Lee Chaeyeon’s run in the K-pop industry has been nothing short of trials and tribulations. From joining K-pop star at 11 with her sister, to competing at SIXTEEN (the survival show that birthed TWICE) only to get eliminated early, later leaving JYP entertainment in order to ensure her sister can make her debut in ITZY, competing in PRODUCE 48 and debuting in IZ*ONE, forcibly disbanded, left in the basement of WM Entertainment for almost 2 years- until she took everyone by surprise by debuting as a solo artist. After going through so much, I sincerely wish her all the success in the world.
In terms of music, I was not impressed by her debut title track ‘Hush Rush’, but the album contained several strong b-sides. With her latest comeback ‘Knock’, it seems like I have no choice but to keep a constant eye on her. It is easily one of the best K-pop albums the whole year. Even though all the b-sides are strong, I decided that I would choose to write about only one of them as there are too many songs I plan to review (K-pop has been sounding GREAT lately).
‘Knock’ was written with a clear vision of what it wanted to be- a dance track with a very memorable hook both melody-wise and production-wise, perfect for tik-tok challenges. Chaeyeon is in a difficult position at the moment, being a new solo artist who has yet to establish herself, and given how much more difficult it is for a solo artist to gain popularity compared to a group, she needed to crush the competition and milk the most of her strengths. In her short time in IZ*ONE, she managed to establish a reputation as the best female dancer in the 4th generation, and she has only worked hard to keep on improving. Knock was able to show her at her very best, and I think it is a big success.
If anything, its hook might wear itself out over repeated listens to some people, especially if you view her TikTok challenges often, but I think that the song as a whole managed to be appealing enough to come back to once in a while thanks to dynamic and well-executed production that both fuelled the track and gave spotlight to its performer.
I was never one to appreciate Chaeyeon’s vocal ability in IZONE, even though she indeed sounded a lot better than most vocalists in Produce 48, but it is mainly because she focused on her dancing the most. Now as a solo artist, it is clear that she has been working quite hard to imbue her artistic identity into the songs she sings and performs through her vocal delivery. While this effort is more obvious in the b-sides, I still like the the flairs she put into singing ‘Knock’, most notably in the pre-chorus, which makes it very memorable. She put in the work and should be commended.
All in all, ‘Knock’ was a solid title track that did what it sought to do, and quite well. Even though several of the b-sides in the album are arguably stronger, ‘Knock’ still stands strong on its own.
Hooks – 9
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 9
If I had to describe ‘I don’t want to know’ in one word, I would say ‘stellar’. Almost never before has the phonk genre been done in K-pop, and its producers sure made one hell of a song.
It opens with an almost 50 second instrumental, which is very atypical of a K-pop song. But with an instrumental so exciting, dynamic, and cathartic, it is easy to forgive the fact that Chaeyeon herself had done nothing in the song up to the point.
An approach focused on the instrumental can truly backfire if the performer gets overpowered by the song itself, but Chayeon truly showed her hardworking and effort to develop her artistic flair and it is on full display in her vocal delivery here. She was able to stand strong in the face of such an overpowering instrumental. Few are able to accomplish such a feat. Chaeyeon showed her prowess and sheer potential she has as a solo artist, and I’m glad she was able to prove my doubts (on her being able to hold her own solo) wrong. Well done Chaeyeon. Well done producers. Well done. 🙂
Even if the song does not have the strongest hooks out there, I can easily forgive this for the sheer power of the interesting and unique instrumental and Chaeyeon’s vocal delivery. This is truly, one of the best K-pop songs to come out this year.
Hooks – 8
Production – 11
Vocal Delivery – 10
Rap Delivery – 10
Overall – 9.75
K-pop Evaluated 
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