AMORTAGE

The record

AMORTAGE is Jisoo’s second solo release and her first mini-album, out on 14 February 2025. It carries four songs in English and Korean, led by ‘earthquake’. The album introduction states that it is her second solo record after ME.

Billboard reported that Jisoo described the record in a press statement as a “collection of stories about love — the highs, the lows and everything in between”, and that the title is a portmanteau of “amor”, love in Latin and Spanish, and “montage”. The same piece noted that she had signed a global label deal with Warner Records ahead of the release. NME wrote that the four songs were made with her own company Blissoo and the producer duo The Wavys, who are credited on all four, and that she is a co-writer on every song.

Reviews

NME’s Crystal Bell reviewed the record on the day of release. “Jisoo has never been in a rush,” she wrote. “She arrives on her own terms with ‘Amortage’, a mini-album that doesn’t scream reinvention but instead refines what the K-pop idol does best.” She added that “it’s refreshing to see Jisoo make music as playful as her personality”, and found in it “an irreverent charm to Jisoo’s approach, a breezy confidence that recalls the effortless, sun-soaked pop of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ era – catchy, unforced and fun without trying too hard”. Her review closes: “‘Amortage’ plays to Jisoo’s strengths, proving that evolution doesn’t always have to be explosive to shake things up.”

Billboard published a review five days later that takes the four songs one at a time. Jeff Benjamin summed the record up as one of “sonic surprises, confident vocals and radio-ready tracks”, and wrote: “Lead single ‘earthquake’ aligns JISOO with prime Britney Spears material, while the impressive English tracks ‘Your Love’ and ‘Hugs & Kisses’ paint the picture of an increasingly more confident, globally focused superstar.” Of the project as a whole he wrote that on something this tight, “even the ‘worst’ song on the record is still super strong”.

Among the tracks

‘earthquake’ is the title track and Jisoo’s first solo song since ‘꽃 (FLOWER)’ in 2023. Billboard called it a “shape-shifting, electronic-pop cut” that “is reminiscent of the experimental-yet-accessible that defined much of Britney Spears’ career”, and wrote that she brings her acting to “a stream of emotive ad-libs towards the song’s end”. NME wrote that it “builds on the magnetic syncopation of ‘Flower’ – finger-snaps and all – but with a fuller, more dynamic production”, and that where the earlier song kept things contained, this one “gives Jisoo’s voice room to bloom”.

‘Your Love’ is a pop ballad sung entirely in English. Billboard wrote that it “boasts a classic, singalong-style chorus that gives it an additional sense of euphoria”, with several of the song’s co-writers adding backing vocals. NME wrote that on it “she stretches her range and vulnerability”.

‘Hugs & Kisses’ closes the record. Billboard wrote that it moves “from a minimal electronic intro to a classic pop-rock production”, and named the belt before the final chorus “the cherry on top of a body of work highlighting the star’s strengths while pushing to new creative heights”. NME wrote that the song “brings bouncy energy to the mix, pairing agile wordplay with sticky synths”, and described ‘Tears’ as “a chill, bass-heavy bop”.