Jisoo’s K-pop solo album “Amortage” starts off like an explosion. It begins with an upbeat rhythm to draw the listener in, then slows down at the end with softer vocals and a slower beat.

“Boy in Luv” by BTS is quite similar; it’s popular and has a reminiscent feeling and effect about what love is to them.

The album continues Jisoo’s pursuit of a solo career rather than the group she usually works with, BLACKPINK. 

Her lead track, “Earthquake,” shakes listeners into paying attention, especially through its emotion. It’s sung in both Korean and English, and the lyrics still manage to make a huge impact, even if not fully understandable to the listener. For example, Jisoo says “neol bujeonghal su eobsge,” which means, “I can’t deny you.” This single lyric reveals what Jisoo has been trying to say throughout the whole song: love is hard and undeniable.

The “Earthquake” music video is vivid and cinematic. It shows slow-motion moments of what Jisoo wants to highlight powerfully and what the song truly means to her, creating something visually pleasing. For example, the music video shows Jisoo in an interrogation room when suddenly the room explodes by a car, which starts the upbeat song. The song is meant to portray the stages of love through Jisoo’s eyes. According to Her Campus, the relationship that Jisoo talks about is a crush.

Next is “Your Love,” a calm, English-language track about loving someone so deeply that it hurts. The meaning is clear through the lyrics and the composition made using the beat of the song. Though, the theme feels slightly unoriginal compared to the emotional intensity of “Earthquake.” For example, “Stay” by BTS sounds similar with the same elements and view of love. Overall, the song has a rather slow cadence that creates a deeper connection to the singer.

“Tears” takes a quieter approach, revealing a softer, more vulnerable side of Jisoo. It’s slower, but the subtle hook keeps it from fading into the background. Then, the album closes with “Hugs & Kisses,” a colorful song with beats that lighten up the mood.

Released on Valentine’s Day of 2025, “Amortage” earned top 50 of the Billboard Global 200 and South Korea’s Circle Digital Chart, proving Jisoo is more than just a member of BLACKPINK. In just four songs, she explores soft, strong, sad and bold moods all by herself.

However, Jisoo would improve by experimenting with other lyrics in her next project. She often repeats “your love’s all I need,” particularly in “Your Love.” A change of lyrics could make more vivid imagery for the listener, such as, saying “your love is bright to me” instead of repeating the same phrase time and time again. While Jisoo leads the charge for now, other artists are making waves in other music genres.

Country singer Maddox Baston tells a different kind of love story in his single “Girl in Green.” Instead of being a typical country love song such as “Forever and Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis and “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett, Baston focuses on a single moment where true love begins.

The lyrics are simple and easy to remember, and the beat seems like a romantic part of a movie because of how light it is. Baston creates a difference between the other two stories by creating a feeling of love and hate in the same song with lyrics, rather than singing about how deeply in love the artist is with someone.

Baston’s calm and soothing voice resulted in millions of views across platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music, but the production stays on the safe side and could use more variety to make it stand out even more.

Alternative-pop artist Adrian Lyles takes a self-reflective route in “King of Everything,” a track that starts off with soft vocals but later builds in energy slowly. The music video tells a story of never giving up.

Actually, the music video reveals Lyles going through tons of competition such as boxing, running and even arm wrestling. But then he trains, gets stronger and comes back to win. The song doesn’t instantly show how Lyles is perfect, but instead shows effort and growth, resulting in Lyles’s potential in being the best at what he does in the music video.

From upcoming K-pop to rising country storytellers and alt-pop thinkers, these artists prove that no matter the genre, music can still shake the ground.