The more he spoils, the more we want
Taeyong's notorious spoiling of demos alludes to a personal vault laden with potential hits but also to tracks that deeply reflect his state of mind. Is a solo album imminent?
I remember the first time I saw Taeyong’s station ‘Long Flight’- I instantly fell in love. The track, co-written with producer duo Royal Dive, was a playful joyous exploration into Taeyong’s fascination with flight and space. Musically it carries Royal Dive’s signature sound but this time, we heard smooth vocals from Taeyong that weren’t limited to him rapping. This was where my fascination with his songwriting began. I started to dig only to find a host of unreleased tracks he had spoiled in his V lives and even during his SM Rookie days. Tracks such as ‘Open the Door’, ‘Piece of Mind’ and ‘Switch off’ showcase his rap writing and delivery to a standard unseen in a rookie until that point. These tracks all showed Taeyong’s potential as a self composing artist- something idols were not necessarily known for. Soon after tracks like ‘Lit’, ‘All Day’, ‘Yes’ and early spoilers for ‘Monroe’ (known then as Untitled) were also emerging. Suddenly fans became aware that there was far more to Taeyong than his idol persona and skills- here was a burgeoning musical talent just waiting to be unleashed. Fans first got to experience one of Taeyong’s solo tracks ‘GTA’ performed live at the Super M concerts. His performance and the sheer force of the track, left fans reeling and demanding it be released officially.
Slowly, I started to ponder the most obvious question; ‘Why hasn’t Taeyong released a solo album yet’? His musicality and songwriting talent were becoming more and more obvious as 2019 turned into 2020. Whilst we were all aware of Taeyong’s songwriting credits on many NCT and Super M tracks including, Whiplash, Baby Don’t Like It and No Manners, these specific tracks he began spoiling were not connected to his two primary groups- they were side projects completed in basements of his producer friends’ studios, being developed after his main SM schedules were complete, usually at all hours of the morning. Before fans knew it, Taeyong began spoiling more tracks including Blue, and more untitled tracks such as these below.
This track was endearingly named 3M - Move, Mood, Mode and once again spoiled on a Vlive.
Taeyong’s fans remember with sheer glee the moment he opened his Soundcloud giving us full length demos of his tracks. Songs kept in his vault such as Dark Clouds, GTA, Blue, Monroe and Swimming Pool were uploaded in their full entirety. A writing collaboration with Red Velvet’s Suelgi titled Rose also featured in this SC list. For the first time, many new fans began to recognise Taeyong’s incredible songwriting potential, and established fans were finally relieved that after so many years, the songs would be heard in full. Despite some consternation about the platform of delivery, with many fans wanting him to release his tracks officially on Spotify and Apple Music, Taeyong remained adamant that these were demos, and that indeed, more songs were in the pipeline. In his now infamous 3 hour long Vlive, Taeyong admitted that his aim was to write 50 songs that year (2021) and that his intentions were gearing towards a solo album eventually.
Despite Taeyong being very busy with NCT 127 during Sticker promotions and the Link concerts coming up in December 2021, he still found time to write yet more music which he once again began to spoil via his Instagram stories. Lyrically, we can hear some recurring themes about love, space, the stars and overall, we start to get a rather existential feel to his songs.
Raise your head and look up at the stars
The stars are swimming slowly through the sea
The wind is blowing away
The stars are in me,
We are bright light
But I can’t find my….
Once Taeyong opened his TY Track YouTube channel, fans got to witness yet another two tracks, Lonely, sung as a duet with Suran and co-written with Royal Dive, and Ghost, perhaps his most unique and mature song to date, co-written with music producer Squar. Both tracks were paired with performance videos which showed Taeyong’s flourishing skills not just as a songwriter, but as a musical director conceptualising his art from beginning to its final execution and on screen delivery. Ghost in particular, was a work of art- something he also wanted us to see it as.
Ghost particularly began to show some of the more noir elements of Taeyong’s musical direction - mysterious and seductive.
Not content with yet more NCT comebacks and a piled on schedule, Taeyong continues to spoil more tracks via Insta stories with recurring themes of love, undisclosed desires and even feelings of loss and loneliness.
This next track points to more reflective lyrics as if he’s telling himself to take a step back and ‘put everything down’.
By September, Taeyong’s Insta story spoiler hit hard. Musically this track, with its soft piano and with a sound similar to that of Lewis Capaldi, had him singing about some rather dark personal moments.
I feel I am broken
I’m living in an empty
Because it’s gone
My confidence itself
Suddenly, fans began worrying about the messaging and timing behind these spoilers. Knowing Taeyong’s personality, most fans who are in tune with him, know that he rarely does anything spontaneously or without thinking it through thoroughly. So his choice of song as well as the timing of his uploads, were all signs that he was trying to communicate with his audience. Perhaps the track was able to express what Taeyong himself personally couldn’t.
Thankfully, Taeyong’s next tracks were far more uplifting and perhaps show the diversity of his musical repertoire. This one showed a more electronic bassline showing us how he’s experimenting with electronic beats and sounds.
You know you know
I get high
Hello hello hello
Taeyong’s most recent upload was within the first day of landing in LA for NCT 127’s US tour. This time, those undisclosed desires about a mysterious love interest were shared with his audience. In an earlier bubble, he did hint that as it was autumn he wanted to write a more romantic track titled ‘Her’ and it appears that this may be that track.
I can’t get away
If you’re not here it will be more difficult for me
H.E.R my inhaler, I only see her
Always see her, always see you
As is evident, Taeyong has spoiled many tracks all with potential to be massive hits. His collaboration with Wonstein for Love Theory showed his ability to harness a theme and achieve chart success with his songwriting. Taeyong’s style however, is still being fine tuned. One thing is very clear though - his music is not Kpop. Taeyong’s sound does not necessarily fit a formula for pop chart success. It’s unique. It’s experimental. He takes risks in his music that at times, may not fit a mainstream pop idol. This is why his music is far more indie pop/rock with flavours of R & B/Hip Hop. His close relationships with his producer friends including Royal Dive, Zayson and Squar are crucial because it is these individuals that have helped Taeyong find his voice- find his sound. They are to be commended for working so painstakingly long with Taeyong to help him develop his music. It is clear that Taeyong has more than enough material of superior quality to create an entire long play album. Why his agency has yet to ‘permit’ him to release this material officially is beyond our knowledge. Taeyong is a talented individual that has proven that he can do it all himself. Granted, finances are a considerable concern and this is where a large company is desired. However, if his current company is unwilling to accommodate his risk taking experimental sounds and time sensitive need to release this music, then perhaps it’s time for Taeyong to take that leap; to consider becoming an independent artist where he is free to experiment and take complete control of his image, sound, concepts and direction. If he doesn’t fit inside the Kpop box, then it’s time he creates a new one curated entirely by him.