HEIZE Makes It “HAPPEN” Under P NATION
Returning with her first comeback as an artist under P NATION, HEIZE is back with her seventh mini-album HAPPEN. Featuring a star-studded lineup in both features and production credits, the release sees HEIZE broaden her artistic horizons yet again, creating her own fairytale as she dreams of a happily ever after.
“HAPPEN” and Happy Endings
The album opens with title track “HAPPEN” and its soft acoustic line before dropping into a slinky bass line with a heavier beat. There’s undoubtedly a melancholic tone to this track about fateful love and equally fateful heartbreak, but the groove makes it hard to be too sad. It’s this very groove that gives the song a much-needed HEIZE touch—which is comforting in its familiarity, given it’s the first time we’ve heard HEIZE release under her new label—but the song has an organic touch to it that hits different from her past releases. The unresolved ending chord of the song gives it a final mysterious touch as the album drifts off into the rest of the tracklist. While it’s certainly not HEIZE’s best, “HAPPEN” is more complex than many of her more recent titles, and makes for an enjoyable track that should make any fan, old or new, happy.
Realist art is the name of the game in the “HAPPEN” music video, with themes from Edward Hopper’s famous works showing up at every turn. The plot focuses on a hit-and-miss love story between HEIZE and actor Song Joongki (a smart casting move, considering the recent success of Vincenzo). Between the colorful shots of them living their day-to-day lives, the story of HEIZE and Song Joongki will have fans wondering when or if the two characters’ paths will ever cross. It’s a wonderful tactic to keep viewers engaged right until the very end. Upon first watch, I actually felt my heart speeding up as the video neared its conclusion. So do they meet and fall in love, you ask? Well, you’ll have to find out for yourself.
The Rest of the Album
“Like the first time” is a whimsical ballad featuring rapper Gary, formerly of LeeSSang. There’s little build aside from swelling strings as HEIZE’s sorrowful voice weaves in and out of the piano-led melody. Although impressive and emotional, Gary’s rap feels out of place in the song; it would’ve been nice to see him featured somewhere else in the lineup. Next up is “Flu” featuring CHANGMO, which surprisingly marks the first time that the rapper has collaborated with HEIZE. Following the doleful tone of “Like the first time,” “Flu” takes a turn towards a classic K-Hip-Hop sound, which suits CHANGMO’s deeper voice perfectly. Over the years, HEIZE has tended to take a groovier approach to K-Hip-Hop, with more of a focus on melody than the beats, but this track lets the beat take center stage, and for that we can thank Epik High’s Tablo. Between his production, CHANGMO’s feature, and HEIZE’s vocals, the song is the first real standout on the album.
In a transition so smooth that you hardly realize the song has changed, “Why” drifts in with a lo-fi, city pop vibe. Personally speaking, on paper this song is right up my alley: I could not have been more thrilled when the sampler for the song dropped, and I’m happy to say the song more than delivered. With such a serene voice, it’s crazy to think HEIZE hasn’t tried her hand at city pop before this release; truly, the results are nothing short of incredible. “The Walking Dead” changes the mood yet again, coasting into a folk vibe as HEIZE sings against a soft acoustic guitar. Kim Feel is featured on the track, his vocals easing in in the second verse before they build towards the bridge. HEIZE has a rough quality to her voice that gives it an almost breathy sound, but Kim Feel’s voice is strong and clear; though he’s really only utilized to accentuate HEIZE’s vocals here, it does wonders for her tone and turns a good song into something beautiful.
Ahn Yeeun pairs up with HEIZE for “From the Rain,” which somehow still manages to sound different from anything we’ve heard thus far. This is mostly due to the use of the gayageum instrument, which gives the song a traditional flair despite the modern drum set beat. Though it’s not to my personal taste, the sound suits HEIZE wonderfully, and is unsurprisingly a flawless match for Ahn Yeeun’s raspier voice. All in all, it’s refreshing to see HEIZE take such a risk with her music. Speaking of, “Hi, hello?” is another risk-taker of a track. Produced by Giriboy and GLEAM, the song starts off with a guitar line without a clear direction of tone. This changes as the strings start to sweep in in the first verse, then rising with a pizzicato effect before the chorus. The acoustic guitar has a twang to it that gives the song a touch of country, but the strings keep things lighthearted and mystical. It’s an interesting combination that shouldn’t work, but somehow does, and I think we have HEIZE’s vocal delivery to thank for that. “Destiny, it’s just a tiny dot” serves as the instrumental final song on the album. Considering HAPPEN has plenty of musical moments that sound straight out of a fairytale, the mesmerizing merry-go-round quality of the song is only fitting.
It’s been nearly a year since HEIZE’s last mini-album Lyricist and since its release, she has admitted to having fallen into a creative rut. But everything takes time, and it’s safe to say this new album has seen HEIZE rise from the ashes with what’s easily her most memorable album in quite some time. Whether it be folk acoustic, city pop, or anything in between, HEIZE has weaved a magical web with HAPPEN. And it’s a web in which I’ll stay happily tangled.