K-Song Review: Beautiful Beautiful by ONF

Kaamaakshi Bhat, Zirakpur, Punjab

“Beautiful Beautiful” is the title track of ONF’s first full album “ONF: My Name.” It was followed by the pre-release single, My Name Is. It’s written by Hwang Hyun (MonoTree) and Wyatt. It’s composed and arranged by Hwang Hyun (MonoTree).

Beautiful Beautiful is a song with an 80’s synth-pop vibe. The song starts with a retro instrumental with repetitive sounds of “rum pum pum” which gets stuck in our heads after the first listen. It then goes into a more energetic and electro-funk vibe when Hyojin starts singing the first verse. It’s one of my favourite parts as it makes the song groove and convivial.

Beautiful Beautiful is a song that shows ONF’s unique identity as a group. It encourages the listeners to sing and celebrate the art scilicet life. Even though the song is colourful and gleaming the lyrics seems to be subtle and romantic which makes us comprehend the duality of the song. The lyrics of this song are a continuation of their previous comeback “Sukhumvit Swimming.” Through this song, they have sent a message to the public that by being yourself we can all be beautiful. There are lyrics sung by MK “It’s all about the frame people made up; Never gonna give in” which assures listeners to never lose their identity. The chorus offers a descending harmonised refrain and then explodes into a catchy “rum pum pum” hook again. The chorus lyrics go like this:

“I’m beautiful sing it yeah yeah yeah;
All my cry-out of my life is now
art, art, art;

I’m wonderful feel it la la la la; Show it to the world;
We blossomin’ some more;
Sing it with me.”

This song captivates the listeners as it constantly surprises them with changes in the tempo and texture. The congenial instrumental of this song let the voices of ONF shine to the fullest. U, the main dancer; shines the most during the choreography shots and his passion can be discerned by his powerful dance moves. I like Wyatt’s strong deep rap part in the pre-chorus as it makes his voice distinctive and loud. The bridge part is what surprises me the most as the “rum pum pum” hook takes a more harmonic turn to it, which makes them flash their vocal capabilities.

The MV (Music Video) starts with a futuristic theme with a virtual city letting the fans know about the connection between their universe storyline from their previous comebacks. You can see J-US jumping from the building which shows that they are ready for an upcoming adventure. This theme continues throughout the whole video, and you can see the CGI in the background with machines flying over E-TION and Hyojin surfing in the air on a hoverboard. This video has a fair amount of special effects which gives a feeling that we are watching a movie. I would say the Music Video is bright and fantastic. The neon lights and bright colours add up to the power and passion of the song. The message of this video revolves around kids looking for freedom in futuristic time and space. ONF’s strong bond is delineated through the MV so remarkably. The visuals of the members cannot be ignored along with their distinctive hair colours. It also reached 10 million views three days after it was released.

Following as runner up of “Road to Kingdom” up to their previous comeback “Sukhumvit Swimming” ONF has gained much popularity in the K-pop industry. They are competent enough to do any concept and genre but bright and colourful concepts fit them well. They always try to show something different from the people in the same genre and have always surprised us with the retro-funk-themed comebacks. They also won their first music show win with Beautiful Beautiful on SBS MTV’s THE SHOW.

Beautiful Beautiful is a high-energy song that makes the listener groove to it. This song is fun and catchy but still has a unique sound to it. Through this song, they want to convey to the world that everyone is beautiful and every moment in our life is an art. I hope those who listen to this song love themselves and find the beauty inside them.

If you haven’t listened to this song yet, listen to it below!