R&B singer MRSHLL channeled his pandemic sadness into an uplifting dance track with “Never Too Late.”

Like the rest of the world, 2020 put a halt on many of MRSHLL’s musical plans, which could have been especially detrimental as an independent artist. But he continued to channel that energy into his artistry and on September 3, 2020, he gave us the uplifting single “Never Too Late.” It marked his fourth solo single of the year and was one of many projects that kept him busy on top of a number of song remixes, features, and covers. 

“Never Too Late” came out of MRSHLL’s own struggles with losing his sense of self, purpose, and direction during the pandemic lockdown. With it, he set out to give the message that he’d learned to internalize himself, that it was never too late to take a chance and work towards the person you want to be. He teamed up with singer-songwriter LEE HI, rapper sokodomo, and Dutch producer Jengi to craft the retro-house inspired track. As an English speaker born and raised in California, MRSHLL worked with LEE HI to translate his thoughts into Korean lyrics as he continued to develop his language skills. 

MRSHLL opens the song with a contemporary R&B sound and describes the anxieties one faces when trying something new. As the song bursts into a retro-house inspired melody, he reassures us that it's okay to make mistakes as we move forward and encourages us to break through prejudices. The song bounces between the two sounds before sokodomo breakouts into a trap verse and MRSHLL blends his R&B sentimentalities with the upbeat dance hook. 

The music video is as uniquely crafted as the single, filmed vertically using gray-scale scenes and low lighting while MRSHLL and sokodomo groove against a black and white wall. It opens with the flashing words “I’m Ready/It’s Time” before we see MRSHLL sing solemnly in solo shots and to his reflection in the mirror. As the song picks up and MRSHLL encourages us to never give up, the muted colors become more vivid and his bright blue and red fashion pops against the monotone background. MRSHLL, sokodomo, and a dancer party together and dance freely throughout the video until it closes on the same flashing words, “I’m Ready/It’s Time.” 

As a freelance and independent artist, MRSHLL doesn’t promote on music shows like most idol singers, and due to the 2020 lockdown, he never performed the song in front of an audience. But in December of that year, he treated fans to an online performance of “Not Too Late” along with many of his other new singles as part of the Save the Night web concert hosted by DJ and record producer Peggy Gou. 

Even after 2020, “Never Too Late” continues to be an uplifting track that comforts those of us who are still trying to figure out our direction and discover our passions. In continuing to experiment with his own musical direction, MRSHLL churned out a total of 14 songs by the end of that year. After releasing his first album, XYZ, in October 2021, MRSHLL took a brief break from music before returning to Tiger JK’s record label Feel Ghood Music as a creative director. He brought to life BIBI’s groundbreaking Coachella stage in April 2022 and later performed alongside YoonMirae and Tiger JK at the GRAMMY Museum. MRSHLL announced on Instagram that his fans will have more new music to look forward to this year, starting with his collaboration with Tia Kofi for the single “HEARTBEATING.”

Edited by Aleena Faisal