Zion.T Comes Back As The Ultimate Poser: “Pretending is Not Necessarily A Bad Thing”
Photo: Zion.T/Instagram
He’s arguably one of the most relevant and interesting figures in Korean music, and he’s back to deliver summery vibes in a new album. Zion.T’s latest album, released on August 27, is titled POSER. Through its five tracks, the singer reveals which “poses” define him.
The official introduction that Zion.T wrote for his album reads: “Many people know the meaning of the word ‘poser’, but it doesn’t really have a positive connotation. Like when someone carries around a book they never read, or posts photos with a skateboard they can’t even ride… In English-speaking countries, it’s kind of like a childish insult used to make fun of people like that.”
”But honestly, we live in an era where so many people—including myself—carry around these exaggerated versions of ourselves… In other words, this is the age of the poser.”
Zion.T (자이언티, which transliterates to “Giant”; born Kim Haesol, 김해솔) admits he’s questioning his own authenticity. In the official introduction penned for the Korean music market, he said: “Some people have kindly said things like, ‘Zion.T makes original music in his own style,' or ‘he’s real, authentic.’ But is that really true? Of course, it might sound obvious, but when I look back, maybe what I’ve been doing all along is just posing, imitating the ‘style’ of the artists I like and respect… So this album feels like a kind of stylish pose, born out of that question mark lingering in my mind.”
Zion.T’s five defining “poses”
Don’t think that, by labeling himself as a “poser”, Zion.T is in any way belittling himself or coming forth as some sort of copycat. In an interview with ELLE Korea, the artist explained: “Pretending is not necessarily a bad thing. I believe you can find your true taste in the process.” His new music is actually a study of himself, a reflection on all the “poses” he recognizes in himself.
He explained what those poses are, especially in a very lengthy carousel on his Instagram profile, providing an AI-generated translation in the caption. He introduced them by saying that he finds it “kind of fun” to show off the vibes of a poser. He wonders if maybe when he first became famous, he projected an over-the-top image of himself, adding: “I missed that feeling. Maybe I wanted to find clothes that fit me well again. Yeah, so I made 5 songs, 5 poses.”
Here’s a breakdown of each song as explained by Zion.T himself on Instagram.
“LOVE ME”
The singer started composing the song in 2024 in Tokyo, Japan, after humming it for a long time. He said: “Because I love myself this much, you love me. I’m not sure if the lyrics are 100% sincere, but it’s something I want to believe is true. And for the most part, it is sincere too.”
“Heroine”
Heroine is a song about the women he considers true heroines in his life, “Of course, my great lover... and my mom.” He adds: “Even if she’s not perfect every day like a cartoon protagonist who’s always flawless, I came to feel that every woman in the world is a heroine to someone, and through this song, I wanted to dedicate that feeling to them…”
“Suspicious”
“I don’t remember how I ended up making this song”, he deadpans immediately in the captions. He further highlights a line of the song that goes, “Is she mine or my enemy? A relationship where we eat away at each other but grow closer, becoming clearer the more it falls apart.” It’s Zion.T’s take on a very suspicious, potentially toxic relationship, the kind that he confesses to like.
“Fish (물고기)”
Fish is a feel-good, unpretentious and carefree song. Zion.T tells us: “The first scene of working on this song started in a car. Me in the driver’s seat and a passenger beside me. We didn’t know the destination, but we just took off. Laughing and chatting for hours, days, months, even years, and we still have fun. Even stuck in this cramped fishbowl, it’s just fun. Laughing, the attitude of a fish that somehow survived—maybe that’s what the song is about? I don’t know. It’s a simple song, and I like it!”
“CLOSER”
The creative process for this song was more instinct-driven rather than logically thought out. When describing it, Zion.T muses that he made the whole album by “taking his brain out”, and adds, “Maybe that’s why I feel better than usual. I just made it as it came out. Anyway, this song is just a feeling!”
There’s no doubt that the entire album represents a shift in Zion.T’s musical style. Following years of somewhat darker tones, POSER introduces a vibrant and carefree energy, offering a refreshing change that’s truly welcomed. In the above-mentioned ELLE interview, Zion.T described it as such: “There are hardly any albums released in the summer. My music usually has a rustling sound and a cold-breeze kind of mood, which fits well with winter. But this time, I wanted to release not a ‘song for summer’ but rather ‘music that feels good to listen to in summer’.”
So, do you think POSER can make it into your summer playlists, and perhaps stay with you even after it ends?
Edited by Sandy Ou