On March 4, 2021, following school bullying allegations by former classmates, K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE member Soojin disappeared from the public eye. A combination of indecisive statements from her record label and her subsequent departure from the group five months later left fans unable to agree on whether or not the accusations were true.

Fans were pleasantly shocked when she teased her return to the entertainment industry in October 2023 after signing with a new record label. 아가씨, stylized as AGASSY, means “young woman” in Korean, and was released on November 8, 2023 as Soojin’s debut EP as a solo artist. The album symbolizes her rebirth as an artist and “revealed a different side of her,” as Soojin told Xport News in an interview.

I never kept up with (G)I-DLE even before Soojin’s departure and only briefly heard about the scandal. However, my interest was piqued when I heard a snippet of her new title track on Tiktok and I decided to give the 14 minute EP a chance. I was immediately sold. AGASSY perfectly matches my music taste; although it might be a little basic, all the songs are both catchy and compliment her voice perfectly. There are definitely some songs I love more than others, but I think they are all worth a listen.

Flowering
100/10

This song is my absolute favorite from the album, and my only complaint is that it’s too short at only 1 minute 3 seconds. I love the echoey vocal effect in contrast with the emptier string instrumental. The song feels like being bathed in the warm sun of the early morning, which is very fitting since the song describes a flower blooming in sunlight. I usually don’t gravitate towards intros because I feel like they’re a cop-out for artists that can’t come up with another full length song, but I’ve found myself listening to this song the most on this EP. I just know that if this were a full length song, it would’ve been a strong contender for my top song of the year.

AGASSY
8.5/10

Soojin embraces her previous sultry image when she was a (G)I-DLE member with the title track, AGASSY. The music video for this song firmly established the floral theme this EP has, as the video contains many shots of Soojin framed by a variety of flowers. Although not necessary, I suggest watching the music video when listening to the song for the first time as it elevated my personal experience. Soojin is a talented singer but her expertise lies in dancing, which is showcased well through her precise and elegant movements in the video.

The use of empty choruses made the song a little repetitive for me, but I did enjoy the dance break towards the end of the song. However, I feel like she could’ve used the space to introduce some variety to the melody rather than something similar to the chorus. Overall, the song and concept are both eye-catching and visually pleasing, which are necessary components to draw the public’s attention for a debut.

Sunflower
8/10

Sunflower is a peppy song about an exciting romance where the singer likens her rapidly blooming feelings to a sunflower growing in her heart. I love the catchy melody, and if this song were on literally any other album, it might be my favorite, but this EP just has too many good songs. In contrast to my previous critique, I actually like the emptier chorus in Sunflower, as I think it matches the vibe of the song well. Overall, it’s a cute song and I think fans of pop music will enjoy this one.

TyTy
10/10

Out of all the songs on this EP, this song got stuck in my head the most. I found myself humming the chorus “You always give good love to me, ty, ty” often without even realizing it. I will admit that it took me a little bit to realize that “TyTy” meant ‘thank you” as I’ve never heard someone pronounce it as “tie” before. Soojin sings about how grateful she is to someone and how she wants to be able to depend on each other and be together for all of eternity. The vocal effects used in this song were kind of similar to Flowering, which I liked. Soojin shows off her clear vocals in this fun song with a super addicting earworm of a chorus.

SUNSET
7/10

SUNSET is Soojin’s personal favorite from AGASSY. Ironically, it’s also my least favorite, not because it’s a bad song by any stretch of the phrase, but simply because the other songs on this EP are too good. SUNSET is a calm R&B song about watching the sun set as an analogy for the joy Soojin feels when meeting fans. At this point in the album, Soojin has firmly established her sound as a solo artist and this song fits her style well. However, there wasn’t anything too standout about this song to me, other than the fact that it’s in a lower register than the rest of the EP, bringing in a slightly new sound.

bloodredroses
20/10

The final song on AGASSY is a gentle ballad about the pain after the end of a relationship. Although the song’s literal meaning is likely about romantic love, I interpreted this song to also be about Soojin’s feelings about her scandal and departure from (G)I-DLE. Soojin reminisces on the memories but also the pain she felt, while talking about how she will “embrace the blooming her” and become a red rose that doesn’t wither away.

From this song, I could sense her determination to rebuild herself and this debut marked the start of her “blooming again.” This song felt both sad and nostalgic to me, and I think her soft voice helps to convey the feeling of longing. Not only did I like the meaning of this song but also enjoyed it from a musical standpoint. I feel the vocal effects used helped elevate the sound, especially the layering of Soojin’s vocals.