The concept of yin and yang is a delicate dance that treads the thin line between duality and harmony. Rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy, yin is a representation of life’s more tranquil, nurturing aspects – often associated with darkness, femininity and, most importantly, introspection – while yang, on the other hand, embodies the vibrancy of light, masculinity and action. This intricate interplay between two opposing forces is not merely a philosophical abstraction, it’s a lens through which we can understand and approach the world around us.
Or, at least, that’s how South Korean R&B singer Colde understands and approaches his music. He has been building his career brick-by-brick since he made his first official foray into the music scene in 2016 as one-half of OFFONOFF. Eight years and a bunch of solo music later, he finally feels as though he’s standing right on the precipice of what he’s always dreamed of – which began when he released his first English single album, aptly titled ‘Yin’, in August.
“I really focused on my past, my roots, my core when making this album,” he tells NME over a video call while on tour in the US. “It was like going through a journey into myself. I felt like I gained a lot of energy from my own youth through that process – that same energy I felt when I was first starting out,” Colde reflects, when asked why he said ‘Yin’ felt like a debut album to him. That’s what the yin aspect of the equation means to the singer-songwriter: introspection through reliving his youth. That’s what ‘Yin’ also stands for: an acronym for “youth in nostalgia”.
This introspective journey took him back to numerous eras of vibrant sounds and styles, but none more fitting than the tunes of Michael Jackson, Pharrell Williams, Nirvana and The Neptunes, among others. The deep-set grooves on ‘Toxic Love’, the light drums that soundtrack a rich vocal performance on ‘I Color You’ and the pulsating synths on ‘Nirvana Blues’ all culminate in a short but indulgent recreation of Kim Hee-soo’s own teen spirit. “Pharrell Williams meets Nirvana,” he recalls of what he wrote in his description for the album when handing its final form in, chuckling at the memory.
That being said, as an R&B artist, he sees Nirvana’s rock-leaning style as a way to express his inhibitions through his own musicality. “The rock part is about that image of youth and that kind of unhinged look. The interesting thing is that I wanted to translate that to R&B. I wanted to make my own version of ‘[Smells Like] Teen Spirit’ music,” Colde explains. “When I was in my teens, I just really wanted to make music for myself and others like me.”
The singer, who turned 30 earlier this year, shares that he picked feelings and experiences from his past as a way for him to begin a new chapter: “To get to my future, I think the past is most important. I had to come to terms with my past in order to figure myself out. One of the core images was my work with OFFONOFF”. He also notes that the inspiration for ‘Yin’ didn’t stop there, revealing that he “went to all these locations [in the UK] where we filmed our [OFFONOFF] music videos for ‘Yin’” and had sprinkled visual easter eggs throughout his new music videos.
Colde is now on a sprawling world tour and on the brink of releasing his full-length English album, one that he says will include the yang half of the sentimentality. “I’ve been dreaming about this since 2018, when I became a solo artist,” he proudly declares. “It took six years, but I’m finally here.” Even though his 20-stop North American ‘Blueprint’ tour comes to a close at the end of September, this doesn’t mean Colde will be resting on his laurels anytime soon: he just announced the first batch of dates for his upcoming Asia and Oceania legs beginning in October, with more stops on the horizon.
“During the tour, I’ve seen so many fans enjoy my music, Korean or not. I got really motivated and inspired just seeing people singing along or just engaging with my work. I want to piggyback on that energy and continue being an artist who tells his stories in languages people can understand,” he explains with a strong sense of determination. From the way he speaks about his time touring the US so far, you immediately get the sense that he is relishing each and every moment.
“Every city was obviously very memorable in their own ways, but the one city I have to talk about is New York,” he says, trying to contain his excitement. “First off, the venue – we were at Brooklyn Paramount. It was beautiful, so aesthetically pleasing.” But the part that made that stop so special was what he experienced before the actual show. “I had gone out to Manhattan and Times Square, I knew they had a billboard coming out for me that day. I had to see and watch that in person. It got me so hyped up and full of energy before the show,” he lovingly recalls.
Even as Colde is on the road, living the dream he’s so painstakingly worked to achieve, he is yet not taking his hands off the wheel. He continues to work on his upcoming full-length English album, titled ‘Blueprint’, and will continue to explore his various affinities as he works to wrap up his North American shows by the end of the month. “More than halfway done,” he vaguely teases when asked about its progress.
As Colde works to shape and define ‘Blueprint’, he’s more than content with where he’s at in his journey at the moment: he’s both basking in the fruits of his labour while adding new layers to his burgeoning career. Although the yin has yet to meet the yang on the musical front, it feels like everything has already fallen into place for Colde with how accomplished he already is so far. But this is by no means the end – in fact, he’s just getting started.
Colde’s new single album ‘Yin’ is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and more.