Let’s flash back to 2021, when Brave Girls’ “Rollin’” was going viral and BTS were in the midst of their chart-topping run of English singles. Tucked amongst K-pop’s typical hubbub, and in the wake of Iz One’s disbandment, Kwon Eunbi embarked on a truly stellar rookie soloist year.
With a trio of excellent releases—“Door,” “Glitch,” and “Underwater,” all accompanied by EPs—Eunbi quickly established herself as an artist to watch. She was versatile but not inconsistent: despite dipping her toes into multiple genres, she established clear signatures, like a penchant for percussion-driven production, dance beats, and theatrical visuals. Her concepts also embraced a playful maturity that not only suited her age and experience (she was in her mid-20s and the veteran of two groups when she debuted as a soloist), but also helped her stand out in K-pop as a whole. The future looked bright.
Then, her releases abruptly slowed down, momentum screeching to a halt. From 2023 to the present, she has only released a handful of singles. Unfortunately, these songs are also a step down in quality compared to prior tracks—less catchy, less inventive, and with paint-by-numbers MVs. Luckily, her newest comeback, “Hello Stranger,” is a light at the end of the tunnel.
At the start of the MV, the song’s title flashes in bold red typeface as Eunbi removes a bejeweled mask, a slight smile conveying a sense of mischief. These opening images very effectively establish the world of “Hello Stranger,” a space defined by confidence and mystery. The MV’s triumph is that it continues to strongly convey these dual moods throughout, making it a highly effective visual vehicle for a seductive track about strangers chasing a fleeting, undefined connection:
With a spark of curiosity, strange emotions flare up one by one
I’m on your mind
I don’t care, come feel this heat, chase me down through this beat
I’m on your mind, on your mind
If you want me, stranger
Come closer, more and more, it’s alright
“Hello Stranger” uses a simple set of tricks to accomplish its mission, the first of which is color. Draped in bright reds, stormy blues, and moody blacks, it’s clear our heroine is no shrinking violet. The predominance of red, traditionally associated with love and desire, would be overly predictable if it were not joined by other jewel tones, often paired in eye-catching combos (a sunset orange backdrop alongside dusty blue outfits is especially nice). Colors also often melt into each other and transform—reds and blues to purples, blacks and blues to translucent whites—creating added dimension and nodding to the song’s enigmatic tone.
Through its use of color alone, “Hello Stranger” conveys confidence and mystery in a visually pleasing way, but the MV doesn’t stop there. Scenes are frequently filmed from unique angles, emphasizing the unpredictable and unclear nature of the titular encounter. Sometimes you look up at Eunbi (these low-angle shots are especially cool, both because they feel truly unusual and because they position her as strong and imposing), sometimes you look down. Sometimes she is far away, and sometimes she is super near. Oftentimes, these different perspectives are quickly interspliced, building rollercoaster-like momentum. It’s a straightforward but meticulous method, and it works like a charm.
Last but certainly not least, “Hello Stranger” uses light to great effect. From dramatic spotlights, to evocative shadows and silhouettes, to blinding streaks and spots of light flashed across faces and lenses, “Hello Stranger” casts a mysterious spell by alternately concealing and foregrounding Eunbi and her dancers.
One downside of the MV’s sense of drama is that its showy tricks obscure the track’s dynamic choreography (you can turn to the Studio Choom video or music show stages to see that in all its glory). Still, that seems a fair price to pay for such an effective MV…especially since the MV’s illusions also obscure some less desirable elements, like the relatively bare bones nature of the sets themselves.
“Hello Stranger” also succeeds because of its musical qualities. The song returns to Eunbi’s old signatures of a driving dance beat and piercing vocals (Seoulbeats writer Qing once compared her voice to glass—“crystal clear and delicate, but also strong”—and that still rings very true), but with some novel elements. Primarily, the production incorporates a very interesting reed instrument, as well as a (blessedly respectful) ululating flourish. The result is a song that sits comfortably among Eunbi’s best tracks to-date, but also has its own distinct allure.
Judged purely on its own merits, “Hello Stranger” is a very good, but not necessarily exceptional, comeback. However, its significance within Eunbi’s career can’t be understated. After a long drought, her potential is shining once more. Here’s hoping that, this time, future releases will follow through on that promise.
(YouTube[1][2][3]. Lyrics via YouTube. Images via Woollim Entertainment.)
