Seung Yoon’s album PAGE honestly depicts the highs and lows of life. He captures the pain of growing up, heartbreak, love, and loneliness.
Just like millions of listeners around the world, his songs (especially his title track) resonated with me. I know each track is special to Yoon and I want to respect his art. With that being said, this blog post is my personal interpretations of his songs and hopefully I do the album justice.
By the way all the track pictures below were taken by Yoon!
If you’ve seen my reaction video to Seung Yoon’s music video you probably heard me say, I don’t get emotional easily. But Yoon absolutely broke me with his song and music video for “IYAH”.
In the comments section of his music video people felt safe enough to share their stories and struggles. It’s evident listeners didn’t just relate to his song, they connected to it on a personal level.
At its core Yoon’s song “IYAH” is about growing up and dealing with the pressures the world puts on him. But on the inside he still feels like a kid – he’s still a child in his mother’s eyes. The message rings true, no matter how old you get, you are still human and you’re not perfect.
Here’s my reaction video to Seung Yoon “IYAH” music video.
The music video starts with Yoon reminiscing on his life and the video takes us on a journey through his past.
It was hard for me to hold back my tears while watching. But the part that absolutely broke me was the scene when baby Yoon is standing on stage, his mother looking so proudly at him. Then the camera circles around and it alternates between baby Yoon and present day Yoon.
The song itself sounds timeless, it reminds me of a 50s slow dance song. I think listeners will be returning to this track whenever they need some comfort.
The next song beautifully transitions the mood to something light and bright. The message of the song is straightforward – we need love, whether it’s through a typical love song or a story, we need it in our lives. Sometimes we get sick and tired of breakup songs and we just want a love song no matter how simple it might be.
Personally I think the lightness of this song makes it such a gem.
The next song “Bruise” sounds like a journal entry. In this song Yoon shares that even though he’s happy, he still feels anxious. He believes his heart has been bruised and he’s in a daze. In Yoon’s ‘Prequal’ vlogs he admits he felt anxious during the time his group (Winner) was receiving lots of success. This song could be connected to that moment in his life.
His vocals and the piano throughout the song are somber. This is the type of song that makes us look within and analyze our own emotions. I’m sure everyone can relate to the lyrics at one point in their life.
The following track is “Skip” featuring Wonstein. In this song Yoon tells (I assume) his lover to skip over their worries and basically live life. The lyrics are witty, it’s a cheerful song with a fun beat. I think it’s perfect to play if you’re cruising in the car around the city or to a vacation destination.
It’s hopeful and it has a carefree vibe to it.
In “Obvious” featuring Simon Dominic, the song is about leaving a toxic one-sided love, relationship. The song is upbeat and groovy. I know his fellow Winner member Mino suggested he should have a feature in this song. So Yoon reached out to Simon and he agreed to be part of it. Honestly, I think this collaboration is perfect.
“Obvious” is one of my favorite songs. It’s super catchy and despite the sad lyrics the beat will make you dance.
“Better” featuring Mino, switches up the relationship storyline. In this song Yoon expresses that he was the problem in the relationship. Now that the relationship is over the girl looks better – in other words she’s more herself than when she was in the relationship.
The song has a nice vibe to it. Yoon and Mino are a solid duo and I love hearing both of them in this track.
But one of my top favorites from the whole album is, “Captain”. In this track Yoon sings about someone who came into his life and metaphorically saved him from the sea of loneliness. He proudly calls this person his boss, leader, hero, and captain. One of the lyrics I absolutely love is:
“Every day is like a war in this world
You are the captain who led us to victory”
This song can be dedicated to anyone who is special in Yoon’s life. But many believe this song could be about his fans InnerCircle. It’s a fun track with bold brass sections. The chorus is easy to sing along to. It has a different sound than the rest of the songs on his album but I still love it.
“Were We?” is a song that I think can be interpreted in different ways. It starts with a soft acoustic guitar and Yoon’s melancholic vocals. As the instruments add up throughout the song it intensifies the emotions of longing and sadness.
Yoon has a special way of tapping into emotions and expressing them in his songs that causes the listeners to feel the message deeply.
In “365” Yoon shares his emotions about his father and his childhood. This is a deeply personal song. It’s heartbreaking yet beautiful. Yoon’s vocals are solid in the chorus. I can imagine recording this song must’ve been somewhat therapeutic for Yoon. The story behind this song is heavy and I applaud Yoon for being honest and real in this album.
No matter how I explain it, I think only Yoon can fully explain his song “365”.
The following track “Tread On Me” Yoon tells his ex to curse him out completely, to let it all out so there’s no regrets. It’s a painful breakup song. The guitar and Yoon’s vocals throughout this track are a perfect combination. It flows from sounding soft to powerful.
“Hey Rain” is another one of my favorite tracks. Yoon sings directly to the rain as if it’s a person. I think Yoon meant rain to signify both the weather but also (and predominantly) his tears. At its core it’s a sad song about not being okay, feeling lonely. But I suggest anyone who is reading this to check out his lyrics, they’re very poetic.
His voice sounds casual in the start and the end of the song, like he’s singing to a friend. I love how in the verses it’s just his voice and guitar and then more elements are added building up to the chorus. Then in the last verse it’s back to Yoon and the guitar. I also like the final lyrics – Yoon telling the rain to take away the fine dust. I think that was a nice humorous touch to the song.
The last song on the album is “IYAH” but it features Yoon Jong Shin. Jong Shin’s vocals give this track a different vibe from the first “IYAH” in the album. I think this was a unique collaboration. Both Yoon and Jong Shin’s vocals are different but they work well in this song.
Overall Yoon’s solo album PAGE was worth the wait. The quality in each track is excellent- from the instrumentation to the lyrics. Each song has its unique color but as a whole it paints a picture of someone who goes through the highs and lows of growing up. Something we can all relate to.
This album felt personal to me because I could relate to his message. Growing up sucks, falling in love is great, heartbreak is devastating, and missing your childhood is painful. It’s not often an artist captures what you (and many people) are feeling in such a personal yet simple way. But Yoon accomplished that.
Thank you Yoon and everyone involved in his solo album. It was a masterpiece. I wish Yoon (and Winner) all the best in the future.
Check out Seung Yoon’s solo album PAGE here.
-EliMarie
I talk more about KPOP on my channel YouTube.com/elimariereacts
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