Being a fan of any artist signed to SM Entertainment will leave you scratching your head on a regular basis.
The agency will debut a group that’s brimming with talent, with an interesting concept, a cool title track but the execution will be poor. Maybe the presentation is off. Maybe the promotions are abysmal and you find out someone had a comeback three days too late. Both points apply to Jungwoo’s new song Sugar.
A Sweet Song with a Confusing Rollout
Sugar is Jungwoo’s first solo song since he debuted in NCT in 2018. Specifically his first solo song that’s not an OST. The song also doubles as a farewell. Jungwoo will enlist in the Army Military Band on December 8, as a part of the country’s mandatory conscription.
The song itself is great. It’s a groovy, mid-tempo pop track with a smooth melody. The lyrics thank his fans for sticking by him and reassures them that everything will stay sweet after he returns.
Yet the music video doesn’t do it justice.
The Visuals Feel Muted Instead of Sweet
The video is supposed to be colorful with a sugary, pastel aesthetic. Yet the finished product looks dull. The colors feel muted and flat, taking the shine off a song that’s supposed to feel cozy.
The video starts with Jungwoo going to the dentist, followed by him sitting in his room eating candy. I don’t know if the story is about Jungwoo being a sugar addict or if the candy acts as a metaphor for the things that make him happy. The second half of the video focuses more on glamour shots of Jungwoo’s face. You also get clips of him dancing with his dancers mixed in.
K-pop music videos can be abstract and symbolic, but usually there’s still something you can follow. Something that helps you understand a character or a concept. Sugar doesn’t give me anything to work with
Jungwoo Deserved More Than This
It’s annoying because it’s Jungwoo’s first solo song. AND he’s enlisting in December. Fans wanted something that captured his personality. Instead, the video feels like something SM threw together at the last minute. The production isn’t terrible, but it’s not thoughtful either. That brings us to the same question SM fans have been asking for years. Why does the company keep underselling its own artists? SM knows how to make great music but struggles with everything surrounding it. Sugar is a cute song, with slick production. It’s such a shame the music video doesn’t reflect that sweetness at all.
