"Experiencing the Foam of Youth with Doyoung"
YOUTH 청춘의 포말
South Korean singer, Kim Doyoung's debut solo album opens up with the gentle, yet impactful piano intro for his song Beginning. From the minute the notes play out, you can feel the story begin to unfold before you. The story of Doyoung's Youth, but also a love note to his fans. Even more than that, Doyoung sends out a strong message of encouragement . A message of hope that pushes back against the current times.
The album starts with Beginning, a song penned by Doyoung himself, (a proud first that many fans looked forward to) shines a light on the love he has for his fans who help him to shine brilliantly before them and others. The song spills over to the title track Little Light which expresses the way that one singular light can brighten up everything that it touches. A song that instills courage in the listener and the singer too. The next stop on the journey brings From Little Wave, which was also co-penned by Doyoung. From Little Wave was inspired by a fan letter given to Doyoung, which he in turn spun to give back his gratitutde to his fans. The next three tracks, Time Machine (A collaboration track between Doyoung's own Idol Girls Generation, Kim Taeyeon, and his own bandmate Mark Lee), Serenade, and Rewind paints the picture of a youthful love, starting with a on-off relationship, moving to a need to be the only person for the one they love, and ending on a painful note with a need to "rewind" before the end of the relationship, respectively. We come back to Warmth, which is another song looking to comfort the listener with the message that even small things can continue to propel you forward in your journey. Aptly named Lost in California, portrays the feeling of being "lost" while moving forward in the pursuit of their dreams and the loneliness that often comes with this type of journey. As thw album winds down in the last two tracks, Rest circles back to the central theme of encouraging the masses, using the imagery of a comma to convey that it is okay for you to pause when things get tough. The album closes out with Dallas Love Field Doyoung once again sending his love and gratitude towards his fans for being with him during his youth, but also calls out for us to continue this journey together.
Kim Doyoung, a member of the popular Kpop boyband NCT/NCT U/NCT 127/NCT DOJAEJUNG, has proven time and time that his vocals provide color and emotion to anything he decides to sing. Doyoung is known amongst his fans for being thorough, reliable, hardworking, gracious, and thankful. He is a beacon of hope in a time when many could use a Firefly to follow. Doyoung's vocal color and signature style shine brightest in this album. It is highly encouraged to give Doyoung and YOUTH 청춘의 포말 a much enjoyable listen.
For more information on Doyoung, (Ling, NCTDAOYING, is a prominent fan translation source for all things Doyoung and a hub for all english speaking fans as well as having her own website repository on all of Doyoung's music 0201Repository) his debut solo album YOUTH, or his main band NCT 127, and his side band NCT DOJAEJUNG, please check out these hyperlinks. You will not be disappointed.