*Some or all lyrics have been translated from Korean to English
If you know me at all, you know that in the past few months, I have developed a borderline unhealthy obsession with K-pop.
Maybe it’s how involved and enthusiastic the groups are with their fan bases, maybe it’s the captivating choreography and corresponding outfits and makeup looks—all I know is I blinked and became a K-pop stan. Because of this, Spotify recommended a song from a group I had heard about but hadn’t listened to before: “That’s That” by AMPERS&ONE. While exploring the group, the cover art of a recent EP caught my eye: Loud and Proud. I quickly fell in love with both their music and all the members’ personalities. Pleasantly short and sweet—consisting of six tracks and lasting 17 minutes—Loud and Proud has found its likely permanent place in my Spotify library.
“Get Famous”
The third track on the album, “Get Famous,” demonstrates what AMPERS&ONE’s goals are as a group. Not only do they express their aspirations and how they’ve been reaching them, but also extend encouragement to others: *“If you’re confident, come out (No, no) / Doesn’t matter who.” They’re not just out for themselves; they want fellow artists to succeed and achieve the same goals that they have.
Thematically, it’s intriguing, but the music itself—the instruments, production, and members’ vocals—should not be overlooked. During the chorus, the main melody is punctuated by syncopated crowd vocals that help to get the message further across. “I gotta get famous (You know we wanna) / I gotta get famous (We going harder, harder).” For aspiring artists—whether musical or otherwise—it’s difficult to differentiate from the thousands of other up-and-coming groups or individuals that want to make a lasting impression. “Get Famous” has a lesson embedded in its lyrics: if you consistently put the work in and never doubt yourself, the world will notice you.
“That’s That”
This was my first introduction to AMPERS&ONE, and it made an amazing first impression. Beginning with an upbeat trumpet intro, it introduces a catchy quality that pervades throughout the entire track. Some songs fall victim to being too formulaic—intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro—but “That’s That,” with its varied and interesting song structure, consistently keeps me entertained.
Besides anything else, this song is just fun to listen to, especially during the taunting “na-na-na-boo-boo” tune of the post-chorus: *“Oh, no, so pathetic / Judging like you’re all that / Prime time, on my grind / Just wasting your precious time.” The message is very similar to “Get Famous” but interprets it entirely differently. Instead of being gracious and encouraging, AMPERS&ONE adopts a refreshingly petty “I’m better than you” attitude. For this reason, “That’s That” is one of my favorites from Loud and Proud.
“Did It”
The penultimate track of the EP, “Did It,” draws on the same theme as the rest of the songs: AMPERS&ONE has something no one else does. They are unique, always reaching higher, and most of all, they cannot be replaced.
The highlight of this song for me is the post-chorus, in which the lyrics follow a descending chromatic scale, creating a dark and mysterious feeling: *“In the pitch-dark night / Yeah, I’m jumping on the floor / I did it, I did it.” The main melody, interrupted by the title of the song, divides the post-chorus into two sections, adding further to the structural interest of the tracks on Loud and Proud.
One of my favorite things to do in life, and one that can rarely be predicted, is discovering and falling in love with a new artist. AMPERS&ONE is the most recent of these obsessions. The members of the group are funny and lighthearted, but extremely talented and committed to their craft. Loud and Proud is just one example of AMPERS&ONE’s lasting effect on the K-pop industry, and I’m eagerly anticipating what the group will release next.
