Rising K-pop solo artist, Kang Daniel, returned this past Monday (3 August) with MAGENTA, his third EP and the second instalment of his colours trilogy project.

Who is Kang Daniel?

ICYMI, Kang Daniel earned the centre position of former South Korean boy band, Wanna One, after ranking first in Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017. His popularity in Korea earned him the title “Nation’s Centre” and in January 2019, he set a Guinness World Record for being the fastest to reach one million followers on Instagram (after joining).

That same year, Kang Daniel also debuted as a solo artist – his debut EP “Colour on Me” broke the highest first-day and first-week sales record held by a solo artist in the history of South Korea’s Hanteo Chart. 

Writing the lyrics for five out of the six songs in MAGENTA, Kang describes it being more strong and powerful than his last mini-album, CYAN. His title track “Who U Are” has a strong rhythm underlined by the 808 bass drum, and incorporates a variety of sounds including the guitar, flute and synthesized sound effects.

The lyrics express the burning desire to know someone and can, according to Kang, “awaken emotions in you that even you didn’t know about”.  He also pointed out that he tried to visualise the title track’s unique energy through his choreography, and structured the dance in a way unfamiliar to his Korean audience. 

Looking for a new tune to groove to this summer? Check out Kang Daniel’s latest tune, “Who U Are,” now:

See also: Jessi teams up with Lee Hyori to release ‘NUNU NANA’