It’s been about two years, maybe more, since I got into k-pop. I like the music and, I must admit, the whole style and super cute boys and girls are a big plus. At first I got interested in the bigger groups, of course, but I didn’t want to be limited by that. And one of my friends, the one who recommended me most groups, also recommended me A.C.E.
Now, I usually need some time to get into new music. This means that I first listen to a couple of songs, tell myself I don’t like them, and then go back and listen to the same songs, or a few different ones, and can’t stop listening. This happened with A.C.E. too. The song that got me to fall completely in love with them is “Callin'” though. Their title tracks are really powerful, and I would say that, in theory, I’m not really into that. Or I wasn’t. When I first got into k-pop I wasn’t that much into the whole dancing thing either, while now I like it more.
Point is, at the start I thought their music wouldn’t be my thing. Then I listened to Callin‘, which is maybe sweeter than other songs from them, and I decided to try listening to more of their music. I think it was also the song that made Wow my bias, with Jun. (I’m saying this, but it’s actually so hard choosing a bias among them, they’re all incredibly sweet and nice and good-looking.) (Yes, I’m shallow like that.)
Their latest comeback with the Siren:Dawn album showed yet another side of them. While with “Favorite Boys”, last year’s comeback, they showed us a strong side of them, with a lot of rap and an innovative fashion given by the mix between traditional Korean hanbok and modern clothes; through “Higher”, the title track from Siren:Dawn, we get to see a more ethereal style, starting from the silky, see-through outfits often crowned with pearls, to their dreamy vocals. And of course, their dance moves, which are just as spectacular as always.
I’m also a sucker for sirens and sea-related concepts, so I’ll admit that this comeback was basically made for me.
But the thing that shocked me the most about them is their side tracks. You usually know that a group’s title tracks are good, or the best they can get, but when I started listening to their side tracks… There were so many I liked even more than the title tracks. I was both taken aback and amazed. For example, when I listened to “Slow Dive” for the first time (it was basically by mistake in a random playlist) I had to check who was singing and then I listened to it again for an embarrassing number of times. And even now, it’s one of those songs that when it comes on I have to drop everything else and listen.
One of my favourites is also “Clover.” As with “Slow Dive,” I have to listen to it when it comes on. And I’m one of those people who does literally anything with background music, so it’s almost a problem. [I’m also writing this with an A.C.E. playlist as background music, for the record.]
Their Japanese song “My Lover” is also fantastic. I’m picky when it comes to songs in Japanese by singers who aren’t Japanese, because studying Japanese makes me focus on their accent and so on, and kinda ruins it for me, but this song and how they sing it is absolutely amazing.
I would say I wrote enough, but I really need to talk about one last thing. When I got into A.C.E., after listening to “Callin'”, I went ahead and basically stalked their whole YouTube channel, because it’s what I do every time I get into a new singer or group. And it struck me how good their covers were. They covered songs whose original version I didn’t even like, and yet their covers were amazing and I still listen to them to this day. Like, how?!
In conclusion, A.C.E. isn’t one of the biggest groups out there, but their music is absolutely amazing and they deserve a chance from every single one of you. And they’re also amazing people, with a great company to back them up and help them be their best self, which I do think should be acknowledged.
Valentina Linardi (she/her) holds a degree in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation from University of Milan. Her writing has been published in Square Wheel Press and in The Hearth Magazine. She’s usually busy studying new languages, reading, or oversharing about everything and more on her
website – valentinalinardi.com. You can find her on Twitter at @Valentina_L1997.