Weeekly Makes a Fresh Entrance with “Tag Me (@Me)”
Weeekly, a seven-member girl group from Play M Entertainment, made their debut earlier this week with their mini-album, We are. As the sister group to big names such as Apink and VICTON, there is a considerable amount of anticipation for Weeekly, which is further compounded by the fact that it has been nine years since Apink’s inception.
In addition, five members were part of pre-debut project Fave Girls by FAVE Entertainment before their merger with Plan A Entertainment, forming the Play M Entertainment we know today. Park Soeun, Shin Jiyoon, and Lee Soojin also participated in YG Entertainment’s idol survival show MIXNINE three years back, with leader Soojin placing consistently in the debut rankings before pulling out in the last quarter of the program due to sustaining an injury in an unfortunate car accident. She is most known as the female center for the program’s title track, “Just Dance.”
The core concept of their group name is that each of the girls is assigned to a day of the week and will be offering a “new and special week every day” to the public. A tad confusing for now, but let’s wait to see how this plays out in their future promotions and activities.
Title Track & Music Video
“Tag Me (@Me)” is a bright and funky pop dance track that features upbeat drums, guitar riffs, and bass notes accompanied by the girls’ energetic and lively voices. The song talks about a teenage girl’s daily school life and their self-perception in relation to social media. The track is composed by CODE 9 and Malaysian songwriters Audi Mok and Tysha Tia. CODE 9 has recently worked on Rocket Punch’s “Bouncy” and ASTRO’s “Baby.” “Tag Me (@Me)” grabs your attention from the get-go with a brainwashing talk-chant written by Korean lyricist Danke, which repeats several times in the song. Danke is also credited as the lyricist for BTS’s “Filter” and NCT 127’s “Kick It.”
Matching the energetic tone of the song, the music video is littered with bright pastels, neons, and holographic hues. Despite that, the overall effect is highly cohesive and reflects a well-thought-out color story throughout the different shots. With girl-crush concepts being the current dominant trend amongst girl groups, Weeekly seems to be going with a group-centric appeal with similar uniforms that are slightly customized for each member. This aesthetic is reminiscent of the early days of Lovelyz, Cosmic Girls, and Oh My Girl, a welcomed and brave shift against the waves of fierce girl groups.
The choreography utilizes the school desks and other props as seen in the music video with the girls tilting and sitting on them as part of the performance. This gives the performance a musical feel, although it does retain the overall joyful and cheerleader-esque vibe. Besides Soojin of MIXNINE fame, member Monday is another standout in the title track, tackling both the rap and powerful vocal parts of the song. “Tag Me (@Me)” is right up the girls’ alley, with their confidence and natural abilities shining throughout the performance as they sing the peppy song befitting the members’ current life stage.
The Album
Including “Tag Me (@Me),” the mini-album comes with a total of five tracks, which help to better illustrate the musical direction Weeekly will be taking.
“Weeekly Day” is a short intro to the EP and is described as part of the pure pop genre. This intro is made with electric and synthesizer sounds and encapsulates the meaning of the group name—Weeekly. Together with the members’ clean voices, the overall product is ethereal and leaves one feeling refreshed. Member Jiyoon assisted in the lyrics and composition of this track with MARCO.
Following the intro is “Universe,” a pop-dance track. Laden with saxophone riffs and grooves, this song contains the members’ invitation into their “Weeekly universe.” This contemporary and catchy track is pleasant to bop to and is one of the more interesting tracks in the EP.
“Hello” is another bubbly and lively track composed by David Anthony, who is behind some major hits including Oh My Girl’s “LIAR LIAR” and LOONA’s “So What,” with lyrics written by Seo Jieum who has worked on Lovelyz’s “Ah-Choo” and IZ*ONE’s “FIESTA.” It is ultimately a safe, feel-good song, but lacks memorability.
Last but not least is “Reality,” which borrows the school bell sound motif—a defining feature of this song. The sweet tune and soothing guitar help the track express a hopeful future, which makes it a great ending song to close off the EP. It is worth noting that member Jiyoon plays a part in the composition, arrangement, and lyrics of this track.
Overall, the mini-album is a pretty solid listen and stays faithful to their youthful concept. Having members be involved in the composition and songwriting is always a plus for the group and their future discography. It’s exciting to see this group’s development of their own unique sound and what they can offer to the K-Pop scene as they mature.
Concluding Thoughts
The girls are irrefutably great performers—a playlist of the girls in their trainee days shows them to be all-rounded in areas of dance and vocals. Some members also did a mashup of popular K-Pop songs, which is worth checking out if their debut piqued your interest.
Weeekly seems to share several similarities with the late PRISTIN: they received high exposure from members participating in a survival program, they come from a reputable company, they had robust pre-debut activities, and they have members who are capable of composing and writing their own songs. With Play M Entertainment’s stellar track record of managing Apink with the group’s nine-year longevity, it is safe to say that we can be optimistic for Weeekly’s long run as a girl group.
Here’s to hoping that the girls appear on variety programs soon so we can get to know them better!