"Honestly..." by Eric Nam, Monday, March 8, 2021

Pop quiz: How many Asian American pop singers do you know? Bonus if you can name one with a Billboard Hot 100 hit. BTS does not count because they are Korean, not American. Give up? I can think of two. First a hip-hop group called Far East Movement garnered a lot of love in LA's Koreatown and eventually topped the charts with the song "Like a G6." And you could have also said Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda. Otherwise, pre-BTS, the American music industry was quite underrepresented by Asian musicians. With that in mind, the Atlanta, Georgia-born Eric Nam returned to the country of his parents to pursue a career he felt wasn't likely in America. In Korea, Nam has become not only a popular musician, but also a go-to interviewer whenever movie or pop stars visit Korea. His K-pop is more influenced by singer-songwriters and U.S. pop singers than the girl and boy groups of his high school years. His unique take on K-pop has made him multi-nationally famous. Honestly, American pop music would have been much better with his talent.

YOU WANTED AN ANSWER FROM THE START. I first heard of Eric Nam in 2014, when he released the single "Ooh Ooh" (ft. Hoya of Infinite). I was starting to listen to more and more K-pop, and these Canadian YouTubers, Simon and Martha raved about him on their Eat Your Kimchi channel. I had know Hoya from his role on Reply 1997. When I watched "Ooh Ooh," I wondered what I was listening too. K-pop with a horn section? Eric struggling to put on his pants to cover up his Mickey Mouse underwear. A throwback to American bandstand-era television. Cutesy gestures. Really not my style musically. But I wondered why he was so loved, so that made me search for him on YouTube. I found several covers, most notable were "Say Something" and "I Won't Give Up." These two songs sold me on his talent. Two years later he released the single "I Can't Help Myself" (ft. Loco) and kept making consistent pop music, eventually dropping the cutesy style, and dealing with a wider range of subjects, which brings us to today's song: 2018's "Honestly." 

BABY, I WANT TO YOU TO SAY SOMETHING. A song that starts off by saying, "I love you, but..." is rather unique. This song captures a rather unique feeling heard elsewhere in pop music. It's similar to Lady A(ntebellum) saying "It's a quarter after one, and I'm a little drunk, and I need you now." It's a feeling of knowing it should be over, but out of convenience, you keep it going, even when you both have totally different goals and expectations, sort of like my first relationship in Korea. You put off breaking up because you feel like there is still potential. You don't want to heart their feelings, and much more, you don't want to be the monster. "Why do I deserve happiness?" You ask. So a relationship that should have lasted a few weeks lasts eight months, until you can't deny your unhappiness any more. In my case it was conflicting schedules and lack of communication that killed it. But also there was no future vision. That person wants you there for when they are free. You want to enjoy your free time with that person or be free to pursue other options. So, "This lie of saying I still love you..."

Behind the Scenes featuring the acoustic version: