SHINee's Key talks about solo debut

[waves-of-light.livejournal.com]

Spearheading the burgeoning K-pop scene for the past decade in the prominent boy band SHINee, member Key came back Monday with his debut solo album, "Face," packed with EDM music, a genre his boy band has rarely explored.

"One of Those Nights," the album's lead track, whose Korean title translates as "I Don't Pretend to be Strong," is a sentimental R&B number laced with acoustic guitar sounds and house music beats. Featuring K-pop rapper Crush, the song conjures up sentimental breakdown following a break-up with a lover.

Besides the main track, the majority of the album's 10 tracks are in the EDM genre, including the sixth track, "Chemicals," produced by big-name U.S. EDM artists Skrillex and Valentino Khan.

"With regards to EDM, SHINee has not done (much of it)," the 27-year-old Key, whose real name is Kim Ki-bum, said in a media showcase ahead of the album's release Monday evening.

The selection of the 10 tracks "fully" represents his musical tastes, Key noted.

The title "Face" was meant to convey the meanings of the English word as both a noun and a verb, according to Key. "The title suits my character well as someone who expresses everything and rushes forward."

Key wrote the lyrics for four of the 10 tracks, including the seventh track, "I Will Fight," featuring teenager rapper Vinxen, who helped write the lyrics for the song.

Key's solo debut comes at arguably the busiest moment of his career. His band celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year with a series of albums, while Key jump-started his non-musical entertainment career this year by joining a number of TV shows and a new movie dealing with a police squad in charge of hit-and-run cases that is set for release next year.

"I haven't seen many entertainers who could juggle a music career with TV shows, film and TV drama, so I wanted to prove that I can do that. I wanted to be someone who could juggle all those things at the same time," Key said.

"Part of me also thought that working hard (on TV and film projects) could also help muster public attention for my music album."

His top priority remains music, but he is also keen on elevating his name in other entertainment fields, the singer said.

Some people pity him for taking 10 years to release his own album, but Key said now is the perfect timing for him.

"If I released my debut solo album earlier, I might have been desperate and under pressure. Some people want their solo album far earlier (than mine), but I am not like that, so I waited for my time, which took 10 years."

Now, his focus is on "proving" his versatility and ability at multi-tasking, rather than on achieving greatness on music charts, Key said. "If I were younger I would have cared a lot about my (chart) performance ... but now I am not very concerned about it."



source: Yonhap News

Comments

[neongoldtooth.livejournal.com]

first off, i absolutely hate these head bands he keeps wearing. the one in the music video was not a good look.
10 years seems like a lot of time between his debut and solo album, but he's still so young. and if anything, i'm more interested in it then if someone fresh off debut had a solo. he's been in the scene and has crafted his talents. that being said, edm isn't my thing, i'm so damn tired of it, but i trust his taste. one of those nights has grown on me in the short time i've been listening to it. i just really like that he had crush on this album, they work well together.
i really would love to see him do some performances in the us, but i'm sure he'll continue to be super busy with everything else he's juggling.
to sum it up: i just want him to succeed and get the recognition he deserves.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Some people pity him for taking 10 years to release his own album, but Key said now is the perfect timing for him.

I don't pity him. Some people never get solos, and when it's the right time is different for each person.

[sciencebottle.livejournal.com]

I feel like now was the best time for Key to explore his solo activities. My thoughts are that he's so established that he doesn't have to release something he's not 100% into, which I feel like can happen to group members that go solo a little early in their careers (when they have less creative control). I hope that he's happy and proud of his work, and that he's having fun. :)

[kcaomei.livejournal.com]

the last thing i do is pity him. if anyone knows what they're doing and what's best for his career and the timing, it's definitely him. it makes me happy that he was able to wait until the time was right for him and he was ready. i'm so happy that he's so happy<3

[ursulavosyem.livejournal.com]

Everything in its own timing, I'm just glad we get a solo from him to enjoy <3