K-pop Artist Kai Potentially Illustrates A Story Through His R&B Album

As there are only a couple of days left, South Korean K-pop Artist Kai continues to release more details about his album. As we get more bits of the album, the clearer the picture becomes.

Instead of separate ideas, everything is constructed in a way that will illustrate a story. We can make predictions of how the story will follow, using the song descriptions, all translated by INTL KAI, one of Kai’s loyal International fanbases. Consider these as hypotheses of what is yet to come. Perhaps, it would be interesting to see if any of these are accurate after his release on November 30th.

Nothing on Me

“Nothing on Me” is described as an alternative R&B song with a heavy bass groove. Its sounds is suppose to mimic feelings of ecstasy when attracted to a sweet, mellow scent. Perhaps, this will be a “love at a first sight” or, really, lust at a first sense. Sight is replaced with scent, and of course, there’s no such thing as love at a first sight. The speaker is going to be attracted to someone to the point where sparks of joy will rise within him. He follows this scent, this person, to somewhere he is not quite sure yet.

Reason

“Reason”, produced by Mike Daley, is a progressive song that includes an addictive 808 pattern that has been added to minimal club music. According to the details of the album, its lyrics is suppose to draw an image of “increasing fascination one experiences as two people pique each other’s curiosity scour one another” (INTL KAI). After the first encounter, he cannot help but to be completely drawn to this person. The lack of details there is to know about this person excites the speaker to know more. Their curiosity is so immense that somehow it brightens their days. This follows the formula of a love story.

Ride or Die

“Ride or Die” is a alternative R&B song produced by Chacha Malone that creates a “dreamlike, hazy atmosphere created by oriental guitar sounds”. The lyrics are meant to convey an underlying theme of “Let’s surpass our limits and freely enjoy it to our heart’s desires” (INTL KAI). So, after they found each other, were completely fixated onto each other, they enjoy the sweet moments as if it were a dream. You know when you first fall in love, those moments almost feel like a dream, those moments of happiness. You just want it to last for a long time, but it feels like a dream, so you push beyond the limits to enjoy that moment of love and happiness.

Amnesia

Amnesia is a R&B song with the “charming groove and distant melody”. It’s lyrics is supposed to describe the moments when all you want to remember is precious memories of your lover and forget everything that happened before. The speaker wants to live in that same ecstasy and joy he felt when falling in love. These moments of happiness are stuck on replay. Its distant melody can make one picture that the tunes that were once played are slowly fading away.

Hello Stranger

That strange connection that twirls and spins between two people. In that very moment, despite the duration they’ve known each other, they somehow click. “Hello Stranger” is described as a progressive R&B song that is accompanied by the poignant sounds from the guitar. Poignant sounds underscores the song isn’t going to be happy. The beautiful sounds will give the listener sense of melancholy.

Placing “Hello Stranger” is conflicting. If we want to follow a more traditional love storyline “Hello Stranger” will be placed after nothing on me. However, its “poignant” tunes from the guitar makes one picture that it will be a sad song. So placing it right after “Nothing on Me” can be seen as a problem. Why would getting to know someone be sad? Possibly, could it be that the speaker already knows that these moments may not last forever, so getting to know someone, or the feeling of indulging in emotions for someone that will disappear, can be sad? This makes it conflicting.

However, if we place “Hello Stranger” last, we get a sad love story ending. Perhaps, his first lover is gone. He meets someone else new that exhibits this strange connection, and they talk so naturally to them, unexpectedly they talk as if they already know each other. The poignant strums of the guitar dissolve into the air, becoming the cold wind that kisses their cheeks. In a cold atmosphere, their conversation releases warm.

KAI seems to be an album that will potentially illustrate a story. A love story were he is drawn in by lust but gradually falls in love with this person as he gets to know them. This love is so immense that bursts of ecstasy and joy fuels within him during those tender moments. This love seems too good that it is almost dream-like. From the moment they fall in, all he want is to be consummed by this love and the memories associated with that love. As love stories aren’t always meant to have happy endings, there is a melancholic atmosphere that swirls as he finds someone he has never seen before, almost giving him a similar comfort he once had with his, now, past lover.

These are all hypotheses. Perhaps, the album will be like or completely different from what one can imagine. Nonetheless, KAI is an highly anticipated album. We cannot wait to see a true performance by the world-class performer.