He suddenly snaps his fingers as he recalls something, his smile growing even wider. “I included a lot of high-energy sounds in the beginning, because that’s what I’m already known for and the image that most people have of me,” he says. “My trainee days felt very dark and unending because I spent seven long years” It acts as this album’s war cry, as a choir of voices soar beneath Joohoney’s powerhouse flow. Even ‘Voice’, the follow-up track, is sharp and punchy. It starts with ‘Hype Energy’, an opener rife with trap and hip-hop beats that harken back to his early days as an “amateur”, as he puts it. The six-track record is stacked with layers upon layers of storytelling that demand to be peeled back in order to understand his philosophy as a creator. ![]() Nearly every aspect of ‘Lights’ was made with careful, crafted intention, as expected when Joohoney himself was behind its writing production. I just want to these boundaries in my music.” Even the layering of instrumentation in each song is incredibly nuanced as he ventures into new genres. “Just like the meaning of the word itself, I wanted to be free with all the things I wanted to do for my music,” Joohoney explains. The multihyphenate is recognised in the K-pop industry as a dextrous rapper, but on ‘Lights’ he dares to explore uncharted stylistic territory and unapologetically subverts expectations by placing focus on his ability as a vocalist. “I’m always thinking about how to spread positive energy, positive messages and positive songs, so that’s the reason behind this album.” He leans back in his chair, arms crossed, as he speaks about ‘Lights’ with an unmistakable sparkle in his eyes and a warm smile. Then lights to the world.” The confidence – not only in himself, but also in his work – he radiates is perhaps one of the first things you will notice about him. “We always shine lights on ourselves, to always think and see positivity. He points out that this darkness usually manifests itself as negative thoughts. “Everyone has a dark side,” Joohoney says of ‘Lights’ during a video call with NME, a week before the record’s release. ‘Freedom’’s accompanying visual may be a hodgepodge of imagery, but they all share the same motif: Joohoney as a prisoner. In others, he’s trapped in the middle of a rotating circle of lit candles. ![]() In some scenes, he’s locked in a cage, the words “trouble” and “struggling” written in neon ink across his cheeks. The opening verse to ‘Freedom’ begins like a prayer, as he croons that same word over and over again, his raspy voice laced with traces of desperation and desire.Īs the music video to the title track to his debut solo record, ‘Lights’, chugs on, we watch as the MONSTA X member’s forlorn disposition gradually twists and morphs into his signature assertiveness. The breeze hits him, casting his hair and clothes back as he tilts his head up towards a dark, foggy sky. ![]() J oohoney, clad in lily-white garments, slowly trudges up the stairs toward a pedestal, a structure that almost resembles a mountain.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |