Seohyun gets her Ariana Grande on with “Don’t Say No” for better and worse

SNSD‘s Seohyun finally got the solo debut many have been pining for with “Don’t Say No“, and while Seohyun herself does well, I wish I enjoyed the release more than I did.

“Don’t Say No” sounds like something Ariana Grande would’ve released a couple years ago, and it’s an extremely accessible sound that’s easy to get into. Sonically, it’s a groovy release and seems made to make you want to clap your hands along with the beat. Additionally, Seohyun did well to prove herself as a viable soloist as she attacked sections of the track with an attitude and conviction I never would’ve expected years ago.

That said, the production was an odd choice as it seems to wash out her vocals at stages with the backing overwhelming her. That’s especially noteworthy because the Ariana Grande path is actually rather safe. Generally speaking it’s sorta bland by today’s standards, and without the vocal theatrics out of the woodwork (or Mac Miller, I guess) we can sorta see that being exposed. The bridge was a much needed interlude because after a while you begin to realize the backing gets repetitive, and I wish they let Seohyun do more with the bridge because “Don’t Say No” really needed better relief from the sameness.

So overall it was a mixed bag, but Seohyun herself was encouraging as a soloist. On the other hand, the production on this was surprisingly lazy sounding, and Seohyun seemed hamstrung by it more than helped. Either way, “Don’t Say No” is an easy listen for a while, but through no fault of her own, the repeatability factor ended up rather low.

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The video? Seohyun murders a guy, and that’s about all we need to know, right?

I’m here for the Seohyun, the black widow.

Seohyun herself was also serving visuals…

…and thank god for the dance sequences.

Big choreography fan, I am.

I know some are tired of the AESTHETIC by now, but I still enjoy these types of music videos, especially when they involve murder.

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Seohyun rarely gave off the impression that she wasn’t always a soloist on “Don’t Say No”, and she was surprisingly able to adapt quickly to the new role. The production, however, didn’t seem equally up to the task, as it bordered on lazy at times and was uninspired at the minimum. Still, years ago I don’t think Seobot could’ve never pulled something like this off, so while she was rough around the edges at times, it was impressive to see her come through on “Don’t Say No”.

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‘Don’t Say No’ Album

“Don’t Say No” Song