So far, 2024 has been full of surprises and amazing things. And one of our favorite things about it is Pentagon‘s Hui’s solo debut! Yes. It’s finally here.
Hui has been writing, composing, and producing music for Pentagon and many other artists for years. Each time, he serves us some of the best music in K-Pop. And now, he’s here with his solo debut. Of course, we already knew it was going to be amazing. But Hui’s WHU IS ME: Complex blew us away in ways we weren’t even ready for.
‘Hmm BOP’
You may have guessed it by its title, but yes: ‘Hmm BOP’ is indeed a bop. This song is nothing but fun with its funk influence and cheerful energy. There’s no way to listen to this without having a smile on your face. That’s just the energy Hui brings to the table. And while this song is mostly unserious and made with the sole purpose of having fun, Hui serves high notes like the rent is due – guess that’s his way of having fun. In other words, no better song encapsulates Hui’s energy quite like ‘Hmm BOP.’ This is Hui. And it’s a blast.
WHU IS ME: Complex
Hui is right: he’s complex. This first solo mini-album has four songs that sound nothing like each other, take inspiration, and are influenced by different genres, yet work so well together. All of these songs are truly Hui.
‘MELO’
‘MELO’ slows it down a little bit from the absolute energy booster that is ‘Hmm BOP.’ It’s still upbeat, just more lowkey in the way it will boost your morale. The chorus is the definition of addictive with Hui‘s voice making you want to sing along. Park Hyeon Jin’s verse also adds a lot of dynamism to the song. And well, we might be in January, but this can only be described as a summer song (he did it for the southern hemisphere.)
The last two b-sides are when it hits even more. Saying that these songs are masterpieces doesn’t even begin to explain the excellence of these songs. But what else did we expect from songs written by Hui and Wooseok?
‘Cold Killer’
‘Cold Killer’ is a much darker song, taking inspiration from pop-rock and giving Hui’s voice the space to show fully how powerful and impactful it is. Hui’s voice mixed Jinhyuk’s rap create something truly special. The high note on the bridge is simply insane. And the only thing we can think about when listening to ‘Cold Killer’ is: this is music.
‘A Song From A Dream’
But the title of our favorite song out of WHU IS ME: Complex has to go to the closing track: ‘A Song From A Dream.’ This is where not only Wooseok participated in the writing of the song, but he’s also featured. And we can guess why. ‘A Song From A Dream’ is much more emotional, vulnerable, yet hopeful and full of beauty. No matter how many times we listen to this one, it brings us to tears. The Hui and Wooseok duo is simply magical and we will never get over it.
After seven years of knowing him as the leader, main vocalist and producer of Pentagon, we always knew Hui’s solo debut would blow us away. And it did. WHU IS ME: Complex tells us exactly who he is —exploring different themes and genres in a way only Hui would do it. This debut is nothing short of an instant masterpiece.
Was Hui’s solo debut what you expected? What’s your favorite song in WHU IS ME: Complex? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HUI AND PENTAGON:
FACEBOOK | HUI’S INSTAGRAM | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
