After a hiatus that lasted for over a year, the loss of 2 members and the addition of 2 new ones, cignature have returned with their second EP "Dear Diary Moment". Since their debut in 2020, J9 Entertainment's sole girl group have been on quite a rollercoaster ride of a journey thus far. Even with the changes in the group's concepts, a constant is the whimsical nature of their title tracks. Now, with the release of latest title Boyfriend, cignature have once again changed things up, this time in a far more drastic way. Let's dive in.
Meaning: Boyfriend is a surprisingly messed up song, telling a story of a girl in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend constantly toys with her feelings. Although the girls sing about how this boyfriend is "bad" and "selfish", they'll always stay as a couple because he always does the right things at the critical moment. Things like "[soothing them] when [they] get angry and cry" or using "kind words" when the girls think that their relationship has come to an end, it's clear to anyone that the guy is manipulating their emotions.
Even if the "whole world curses" at them, the girls still "want [their boyfriend] like a fool", believing that others "don't really know [him]" and that he's "rough on the outside but not like that on the inside". This is a classic scenario of people in toxic relationships, where a person continues to stay in the relationship because they believe their partner isn't really like that, even if they know something's clearly not right. It's a very sad story and I'm quite surprised cignature went for a theme like that since it's drastically different from anything they've done in the past.
MV: In line with Boyfriend's meaning, the MV paints a picture of a girl (portrayed by all the members) scorned and ghosted by her, well, boyfriend. The first half depicts some of the members patiently waiting for him to presumably show up for a date but of course, they're left hanging. The MV opens with lead vocal Belle reading text messages from her boyfriend, telling her that he can't make their date because he's with friends and promising to see her "next time". It then cuts to new maknae Dohee sitting alone at a table piled high with sweet treats, the centerpiece of which is a birthday cake, evidence that her boyfriend is a no-show at her birthday. We also see lead rapper Seline sitting next to and constantly picking up a telephone receiver in anticipation for her boyfriend's call but naturally, nothing happens.
The MV changes the plot as it progresses, with the girls realising that they're being neglected and start expressing their frustration, including by trashing their surroundings (like with center Jeewon messing around with a washing machine or lead dancer Semi pouring paint over marble busts). Although clearly unhappy with their boyfriends, the members still hold onto a glimmer of hope, constantly glancing at their phones in a bid to receive a message that'll never come. Ultimately, they give up on waiting decide to leave their boyfriends behind, perfectly expressed by Seline cutting the telephone line linking her and her boo. At the end of the MV, scenes of the girls having fun riding off into the sunset are interspersed with shots of them with serene faces, no longer worried about waiting around for that call or message.
Rather than completely focus on the song's message about toxic relationships, the MV adopts a more empowering vibe and this is brought across in the set pieces as well. The storyline shots primarily show the girls individually, with varying background sets and props that the members interact with, which help to bring across the song's meaning. Of course, apart from storyline shots, we also get the usual group dance shots, which are split between a darker and brighter set piece. I think it's an interesting creative choice to go with these contrasting sets because it sort of represents the emotions of a girl scorned by her boyfriend. The bright set piece represents how they're hoping for a miracle while the dark set piece represents their frustrations.
Styling: While the girls are dressed in unique outfits in their solo shots, I want to focus on cignature's group dance outfits. These outfits correspond to the respective set pieces, lighter ones for the brighter set and black ones for the dark set. The lighter outfits are very reminiscent of their styling from ASSA's MV, which was primarily white. In Boyfriend's case, the girls are dressed in white tops and grey sweatpants, invoking a very sporty look. This is further accentuated by some of the members' hair accessories, such as Seline's grey beanie and Jeewon's white headband. These lighter outfits feel very fun and youthful, which I think fits the MV's concept very well, especially when the girls are more carefree near the end. The second dance outfit (and also my preferred one) are the black outfits, which are a lot more mature and sensual. This is very much in line with the melancholic tone of the song and also fits the overall darker concept, all while accentuating the girls' visuals.
In the past I've had gripes about cignature's styling, both in terms of dress styles and hairstyles, but the girls look stunning this comeback. I have no complaints at all and I think they look amazing, especially in the black outfits (special mention to Jeewon). While not necessarily about styling, I do want to point out that cignature is one of the few girl groups out there where all the members look "healthy". Oftentimes with girl groups, some if not most of the members look overly skinny but cignature's members don't fall prey to that. Even the skinnier members like visual Chaesol or Seline aren't that skinny, and I think it's great that the girls aren't totally conforming to the unrealistic K-Pop idol beauty standard in an unhealthy manner. Their styling team has done a good job picking outfits that look good on their figures so huge props to them as well.
Song: If it wasn't clear enough by now, Boyfriend is very different from cignature's previous titles and that's due in no small part to its tempo. This is their slowest-paced title yet, even compared to ASSA, and it works well with the song's concept. Boyfriend is their first title to not have a whimsical undertone and is far more muted. With a softer instrumental, the girls' vocals are able to shine through and take center stage. This in stark contrast to previous titles, which had loud instrumentals.
The choice of such a concept for their latest comeback is quite unique and isn't something that happens often in the K-Pop industry now. This is a good way for the group to reinvent themselves and find a new sound. Personally, I think this song is very similar to Red Velvet's Psycho, both songs having the same slow instrumental that focuses more on vocals. Unfortunately, I'm not really a fan of this kind of music so Boyfriend isn't my favourite cignature title (that honour goes to debut title Nun Nu Nan Na). In fact, I think their B-side from this EP, My Diary, is superior to Boyfriend, and I wish that had been the title instead.
Overall, if you're someone who prefers a slow burn of a song, you'll enjoy Boyfriend a lot more. If not, it might be a bit too different for your taste.
Line distribution: cignature's line-up has undergone some changes that have left the members' positions somewhat up to debate. With that in mind, I would say Boyfriend's line distribution kind of follows a similar pattern to the group's previous titles, where there's a huge disparity between first and last place but the difference between individual members isn't that big. Coming in first place we have Semi at just under 25%, almost a quarter of the lines to herself. This isn't new territory for her since she was first in ASSA as well but as a sub-vocal, this is pretty impressive. That said, I think recent developments have shown us that she's certainly stepping up to become the group's new main vocal, replacing Ye Ah. Her vocals are quite good and I'm glad she gets to flaunt them here.
Our first runners-up is Belle at slightly over 17% and close behind her is Chaesol at slightly under 17%. Belle's lines have fluctuated over time, having been in the top 3 for two titles but second from the bottom in ARISONG but as lead vocal, I'm glad she got as many lines as she did here. She also has a ton of screen time this MV so that's a lot of exposure. On the other hand, oldest member Chaesol started out with very few lines but progressively climbed her way up the line distribution ladder. Even though she's considered a sub-vocal, I daresay that she could be a lead vocal in the new line-up because her voice is just ethereal. It really added a lot to the sensual nature of the song and I think the amount of lines she got was perfect.
Next up is new member Chloe with just over 12%, with Jeewon right behind her at just below 12%. There're no precedents for the former so I can't compare there but she got a good amount of lines this time around, getting a big chunk of the second verse to herself as well as part of the final chorus. It's a little early to tell what she adds to the team other than English fluency (fun fact: she's a data science major at the University of Michigan) but I think she's demonstrated good vocals thus far. As for Jeewon, she's usually near the top of the line distribution as one of the stronger vocalists in the group (even though she's officially a sub-vocal). She's bumped down pretty far in Boyfriend but she gets a ton of center time and starts two of the choruses so even though she has few lines, she's still able to shine.
Bringing up the rear of the line distribution, we have Seline second from the bottom with 10.7%, which surprises me quite a bit because just by listening I thought she had way more. Considering how she's had a good amount of lines in previous titles as well as the fact that she actually has quite a strong voice, I really think that she deserved more lines. Now, in last place we have Dohee at just over 6%. Despite the fact that this sounds like a pathetic number, I'm not really surprised that she got so few lines, especially because she's a new member. With Boyfriend, she only got 4 short lines but it didn't really feel too bad because she got a good amount of screen time in the MV. As cignature continues to grow as a group, I hope that their line distribution will continue to improve and the newer members will "prove" more of their worth.
Final thoughts: I'm not going to lie, I feared for cignature. After months of silence, I wasn't happy for the first news of the group in 2021 to be about members leaving. Even after adding new members, there was radio silence on their activities so I can't stress just how glad I am that they're finally back. I may not be the biggest fan of this song but so far the reception seems to be very positive, with many Signfans (fandom name) waxing lyrical about the drastic concept change. I only wish the best for cignature, and I hope that they'll be able to gain more fans and popularity as time goes on. Thanks for reading.
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