When I saw the teasers for BoA's "Nega dola" my initial reaction was 'Oh. SM be try'na give BoA some shit"Gashina" type shit'. Having heard the song in full and seen the video...they kinda did. But I'm not mad. It's not a straight rip off. But the parallels are there enough that it's more than a slight reminder.
The one thing I like about the song in fact is that it feels like a typical K-Pop song. This sounds strange. But hear me out. Over the years SM entertainment have given BoA songs which have tried to steer away from K-Pop tropes and have felt firmly westernised or ended up as odd fusions. But BoA and Slave Monger entertainment have collectively embraced the fact that she is a K-Pop star in every sense with "Nega dola". A bitch even raps. I should drag BoA for being so basic. But basic works just fine for her here. Or maybe the bar for BoA's music is just that low following on from the likes of "Camo", which was fucking terrible.
BoA looks great in the video across her multitude of looks. Although I do wish SM and BoA herself would settle on a look and a visual template which feels distinctly hers. The same inconsistencies that BoA has in her music run throughout her visuals too. I'm not expecting BoA to stay with the same hair, the same types of outfits and the exact same looks for years on end (Shout outs to Namie Amuro). But after close to 20 years in the game, there's not a look I truly identify with BoA in the same way that CL has a look. Ga-in has a look. Lee Hyori has a look. SM are still playing 'let's throw shit at the wall and see what sticks' with BoA and they should be way past that point now.
BoA album reviews: The Face | BoA | Identity | Hurricane Venus
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