[Review] “Fly So High” by U-Cube (4minute, B2ST, & G.NA)

In Korea, Cube Entertainment isn’t part of the ‘Big Three’ entertainment companies – JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment – but they sure are giving the trifecta a run for their money this year.

Since their inception back in 2008, Cube have really come to hone their understanding with what works and what doesn’t in the K-Pop industry, as well as what sounds good for their artists. B2ST in particular, who grew into this pretty amazing boy-band in a matter of months, plowed through to the front of the pack with their 2011 release, ‘Fiction & Fact‘. And with huge fandoms for 4minute and G.NA, it’s no surprise that Cube Entertainment decided that now is the right time to host their first concert as a family (appropriately titled ‘United Cube Concert‘) to be held on August 14th at Seoul Jamsil Stadium.

Here’s a tiny teaser!

And to wrap the entire idea in a lovely little bow, 4minute, B2ST, and G.NA – otherwise known as U-Cube – have released a collaborative song titled “Fly So High“.

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This song doesn’t necessarily cater to a particular group’s style; it’s more of just an anthemic pop song. But it does cater to the de facto power vocalists found within Cube Entertainment.

While everyone got a line here and there, vocalists like G.NA and Yoseob definitely brought this song home for the group. The placement of their heavy-hitting voices felt effortless, and added that extra ‘oomph’ to boost this already uplifting song to a higher level of power, while still allowing those singers with less vocal strength to sound just as compelling.

Songs like these are really geared towards reaching the widest audience possible through a universally-acceptable level of ‘pop’. Sidestepping the dangerous pitfalls of being ‘cheesy’, “Fly So High” is a pleasing track that comfortably accomodates everyone on board. From the strongest singers to the weakest, from the rappers to everyone in between, you get a little bit of everything, all under five minutes. It’s an aural buffet that will satisfy everyone who listens to it.

A bonus lies in the presence of harmonies, which the producers definitely couldn’t avoid given the amount of artists singing in the track. Ultimately, the combination of male and female singers added a sense of lightness, yet also a degree of depth.

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“Fly So High” is the token anthem that every company should have, and as far as Cube is concerned, they did every singer justice by keeping the production clean and sharp. The song isn’t groundbreaking, and it went just a nudge overboard with all the adlibs, but it’s still a nice, well-produced, and well-executed pop tune.

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