Singer Lee Hyun returns with autumn sensibility.
Lee Hyun releases his mini third album A(E)ND today (16th) at 6 p.m. and resumes musical activities after about four years. He presents new songs for the first time since his solo single "Moon in the Sea," released in July 2021. With a deeper sensibility, he once again cements the presence of vocalist Lee Hyun.
Ahead of the new release, Lee Hyun expressed through his agency BigHit Music that, "Since this is an album I am releasing after a long time, I filled it with songs that I like and that listeners can be satisfied with. I prepared it with completeness so that people can feel, 'So that's why it took so long,' so I am especially looking forward to fans' reactions," revealing his excited feelings. He added, "I hope this album becomes a small but definite momentum for those about to start again or those who want to let something go."
A(E)ND contains stories about the beginning and end of relationships that everyone experiences at least once, like love and parting. The album title combines AND and END, which are similar in spelling and pronunciation but opposite in meaning, conveying the duality of relationships and the complexity of emotions. The record includes six songs in total, including the title track "At This Point With You," "Day & Dream," "What's On Your Mind," "Our Gravity (feat. Song Ha-young of fromis_9)," "Tree of Life," and "To You (Greeting pt.2)."
#start and end coexist in relationships…six stories that bloomed within them
Having refined his own color over a long time, Lee Hyun presents both familiar sensibilities and new attempts in this release. The new record contains various genres, including R&B, which evokes many people's nostalgia, and ballads that leave a gentle aftertaste.
The title track "At This Point With You" is a song about the pain of time filled with lingering attachment to love that could not be kept and the moment of deciding to finally let go at the end. It adds the sophistication of a pop ballad to Lee Hyun's characteristic poignant vocal style, creating a mature atmosphere.
The first track "Day & Dream" is an R&B soul song that modernly reinterprets the neo-soul genre that was popular in the early 2000s. It sings of ambivalent feelings after the pain of parting: wanting to forget the other person but ultimately missing them and hoping they will come back. "What's On Your Mind" is a medium-tempo R&B song that evokes the sensibility of Lee Hyun's early debut days. It portrays a couple facing boredom who realize things aren't the same and ask each other what they are feeling.
"Our Gravity (feat. Song Ha-young of fromis_9)" uses the emotion of two people who, worn down by reality, misunderstood and grew distant but are ultimately drawn to each other again for the reason of "differences." The song is R&B pop that modernly reinterprets the R&B that was popular in the early to mid-2000s in the United States. "Tree of Life" compares Lee Hyun's autobiographical story to trees and flowers. As a lyrical ballad, it expresses the hope that after enduring a long winter, new flowers can bloom again.
The final track "To You (Greeting pt.2)" evokes "Greeting," which was included on 8Eight's third studio album The Golden Age, released in 2009. If "Greeting" sang that it would wait until the day it returned, "To You (Greeting pt.2)" expresses gratitude to the fans who always stayed by his side.
The mini third album A(E)ND is Lee Hyun's present and a record that moves toward another "beginning." Within it are gratitude and sincerity toward the fans who have stood by him for a long time.
#added sincerity through lyric participation…reunion with producer Pdogg also draws attention!
The new release highlights Lee Hyun's active participation. He wrote the lyrics for five songs, including the title track "At This Point With You," "Day & Dream," "What's On Your Mind," "Tree of Life," and "To You (Greeting pt.2)," candidly reflecting his emotions and stories in the lyrics. In addition, Pdogg, the chief producer of BigHit Music, the label of HYBE music group (chairman Bang Si-hyuk), is credited. The long-standing collaboration between Lee Hyun and Pdogg, which began in 2006, shone on this album as well.
Lee Hyun will hold a release performance, "Lee Hyun mini album A(E)ND Live Stage - "Autumn(Evening)"," on the 19th at 8 p.m. at Musinsa Garage in Mapo-gu, Seoul. He plans to present live stages of the new songs as well as representative songs by 8Eight and HOMME by "Hitman" Bang.
[Photo] Courtesy of BigHit Music.
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