AJOO released his debut single, 1st KISS, February of this year. The hype around his debut was fuelled by the fact that he was backed by the same people who helped to produce Younha and, also, Park Hwayobi's personal request to work with him after being so overwhelmingly impressed with his talents. This release has 4 tracks: Cheos Kiss, Alarm 06:00 and the corresponding instrumentals.
The single opens with a guitar riff, hinting that the single will have a more rock feel than one might expect, before launching into a fully-fledged pop-rock song. It's easy to see why people were impressed with him; his voice is smooth and flawless throughout the song. The song may not be hitting on any new ground but it is enjoyable to say the least and has a catchy chorus to pull the listener in.
The second track, Alarm 06:00, has a more retro feel and continues along the pop-rock theme. This is probably the stronger of the two songs, but is still by no means amazing. There are points in the song where you can see the singer's potential shine through as the chorus requires him to produce more powerful vocals than the first track.
While the single is enjoyable, there is nothing outstanding about it. Listening to the single, you can't help but feel that after all the work that had been put into producing an artist, they could have found some stronger songs for his debut. Hopefully this problem will be ironed out when he comes to a second release.
