What to do with a K-pop song titled “Shotty”? It certainly doesn’t fit within the Korean lexicon, and if you google the word its technical meaning is medical jargon for “small, hard, and round lymph nodes.” I highly doubt Hyolyn has been inspired to sing a song about lymph nodes, so I assume she’s modified the somewhat dated slang word “shorty” (unless she’s talking about a shotgun?).
The word “shotty” doesn’t actually ever appear in the song Shotty, deepening the mystery further. Instead, Hyolyn continues to remind us that she’s “not a story.” Okay. Maybe she’s saying that she’s more than a simple anecdote in someone’s love life, but I’d argue that we’re all made up of the stories within us. As Maya Angelou famously said: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Stories and experiences mold us into the people we are. And to quote the great wisdom of Shotty: “Feel the pain you fall. Say what?” I think that says it all. Or it says nothing. Who knows? Say what?
There’s a reason I don’t often review lyrics in K-pop songs, but Shotty is quite dull as music so my mind automatically tuned into the words. I absolutely adore Hyolyn, but we’re so far from Sistar territory here. On the plus side, the best part of Shotty is wordless. Her breathy “oooh” ad-libs during the chorus recall the gorgeous harmonic blend of my all-time favorite popstar Janet Jackson. More of that, please!
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 7 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.25 |
