Jung Jaewon’s musical career has been hectic, to stay the least. Initially debuting in 2015 as a member of the duo 1Punch (with Kim Samuel), ONE later re-debuted as a soloist in 2017 with only two tracks. Since then, it’s been nothing but crickets in terms of music. While ONE has still been in the entertainment world as an actor (in popular series’ such as Hwayugi and Her Private Life, as well as notably popular film Goodbye Summer), his musical career remained stagnant. Earlier this year, ONE announced that he had ended his contract with YG Entertainment, with the intent to establish a one-man agency going forward. True to his word, ONE has finally released new music four months later in the form of full album PRVT01, containing a whopping 16 tracks.

From the start, it was clear that this return wasn't going to be traditional in the K-Pop sense. For one, there doesn’t appear to be a title track that goes along with this album, there’s no music video, nor does ONE appear to be promoting on music shows. All of these factors make it feel more like an underground release, since the news of his return was really only advertised on his Instagram and a couple of news sites. With that in mind, let’s just jump into the album. 

PRVT01 kicks off with “Hard to Love,” a track that immediately sets a mellow R&B tone. Most notable on first listen is that ONE has apparently refined his voice quite a bit in the time that he’s been away from creating music. In his first two releases, “Gettin’ By” and “Heyahe,” his vocals were very sharp and unique in a way that could be construed as unpleasant to some listeners, just for how distinct his vocals were. His voice has been softened significantly, and it’s incredibly apparent in the first taste of his vocals on this new album.

Second track “Nineteen” takes a sharp turn from the traditional R&B, blending a more alternative rock melody into the R&B beat to create a particularly unique sound. The use of the rhythm guitar, the type of guitar you may find in early soft rock like The Doobie Brothers, is a recurring theme throughout the album—giving a different flavor to the entire composition. “You Love It” brings back the sensual R&B vibes, accompanied by a slower tempo that especially highlights his vocal upgrade. If you wanted DEAN vibes, you’ve got it in this track.

Picking the tempo back up with fourth track “Victoria,” the melody sounds like a more modern mixture of rap and R&B, the repeated use of the hi-hat cymbals is the most notable point in this track. The surprising heavy rock vibes come back in “GZB,” a song that makes use of staccato electric guitar riffs in a way that we definitely don’t hear from most hip-hop or R&B artists. ONE blends this with a smoother, more traditional melody periodically throughout the song, creating something that is truly unique to the singer himself. That being said, this artistic choice can be off-putting and too experimental for some listeners.

Chugging along to the sixth track “존나 멋진 밤 (What a Night),” the electric guitar returns as the opener before taking a backseat to the traditional hip-hop beat, yet again bringing another blending of two very different genres. As a fan of many types of music, I am intrigued by ONE’s choice to blend melodies that almost never go together, and that is highlighted no better than in “존나 멋진 밤 (What a Night).”

“Instinct” continues on this route before “Night Time Ride” makes a return to the traditional, sultry R&B showcasing ONE’s improved voice. As the second half of the CD kicks off with “Angel,” the mood shifts to a brighter hip-hop feel before bringing back the prominent electric guitar in “Who.” The constant shift in primary melodies can come off as a bit peculiar upon first listen, but at the same time it keeps things fresh through this incredibly long album. 

“나는 아직 아무것도 몰라 (I Don’t Know Anything)” reminds me a lot of the alternative rock that I listened to at a younger age, and stands out as one of the tracks that deviates from the formula used on most of the other songs on the album. “솔직” stands out for the heavy bass in the introduction and the return, though it balances the R&B and alternative rock melodies throughout, as expected at this point.

Thirteenth track “Alive” brings back the chill and mild tempo traditional R&B before throwing the listener for a loop at the next song “Swift,” which features an intense electric sound effect starting from the beginning of the track. After going through an album that has had a pretty easily spotted M.O. up to this point, “Swift” hit me like a bus. This continues with the somewhat jarringly eclectic opening to “Stone” that features even stranger electronic elements and ONE’s screams before diving into a traditionally alternative rock rhythm. It’s intense and raw in a way that’s not explored in previous tracks. 

Closing out PRVT01 is “Last Cigarette,” with the ever-so-present electric guitar and R&B rhythm. It’s a more modern twist on “blue-eyed soul”—a term coined in the 1960s in the U.S. to describe white artists who performed R&B, often mixing the then segregated music scenes together. ONE’s album is a living relic of this type of cultural immersion in the modern day. Looking at it from that perspective, this album is a unique release, especially considering that he put his own modern twist on the concept. 

It was hard to know what to expect from ONE’s return, given that before this album he only had two tracks to his name that were drastically different from one another. PRVT01 is an album that may not be for casual listeners, but fans who know the history of music and the melding of cultures through music will be able to see the beauty in ONE’s eclectic style that this album accomplishes. It definitely feels like more of an underground release. Either way, it’s good to see Jaewon back into music after such a long time away from us. 

PRVT01 Album Score: 8/10