[Song & MV Review] Fei - 'Fantasy'

AKP STAFF

FEI � FANTASY

Track List:

1. Sweet Sexy Fei
2. Fantasy
3. One More Kiss

The lovely Fei has finally dropped her much-anticipated new single "Fantasy." The talented singer unveils three brand new tracks on this sizzling summer debut.

"Sweet Sexy Fei" and "Fantasy" are two of a kind. They're both slow, sexy, low-key dance tracks. That's more than their description -- it's also their problem. It's Hyomin's "Sketch" parts 2 and 3, but without the star power. They're not bad in and of themselves, but they're just there. No song should be *just* anything. They fade into the background way too easily. I feel that stronger vocals could have done wonders for both of these bland offerings.

"One More Kiss" is a familiar-sounding ballad, but probably the highlight of the album. Fei uses vibrato to great effect here and adds emotional punch to the track. I like this outlier simply because it got my attention. It's a diamond in the rough, a retro-ballad stripped of some of the electronic flourishes that decorate the other tunes. It shows off Fei's range and demonstrates some of what she's capable of.

It's clear her producers are listening to the competition, but there's way too many of these kinds of songs out there for these to shine. They should have been finding ways for Fei to be different, and that's my issue. Sorry Fei, but my 'fantasy' is more exciting than this.

MV REVIEW

The video is something else again. Some guy puts on some VR goggles and watches Fei strut her stuff. We see Fei in various alluring poses while framed by interesting special effects. There's a sequence with glowing hula hoops and other shots with duplicate Feis that disintegrate into pixels. Finally, at the end, Fei's there, in person. The guy doesn't need the goggles anymore.

As underwhelmed as I was with the song, the MV is a rich visual feast. Being a gearhead in love with gadgets this grabbed my interest. Fei's a lovely woman, certainly, but the CGI was as captivating. There's a reason this has over a million views.

Definitely, the focus is on her and the male gaze, but I was enamored of the rich tableau of effects, plus the idea of pop stars and VR (anybody seen 4minute's "Canvas?"). The MV for "Fantasy" gets my stamp of approval.