BACK TO K-POP’S FIRST GENERATION: Lee Jung Hyun – Peace

K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure.

The era in question is often considered to run from the debut of Seo Taiji & Boys in 1992 to the emergence of TVXQ in late 2003. The music featured in this series will largely fit within that time frame, give or take a few years on either side.

It was a time of bonkers song structures, wild fashion, slamming techno beats, bad reggae impressions, flagrant use (theft?) of American hip-hop samples, hearty power ballads, foul language, the growliest rapper tones you can imagine and an anything-goes scrappiness that’s impossible to pigeonhole. To borrow the name of a popular second-gen act, these years were the “big bang” of an emerging musical powerhouse, still finding its footing and throwing everything at the wall.

Check out other “Back to K-pop’s First Generation” reviews here.

I already wrote about this song on another feature earlier this year but I want to revisit it for this feature because to me Lee Jung Hyun is one of the premiere artists of the era and Peace is her masterpiece. In fact, since I’ve been swimming around K-pop’s first gen this year, I’m eager to bump its rating up a few notches to “legendary” status.

Lee Jung Hyun actually debuted as an actress before breaking through as a singer. She turned to music with an idiosyncratic vision, marrying the burgeoning techno trend of the time (which she was partially responsible for popularizing) to experimental sounds and structures. Her debut album is downright weird. To me, it’s always felt like she descended from another planet and I appreciate that slightly alien nature very much. In fact, this was her actual concept for a time. I’ll probably get around to writing about a few of her other highlights, but Peace is too immense not to lead the pack of Jung Hyun hits.

This was the fourth (!) single from her second album and operates on a larger-than-life scale. From the cinematic music video (filmed in Russia) to the bombastic instrumental, this is K-pop at its most theatrical and unyielding. I’ve been obsessed with its angular beat for years. The Jackson-esque percussion and electric guitar forge a sledgehammer intensity that’s more than matched by Jung Hyun’s ferocious performance. The addition of military-style backing vocals adds further weight, enhancing the song’s aggressive sound. Second-gen fans who go crazy for tracks like EXO’s Mama will find plenty to love here.

Extra fun fact: TVXQ’s Yunho got into SM Entertainment by dancing to this song!

Grade: A+