Song Review: Soyeon (i-dle) – Star

i-dle are at a tricky fork in their career where their music no longer becomes an instant chart sensation yet they retain a large enough fan base to keep their career chugging along. At this point, artists can either cater directly to that fanbase or continue trying to score a more mainstream hit even if that means swimming against the tide. Or, we can just pause for a fun little stopgap from leader (and chief songwriter) Soyeon. Soyeon hasn’t made a huge push toward solo stardom, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen more often at this stage in i-dle’s career. Star feels more like a gift for fans than a bid for chart dominance, but either way it’s a frustrating mixed bag. The verses have a pleasant — almost 2nd-gen — appeal as Soyeon sing-talks her way across a rugged electro beat. I can’t help but imagine how this sound might develop into an actual song. Sadly, Star never progresses toward that ideal. It completely gives up when we reach the “chorus,” which is just a repetition of the word “star” over the kind of dance beat you can hear in any corner of the K-pop universe right now. It continues to amaze me that, as K-pop finally transitions back toward a more upbeat clu...