don't you miss 2008? i know who does .. (insert disk to continue)
i remember seeing this tiktok a while back, and it was something along the lines of, "johnny's so old he felt like was doing an mtv crib tour during this interview". and while that's funny, it reminds me of how good an authentic early-to-mid 2000's concept could be in kpop. i think sooo many people try to get it right, but few groups i see execute it properly (first who come to thought are kiiikiii, who have fantastic directors and actually have a cohesive and accurate vintage concept, though i wish it was reflected in their music).
there's been many gripes and arguments in recent years about "authenticity" in kpop, which in the industries' current and historical context is very much deserved! so, what's more authentic than a guy from illinois, born in 1994, cosplaying himself as a teenager?? you might say "let go of the past", but I feel like, have you ever listened to justified from beginning to end? tell me you don't think cry me a river is on the same level as mozart, i dare you!!
sound-wise
johnny's an older guy now, as the industry would say .. stop it with the wannabe rapping or adlibs! sm is out for this man the way they made him "rap" in songs for 98% of his career so far. his vocal tone just isn't appealing when rapping, sorry! and even when it's actually good- they throw in random, dumb, english lyrics that make you scrunch your face and say, "what the hell, sure". now even though r&b is more up jaehyun's alley, I think Johnny could also suit the genre in a more pop-infused space. songs that I think he generally shined in are love on the floor and walk, both songs that heavily incorporate dance-r&b influences. think Timbaland.. that would be a dream if he wasn't so busy making ai music lmfao. realistically, think Piano by Max Changmin or Love like Oxygen by Shinee
this may be a hot take for certain kpop stans who have this strange, "keep kpop korean!" mindset (oh my god, do you hear yourself? look closely at that sentence..). but i would hope that johnny's solo album/ep/single would be fully in english. nct is a very uniquely talented group, so they've been able to reach a large american audience. but in my opinion, if sm would actually attempt to market in western spaces, they could be much, much more popular than they already are. marketing aside, johnny's mid-western accent makes him switching between english and korean while singing sound sort of awkward and out of place. in most ideal conditions, maybe a korean version of 1 or more songs, just to please people.
photo-wise and promotions
the funnest part.. for the photoshoots i would take inspo from prime tvxq! shoots, early nsync* shoots, mid-2000's catalogue shoots, and just general promotional images for celebrities around that time. (sorry the images are a bit choppy uhhhh I'm bad with html for now)
the specific 2000's subcultures i would want his solo to lean into include much less baggy clothing, I think there's this misconception in the music industry that in order to show 2000's fashion, it needs to be baggy. I want it to lean more into the other popular clothing styles from that period. inc: graphic tees, statement belts, bootcut-flare jeans, new balances', round sunglasses, polos, jerseys over t-shirts, ribbed shirts, wife beaters, ect.
the photos would look more like day-to-day photos rather than being glamor focused (if that makes sense lol). ex; the Justin Timberlake photo I included was a common style for posters, more realistic (?). the photos should be less serious considering johnny's personality. sometimes when I see really serious photoshoots of him- like the recent ones from acne studios this year- I'm like, "wow! can't believe he made that green screen travel video with Ten". kinda breaks the illusion haha. i want it to look like his mom took him to jc penny for holiday pictures, damn it.
i really would want sm to try to market to a western audience. instead of paying for the music videos to play as ads on YouTube, do an actual advertisement for the album. kpop albums are essentially the last living relative of cds, so buy now for $25! includes mesmerizing tracks like blah blah blah blah... or include a "as seen on m countdown" or something, because american audiences eat that nostalgia bait UPP. even if they don't buy the album, they'll likely actually listen to it. or maybe open the ad with johnny himself talking to the audience. (and don't let the quality be too low-res, its 2006, not 1996!!). maybe have Johnny do promotions with western and korean artists, rather than just dance challenges with other idols. i think Say Now, Jae Stephens, Eyedress, and even Addison Rae can bring in an audience who already is looking for that aesthetic in music. and I would also even find older artists from that period for him to associate with to bring in an older, more nostalgic audience (Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, Mya, and especially bsb, considering they're still active). i would even go as far as to say, have him cover a popular song from back then the help bring in this audience, like how I think Exo (?) covered a Beatles song that got seen by a lot of gen x and boomers. so maybe something like Dilemma by Nelly or Differences by Ginuwine.
for a music video, 2000's mvs were very simply shot and were wayyy less often story based. includes shots of lip-syncing in front of a plain background, lip syncing and posing around in front of another background, dancing with little to no camera movement aside from zoom ins, and just shots of the singers looking good. watch the music video for My Prerogative by Britney Spears. that's the exactly the vibe I imagine for his video/pos. it would be funny if they did a fake knock off mtv performance and uploaded it, he could live out his unc dreams.
maybe even a collab with a 2000s esque clothing brand. ed hardy, juicy, baby phat, or any other mens clothing brands popular back then
album/cd
I have much less of a strong opinion on this, because I'm not the type of person who cares much about album design. my main thing is that I would HATE if it was one of those fatass huge album photobooks (cough cough.. haechan.. cough..taste). sm usually has great album designs except for that one time so I'm not too concerned. though I do think it being in a jewel case or a dvd case (similar to p1h's ex album) would be cool, even if people consider it "boring". Companies tend to make multiple types per album, so maybe an AVERAGE SIZED magazine with a cover that looks similar to teen vogue or some older gossip magazines, with little bubbled headlines and stuff like "free posters inside!". or maybe just make it an actual magazine. like with interview articles and everything.
the cd shouldn't be too crazy or have a super extensive design (controversial). they didn't do that too often on older cds I've noticed. I would say just the album's logo top & bottom, i know, lame. for that magazine version i was talking about, i'm thinking the cd would be something like System of a Down's Steal this Album. as in it looking like a burned cd with writing all over it.
also no "postcards"!!! they're dumb tiny poster prints and I never use them for the intended purpose. if they want to include one, make it an actual postcard! like with his name on the front and a message! i liked how Newjeans did it in their Get Up bags. it was much, much more subtle, being literal landscape pictures taken by the members. they had room for writing on the back, so you would actually use it as a postcard to somebody! makes so much more sense with the concept and in general. and nobody gaf about sm minis so like whatever ..
anyways yeah thx for listening to my yap 0_o.. might archive if nobody reads this cause I really just wanted a way to visualize stuff like this, I think about it all the time!!1!! if sb beats me to this, istg I'll kems lolololol (ﾐꆤ ε ꆤﾐ)∫
"Babyyy..." Your boyfriend Johnny whined for the 10th time this evening, as you didn't want to take your eyes off your new book.
"Come onnn, please come give me a huggg. I miss youuu." He begged, sitting up on the bed, waiting for you to come cuddle with him. But you didn't seem to listen, your eyes glued to the pages of your new novel.
So Johnny stood up and grabbed you by the waist in a smooth, fast movement, picking you up. He dropped you in your big shared bed, starring at you.
"Heyy!" You squealed, locking eyes with your boyfriend, for what felt like the first time to him that evening.
"Why won't you let me read, Johnny? It's only been-"
"3 hours!" He desperately screamed, because it's been a torture to him, not getting any attention from you for that long. It was like you wanted to ignore him.
"Wow... That long? I didn't even notice... Time passed by so fast." You chuckled and he pouted like a kid whose ice cream fell on the floor.
You smiled at your boyfriend's cuteness, moving closer to his body and holding his face. You kiss the tip of his nose.
At that he began smiling so big, that his eyes started closing. Your heart began skipping beats at how adorable he looked.
"Hug meee." He literally couldn't stop telling you, and you couldn't stop smiling, as your arms finally wrapped around his big shoulders.
"You thought I don't love you anymore?" You joked and kissed his cheeks, nose again, forehead and lastly, softly pecking his lips.
Johnny felt like it was the first time you kissed him, everytime you placed your lips on his skin. He never wanted to let go of you. You made him feel so warm and loved.
"I love you." He whispered in your ear, kissing your forehead.
You made a mental note to read again tomorrow if he was going to be all pouty and needy like this again.
