Love is in the Air with YENA’s Fourth EP, Blooming Wings

Photo: YENA Official X

On July 29, YENA released her latest EP, Blooming Wings. The five-track EP feels like a natural continuation from NEMONEMO, which came out in September. “NEMONEMO” came with a J-Pop style and her newest title track “Being a Good Girl Hurts” continues the trend, taking on an anime-inspired aesthetic. YENA once again transports her audience into a magical world despite the ten-month gap between the two releases. Blooming Wings may look like the perfect fantasy on the outside, but its songs depict the ups and downs of romance. 

The Concept of “Being a Good Girl Hurts”

All aspects of Blooming Wings lead towards its title track emulating common anime elements. Though it looks like the setup of a dreamy shoujo romance, “Being a Good Girl Hurts” addresses heartbreak. The song’s Korean title, “착하다는 말이 제일 싫어,” comes translated into English as “I hate being called nice the most” within its lyrics. This title indicates resentment towards a rejection. A Chinese version of the track was released on August 8, marking YENA’s first Chinese-language song.  

With a grand backing track full of classical stringed instruments, “Being a Good Girl Hurts” betrays its uplifting sound with lyrics of anger. The speaker outlines regret over trying so hard to win a crush’s affection, feeling like they wasted their efforts. The music video, however, takes a less vengeful position. It portrays YENA as a high schooler struggling to impress her crush, portrayed by actor Lee Dohyun. 

The efforts of YENA and her team shine in both this music video and its choreography. The music video’s large musical theatre-like production with colorful outfits, many backup dancers, and prop choreography also appear within YENA’s music show stages. 

The Narrative of Blooming Wings 

All songs on Blooming Wings address various perspectives on love. The EP starts with “Drama Queen,” where YENA sings about yearning for a fairy tale romance like on movies and TV. It transitions into “Being a Good Girl Hurts,” which we now know only ends in disappointment. YENA also grapples with  heartbreak in “Hello, Goodbye,” a soft rock song that processes being broken up with. Using the dual meaning of “안녕” (annyeong), which functions as both a greeting and a farewell, she wonders if a different first meeting would prevent a break up. 

She turns to the opposite perspective in “Anyone But You (Feat. MIRYO of Brown Eyed Girls),” where she breaks up with someone who deceived her. YENA teams up with Brown Eyed Girls’s rapper MIRYO to tell this person off in this house song. Finally, YENA gets her happy ending in “364,” a pop-punk song where she describes wanting to spend all of her time with the perfect person. Blooming Wings executes its concept with flying colors.

Edited by Clark Royandoyan