[Review] Panorama – TAEYEON (SNSD)

Earlier this week, TAEYEON made her comeback with her first Korean compilation album, Panorama: The Best of TAEYEON, to celebrate 10 years as a solo singer. That was 2015 with the I (ft. Verbal Jint), though this album only features a solo version of her solo debut track. Leading the 23-track album of TAEYEON’s past hits and title tracks is the new single, Panorama. This comeback comes 1 year after her Letter To Myself comeback in November 2024.

Panorama starts off with soft piano and guitar in a ballad-like intro. It slowly builds towards the first chorus, which adds in the presence of drums before slowly building up again and bursting into the proper form of Panorama – a pop-rock single. From there, Panorama maintains the same momentum and energy before easing out at the end. The second chorus, however, launches right into the pop-rock sound and doesn’t feature a build-up in its first half. As with any of her solo songs, each section features her stunning vocals, keeping you engaged and entranced. While I quite enjoyed the choruses’ melodies, I wished the verses had something similar. The chorus really takes away a lot of the focus, and while the verses were good, they just didn’t have the same impact as the chorus. Overall, it is rare for any of TAEYEON’s songs to go wrong, and Panorama is another song that proves it.

The music video opens with a young female entering TAEYEON’s bookstore. The latter hands the younger a book and proceeds to stare at the younger customer whilst she reads it. Not creepy, but this sparks a smile from the younger customer and a friendship blooms from there. As they go on a road trip, it becomes clear that the pair share common interests and care for one another (particularly TAEYEON). As the video goes on, it is revealed that the younger girl is, in fact, the younger version of TAEYEON, taking possession of TAEYEON’s red umbrella that we see TAEYEON use at the start and throughout the video. While this felt very apparent from the onset of the video, I did quite like the reveal. I also like the scene where TAEYEON holds a battered version of the umbrella as she watches the younger girl, symbolising the hardships she endured on her journey to where she is today.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10