Yesung has been in k-pop longer than most groups have existed. Debuting with the institution that is Super Junior in 2005 with fellow members Leeteuk, Heechul, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun. Since then, he’s created a solo career for himself, and that’s what we’re here to talk about today.

Here are my credentials: Well, before around two months ago, I had none. So, quick little story: my mother was in Japan recently and stopped at Tower Records to bring me back a couple k-pop albums as a nice surprise. Which was very sweet of her! In trying to buy an EP from Jonghyun’s collection, she accidentally got Yesung’s “Floral Sense” instead of Jjong’s Skeleton Flower, because it was put back in the wrong section, and, in the ensuing hilarity, I decided, how about I do a review? So here we are and I guess we’re doing this! This is a special one, because my mom actually sat down and watched these MVs with me, and I’ll be including some of her thoughts too.

EP #1: Here I Am

Straight out the gate, Here I Am is different from a usual K-pop song. It’s dramatic and sweeping, a moody, classic ballad. My mom commented on the storytelling throughout the music video, and how it was shot more like a kdrama than an MV. And she’s right; it’s almost hilariously broody, good but nothing out of the norm for an OST. And while I appreciated its craftsmanship, it’s not the kind of music I’d go out of my way to listen to. Even though the song itself wasn’t for me (or Mom), we both loved Yesung’s voice, which carries so much power and so much emotion. It’s a good song, at its core, I don’t want to make it sound like it isn’t, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

From the EP, I enjoyed Dalchong’s feature in the orchestral Spring In Me, and the desperate rock ballad guitar of Your Echo, but my hidden gem was the delightfully jazzy Between, with its pops of brass and tongue-in-cheek performance. I have to say, after the single, I assumed the whole album would be as understated and (frankly) a bit boring, but I was pleasantly surprised, because this was an incredibly cohesive yet genre-hopping album that showed off all of Yesung’s strengths.

EP #2: Spring Falling

Paper Umbrella picks up where Here I Am left off, but something’s different this time around. I’m not sure what it is, because on the surface, it’s similar, from the kdrama-esque music video to the classic strings in the instrumental. Piano led, the operative word is wistful, Yesung’s voice has this hushed, almost unsure quality to it, like he’s telling a secret that shouldn’t be told. But when the song begins to take off in a burst of emotion that punches you in the stomach, its building strings and belting feel earned. As the last note is said, back to a whisper, you’re left feeling both relieved and yet unsatisfied, in quite a powerful way. I liked this one. It may not be the kind of song I’d listen to that much, but it’s nice once in a while. It’s very possible that I’m overreacting to a few small differences here; my mother remained unmoved. Apparently all that staring into the rain just didn’t do it for her.

From the EP, I enjoyed the warm coffee shop sound of Hibernation and the breathless delivery of hopeful Fly. I liked the first EP better than this one, but both were good.

EP #3: Pink Magic

Pink Magic is more like Super Junior’s discography than Yesung usually goes, similar to the sounds of their hit Devil. It takes inspiration from 70’s disco and 80’s jukebox hits and reminds me of Jonghyun immensely. It’s sleek and very feel-good, easily danceable, and easily…roller skate able? The music video is also delightful and has this quintessentially off-kilter K-pop humor that’s great to see. I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental post-choruses but I thought that they worked well with this song. Also, thought I’d add: this one was far and away my mom’s favorite, which isn’t surprising since she’s an 80’s kid at heart, and it went straight to our roller skating playlist. We were both shoulder-shuffling along.

From the EP, while I enjoyed the gentle bop of Eat’s Ok, it paled in comparison to the incredible, Day-6-worthy rock power ballad Parallel Lines (my hidden gem). Surprisingly, given the title track, this was the more ballad-heavy and OST-worthy release, not Yesung’s first EPs. Also surprisingly, I still liked it, despite thinking that maybe the titles of Pink Magic and Here I Am should’ve been switched.

EP #4: Beautiful Night

Beautiful Night is like Pink Magic’s cousin; while Pink Magic is the fun soundtrack of a dance floor, Beautiful Night is the woozy drive back reminiscing about all the shenanigans you got up to. It’s a return to Yesung’s storytelling videos, with an adorable You-Belong-With-Me romance that had us both going “awwww” at all the right moments, many of which were courtesy of the appearance by actress Park Gyuyoung. It has this nostalgic, heart-eyes feeling to it too, in the best way, with bursts of brass that only get more joyous as the song goes on. Overall, this one is probably my favorite single. My mom agreed that its retro influences were good, though her heart is still with Pink Magic. She would also like to file a complaint against whoever paired Yesung’s floral pants with a spotted tie.

From the EP, I enjoyed the easygoing, synthy sound of Fireworks and the Golden Age Musical strings of A Letter In The Wind. But, my hidden gem was Corazon Perdido, which starts with these ethereal, wispy vocals and soothing acoustic beat before rocketing forward into an incredible, bonafide power ballad that just bowled me over. It’s a fantastic song in almost all categories, and I’m sure both ShaWols and Elfs will know what I mean when I say that it’s a worthy successor to Jonghyun’s iconic Y Si Fuera Ella. Be warned; it’s a slow burn, but in my opinion, it’s worth it. My mom isn’t one for ballads, and has very little patience for what she calls “sad in the rain songs”, so her favorite was Fireworks.

Album #1: Floral Sense

Small Things is the first single from this album, and marks a return to the gentle, acoustic songs of Yesung’s that so far have been relegated to b-sides. The lyrics are lovely and so evocative, mentioning the good in the “small things”: waves on a beach, the furrow in someone’s brow, or a swirling cloud, and how the people around who love you make life worth living. It’s an incredibly sweet sentiment, and the song around it is just as good. It’s this nostalgic, laid-back soft rock that expertly toes the line between being saccharine and grounded. It was also the first MV we watched together, and you can’t do better fo an introduction to who Yesung is. As my mother so eloquently put it: “It’s not a fair comparison. It has tattoos! Guitar playing! Vinyl and cassettes! The casual thin scarf like its 1971! A great first line! Leather jacket! Cool sunglasses! AC/DC shirt! And it’s also a really good song.”

Floral Sense is the lead single from the album I accidentally bought, and so was the first song of Yesung’s I ever listened to, before this was even a review. It goes for the not-unusual coffee shop R & B with a heavy focus on percussion and an actual backing band. My first thought was that Yesung has a lovely voice; it’s breathy and less auto tuned than is usual for k-pop, soothing and so gentle. It especially sounds great with Winter from aespa, who’s the featured artist, and her lines in this song are the rare feature that feel earned and fully incorporated. She doesn’t just get a random rap verse and then vanish; she does backing vocals for a while, then they sing a gorgeous few lines as a duet, and then she gets her own moment to shine with him singing the backing. As a singer myself, it was just stunning. I genuinely really liked this song, and so did my mom. We were just sitting on the couch, planning on half-paying attention, and suddenly we were swaying along. 

Really, this album was where this whole review started, because my mom and I decided to listen to it together for shits and giggles. So, from our first impressions, we enjoyed the light strings and gentle vocals of Mother (which, yes, is a song he wrote for his mom), the smoothly groovy Like Us, Mark’s laidback rap verse in Ho, and the slow building power ballad Mermaid. There’s also a solo version of Floral Sense, but I prefer the one that features Winter.

But, from our first listen, when we watched Yesung perform the song on Lee Mujin Service, both my mother and I had one clear hidden gem: Together. While it may sound like your average ballad, Together is a song that Yesung wrote for his beloved dog, Melo, about how he named her and watched her grow up, but will also watch her pass on, since she lives on “a different track of time” from him. There are so many fantastic lyrics in here, but perhaps the most quietly heartbreaking are the lines “I remember our first meeting, rubbing our little white feet together…you were born after me and became an adult first…your time goes faster than mine, but please, take your time.” I think we both cried, and I think that that was the moment I decided to do this review.

EP #5: Unfading Sense

Scented Things is similar to Small Things, and yes, more so than just the title. We’re back to the relaxed, subdued kdrama soundtrack kind of song that Yesung has practically perfected by now. I don’t have much to say about it that I haven’t already said about other songs, the (in my opinion) far stronger Small Things, Here I Am, and Paper Umbrella, so I’ll spare you the repetition. My mother felt the same way.

(I’m gonna put that in every blog post now if someone disagrees with me; “well my mom agrees guys so….” Just kidding. :))

From the EP, I enjoyed Yesung’s emotional channeling in Silhouette, the mix of waltz and acoustic guitar in For Never (my hidden gem), and the driving beat of Slide Away. This EP is similar to Pink Magic’s, in that, while I respect its craft, it’s not for me.

EP #6: It’s Complicated

It’s Complicated is Yesung to the max, from its emphasis on vocals to its late 70’s John Lennon aesthetics to its cheesy as hell MV. But while its verses are a pretty standard R & B, its choruses reach for the sky, pushing Yesung’s voice into new heights as he belts. It’s a simple hook, sure, but it’s damn effective, and feels like a great expansion of his sound. I have one gripe, and I think my mother (as usual) put it best: “Stop with the rain and wet floors already!” And when I responded, “But Mom, the drama!” She replied, I don’t feel the drama, I feel badly for them in their wet socks.” Fair enough. But overall, this is one of my favorites of his. I also have to mention, It’s Complicated came out on what’s Election Day in the US, and maybe I’m giving it too much credit but it’s exactly what we both needed at the end of eight weeks of nonstop stress.

From the EP, I enjoyed the ethereal, vibey There She Goes Again and the soothing sound of Easy, but my hidden gem was Beautiful Paradox. Sweeping and insistent, it stands out in another coffee-shop heavy EP, and if It’s Complicated wasn’t the single, I would’ve pushed for this one. It’s very Day6, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Verdict: TL;DR

I’m glad I did this! I’d like to believe that it was fate that this review just fell into my lap, because, to be honest, I think I became his fan and I think that my mother fell in love with him. We watched his travel show where he journeyed across Korea to visit historical sights and various other BTS content. And we also watched the Super Junior documentary called The Last Man Standing; fast forward a month, and now we both have their song Devil stuck in my head. So, all in all, well worth the mistake! Thanks for coming along on this little adventure with us. And of course, thank you Mom, for wasting several Sunday afternoons watching k-pop with your adult daughter! <3. Love you!

My Top 5 songs were Beautiful Tonight, Corazon Perdido, Floral Sense, It’s Complicated, and Together, with Parallel Lines as an honorable mention. And my mother would like to put a word in for her own favorite, Pink Magic. Yesung gets an 8.75 out of 10 from me. I wasn’t expecting to have this much fun with my review, especially since I’d never heard him sing before opening the Floral Sense album, but Yesung has a beautiful voice that can oscillate between light footed and breathtakingly powerful. While not all of his music is for me, I can’t deny how talented he is as both a writer and a performer, and I look forward to seeing where his discography goes next!

Next time, we’re onto a whole spate of girl group reviews! Tschüss!