From being labeled as “hybrid” because she’s half-Korean and half Dutch-Canadian, to being crowned YG Entertainment’s new princess by many fans, JEON SOMI breaks ground by debuting her first album, “XOXO” with a similar name to the title track after two year of releasing singles. The new title track, “XOXO” is composed by the usual cadre of YG group who continue with the westernized style that categorized SOMI as a crossover star. Although the title track is structured to be rated high on Billboard Hot 100, the b-side track, “Anymore,” deserves more attention for its creativity. 

In spite of SOMI’s marvelous musical talent and two years of rigorous trainee work, SOMI’s title track doesn’t solidify her rising status. The song itself has well executed rap verses, a chorus that energizes with a wide audience, and a well-choreographed dance. However, it’s clear that YG Entertainment composer and the founder of BlackLabel, Teddy Park, has chosen to play it safe on ‘‘XOXO’’ by molding it into a comfort zone of boring pop anthems, making it repetitive and uninspired. The song’s music video is oddly familiar to “Lovesick Girls” by YG’s top girl group, BLACKPINK. The sequence in the music video for where SOMI smashes the car window with a hammer is strangely similar to the same scene in BLACKPINK’s “Lovesick Girls”. Besides the similar detail with the hammer, the car that SOMI drives is the same car that BLACKPINK drove in “Lovesick Girls,” but in different paint color. 

On the other hand, the pop rock b-side track, ‘‘Anymore,” deserves to have a music video of its own. “Anymore” starts off with a melancholic guitar instrumental before erupting into a bellowing chorus: “You used to be something like a beautiful daisy / But now you’re like a rose with your thorns how you hurt me / Do I ever cross your mind anymore?” This song emphasizes SOMI’s raw vocals and the overall concept gives off Disney princess vibes since the melody has a magical tone. In an interview with Nylon, SOMI acknowledges the fans’ reaction to her song.

“I noticed how everyone was enjoying my song ‘Anymore’ because it was an all-English track, so that’s something I want to do more of. I will be working on more music and more content for you guys, and this is just the beginning.” With this song, SOMI is aiming to solidify herself as a pop princess.

It’s disappointing though to see that the space that could have been used to mold SOMI’s style, such as the “XOXO” music video, and sound has been underutilized by Park and his crew. However, SOMI has already proven that she has immense musical talent to back her up with her self-written song, “Anymore.”