Addictive OST Drops as Love Around Premieres

As Love Around ramps up to its premiere tonight and fills up my FB stream, we get a slew of goodies coming our way. One of the main reasons I'm tempted to watch the new series, aside from the OTP, is the fact that I've already heard two very catchy and amazing songs on the previews. The moment I heard the title track, I recognized the voice of one of my favourite new male solo singers in Taiwan: Bii. 

The first time I saw his name, I was like, "Whoa... got some high ambition there, buddy" since the first association would be to the Korean mega-star Bi (Rain). Then I learned that it was due to his mixed heritage: he's half-Korean and half-Taiwanese, and that is his way of saying both sides, identities are all him. Anyway, all that matters not once you start listening to him just KILL it in his songs.

I first heard his voice in the OST for Zhong Wu Yen (starring Ming Dao and Cheryl Yang) and since those songs were in his first album, I took a listen to that and became an instant fan. I also have an penchant for all things Korean, so when he sang in Korean, it just won me over all the more. Bii has chosen the Taiwanese side of his heritage, going into the mandatory military service in Taiwan where he served in the marine, and finally gained official Taiwanese citizenship at the end of his service. The title track of his second album, appropriately titled "Come Back to Me" is also the opening theme for our new series, Love Around:

 

This song is just perfect as an opening theme with its catchy beat - I especially love the hook just before the chorus, when he inserts the Korean phrase "ireohke ireohke ireohke ireohke" (just like this x4). He also composed and wrote this song himself. The ending theme of Love Around has also been revealed to be yet another song from Bii, Happiness Has Nothing to Do with It (幸福無關). This song is more of a ballad, as is customary for ending tracks.

I like to save the best for the last - and THIS, this insert song is likely to become my favourite once I start watching the show - a duet between Bii and another new voice to me, Miu Chu Lijing. Apparently, she was the winner of the Taiwan Super Idol Season 3 competition and from the little I've watched over the years, those competitions do produce fairly high quality singers. I already liked her voice when I heard the song in a preview, and hearing the full track just made me happier - I Will Be Around (我會在你身邊):

The premise of Love Around is actually nothing new - further to what I've previously posted, Zhou Zhen (George Hu) and Liang Xiao Shu (Annie Chen) meet in a DTLY-esque post-breakup, lowest-point-of-their-lives manner. They support and stay by each other to help them both tide over their heartbreak. And gradually of course,they fall in love. Along the way, throw in every cliche you can think of - disapproving father(s?), ex-girl/boyfriends etc. But who are we kidding right? We're not watching this for the plot - it'll be just to see how our resident adorkable gentleman turns gangstah and romances his girl once again.

On that note: In view of how this new series is starting, I think future recaps I do will be for Love Around, rather than Love, Now, just so we don't cross all our brain wires.

Till the premiere tonight!