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k-pop stars can sing, dance and model, but do they have *soul*? a thread about taehyung's SINGULARITY:
do you know ahmir "questlove" thompson ( @questlove)? yes you do. aside from being a star of jimmy fallon's tonight show as the drummer for the legendary roots crew, with a discography as groundbreaking as it is wide, he's also one of the foremost intellectuals of black music.
aside from being able to break down the revolutionary musicality of artists like michael jackson and prince, quest has also spoken often about his work with different artists, including a very relevant name to this thread: d'angelo.
do you know d'angelo? sure you do. he's one of the greatest artists of the past two decades, a leading figure in the neo-soul movement, a multi-instrumental genius and the man behind this r&b anthem/cultural moment, "untitled (how does it feel?)"
you might notice that "how does it feel?" bears a striking similarity musically to our thread's subject, "singularity." the most notable similarities? the rhythm section, played by d'angelo, which drags, tenses, releases in an iconic swing. the hats drag, the kicks are "messy."
in an archived okayplayer "review" by questlove, he describes "how does it feel?" as being heavily derived from prince's "controversy" era. here's the link, it's gold for y'all who like d'angelo and/or just like to read musicians talk musicianship
https://web.archive.org/web/20080430011914/http://www.okayplayer.com/theroots/viewreview.jsp?rid=6
https://web.archive.org/web/20080430011914/http://www.okayplayer.com/theroots/viewreview.jsp?rid=6
speaking of questlove, he co-produced and played on this "voodoo" album and spoke about the way d'angelo wanted him to "drag" his drums, similar to how d'angelo drums on "how does it feel?" it's a permeating musical feature of the album. here's a clip:
so, i think "singularity" is one of those standout moments in bts' discography that really proves how bangtan stands out from other k-pop groups as musicians. you don't usually find such direct references to prince and d'angelo in your average k-pop bop.
this is not at all unintentional. the song's creation came about from what seemed to be a poem given by the group to producer charlie j. perry, who cited d'angelo as a direct inspiration.
perry also mentions that daniel caesar was a favorite of the group's. caesar also makes use of this dragging rhythm section style on one of his breakout singles, "japanese denim," which shares ancestry of "how does it feel?" with "singularity."
"singularity" thusly puts V firmly in the conversation of contemporary r&b stars like caesar, sza, h.e.r., rex orange county etc. the d'angelo influenced drums, the baritone, the vocal harmonies, the warbling bass, even the "ohhh no!" riffs that reverberate in the background.
the context of asian artists entering black musical spaces is always complex, and ostensibly every artist that delves into pop does just that. the qualities that make up modern pop, alongside r&b, rock, rap and country, derive from black musicianship and experiences.
part of the reason bts, and "singularity," have drawn respect from many people of color for their interpretations of black music is in the combinations of strong execution and experiential honesty.
rm writes the lyrics on this one (to my knowledge), and the source material inspiring the song comes from v and the gang's expression. this is far from an overproduced song that can be attributed to an outside team long before the performer.
its connection as an introduction and solo piece kicking off "love yourself: tear," its connection into the "love yourself" theme engineered by bts themselves, all work to parlay what bts as artists wish to express.
how do you make real soul music?
it has to really come out of your soul.
"singularity" seems to truly come out of v's soul, even through the production of others and the writing of others.
it has to really come out of your soul.
"singularity" seems to truly come out of v's soul, even through the production of others and the writing of others.
there's no logistical accounting for this. digging into v's stories from his past to legitimize the art would be pointless and in poor taste. there's no objective meter to measure "soul."
basically, it just has to be a good song.
basically, it just has to be a good song.
what's most interesting to me, however, is the references. one would hardly expect the world's biggest boyband, a highly successful k-pop group, to be referencing artists like d'angelo, the roots, raphael saadiq. or to be writing their own shit. or constructing their own themes.
we live in a pretty jaded time period wherein we have a hard time trusting people's intentions. but thanks to globalization and the internet, among other things, it's a great period for art. some of the biggest artists in the world put out art with unquestionable self-direction.
my joy is merely seeing how their work connects with past works, and putting y'all on to some ideas, in case you didn't know. so i hope some of this connects with you and helps you further your interest in bts, in d'angelo, and of course, in questlove.
