R&B is not a popular style of music in Korea, yet alternative R&B artist DEAN has shaken up the K-music industry despite the odds stacked against him. Starting off in the United States in 2015 with “I’m Not Sorry” featuring Eric Bellinger, DEAN shifted his gears towards Korea later on that year and has continued to churn out amazing songs ever since.
Before making his presence known as a singer, DEAN was a songwriter who is credited with many popular K-pop songs. In the past few years, DEAN has collaborated with many notable K-pop artists and even some American ones. What drew me to him was not just his talent for music, whether it be singing or writing, but his versatility when it came to the music he produced. Here are some of my favorites.
Before making his presence known as a singer, DEAN was a songwriter who is credited with many popular K-pop songs. In the past few years, DEAN has collaborated with many notable K-pop artists and even some American ones. What drew me to him was not just his talent for music, whether it be singing or writing, but his versatility when it came to the music he produced. Here are some of my favorites.
“Pour Up” ft. Zico
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“Bonnie and Clyde”
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“The more time passes, the more unfocused my eyes get. Suddenly, your voice is in my ears. I’m getting lost because I see someone who looks like you."
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“Speed put at the maximum, a Rolling Stones song plays on. But no matter what song I play, already in your heart, crying has already filled it and no song could save that.”
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This was the first DEAN song that I ever listened to and I immediately fell in love with his voice. It’s very distinct from any other idol or artist out there. “Pour Up” has a very simple beat but the best part was DEAN’s smooth vocals and Zico’s signature rapping. The song itself sounds very reminiscent of American music, which is a plus for unsure first listeners.
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The interesting thing about this song is that I wasn’t a big fan of it the first time I listened to it. There were too many things going on in the song, which made it overwhelming. However, it slowly crept up on me. The way DEAN’s vocals start out slow and then increases as if getting more urgent only to slow down again makes the entire song a journey. The instrumentation of the song is also something to focus on since there’s so much going on in the background.
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This song is a stark contrast from DEAN’s other songs, since it strays from his more hip-hop side and takes a slower route. It starts off with soft piano and continues that way throughout the song. DEAN’s higher voice is contrasted with Crush’s lower tones and the addition of Jeff Bernat in the chorus makes this song the melting pot of wonderful vocals.
“what2do” with Crush and Jeff Bernat
“My sighs build up like the sand in an hourglass. On the other hand, my expectations for you are slowly decreasing
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“And July” with Heize
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“Come Over” ft. Yerin Baek
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“I can give you the world, if only you come to me. I can give you the world, just say it and I’ll do anything for you.”
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“We’re riding on top of time that passes quickly though we don’t say much. Am I crazy? Yeah, maybe.”
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I absolutely love the chill vibe of this song. There’s just something about the beat and the melody that makes me tap my feet and bob my head as the song plays. It’s nice to hear the difference between Heize’s voice and DEAN’s since his voice is the higher one out of the two. This is another song that shows off how DEAN is able to pull off multiple genres of music because of the malleability of his voice.
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DEAN does a great thing and fuses a driving beat with slower, softer vocals to create the masterpiece that is “Come Over.” I especially like the chorus because of the layering of DEAN’s voice; his voice is prominent in the foreground but he also sings the backing vocals. Yerin Baek is a great addition to this song since her voice alone is so pleasant to listen to and together, their harmonies are, for lack of better words, amazing.
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1. DEAN’s first album “130 mood: TRBL” was released in 2016 with seven songs. It reached number three on the Billboard World Albums Chart.