It doesnโt take a rocket scientist to know TVXQ soloist, Max Changmin, has everyone wrapped around his finger whenever he opens his mouth. On January 13, Changmin raised both heaven and hell with the release of his sophomore EP, Devil, and its eponymous lead single.
Hot With Fever
To properly reign in the new year, Changmin unveiled the first song off his latest EP, โFever,โ at the SMTOWN LIVE 2022 concert on January 1. The concert itself held a record-breaking 51 million streams from 161 regions worldwide, making it the most-viewed Korean concert to date. However, it was Changminโs performance, among a few others, that became the talk of the town that night.
With a melting pot of jazzy piano, epic strings, and a stunning electric guitar riff, โFeverโ showed Changmin in his most regal form yet. Visually, the singer boasted a high-class Victorian essenceโsophisticated and untouchable. Yet, no matter how captivating Changmin looked, it was hard for fans to concentrate on anything besides the piercing echo of his signature windpipes.
When fellow TVXQ member Yunho asked Changmin what role his high notes play in his music, Changmin replied, โNot only in my album but also in TVXQโs album, I think itโs one of the elements that make up our music identityโitโs like my own QR code.โ
The Devil Inside
Shortly after โFever,โ Changmin went full spooky vibes and finally dropped the title track, โDevil,โ on January 13. Categorized as a โslow R&Bโ song, โDevilโ is actually a remake of Swedish artist and producer Alex Runoโs 2021 track. The eerie atmosphere, in the beginning, is almost unsettling as you wait in suspense for whatโs to come. As Changmin ushered in his verse with a low, rumbling tone, the chorus exploded into a gospel, bluesy orchestra of soundsโwith every breath he commanded attention.
When it came to writing the track, Changmin felt inspired by the stress and overwhelming state of the world during the pandemic. โIn a way, โDevilโ is literally a devil, but I thought the devil I expressed was the devil thatโs inside us,โ Changmin stated in his press conference. โIn this series of COVID-19 situations, you canโt help but feel uncomfortable and stressedโI wrote โDevilโ because I thought it might be a fear of something.โ
Whether the listeners take his lyrics literally or metaphorically, fans are captivated by the dark energy radiating from within.
Theatrics in K-pop is Back
With Devil holding six eclectic tracks total, the rest of the album is nothing short of a theatrical extravaganza. In between โFeverโ and โDevil,โ Changmin released a promotion video for the B-side track, โManiac.โ The three-minute number quite literally sounds like it was ripped out of a Rocky Horror performance with references to several classic cult films. From Alfred Hitchcock to Martin Scorcese, each sceneโs reference is intentional and purposely plays up the theatrics of it all. Musically, the bright rock nโ roll landscape has drawn comparisons to the legendary rock band, Queen.
TVXQ as a whole is no stranger to big Broadway-esque numbers with fan-favorites such as the brass-heavy โSomethingโ and the equally enchanting โSpellbound.โ Now that โManiacโ is out and fits Changmin like a glove, itโs no wonder why he (and Yunho) are kings of theatrical K-pop.
The final three tracks on the EP are all astonishingly different from the rest, yet never out of place. โI tried to put in as many genres as possible,โ Changmin stated. โSo, Iโm trying to capture my vocal styles in various genres, including R&B, rock, and Latin popโI prepared a variety of things so that I can express that charm.โ
And that, he did. In addition to penning the lyrics for โDevil,โ the vocalist also tried his hand at writing โAlien,โ a dazzling, medium-pop dance track. From the airy softness of โAirplane Modeโ to the fun sensuality of โDirty Dancing,โ everything about Changminโs Devil is to die for.
Devil is now available on all streaming platforms here.
For more music coverage, check out our latest article on ENHYPHENโs LP, DIMENSION: ANSWER here!
