i already know what the song of the year is
I’m pleased to announce that no more music needs to come out this year. The global music landscape of 2022 has now peaked in quality. Why? Because “Gasoline” by KEY just dropped, and it is absolutely the song of the year!
Yes, it’s only September and I might eat my words later on. But my birthday is in two days so I can say whatever I want. Let me tell you why this song has been making me lose my mind. First of all, KEY decided to surprise-perform “Gasoline” at a concert before the song was released, and footage of this performance began circulating online immediately afterwards.
I think more artists should consider surprise-performing new songs, because the resulting hype is so worth it, especially for an impatient media consumer like me. I spent days rewatching low-quality video of this performance and thinking to myself over and over, “All I want is to stream the studio version of this song on Spotify immediately. I just want to put in my AirPods and turn on noise-canceling mode and listen to this song forever and ever.” The hype was out of control and very effective. I loved it!
The choreography heightens the experience even more. I’m bad at describing both music and dance, so I will do neither, but there’s just a lot happening there! When I found out the choreographer, Kany Diabate Ahn, has previously worked with Beyoncé, I wasn’t surprised. “Gasoline” is KEY’s Beyoncé moment.
When the music video finally dropped, it was everything I wanted it to be and it was well-worth the wait. I’m always starstruck by KEY’s stage presence and overall aura, and his outfits in the music video and live performances are all beautiful and iconic. He’s one of my favorite Libras in K-pop, what can I say! Stream “Gasoline”!
Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter Laufey released her first full-length album “Everything I Know About Love” last week, and it soothed me to sleep the first time I heard it! That’s a compliment because she has a very velvety, gentle voice; she’s actually been described as a “modern-day Ella Fitzgerald” and her music has jazz and pop elements. Laufey is a hopeless romantic who has never been in love before, so she often idealizes love and tries to imagine what it would look like for her within her songwriting. I discovered her through her close friend (and one of my current favorite artists) Lizzy McAlpine, and coincidentally, Taehyung from BTS actually recommended Laufey’s music a few months ago, so I hope he’s enjoying this new album too. If these songs were written or sung by anyone else, I honestly might find them too saccharine or cheesy, but with Laufey’s unique, deep voice, it all feels just right. I think she’s neat! (Also, she has an identical twin and I enjoy watching their TikToks with each other.)
September 1 was Jungkook’s 25th birthday! He is one of two Virgo kings in BTS, and it’s an honor to celebrate him.
When BTS debuted in June 2013, Jungkook was only 15 years old, and I truly think about that fact all the time. Being an idol in the K-pop industry is one of the most full-time jobs on Earth; you get photographed and recorded doing a billion different things constantly, and it’s essentially impossible to live a normal life. Jungkook started training within the industry when he was 13, and I can’t imagine how much pressure he dealt with at such a young age. But he has taken care of himself a ton by avoiding social media for years, eating the absolute most delicious food constantly, singing absent-mindedly every chance he gets, and being one of the most talented performers of our time, and he always seems genuinely bubbly and carefree. Because he’s a Virgo, it’s only fitting that he somehow is able to juggle everything that he does, and I admire him so much.
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Jungkook performances: the one where he flies around like Mary Poppins while belting his face off. Have a wonderful long weekend!