Kang Daniel and the “What are you up to” Debut

On July 25, 2019, Kang Daniel released his first solo mini-album color on me and the music video for title track “What are you up to.” Prior to the release of his mini-album, Kang Daniel was  featured on the second season of Produce 101, where he won first place, and became a member of WANNA ONE. After taking a six-month hiatus once the group disbanded, Kang Daniel signed with and then left LM Entertainment after discovering they had sold his exclusive contract rights to third parties without his consent, leading him to establish Konnect Entertainment. Shortly after the creation of Konnect Entertainment, Kang Daniel released color on me.

The Music Video

The music video for “What are you up to” features Kang Daniel dancing in numerous colorful rooms while wearing fun-colored outfits, including a cyan room, magenta suit, and a yellow-themed room and black suit with yellow shirt underneath. While nobody would suspect it at the time, “What are you up to” and color on me could very well have set up Kang Daniel’s follow-up mini-albums: CYAN, MAGENTA, and this year’s YELLOW. These featured colors could also be a complete coincidence and just going along with his debut mini-album’s title, but anything is possible. The spots of choreography throughout the music video ooze with charisma, while the scenes of Kang Daniel sitting in the different rooms while waiting for a girl to reply is something every viewer can relate to.  

The Debut Performance

While Kang Daniel didn’t appear on music shows to promote his debut mini-album, he did hold two debut showcases at YES24 Live Hall, the first for press and the second for his fans, on the day the color on me was released. There were reportedly over 300 reporters in attendance for the showcase, with one reporter commenting on how they’d never seen the second floor of the hall full like they did for Kang Daniel’s showcase. Along with performing the title track “What are you up to,” Kang Daniel also performed the B-side track “I HOPE.”

After the showcase, Kang Daniel held six different fansign events across South Korea before traveling to six different cities for a fanmeet tour. 

The Legacy

Interestingly enough, even though Kang Daniel didn’t perform on any music shows to promote “What are you up to,” he did end up taking home his first-ever solo music show win on Music Bank’s August 9, 2019 episode. 

Pre-orders for the mini-album were reported to exceed 450,000 copies over the first seven days, and it also became the highest-selling first-day release for a soloist in the history of HANTEO Chart after selling 342,218 copies on the first day. It’s no surprise that color on me was announced as one of Sony Music Entertainment’s biggest global sellers for the second quarter of 2019, coming in at fifth place. 

color on me peaked at No. 1 on the Gaon Weekly Album Chart and No. 2 on the Gaon Monthly Album Chart. “What are you up to” peaked at No. 15 on the Gaon Weekly Digital Chart, “No. 1” on the Gaon Weekly Download Chart, No. 50 on the Gaon Weekly Streaming Chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard K-Pop 100 Chart. “Color,” “I HOPE,” “Horizon,” and “Intro (Through the night)” also appeared on the Gaon Weekly Download Chart, peaking at No. 6, No. 8, No. 9, and No. 16, respectively.

At the year-end award ceremonies, Kang Daniel took home many awards, including “Potential Award - Singer,” “Star15 Popularity Award,” and “Best Emotive Award - Singer” at the 2019 Asia Artist Awards and “Best Artist - Korea” and “Asian Fan’s Choice -  Grand Prize” at the 2019 Ten Asian Global Top Ten Awards. Title track “What are you up to” also took home an award, winning “Best Music Video” at the 2019 MelOn Music Awards.

Among the awards he was nominated for but did not win were three nominations at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards: “Best New Male Artist,” “Artist of the Year,” and “Worldwide Fans’ Choice Top 10.” Between 2019 and 2020, Kang Daniel was nominated eight times at the Mnet Asian Music Awards but has yet to secure a win—a tragedy in our eyes here at The Kraze, but we can only hope that 2021 is the year he gets a win at arguably the most popular Korean award show.