Frank Kogan

Yeah, that struck me too, and I don't know the answer, since she neither said how Gayoon's voice or style resembles Britney's (which never particularly struck me; Gayoon can go a lot louder than Britney, and she and Jiyoon seem to be the ones responsible for wails and long notes) nor what she thinks a Britney Spears–type song is. "3" isn't much like "...Baby One More Time," even if they were both co-written by Max Martin, and "Everytime" isn't like either of those, and "Gimme More" still different from all of them. Is it that 4minute aren't as slutty as Britney sometimes is? Aren't as delicate? Aren't as wanton and destructive? Aren't as bouncy?

"Hot Issue" is more Latin freestyle than anything Britney's ever done, and of course has group chants and interplay, but I can still imagine Britney on it.

I wouldn't say that BoA, for instance, is a Britney-style singer, but as you know BoA's actually released a song co-written by Britney (the Britney version finally leaked this year, having landed originally on In The Zone's cutting-room floor).

On BoA's live versions, or even not live but played in the background, it sounds more alive than it does on the album. Jonback, Bloodshy & Avant generally know what they're doing, but I wonder if they put too much clarity and not enough sizzle and room echo on those BoA tracks circa 2009.* And BoA's singing style was too much of a pale Britney copy on the recorded version, versus live (here's another).

Getting back to Jiyoon, I like the rock song at 6:28.

*"Obsessed" and "Touched" hold up quite well, however.