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| EXO's Sehun and Chanyeol, or EXO-SC, pose for photos during the press event at Muv Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Yonhap |
By Dong Sun-hwa
EXO's Chanyeol and Sehun, or EXO-SC, show off their songwriting talent on their first duo album "What a life," which hit the shelves on Monday. The two wrote "Roller Coaster" and "Daydreamin,'" two B-side tracks included in the hip hop-themed EP.
"'Roller Coaster' is experimental, but trendy. I was involved in its production from A to Z, so I have a strong attachment to it," rapper Chanyeol said during Monday's showcase event at the Muv Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul. "It likens love to a roller coaster."
The rapper also said, "Please appreciate our songs impartially, without considering us as idols. We want you to focus on the tracks' nature and messages. I am cautious to say this, but we put in a lot of work while gearing up for the release and people around us praised the quality of our work."
These tracks are also the first releases by Studio 519, a music-production team Chanyeol belongs to.
He added: "On the other hand, 'Daydramin'' is relaxing but sentimental. I was touched by Sehun when he recorded it, because he tried extremely hard."
Sehun, who also contributed to the composition and the lyrics, said he recorded the song for about five times.
"I attempted to figure out what Chanyeol wanted and meet his needs," he said.
Sehun also said, "The EP embodies our sincere feelings and values. I hope many people can empathize with us."
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| EXO-SC performs "What a life" during Monday's press event at the Muv Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Yonhap |
"What a life" has three lead numbers including "What a life", "Just us 2," and "Closer to you." It is a rare approach, since most K-pop albums do not contain more than two lead songs.
"We pushed our label, SM Entertainment, to include three lead songs," Sehun said. "We could not ditch any of them."
Chanyeol said all three numbers display different musical styles and distinctive messages, allowing the listeners to choose what to appreciate depending on their own taste.
In particular, "What a life" is a positive and energetic song that boasts unique pluck sound. Through the lyrics, the duo recommend people to enjoy every moment in life in a laid-back manner.
"This track is the story of us," Chanyeol said. "With the song, we want to emanate our positive and optimistic energy, cheering up people whenever they feel exhausted."
Sehun also added: "Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM, also said the song was comical yet novel."
Although the EP this time is hip-hop flavored, Chanyeol said he did not want to stick to one specific genre.
"We chose hip-hop this time because the genre seemed to match well with us. We also believed we could reveal our sincerity better with hip-hop. But we are open to other genres too."
He added: "In the past, I wanted to shed my identity as an idol star to get more recognition from people. But now, I do not feel the need, because I know I can still show different aspects of myself."
