Former member of Wanna One, now soloist, Ong Seong Wu gives people a glimpse of who he is as an artist in his first mini album “Layers”. With each song Seong Wu layers various emotions from love, restlessness, curiosity to comfort. He took part in composing and writing the lyrics for each track, making this mini album all the more personal.
As I listened to each song I was impressed by his vocals. His ability to control his voice to express certain emotions or how his high notes are powerful yet soft. The word that comes to mind when I listen to his voice is comfort. Fun fact, his fans are called WELO which means comfort in Korean. Comfort seems to be a reoccurring theme.
Seong Wu has immense potential, not only to capture attention domestically but internationally. He is definitely an artist on the rise.
Gravity
This is the title track for his EP and one of my favorite songs for this month (maybe even the year so far). The song starts with a simple guitar melody that is joined with Seong Wu’s voice. To me, this song blends the feeling of running but also feeling weightless. From my interpretation the song is about how a person is his gravity. Without that person he is floating aimlessly. The metaphors are used nicely in this song and the music video perfectly portrays that. Yes, I’ll say it, this video is also one of my favorites of this month. From the use of muted color tones to the shots of him underwater, everything about this video was superb.
Here’s my reaction to listening to Gravity for the first time:
Cafe
An acoustic guitar starts this song but it has a laid-back vibe to it. Through the lyrics Seong Wu reassures how dependable he is and how he will always be there for the person he is singing to. It’s a heartwarming song. The type of song you would listen to while sitting at a cafe, holding a book in one hand and a warm drink in the other.
After Dark
I had to read several translations to try to understand the meaning of this song. From my interpretation Seong Wu is sleepless and he questions why he is lonely. The emotions of the song can be easily felt from the melancholic synth track to the smooth high notes. This is a good track to play if…you are indeed restless.
Bye Bye
In this song Seong Wu is unapologetic as he bids farewell to his hater(s). This song starts off with an upbeat, groovy electric guitar. I like hearing the dynamics and change in his voice and music from After Dark to Bye Bye, the two tracks feel like night and day.
Guess Who
The electric guitar in the beginning of the song gives off retro summer vibes. This is one of my favorite tracks (besides Gravity) from his mini album. In the song Seong Wu addresses that the public might think they know him when they don’t truly know him. Throughout the song he sprinkles some fun facts about himself and it’s a great introduction to who Seong Wu is. He is full of charisma and slight mystery in this track. I love it.
We Belong
This is the first single Seong Wu released (not including OSTs) in January. Prior to listening to Gravity I listened to this song first, what grabbed my attention was the acoustic guitar in the beginning. Much like the songs in his mini album, the guitar brings a fresh sound and it’s a great accompaniment to Seong Wu’s voice. When I interpreted the lyrics I originally thought it was a love song but as I read fan comments I found out this song is dedicated to his fans. It’s sweet, sincere and the perfect way to end this ep.
Overall I think this was a great introduction to Seong Wu. It’s definitely an album worth replaying.
I wish Ong Seong Wu all the best in his future projects.
I talk more about Kpop on my channel YouTube.com/elimariereacts
Thanks for reading!
-EliMarie
