Former Element member Sun has made his solo comeback with a new single! Sun last promoted as a solo artist last December with the release of his first full-length solo album Happiness. “Any Song” is the idol’s first solo release since the disbandment of his former group, Element. “Any Song”, Sun’s new release, is a dancehall and hip hop track with a catchy chorus. Sun wrote and composed the song, and also helped in part with the production of the song. It’s been announced that he also helped to contribute to the choreography. “Any Song” will be promoted on music shows for a month.
COLLA3ORATE releases “Cabi Song″, sponsored by Caribbean Bay
base’s COLLA3ORATE project has released the second special single for the project’s season 1.5 today. The second project release was executive produced by Gold Star Media, just like the first, and is sponsored by Caribbean Bay. This project single includes WISH’s Iris, Lucid’s Josie, Lipstick’s Ruby, Knight’s Duri, Alien’s San, and former Element member Sun among the performers. “Cabi Song” is a summer dance track. The project group will be holding a special mini-concert later this week on May 22 at Nodeul Island Live House.
The third mentor lineup for the currently airing survival show Hot Topic have been announced!
According to a new press release, Knight’s Duri and Aria’s Nina have been cast to help mentor the show’s contestants on their vocals, while CHARM’s Dowoon and Element’s Sun will be dance mentors for the position evaluations, and Knight’s Haon and Unity’s Jaewon will help the contestants with rap. They’ll appear in the episodes set to air January 22 and 29.
The popularity of Hot Topic has only risen in recent weeks as the show’s contestants increasingly gain attention and fans as the season approaches its halfway point.
According to reports, the mentors have all already filmed their appearances on the show.
COMMENTS
[+1,110, -39] the episodes keep getting better and better with all of the celebrity mentors and bang sunyoung is doing really well as the host
[+817, -21] haven’t some of the contestants said they’re fans of these idols’ groups? they’ll be really excited
[+198, -31] the mentors are all knowledge. the show’s casting team must have saved the country in their past lives.
[+14, -29] empty dolls without talent teaching more empty dolls without talent
Element’s Sun has dropped his first full-length solo album! Sun previously made his solo debut last November with his first solo mini-album In Sensitivity, and has since continued to expand his public profile with appearances on Shared Home, Dancing With The Stars, and Our Songs and with collaboration songs “Shouldn’t Have” and “Don’t” in addition to continuing to promote as a member of one of the industry’s rare co-ed idol groups.
For Happiness, Sun brings forth new themes from what fans may remember from In Sensitivity. In contrast to what one may expect from such a bright title, the album begins with “Nosedive”, which features Knight’s Duri and CHARM’s Aidynn and lets listeners know they’re in for a different journey than they may have expected from the title alone. The more mellow, oftentimes melancholy tone, carries through much of the rest of the album, but creates a distinctive sound in the process. In addition to the opening collaboration, both track five “Badbye” and track seven “Everythingoes” have features of their own from CHARM’s Dai and Origin’s Joohwan respectively. Sun contributed to the lyrics, music, and production of all songs on the album either in part or in full. Knight’s Duri and CHARM’s Aidynn helped write the lyrics on “Nosedive” as well, while Origin’s Joohwan helped to compose “Everythingoes”.
The album’s promoted single and final track, “Happiness”, brings back the piano found prominently in previous tracks like “Tokyo” and “Forever Rain” to settled under a heartfelt rap. The music video is kept simple to accompany the rawness of the track. “Happiness” will be promoted on music shows for a month and b-side track “Forever Rain” will be staged for the first week of music show promotions.
The track list and notable song credits can be found below.
TRACK LIST
Nosedive ft. Duri & Aidynn (lyrics by Duri, Aidynn, and Sun, partial music and partial production by Sun)
Tokyo (partial lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
Seoul (lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
Moonchild (partial lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
Badbye ft. Dai (lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
Uhgood (lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
Everythingoes feat. Joohwan (lyrics by Sun, music by Joohwan and Sun, and production by Sun)
Forever Rain (lyrics, music, and production by Sun)
[INTERVIEW] Element’s Sun talks new album HAPPINESS
Since first coming onto the idol scene as Element’s main dancer when the group began to release their pre-debut singles in 2016, Sun has managed to make a name for himself outside of his group by branching out into activities in areas such as radio, modeling, and collaborative and solo music of his own. In December 2020, he released his first ever full-length solo album HAPPINESS after debuting solo with his first mini-album a year earlier. Exclusive got to have the first interview with Sun about the release of his new solo album. Read what he had to say below!
Your album is called HAPPINESS. How does the concept of your album relate to its title?
“HAPPINESS is an album that’s about feelings to the opposite. In our daily lives, we tend to neglect them for what’s easier to deal with. This album, and I, reject the idea that we must push away negative emotions. It’s for anyone who doesn’t always feel happiness, and feels guilty for that.”
What was different in the preparation process of this album in comparison to In Sensitivity?
“In Sensitivity was a much shorter preparation period, for one. There, it was an incredibly fast creative process as well. With HAPPINESS, I had the opportunity to work with our company’s different creative teams to create a cohesive album that means something every step of the way. This album, I also wrote largely on my own, which is not something I was able to do with In Sensitivity. I’d like to think of them as a natural progression in finding my place as a solo artist.”
What was it like working with Knight’s Duri, CHARM’s Aidynn and Dai, and Origin’s Joohwan as featuring artists on your album?
“They’re lovely to work with! They’re friends, which made working with them all the more smooth. I’m very thankful that they all took time from their busy schedules to lend me their talents. Every song they helped me with wouldn’t have been the same, had it just been me. Each of their unique colors brought something magical, so I’m very happy to have been able to work with them.”
You were heavily involved in the songwriting, composing, and producing process of the album. Which song was the hardest to write/compose/produce? Why?
“‘Seoul’. Many of the songs on the album were difficult to write for the state of mind that was required to write them, and I’m not sure if comparing them is proper. However, with ‘Seoul’, that’s a song that was years in the making. I’d originally begun the song as a trainee, and it grew alongside me and my personal growth through the years. Growth is one of the most difficult things to force yourself into, and without that, ‘Seoul’ wouldn’t exist.”
What worries and concerns did you have while working on HAPPINESS?
“I often worried that my intention wouldn’t come across. Until now, I’m still unsure. The album isn’t only about sitting in sadness, but that it’s okay to do so, and helpful, in order for the natural winds to pass. I hope that it is more of a comfort, than something that brings down listeners.”
Did you have any major inspirations for this album?
“One massive inspiration was for the song ‘Moonchild’. The inspiration came from a fan, actually. [On] my radio show, Sun’s Goodnight, I ask listeners to send in their stories and communicate with me on a more intimate level. Over the last two years, I’ve become well-acquainted with many of my regular listeners. We’ve grown together in sharing similar troubles, and I end up remembering the details of their lives. One of my listeners recently got married, and I’d been hearing about their relationship since their engagement. ‘Moonchild’ is a response to those people I feel like I’ve come to know, and the connection we have with one another. Honestly, my fans inspire me every day.”
What do you hope people take away from listening to this album?
“We all feel all kinds of emotions. Not all of them are pleasant, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. I hope anyone who listens to HAPPINESS will take the journey to experiencing negative emotions fully, and embrace them, so they can be let go. It’s a difficult journey, but one I believe anyone can take on and win. Anyone hearing this, please let HAPPINESS be your friend on the path.”
Do you have any other comments you’d like to make to your fans?
“Every Aether and every one of my own fans, you inspire me every day to continue the work that I do. Your support is the only reason myself and the rest of Element have come this far. I’m eternally grateful for your support, your stories, and your hearts. I hope that HAPPINESS can give support back to you, the same way you’ve been gifting me support all of these years.”
base TV show Our Songs has released the first tracks composed by the show’s cast onto streaming sites today! The show was announced earlier this month to begin airing this upcoming Friday and fans have been steadily offered a peak into what to expect over the last few weeks with the release of teaser images of the cast and the release of special cover videos by each cast member.
As of now, an EP (Our Songs, Part 1: Identity/Introduction) has been uploaded on streaming sites with the eight songs created by the contestants for the first round of the show. Voting has opened up on the show’s website for the public to vote for their favorite track. This will be the first round of voting to determine the winner of the show’s first round.
The tracks and their notable song credits can be found below.
“Smile” by Sun (lyrics, composition, and production by Sun)
“That’s Not Me” by Joohwan (lyrics and music by Joohwan)
“E.T” by Youngjoo (partial lyrics, music, and partial production by Youngjoo)
“Crazy Diamond” by Kami (lyrics and production by Kami)
“Little Wildflower” by Suji (lyrics and music by Suji)
"Swim Away” by Eunah (lyrics, music, and partial production by Eunah)
“Alarm” by Jaewon (lyrics and partial production by Jaewon)
“Noid” by Taeyong (lyrics, composition, and production by Taeyong)
COMMENTS
[+491, -19] i’m really impressed by jaewon and youngjoo’s songs... they struck a good balance between being personal and showing off their sound while still creating something good to anyone’s ears
[+380, -23] crazy diamond and that’s not me are the most unique. the others feel like i could hear them from anyone, but kami and joohwan did something different!
[+275, -13] no, but suji and eunah’s songs are the kind that are popular with the public. i’m a reverie, but since none of our girls are competing i’m rooting for those two!
[+169, -12] sun and taeyong are the ones that created their songs completely on their own and you can tell they’re both above the level of experience of the average songwriter-dol
[+114, -13] i’m surprised the songs are all good? i must have underestimated the cast....
Lipstick’s Hyeju and Element’s Sun have paired up to release a new collaboration through BC Portal. The song is the first time the pair have collaborated musically, although they have previously served as the ambassadors of Lotte Waterpark together and both acted in the drama My Mister, which Hyeju played the lead role in. “Don’t” is a blues-tinged R&B track that combines Hyeju’s smooth vocals with Sun’s rhythmic rapping. Sun is credited as a partial lyricist, partial composer, and partial producer for the track.
base’s COLLA3ORATE project has released their latest special single today. “Quit Playing” follows the already release “Drip” to complete the duo of singles executive produced by Dimensions Entertainment. “Quit Playing” is a smooth R&B track. As promised in the earlier press release, the music video earned a 19+ rating and it has since also been announced that the song’s original choreography has been banned from broadcast. The project group includes Unity’s Soo, Knight’s Taeyong, CHARM’s Hyunsoo, Alien’s San, and Element’s Sun.
