"Shine" by Kim Sung-Kyu (김성규), Thursday, September 8, 2022 (repost)
In high school, Kim Sung-kyu, the future leader of the boy band Infinite, had to hide his vocal practice from his parents. In high school he sang in a rock band with some of his friends. When he graduated he left his hometown of Jeonju in hopes of having a career in music in Seoul. After failing an audition for SM Entertainment, he tried out for label Woolim Entertainment. His hope was to be a rock singer like his future label mates, Nell. On the day of his audition, though, he was suffering from appendicitis. Determined to make it as a singer, he sang through the pain and went to the hospital after the audition finished. Rather than cultivating Kim's rock talents, the record label decided to place him as the leader of the their first boy-band, Infinite. Throughout the group's tenure, they would flirt with rock music; however, it wasn't until Sung-Kyu's debut EP, Another Me, that he would be able to make the kind of music he envisioned.
WHENEVER THIS TIME OF YEAR COMES, I ALWAYS THINK OF THE WORDS YOU USED TO SAY TO ME. Released at the end of 2012, Another Me is a K-pop album for listeners who don't really care for the genre, and was an excellent introduction to Korean music. From the vocal intro/title track that is reminiscent of early '90s harmonies to the near-epic closing track "41 Days," which displays Sung-kyu's passionate vocals, this short album is a refreshing look at a soft-rock album when most Koreans musicians, particularly ones with any association with K-pop, had long rejected the genre. Born in 1989, Sung-kyu's prominence in the music scene corresponded with a rejection of guitars, bass and drums, in favor of synths and trap beats. And while the songs on Another Me are much calmer than some of the rock bands who charted on the pop charts in the ‘90s and ‘00s, the EP has an authenticity that the “other” Sung-kyu can sing to the music he believes in. His confidence will make it popular, rather than chasing trends. Another Me was not a very popular release. Apple Music didn't have it for a long time, and Sung-kyu's later releases seem to have received more recognition. But fans of the album seem to really love it. The guitar-driven "Shine," Like “Time Lapse,” was written by Nell’s vocalist Kim Jong-wan. Sung-kyu stated that he auditioned for Woolim Entertainment because of Nell, so the lead singer's input on the album brings Sung-kyu's career full circle. Speaking about the seasons of change, a break up, a longing for the past lover and a longing for the past makes this late '90s-sounding guitar ballad feel relevant even ten years later.
YOUR VOICE, YOUR EYES, YOUR TOUCH THAT LINGERED ON ME. Fall seems to be the most nostalgic season. The life germinated in the spring and brought to fruition in the summer seems to have our minds focused on the new. From the first buds on the trees in late February, we focus on the possibilities that this new life will bring. But our minds start to change with the nearing of the harvest. When the children go back to school, adults realize that the possibilities we hoped for when we were children didn't go exactly to plan. We stop looking ahead because, in the fall, we're truly afraid of what bitter cold the winter years of our lives might bring. Hence we buy into the pumpkin spice, the apple picking, the cozy sweaters, a form of carpe diem when it comes to the midlife crisis. We remember "when I was a kid," looking through old yearbooks, remembering past Halloweens, Thanksgivings, and Christmases. Parents propitiate these traditions or modify them, and thus we repeat the cycle of nostalgia year in and year out until the children leave the house. In the fall, we look back at the year, measuring how far from the target the darts fell. And we can't just confine it to one year, we might overanalyze our patterns in the fall. We may drudge up old relationships, wondering how I failed her or why he's no longer around. But before going to call up an ex, remember that the golden light cascading through the colored leaves encapsulates only the good of that other person. Remember that those cold nights when the bitter breeze carries the last of the leaves clinging to the top of the tree only frames your failures, not successes. And when the fall begins, the Korean harvest festival celebrating the first full moon of the fall, Chuseok, be thankful for what you've been given this year and in this life. The relationships may not have gone they way you expected, but who are you, God?
Live Acoustic Version:
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