(Left to Right: SuBin, Serri, AhYoung, JiYeul, Vikki, GaEun/ 수빈, 술이, 아영, 지율, 비기, 가은)
After Dal Shabet's debut song Supa Dupa Diva and their following songs (Pink Rocket and Bling Bling) I was thoroughly shocked to see this strong, fierce and even sexy concept. From the beginning Dal Shabet has come out with a cute concept and the public has begun to see them as a cute group.
Hit U was released on January 26, 2012 with an astonishing video starring Dal Shabet's member JiYeul who acted as the lover to an irresponsible man who played with her heart and then tried to foolishly get her back. His actions ended up with JiYeul responding in the most dramatic of ways by storming down the hallways to his home and shooting him multiple times in the chest (source: allkpop: Dal Shabet reveals MV for "Hit U").
The music video was a bit laughable considering that the men that JiYeul shot were bleeding Pepto Bismol coloured blood, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The girls came back with fierce new looks that left more than a few netizens with bulging eyes.
We had Vikki (Dal Shabet's strong leader) came back with a dazzling new hair style that flowed beautifully past her shoulders and framed her flawless face in an endearing manner. Serri shocked me to the full with her daring short hair that I found didn't really suit her all that well. Considering she already had a squirrel-like face, the new cut just accentuated the odd formation of her face. AhYoung's new hairdo made her already large eyes really pop out which was odd when I first watched through the video but because she didn't get all that much screen time I didn't notice her much. JiYeul was dazzling with her classy look while GaEun totally gave me goosebumps with her short hair cut. Her petite frame was accented with the tight outfit she wore and her almond eyes were perfectly balanced with her high cheek bones and perfect make-up. And finally SuBin moved away from her innocent image and came with this bold look that left her blending with the group while still standing out (because it's hard not to stand out when the maknae is taller than all her group mates).
Take a look at their new looks below:
Name: Viki
Position: Leader/rapper
Birthday: March 3, 1988
Name: Serri
Position: Vocals
Birthday: September 16, 1990
Name: AhYoung
Position: Vocals
Birthday: May 26, 1991
Name: JiYeul
Position: Vocals
Birthday: July 30, 1991
Name: GaEun
Position: Vocals/sub-rapper
Birthday: July 28, 1992
Name: SuBin
Position: Maknae/vocals
Birthday: February 12, 1984
The music started off strong and not like the cute bells and chimes of Supa Dupa Diva or Bling Bling. As soon as the set came into view we were surprised with a dark, sexy look that left people salivating at the screen.
The dance was powerful and very energetic and the vocals were just as superb. Although the music video was very endearing to me personally, I found that their live performances were not as powerful as the actual video.
Take a look at a few of their debut showcases here:
The first song they performed (Fire It Up) wasn't all that powerful and I actually found myself snoozing through it and fast forwarding to their performance of Hit U. The original audio isn't all that creative either which only makes it more of a bore in my eyes. The live performance for Hit U however, I found it to be decent compared to other performances they did. I personally favour Dal Shabet's Supa Dupa Diva live performance because of its vibrant outfits and catchy chorus.
Don't get me wrong, though, I find Hit U has a terribly catchy chorus and I find myself singing it all the time, I just wish the dance and performance was as catchy as the song. I guess it just proves that media can make anything look good.
In total, I would give this song and music video a rating of 8/10 because although Dal Shabet and their entertainment company took a daring leap away from the cutesy image they'd built up for themselves, they still lacked a bit of originality with regards to the video and what not. I just feel like the Korean industry has been repeating the same drama type things for their kpop music videos and they should start creating something that doesn't involve killing one's partner.
It deserves the eight, though, because it does bring about a new flavour to the girls that most fans weren't anticipating and as much as the performances aren't as enticing as I hoped them to be, the song does get stuck in my head and I'm sure everyone enjoys the new look that the girls are now adorning.
As usual, check out some renditions of this song by some of my favourite YouTube artists:
Vocal Covers (Solo):
Vocal Covers (Group):
Dance Covers (Solo):
Dance Covers (Group):
Remixes:
(More to come...)
