Greatest Hits:: Tempest: Bad News
Come one, come all to the latest addition that proves I either hate myself or just want to see myself suffer! As I said in the hub page, K-Pop has a lot of songs out there. So many, in fact, that I think it's worth revisiting some blasts from the past. So without further ado, we're going to go not very far back to 2022 to a debut song from a 4th Gen boy group. And, quite frankly, it's hilarious to me that The Wheel chose a March debut for me, since that is the majority of my first favorite groups and the first three groups I saw in person were all March debuts as well.
It's a thing with me.
So, Bad News is Tempest's debut song, which is delightful. We have some lyricists who didn't help compose it, but all of the composers helped write it, so we're going to check out them first and then the solo lyricists. First up is G-High, who has some very interesting groups under his belt. EXO, Everglow, LOONA, RIIZE, Red Velvet, Pristin, those are all somewhat normal. But you know who I also see? S.E.S, so he's been around for a while. Next up, Inner Child, who has worked on songs for the likes of Stray Kids, MAMAMOO, GOT7, ONEUS, VAV, NU'EST (my boys!), TO1, and Vanner. Last of the combination composer/lyricists is Jozu, who is at PRISMFILTER and has worked with Seventeen and some of their members as soloists, JustB, Lucy, and Luminous. The solo lyricists are both members of Tempest: Lew and Hwarang! Very exciting for them!
- Group: Tempest
- Debut Date: 2022 March 02
- Company: Yuehua Entertainment
- Status: Active
- Album: It's ME, It's WE
- Song: Bad News
- Release Date: 2022 March 02
I'm deeply entertained by the fact that I get to take a look at this debut. I love debuts. They really lay out the vibe for where a group is starting from. Obviously, groups change over the years as the members mature and as sounds change, but for most groups, their debut song is what the fans have to look forward to for a while.
Bad News bursts onto the scene with a funky guitar, boisterous energy, and a lot of confidence, although a tempest is generally not something you want to be caught in generally. It's...bad news, if you will. However, I'm also so distracted by the fact that they're adorable. With the amount of confidence in the lyrics, you'd expect something edgier or more swaggy, but instead we got mischievous punks that just want to play. It's a very fun song, with a good mix of vocals and rapping, and in the context of when they debuted, their generation marked by the dark and intense performances of Tomorrow x Together, THE BOYZ, Stray Kids, Enhypen, Treasure, and ATEEZ, this song puts them a step apart from their peers, something that's important in a saturated market. It actually ended up heralding the upcoming wave of fresh and bright concepts with the later debuts of the generation. Or the next generation. I have no idea. I do find it wildly hilarious that this song is called "Bad News" and it's so brightly saturated. Every color pops and there's literally paint splashing all over towards the end. Even when they're in the black and white monochrome, they're still so bright, which is a fascinating contradiction.
This is just a fun song. It's taken seriously, but it's not serious. The lighthearted, fun of the song remind me a little of early Seventeen, if Seventeen had done a title track that wasn't about love. It also reminds me a little of Astro. But mostly it reminds me of the older brother of xikers and TWS. Bad News has the playful spunk of xikers with the cheerful softness of TWS. It's actually a pretty cool combination that functions fairly well as a transition piece between the two styles of the dark and edgy vs the bright and fresh.
The spot where they're almost whisper rapping works so well because it lets the song have a strong range of sounds and textures, especially with what it is sandwiched between as those two sections are a lot more melodic.
And Hyuk's high note? That's really impressive. Ooh, I love to hear it.
And the spot where the lyrics switch from the "Here comes bad news!" to "Here comes Tempest!" is a really clever way to insert the group name into a song (something I love), which is especially nice in a debut song, while also interrupting the established rhythm so that you actually pay attention to their name. It's so clever.
This is one of those songs that just immediately sets my feet to tapping, and although they aren't currently on the ground, that isn't stopping from wiggle dancing to the music.
Also, fun fact, the thumbnail shows up very early in the music video.
This is a celebration for fans of Hanbin. It really is. I'm assuming most of his early fans came from his time on I-Land, but they're all very excited to see him still smiling and still happy despite everything. And I'm really happy for him too in that regard. The whole group looks like they're having such a fun time. It's also cute that they all got a chance to ending fairy.
This performance was literally the day after they debuted. They're so smiley. I recognize that's kind of the concept, but they're so smiley that you kind of have to smile with them. The rookie energy is strong, not that they're any less polished because they're synced up, they're not stiff with nerves, and they're doing a good job of following the camera.
There's a lot of white being worn, which makes them standout really well against the somewhat visually loud background. The stage design and the stylists did an excellent job here.
They're adorable. Look at them. They're having so much fun. And I'm hearing some tell-tale signs of live vocals in occasional breathiness, breathing, and not quite hitting every note, which makes me very excited! There are also cute little woops periodically, which is so genuinely endearing. Plus, they've got that freshly debuted, bright concept glow radiating off them.
The benefit of a Music Bank stage addition is we get not just the lyrics, but we get the name of who is singing. I kind of feel like you're going to get tired of me talking about how cute they are, but you know what? This is such a perfect debut for the time period and for a group to be able to channel all of that excitement. Over a week after debut, and they're still riding it so well.
This one is from The Show still during that first week of promotions. Hanbin gets the ending fairy for this one! And he flirts and winks and is just generally a total cutie patootie. Though they're all so smiley and joyful, his specific joy is something to behold.
And if you notice, up at the top, it says that they were a The Show Choice Nominee, which is super impressive for a rookie group that isn't from one of the bigger companies.
And also, because I really like this version because it's the pure choreography without fluff or fancy camera angles or exaggeration, this is the dance practice version. It's almost like getting to see it live and in person, on the internet, and somehow this version without getting the close-ups, makes the whole group even cuter. They're adorable, and this choreography does not look particularly easy. It's genuinely mesmerizing watching the different parts and members move and shift and change positions.
They've also got some adorable hops in this choreography during the chorus and pre-chorus. And if you notice, when they sing the line about rolling the dice, the choreography matches it. That's a good detail. Well-done to the choreographer(s). And they wobble at the end, which is adorable and kind of funny.
It's just a high energy song, you know? But it's just. So. Cute.
Thanks for reading this very first of the Greatest Hits posts! I hope you enjoyed getting to know this song like I did! And if you want me to cover a song you really love, it can be a title track to go here in the Greatest Hits series or a b-side to go into the Battle of the B-Sides. Leave a comment for me, or you can use The Form!
Hope to see you soon!
Thank you again!
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