Having being teased for the past 100 days - yes, it was 100 days of teasing - April 7th finally saw the release of SM Entertainment's latest creation - EXO. EXO are a 12 member boyband technically but have split in half - 6 members have become EXO-K and will promote in Korea and the other 6 members are part of EXO-M who will be promoting in China. Because I'm a K-Pop lover and am currently learning Korean, this review will focus on EXO-K's version of their debut single MAMA.
Firstly, I have to be honest - I had completely lost interest in this whole project. I felt that we were overloaded with teasers and the hype was so over-the-top that I actually lost interest in them quickly. However, the first time that I heard MAMA and saw the music video - I was utterly blown away. From the cinematic introduction, explaining how EXO came to be, to the Iluminati-esque robes - I knew that this was not your standard run-of-the-mill music video. The music video seems to give each member a certain power of symbol - and each member can manipulate water, fire or other elements. This immediately gave the MAMA music video a unique and epic atmosphere because instead of seeing EXO-K as K-Pop Idols, they seem to be supernatural and out-of-this-world creatures. Also, the amount of special effects and the elaborate set design really shows how much SM has invested in this group. Indeed, this video is very slick and well produced - and combined with the superb choreography, the MAMA video truly is a winner and easily one of the best music videos of 2012 so far.
As for the song, it's just as unique and epic as it's music video. The strings and vocals at the beginning definately give this song a vibe that I can only describe as apocalyptic ...! I wouldn't say this song was the most radio friendly and I definately believe that MAMA will divide a few opinions - it's very brave for a debut single. However, for me, I think it's incredible. My favourite part of the song is undoubtedly the breakdown - the clashing drums, the heavy-metal guitar and the rap which wouldn't sound out of place on a heavy-metal song.
For a debut, this is flawless. But the only problem that comes with debuting with a music video like this? The follow-up. EXO may have lived up to the 100 day hype, but living up to this near-perfect music video may be even trickier.
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