SE7EN makes long-overdue comeback
Se7en, one of the most-respected solo R&B artists in Korea, has staged a long-overdue comeback.
The handsome star returns to the spotlight a year and five months after the release of his previous album "Digital Bounce." This time around, Se7en releases two tracks and music videos simultaneously including "When I Can't Sing," a smooth R&B ballad and "Somebody Else," a mid-tempo club track.
The K-Pop world was thrown into a bit of a whirl when it was revealed in January that Se7en's comeback would be a collaboration with legendary Korean singer and producer Park Jin Young (of JYP Entertainment). Cross-label collaborations are rare, especially between the Big Three (SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment). But when it was revealed that JYP, the musical tour de force behind acts like The Wonder Girls, 2PM, and miss A, would not only be collaborating with Se7en (a YG artist), but is actually writing and producing Se7en's title track, Lucky Se7ens (as Se7en's fans are known) went wild.
"When I Can't Sing," Se7en's title track is the fruit of this rare cross collaboration. JYP, however, is not the only K-Pop artist supporting the comeback of the talented Se7en. Artists like singers Hyunseung (B2ST), Alexander (formerly of U-KISS), Min and Jia (miss A), as well as rappers San-E and Tablo, have all tweeted messages encouraging the star's comeback.
All that support seems to have paid off. A few hours after the release of Se7en's comeback track on February 1, "When I Can't Sing" went to #1 on several of Korea's top legal music download sites, including Olle Music, Bugs, Melon, Naver, Cyworld, Daum, and Soribada. At one point, Se7en's second mini-album rested atop the iTunes R&B chart! Videos for "When I Can't Sing" have more than 1.5 million views as of posting time. The complete tracklist to Se7en's new mini album:
1. Somebody Else
2. Angel
3. When I Can't Sing
4. That Person
5. Understand
6. Make Good Love
To further promote his second mini-album, Se7en has arranged a variety of fan activities in addition to the usual music show promotions. Christened "LUCKY DAYZ," the promotions consist of events designed to bring Se7en closer to his fans. Among the activities scheduled are movie dates and fan signings across key Korean cities. Among his schedules were a fan signing event at Time Square in Yeongdeungpo-gu last February 10 and a meet-and-greet in Busan on February 17.
To experience Se7en's new music, click on the videos below.
"When I Can't Sing" by Se7en
"Somebody Else" by Se7en
Catherine Deen blogs for Yahoo! Philippines OMG! She lives, eats and breathes Korean music, cuisine, telenovelas, and pop culture. Follow her on Twitter @cathsdeen.
