[#29] EXO-M - "WHAT IS LOVE"

From: "MAMA"
Format: EP
Released: April
Territory: China
Previous Best of Appearances: First Appearance

I'm one of those people who prefer EXO-M over EXO-K, mainly because I see more sincerity and more grace in M's stage presence. They get the same songs, the same choreography, and yet beyond the robotic choreography, there's a sense of fluidity in EXO-M that I don't see in EXO-K yet.

"WHAT IS LOVE" is the kind of song that needs extremes in delivery -- either you're very intense like how DBSK's "Before U Go" turned out, or you take the grace of the song and you bask in it, like what happened here.

The instrumental is very gritty, and sounds "natural" per se, so it gives contrast to the very graceful melody and delivery.

Again, in EXO's case, language plays a big part in which songs I chose for which sub-group -- I like the Mandarin version of "WHAT IS LOVE" because it allows the melody to really bask in the gracefulness. Because the melody, the language its in, and the delivery, is very fluid, the contrast between that and the very gritty instrumental and pretty flat arrangement is highlighted more.