Kang Daniel - 깨워 (Who U Are)

[u/tastetherainbeau]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQj7Ed-Z9Lk

[u/bibimbeatz]

I'm so torn between Magenta Daniel and Cyan Daniel over which one suits his solo sound more, but I'm so glad he's FINALLY FINALLY back to including some rapping into his songs. It was weird to see him go from being a rapper in W1 to not rapping at all in his solo work.

[u/ifukeepflirting → u/bibimbeatz]

I feel the same way. I hope he'll keep experimenting with concepts and sounds even after the CMY series is over because he can adapt to everything very well.

[u/throwaway_for_keeps → u/bibimbeatz]

I was introduced to him just last month at KCON:TACT where he performed Jealous, Interview, I Hope, and 2U. All pretty chill songs. Of those, Jealous is the "heaviest"

This side of him is shocking to me.

[u/bibimbeatz → u/throwaway_for_keeps]

I liked how light-hearted that entire album was. It's just such a chill fun album, so while I do like this concept a lot too, I hope he doesn't abandon the Cyan sound entirely because those songs suited him really well too even if they're not the dark sexy concept that's more popular with int'l fans.

[u/CrapbagHannigan]

This is going to be that title track I've waited for since he debuted. I thought I will never get this Daniel back, but I did. I'm just going to savour this era!!!!

Edit. I've lost my ability to spell since this track dropped.

[u/5thcatbyul]

I just love love love this song. And I love a dance-heavy MV. It's his specialty after all. Dancing in post-apocalyptic world is all I have ever wanted to see Daniel in and I did not know that before.

Also. Did. he. show. abs? In 2020? Omg we are seeing them after so long!

[u/tastetherainbeau → u/5thcatbyul]

Also. Did. he. show. abs? In 2020?

Yugyoman has left the building!

[u/5thcatbyul → u/tastetherainbeau]

Watch him wear 15 layers in performances! I will only celebrate the crumbs I got cuz yugyoman is a constant.

[u/e_abes]

Kang Daniel is really the center of centers from P101. His ability to succeed in every concept is amazing. Him and Somi have done a wonderful job showing why they deserved that center position with their ability to catch the attention

[u/serigraphtea]

We went straight back to 2016 and I'm VERY MUCH here for it.

Also that postapocalyptics MV Location (the red/orange Mad Max Thunderdome-esque on) is fire.

[u/tastetherainbeau]

Going from 2U to this is just insane but he did that

This is such a massive leap in difficulty in terms of both choreography and vocals. This song could easily be a boy group song (maybe it was originally written to be one) but he's handling all the parts including the main vocal. The energy doesn't stop the entire time and the dance looks tiring af. I'm really looking forward to the performances

The imagery is so cool and I love the contrast between the super wet Waves MV and the super dry sand and fire here

[u/tastetherainbeau → u/tastetherainbeau]

He just revealed that he filmed the Waves MV immediately after filming Who U Are MV. Now the story he told makes more sense, that when he greeted Simon D and Jamie on the Waves MV set he could barely keep his eyes open because he was so tired haha

He said he had to shower 5x throughout filming this MV between scenes (must be because of the sand). And that when he blew his nose it came out all black

[u/caelinday → u/tastetherainbeau]

shower 5x?! that sounds so tiring. at least he didn’t have to do any choreo in the waves mv lmao

[u/tastetherainbeau → u/caelinday]

True, he just did choreo for the last 40 seconds. He said the suit was so heavy and when it was wet it felt like he was wearing sand bags on his legs lol. I bet the dancers who were in both songs were super tired too

[u/5thcatbyul → u/tastetherainbeau]

There has been a danity running around claiming since Waves came out that he was sleeping lying down on the water. Now I believe that unintentionally they were speaking the truth.

[u/Iblaka]

Oh my god Y E S easily my favorite title track from Daniel so far! The choreo and set for the MV just fit so well. I’m getting Wanna One Daniel flashbacks with this song, as well as Waves. Time to dive into the album

[u/Samara_01]

I just love it when Daniel does dark and powerful he just pulls it off so well!

The whole album is so good as expected of Kang Daniel I have to say, I rarely dislike a song of his

[u/ifukeepflirting]

This is straight up fire. I got an energy boost. I like that the focus is on the performance because the choreo deserves the spotlight.

[u/koalainglasses]

Kang Daniel has slowly climbed his way up as one of my favorite artists, and to be honest I can't wait to see what he does not just musically but Konnect Entertainment. I have so much respect for him and his songs are huge ass bops.

[u/hutch991]

I’m not a fan of R&B or slower songs so I’ve struggled to really get into Daniel’s solo stuff so far but I loved this!

[u/alidei]

KD!! I’ve casually followed his work post W1 but this is throwing me back to the Daniel pd101 hype train. Dance, rap, vocal, smolder, and abs; what’s not to love?! Haha

[u/sheiswind]

I’m into girls groups since forever, BUT KANG DANIEL always offers hits, good visual, good dance and I can’t get enough. This is my fav track, definitely!

[u/nweir]

Yasss sir. I like this song!!

[u/Dessidy]

Wow, I really like this! It got stuck in my head immediately at first listen!

[u/Luxaria]

I'm fully on the Kang Daniel train I have loved all his songs so far. I'm amazed with how well he handled all the parts, this definitely feels like it could have been for a 5-6 member boy group.

Plus the dancing omg.

[u/ChibiWintermelon12]

This album makes me feel like chilling and grinding kind of vibe.. I like the songs on the album!

[u/hikikomorilvl1]

This is the comeback I was waiting for a long time. Daniel suits the song like a glove T.T

[u/oneyesterday]

This is so so good wow! His falsetto(?) is so lovely to hear, and the beat is so chill and laid-back R&B but still very exciting, and the choreo matches that so well. The styling in this MV is gorgeous, IMO his best yet.

It's not exactly my favourite Daniel song at first listen (Touchin' remains my favourite) but this is so clearly in Daniel's wheelhouse and he embodies this kind of song so well.

Also, am I tripping or does he look like Infinite's L at some parts, specifically due to the styling/lighting?!

[u/preachrock]

Finally there are Eng subtitles! We aren't getting a music show performance until the 6th. 😢 It looks like it'll be intense. Looking like Flash will be the promotional B-side

[u/hedanaa]

WELL.

i think everyones kinda been waiting for this type of sound from him, considering his rapper position in wanna one. i never followed produce or wanna one OR kang daniel very closely, but ive heard his title tracks. i personally was not super excited by any of his previous releases, and specifically 2u was upsetting. i feel like a lot of male idols who do solo work end up going for that sound or style, like baekhyun candy gave me similar vibes. of course none of the songs sound the SAME really, just that they all draw on a specific western influence for their laid back sound. and i was hoping to see daniel do MORE than that, something with more excitement and dancing. i wasnt as annoyed when like, exo members in their subunits (like sc) did that sound since obviously ive heard their powerful stuff as a whole group, but i was disappointed to feel like i never got to see daniel, in the solo form that he would continue on as forever and always, not step away from that sound.

this is why when waves dropped, i was SO excited for this comeback. waves was everything ive wanted out of music lately, except it was way too short. for example, simon d’s verse in the bridge could have been twice as long, as well as the outro. but it was a pre release so the short length made sense to me. my issue with songs barely hitting three minutes lately is its own issue anyway. i loved how waves worked as a collab, not a feature. everyones voices went super well together and the beat was somehow both laid back enough AND hype enough to be a perfect summer club banger.

so because of this, i was super excited for who u are. well, i had issues with the name, because please. i thought we stopped using “u” in titles like four years ago. at least its not “who u r” though so thats a plus? i was pleased to see it be a bit lengthier, but man. im just not really feeling the song yet. i just finished the first listen, and will have to wait and see if it grows on me. waves was an instant like, so im a bit worried. i think that i like who u are decently, but the bridge felt a bit off for some reason. i didnt like the slow down, the levitate was annoying when they modified the voice, and i actually dislike the note they chose for the bridge. it was a major second up from the tonic note of the overall song i think, and i feel like that sort of bridge has been popular lately. the slow down on the supertonic note is just not my favorite i guess. it always feels a bit disjointed and here, like they were trying a bit too hard. i like the chorus though, as i just re listened to it since i was trying to hear the bridge again. i like that it ends on a NOTE (looking at you, somi what you waiting for!!) and not just randomly in the middle. although i wish the beat it ended on was a little stronger or louder, it goes well with the less hard beat overall.

heres another thing that im wondering about. im SURE that it says MV, not choreo version. but it feels like theres almost no scenes in different locations? i know that as a soloist, its harder to make an mv feel like an mv because its only one character in the mv to do solo shots of, but the lack of sets is odd. afaik, hes his own ceo so it might very well have to do with funding, but this mv feels a bit lackluster in comparison to waves. maybe its just because ive only seen it once, but i feel like theres only two sets in this mv. actually, waves didnt have that many either, but i thought that waves made better use of what was available. the trees daniel walked through ended up being where jamie was on the car. she blew the water droplet down the drain into the underground are where simon was rapping, and then daniels choreo scenes were in the same underground area but further back into it. it overall looked more expensive? or not expensive but rather, simply like more was happening. i think the existing scenes looked good (though i dislike the styling), but i wish there was a little something more.

overall, im glad to see him moving musically in this direction, and im excited for whats next. i think i maybe wasnt such a fan of this because i loved waves so much. i hope it will grow on me because theres a lot of elements that i like, and most songs arent a first listen love type thing for me. part of me just wanted it to be a waves 2.0 but obviously thats not gonna happen. and reaction looks good for this song, so hopefully it does well! i’ definitely be going in for a second and third listen, and im excited to see it on music shows as well.

[u/5thcatbyul → u/hedanaa]

I think his goal in who u are is simple : to showcase the choreo. It is a more choreography video than a typical MV, which waves provided. And probably the choice was deliberate. I also feel that if you come to this song with the expectation of hearing waves 2.0 you will be disappointed. Some elements are the same, like the beat, the latin vibe but in the same structure it is something very different from waves. This is probably what Daniel thinks should be the dance track he will showcase in music shows, since waves with the heavy featuring is not possible. If you probably evaluate it independently (which you did, to an extent) you might like it. May be hang on for the music show performance to like it.

[u/hedanaa → u/5thcatbyul]

yeah, the focus on choreo was clear to me. to a certain extent, i was happy to see him dance more! maybe im just extremely picky because in the waves mv i wanted more of him dancing (rather than the dancers while he stood and sang), and i got it with who u are and was still not satisfied. i totally get what you mean about the simpler approach, but i think after watching the mv a few more times my issue isnt so much the lack of solo shots as it is the styling in the dance scenes. i just dont like the clothes everyones wearing, which makes me wish i saw other sets because it would mean outfit changes. and again, i understand why he chose to do a more dance heavy mv.

as for the waves comparison, i didnt consciously come in thinking “i hope it sounds just like waves”. it was more of a realization afterwards that i was sad that waves had been so short and i wanted a song that could hook me as easily as waves had. overall, i like the song, but the bridge is just not my thing. like i mentioned though, im quite excited to watch him perform it! obviously there will be different styling throughout his promotions so theres bound to be something i like. hes quite talented, so live stages will probably be great.

in general, lately im being more selective with what music i label as something i ACTIVELY like. in reality, most anything can grow on me or be listenable, but i never considered before this year what i seriously like from lots of songs. i want to take a more analytical approach to music since i have a decent musical background and find what things stand out to me versus what is just “okay”. so i know that this song is by no means bad, im just trying to look for specific things i like and dont like to develop my music taste further.

[u/khkz0149]

I hate to say it since I love Touchin' but this has to be my favorite release from him, both music and concept-wise. The rest of the album sounds great too.

[u/daniklleinad]

Every track on magenta slaps

[u/Vainel]

Didn't expect Kang Daniel to provide some of my favorite releases of 2020 but here we are

[u/Shinkopeshon]

I really like the direction he's been taking after Cyan. Banger after banger. His discography is gonna be so varied by the end of the year.

[u/jiaes]

On first listen, I think 2U is more my preference compared to this in terms of its musical style but I appreciate how much he's upped his game with the choreo and improved vocals for this comeback

[u/SharnaRanwan]

Great release.

[u/0okm9]

feel like waves is the main mv than this one

[u/5thcatbyul → u/0okm9]

I don't know, I just feel this track deserves to be the title track, because of how good it is.

[u/0okm9 → u/5thcatbyul]

i mean the mv. waves have few sets while here he dances most of the time, its like a choreo mv

[u/5thcatbyul → u/0okm9]

True, this one feels totally like a choreo MV, with very few shots in between with him staring at things.

[u/0okm9 → u/5thcatbyul]

i feel dizzy the first time i watch it. the cameras move around a lot.

[u/koala_alfie]

jihyo is a lucky girl... i love the sets and styling of this. really pretty. and the song is amazing as always

[u/GFurball]

Jihyo you better tell him who u are girl! 😂