Happiness is BooSeokSoon
By Adrianna Dreckmann
I feel like there’s a common misconception about K-Pop and that misconception is that it’s supposed to be for young girls or “babies”. In all actuality a majority of these young women going to these shows are in college or graduated and in the early stages of their full time careers. K-Pop for most is an escape from those “adulting” moments that a lot of us cannot bear giving our full attention to as it just becomes too much. That being said, it’s refreshing when K-Pop groups remind us that they are our age. And while they might not exactly be “just like us” when it comes to careers, they too are in the early stages of their profession and working very hard (sometimes even overworked) to give us their very best. This is where the notorious K-Pop boy group BooSeokSoon, also known as BSS, comes in.
On Monday, February 6th, at the beginning of a seemingly mundane work week, the subunit of Seventeen, known as BooSeokSoon released their first Single Album called Second Wind. BooSeokSoon consists of Boo Seungkwan, Lee Seokmin (DK), and Kwon Soonyoung (Hoshi) of the famous K-Pop boy group, Seventeen. This subunit has debuted previously about five years ago when they released their single, “Just Do It”. “Just Do It" was a brief but iconic promotion with their fans for a song that was equal parts motivational battle cry and serious yet quirky dance song. The release of “Just Do It” did not have a physical album, nor a music video (with the exception of a live performance turned into “official music video”), and only a handful of music show performances. That was it. The subunit all but ceased to exist after that outside of a few little mentions in variety shows here and there. All of that happened five years ago.
Carats (Seventeen fanbase name) has desperately awaited the return of BooSeokSoon. At the end of 2022, rumors began floating around about the resurrection of this subunit with little mention of official Seventeen lives from their own members. Even going as far as a rumored live performance at Los Angeles’ inaugural LA3C festival when the official release stated a “beloved unit stage was coming to the states”. This ended up being a performance of “Cheers" by the Seventeen Leaders. However, the rumors of a BooSeokSoon comeback were on the horizon, and after some real sleuthing by Carats, it was official in January 2023. Not only was this another song but it was a whole single album (which essentially is more than one song but not enough for an EP) which was released today, February 6th.
When the tracklist was finally released, it seemed like the anticipation had finally reached its boiling point. The titular track on the single album is called “Fighting” and it features the first female rapper of the Korean hip hop competition show, Show Me The Money, Lee Young Ji. Youngji, at only 19 years old, hosts a multimillion viewed drinking show on youtube called “Nothing Much Prepared” where she famously had her idol, Hoshi, on and had to listen to him go on about how much he loved his company and his colonoscopy. With the way this episode went viral in Korea, the fans were long awaiting a collaboration between Seventeen and Lee Youngji in any capacity.
“Fighting”, from the beginning seconds of the song, is an earworm. With its clean poppy drums and perky vocals from DK, Seungkwan, and Hoshi it's a clear sequel to their debut single, “Just Do It”. Their intention, as stated in promotions, was this release to feel like a motivation for their hard working and still school bound Carats. The theme was a clash of athletics and sports as well as being an office worker. Being an office worker can be cool if you’re BooSeokSoon. “Fighting”, in Korea, is an expression of encouragement. It’s said similarly to Good Luck! Or Break a Leg! In the west.
“Fighting” and “Just Do It” are similar in the theme of encouragement that anything is possible if you believe. Maybe that’s corny to some but when it comes from BooSeokSoon? It’s anything but. “Fighting”, is a fast and uptempo song that begs to be replayed after it’s over. With Lee Youngji’s iconic and quick-witted verse it’s almost hard to get the full effect with one listen. The music video is equally as thrilling. The trio that is DK, Seungkwan, and Hoshi are already charming and funny when in their larger group but the three of them are very silly, handsome, and absolutely entertaining in this video. As a Hoshi ult bias myself, I will call it like it is, he’s sexy, they’re all sexy, and I’ve watched the video ten times before lunch the day it was released.
Speaking of lunch, with the release of Second Wind, "Fighting" was designated as the “morning” song. The “afternoon” and second song on the album is called “Lunch”.
“Lunch” is probably my favorite song out of the trio released. The production reminds me of some electro bubblegum pop songs that are just too good to resist. I guess the best way to put this is…it’s boyband-y. The lyrics are innuendos about your lover and lunch. Maybe in a way it’s like afternoon delight? It’s fun. It’s cute. It’s nonsense.
The final song on the album, the “evening” track, aptly titled “7PM” features Norwegian singer, Pedar Elias. Pedar is a 26 year old singer/songwriter from Norway and he’s incredibly popular in Eastern Asia. One google search and you can find him linked to ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo and standing on a stage in Korea that looks as big as the Chicago Theater. From his instagram, his debut album went gold in Taiwan, he graced the cover of Rolling Stone Korea, and won a Genie Music Award (think Korean ver. Billboard). These are not achievements that should be taken lightly for an artist in another country, especially one that he was not born in.
His appearance on this track wasn’t really much of anything to me. “7PM” is a beautiful ballad song reflecting on the day that we just had. Pedar fourth addition to the vocals was nice. It made the song feel much more full but I don’t really know if much of a difference would be made if he wasn’t on it. DK and Seungkwan are members of the vocal unit in Seventeen. They easily carry a beautiful melody in their ballads on their own. The third member of BSS, Hoshi, isn’t usually one in the main thirteen member group to sing but when he does it’s always a treat. “7PM”, on its own with the three members, is already a delight of a ballad highlighting their strengths but also something new. So that’s why a relatively indie singer songwriter like Pedar Elias, who has a very slim online factual presence in the first place, is featured on this song. I don’t love the feature nor do I hate it but it just makes me feel indifferent.
Overall, the new BooSeokSoon single album Second Wind feels like a true debut of the trio. The first single from five years ago, “Just Do It”, felt like the opening act, the practice round if you will. Boo Seungkwan, Lee Seokmin (DK), and Kwon Soonyoung (Hoshi), express with Second Wind their charisma, their charm, and the fact that they love to be the high energy jesters that the fans know and love. Second Wind by BSS is, in my opinion, a release that shouldn't be overlooked not only by fans of K-Pop but also fans of pop music in general. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and realize just as they’ve said: Happiness doesn’t come from your day job, but from BooSeokSoon.