Dean, surrounded by retirement rumors, has returned, making a mark in the Korean R&B and hip-hop scene
On November 18th, Dean made a surprise comeback with his new song, ‘Die for You.’ This marks his return after a hiatus of 4 years and 6 months since the release of his fourth U.S. single, ‘Howlin 404,’ in May 2019. ‘Die for You’ is an alternative R&B genre song, with Dean credited for lyrics, composition, and arrangement.
In the rapidly changing music industry, artists with long breaks between releases tend to be easily forgotten by the public. This is due to the constant debut of new artists and the rapid shifts in musical trends.
However, Dean’s new song is receiving a warm response from the public despite his extended hiatus. ‘Die for You’ quickly climbed to No.3 on the Melon Top 100, No.1 on Genie and Bugs, and No.1 on Apple Music’s Today’s Top 100 chart (as of November 21st). In the ‘Popular Rising Music Videos’ announced by YouTube Music on November 25th, ‘Die for You’ claimed the top spot.
The fact that Dean’s new song is gaining such popularity without any promotional activities is evidence that many have been eagerly awaiting his comeback.
Starting his producing career from the age of 10, Dean contributed to the composition of EXO’s ‘Black Pearl’ in 2013 and participated as a lyricist and composer for various songs, including VIXX’s ‘Voodoo Doll’ and John Park’s ‘U.’
Although Dean’s debut song was ‘I’m Not Sorry’ released in July 2015, he truly gained recognition among the Korean public starting in 2016.
Transforming into a singer-songwriter, Dean released his first mini-album with a total of 7 songs in March 2016, and the title track ‘D’ exploded in popularity. ‘D’ entered the Melon Top 100 at 50th place and especially gained traction among the younger generation, maintaining its position on the Top 100 chart until the second half of 2017.
In Melon’s year-end charts for 2016 and 2017, ‘D’ ranked 14th and 46th, respectively. Following the success of ‘D,’ Dean continued to dominate the charts with songs like ‘Come Over,’ ‘Instagram’ in 2017, and ‘dayfly’ in 2018. Dean collaborated with well-known artists in Korea, such as Crush and Zico, earning the title of one of the ‘Big Three Born in 1992.’
However, in May 2019, after the release of ‘Howlin 404,’ Dean went on a long hiatus. All activities, including album releases and TV appearances, came to a complete stop, and even his social media accounts were suspended.
Although fans eagerly awaited Dean’s comeback, the hiatus extended for over four years, and rumors of Dean’s retirement gradually became accepted as facts. On YouTube, AI cover videos using Dean’s voice gained popularity.
Fans, despite the inexplicable long hiatus, longed for Dean’s comeback. No artist has emerged to fill Dean’s void. Dean’s smooth yet sharp voice, versatile skills in both rap and vocals, and lyrics expressing his unique sense of melancholy and emptiness resonate with many young listeners.
The success of ‘Die for You’ can be attributed to Dean’s irreplaceable genre, which returned with a touch of nostalgia.
Dean’s agency, Universal Music, said, “It’s surprising that Dean naturally claimed high rankings on the charts without any official activities. It’s thanks to the fans who waited for Dean’s music for a long time.”
Source: daum
