Note: Thanks so much to Shanise at Camisado Mind for first recommending this song to me.
I first heard of Ailee several months back, and I knew she was Wheesung's protege in the K-pop scene, but I didn't pay much attention to the buzz that she was going to be the next big thing. But it turns out that 22-year-old Ailee is downright special, and I'm glad she's making her debut now because K-pop could use some more strong solo singers who are more about pure vocal talent than about choreography and concept.
As a song, "Heaven" subverted my expectations entirely. I was a little bored by the introductory couple of lines because I have trained myself to expect boredom from slow, pretty ballads. I thought Ailee was heading into Slow Pretty Ballad territory, and I braced myself for dullness but was utterly shocked when the chorus grabbed my attention again and didn't let it go.
Ailee starts off singing gently and there's a lovely little bit of piano and some guitar, then more serious beats as the song gains momentum and builds to a full-bodied chorus. By the time Ailee hits the serious high notes and wailing toward the end of the song, you're just all up in it. You can just barely hear a man's voice singing the backup lines in the final chorus, and that adds a nice layer to the song, as if the guy is singing back to the girl and agreeing with her that when they're together, life is like heaven.
The lyrics are happy ones (you can read an English translation HERE), about fully appreciating another person and loving them deeply, but there's just a touch of desperation about the words, as if there's some part of the story we're not fully getting. The repeated "heaven, heaven, heaven" lines give me cold chills, and Ailee sounds a bit like Evanescence at just a place or two. The English lines are spot-on perfect because Ailee is a Korean-American hailing from New Jersey. I really hope the K-pop industry keeps backing these Korean-American artists, because there's something so amazing to me about a singer who can pronounce two languages flawlessly, and I think it makes both Korean and English speakers warm to them.
And my goodness, I love Ailee's voice. She makes you feel the emotion in her words, and she wholly commits to the song like a singer is supposed to do. She presents "Heaven" like it's a heartbreaking, sing-from-the-bottom-of-your soul song. As a listener, this is not a life changing song, but it is totally the kind of song that could define a season in your life: this could be your Winter 2012 song! Check out "Heaven"--you'll be crooning this one for awhile.
Watchable bonus: Here's the sad, sad, super-sad video for "Heaven". I thought that I spotted Kikwang from BEAST at the end of the MV, and I was right! It's him. :-)
Song Review: Heaven by Ailee Link Free Download
