“Oh!”
On the way to the broadcasting station for the pre-recording of the second week, early in the morning.
“Oh oh!”
“Oh!!”
As usual, I was dozing off for a moment when Chiyo Unni next to me poked me in the neck from behind.
“Ah, why again?”
Chiyo Unni usually controls her pranks when I’m resting, so there must be something exciting happening right now that she’s poking me about.
“Alright, what is it, what?”
“Na-eun Unni…!”
Just when I tried to respond, Chiyo Unni ignored me again.
I wonder if I’ve been too unresponsive lately.
Wait, why am I suddenly feeling a bit hurt?
Could it be that I’m being trained?
“Na-eun-chan, Na-eun-chan!”
─Tototalk
“…What?”
Of course, Na-eun Unni, who was accustomed to responding, also sounded exhausted. Everyone was tired, half-awake as we moved.
“Look at this, our first week sales are no joke…!”
Honestly, at times like this, Chiyo Unni usually just sleeps quietly.
“Really? One hundred sixty thousand copies…?”
Anyway, I started catching on that it was about first-week sales.
“Come on.”
I had anticipated that much performance, so I wasn’t particularly impressed.
“One hundred sixty thousand? Really?!”
It was Seo-yoon Unni making a fuss that I found interesting.
“Exactly one hundred sixty-four thousand copies, though, heh.”
A round of applause for her learning ability that doesn’t lose its original motivation even in her fifth year since debut.
“Hey hey, maknae, take a look at this.”
“Wow, so jealous, that’s amazing.”
“Just don’t act like you know me from now on.”
Seriously, Unni, if you’re making such a fuss over this, how are you planning to handle reaching number one on Billboard? If you’re dreaming big, you should stay a bit composed!
“Don’t even look at me.”
“No, Unni, think it through. Sure, the first-week sales are related to the quality of this album, but they’re mostly reflecting the rise before the comeback, so it doesn’t hold much meaning, alright? At least 80% of this figure should be seen as fitting for last year’s end, you know? What’s important is to look at total sales afterwards.”
“Do you think I don’t know that?”
Ah, was that not it?
“Album royalties are different, you know? The copyright, the numbers coming in from this settlement will be different, so how could that be meaningless? Huh?”
“Ah…”
It turned out to be a surprisingly material reason.
I found myself convinced.
“But… Unni, if you’re that short on money… should I lend you some…? For you, I could manage up to ten billion…”
“What are you saying, just thinking about how you probably got your royalties nice and sweet from the last settlement makes me uncomfortable.”
I carry a lot of guilt making even the members jealous.
“Well, I understand you, Unni. Still, for someone like you, shouldn’t you be a bit more composed…? I always think highly of your abilities…”
“Just go to sleep.”
You bad girl!
I was trying to give you good advice!
“But Do-hee, we’re currently ranked 34th on the Billboard 200 main chart.”
This time, Woo-ah Unni started teasing my thigh in a playful manner again.
“Our brilliant youngest only cares about being number one, so don’t even say that, okay?”
Oh, Kim Seo-yoon, why is she sulking again?
“Hey, Do-hee is smiling right now, so she likes it.”
That’s because Unni is tickling my thigh gently.
“But it’s a good thing, right? I’m not sick or anything.”
“Right?”
“But we should view the Billboard 200 chart as just an indicator of how well it’s being received in the States. Honestly, it only takes a few thousand sales in the U.S. to get on that chart, and you need about 100,000 to reach number one. Oh, I mean, it’s likely to rise even higher than its current rank the moment the reactions start coming in, so rather than getting excited too soon…”
“What did I say? She’s just being melodramatic.”
“I know.”
What we really need to check is the reaction in our own country.
“…What day is it today?”
“It’s Friday, Melody Bank.”
“Oh right.”
After moving around early in the morning and returning to the dorm at night all week, my mind was so hazy that I couldn’t even tell the days apart.
Anyway, a week had passed since the album’s release, so there should’ve been a column published on the country’s biggest music review site.
Oh, of course, I don’t pay much attention to reviews, but it does hold significance that someone takes the time to listen to my album and provide a serious review.
“Why?”
Suddenly pulling out her phone, Woo-ah Unni leaned her head on my shoulder, curious.
“What are you looking at? Weren’t you just saying you were sleepy?”
“Just looking.”
I quickly searched for the site and entered ‘Debonaire.’
Joy, Anger, Sadness, Pleasure (RNBD) -2026
Debonaire (DEBONAIR)
★★★★☆
And as expected, the review had been published a day earlier.
“Huh? Four stars? Do-hee, this is really good, right?”
“What? Four stars? That’s the highest among idol albums!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, fans are really into that stuff. I personally think it doesn’t need to be overanalyzed, but four and a half stars means it’s top-notch for the year.”
“Oh, then that’s fantastic!”
Kim Seo-yoon, who had been sulking, was explaining it in a somewhat excited tone, but honestly, I was not satisfied with that rating.
Of course, I didn’t expect perfect five stars since that requires a perfect match of personal feelings and subjectivity. I thought this album deserved at least 4.5 stars for its perfect composition from start to finish…
“Well, four stars is still… something.”
I guess I should read it first.
I calmly clicked on the title.
“Ah…”
“What? You don’t like it?”
The more I read, the more I thought I could take it as just one person’s opinion.
“No, I just realized that’s how this person interpreted it.”
“How so? Let me see.”
*
The idol community is surprisingly similar to the sports community.
It has certain characteristics. It divides rankings and classifies players. Just as they like to name the league’s best and world-class athletes, idols are also categorized by visuals, sales, and number of advertisements.
Class distinctions are made. Just as people like to point out a few in the league’s best or world class, idols are also quantified by their visuals, sales, and ad counts.
Thus, there is a common interest.
That is, the evaluations of relatively trusted experts.
Just as people take interest in the ratings of players evaluated by commentators, coaches, and directors.
K-pop fans, too, are curious about the evaluations each idol receives.
And this was the review for Debonaire’s latest album ‘Euphoria (RNBD)’.
==============
Euphoria (RNBD) – 2026
Debonaire (DEBONAIR)
★★★★☆
In an era of upward homogenization, the key to K-pop now lies in the execution that supports planning. This means that even if one presents extraordinary ideas, the results must back them up. And Debonaire has effectively completed this task with songs like [Debonair], which deals with the freedom and coolness of the new generation, and [Born Ideals] and [New Vibes], which showcase the youth and beauty of girl groups.
In fact, Debonaire’s albums follow a systematic flow of the group’s worldview. The debut single [Debonair] firmly establishes the group’s strong identity, and the subsequent mini album [DBNR] introduces the individuality of each member. Finally, the mini album [RNBD] demonstrates how the personality of the Debonaire group and the individuality of its members converge and become visible to the world.
Within this series of flows, the direct participation of the members in the production is somewhat inevitable. In the fully blossomed album [RNBD], only the names of the members are highlighted. Lyrics, composition, arrangement. Moving beyond the mere promotional means where most people listed their names with the help of professional producers, this is a bold step that deserves commendation as an act of creation itself.
However, with every bold act comes the possibility of failure. If the creation does not meet the group’s standards, it could result in the worst possible outcome: failing to utilize the group’s full capacity.
The album [RNBD] does not fall into that trap. The seamless track composition and flow of the songs suggest that Do-hee Lee, already recognized for her genius, has made a significant contribution. [RNBD] is the result of a member who produces based on an understanding of their group, resulting in optimal synergy.
(Excerpt)
However, the limitation lies in the group’s self-production. A typical example is the auto-tune and synth sounds scattered throughout track ‘Euphoria,’ which expresses the joy of love. The awkwardness that disrupts immersion seems to target a retro sentiment within the Y2K boom, yet it’s a superficial experience from members who didn’t directly experience the romanticism of the 2000s. In essence, the cycle of nostalgia is exceedingly short. Ultimately, this is a misinterpretation of the demands of the times.
Still, the ongoing transformation of Debonaire into artists offers ample food for thought. Among the tracks in Euphoria (RNBD), the third title ‘Do it anyway’ expresses blue sadness. This song, seemingly borrowing from Mother Teresa’s famous quote ‘Do it anyway,’ emphasizes the spirit of solidarity and philanthropy, especially resonant on Ash Wednesday, while also being innovative in many respects.
The appearance of Debonaire offers a lot to think about. The third title of the album, which expresses the Blue sadness from the Joy, Anger, Sadness, and Pleasure (RNBD) sequence, is ‘Do it anyway’. This song seems to borrow from Mother Teresa’s famous saying ‘Do it anyway’, which means ‘nevertheless’, and repeatedly speaks of solidarity and the spirit of philanthropy, recalling forgiveness and repentance in light of Ash Wednesday, making it innovative in many ways.
In the K-pop idol market, narrative and concept are inseparable, but there must be music at its center. In this sense, Debonaire’s mini-album [Joy, Anger, Sadness, Pleasure (RNBD)] might be slightly lacking compared to its planning, yet it’s close to success.
This series of developments sparks curiosity about what they will bring in the future.
by Im Ji-young
-Tracklist-
1. I’ll DO(到喜) – Recommended
2. SAME – Recommended
3. Euphoria
4. Do it anyway – Recommended
5. Just an ordinary day – Recommended
=================
And the title of the post that spread across the community was:
[Info/News] The idol that received 4 stars from ban-eum for the first time this year
─Wow, another 4 points? ㄷ
─Four recommended tracks wow
This basically meant it directly helped the group’s status.
─All except the recommended Euphoria ㅠㅠ it’s my favorite track right now
─I’m really enjoying the album
─In an age of leveling up, the key to K-pop now is the execution that supports the planning. I totally agree, Debonaire’s planning and execution level aren’t just mediocre.
However, it’s common for critiques and personal opinions not to align.
─Last album too, ban-eum blatantly gave Debonaire a low score lol
└That person is just expressing their feelings, why talk about good ratings or bad ratings?
─I read it well, but a few parts I don’t get. Sweet Demon was a bit retro too, and the main composer was Do-hee Lee, right?
└Anyway, you have to acknowledge that ban-eum knows how to be sarcastic with praise.
─Ban-eum originally has a severe bias and is good at throwing shade, right? The last paragraph is just a mess; they don’t have specialized knowledge.
Nonetheless, such critiques tend to carry a certain authority, making them the main opinion in that post. Ordinary people’s retorts often get drowned out.
─Feeling disappointed by the song is understandable since the planning was so fresh.
└I don’t know who planned it, but they seem like a genius. Of course, all the songs are so good; I’m still listening to them a lot.
However, if the conflicting opinions come from those with real expertise, then it was a different story.
[Review of DEBONAIR’s album ‘Joy, Anger, Sadness, Pleasure (RNBD)’ by two current producers]
─Oh, Double-G posted a reaction video to Debonaire, huh?
─This time the video length is 30 minutes? Don’t they usually just make 5-minute videos for each single?
If they’re producers rooted in more mainstream music, which is familiar with idol music, then…
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