Jessica Jiyeon makes a cool comeback with "Last Winter"

After attracting controversy with her first mini-album 'Girl Without a Heart' last month, Jessica Jiyeon has made a powerful and startling transformation back into the girl next door image that we all know and love for her new digital single "Last Winter".

Jessica has ditched the dark concept and heavy electronic house beats of her last single "Bad Girl" in favor of a soulful, R&B ballad style that showcases her emotive and strong vocals. The song was composed by K-R&B legend Insooni's longtime producer Lee Hyun Seung, & features a rap verse from B2ST's Jun Hyung.

The lyrics tell the story of a woman coming to terms with the anger and resentment she felt over her broken relationship as she comes face to face with her ex.

"My voice screaming the cold words at you keep trembling

If I look at you, the hurt I tried to suppress feels like it will explode.

They were all memories that distanced and passed away from us like a movie

Every night I made a determination that I would not be shaken again."

"Go back down your path forgetting about me

I can't stop you, I couldn't if I wanted.

If I just extend my hands out you will be there, but I won't do that.

I couldn't if I tried."

Jessica's new style is bound to please her fans who were turned off by the singer's foray into dance music & reliance on shock imagery for "Bad Girl", which underperformed on the charts after it was banned from broadcast by KBS and criticized by the Ministry of Family & Gender Equality.

Speaking exclusively to AllKFlop, White Entertainment Co-CEO KellyRose Spires had this to say about Jessica's comeback: "Jessica was being pushed by a certain unnamed business partner of mine into releasing a style of music that she was not comfortable with. Vulgar lyrics and low-rent nude photoshoots are fine for some artists, but that's not who Jessica is. "Last Winter" is a new beginning for Jessica; it signifies her performing the type of music that she was born to do, and we are very confident that this song will appeal to the public in a way that no Girls' Revolution song, solo or otherwise, has before. Please support this song so we can beat Huh Gak on the charts."

"Last Winter", which was released to digital retailers earlier today, is already in the top five of most real-time charts, and has received an average rating of 4.5/5 stars from users. The only negative reception so far has been from 2NE1's Blackjacks, who have left many mean-spirited spam comments on Melon and Soribada.

Some of these comments included, "This song is BORING!", "Jessica who? Dara slays this bitch", and "Yawn, Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe was decent but this is so lame. 2NE1 please hurry up and come to America!"

Expect Jessica to set hearts aflame when she debuts "Last Winter' on Music Bank on the 11th alongside her close friends Wonder Girls. And as always, keep an eye on AKF for more.

Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe makes a chart comeback!

Back in June, 'Best Friend Idol' Jessica Jiyeon released her debut solo single "Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe". The single -- with its heavy use of auto-tune, excessive repetitiveness, & mostly rapped lyrics -- peaked briefly on the GAON charts at #23 before vanishing out of sight. The song was met with a mixed reaction from Girls' Revolution fans, and was savaged by critics who labeled it "generic trash".

But as of late, the song seems to be experiencing an unexpected resurgence in popularity.

A remixed version of "Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe" was recently used in the popular CF for Pyong & Pyong's new range of fruit-scented vaginal hygiene spritzers, Femme Fresh: Forest Fruits. The CF, which stars Piggy Dolls' Kim Min Sun, SECRET's Sunhwa, and 5Dolls' Chanmi, has gained wide exposure throughout Asia and has become a 'hot issue' with netizens, causing digital sales of "Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe" to skyrocket.

Speaking on the song's revival, White Entertainment Co-CEO KellyRose Spires said:

“When we first had Jessica record Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe, our agency was in a time of turmoil," she reveals. "Girls' Revolution were on an indefinite hiatus, Suzy had been suspended, and Tiffany was overseas on an extended holiday. Jessica was all we had left, so Trina forced her to record an empowering song with lots of autotune to try and cash in on the popular American trend of inspirational pop music. The song flopped because Jessica's fans were angry that we hid her powerful vocals behind electronic effects, so we quickly moved onto OST ballads and forgot all about it. I can't explain why it's suddenly popular again, but I am happy that people are finally seeing the song's unique colors and charms."

“I think there are some songs that are colossal from the jump & stick around, like SNSD’s Gee. And then there‘s some songs that are slow growers. Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe is a slow grower, and we plan on capitalizing on the new-found interest surrounding it.”

Both the original version of the song & the Euro-Trash Clique remix -featured on Jessica’s hit debut solo mini album Girl Without A Heart- have found chart success, with the original version reentering the GAON singles chart at #44, while the remix is currently sitting at #17. Unfortunately, Jessica's current title track, "Bad Girl", has been on a chart free-fall after initially making a high first-week debut. The poor performance has been attributed to its ban from KBS and major radio stations, but its failure has been offset by the rising sales for "Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe".

With "Bad Girl" being banned and "Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe" becoming a hot issue overnight, could we possibly see Jessica re-promote the song soon? Keep an eye on AKF for more.

KBS strike again: Jessica Jiyeon's "Bad Girl" gets banned!

Today KBS unexpectedly announced that they would be banning the MV for Jessica Jiyeon’s new single “Bad Girl” due to its scenes of "extreme violence" & "gratuitous overt sexuality".

The video, which features a heartless Jessica seeking revenge against a brutal ex lover, has received acclaim for its cinematic style & rich plot, while also attracting attention for its use of impoverished local Japanese street children as extras.

White Entertainment Co-CEO KellyRose Spires spoke out about the MV’s ban:

“The banning is absolutely ridiculous! This is just another example of ScaM Entertainment using KBS to do their dirty work! Had we cast their precious Siwon or Yunho as the lead in the MV, do you think it would have been banned? Of course not! They’re deliberately attacking us because of Junsu’s involvement. Jessica wanted Junsu, so we got her Junsu. What our girls want, our girls get! Why punish Jessica for that?”

“Didn’t INFINITE have a MV of two of their members beating each other up?? Didn’t Brown Eyed Girls have a MV containing pornographic lesbonic kissing scenes & Islamic terrorism references with bombs being strapped to people? Were either of those banned? KBS are hypocrites & SM’s puppets, and to be quite honest, we don’t need their help pushing this song.”

"Jessica recorded an album of high quality with a bold and adventurous concept," Kelly continued. "She dared to step outside the box by releasing a cinematic mini-movie music video that is more than just dancing in front of a tired old backdrop that we've all seen a thousand times before. I'm sorry if that's too much for the masses to deal with, but if you're looking to see grown women dancing around like childish, 'Happy Days' rejects singing about crushes on shy boys, then you've come to the wrong place."

The controversy has done little to stop momentum: the MV has already been viewed over 2 million times on Youtube by its 5th day of release, Bad Girl debuted at #2 on the GAON singles chart, while Girl Without A Heart debuted at #4 on the album chart, and has been consistently charting within the top five of most digital charts during its first week of release.

Jessica Jiyeon releases “Girl Without A Heart”

Jessica Jiyeon’s much anticipated debut solo mini album Girl Without A Heart is here!

The vocalist runs the gamut of emotions on her five track mini album: from heartbroken to hopeful to fearless, with each track telling a small part of an overall story.

Love Is? {ft. HyunA Knowles}

-With its honest lyrics & emotional vocals, Love Is? tells the tale of a perfect love gone wrong, and the devastation when one person is able to move on and the other can not. HyunA Knowles adds a tough flavor to an otherwise depressing midtempo with a rap that tugs at the heartstrings.

Bad Girl

-Bad Girl shows off a more aggressive side of Jessica in both message & delivery, as she sings about using both heartbreak & sexuality to “transform” over a piano & synth driven track produced by JD Relic [U-Kiss’ Neverland].

It’s Always Been You {ft. K.Will}

-It’s Always Been You acts as a storybook happy ending in stark contrast to the songs that precede it. The heroine of “Girl…” is finally able to give her heart to another who promises to love & cherish her over delicate strings:

“Even if you’re lonely, exhausted, and hurt

Open up the door in you heart.

I will love everything.

There’s no scar or sadness.

Don’t hesitate and lean on me.

I will give you back your smile.”

Elizabeth Taylor Wannabe [Eurotrash Clique Remix]

-The inspirational uptempo gets a quirky reworking from up & coming Norwegian producers Eurotrash Clique.

Collide [Fan Appreciation Edition]

-A studio version of the Leona Lewis track Jessica performed live during her now infamous visit to Mega Seoul FM with Choi-La & Aok, added as a personal thank you from her to her fans.

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What are your thoughts on Jessica’s debut mini?

Jessica Jiyeon is a “Bad Girl”!

With less than a week to go, a teaser for the official single from Jessica Jiyeon’s upcoming mini album Girl Without A Heart has been revealed!

Jessica has promised to deliver a darker, sexier, & more confident concept with “Bad Girl”.

“"Love Is?" is all about trying to move on from a relationship, while "Bad Girl" is about what happens when you let go of all the sadness & pain, focus on the future, & begin to build yourself back up from ruin by transforming both inside & out." she told AKF.

The full version of Bad Girl will be released on the 10th along with the music video which was recently shot on location in Tokyo, with Girl Without A Heart to follow on the 11th.

What are your thoughts on the teaser?

Jessica Jiyeon unleashes her new buzz single, "Love Is?"

Jessica Jiyeon, still riding high off the success of her debut feature film Rocker Princess, has decided to unveil her new buzz single "Love Is?" from her upcoming mini album, "Girl Without A Heart".

The track, a collaborative effort with “So Scandalous” singer & White Entertainment label mate HyunA Knowles, is a perfect mix of new age hip-hop beats, a powerful & emotive vocal delivery, and fierce rapping. The lyrics tell the story of a girl attempting to move on after having her heart broken, only to have steady reminders of what she & her ex shared constantly in her way.

“My heart hurts just like it’s being ripped apart.”

“No matter how much time has passed, I’ll still remember our past/No matter how you've hurt me, I’ll still remember your face.”

“Sometimes there’s a song being played we used to listen to together/When I hear that song I go numb.”

Many have speculated that the lyrics reference Jessica's recent break up with YG producer Teddy Park. Jessica has downplayed any connection and promised that while her break up is still on her heart & mind she is not affected by it like the girl in the song.

Netizen’s reactions have been positive so far: “Jessica & HyunA make a great pair! Even better than her & Tiffany”, “The lyrics are so emo LOL. I love this song”, "Who knew HyunA was such a fantastic rapper! She should make a full rap album!”, “Teddy hyung really messed Jessica up. She can come cry on my shoulder & lap anytime ;)”

“Love Is?” is available digitally now. The mini's official single is set for release on October 10th, with "Girl Without A Heart" to follow on the 11th. Stay tuned to AKF for more.