F(x) Amber, Beast Hyunseung, T-ara Eunjung, and Girl’s Day Minah were listed on Billboard’s 2015 Top Solo K-pop Debuts. (Photo : YouTube/ SM Entertainment/ JYP Entertainment/ FNC Entertainment/1theK)
Billboard, the primary music chart in the United States, ranked K-pop's top ten solo debuts in the first half of 2015. Among them are F(x) Amber, Beast Hyunseung, and Girl's Day Minah.
JYP Entertainment Soloist Ji-min Park topped the list with her track "Hopeless Love". The other half of the South Korean duo 15& showcased her sweet, maturing, and emotional voice in the song about friendship turned into unrequited love. The ballad relates to human emotions and transcends age and musical preference, Billboard commented.
After School's and Orange Caramel's and Lizzy was next on the list with her fun trot song "Not an Easy Girl". Trot is Korea's earliest form of pop. Set in early Korea, the comic-traditional music video showed Lizzy in Hanbok, cutely trying to refuse a guy's love during a time where girls are expected to be accommodating towards men.
Teen Top's Niel made the top three with dance ballad "Love Killer" which showcased his manly voice and dancing prowess. Inspired by Micheal Jackson, Niel vocally transitioned from breathy to powerful in the love song.
CN Blue's Jung Yong Hwa is very handsome in the awe-inducing ballad "One Fine Day" which went fourth on the list. Shy but very attractive in the video, Yong Hwa was seen kissing and doing sweet things for the girl. The song was partly composed by the FNC singer.
F(x) Amber is fifth on the list with her unexpected debut in the high-energy MV "Shake That Brass." The upbeat MV featured the powerful vocals of Taeyeon and the short appearances of other Girls Generation members. The reputable rapper composed the catchy song that will make listeners dance.
Beast's and Trouble Maker's Hyunseung was sixth on the list. After successfully promoting as a member of Beast and getting more attention as Korean Superstar Hyuna's love team in "Trouble Maker", the former JYP trainee finally came out solo with "Ma First". The MV featured Hyunseung's sexy and charismatic dancing.
Block B's Taeil joined the list at seventh with his splendid vocals in "Inspiring". The quirky music video proved that he is a promising rapper.
Girl's Day's Minah placed eight with her fragile singing and sensual dancing in "I am a Woman Too". Critics commented that the music sounded too similar to the group's releases given that Minah also dominates Girl's Day's songs as the group's main vocalist.
T-ara's Eunjung ranked at nine. The sexy group member went solo with the mononym "Elsie" and re-branded herself as a ballad singer with the song "I'm Good" featuring top Korean vocalist K.Will.
Shinee's Jonghyun, who took that 10th spot, strayed away from his group's upbeat and colorful image to bring out his serious and matured side in the MV "Crazy". Jonghyun's strong vocals matched the video's intense concept.
Crayon Pop's Soyul was the last on the list with her innocent video "Y-shirt". While Crayon Pop's videos are known to be comical and out-of-this-world, Soyul's single showed her as a more normal teenager hanging out with four handsome boys. The singer has a soft and sweet voice.
While the first half of 2015 was filled with amazing solo debuts, the second half is expected to be just as fun starting with Kara's Goo Hara who was scheduled for a July release with "Alohara", Kpop Fighting reported.
