I really enjoyed listening to all the genres and styles mixed in this mini-album. Make sure to listen to it here.
