The camera zooms out to show an interrogation room as a car bursts through the wall in slow motion. Jisoo, clad in black, and an intelligence agent stand together — a fittingly earth-shattering scene from the music video of “earthquake,” the title track of BLACKPINK-member-turned-solo-artist Jisoo’s newest EP, “AMORTAGE.” The Valentine’s Day release featured four songs, including “earthquake.” However, the Matrix-esque visuals of the music video could not make up for the lackluster choice of title track among the rest of “AMORTAGE”’s seismic songs.
Following Rose’s full album “rosie” and Jennie and Lisa’s various singles, Jisoo finally joined the wave of BLACKPINK solo re-debuts with “AMORTAGE.” The EP is her first release since her single “ME” under YG Entertainment. It marks her solo debut after leaving YG Entertainment to start her own label, Blissoo Ltd., in 2024 and signing with Warner Music in 2025. “AMORTAGE” is her return to music after an acting role in “Snowdrop.” which garnered criticism calling her the “weakest member of BLACKPINK,” serving as both a new beginning for Jisoo and a chance to show her talent as an artist.
As the first edition to her artist identity with her new label, this is not a bad start. One of the strongest aspects of the EP is its cohesiveness. Every track leans fully into an electronic dance music (EDM) soundscape and is supported by well-utilized effects such as reverbs, layers and echoes — a style reminiscent of artists like Marshmello or Ellie Goulding. Each song consistently begins with a unique instrumental or catchy, echoing vocals that string together distinct electronic sounds, immediately hooking listeners in.
However, these effects do a lot of the heavy lifting, compensating for one of Jisoo’s most persistent weaknesses: her vocals. Although she has a husky and recognizable voice, she always sounds somewhat strained, resulting in a nasally tone. While this just could be her singing style, it is most likely due to her voice simply having a limited vocal range. While effects help create variation, they also highlight a lack of natural energy and fluidity. Although this is generally well hidden, the production is a crutch that makes her voice seem more dynamic by smoothing over moments where her delivery feels tight or underpowered.
Other than the production and her vocals shaping her style, Jisoo’s linguistic choices also play a key role in defining her artistic identity. Compared to her fellow BLACKPINK members, Jisoo embraces Korean lyrics, with half of “AMORTAGE” sung predominantly in Korean. This clever choice keeps her bond with longtime fans by staying true to her cultural roots while also extending her audience to be more global by including two songs, “Your Love” and “Hugs & Kisses,” sung fully in English.
However, although accessible, Jisoo’s English lyrics are noticeably lackluster in comparison to her Korean, almost to the point of being jarring. Her lyricism reveals a tendency toward repetition, particularly in her overuse of similes. “earthquake” alone is oversaturated with them: “like an earthquake,” “like a race car,” “like a dream.” This pattern continues throughout the EP, making many of the lyrics feel redundant. Other similes she uses are in “Your Love”: “like the rain,” “like everything I see in my dreams,” “like a song I used to know,” “like Sunday,” “like the way.” Most appear in the pre-choruses and choruses, amplifying the issue since these sections are repeated and meant to be the most memorable.
Yet, when she steps away from these predictable similes, she delivers some genuinely compelling lines: “My skin still vibrates with you, I’m a broken violin” (TEARS), “This new blue dress I bought, just like my heart, it won’t open” (TEARS), “Stars in my eyes, constellations for you” (Your Love). These moments demonstrate that she does have the capacity for evocative and poetic lyricism.
This EP’s biggest misstep lies in the choice of title track. “earthquake” is the weakest song of this EP, though it’s not hard to see why it was chosen — it’s the most similar in sound to her previous solo debut, “FLOWER.” Its repetitiveness makes it easy on the ear and marketable, but its underwhelming chorus and lack of vocal variety make it a missed opportunity to showcase the artistic potential and direction Jisoo wants to take as a newly debuted global artist. A much stronger candidate for the title track would have been “TEARS.” Not only does it blend English and Korean seamlessly, but it also offers a more dynamic and emotionally resonant performance while still being catchy.
Fumbled title track selection aside, “AMORTAGE” is far from a disappointment. Although it doesn’t offer new aspects to her old fans, it is an accessible EP to attract a new, global audience. With “AMORTAGE,” Jisoo defends her position alongside the other BLACKPINK members as a newly-debuted soloist breaking into the global industry. She simultaneously distinguishes herself through her faithfulness to her original Korean fanbase and decently well-executed take on a cliche music genre and theme, setting a steady stage for her global career going forward.
RATING: 3/5
