Deg a single album for J-us

#fusecult

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Welcome people of KA! Today I bring you yet another blog about my dear ult of ults, J-us. I got this idea while thinking about ONF and also while working on my previous J-us blog. I was too far ahead to replace my old idea with this one, but I was also very excited to start working on it once I was done with the previous one since it seemed so fun!

The thought that ultimately led to the decision of writing this blog was thinking of how every ONF member has the potential to go solo. They’re all such all-rounders it’s insane. But so far, apart from MK having a few songs on his SoundCloud and Hyojin having sung two OSTs (at least he gifted us with the incredible Before Today Is Over, I swear I will never be over that masterpiece), we never got any other original song from individual . Almost each of them does have a few covers on Youtube though, and this is where my brain wandered and ultimately gave me the idea for this blog.

J-us has three covers on the official ONF Youtube channel: Poom by Ryeowook, Sorry by Yang Da Il and Diary by Van Gwang Ok. And these covers literally give me life. I could listen to them all day. A few months ago they used to be part of my daily routine, I wouldn’t go to sleep before listening to them first. So for this blog, I decided to give our dear Seungjunie a full on single album with these three songs. To make this more than a song analysis, apart from just talking about the songs I will also make an album cover to discuss the concept of the album, create a timetable WM Entertainment would post for this comeback, add a few concept pics and also talk about how a possible MV for the song I chose as title track would look. So without further ado, let’s start!

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Album Cover

At first, I thought of starting this blog with an edit for the schedule, but I wasn't sure what vibe to go with. Therefore, I decided to make the album cover first to get a general idea for a concept. What I imagined for the cover was a photo of Seungjun staring into the distance, specifically with light colored hair. I feel like a soft, slightly melancholic concept would really fit the album since all three of the songs on it are ballads. It didn’t take me long to find this photo and just go “Yeah, that’s the one.” A lot of ballad artists’ album covers are very simple, therefore I decided to do a very elementary edit of this photo to get a humble but effective result.

I also chose a name for the album, which is “Spark”, as “Spark Leader” is one of Seungjun’s nicknames. He doesn’t use it a lot anymore, but it is a nickname dear to a lot of Fuses and I feel like it fits the light and warm concept of the album very well.

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Schedule

For the schedule, I actually had to do a bit of research and looked at past ONF schedules for inspiration. The dates inside the ellipses especially are taken directly from the Popping album schedule. It’s a very simple edit as I’m not an expert editor so forgive me if it doesn’t look too polished-

These types of schedules are usually packed and go on for a full month, but I decided to keep this one shorter for simplicity’s sake, and also because it’s a single album by a soloist. Starting from the 2nd of January (I haven’t specified any year since this is purely fictional… If I had to pick one, I’d say 2024), there will be something released every two days, until the 12th, because the album and MV will release on the following day, the 13th. And no, the date isn’t casual. Hardcore Fuses have most likely already noticed that the release of the album happens on Seungjun’s birthday! Just a fun little easter egg~

Now, talking a bit more about the concept! As you can see, there are these mysterious dates on which “Memories of the Past”, “Decisions of the Present” and “Dreams of the Future” will be posted. What are they? Well, I noticed that in most ONF schedules, the concept photos tend to have unique names related to the album’s concept. So for this album, I chose three sets of concept photos and associated them with the past, present and future respectively. But I’ll talk more about them in the next section!

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Concept Photos

Concept photos time! As I just mentioned, there are three sets of them.

This first set is called “Memories of the Past”. In these photos, we can see a stunning Seungjun dressed in light clothes and surrounded by nature. I chose these photos to represent the past because they really radiate a youthful vibe and bring a message of hope. Seungjun’s relaxed poses and laidback attitude show that he’s still young, full of energy and potential to grow as a person. He has his whole life ahead of him, and he’s hopeful about the future. He believes that with hard work and dedication he can become a person others look up to and ire. The nature around him is a clear sign of positivity and also of Seungjun staying true to himself. By treating nature with care and kindness, it will stay by our side and reward us with its gifts.

Thinking back to one’s past can sometimes bring comfort, but mostly a sense of nostalgia linked with the feeling of freedom. This is in fact emphasized by the fact Seungjun is outdoors, not restrained by any walls, but free to be himself, to explore the world and ultimately choose a path to take to shape his own life.

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Moving onto the second set, we have “Decisions of the Present”. These photos, unlike the other two sets, aren’t from a professional photoshoot. They were actually taken but our dear Hyojin! They’re honestly so stunning and well taken. The setting is comforting and Seungjun’s sweater seems so warm… These pics really scream boyfie vibes…

Anyways, even though these photos are bright, they’re definitely not as optimistic and hopeful as the previous set. In these photos, there are a lot fewer colors. Moreover, Seungjun is indoors, which is limiting to him. I associated these photos with the present because even though their overall tone is positive, there is a certain pensive mood in them. Seungjun’s expressions are neutral, he is not smiling but he’s also not frowning. He’s currently in a grey area, where he’s happy with his life and his past choices, but cannot help but wonder about his future. The future is scary, and to shape it he has to act now, because he’s the only one who can truly control his life and choose his path. In the last pic especially, where he looks up at the sky, it’s easy to imagine him thinking about what the future will bring to him. There is a certain, very light but still perceivable note of anxiety in these photos and I think they describe the concept of the present as a whole very well.

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Finally, we have the last set, titled “Dreams of the Future”. As you can see, the contrast between these photos and the two previous sets is extremely stark. The background is totally black, and Seungjun’s uniform is black as well. Moreover, his expressions are serious.

I chose these photos to represent the future because the future is obscure and mysterious. No one knows what will happen in the next few years, months, and not even in the next few days. The darkness enveloping Seungjun clearly shows how nothing about the future is certain. It can be a very scary thought, but sadly it is the truth.

But I chose these photos also because there is an element of hope in them. The plant Seungjun is holding is the only colored thing in the photo, apart from Seungjun himself. This plant represents Seungjun’s hopes and dreams about the future. He’s holding it in his hand, but delicately. As uncertainty approaches, his aspirations can be fragile and hard to reach and they need to be carefully handled and worked upon to bring light to the darkness. Seungjun’s future depends on his actions, associated with the way he takes care of the plant. His wishes can come true only if he takes care of the plant, which will it grow big and strong, creating a brighter future for him.

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Songs

It is finally time to talk a bit about the songs of this album! As the title track, I chose “Poom”, originally by Ryeowook of Super Junior. Why did I choose it as the title track? Well, it’s pretty simple: it’s my favorite Seungjun cover, no questions asked. The first time I heard it, I immediately fell in love with it. It is definitely one of the most beautiful ballads I’ve ever heard. Apart from listening to Seungjun’s cover on repeat, I also absolutely adore the original. It is a song full of emotions and it makes you feel thousands of things at once. It’s really hard to explain the beauty of this song with words, you just have to listen to it, there is really no way to describe it. It is something that needs to be experienced. Whether you listen to Seungjun’s cover or to the original first, it really doesn’t matter, they’re both two incredible versions of the same masterpiece.

Talking a bit more about Seungjun’s cover, you can really hear he put his whole soul into this. I’ve seen clips of him singing The Little Prince, another song by Ryeowook from the same album as Poom, as well, and it is clear Seungjun really loves his ballads and ires him.

Seungjun’s voice is just incredible, and it honestly fits ballads so perfectly. No wonder Hwang Hyun, ONF’s main producer, said that the genre his voice is most suited for is ballads. He wasn’t wrong! Just listen to this boy sing! I will literally never be over this cover. It is magical, and each time it feels like it’s my first time listening to it. Seungjun’s voice is so soothing, so comforting, so warm. It is truly a blessing to the whole industry. Can you all believe he is not part of the vocal line?! I know I’ve said this like a thousand times, but I will never stop repeating it, because this boy’s vocals need so much more recognition. Not only his tone, but also his stability and versatility are really no joke. Also, this cover was recorded three years ago. Three! Just think how much his voice improved in all these years! And this cover is still so impressive!

Before going to the next section, I wanted to say one last thing about the lyrics. I checked the lyrics to write this section, and my god I did not need to cry today, thanks... Whilst it might seem like a love song from the first few verses, Ryeowook actually wrote it for his mother. I always love songs dedicated to important people in the artist’s life, I have cried while listening to a few of them too. Dedicating a song to someone is in my opinion one of the greatest displays of love. And just ing the great relationship Seungjun has with his parents, which we’ve seen in an ONF vlog, makes me just so happy. Seungjun is not only a great artist but an amazing friend, son and person overall. There is really no way I could express my love for him with words.

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Next, we have “sorry

]”, originally by Yang Da Il. I had never heard of this singer before listening to this cover, but lately I’ve been obsessed with his song lie, it is just incredible! I really like his voice, and Seungjun definitely did justice to the original with his cover!

While it is a pretty sad ballad, I feel like it is still a bit more upbeat compared to the other two songs, especially to “Diary”, which I’ll talk about in the next section.

Once again, our dear Seungjun surprises us with heavenly vocals, a voice smooth like butter, wrapping you up like a warm hug. The first few lines especially, where he’s almost whispering, are just so incredibly comforting and fill you with so much warmth. He maintains a lower tone throughout most of the songs, but in its higher notes, he is not afraid to show his potential. Towards the end especially, there is a part where he really shines, hitting a higher effortlessly, as expected of him! Another part I have to mention is the start of the chorus, where Seungjun follows the piano with his voice, making his words jump on the delicate piano notes. It is really so nice to listen to how incredibly well his soft voice fits with such a beautiful instrument as the piano. His voice kind of is like a piano. He can move between so many notes with little to no effort to create absolutely beautiful melodies packed with emotion.

“sorry” is simply just a beautiful cover, sung by a beautiful man with a beautiful voice. Do I have to mention this cover was published 4 YEARS AGO?! Even earlier than Poom and Diary?! No wonder he looks so tiny in the video of the cover… This boy is insane I tell you. From the start of his career he grew and grew, his skills got so much better, and I would honestly sell my soul for him to cover this song again, just for a comparison, because 4 years really can change a lot of things. But from ONF's newer ballads, we can already tell how incredible his growth has been. His voice gained even more color and became even more unique and incredible. He will never cease to amaze me.

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Ah, “[Diary|

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99k_UiiqzbM&list=PLI_wEu95lSI2ewgJJwtGKMoRg6YC4tISz&index=3]”, my belovedest… This cover is definitely the most impressive of the three, that’s why I left it as the last song on this imaginary album, as the cherry on top. My deep love for this cover wasn’t immediate. Of course, I loved it from the start because, well, it’s a cover by Lee Seungjun himself, but I learnt to fully appreciate it only recently. The original song is by Van Kwang Ok. Like with Yang Da Il, I’ve never heard of him before as I just only recently entered by ballads era, but this is one of those cases where I like the cover more than the original. I feel like the original version of this song definitely isn’t for everyone. It is pretty unique and Van Kwang Ok’s way of singing might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Sadly, it isn’t mine either, but that isn’t to say it’s a bad song. Quite the opposite, it is an amazing song, but I simply prefer Seungjun’s cover (not because I’m biased…).

This cover really strings every chord of my heart. It is so full of emotions, and I feel like Seungjun really couldn’t have poured more effort into it, because he already squeezed every little droplet of it into this cover. And this can be seen not only in his voice but also in the way he sings this song. His expressions or just so articulated, reflecting perfectly the somewhat pained nature of the song.

It is immediately clear this is not an easy song to sing. It starts off relatively calm, like a lullaby. Seungjun’s voice guides us and calms us down. But it is undeniable there is a note of distress in his voice, and his higher notes and even his breaths deliver that idea perfectly. The chorus is definitely a lot more emotion packed than the verses, but the climax is reached after the second chorus. It is prolongated, as Seungjun reaches incredible ranges and makes his voice really shine. Even his fingers start twitching in this part of the song, showing really how much effort he put in this part, as he focused solely on his voice to show its maximum potential. And he definitely did it. It all paid off, as he gave us one of the most incredible and stable ballad covers I’ve ever heard. He wasn’t singing the song, he *was* the song. For that specific part especially, he became one with the music and let his beautiful voice out for everyone to hear.

This is not a cover. This is truly a piece of art. And I will never stop going back to it and be absolutely blown away by it.

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MV

Finally, in this last section I will discuss a possible MV for the title track I chose, Poom. The original song is a bside, but nothing prevents me from giving Seungjun a nice MV for it.

With such an emotional and Beautiful song, I feel like the MV would be slow and would have an overall message dedicated to all the good mothers in the world. It would mostly be scenes of Seungjun simply walking around on a bright day while singing. He would have flowers in his hand, ready to bring them to his mom. It would be cool if she could make an appearance in the video, that would so heartwarming and would literally make me cry…

As Seungjun walks, I feel like it would be so cute to have some old videos and photos of him as a kid play in between the scenes. It would be simply adorable, and it would gradually show his growth, starting from him as a baby and arriving to the present, showing that the love he has for his mother never changed. The prevalent colors of the MV would of course be warm colors, representing motherly love and affection. As a last thing, it would be so cool if the rest of ONF could make an appearance to show their to one of their leader’s debut!

Even though the song has a slightly sad tone, I would still like the MV to be bright and overall cheerful. It would be one of those simple but very effective MVs that don’t need crazy special effects to look good and tell a beautiful story.

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That’s all for my blog! I am so glad I decided to work on this because it was so much fun! I mean, talking about Seungjun is always great, no surprise there! I really hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you for stopping by and have a nice day/night!