After completing a highly celebrated comeback with GOT7, Youngjae is quickly continuing the musical momentum with a sweet new release for the K-pop scene.
The singer-songwriter just dropped his sophomore EP Sugar, a showcase for his soaring vocals to dance through a range of rock, R&B and ballads. Just like “Vibin’,” the lead single from his first-ever EP last year, “Sugar” lets Youngjae unleash some feel-good uptempo pop — a refreshing departure from the intense ballads early in his solo recordings. From chest belts to falsetto notes, the title track lets Youngjae show off his full vocal range over slick guitar licks and stomping percussion.
The “Sugar” music video is more sinister than it is sweet. While viewers see Youngjae dancing with friends at a bright and sunny party, there’s also a dark twist to the party that begins when the love interest he’s pursuing hands him a drink that quickly knocks him out. Youngjae leaving the party to follow the woman through a set of doors hint toward a part two of this story potentially continued in his following visual.
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Youngjae’s latest project is his first after coming back together with his GOT7 bandmates for their self-titled album, released earlier this month through Warner Music Korea. The album was GOT7’s first full-scale project since all seven members left their longtime label home of JYP Entertainment in January 2021.
While it’s rare in the K-pop scene for a group to stay together after departing their original label — and even more so when all its members move to separate management and agencies — the GOT7 bond proved strong enough for them to continue together and defy industry norms. Youngjae is the first member to release new material since the well-received GOT7 comeback, including the single “Nanana,” which marked their 20th Top 10 hit on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart.