6th Mini Album "Glow to Haze"
Singing the Excitement in the Title Track "Episode"
"I've never had to race against a deadline in my life before, but for the first time, I felt the pressure. I stayed up all night making songs?it was tough, but also fascinating."
Singer Kang Daniel (28) shared these thoughts on his first attempt at songwriting in the eight years since his debut.
Meeting in Yeouido, Seoul on the 16th ahead of the release of his sixth mini-album, "Glow to Haze," he said, "As a singer and now as a songwriter, I feel there are no limits to music."
This album is composed of five songs centered on the theme of love, arranged like a single movie. Kang Daniel said, "I've always told honest stories about myself, but this is the first time I've structured songs like a novel," adding, "I find myself wanting recognition. I also want to become more famous."
The track "Love Game," which he wrote, composed, and produced himself, is included as the third track. He explained, "For my first self-composed song, I wanted to include elements I like, so I used the cute 16-bit sounds from the Super Mario game," and added, "The pizzicato instrument sounds similar to a game sound, which helped create that atmosphere." He continued, "I want to keep composing," but also laughed, saying, "I'm not sure how others will receive my songs."
"The musical direction I pursue is 'visible music.' My identity is that of a dance singer skilled in performance. As a songwriter, I’d also like to try my hand at lyrical songs."
The title track "Episode" expresses the excitement of a new love with Latin rhythms and R&B genres. Kang Daniel said, "I was instantly hooked when I first heard the song," adding, "I loved the Latin Moomba rhythm and ocean sounds, and in the verse, you can feel a European sensibility."
Regarding the album's theme of love, he said, "The love I think of is a love for humanity. Love includes friendship and affection between people," and added, "It’s not just romantic love between couples, but also the love between parents and friends."
When asked about the album's level of completion, he replied, "Of all the albums I've released so far, this one is the most complete," and said, "I’d give it a score of 92, as if I got about two questions wrong."
Kang Daniel debuted in 2017 as a member of the boy group Wanna One through Mnet's "Produce 101 Season 2," and has been active as a solo artist since 2019. He is scheduled to enlist in the military in the second half of this year.
He said, "I wanted to enlist earlier, but I also wanted to do something more meaningful before joining the military," and added, "As a singer, I plan to perform and be as active as possible. Please look forward to the stage performances for the follow-up tracks from this album, which are also in preparation."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
