If youโre a fan of K-pop acts such as EXO, f(x), SHINee, NCT, and TAEYEON, you have probably heard songs created by Adrian McKinnon. Credited in songs like Baekhyunโs โCandy,โ Taeminโs โIDEA,โ EXOโs โTempo,โ and Taeyeonโs โStarlight,โ Adrian has years of chart hits under his belt.
The American singer, songwriter, and producer’s experience in the K-pop industry dates back to the track release of EXOโs โDecember, 2014 (The Winterโs Tale)โ in 2014. Since then, the โ4 wallsโ writer has gone on to create sounds for several SM Entertainment acts, as well as penning songs for ASTRO, ENHYPEN, MONSTA X, and more.
EnVi chatted with Adrian to celebrate his creations, his inspirations, and the importance of collaboration.
Music Is Celebration
For Adrian, the link between music and celebration is part of human nature. โCelebration and music have been in hand since the dawn of man,โ he told EnVi. โAll the way back to the caveman days,โ he detailed, โpeople would dance around the fire and really celebrate whatever.โ
Adrianโs own soundtrack to celebration is inspired by family and โ70s and โ80s pop, funk, and soul classics. First and foremost, comes the legendary singer, songwriter, and pianist, Stevie Wonder. โI mean, he made his own version of โHappy Birthday,โ said Adrian, โwhich is celebrated all over the world.โ Songs by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted group, Earth, Wind & Fire, are also a staple for picnics, barbecues, and other gatherings. โMy mom is a huge Earth Wind & Fire fan, so we always play โSeptember,โ he shared.
Songs from these decades are now a major influence in Adrianโs writing. โMichael Jackson was a big influence to me, as just a kid who loved music growing up,โ he said. โBut a lot of writing wasnโt just MJ,โ he added, โthat was Rod Temperton and Quincy Jones in a lot of respects.โ Describing his admiration of songwriter Tempertonโs work, Adrian carried on, โhis writing is very fluent, itโs a little more traditional.โ A more modern influence is Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, Kendrick Lamar. โItโs not really applicable to say, K-pop, for example,โ he said, laughing, โbut Iโm definitely inspired by his play on words, and how heโs able to put ideas together.โ Melodically, Adrianโs inspiration can come from various forms. โI try to take from everything,โ he commented.
On the topic of influence, the conversation covered interpolations found in WayVโs โMiracleโ and NCT Uโs โ90โs Love.โ While WayVโs Universe track references Kirk Franklinโs โLooking For You,โ the Resonance Pt. 2 track interpolates Busta Rhymesโ โPass The Courvoisier Part II.โ
โOkay, I canโt take credit for either of those things!โ confessed Adrian. โI actually did not even put together the Kirk Franklin โLooking 4 Youโ reference,โ he added, โthat blew my mind!โ While he credited the bulk of the song to Justin Starling and Jeffrey Misunderstood, Adrian assisted later on the bridge and other adjustments. โ90โs Loveโ was a similar situation. โI came in and made some changes on the backend of the creation,โ he explained. โSometimes it will be something I do initially from the beginning, and other times itโs just a request to make some changes,โ the musician told EnVi. According to Adrian, a reference to these Hip-Hop and Gospel heavy-weights โties in with cultureโ. โItโs a nod,โ he expanded, โitโs a show of respect.โ
The Neo Vision of A&R
For Adrian, creating music for K-pop acts is a balance between following a brief, and letting the creativity run freely. Discussing the differences between NCT subunits NCT 127, NCT DREAM, and WayVโs signature sounds, the songwriter explained A&R (Artists & Repertoire) form much of the vision. โThe A&Rs do a great job of giving you references,โ he said. When writing, Adrian described a loose formula considering the number of members, their vocal capabilities, and the ratio of singers to rappers. The reference songs give pointers for aspects like heaviness, tone, and color, but a lot of this is figured out with the production. โThe melodies and stuff will just kinda follow through,โ he elaborated, with a hand gesture mirroring his words.
However, rather than heavily adhering to references, sometimes he prefers to try something from scratch. โAs a creative, if you get too many references, it kind of, it kind of pigeon-holes you a little,โ the songwriter revealed. โMaybe towards the end, when Iโve finished my idea, Iโll go back and check it, and see if it kind of lines up,โ he added. But this isnโt always the case. โIf Iโm really into what I did, then I might just pitch it like that,โ Adrian confessed. โSometimes another idea might kinda, give them another perspective on it,โ he resumed. โThatโs the beauty of music,โ Adrian concluded, โthereโs no locked-in way to do anything.โ
After submitting a demo, the final sound can be difficult to predict. โThe concepts and lyricism within the demos are usually different from the final product,โ Adrian acknowledged. He told EnVi: โThese A&R are the ones that can hear the potential, just in the musicality. Theyโre not really stuck on lyrics, or the concept, the title.โ The NCT U celebratory anthem, โBirthday Party,โ is an example of this. Having worked on the bridge, Adrian revealed, laughing: โWhat they [A&R] liked about it was a completely different concept! In fact, the original version was on some Megan Thee Stallion kinda level of stuff!โ
For the โLove Talkโ writer, the moment of listening to the final release of a single, album, or B-side is an act of celebration. He shared: โWe all sit down in the house and weโll play the song a few times, talk about it. Weโll celebrate.โ The songwriter also secures a physical copy of every release he is involved in. โJust from a trophy perspective, I make sure I get a copy of the album that my song happens to be a part of,โ he proudly said.
โCollaboration Is A Celebrationโ
โCollaboration is a celebration!โ enthused Adrian, talking about the relationships he has formed with fellow songwriters and producers across the years. Among these are Kenzie and DEEZ, who have penned years of hits at SM Entertainment. Adrian fondly referred to Kenzie as โone of the bestโ and DEEZ as the โKorean Maxwell,โ due to his sultry voice. โWe celebrate every time weโre together,โ he relayed. โWe hug, we chat a little bit, and then we get started on music.โ Another collaborator is Chikk. โSheโs got this energy that I havenโt found with anyone else in a studio session,โ he said with a chuckle.
The โJoppingโ writer also referred to the British duo, LDN Noise, as โmy brothers from over the pond,โ and described how he and Tay Jasper โalways celebrateโ when theyโre together. The artistic chemistry between the four musicians inspired them to create a group called WAYOUT, releasing a single called โ2UPโ last year. The song was born from Adrian and Tay Jasper jamming to LDN Noise beats, over a glass of wine. โWhatโs cool about 2UP, was it sort of sparked the idea to collaborate on more music,โ Adrian told EnVi. They then worked on seven or eight more tracks during a visit to London. This allowed the creatives to explore a different side to their previous K-pop collaborations. According to Adrian, what works about this collective is knowing each othersโ strengths. He expanded: โWe know when to kinda chime in, kinda step in, step back and let the other guy do the work. Itโs a really neat sort of chemistry we have.โ
Idol Anecdotes
Less frequently, Adrian has also collaborated with idols in the studio. Among these are f(x)โs Amber, former Super Junior member Henry, and SHINeeโs Jonghyun. โOne of the things Iโve noticed with each of them is that they were open to ideas and suggestions, they were very courteous, and obviously very talented,โ he listed.
Even with a language barrier, working with Jonghyun was โa very memorable experience,โ communicating through melodies, riffs, and nods. โA lot of our collaboration was just singing ideas back and forth to one another,โ Adrian fondly recounted working with the gifted songwriter and โMoonโ singer.
Adrian also told the story of his visit to SHINeeโs โMarried to the Musicโ music video set. While it is rare for songwriters to go to filming locations, he met the quintet on set and got to see them rehearse choreography in between takes. Told by the SHINee members their already flawless dancing was โjust warming up,โ he was immediately impressed. โIf thatโs just 50-60% of what you guys are going to be,โ he recalled thinking, โIโm already sold on you!โ
Songs to Celebrate
Having penned some of the most recognizable songs to come out of the K-pop industry in the last decade, Adrian has more than earned some bragging rights. However, his descriptions of the processes behind these songs were humble and peppered with laughter and smiles.
Now a summer anthem among SHINee fans and casual listeners alike, Adrian vividly remembers the creative process behind SHINeeโs โView.โ โThat was one of those moments where I remember precisely how that day went,โ he described, beaming. During his first time working directly with LDN Noise, he had some initial nerves. โThey were known as these amazing guys,โ he confessed, and he was unfamiliar with the UK Garage sound they were after. โI was like, I donโt even know what that means,โ he said laughing. Hayden of LDN Noise sent him an example to get him up to speed before they headed to the studio. Aiming to recreate a club atmosphere for the dance genre with dimmed studio lights, Adrian started improvising a melody. โItโs a rare occurrence for me to do the first take, and then keep it,โ he revealed, โbut the melody, the pre-chorus, and chorus were all done in one take.โ Adrian was relieved. โFor guys from the UK to say that what I did was really cool, over this genre I wasnโt too familiar with, was very motivating,โ he recalled.
Praising LDN Noiseโs mastermind production on the song, he said: โView is still one of my favorite songs. I celebrate any time somebody brings it up!โ Another of his favorites is NCT 127โs โSuperhuman.โ From the music to the visuals โthe way everything was put together, I was really proud of it,โ he told EnVi.
Go Big or Go Home
Having already worked with some of the biggest acts in K-pop, there are still several artists Adrian hopes to work with. โBTS is like the obvious,โ he confessed, โtheyโre really talented guys!โ Another act would be SUGA of BTSโ recent collaborator, PSY. โHeโs wild,โ Adrian said, chuckling, โlike he doesnโt give a crap, as long as itโs big, and it feels good.โ He would also like to explore different sides to songwriting with more girl groups and female artists, such as ITZY, Red Velvet, BLACKPINK, and Jessi. โIt kinda gives you a different perspective on how to write a melody,โ he explained, โwith different types of voices in mind.โ
If he had to give advice to any writers at the beginning of their careers, it would be to โnot give up, and try to be inspired by everything.โ Not wanting to seem clichรฉ, he expanded โthere are gonna be times that might feel like, itโs not gonna work out.โ Outlining three main points, he continued: โAs long as youโre passionate about what it is youโre doing, and youโre consistent with what it is that youโre doing, and youโre learningโฆthen thereโs only potential for growth.โ
โKeep your network strong,โ he also recommended, โyouโre not just selling your product, youโre selling yourself.โ Aspiring songwriters should also keep up to date with technology, and how to record themselves with a clean sound. โIโm glad everybody is getting back into the meeting in person again,โ he said, referring to pandemic-time changes, โbut thereโs a very good chance that some of that stuff might stay.โ
Hello Future
In terms of Adrianโs next moves, you can look forward to more music, both in the K-pop market and with WAYOUT. โWe might have something this summer,โ the singer revealed. โWeโve got a lot of songs that are really inspirational,โ he spilled. โI think these are some songs that would be good for people to hear.โ โWe just want to make sure,โ he slowed down, โtheyโre as pristine as possible.โ
As for the K-pop industry, โthereโs a few things coming down the pipeline,โ he teased with a smile. โBut I canโt really say, because I donโt think they have announced,โ he said. The musician resumed, leaning in slightly: โBut I, we are working really hard to share more ideas and more music with the world.โ
Want more exclusive interviews with the writers and producers of your favorite songs? Check out our Creative Spotlight with Grammy award-winning producer and โStickerโ producer, Dem Jointz.
