What can I say? I think it’s safe to say now that I will always give a K-pop group a shot if they decide Ohio is worth a tour stop. That, and if my friend deems them worthy, as well.
Well, she was excited that I am going to get the chance to check out Ampers&One live before they likely become huge. After a solid week with the group, I can see why she said that. They have all of the makings of a super group. Most of the members came out of the reality show, Boys Planet, while a couple members had already been trainees for years at well known companies. Plus, they are young. I learned that I own a t-shirt that’s older than two of the seven members. I didn’t like learning that.
But I have been enjoying getting to know this group through both their music and their social media. You know I’m a sucker for silly guys making Youtube videos, and they have been providing! They’re young, as I said, so I think being silly is part of the territory, but I hope they never change. If anything, they seem pretty close now for only having debuted in 2023, so I imagine they’ll only get closer. They are different in that one member, Jiho, was the leader of the group until about August of last year. Instead, their oldest member, Kamden, has now taken on that role. Nothing seems awkward since that change, so I assume everything is peaches on the home front.
Now, given that they debuted such a short time ago, the music selection isn’t as robust as all of the other groups I have been listening to so far. But what they do have – two singles albums and an EP – I like! Their first, self-titled single album is how they made their debut, and with a catchy song like “On and On” leading the charge, I can see why they’re gaining traction with fans! That particular song has a really fun bass line with a strong disco under tone that I love. The member who sings the pre-chorus, Siyun, has such a pretty voice, and I’m pretty sure him and maknae, Seungmo are my biases.
The other two songs off of that first album are giving off strong early 2000s vibes. As a person who lived the prime of their life in the early 2000s, I’m here for it. “Sweet and Sour” also has a bit of a Spanish flair to it, but the lyrics remind me of goofy little teens in love. Which they technically are. “Sheesh” took a minute to grow on me, but I’ve been loving the performances I’ve been seeing of the song. It really adds to the cool piano intro! This song also makes me strongly think back to S Club 7 which is the highest praise I could give them.
Their second single album, One Hearted, has the song that hooked me from the start, “Broken Heart.” What a banger. It’s so catchy, the choreography is cool, and the live vocals I’ve heard for this song in particular are really impressive. It’s nice to see that even the most new groups have to have some impressive pipes to make it. “Someday” feels like a really current pop song, which is not bad, just something I need to get a little used to. With that being said, every group has to have a cringe song, and for them it’s “Crazy, Stupid, Fun.” It might grow on me, but for now it makes me physically cringe inward.
Their most recent release in the fall of last year was their first EP (or mini album, as K-pop likes to call it), One Question. Their lead single “He+She=We” is so different from “Broken Heart,” so hearing that as the second song really threw me. But after hearing it several more times, I’m hooked. It has a fun, summer vibe and a little bit of that disco flair in the chorus, so it makes sense why this song was chosen as the lead single. Most of the rest of the album is just as strong, with more disco jams like “Calling You Back” and “Slide.” Those two also seems to call back to the early 2000s. “Whip It” has become a new favorite, but I suspect the performance video I’ve seen has a lot to do with it. They are just so in synch with each other! It’s mesmerizing to watch. “Over the Moon” and “Fly” are the weakest of the bunch, but there’s still nothing to sneeze at with them.
All this to say, I’m really excited to see them at the end of next month! This will be my first K-pop concert where I’m also doing a bunch of the extra stuff like sound check, high touch, and photos with the members! We’ll have to see if I can keep my cool around these kids. Stay tuned!