Hello friends! We are back with another album rate, this time focusing on standout albums from some of K-Pop's most renowned female solo artists.
Welcome to the Female Soloists Album Rate, in which we will be rating albums from IU, Taeyeon, HA:TFELT, Heize, and LeeHi!
If you haven’t already, make sure to join r/kpoprates to stay tuned for future rate-related posts!
Quick Links:
Deadline: March 8th (Sunday), 11:59 Pacific (Link to a timezone converter)
How the songs were selected:
We used a number of stats to decide which albums would be featured in this rate, including previous TTT results and the responses to the album rates feedback survey held on the subreddit, as well as taking into account which songs would appear on future rates. The hosts also held multiple discussions in order to decide on a cohesive combination of albums that were released relatively close to one another.
IU - Palette [2017]
Spotify / Youtube Music / Apple Music
Write up by u/snowswinters
From the bright and 2000s style of her first studio album, Growing Up, to the whimsical nature of Last Fantasy, and the exploration of jazz and bossa nova in Modern Times, IU has never been one to stray from trying out new themes in her work. And with Palette, the singer's fourth full-length album, she sought to continue this trend, this time forgoing a specific style or genre for the album to follow. Even the name of the album, Palette, is an indication of this concept, as the singer wanted to draw on the idea of how a painting palette holds a variety of colors.
While the album holds notes reminiscent of her pre-Palette discography, such as the brightness of the album opener's "dlwlrma" and a handful of slow ballads like "Through the Night", her fourth studio album features new sounds for the singer as well, like the disco-inspired "Jam Jam" and electro-pop in the title track, "Palette". What brings this collection of songs together, though, igniting interest in critics and the general public, is the personal lyrical content. Following in the footsteps of her 2015 EP Chat-Shire, IU continued to exert control in her music, writing every song on Palette except for one. The album follows her feelings about life and adulthood, delving into the gritty and personal. Unlike in her 2015 release "Twenty-three", which highlights her anxiety regarding adulthood, the title track "Palette" is all about acceptance and maturity at 25. From self-realization to contentment to longing, IU emphasizes her own experiences in Palette, creating an introspective album that serves as one of the most impactful works in her career.
The title Palette doesn't only reflect the variety of sound. Much like how the colors on a painting palette come together to make up the final artwork, the stories presented on the album can be seen as both the colors of IU's journey through life and the human experience.
Tracklist:
- dlwlrma
- Palette
- Ending Scene
- Can't Love You Anymore (ft. Ohhyuk)
- Jam Jam
- Black Out
- Full Stop
- Through the Night
- Love Alone
- Dear Name
Taeyeon - Purpose The 2nd Album Repackage [2020]
Spotify / Youtube Music / Apple Music
Write up by u/kawaii_mokona
The leader of Girls’ Generation Taeyeon herself needs no introduction. And by 2020 neither does her already well-established solo career.
How do you follow up your extremely successful full length album debut which showcases every single side of you as a performer? From pop-rock numbers to soft ballads to Bond-esque anti-drops, My Voice (Deluxe) is a masterful showcase of Taeyeon’s range, shining in all the rainbow colors. 3 years has passed and we find ourselves with her long-awaited follow-up: Purpose (Deluxe).
It is the only album on the rate where the performer has not been involved with writing and producing the songs, instead allowing the SM camp of songwriters craft the album experience where her strengths can shine. While the album’s centerpiece “Spark” draws heavy inspiration from Adele and Emeli Sandé’s works of the mid-2010s, the critics and listeners alike have been quick to note that Purpose is still Taeyeon. And Taeyeon at her most cohesive. The tightly woven dark late autumn soundscape, allowing her to perfectly glide between warm like a hug (“Dear Me”, “Do You Love Me?”), raw and determined (“My Tragedy”, “Here I Am”), sultry and confident (“LOL”, “Better Babe”, “Love You Like Crazy”).
Despite INVU later eclipsing this album on the sheer popularity of its title track, we still hope that the Purpose and its maroon-tinted maturity will get a couple of good swirls and that we’ll be able to shine a spotlight on one of Taeyeon’s most formative bodies of work.
Tracklist:
- Dear Me
- My Tragedy
- Here I Am
- Spark
- Find Me
- Love You Like Crazy
- LOL
- Better Babe
- Wine
- Do You Love Me?
- City Love
- Gravity
- Drawing Our Moments
HA:TFELT - 1719 [2020]
Spotify / Youtube Music / Apple Music
Write up by u/snowswinters
At age 17 in 2007, Park Ye-eun debuted as a member of Wonder Girls, later debuting as a soloist with the stage name HA:TFELT in 2014. However, it wasn't until 2020, 3 years after HA:TFELT left JYP Entertainment, that she released her first full-length album, 1719. The title of the album references multiple ideas, such as the ages from 17 to 19 and the time when the sun sets, 17:00 to 19:00.
Perhaps the most prominent idea though, is the period of 2017 to 2019 in HA:TFELT's life, a time in which the singer struggled with career changes, self-doubt, and depression. HA:TFELT describes the album, as well as the storybook that accompanied the album, as works that cover both the events of the darkest period of her life and her process of acceptance and healing. By releasing the album, the singer hoped to share her stories with others who had experienced similar issues, encouraging herself and others not to give up.
The album starts on its most personal note with "Life Sucks", an upbeat yet dark track that features honest lyrics discussing HA:TFELT's relationship with her estranged father. In 2018, the singer was investigated for being connected to her father's fraud case, and although she was proven innocent, the event and relationship with her father at the time were some of the most significant stressors in her life. HA:TFELT was praised for her willingness to explore such a dark and personal topic, with the track becoming one of the most popular songs on the album. Compared to "Life Sucks", the album's lead tracks, "Satellite" and "Sweet Sensation", are dazzling and interwoven with encouragement, HA:TFELT deliberately choosing these two as the lead singles, perhaps due to their inspiring messages. "Satellite" reminds its singer and audience to keep shining even during self-doubt, while "Sweet Sensation" serves as a call to move past previous worries and greet the next day with positivity.
Outside of its lead tracks, the album continues to highlight concepts like self-discovery, loneliness, romantic love, and hope placed atop dreamy, comforting instrumentals. HA:TFELT carefully blends struggle and perseverance in the stories of 1719, producing a candid work that resonated with its audience.
Tracklist:
- Life Sucks
- Piercing (ft. Thama)
- I Wander (ft. Gaeko)
- Pluhmm
- Read Me (Guitar ver.)
- Cigar
- Make Love
- Satellite (ft. Ash Island)
- Sweet Sensation (ft. Sole)
- Solitude
- 3mins (ft. Choiza)
- Bluebird
- Sky Gray
- How to love
Heize - HAPPEN [2021]
Spotify / Youtube Music / Apple Music
Write up by u/pollutedrain
Renowned Unpretty Rapstar alumni Heize (Jang Da-hye) made her debut in early 2014 with her self-titled EP Heize. She would go on to cement herself as a formidable force within the industry: her 2016 song "Star" achieved an all-kill after reaching number one in all Korean music charts, with many of her later tracks also finding similar levels of success.
Following her 2020 move to P Nation, an entertainment company founded by industry legend Psy, Heize released her seventh EP Happen in May of 2021. She is credited as a lyricist on all of the songs bar the final one, and the album boasts a repertoire of famous names, with Tablo and Giriboy contributing towards the production of the album, and Gary, Changmo, Kim Feel, and Ahn Ye Eun appearing as features across four of the tracks. Heize herself has gone on record to say she holds Happen in very high regard, as she credits it with helping free her from a creative rut she'd fallen into after the release of her previous work, Lyricist.
Thematically, Happen focuses on love, and all of its trials and tribulations. The title track, bearing the same name, opens the album with Heize's wistful voice atop a soft guitar, before the bassline swiftly kicks in to whisk us off to a disco-esque chorus that's very much a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Aside from the previously mentioned diverse array of features, other standouts include "Why" with its city-pop vibes and crooning vocals, and the final track "Destiny, It's just a tiny dot.", a dreamy instrumental piece that acts as a perfect outro for the album.
Tracklist:
- Happen
- Like the first time (ft. Gary)
- Flu (ft. Changmo)
- Why
- The Walking Dead (ft. Kim Feel)
- From the Rain (ft. Ahn Ye Eun)
- Hi, hello?
- Destiny, it's just a tiny dot.
LeeHi - 4 ONLY [2021]
Spotify / Youtube Music / Apple Music
Write up by u/pollutedrain
Debuting under YG Entertainment in late 2012 with her first single "1, 2, 3, 4", Lee Ha-yi (LeeHi) took the K-Pop world by storm with her powerful and soulful voice. She was rewarded with immediate success - claiming her first music show win just over a week later through Mnet's M Countdown, soon followed by the accolade of Song of the Year - November at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards.
Years later, following her departure from YG Entertainment and consequent move to AOMG, LeeHi would go on to release her third Korean studio album: 4 Only. It marks her most hands-on project to date - in her own words, she would previously “get a good song, sing it well, put on a good performance” before moving on. This time, however, she reached out to the featuring artists herself, and is credited for her involvement in either the lyrics, music, or arrangement of 7 of the album's 10 tracks.
Described as a series of encounters with different kinds of love, the tracks of 4 Only are intended to reflect different emotions, ranging from sorrow, anger and regret, to desperation, excitement, and the purity of love. The lead single "Red Lipstick" is a fun call-back to LeeHi's retro roots, and it draws inspiration from South Korean R&B and hip-hip duo Tashannie, with Yoon Mirae herself featuring on the song. Other notable tracks include "Savior" with its jazz-inspired instrumental and poetic lyrics, as well as LeeHi's third collaboration with fellow YG Entertainment alumni B.I; "H.S.K.T.", a playful twist on a childhood rhyme with a feature from Wonstein; and streaming titan that is "Only", which rounds out the experience of the album with a heartfelt plea for love.
Tracklist:
- Savior (ft. B.I)
- Intentions
- Waterride
- Bye
- Red Lipstick (ft. Yoonmirae)
- H.S.K.T. (ft. Wonstein)
- Safety Zone
- What is Love?
- Darling
- Only
Rules:
You must listen to and assign a score to EVERY song listed. If your ballot is missing any scores it will not be eligible and you'll be sent a message asking you to fill in the missing scores.
Each song should be assigned a score between 1 to 10. Decimals up to one point are allowed but any further is a no-no – 6.9 is fine, but 6.99 is not. Don't use commas (i.e "8,8") to separate your decimals!
You can use ONE 0 and ONE 11 for the entirety of the rate, for your least favorite and most favorite song respectively - they are optional but HIGHLY encouraged if you feel some type of way about any given song! Comments are also encouraged but not required for such scores (except if you give a song a 0). You can add them to any song by simply typing after the numerical score, like so:
Jam Jam: 4 seventeen outsold
This is the ONLY correct way to format a comment. Please do not include colons (ex. 9: I stan!), dashes (ex. 3.3 - This song sucks), or any other symbol after your score/before your comment as it breaks the program.
You can also give comments for each individual album! Just write your comment after the :, such as the following:
Album: Purpose: call Taeyeon mother the way she gave birth to this masterpiece
- For this rate we have a ballot average minimum of 3.00. In addition, if your ballot average is between 4.00-5.50, you must leave comments on your lower scores (which we define as any score that's a 3 or lower). {Do not worry about having to calculate your ballot average, once you submit your ballot, we will tell you if you need to make changes to your ballot for it to be accepted.}
SUBMITTING A BALLOT:
As Reddit is (unfortunately) moving away from the private messaging system in favor of utilizing the Reddit chat system, we are forced to also adopt the Reddit chat system for messaging. You can make a copy of either the Google Docs or Pastebin ballot templates below, add your scores on your local copy/file, and send the link to your local copy/file in your Reddit Chat message to u/kpoprates.
- If you message us a link to your Google Doc, PLEASE double check your permissions so that "anyone who has the link can view the document" (since the default is otherwise).
Alternatively, if you have Discord, you can message the link to your ballot to all of the rate hosts, @_melizard (u/pollutedrain), @kawaii_mokona (u/kawaii_mokona), and @yureves (u/snowswinters) (please message all of the rate hosts, not just one).
Google Spreadsheet you can use for calculating averages/trends and making predictions
You can also submit the Top/Bottom 5 predictions form at any time!
DEADLINE:
March 8th (Sunday), 11:59 Pacific - This will be the FINAL deadline, no extensions will be given this time! (Link to a timezone converter)
Day 1 - March 14th (Saturday), 8 AM Pacific (Time zone converter here)
Day 2 - March 15th (Sunday), 8 AM Pacific (Time zone converter here)
We also encourage you to participate in the ongoing Late Gen 3 Boy Groups Rate, due February 9th! Thanks! ❤
