NewJeans’ meteoric rise to the top of the music world since their debut in 2022 has been so fun to watch. Even though they have only been around for about a year, they have not only become one of the most popular acts in the K-Pop industry, but they have also become the most prominent rising artists in the global music industry. NewJeans has become incredibly popular on Tik Tok and Instagram, which has garnered them a massive amount of popularity in a short amount of time. Because of this, NewJeans has already broken multiple records since their inception. Their 2022 single ‘Hype Boy’ became the longest-running song on the Billboard Top 200 list for a Korean Female music act; their 2022 single ‘Ditto’ and their 2023 single ‘OMG’ not only both made the Billboard Hot 100 list, but also both broke streaming records on the South Korean Circle Digital Music chart. NewJeans’ level of success is especially cool and exciting considering how young the group is. NewJeans is made up of five members: Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein, whose ages range from 15-19, it is pretty amazing to see a foreign group this young have this amount of massive global success. I think a big reason for their success of because of how fresh and youthful the group is. When listening to their music and watching their videos, it is easy to see the girls are having fun; when paired with the high quality of their music, this makes them so compelling and captivating. NewJeans just released their highly anticipated second EP Get Up. It is exciting to see how the group follows up on their 2022 debut, as it is easy to see how much potential they have. With that being said, here is how I feel about NewJeans’ new EP Get Up. Please let me know in the comments what your favorite songs are from this project as well as how you feel about it as a whole.
Get Up gets started with ‘New Jeans,’ which was released as a B-side of their single ‘Super Shy’ which came out a few weeks ago. This song has a retro R&B feeling that will immediately draw in anyone who is a fan of 1990s Pop and R&B music. The song has a quick and light New Jack Swing instrumental that immediately makes me think of some of the R&B boy bands from the early to mid-1990s. When I hear this track, I immediately think of artists like Blackstreet or New Edition. It is the perfect combination of relaxed and zestful; it makes me want to party and be easy at the same time. All of the vocal performances on this track are great, but the one that stands out the most to me is Danielle. Her light and breathy vocals are so perfect for this warm melody, making it feel so luscious. The aforementioned popular single ‘Super Shy’ is the second song on this project. As I said in my write-up about some of my favorite recently released K-Pop singles that I posted a couple of days ago(definitely go read that article after reading this one if you missed it), ‘Super Shy’ is a UK Garage and R&B-inspired track that reminds me a lot of their 2022 single ‘Ditto.’ It has a light and blissful melody that is so engaging and pleasant and a quick tempo that will inject positive energy into anyone that hears it. The light and dainty vocals of all the girls help give ‘Super Shy’ such a welcoming feeling. My favorite vocal performance on this song comes from Hyein. Her high pitch and speedy flow during her rap give the song so much life and adds a level of euphoria to the song. ‘ETA’ has quickly become my favorite song on this record(which is saying a lot because the project is full of so much quality). This song has a fast and intense tempo and a very bold melody; it differs from anything else I have heard from NewJeans from this point in its intensity. ‘ETA’ has an instrumental that makes me think of 1990s Hi-NRG and Techno music. When I hear this song, I immediately think of artists DJ Tiesto or songs like Technotronic’s ‘Pump Up The Jam.’ This is the kind of song that is perfect for the dance floor and perfect for a sporting event. It is so lively and bouncy, and it gets me so amped up as a listener when I hear it. The vocals from the girls in this song match the spirited nature of the instrumental. Minji’s vocals especially stand out on this track. Whereas all of the other girls have a little more emphasis to their vocals, Minji has a more delicate sound to hers. The way Minji’s vocals contrast those of the other members provides so much texture gives the song a level of intricacy that it benefits from.
‘Cool With You’ is another song that goes back to the UK Garage sound from ‘Super Shy’ that the girls excel at. This track particularly makes me think of two Garage tracks that have become very popular on Tik Tok in recent years: ‘My Boo’ by Ghost Town DJs and ‘Flower’ by Sweet Female Attitude. This song has a super cozy and graceful melody that will make anyone smile. There is a downtempo House element to the beat of this song that makes it feel very modern. The way the downtempo House sections of the beat contrast with the Garage sections of the beat make the song sound retro and fresh at the same time. All of the girls excel vocally on this track, but the person who truly goes above and beyond is Hanni. Her rich, full vocals make this song feel so welcoming and nice; Hanni’s vocals embody the delightful notion of the song. The title song, ‘Get Up,’ is unfortunately only 36 seconds. It consists of a brief chorus repeated a couple of times by all of the ladies. I wish this track was longer because its instrumental is so different from anything else they have done. ‘Get Up’ has a slow and sultry R&B instrumental that reminds me a lot of artists like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. I really hope the girls expand on this concept and either turn ‘Get Up’ into a full song or make other songs with this style in the future, as it has so much potential; it is easy to tell from this brief snippet that the girls can excel at this kind of music. NewJeans closes out this EP with the song ‘ASAP.’ This is definitely the most unique song on this project, as it does not actually have a traditional beat. The beat plays off the vocals of Hyein repeating the phrase ‘Tic toc tic toc tic toc tic’ over and over again; some super swift high hats and an 808 drum come in and out of the track that have a filter which makes them sound like a clock. The way the beat pairs with these vocals from Hyein make the song sound so ultramodern and utopian. All of the vocal performances on this track are great; it is honestly tough to pick one that I enjoy the most. ‘ASAP’ is an awesome song to close this record with, as it is so different from the rest of the songs and shows how diverse they can be in their artistry.
When an artist has as electric a debut as NewJeans had, it is hard to live up to the hype that comes with that amount of immediate success. It was never going to be easy for them to live up to the expectations set for this project considering how popular they have become. Fortunately, though, it seems as if NewJeans is so good that this does not matter for them. Get Up is an excellent EP that shows NewJeans deserves all of the attention they have been receiving. Get Up is a project that capitalizes on all of the things they have already indicated they are good at and also exhibits that they can think outside the box and make unique music that would not be expected of them. With Get Up, NewJeans cements themselves as one of the current faces of K-Pop. It is easy to see that they are one of the most talented new artists in music today, and the future is obviously very bright for this group.
EAST SIDE VIBES 