Partly for the prolific volume of projects artists release each year and partly for the fluid definition of an album (running anywhere from three to 13 tracks), an annual ranking of K-pop albums is never easy. As South Korea continues to extend its global musical influence, certain projects transcend hit-song compilations, presenting larger visions and conceptual narratives.
In 2023, stars like V, WOODZ and ONEW used their latest solo projects to share the music that inspires them at their core as artists and let listeners settle into sonic worlds theyāve developed.
[...]
First Place: Onew, Circle The First Album
While itās somewhat criminal to think that 15 years after ONEWās debut with SHINee in 2008 we only just received his first full Korean album, the singer-songwriter himself would say that now was the perfect time for Circle. A musical journey unlike anything released this year, ONEW shared that he had attempted to record the albumās title track before dropping his Dice EP in early 2022, but felt it wasnāt at the level of perfection it deserved and held onto the song. ONEW then involved himself in every aspect of Circleās production process, from meticulous mixing and mastering to tuning, beats, recording and mastering, attesting to the singer-songwriterās dedication to artistic expression.
The single āO (Circle)ā opens the album with an intriguing blend of electronica and strings, while its gospel-tinged chorus emphasizes lyrics about the circular nature of life and how memories, feelings and dreams are all fleeting. The 10 tracks on Circle develop unique transformations from start to finish: the breezy melodies in āCoughā are paired with loneliness-themed lyrics and a melancholy instrumental breakdown, while āRain on Meā starts with aggressive acoustic guitar strumming before transitioning into an atmospheric, percussive ballad. Sweet surprises abound, too: ONEW scats on the jazz-rap hybrid āCaramelā and gives a glimpse into his indie-rock side on āParachute.ā
The albumās effortless flow is anchored by ONEWās famously solid yet understated vocals. As Circle concludes with the tender piano ballad āAlwaysā which addresses themes of loyalty and resilience, the listener wonders if itās an allegory for ONEWās public journey through health challenges, including vocal cord surgery. Even without any writing credits on Circle, ONEWās presence is undeniably felt in this seamless collection that boasts an emotional depth brought on by 15 years in the game. Thatās the kind of introspection you canāt rush or doctor through A&R but need to cycle through and arrive at when the moment is right. From scheduling this albumās release to the messages on the final track, time is definitely on ONEWās side to deliver such a project. ā J.B.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
Just got confirmation: NCT 127's new title track will officially be named "Favorite (Vampire)," changes should be seen across platforms in the coming hours
[220124] Jeff Benjaminās official twitter update:
Jongho's voice live is something you need to see to believe. The amount of high belts he consistently slays song after song is unbelievable #ATEEZinNewark
'Don't Call Me' is the seventh full-length album by SHINee, featuring Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin together with nine new tracks to bring to their beloved boy-band magic.
In the K-pop industry, the word ācomebackā is used to refer to any new album or song release and doesnāt especially hold the same weight it does in the west for an artistās career revival. So when SHINee release their first album together in nearly three years, comeback might be thrown around but this is truly the next-step extension of what the boy band has been doing together for more than a decade now.
Donāt Call Me is the seventh full-length album released by SHINee, featuring Onew, Key, Minho and Taemin together with nine new tracks to bring to their beloved boy-band magic. While the album opens with the dramatic rap-heavy title track, the LP warps through throbbing synth-dance cuts, sentimental R&B ballads, and shiny funk-pop anthems to show thatāeven as they approach 13 years togetherāthe SHINee sound still can't be completely pinned down beyond their harmony-heavy blend.
As Key sees it, this album doesnāt hold any particular special meaning above othersāthis is what SHINee has always done and will continue to do. āItās our natural thing,ā he says during a video call from Seoul with his members. āThis isnāt a special album per se, these are just our natural selves.ā
Their natural SHINee selves also include a noticeably close camaraderie during the interview: each member frequently whispers or talks to one another while another speaks, they instinctively know whose coffee drink is whose, and can completely flip anyoneās interview answer on its headālike when Key revealed, in his dead-pan tone, that a backstage visit from Minho was hardly the āsurpriseā the rapper claimed it to be moments earlier.
Even if SHINee claims what they do today is natural, handling your way through a vocal and choreography performance that āDonāt Call Meā requires just shows why SHINee has earned their place as pure pop royalty. Read on for more on what the guys had to say on their return, growth since their last album release, favorite songs and more.
Jeff Benjamin: Itās great that SHINeeās back. Whatās it like being together as a group recording, rehearsing, and doing interviews like this?
Onew: Obviously we have our own expectations for ourselves as a group since itās been a while, but weāre excited. The overall atmosphere back together and being able to do this again has been great.
Taemin: Itās been a while that weāve been together working on an album together and I think weāre able to emit this synergyāitās a synergy that doesnāt happen in our individual activities.
Jeff Benjamin: Minho, you went right from your military discharge to meeting the members backstage at [Korean music show] Inkigayo. Why was it important for you all to meet up so quickly?
Minho: This is going to sound obvious, but I just really missed them. When I heard they were all together, I really wanted to surprise them because it had been so long.
Key: It wasnāt a surprise at all. We all knew he was going to come to Inkigayo, we were just thinking, āNo, heās not going to wear a military uniform.ā But he was wearing it. [Laughs]
Jeff Benjamin: Looking at Donāt Call Me at large, what does a SHINee album represent today in 2021?
Key: You know itās been 13 years since we debuted, right? Honestly, itās really hard to show something new to audiences because it feels like weāve done everything. And we tried every concept. So, these days weāre focused on making a well-made album. We were collecting a lot of good songs but we didnāt care about genres or style of music, we just wanted to combine well-made songs. We want to show that this isnāt a special album per se, these are just our natural selves: Weāre singers. Releasing an album isnāt a unique thing for us; itās our natural thing.
Jeff Benjamin: So even if this is SHINee back in its natural habitat, what does āDonāt Call Meā represent as the title track single?
Taemin: There were a lot of potential title tracks that were on the list. But for us, āDonāt Call Meā was a really strong standout track because we didnāt want to just showcase SHINeeās usual colors and usual style but emphasize the performance aspect with this comeback. We felt like āDonāt Call Meā was the song for that. Also, you probably know this, but SHINee has never released songs that are hip-hopābased so we felt like that was something new to try as well.
Jeff Benjamin: What are your favorite songs on the album right now?
Taemin: āCĆDEā because I personally feel like itās a song that showcases SHINeeās maturity. Even though itās got SHINeeās signature vibe in it, thereās a mature sound. We worked with [songwriter] Kenzie and [producers] LDN Noise on this one, we work with them so much and I personally just like their sound so much so it was a great track for me.
Key: āHeart Attack.ā So, āHeart Attackā and āDonāt Call Meā are like black and white. āDonāt Call Meā is based on hip-hop and itās quite strong, but āHeart Attackā is light and I think itās typical of SHINeeās funky pop sound.
Minho: I canāt really choose, there are so many good ones.
Onew: I personally like āI Really Want Youā because it really sounds like a SHINee song, really our color.
Jeff Benjamin: I want to ask about some specific songs too. āMarry Youā is a very mature moment as the final part of the ongoing story that began with āReplayā in 2008.
Key: Thereās a story of āReplay,ā āLovesickā and āMarry You,ā and we thought about how this universe matters a lot to our fansāitās an independent world from SHINee World. Weāre going to keep trying to make those kinds of universes, fans really like that, but we want to say that weāre still keeping on with this story. Weāre still the same SHINee as our story continues.
Jeff Benjamin: One of my favorite tracks is āKind.ā I felt it represents SHINeeās relationship, but can you explain it more?
Minho: Yes, it does represent the relationship between our members but itās also a song expressing our relationship with our fans; really any person we love or that we care about basically. Out of all the tracks, itās more on the quieter and slower side and that does make more of an impact when youāre listening to the whole album.
Jeff Benjamin: You last released an album in 2018, what changes or surprises have you noticed between one another since returning to work?
Minho: For me, itās probably Taemin. Heās the only one who hasnāt been in the military while the rest of us were these years. I was kind of surprised to see how well he was keeping up with the trends and all that.
Taemin: I was just surprised at how well kept up, it was as if they never left for that year-and-a-half. Even when we were practicing choreography, they were telling me, āOh Iām so tiredā or āI donāt know if I can do this.ā But when we saw the actual video of our practice, I was actually really really satisfied. Probably the most satisfied Iāve been compared to our previous releases. Itās just great to see theyāre all still on top of it in terms of their physical condition and their ability to keep up with trends. Iāve been hearing a lot of comments from other artists and friends saying they all are so much more handsome and got so much cooler.
Jeff Benjamin: To wrap up, is there a message youād like to share with fans around the world?
Onew: Obviously, we worked really hard on this comeback and we put a lot of effort not just into the performance but every aspect of it. I think fans can expect to see a far-more matured SHINee this comeback. Please look forward to it.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
200307 jeff__benjamin: #! It was great to reunite with @loonatheworld in Seoul to talk their new album (I was shocked and excited at the first listen of āSo Whatā and what else I heard) and visit BlockBerry Creative HQ. Even though #LOONA was introduced to the world one by one, I wanted to capture the collectiveness I felt not only from the group themselves but from the entire building. It was really nice to have such a warm conversation with the group (Vivi and Yvesā ENGLISH was impressive and during a moment when the staff was checking on something, Yves told me in English, āso nice to see you againā. :,) But I really do believe in the larger vision of what LOONA is bringing and am so excited for what's next. Like Heejin said, āI really want people to trust LOONA.ā And donāt worry, #Orbit, we didnāt forget Haseul.
Here's our photo from after the interview. Check out the interview now on @billboard, link in my bio and story, Orbits!
