World of K-Pop: REVIEW: TASTY 2WINS "Spectrum" Debut

Left: Soryong, Right: Daeryong

I'm always perplexed when Woollim Entertainment releases a new teaser video for the "next big thing," because they always seem to surprise audiences with something completely unexpected. My first shock was that Woollim would debut a male performance duo by the name of Tasty 2wins ('Tasty' for short). They gave little to no hints, and honestly, I thought it would be a girl group next. I'm far from disappointed, but rumors about Woollim's first girl group (some Netizens even guessed the name 'Eternal') has been circulating for more than a year when Woollim released a "Revolution of 2012" teaser video. Not to mention, three female trainees made guest appearances on variety show Running Man's June 10th episode, one being female lead Ji Ae from Infinite's pre-debut reality show "You Are My Oppa." Despite all this, I'm extremely pleased that Woollim introduced Tasty. My first reaction to Tasty's teaser was distaste in their ridiculous name. Really, Woollim? You produced bands with names like Epik High and Infinite, and now you're resorting to a tacky name like 'Tasty' to debut someone? Ok, so the '2wins' word play is actually clever, but since the brothers are more often referred to as 'Tasty,' I'll never let you live it down. *Crosses arms*

On the upside, real-life Jung twins Daeryong and Soryong make people forget their tactless duo name. Though their debut song, "You Know Me," is comprised too heavily of instrumentals, electronics and dubstep to showcase their voices, their performances truly embody star power. It's not surprising, really. At 24 years old, the boys are actually veterans to the music industry. In fact, they were JYP's back-up dancers during his "Kiss" promotions back in 2006. Since then, they remained as JYP trainees until later switching to Woollim Entertainment. I'll try not to go into JYPE's poor luck (in losing trainees that gain great popularity later), but I will inform that Tasty left because they didn't think they would get a chance to debut. It's easy to lose faith when much younger trainees like JJ project debuted from JYP earlier in the same year, and still in their teens. Unfortunately, three months before their debut as Tasty, the twins' mother passed away. Sad as it may be, they continue to gain strength by remembering how their mother always encouraged them to follow their dreams during the long trainee years.

What strikes me about Tasty is how smooth and exciting their performances are. Yes, both guys are quite tall (standing more than 6 ft) and they are master dancers at this point, but they have a natural old-school swag I haven't seen in K-Pop since Big Bang. (Maybe it's because they were trainees around the same time?) While most male debuts in the last few years are comprised of young boy bands in their late teens and early twenties trying to woo females, Tasty comes in like a breath of fresh air to announce that being yourself can attract attention all on its own. They're far from cocky, but the impression is that it doesn't take much effort to be casual, cool and confident. It doesn't even require mature songs or deep lyrics. In fact, like a line from their "Buster" track, their current moto is best described as, "Why so serious?"

As for their debut single album "Spectrum," I'm pleasantly surprised. Though I had to press the 'repeat' button several times on "You Know Me" to appreciate the track, I found that I preferred the rest of the tracks on the single album more. Track "Solo" slows down with a casual R&B vibe, while "Buster" picks it back up with heavy bass and thick instrumentals. The boys sounds incredibly sexy and I can feel myself oozing swagger if I happen to roll down the windows. That's not even the best part. Despite understanding and being able to speak conversational English, some of their lines are unexpectedly funny. "Oh my Jeshus" and "Leggo!" were my particular favorites.

Tasty's entire debut package was a good deal. They have a clear, image that matches with their personalities, the music hinted at a group genre without solidifying anything, choreography was distinct and difficult, the album had a theme with cohesive tracks, and nothing was taken too seriously.

Check out Tasty's "Spectrum" mini-album tracks:

1. Spectrum (Intro)