[IDOLOGY] Review: Taeyeon's Me, Myself and I: "My Voice", "Purpose" and "I"

 

Let's dwell on the difference between the first album "My Voice" and the second album "Purpose". If in "My Voice", which transferred from "Fine" to "Make Me Love You", was a process in which Taeyeon's 'voice' was strongly exerted, "Purpose", which went from "Spark" to "Dear Me", seems to be a process of converging the external-facing voice back to herself. This was probably Taeyeon's 'purpose'.

 

Listening to the album along with the newly ordered track arrangement, I realize that 'purpose' has been completed at last. First, let's take a look at the new prequel of "Purpose". A type of war of clouds hangs over the new introduction placed in front of 'Here I Am' and 'Spark', two songs which launch a heroic monologue. 'Dear Me (The Words I Want To Tell Myself)', an essay which presses down on the phrase of self-respect, followed by the cold-blooded noir 'My Tragedy' finely solidify the foundation of the upcoming monodrama. The subsequent development of the dense lyrics support this even more solidly:

 

In Dear Me, 'Look at me who endured the long darkness, I don't hide anymore even if the night comes again'.

In My Tragedy, 'In the shadows My Tragedy, Goodbye now'.

In Here I Am, 'Here I Am, that distance where I left you'. 

In Spark, 'Now it's time, wake up, it's dawn, wake up the spark'.

In addition, this prequel coincides with the sensibilities of the epilogue 'Blue' and 'Four Seasons', which send out romantic feelings to complete the album's frame, and go beyond laying the foundation for "Purpose".

 

The newly added track in the second half of the album 'Drawing Our Moments' embroiders the highlight of the album by adding another level of romance, which is built up with 'Wine', 'Do You Love Me?', 'City Love', and 'Gravity'. Although the dramatic composition and Taeyeon's excellent singing style reminds me of 'U R' from her solo debut album, if the speaker of 'U R' is conveying bursting heart-fluttering emotions directly to the other person, the speaker of 'Drawing Our Moments' seems to be focusing more on drawing the other person themselves while unfolding the heart-fluttering emotions of each and every single one of 'All the nervousness that I felt'. Even if it has similar content and composition, heart-fluttering emotions of the different recipients from 'you' to 'me' is totally different.* 'Drawing Our Moments' steadily transforms 'U R' and further strengthens the underlying theme of 'Purpose'.

 

On the topic of 'U R', I think the process of transforming from "My Voice" to "Purpose" is a reenactment of the solo debut song 'I'. If Taeyeon, who roams freely on the grasslands in the 'I' music video is like the Taeyeon of 'Why' and 'My Voice', then the Taeyeon who stormed out of the store and visits Taeyeon on the grasslands could be compared to Taeyeon of "Something New" and "Purpose". If we see it like this, Taeyeon's two 'I' have eventually come to a complete upright stand by the end of this repackage album. Taeyeon's narrative, which was launched with 'I', reaches "Purpose", and it feels more touching that it has been completed as a discography. As a solo artist, she firmly wraps up one section, so I am confident that no matter what stories Taeyeon tells us in the future, her will won't ever be shaken.

 

*In 'U R', the lyrics are more about the person Taeyeon is singing about (You), whereas in 'Drawing Our Moments', Taeyeon talks more about herself (I) and the heart-fluttering emotions she feels about the other person.

U R lyrics: 'Cause you are, the light that fell on me, You are, like a beautiful dream.

Drawing Our Moments lyrics: I try drawing you, I try embracing you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by: Squib

Translated by: Bee (@taengab)

Source: IDOLOGY.KR