T-ARA
On June 14, 2017, the showcase for T-ARA‘s 13th mini-album, “What’s My Name (내 이름 은)“, was held seven months after their last song “띠아모 (TI AMO) (present on this one). A mini-album marking the end of the group which has indeed, for a while now, formalized the fact that it would be its last activity as T-ARA, at the sight of the end of the contracts. After postponing the date of the comeback for a while, finally the members appear at four, Boram and Soyeon having decided to withdraw definitively once their contracts ended, right before the release of the mini-album.
With a concept that is meant to be “bling-bling”, the mini-album’s main track is “What’s my name“. An EDM-style song, influenced by rhythmic tropical music, whose chorus dance step, the “charm point” in the eyes of the group, is learned easily.
While the mini-album is composed of 9 songs, including one solo per member, the girls claim to have wanted to show different styles, while remaining as “T-ARA“. For some, their solo defines “gifts” for their fans, who have been waiting and encouraging them for nine years now.
After singing “What’s my name“, the girls then follow with “20090729“, a title referring to their debut date. With a soft and moving melody, this piano ballad allows, both the fans and the group, to recall these nine years together and thus succeed in moving forward in the future, in a soothing and regretless manner.
Then come the solo tracks. First Eunjung‘s “Real Love“. The young lady, after a remarkable performance, explains that the song speaks of a delicate and refined girl waiting for love, mixing electronics and piano for a sound in R & B tones. She also says that she offers this track to her fans, believing that until now she did not have the opportunity to show much of what she was capable of.
Hyomin‘s “Ooh La La” is a song in the colors of Summer, more dance-oriented, with a rather energetic and sexy choreography, revealing the luster of a majestic and imposing woman who has confidence in her.
For Jiyeon, “Lullaby” is a ballad that reflects falling in love, with a warm sounds of acoustic guitar matching perfectly to the soft voice of the young woman. She explains that she wanted to “surprise” the fans by adding a choreography to her song, making the decision to “put herself in their shoes while asking ‘what kind of performance do they want to see?‘” .
Finally, the last member to come on stage to unveil her solo is Q.ri. With “Diamond“, she presents a song with a mysterious pace, produced by Damon Sharpe (Ariana Grande, BoA, GOT7, Jennifer Lopez, Kangta, Kylie Minogue, SHINee …), rhythmed by a synth and with a striking choreography. Given that this is her first Korean solo, the young woman admits to being very stressed and having prepared herself for a long time, for this song. Hence, she hopes to be able to reach the Korean public, this time. The other three members, as a matter of fact, describe Q.ri‘s solo as the best, explaining in particular that “Q.ri has her own colors, she happens to be sexy in a natural way. The look she shows on stage is really impressive.”
With a certain emotion, the girls tell the reporters that, despite all the difficulties encountered, the memories created as members of T-ARA will remain forever imbedded in them; both good and bad memories.
Q.ri : «I learned a lot while being in T-ARA. Although we had to overcome some issues, that it was often tough and tiring, there are also many moments I cherish and that I will never forget. »
Eunjung : « I have no regret and I don’t want to change a single moment of my life as a member of T-ARA. »
The girls also talk about their possible future projects as actors. If Eunjung thinks about it much and plans to return to the acting world, Jiyeon, laughingly says that, for her, “the heart is there, but not the opportunities.”
However, it should be noted, that, in spite of the repetitive questions about the comeback at four instead of six, and the mention of the problems that surfaced a few months ago — about Hwayoung and Hyoyoung — none of the girls really dwelled on these points, reiterating however that it was “a pity not to be able to finish at six“.
The showcase finally ends with “Reload“, an energetic and retro song, punctuated by the powerful sound of a guitar.
Through “What’s my name (내 이름 은)“, the members once again show the fans all the facets that “T-ARA” possesses, paying much attention to their concept, their choreographies, but also their performances, hoping to be able to finish on a positive note and invite the fans to listen to the album with a certain pleasure despite everything.
Journalist : Naho
Source : Kstation TV
