Taeyong Wows Us With His Official Solo Debut
Neo definitely got our backs with this amazing official solo debut. Taeyong of NCT which stands for Neo Culture Technology is the leader of this big group, and today he wows us with his debut mini-album, SHALALA.
There are seven songs in total on SHALALA. The songs are:
“SHALALA”
“GWANDO”
“Move Mood Mode (feat. Wendy)”
“Virtual Insanity”
“RUBY”
“404 File Not Found”
“Back to the Past”
SHALALA is the true representation of how Taeyong is as an artist. He was able to put his lyrical skills to great use with the songs on this mini-album by taking part in the creation of the songs. The title track, “SHALALA,” starts with a powerful bass that makes your head move to the beat. The video was bright and colorful and showed Taeyong’s dynamic artistic style. The visuals were also impressive, featuring him in different universes. It showed that no matter what, he can’t be erased.
The next song on the mini-album is “GWANDO”. This is a huge turn from the title track. The guitar intro and slow pacing of the song were very soothing. This alternative rock genre was a good touch to the album. We were also able to hear Taeyong’s amazing vocal skills. The next song “Move Mood Mode (feat. Wendy)” was a sweet, pop dance-along that made a smile grow on all of our faces. This song includes a strong SM Entertainment vocalist, Wendy from Red Velvet as well. This next track is titled “Virtual Insanity”. This song showed his neo-roots down to the core. Opening with a car speeding by and then boom, we hear the hard-hitting beat that comes in. Also, Taeyong's energetic rapping skills were shown in this song for sure. We then moved to the fifth song “RUBY” which is a nice R&B track that was a good addition to the mini-album. With lyrics like “Yeah, you are my love, oh love, oh love” and “Yeah, you are my world, oh world, oh world” this beautiful tribute to his dog brought tears to my eyes and many others. From “RUBY” we transition into the sixth song titled “404 File Not Found”. This Hip-Hop and R&B mixture was the icing on the cake for this mini-album, and it is always a treat to hear Taeyong’s smooth voice. “404 File Not Found” was a deep song, and his writing talent was definitely put on display for all to enjoy. The last song on the mini-album is titled “Back to the Past”, and it was an amazing way to end it. This one has all of us vibing to the ’90s-inspired tones, and rhythms. I can see everyone hip-bumping, and waving their hands in the air with friends while this track plays in the background.
As an NCTzen, I was excited to see Taeyong make his big solo debut. This solo captured Taeyong's personality as a whole. We have all heard his incredible lyrical skills in his raps for NCT and in this mini-album, his rapping and singing abilities were showcased to the max. So were his artistic abilities as well. This mini-album was amazing and will remain on all of our playlists, and we are all super excited to see what projects Taeyong will have in the future.
Edited by Rashelle B.