BoA rocks out with “Forgive Me”

BoA shot in close-up, looking into the camera, wearing light red eye shadow. Stood amongst a group of women all wearing white white brimmed hats.

SM Entertainment are like the Marvel Studios of K-Pop. They just be having everything release one after the other, trying to have everything be part of that Kwangya foolishness, with nothing getting enough promo or enough of a window to really have its moment. So, of course a new BoA song and mini album just comes and goes. BoA has been getting a lot of short straws at SM when it comes to promo, placements, and support in the midst of non-scandals. But at least she is getting the good treatment when it comes to her music, which appears to be the one thing she is actually in control of. So I guess that’s the trade off.

Nothing BoA has been releasing since “Only One” has been getting the widespread recognition or success they deserved. “Kiss My Lips” was not only one of BoA’s best songs, but one of the best songs of 2015. Yet fans and the whole of K-pop seemed to hate it. “Better” was a highlight of 2020, and more of the BoA fans wanted. Yet it didn’t really do anything. Then the scandal pulled the plug on all of the promo for the song and album. And now here comes BoA with another great song, that I know SM won’t push the way it deserves to be, despite it being a song which could really do things.

I was not expecting this sound from BoA. This sound is usually reserved for the boy bands. So it’d be cool to hear something this edgy from BoA again, and more of SM’s girl groups.

Everything about the song gets a thumbs up from me. My only problem with “Forgive Me” is with its music video.

BoA dancing with her dancers, on a soundstage set built to look like a street alleyway at sunset. BoA is wearing black. Her dancers are all wearing light stonewashed denim.

I get that BoA is a dancer. But not every video needs to feature a routine. And if the routine isn’t gonna feature a memorable moment that’s easy to mimic, or it’s not going to showcase BoA as a dancer in any way, then what really is the point? As was the case with “Better”, the routine looks much better in the dance rehearsal video then it does in the music video, because you can see the entire thing without the crazy K-pop zoom-ins, random shots of BoA lying on sand, and editing chopping the routine to shreds.

I really wanted to see BoA be a rock chick. There shoulda been hair whips, head bangs, BoA smashing guitars, BoA with a band. The visuals should have leaned all the way into the sound.

BoA looked GOOD in that black dress. But she shoulda been doing more than just standing and serving face. She shoulda been fucking up that dinner table, and making a mess whilst everybody just sat still. There’s nothing about the music video which truly ties into to the sound of the song, and it creates a disconnect. This video could have been for any number of BoA’s songs. Nothing about it feels tied to “Forgive Me”. It’s like a mish-mash of “Eat You Up”, “Game”, “The Shadow” and “Camo”.

BoA lying on a dining table, wearing a black dress, as women in white dresses and white wide brimmed hats sit around her.

This song has so much potential to do things for BoA, and hit a worldwide audience; especially across Europe. We love a good pop / rock song. And there’s an easy way to help the song gain traction over here. Have somebody at SM to pick up the phone and get Rina Sawayama on this song. I think having BoA and Rina record a Japanese AND an English version of this song, and shooting a video together could do suttin’ y’all. I truly do.

But SM won’t do anything with this song. So I guess that’s already that. And it’s a shame, because “Forgive Me” is great.

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BoA rocks out with “Forgive Me”

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