With Lauv they made it wrong…
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Alfred Soto: I like the world’s most popular K-pop act when they record rhythmically complex tracks, not when they chill out into nothingness.
[4]
Tobi Tella: BTS acclimates to the US pop music climate perfectly by making a chill pop song with no distinct qualities that I likely won’t be able to remember the melody of in a day.
[3]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: Lauv’s songs are frilly and vaporous, memorable for their simple earworm hooks and minimal instrumentation. It makes a ton of sense, then, to have him hop on a song that’s very much in his wheelhouse. The problem is that he sounds bored, and is generally unable to emote in the way that BTS effortlessly do (that’s less a knock on him as much as a note about his shtick being diametrically opposed to BTS’s). The original sounds like more than Sheeran-written schlock because BTS vocalize in diverse ways, each rapped verse and sung vocal suffused with drama to flesh out the song’s simple lyrics. BTS collaborations often reveal how little the boy band needs other artists to make their songs better; “Make It Right” is the most egregious example to date.
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Alex Clifton: I was bored when “Make It Right” was released originally and I don’t think the addition of Lauv saves it. He’s there at the beginning and disappears, much like the Desiigner feature in the “Mic Drop” remix. The rest, I think, would be good for a band that wasn’t BTS, and I feel let down if only because I think they are capable of much stronger songs. Also it is co-written by our old friend Ed Sheeran, and while I am happy that BTS finally have the opportunity to work with international artists they love and respect, I really didn’t want an Ed Sheeran K-pop song, like, ever. The boys should stick with Steve Aoki, as he’s shown he can bring out both their rough and tender sides with nuanced production and an eye on each member’s strengths.
[4]
Michael Hong: The original version of “Make It Right” created the illusion of closeness through its close-mic intensity; however, it also reduced each vocalist into an echo of themselves and blended them into one identity. The rappers grounded the track with some seriousness, but it was V singing in his breathy lower register who gave the song its much-needed gravitas. “Make It Right” loses this by replacing the first verses with Lauv’s whine of an intro and crosses into insufferable.
[3]
Josh Buck: If 2019 wasn’t the year that BTS fully exploded to *NSync or Backstreet Boys levels of North American fame, it was the year they worked most shamelessly in that direction. And the results have been largely satisfying. Their collaborations with Halsey and Charli XCX are among the year’s best pop songs, and they linked up with Juice Wrld for a track that impressively showed off the boys’ range. Unfortunately, this link up with Lauv doesn’t reach those heights. Dusting off the most generic (but still smooth) Ed Sheeran-written track from their Map of The Soul: Persona EP and adding the equally generic Lauv, “Make It Right” never quite gels. Lauv’s verse feels awkwardly jammed in, and he disappears after the first hook, giving the whole track an unfinished, late-era Kanye vibe. It’s a clear play for US radio, but the result might be the weakest BTS track of 2019.
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Hazel Southwell: I think I probably find this boring because I don’t fancy anyone involved and there’s really nothing wrong with making songs that do something for someone who fancies you. So I absolutely don’t mean that as a criticism; if I wanted to bang any of BTS or Lauv then this would be a lovely crush-spiral of gorgeous seduction, all neon and sparkles in exactly that sweet-spot way that lights you up if it hits you right — and leaves you not exactly cold but definitely not having the same experience if it misses. Your feels may vary.
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