Why It's Trending Wednesday: Baek Ah Yeon - "Shouldn't Have..."

The song "Shouldn't Have" has been trending on all Korean music portals for a number of weeks. This fact has frustrated some members of other fandoms, as their favorite groups or singers have had comebacks and even if they take over the #1 spot for a few hours or so, this one takes it over again pretty quickly.

The song itself is a mid-tempo song about heartbreak, realizations, and "shouldn't haves." Unlike most idol single releases (I'm sorry to burst any bubbles), it is self-composed by Baek Ah Yeon, it's heartfelt, and it's a song that can not only everyone relate to, but can sing along to, and I think that's part of its appeal.

In addition, this song reminds me of IU's "Meaning of You," a song that was never really promoted, but you can pretty much bet almost everyone in Korea has heard at least once. That song that, despite the lack of promotion and the fact that it was released 13 months ago, is STILL on the Top 100 on the Korean charts (#66 on Naver, #93 on Melon, and #89 on Gaon) at the time of writing.

I am definitely not saying that Baek Ah Yeon was looking to copy IU, what I mean by similar is the sound. It's easy-listening. It's a song that bridges the usual gap between the young and old; it has enough pop, but isn't a pop song, if that makes sense. By doing this, the audience becomes much wider, and the success is larger.

Despite its trend status however, JYP really dropped the ball on this one. Granted, I don't think anyone could have expected this song to do as well as it has and is, but even with JYP giants 2PM coming back, their previously little-known labelmate is taking the spotlight and isn't giving it up. Thankfully, since this song is better than 2PM's.

Check out the MV below!