Tag: Young K

[Album Review] Letter with Notes (1st Studio Album) – Young K (DAY6)

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged , Leave a comment

Young K’s let it be summer is nominated for Best Rock Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support let it be summer and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

If you haven’t seen yet, I have posted the song reviews for Young K’s 2023 releases, nothing but and let it be summer (links below), over the last two weeks. And with that, I am ready to post my thoughts on Young K’s album that features these two tracks – Letter with Notes. This is Young K’s first comeback since his military enlistment and his first studio album. It dropped on 4 September 2023. Personally, I really like the variety that Young K offers in this album – there is a bit of rock, jazz, ballads etc. I kind of had the mindset that the entire album will just be variations of rock (given that Young K does come from a band) or just the more typical vocals/band formula. But there is a lot more to Letters with Notes as you dig further into the album. I highly recommend this release, especially if you are missing your DAY6 dose lately.

Letters With Notes Album Cover

1. waited (오늘만을 너만을 이날을) – Starting off the album is waited. To me, this 90s-like rock track is one of a few that I feel DAY6 easily could have executed together. It just had that whole band vibe that DAY6 has built for them. Well, of course, Young K does a really good job himself with his passionate vocals. I also enjoyed the upbeat and bright energy from the band instrumentation, the pairing making waited a lovely opener, and the glitchy-like echo of following the first chorus was a memorable and unique element of the song. (9/10)

2. nothing but (이것밖에는 없다) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for nothing but. (8.5/10)

3. let it be summer (Pre-release Track) – Click here for the full review for let it be summer. (9/10)

4. Dreamer (꿈꿈) – Dreamer is a British rock track, with feel-good vibes at the forefront of the track. I really like the grungy guitar work in this track, which gives Dreamer a bit of grit, and the splash of brass in the background that emphasises and concentrates those feel-good vibes. Those same vibes are also exuded through Young K’s vocals – the best showing of his vocals is during the bridge, when the melodies curls up. The way he sings those ‘curls’ is impeccable. I find myself getting lost in all of the above often when I hear Dreamer on my queue, and that is definitely a solid indicator to how good the song is. (10/10)

5. Bungee Jumping – Bungee Jumping moves us into slightly softer territory, with a more mellow and pleasant vibe to its instrumentation (despite remaining upbeat). But before you think this translates a softer or mellow approach to Young K’s vocals, think again. I find Young K still puts some oomph behind his vocals during certain parts of the song (such as the opener to the chorus), which brings forth a bungee jumping-like effect to his vocals, which I find complements the title of the song well. Apart from that, everything (melodies, delivery etc.) feels pretty standard. (8/10)

6. natural – The instrumentation to natural evokes a foot-tapping reaction from me, which is another sign of a good song. I like how straight forwardly simple and pure the instrumentation, which complements the title (again) and the romantic intent of the song. Young K’s vocals are really nice in natural, with the soloist going down a more heartfelt and soft approach. I love how delicate he gets in this song, which contrasts nicely with the instrumentation. (9/10)

7. STRANGE – STRANGE reinvigorates the album with the infusion of synths alongside the band instrumentation. It ends up giving off a different dynamic to the rest of the traditional band approaches on the album, serving us with a playful vibe. You can also feel the refreshing energy coming from the soloist’s vocals. Throw in some catchy moments and you have a strong side track in STRANGE. (9/10)

8. SOUL (ft. COILB) – We revisit brass and band instrumentation in SOUL. This time around, the brass is more in the forefront and we also get a nice mellow touch via the presence of piano. Together, with the band instrumentation, we get a jazzy-like atmosphere. Young K himself brings so much soul and passion during the chorus, captivating and engaging me. So much so that I feel SOUL is his best effort vocally on this album. COILB’s rapping also complements SOUL quite well, with his delivery also giving passionate and soulful vibes. (10/10)

9. playground – The playful vibes come back to play in playground, with a funkier sound profile in this rock track. There also appears to be a touch of blues in playground. Young K’s vocals also play around, with his delivery throughout and the quirks in the vocals giving off confident, lively and cheeky undertones. I really like the dynamics of playground and just wished it had gone on and on. (9/10)   

10. babo – Despite the song’s title being the Korean word for ‘fool’, babo is an all-English track. The instrumentation makes babo an interesting track, with the various detailing, pauses and changes that unexpectedly arises as the song progresses. Despite listening to the song a few times since its release, I do find that I still get caught off guard with some of it, such as when the song turns acoustic out of nowhere and fades away. But despite that, babo is still a decent listen. (8/10)

11. what is.. – The final track on the album is (no surprises) a ballad. I really like the atmospheric instrumentation of what is.. and how it further emphasises the emotional heft that ultimately comes from Young K’s vocals. In addition to the emotions, his vocals are stunningly beautiful, captivating and engaging us once again. It also made for a nice closer to this album. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

Letters with Notes Teaser Image

[Review] nothing but – Young K (DAY6)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

Young K’s let it be summer is nominated for Best Rock Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support let it be summer and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

Young K from DAY6 made his solo debut back in 2021 with the single Guard You. Following that, he carried out his military enlistment until April of this year. In September, he returned as a solo artist, bringing his first studio album Letters with Notes, the pre-release single let it be summer (which I have already reviewed) and the title track nothing but (the latter being the focus of this review).

While let it be summer was an energetic rock track, nothing but goes down the balladry path. The rock/band elements do remain in the instrumentation and the backing is also rather simplistic. These elements and its simplistic approach tones down the energy quite a bit to fit that balladry approach. But it is obvious to me that the execution of the backing remained passionate to enable nothing but to be an effective carrier of Young K’s vocals, which is so damn emotive. You can feel the heartbreak and pain behind his voice, which made the song so impactful to me when I first heard it. And it still remains that way every time I play the song again and again. Aside from that, I found the jerky piano at the start made for a stilling opening and a good beginning. But I would have liked more striking piano work elsewhere in nothing but to complement the beginning somehow. As it is, nothing but is still an emotive rock ballad that serves as a strong addition to Young K’s solo work.

The music video features both Young K and DAHYUN from TWICE, who we see are going through a break up. From Young K’s perspective (based on the lyrics of nothing but), he could feel that the breakup was coming. But he tries to hold onto what is left, as much as he can. We see him lose the ring in a car that is going to be dropped from up high. But no matter way, he tries to find it. DAHYUN drinks all of the water in the glass, and he goes to fill it back up as a way to keep her at the table. We see her hand back the presents that he once bought her – later shown to be frozen in ice (a metaphor for their relationship). But he still smashes his way through the ice to free the items. But no matter what he does, the video shows ultimately ends in their breakup. It is a really abstract yet interesting music video to watch. I also thought the acting of both Young K and DAHYUN was exceptional in this video.  

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10  

[Review] let it be summer – Young K (DAY6)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , 1 Comment

Young K’s let it be summer is nominated for Best Rock Song in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support let it be summer and your other favourite acts by clicking here to vote today.

In September of this year, Young K from DAY6 marked his return to the solo stage with his first studio album, Letters with Note. The first song from the album released was let it be summer, which dropped at the end of August as pre-release single. Following this track was the official release of the studio album and the title track nothing but (which I will be posting a review for in the coming days).

For me, I found let it be summer to be a very straight forward track. It is a lively and energetic rock track that never stops, with the rock energy continually pushing the song forward. The atmosphere of let it be summer can easily be described as feel-good, and has always evoked a foot-tapping or head-banging reaction from me (depending on the day). It also always puts a smile on my face for its celebration of summer. Young K’s vocals in let it be summer are just as dynamic as the instrumentation and I really like the extra oomph his singing gives the chorus. While my thoughts and impression on let it be summer is short and brief, I found the track to be super effective and a highlight on my playlist (and Young K’s album). As such, I nominated let it be summer as one of the contenders for ‘Best Rock Song of 2023’ in the 2023 KPOPREVIEWED Awards.

The music video also does not fluff around, showing two things – the first is Young K rocking about in the country side and the second is a younger actor (presumably playing the role of a younger Young K) hanging out and having fun with his friends. I really like the part of the video where the two words combine, with Young K and his younger self playing the guitar alongside one another. But while the song is energetic and dynamic, I wished the camera work wasn’t much so. There was a bit too much movement and it made it extremely hard to focus.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Guard You – Young K (DAY6)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 4 Comments

One of the comebacks kick starting this week is Young K’s solo debut! Yesterday, DAY6’s bassist, vocalist and rapper made his first solo release with the single, Guard You, and the mini-album, Ethereal. This will become the last major release from the new solo act, as he is confirmed to be enlisting in the Korean military next month. Prior this this solo debut, we saw Young K participate in DAY6’s recent mini-album release, The Book of Us: Negentropy and in Even of Day’s (DAY6’s subunit) mini-album release, Right Through Me

Guard You takes on a rock sound, with a prevalent blend of synths to give off a sense of individuality from Young K’s usual releases as part of DAY6. But while I thought it was a decent track instrumentally, I personally wished Guard You had a much heavier and more intense instrumental. I felt everything that I will speak positively about in this song review will be enhanced to a whole new level had this been the case. That extra bit musically would have done wonders to this song. But nonetheless, what we got was still quite satisfying to listen to. I felt that Guard You was a song to get lost in. This effect would have been easier to slip into had the song been heftier in the instrumental department. But the effect was still there and I still liked Guard You for that factor, regardless. A memorable component of Guard You was the emotional and heartfelt energy, which derived mainly from the Young K’s strong vocals. This energy also did a good job of complimenting the lyrics, as well. His vocals also did a lot of captivating and he sounded really good throughout. The high note he delivered at the end was superb and well-executed. Overall, Guard You was a good song to listen to. It just could have gone further and this would have potentially made it into a better song.

It appears that Young K is a doomsday prepper in this video. But he is stuck in a hard spot when the actual threat comes. We seem him struggle in a moral dilemma for a second in the music video. He could either tend to his plants (I presume this would be related to survival and this would mean getting more food), activate survival mode so he can survive the incoming asteroids, or warn people of the looming threat. Well, to make sense with the lyrics, Young K decides to survive by activating his bunker’s survival mode. While it does sound pretty selfish, I am under the assumption that if he continues living, he can continue to ‘guard you’. That, or the ‘you’ he refers to are the plants and he wants to protect them no matter what (but that won’t really make sense with the decision he had to face mid way into the video). I thought Young K’s acting was really good in this video and this definitely helped made the video even better. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, with Young K surviving (but it appears that he might be the only one left on the planet).

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

Recap of MelOn Music Awards 2015 and Thoughts

Posted in Award CeremoniesTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The MMA or MelOn Music Awards were held on the 7th of November 2015. MelOn does not refer to the fruit but rather the music chart and on-line music store in South Korea. It is held by LOEN Entertainment, which owns the music distribution company. The music award has its own unique criteria where it only calculates digital sales of artists in the past year and incorporate these sales with on-line votes of fans.

The following artists, groups and actors attended the ceremony: Big Bang, Yoona (SNSD), Hyukoh, Hyorin & Dasom (Sistar) (did not perform), Toy (did not perform), APINK, Zion.T, Sane, iKON, GFriend, Mad Clown (did not perform), Hong Jin Young, BTS, Red Velvet, EXID, Monsta X, Winner (did not perform). Actors, actresses and other celebrities attended the night as presenters.

The show on the night was hosted by Yoo Byung Jae and Seo Kang Joon. They were shortly joined by Lee Boo Yi, Kim Shin Young, Kim So Hyun & Irene (Red Velvet). The red carpet was hosted by Youngji (Former Member of Kara) and Seo Yuri.

Below are the winners on the night. Afterwards, I have left some comments regarding some awards:
Top 10 Artist – SHINee, Girl’s Generation, Hyukoh, Toy, Big Bang, Sistar, EXO, APINK, Zion.T, Sane.
Best New Artist – iKON & GFriend
Best Rap/Hip Hop – Mad Clown ft. Jinsil (Fire)
Best Ballad – Baek Ah Yeon ft. Young K (Shouldn’t Have)
Best RnB – Naul (Living In The Same Time)
Best Rock – Kim Sung Gyu (The Answer)
Best OST – Loco & Yuju (Spring Is Gone By Chance)
Best Trot – Hong Jin Young (Love WiFi)
Best Pop – Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars (Uptown Funk)
Best Male Dance – BTS (I Need U)
Best Female Dance – Red Velvet (Ice Cream Cake)
Best Folk – 10cm (Sseudam Sseudam)
Best Indie – Standing Egg ft. Wheein & Obroject Yundak (The Sunlight Hurts)
Netizen Popularity Award – Big Bang (Bang Bang Bang)
Hot Trend Award – Infinite Challenge (Yeongdong Expressway Music Festival)
Best Music Video – Park Jin Young ft. Jessi (Who’s Your Mama?)
Song Writer Award – Teddy
MBC Music Star Award – EXID
1theK Performance Award – Monsta X
Album Of The Year (Daesang) – EXODUS
Song Of The Year (Daesang) – Bang Bang Bang
Artist Of The Year (Daesang) – Big Bang

I personally think above is a fair spread for award winners. While I am not knowledgeable to comment on categories such as Best Indie and Best Folk, the rest show 2015 in its glory. Once again, I think Seventeen deserves the Best New Artist award and GFriend finally got what they deserved (it’s a good thing. Kind of sounded like I was hinting at something bad). Sistar and APINK’s Top 10 awards caught me off guard since they were quickly taken over by other artists on the digital charts and failed to be up to par with the other artists. I am glad to see Kim Sung Gyu win something for his album. It was really good.

And as per usual, there were performances that night from the groups who won awards. Performers included: Hyukoh, Big Bang, APINK, Zion.T, Sane, BTS, EXID, Red Velvet, Monsta X, iKON and GFriend. It would have been nicer to see some more artists who won from the night perform. I think best performance of the night was BTS with their cool jackets that had light coming off them. A very large portion of the show was dedicated to Big Bang, which had people talking. Sure, they won a lot of award, but I agree with majority of the audience. Big Bang’s performances just made it feel like one Big Bang concert. Sure, they won prestigious awards, but it just robbed the other artists of their night, who also put hard effort into making 2015 their year. Would have I gotten angry over the fact they turned the award show into a mini concert? No, but maybe they should have dropped one or two songs.

Overall, I think MMA15 was pretty fair. They had a large variety of winners (mainly because they have a lot of categories) and minus that small complaint regarding the performances, the show was great. Oh, but damn was the presentation of the awards cringe worthy. Probably this ceremony takes the award for  “Worst Presentation of Awards” award. Could have done it in a way where the presenters did not feel that ashamed of themselves.