Fan Chant: Colde Is Stepping Back onto the Global Stage on His Terms

The post Fan Chant: Colde Is Stepping Back onto the Global Stage on His Terms appeared first on Consequence .

Welcome back to Fan Chant , a weekly column for K-pop fans, stans, and newbies alike. This week, soloist Colde reflects on his recent EP and previews his upcoming US tour. If you enjoy what you’re reading, feel free to subscribe to my companion newsletter to get Fan Chant delivered right to your inbox each week!

R&B singer-songwriter Colde has always had his eyes on the world stage. “Since I started my music career, I dreamed of being active in the global music market,” he tells Consequence . “But over time, I focused more on activities in Korea, especially after starting my label .”

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Now, with the release of his first all-English EP plus a North American tour kicking off this week, he’s a few huge steps closer to that space. The new project, titled Yin , is two-fold; the name is a reference to the concept of yin and yang, while also acting as an acronym for “youth in nostalgia.” “I wanted to capture the feelings and experiences from my youth in my music,” he explains. “Through this process, I was able to reconnect with my roots and where my journey began.”

That journey specifically began for Colde as a member of OFFONOFF, a duo that hit the South Korean music scene in 2016 — and before that, he was involved with South Korean hip-hop crew Club Eskimo. His OFFONOFF days in particular are a chapter he’s happily reappraising these days. “Recently, I’ve been inspired by revisiting my visuals, music videos, and songs from my OFFONOFF days,” he explains. L

Like many other artists who have been working for over a decade, he has faced his own share of artistic challenges in the past, but his roots now feel helpful in such cases.

“I’ve faced creative roadblocks, especially when I worked hard on my music career throughout my 20s,” he recalls. “During those times, I visited places in the UK where I shot my first music video and met with the music producers who were with me at the beginning of my career. These trips helped me rediscover my true self and regain my energy and inspiration.”

And as someone with experience in musical and performance teams, Colde is no stranger to the process of collaboration, with some of his recent singles including features from DEAN, Crush, and RM of BTS. Working on Yin , however, allowed him to pilot the process in a different way.

“When I work on my solo projects, I have full control over the sound and message I want to create, so it feels more raw and free,” he explains. “But when I collaborate with other artists, I focus on how to bring out their unique style and strengths. I think of it from a producer’s point of view, looking at the whole picture. So even though I’m a singer-songwriter, I sometimes take a step back and focus more on the overall production when working with others.”

The “BluePrint Tour” kicks off tomorrow, and Colde is eager to step onstage. “When I was part of the Club Eskimo crew, I got to perform in several US cities,” he shares. “The energy and memories from those performances still mean a lot to me, so I’m really excited to do a North American tour under my own name now.”

Stream Yin below, watch the new music video for “Nirvana Blues” now , and grab tickets to Colde’s North American tour here .

ICYMI: Interview with IVE

IVE, photo by Miranda McDonald

I caught up with the members of IVE following their Lollapalooza debut. Read the interview here .

Song Rec of the Week:

The problem here is that after the announcement that neither Jeonghan nor Jun will be able to participate in SEVENTEEN’s upcoming tour in the US, I do kind of want to cry.

Fan Chant: Colde Is Stepping Back onto the Global Stage on His Terms
Mary Siroky