~ A.C.E ~

A.C.E (pronounced "Ace") is a south-korean boygroup who debuted on May 23rd, 2017 under the label "Beat Interactive". The group consists of five members: Donghun, Jun, Wow, Kim Byeongkwan and Chan.  "A.C.E stands for Adventure Calling Emotions, meaning that the group wants to cause emotions that urge people to go on adventures and make their dreams come true" (from Kprofiles). If you are a fan of A.C.E, you are called a "Choice". Their latest comeback was with their fifth Korean mini-album "Siren: DAWN" and its title track "Higher". You can follow the group's activities by following them on social media platforms:

• Homepage: A.C.E
• Facebook: officialA.C.E7
• Instagram: @official_a.c.e7
• Twitter: @official_ACE7‬
• YouTube: A.C.E Channel
• NaverPost: officialace
• Weibo: officialACE
• V Live: A.C.E Channel
• Fan cafe: A.C.E
• Soundcloud: A.C.E (에이스)
• TikTok: @officialace7

Get to know the members

Stage Name: Jun (준)

Birth Name: Park Jun Hee (박준희)

Position: Leader, Lead Vocalist, Lead Dancer

Birthday: June 2, 1994

Height: 175 cm

Weight: 58 kg

Fun facts: Jun was born in Suncheon, in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. He has 2 older sisters, and his nickname is Suncheon’s Kangta. He moved to Seoul in order to follow his music career when he was 19. He previously had been a trainee under CJ E&M and Jellyfish entertainment for nearly seven years, and almost debuted three times. His favorite anime is "Attack on titans" and his favorite colours are red and blue. Jun can play the guitar and the piano. He likes soccer and strawberry yoghurt. Finally, he was a participant in the idol rebooting show ‘The Unit’ (ended on rank 21st).

 

 

 

Stage Name: Donghun (동훈)

Birth Name: Lee Dong Hun (이동훈)

Position: Main Vocalist

Birthday: February 28, 1993

Height: 176cm

Weight: 58kg

Fun facts: Donghun was born in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. His nickname when he was young was Dongdong.He has a brother and his mother is good at music, she received the grand prize on a program called ‘Dojeon Jubu Gayo Star,’ which inspired him to become a singer. He attended Changhyun Highschool and made it to the top 10 in superstar K5 in university. Donghun was a vocal trainer for middle schoolers when he was in college. He said on Twitter that his favorite colour was purple. He likes romantic movies and watching movies alone. He also likes to skateboard and to play basketball. Donghun participated in YG's survival show "Mixnine" and ranked 8th place (was supposed to debut with the winning team but the debut got cancelled). 

 

 

Stage Name: Wow (와우)

Birth Name: Kim Seh Yoon (김세윤)

Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper

Birthday: May 15, 1993

Height: 176cm

Weight: 60kg

Fun facts: Wow was born in Jeolla-do, South Korea. He also has a younger sister, Kim Eun Suh who's a former SIXTEEN contestant and also a contestant in Idol School. At the age of 19 he auditioned in front of YG's ex-CEO Yang Hyun Suk and became a YG trainee. However, he left the company after 1 year. Wow said he’s the best in having no facial expressions. His hobbies are watching movies and shopping and his favourite colours are black and white. He's good friends with BM of K.A.R.D. Like Donghun he participated in YG's survival show Mixnine but didn't make it to the final lineup (ranked 11th). 

 

 

 

Stage Name: Kim Byeongkwan (formerly known as Jason)

Birth Name: Kim Byeong Kwan (김병관)

Position: Main Dancer, Vocalist, Rapper

Birthday: August 13, 1996

Height: 174cm

Weight: 57kg

Fun facts: He was born in Seoul, South Korea and has a brother. He lived in Canada for 8 months when he was in the 5th grade. He can speak English. He was inspired to become a singer after watching Rain’s Rainism. He told his father the next day and he immediately enrolled him into a dance academy. After he came out from Hanlim Multi Art School, he participated in different auditions but kept getting eliminated in the 3rd round. In 2014, he won the JYP’s 11th audition stage and trained in JYP until sometime in 2015 alongside his bandmate Chan. His hobby is playing games and his favourite colour is sky blue. He is friends with Got7’s Yugyeom. They learned dance together in middle school before Yugyeom got into JYP. He's also close to ASTRO's Jinjin since High School. Byungkwan participated in YG's Mixnine and was supposed to debut with the final lineup (he ranked 4th) but the debut was cancelled. He was in the Top 12 Visual Male in Mixnine (ranked & chosen by Knetizens).  

Stage Name: Chan (찬)

Birth Name: Kang Yu Chan (강유찬)

Position: Main Vocalist, Maknae

Birthday: December 31, 1997

Height: 177cm

Weight: 59kg

Fun facts: Chan was born in Jeju, South Korea and has two brothers. Although his parents had a record store, Chan did not want to become a singer at first. From elementary school to middle school, he was a soccer player. After entering high school, he enrolled in a dance club. Chan was in JYP for 6 months alongside bandmate Byeongkwan. His favourite colour is yellow and he likes soccer. Chan’s ideal date is at an amusement park and at the movies. Chan was participant to the idol rebooting show ‘The Unit’ (ended on 9th and joined the debut team). Chan had his debut with UNB on April 7, 2018 and promoted with them until they disbanded on January 27, 2019. Chan's role models are Seventeen. His ideal type is someone who he can share a conversation with and talk well with as he think communication is important.

How I discovered A.C.E

The first time I heard about this group was actually through watching Chan and Jun's entrance performance on "The Unit". I watched that video once again before writing this article, and I thought "damn, they've gone a long way". I remember them being insecure about their future and having trouble finding motivation due to harsh training conditions. But when I see where they are now, I think that all those hardships were worth going through. 

When I think of A.C.E today, I think quality music video. From undercover to savage to goblin to higher, their  music videos got better and better, to the point where you can compare them to literal visual art. They also have amazing acting skills in front of the camera (which is not something any group can have), as well as amazing singing skills and choreographies. I suggest you go through their discography, from "Cactus" to "Higher" so you understand how far they've come. 

About their discography

1st debut single: Cactus

A.C.E debuted on May 23, 2017 with their debut single "Cactus". They went for a very electronic almost chaotic sound with that song. Back then, people criticised their "hot pants" dance. Even Rain on "The Unit" asked why they had decided to dance in such outfits. I personally didn't find this funny and was mad at people for not giving them a chance just because of shorts... Nevertheless, things calmed down as A.C.E has grown more mature and more popular. Regarding the song itself, I personally don't like it. It doesn't mean that it's a bad song, I actually find their vocals pretty stable for a debut. However, I don't like the 100% electronic sound-based instrumental. I would've loved to hear other things than artificial instruments and weird sounds only a computer could make. 

 

 

 

2nd single: Callin'

On October 18, 2017, A.C.E returns with their second single entitled "Callin'". If you listen closely to the chorus of this song, you'll notice that it is pretty similar to "Cactus", their previous release. And because they sound the same, the chorus isn't my favourite part of the song. However, I absolutely love the start of the song as well as its verses. Also, there was a HUGE improvement cinematographic-wise on the MV. The MV for "Cactus" was pretty simple, shot in one location. In "Callin'", they played a lot more with effects, colours, and used different locations (or at least that's what it seems like). Finally, can we talk about the colour scheme of this video (especially at the start)? That orange mixed with green and the yellow of the sun's rays, so beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1st repackage album: Adventures in Wonderland

On June 7, 2018, A.C.E came back with their first repackage album entitled "Adventures in Wonderland", on which were 9 tracks: "Cactus (선인장)", "Callin'", "Black and blue", "Take me higher (title track)", "Dessert", "5TAR (Incompletion)", and the instrumental versions of "Cactus (선인장)", "Callin'" and "5TAR (Incompletion)". The song Black and Blue only features members Wow and Jun, and is pretty rap-centric (which is pretty interesting). It doesn't have a music video as it is a b-side track which wasn't promoted on music shows. Another b-side on this album is "Dessert", and it has NOTHING TO DO with "Black and Blue". This song is very chill and good to blast in your car! If you're still not satisfied with these two different vibes, you have "5TAR (Incompletion)" which falls under the "ballad but not so ballad" register (yes I know this genre doesn't exist but I didn't know how to explain it). Finally, we have the title track "Take me higher" which also has nothing to do with their previous title tracks "Cactus" and "Callin'". First, it has a distinctive summer vibe (as the album was released during summer). Second, the instrumental is less heavy which makes it easier for me to like the song. And last but not least, the chorus is catchy. What's better than a catchy song to listen to for the entire summer? 

 

2nd mini-album: Undercover

On May 17, 2019, A.C.E made their long-awaited comeback after almost a year with their second mini-album "Undercover" and its title track of the same name. The album is made of five tracks: "Do It Like Me", "Under Cover (title track)", "Mr. Bass", "If You Heard (들린다면)", "5TAR". I really want to applaud this group for busking on the streets even after their debut. That's what they did with their song "Do It Like Me". This song is a pretty bad-ass one, with a very energetic choreography. For "Mr. Bass" they went back to this electronic sound, but this time with more focus on vocals. The harmonies they went for reminded me a bit of Shinee's style. And then, you have "If you heard" which has a much softer vibe, and it seems like this song was made for their fans. Finally, you have the title track of this album that is "Under Cover", and this is when I believe the group started climbing. I started paying attention to A.C.E when they released "Under Cover", and a lot of people did as well. This song hits hard, the choreography is creative, and the quality of the MV just got to another level. This is when, according to me, the group found their style. 

 

1st Japanese debut single: All I want is you

On August 29 of 2019, A.C.E made their Japanese debut with their first Japanese single entitled "All I want is you". The song is fully in Japanese and is a vocal-centric ballad. I don't have much to say about this song because I'm not really familiar with their Japanese stuff. One thing I can affirm though is that their pronunciation is pretty good for non-native Japanese speakers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3rd mini-album: Undercover: The Mad Squad

On October 29, 2019, A.C.E came back with their third Korean mini-album "Undercover: The Mad Squad" and its title track "Savage". Me who thought that Undercover was going hard, Savage went even harder, especially choreography-wise. My favourite part of the song is the pre-chorus, especially Byeongkwan's part when he says "점잔 떨지 말고, 입꼬리 올리고" (translation: Don't let your dignity waver, Raise the corners of your mouth). Also, that theatre was used as a set for a Kpop MV... again x) This theatre was literally used in so many MVs. On this album you also have five other tracks which honestly I'm not very familiar with: "Intro: Escape", "Slow Dive", "So Sick (나쁜말)", "Holiday" and "Take Me Higher (Complete Ver.)".

 

 

 

2nd Japanese single: My Lover

On March 29, 2020, A.C.E released their second Japanese single entitled "My Lover", following their first Japanese single which was released almost a year prior. After listening to this song quite a few times, I have to say that I really appreciate how this song starts and how that beat got stuck in my head for a few hours. They released a dance practice for that song, and I'm glad they did because the choreography for this song is really nice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th mini album: HZJM : The Butterfly Phantasy 

On September 2, 2020, A.C.E released what I personally think is their best album to date, their fourth mini album "HZJM : The Butterfly Phantasy" and its title track "Goblin (Favorite Boys) (도깨비)". Their songs got a thousand times better with this album, especially the title track. That start is just so epic and hits so hard that it left me speechless the first time I heard it. The beat drop after that "welcome to the jungle" was just amazing. The chorus is a bit chaotic in terms of shouting but it doesn't affect the general impression of the song (and some people might like the shouting). And I didn't even mention the MV! You guys, the music videos keep getting better and better. The outfits here are just GORGEOUS, and the sets are spectacular. The chorography is also really badass and full of attitude! I'm in love with this music video. There are four other tracks on this album: "Golden Goose", "Baby Tonight (황홀경) (恍惚境)", "Stand by you" and "Clover". "Golden Goose" could have easily been a title track for this album. It goes hard just like all of their title tracks, the song is catchy and you want to dance to it. "Baby Tonight" gives a more mature and a more sexy vibe (love the outfits they wore on the Mcountdown performance, you can watch it right here). "Stand by you" has a more melancholic and nostalgic vibe, almost sad. This shows you how versatile this group is. I absolutely LOVE the electric guitar that kicks in during the second verse, it ads so much more emotions to the song. They made an MV for the song that you can watch right here. Finally, there's "Clover". This song is my favourite b-side of this album, with "Stand by you" being a close second. I don't know what to say other than that I'm glad that this song exists. 

 

 

5th mini-album: SIREN : DAWN

On June 22, 2021, A.C.E released their fifth mini-album entitled "SIREN : DAWN" and its title track "Higher". Me who thought that "Goblin (favourite boys)" was their best MV, I was really wrong. Their previous music video was gorgeous, but this one is, heavenly, sumptuous, majestic, everything! Plus, the song is really balanced between the powerful chorus and the "gentle" verses. This balance is what was missing for me in their previous songs. And this hairstyle on Donghun? The ponytail look was so good on him. There are four other tracks on the album: "INTRO : Miserere Mei Deus (We Fell Down)", "Atlantis", "Chasing Love", and "Story". I honestly didn't give these song a listen, but I promise I will. 

 

 

 

 

To go further...

A.C.E released an all-english digital single in collaboration with the singer Grey called "DOWN", you can watch it right here. The MV is a meme in itself, they're just so funny. 

A.C.E are singing "Spark", the OST of the Korean Boys Love drama called "Light on me" which aired from June 29th till August 19 and which you can watch on Viki and YouTube. Watch the official MV for "Spark" and get a glimpse of the drama right here.

They did a couple of covers, including Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved", James Arthur's "Empty Space", 5SOS's "Youngblood", and VIXX's "On and on". 

They shot underwater twice for their jacket shooting, and the result was... I don't even have words. The first shooting was for "Goblin (favourite boys)" where they wore traditional Korean clothing: Goblin underwater photoshoot, and the second shooting was for "Higher", their latest comeback, with two parts. The first part was based on an "enchanting sirens" concept. The visuals were enchanting, with bright and shining colours: Higher underwater photoshoot part 1. The second one was really mysterious, dark, and you feel like you're being hypnotised: Higher underwater photoshoot part 2. 

That's it for A.C.E's presentation! I hope this article was useful and will let you consider checking out this group who still unfortunately lacks recognition. Trust me they are worth checking out. And for those who already knew A.C.E, feel free to leave your favourite song of them in the comments section :) 

Take care and I'll see you soon!

Love, Swan

 

 

Sources: Kprofile, YouTube, Wikipedia.