Kpop Review: 3YE's "Yessir"

This powerful, yet underrated trio is back with their first mini album to show everyone who's boss! A rookie group that's quickly gaining traction, 3YE is definitely a group to look out for.

The Song:

I am always surprised by how much I end up liking 3YE's music. While their two previous singles "DMT (Do Ma Thing)" and "OOMM (Out Of My Mind)" were absolute bangers with them being rookies from a small company, there's always a part of me that assumes I'm going to be disappointed by one of their releases. It's important to remember that everyone has to start somewhere and I think these girls are going places for sure!

The vocals of this group admittedly aren't the strongest. They're good, but don't really have any effect on me one way or another in most of their songs. Their rappers are insanely talented though! Leader Yuji's rap skills in particular always impress me. Her flow is so fast and fit so well with this song, I loved it.

This is an anthemic song perfect for pumping yourself up and making you feel like a badass. The lyrics are about not being willing to settle for a man that isn't who he says he is and isn't going to treat them right - probably a message we all need to hear from time to time! While I do not speak Korean and translations to English can only be so reliable, I think there were some really clever lines in this song that I enjoyed. The lyrics aren't the typical lines you hear in every girl group song and it's part of what sets them apart.

Favorite Song from Triangle: "On Air"

While I did say that their vocals aren't the strongest, I do think this song does a good job at showcasing them. I think this lighter, more melodic type of song helps more in that area rather than the harder rap sound that they usually do. "On Air" also allowed the group to show a different side of themselves, to show that they can do hard-hitting songs and typical pop-sounding songs and do them both well.

The Music Video:

One of my (many) favorite things about kpop is following a group from its debut and watching them improve as time goes on. 3YE is definitely one of those groups that just seems to get better and better with each comeback. Their music video for "Yessir" is a marked improvement from their debut and I only expect the quality to continue to get higher and higher.

What I love about 3YE, is that their concepts involve themes that are typically only used by boy groups. For example, this music video had elements like weapons, rage, and other powerful imagery that is not often seen in girl group videos. I think this aspect of the group is very effective and unique - we love to see powerful women!

Similar to their concepts, 3YE's choreography also implements moves that are usually reserved for male dancers. It is a bit difficult for me to explain, but if you're a kpop fan then you know that there is often quite the distinction between male and female choreography. While they are more masculine than many girl groups, I think they do all this without losing any of their femininity. They represent the duality of women everywhere: they're beautiful and powerful and graceful and tough and none of those qualities are mutually exclusive.

3YE is the type of girl group that we have not seen in far too long. In a lot of ways, they remind me of older groups like 2ne1 and 4minute; not afraid to break boundaries and set themselves apart from the typical or the popular, tough and soft at the same time. Do yourself a favor and look into this group before they make it big!