YESUNG Celebrates Two Decades of Musical Excellence on Where We Are
by Antonio Cooper
SUPER JUNIOR's YESUNG returns with his second solo full-length album, Where We Are, a 12-track release celebrating a decade of success as a soloist.
SUPER JUNIOR is a name that will ring a bell in the K-pop space. Having become one of the highest-grossing acts at the height of their career, the group are undoubtedly considered “the real deal” in a genre where names often catch fire overnight. Cast by SM Entertainment in 2000 before making their debut in 2005, the group have spent more than two decades establishing themselves across the entertainment industry, releasing over 20 albums while branching into film and television, radio and web series.
For YESUNG, his place in K-pop is inseparable from SUPER JUNIOR’s legacy. An underrated yet steadfast vocalist, he possesses one of the group’s most expressive voices, capable of delivering powerful belts when needed while providing a dependable presence that allows other members to take the spotlight. By the time YESUNG released his first EP, Here I Am, in 2016, he was already an established industry veteran.
Now more than two decades into his career, YESUNG returns to the limelight with Where We Are, a project that carefully blends his trademark power ballads with high-energy pop-jazz, disco, city pop and modern rock elements.
Where We Are centres on self-reflection, examining how our lives change through time and experience. This theme is established in the opening track, “Winds of Time”, as YESUNG nostalgically explores life's shifting scenery and how time changes things for better or worse. The song showcases YESUNG's tried-and-true sound, giving him space to sing through heavy breaths alongside cascading piano backed by jazz drums. However, it is far from representative of the album’s full experience, as the second track and lead single, “Pedazos”, serves as the album's true tempo-setter.
“Pedazos”, which YESUNG has said is about “the tangled emotions left after a breakup”, captures the album’s overall mid-tempo arc. Opening quietly and contemplatively, YESUNG takes a near-Broadway-theatrical approach to the song, finding his voice on the track’s hook as electric guitars blare through his trademark belt. The near-four-minute song, which occasionally shifts keys, provides listeners with a glimpse of the album's high energy.
YESUNG is more than willing to flirt with high tempos, and his love for charismatic production shines throughout the album, notably on “Let’s Dance” — a confident, retro-leaning and addictive song with grooving guitars, blasting horns and dance-floor-tested drum grooves. YESUNG puts his years in the entertainment industry to good use, showcasing effortless funk. While the song is a fun joyride, it offers a glimpse of the album’s strengths: its production and YESUNG’s sheer vocal talent.
While it’s fairly commonplace for a singer to deliver quality ballads and up-tempo songs, YESUNG does so at an impressive rate throughout this project. Songs like “And then, Tomorrow” are city-pop-influenced tracks about the wonders of spending every moment with the one you love most. The song is polished, with beautiful production that would fit comfortably on ’80s radio. His vocals on “The Forest Dwellers” in the album’s latter half showcase the exceptional talent that helped establish SUPER JUNIOR as one of K-pop’s most popular acts.
His vocal talent is undeniable, and this album highlights that strength. These qualities are particularly apparent in softer songs, such as the aforementioned opening track and “Lonely Night”, an R&B-esque tune in which he croons about missing his lover in the dead of night. YESUNG remains vocally radiant throughout the album’s 40-plus minutes, never missing a beat.
While the album reaches impressive highs, it also has a few low points. Most notably, the tracks in the middle of the album feel conspicuously like filler, with the three-song run of “Our Youth”, “Ordinary Miracles” and “The Rain Between Us” proving technically impressive but lacking the magic established earlier in the tracklist.
Despite this dip, YESUNG maintains the album’s thematic cohesion. On “Our Youth”, he reflects on the beauty of hindsight, suggesting that freedom may be the answer to any question.
The album concludes with “After the Dream”, which explores longing for a reality where love extends beyond his dreams and he is free from his fears. An enduring, string-driven ballad, it gives YESUNG the opportunity to deliver one of his most powerful vocal performances. Crafting a passionate display of what made him special over two decades ago, he caps a stellar album on the highest note possible.
Where We Are celebrates YESUNG’s solo career, delivering a standout project that showcases his enduring talent more than two decades into his career. With its blend of polished production, expressive vocals and stylistic variety, the album offers a compelling reminder of what makes him such a distinctive artist, leaving us eager to see what the next twenty years might bring.