SF9 and the “Good Guy” Comeback
On January 7, 2020, SF9 released their first full-length album FIRST COLLECTION and the music video for title track “Good Guy.” The album was released in two versions, GOLDEN RATED and BLACK RATED, and featured 10 new tracks, including “Fire,” which was included in our 2020 B-Sides: First Quarter article. With tracks featuring EDM elements, retro vibes, Latin influences, and pop beats, FIRST COLLECTION gave SF9 the chance to show listeners all of the different ways that they excel as a group and just how many styles they can truly master.
The Music Video
The music video for “Good Guy” has a very prominent Kingsman vibe to it, starting out with the camera opening the doors to a billiards room with all of the members present. On the different opening beats of the track, a different member is featured. After the initial opening scene, the members are seen playing games, first with Yoo Taeyang and Dawon playing billiards, Inseong and Jaeyoon boxing, Chani playing darts by himself and later seen playing tennis with Rowoon, and Zuho and Youngbin playing Scrabble. The only member not seen playing is Hwiyoung, whose only non-choreo clips come in scenes of him sitting on a white chair in a room filled with other white chairs while blue and purple lighting gives him a mysterious glow. Interspersed with these scenes are clips of the members playing soccer together and of course the standard choreography shots. All of the plot-based clips center around golden bracelets, with each member wearing one, before the bracelets come together at the very end to form the set design.
They released a choreography video for “Good Guy” on January 8, with the members in casual and comfortable clothes as they showed off their dancing skills. On January 20, SF9 uploaded another choreography video, only this time the members dressed up as different professions. While Dawon was his normal, goofy self in the video, it was Zuho dressed as an astronaut that provided peak comedy for Fantasy.
The Comeback Performances
SF9 made their comeback on M!COUNTDOWN on January 9, 2020, where the group performed “Like The Hands Held Tight” and “Good Guy.” For their performance of “Like The Hands Held Tight,” the members wore suits, with some members in more casual outfits than others. Hwiyoung had a printed turtleneck under his suit jacket while Youngbin wore a leather jacket rather than a blazer. The stage design was more subdued than other designs, with the screens displaying graphics in icy and navy blues and the stage lights matching the icy blue.
The stage design for their performance of “Good Guy” resembled a room, with white walls, gold and navy blue accents, and the SF9 logo in gold on the tiled floor. Before performing, the camera gave up-close shots of the members in their suits, each of them embodying the “Good Guy” aesthetic from the music video. While the stage design is intricate, by keeping it mostly white and only highlighting certain items in different colors, viewers are still able to keep focus on the performance and appreciate the incredible choreography the boys always showcase.
The Legacy
As far as comebacks go, 2020 was the year we saw the rise in popularity that SF9 deserved from the very beginning. The music video for “Good Guy” was their most-viewed music video on the official FNC Entertainment YouTube Channel until their “Summer Breeze” comeback six months later. This comeback also gave the boy group their first music show win on M!COUNTDOWN on January 16, followed by their second win on Music Bank the next day with their third and final win for “Good Guy” on M!COUNTDOWN on January 30. While their first win was memorable, it’s truly their win on Music Bank where the group won out over mega-popular girl group Red Velvet that sticks out in the memory of Fantasy everywhere, especially because of leader Youngbin’s shocked expression and Zuho hiding his tears from fans with a smile on his face.
FIRST COLLECTION debuted at No. 1 on the Gaon Weekly Retail Albums Chart, No. 2 on the Gaon Weekly Albums Chart, No. 4 on the Gaon Monthly Albums Chart, and No. 23 on the Gaon Yearly Albums Chart while title track “Good Guy” debuted at No. 104 on the Gaon Digital Chart and No. 13 on the Gaon Digital Download Chart.
SF9 were nominated for “Male Singer Popularity Award” at the 2020 Asia Artist Awards, but unfortunately did not win. They were also nominated for “Best Dance - Male” at the Melon Music Awards and while they did not win, this marked their first nomination for the awards show. We can only hope that as their popularity continues to rise, they’ll be nominated for more awards shows in the future.