SVT SOLOS reviews
the 23rd part of my svt discography review! this review includes officially released, original solos by the seventeen members. all of the ancient lore mixtape ones, concert-only ones, and OSTs aren't included. I'll be doing those too, though! so if ur fav's track isn't here yet, I'll get to them!
Ranking system:
🍇 - 10.0 BNM one of their most iconic slays
🍉 - fantastic song that made me feel something
🍓 - eating, a few flaws that are either easy to overlook or a bit charming
🍊 - good background music but i wouldn't seek it out
🍌 - it does nothing for me but isn't outright offensive
🍐 - does nothing for me and is offensive
🍈 - so bad that it almost wraps back around to good just bc i was laffing so much
SCOUPS - ME (2023)
🍉 Me
He kept saying he'd release a solo in 2023 and waited until literally december 31st so that was kinda funny. it's got these moody guitars and he's kinda doing an MGK impression (not shade) and he talks about how he has a split personality and wants to kms so this is totally my style lol. catering to a very specific target demographic! i would NOT have wanted to be in that studio lol you can tell he was like...spilling his raw heart song...the vocals aren't mixed the way kpop vocals usually are so there's some artifacts left over that give it a demo-like feel. suitable for this genre but you can sorta see why they didn't put this on their spotify and nobody really talked about it. this was his therapy lmfao they were like okayyyy scoups you have GOT to put the alcohol down. he should do this more often though, like at least as a hobby, cuz god knows he needs to vent SOMEWHERE.
JEONGHAN - DREAM (2021)
🍊/🍓 Dream
Well, it's cute that Jeonghan tried to write a song by himself. Playing this right after the scoups one...the contrast lmfao. Like whereas Scoups has a LOT to get off his chest, Jeonghan really...doesn't have much to say here...he's just talking about how much he likes (ambiguous person/love interest). It's a little refreshing, though! Like it's totally pleasant, I was worried it'd be a fallin for you tea, but it's not. It's actually pretty cute lol. Like he just made this for fun and to improve his confidence in singing by himself, so this was a productive use of his time! He sounds nice and the lyrics are sweetie pie and I like when Jeonghan shows initiative like awww.
JUN - CROW (2021)
🍓 Crow
This song has a nice backstory! It's written by a gay couple about societal prejudices and Jun asked to sing it lol #Ally!! Like I said in a previous review, Jun's voice is sooooo much more suited to singing in mandarin, he sounds lovely here. It's a pretty slow, melodramatic ballad but it's sung in a cool language and about something nice so I support it. Like you can tell he was really feeling this in the studio he was pouring his heart out on the mic. He was crying like why must we hurt the LGBT community....
JUN - SILENT BOARDING GATE (2021)
🍓 Silent Boarding Gate
This one is a 'long distance situationship' ballad, I think. Makes one wonder if Jun has been in this predicament before? The lyrics paint a very clear picture of leaving a loved one behind in one country while you travel to another. There is a special kind of sadness to airports, so I'm glad someone else gets that, thanks Jun! He sounds nice here as well and there's a little more dynamism to this track than there is to Crow, so it's probably my favorite of the two, but just by a hair.
JUN - LIMBO (2022)
🍊 Limbo
Jun obviously takes a great interest in his own career as a popstar, and he doesn't need to be pushed to release a solo like a lot of his bandmates lol. This one even has a slick MV, and it's not part of their 'mixtape' project either, so it's just a passion project I guess. This is very 2nd gen lol. It's not really my style but I like when he does the spoken word bits. It's also nice that there's a chinese version cuz I prefer that. I also like his like...creative vision lol...he's obviously got IDEAS he's like waiittttt let me get all sexy in the mirrorverse...just look up his looks from this video and you'll see what I mean. This is serious to him.
JUN - PSYCHO (2023)
🍉 Psycho
Prolific king! This song is a 'we live in a society/just making sure i don't fit in' joker-type anthem. The lyrics to the chorus are sickkkk lol he's the freakiest one in seventeen sometimes. I kinda fuckkk with this one lol. The production is nasty and the general vibe is kinda hot to me. Those deep keys...BDSM weirdos on halloween be like. Have you guys seen those videos of the brazilian street dancers in those cartoon character masks who just twerk to the filthiest beats of all time and run down the street next to that truck? Literally how I felt listening to this. It was good.
HOSHI - SPIDER (2021)
🍇 Spider
The way this is kinda the best SVT solo...this bisexual queen lol. Like idc I like when people try to be taemin. I think hoshi's pretty good at it. They have COMPLETELY different vibes, though. Hoshi seems kinda...innocent in comparison? I feel weird saying that about Hoshi. I guess innocent isn't the right word...maybe pure/sincere? Like I think that's why he's able to sell sex so well, because he's honest. It sort of is an innocent approach to a topic like this and that makes it hotter. Like he's genuinely just horny and overwhelmed by being horny. It helps that this KNOCKS like talk about bop of the summer. He better continue making this type of stuff when he goes solo.
HOSHI - TIGER (2022)
🍈 Tiger (ft. Tiger JK) I mean, this is just self-indulgent lol. Like...yeah of course he would make this. And it's just as annoying as you'd expect. His snot-nosed confidence...what a facking brat. I mean it's what he's good at I guess. He's growling all over the beat. Calling himself South Korea's last tiger...like is nobody going to give him his facking antipsychotics? Are we really going to encourage this? Tiger JK pleaseeeee don't call yourself his father. You're making him worse. Like it's funny that this exists but you have to wonder about the implications...like are we enabling him...? It's fun to hear a kpop idol get this insane on the beat, though lol.
HOSHI - STAY (2023)
🍐 Stay
Hey, that's not your name to use...but this DOES sound like something hyunjin would make. Like, it's giving ice as a cream. Aka not the sort of music hoshi is good at making. I was gonna say it's not too bad but then that high-pitched WHOOAOAOAOA in the chorus hit and I was like okay no. Hoshi should NOT try to be cutesy. It doesn't work. He should be sexual or bratty and the cuteness will come naturally from the gap moe. This is too much, especially considering his um, abrasive personality...that I am very familiar with...I guess this wouldn't be so bad if I didn't already know Hoshi as well as I do lol.
WONWOO & MINGYU - BITTERSWEET (2021)
🍈 Bittersweet (ft. Lee Hi)
The song that launched a thousand ships...like you just KNOW they knew what they were doing by making this. Mingyu is lisping ALL over that beat lol. Always nice to hear Lee Hi sing, one of the best vocalists we've got. Having her appearance sandwiched by Mingyu on the track is sorta crazy if I'm being real. Like this is pretty bad. But it's really funny, so I'm happy it exists! Plus, that MV...MEANIE stays winning and you all can suck it! The bridge where they're singing about fantasizing abt the other is crazyyyyy lol like what were they thinking? That's real marketing genius and you KNOW the minwonners are still foaming at the mouth to this day.
WOOZI - RUBY (2022)
🍈🍓 Ruby
I meannnn it's kinda hilarious that Woozi is releasing an anthem for his tall queen. In English. Lol I forgot how crazy this sounds, like talk about a sound you don't hear in kpop that often. Pass me a coke zero...this CORNY motherfucker. Hearing woozi say 'shit' in his mickey mouse voice is awesome. I gotta meet the femdom who inspired this track and ask her all about it. Cuz woozi is FUUUUUUCKED up over her lol. Like it's fun and all but also what the fuck is going on. Like it's kinda melon...but kinda strawberry?
WOOZI - WHAT KIND OF FUTURE (2024)
🍇 What Kind of Future
Now THIS shit is woozi's heartsong. One of his original breakup anthems, and he was suuuuper dramatic about it, too. "I'm only gonna perform this once in my lifetime..." he says. It was that serious. Apparently, this is one of Moonbin's favorite songs woozi made, so Woozi ended up releasing it on his birthday. The final chorus is like, REALLY good. This is his HEART song. Watch the live performance if you want the full effect, though. He was like MOVED. That final post-chorus is crazyyyyy like you're crazy for that. Millenial whoops at the end but I'll let it slide. Solidified his place as top 3 vocals in svt with this.
THE8 - DREAMS COME TRUE (2019)
🍌🍈 Dreams Come True
So this is Minghao's first officially released solo I guess. I didn't know this existed lol. You can tell exactly what year this was made cuz it has a hook just like that facking trampoline song if anyone remembers when that was a popular thing. It's funny hearing him rap cuz he does NOT do that anymore. I wonder why not? I mean only the real remember 8 star superstar shining crystal. This is kinda bad lol, mostly because of that hook. The end is a bit jazzy for no reason, he should've made the whole song like that. omg wait what's happening what's this outro!? okayyyyyy you get a melon and you get a melon and YOU get a melon!
THE8 - SIDE BY SIDE (2021)
🍓 Side by Side
The way minghao is actually so straight needs to be studied lol. I mean I always like a good mandopop song (not gonna listen to the korean version sorry) and this is kinda pleasant! Maybe it really is the language that I like so much cuz I'm usually not a huge minghaovocalstannie but he sounds great here so good for him! Also one of the only times a seventeen member has been close to a woman and I didn't feel like it looked awks. Like I said, the way he's so straight needs to be studied. It's giving lady killer!
THE8 - HAI CHENG (2022)
🍇 Hai Cheng
Ah, Minghao's ballad...I was thinking he probably couldn't pull this off, so he'll be pleased to know he proved me wrong! Like omg is it just me or is this kinda beautiful? Like wow, who knew he had it in him? Also you better SHUT UP ABOUT THE OCEAN I do not play about the ocean. This is kinda sad as fuck, omg Minghao your childhood friend turned lover waiting for u in ur hometown shuttttt the fuck up. Yeah this is kinda really good what the fuck? Man okay. You...you better stop...jeez...okay. who knew. Not you made me an 8star in this sacred temple tonight.
THE8 - A BITE OF SUMMER (2022)
🍉 A Bite of Summer
Lmfaoooo what is this? From the cover art I expected it to sound way different. Like I was ready to make fun of his ass but nah this is also pretty pleasant. Listen to those real live instruments! I could do without the um, rapping. It's brief though, you can eat around it. Like what's with Minghao having good solo music lmfao, even his throwaway summer single is a good time. Granted, he has the advantage of singing in a pretty language, but this also is just fun and knocks and is so far removed from what I'm used to in kpop that I can't help but appreciate it lol.
SEUNGKWAN - DANDELION (2024)
(I'm not gonna rank this) Dandelion
Seungkwan has done a bunch of OSTs but this is his first original song. You can probably guess what it's about given the imagery and time it was released. So I can't really judge it from a critical perspective, I'm not about to pick apart his grieving. It's nice to hear him get a song to himself, like omg you forget how much emotion he can put into his voice cuz he's constantly given like, three or four lines per song lol. I also think this is just a very sweet sentiment and sung very earnestly, like it's far enough along in the stages of grief that it's not a downer to listen to, more just appreciating the time you did get to spend with the person. I hope Seungkwan is happy...like I'm parasocial about him sometimes...I hope he's surrounded by people who love him...
VERNON - BANDS BOY (2021)
🍓🍈 Bands Boy
This is kinda awesome if I'm being totally honest with you. Like if only for the novelty, hearing a kpop idol DIY themselves a 'hyperpop' song...it's just so...I can't help but appreciate it. Especially with context, like he's singing about facking SEVENTEEN when he says 10 years we been bros lol. Bitcoin and ethereum...jesus christ lol. Dropped out of 8th grade I CAN TELL. I CAN TELL. idrhgidfgodfk his expensive habits giving his dad a heart attack lmfao yeah he was definitely 23...
VERNON - BLACK EYE (2022)
🍐 Black Eye
This is kinda so bad...I feel like Vern and I have a really similar taste in music so I know what he's trying to do. I know who the MV ripped off, too lol. I think if I hadn't heard hundreds of better versions of this song I'd be nicer to it but I HAVE HEARD HUNDREDS OF BETTER VERSIONS OF THIS SONG. Like whyyyy are you bleeping out the F-word. What were you on when you wrote these lyrics? This song would've been better if someone who knew what they were doing wrote the lyrics. Like why would I listen to this when there's...actual good versions of this that have a coherent message...I won't be fooled by a decent sonic palette...
DINO - WAIT (2023)
🍓 Wait
Oh he's been WAITING to get a song to himself, hasn't he? He's gonna take FULL advantage of this opportunity. There's an instrumental break that I assume is for him to dance his little butt off. I feel like I can't really be unbiased in my review of this cuz he's just so happy to be here lol...it's contagious...his spotify page has the most serious pic of him as the header but he's so cute that it's just facking funny...this song, too, like he's so FRUSTRATED because you DARED make him WAIT for you...how cute lol.