THROWBACK #13: HONG JIN YOUNG- LOVE BATTERY

Released: June 19th, 2009

Allow me to introduce you to the dimension of trot. Trot is a genre of Korean music (not Korean Pop) dating back all the way the 1910s. The best way to describe Trot is that it is considered the original Korean Pop, where traditional and symphonic instruments are mainly used in the melody and in the beat, and there is almost no electronic sound or synthesizers to be heard. The rhythm and beat is also generally the same throughout the entire song and is more instrumental-influenced. There is also a huge emphasis on vocal performance, where the vocalist would sometimes change the pitch within the same syllable sung. The technique is known as vocal inflection, and is distinct enough to draw the line well between trot and non-trot. As Korean Pop became increasingly popular in the 90s and 00s, Trot started declining, until a couple of artists of today decided to rejuvenate the genre for their solo careers. One of the artists was Hong Jin Young, who debuted in a short-lived girl group called SWAN, before sticking with trot as her image. Beloved all across South Korea, she is now known as the queen of trot, and her steady release of singles has proved so. But none of them had an influence so extreme as that as Love Battery. Voted righteously so as the number 3 favorite trot song by South Korea according to KBS World (it's impressive because all the other songs on the list go back to the 1960s and 70s), her debut single remains to this day as my all-time favorite trot song.

As a lover for orchestra instruments, I was absolutely pleased at the use of them throughout the entire production. Despite the beat staying consistent throughout the entire song, the music instruments play a huge part in the distinction between the verse and the chorus. Some small but vital parts to mention include the aggressive rock guitar solo to introduce the song, the acoustic guitar to echo off of Jin Young's vocals in the verses, and the strings to act as the chord progression back to that delightful chorus. The moments in trot choruses are what people go to Karaoke rooms for, as this one captures the brilliance of Jin Young and her devotion towards trot. I loved the way she uses her vocals in the chorus, as she slightly sings off-key purposely in some parts to emphasize that inflection technique mentioned earlier, without sacrificing quality. The song reminds us again that the chorus remains in charge, modulating the final chorus while delivering another guitar solo to showcase the rich instrumental sound that Trot thrives on.

Trot may no longer be the king that it used to be in the 1970s, but many K-Pop artists like After School's Lizzy and Bigbang's Daesung are working hard to bring the genre back in the radios. Hong Jin Young specifically has meshed trot with modern K-Pop today to produce very good results. Times like right now are unprecedented, and while the future of K-Pop remains to be unknown, all that trot wants us to do is to just stand up and sing along, throwing away all our worries in the meantime. Love Battery is reminiscent of the old-fashioned days, and is one of those songs to forever treaure.

RATING: 7.85/10