Samuel – also known by his full name Kim Samuel – shocked fans with an Instagram post hinting at his return as a musician after a 5-year hiatus away from the industry. Many yearned to hear his voice again after all these years, and their excitement didn’t go unnoticed. With this excitement building up, fans couldn’t wait until his new release came out -- wondering which style of music this album would sound like, and that wait would soon be over with the release of his latest EP, ‘NOW,’ released on April 21st.
The 22-year-old solo artist holds a long track record of accomplishments beginning at a young age. Samuel's career started when he began training with SEVENTEEN and then debuted in a duo group called 1PUNCH. In 2017, he made his official solo debut with his mini album, “SIXTEEN.” Many of his fans watched him grow up and were able to see his progression as an artist from the beginning until now. Samuel has come back stronger than before as he showcases a more mature side of himself with his release of his newest EP that fuses R&B and hip-hop approaches -- allowing fans to see how versatile he is as an artist.
With this hip-hop/R&B English album, Samuel keeps your excitement as it levels up from start to finish -- showcasing an album full of perfectly written songs that he spent nonstop hours composing and writing himself. He opens the album up with the song, “2 Tone Rose Gold,” which captivates listeners with a catchy hip-hop beat that immediately will immediately have listeners bopping their head to the beat of the song without even noticing. Throughout the song, you will hear the start of this new era we have entered for his music career. This track opens up utilizing Samuel's phenomenal singing skills as well as his rapping skills -- which is something that listeners very rarely heard in the past. This opening creates excitement and anticipation from listeners for the rest of what the album sounds like when reaching its peak level. The next track, titled “N.T.T.M,” is the first track that encapsulates the R&B sound on the album. In comparison to the first track, this is a slower, more laid-back song utilizing a guitar in the background to add to the mellow vibes of the song. Also written by Samuel, this track can relate to anyone who has ever experienced an unrequited love as he talks about his desire to confess his feelings and keep it real with the girl he constantly has in his head 24/7. These feelings are keeping him up at night because he wants to be with the girl but isn't sure how she will react to the confession he is trying to put into words. Throughout the song, we see instances where he begins to overthink his feelings. We find out the title, "N.T.T.M.," stands for Night To The Morning as mentioned in the refrain of the song numerous times letting the listener know how badly he is in love with this girl that he wants to be in her company from sunlight to nightfall.
The third track, “Tell Me,” is very reminiscent of a song you would hear at a club that immediately has listeners dancing the minute that first beat starts playing. The beat in the background is so unique it makes you want to get up and bust out into a whole dance routine -- like a scene straight out of the Step Up movie series. Not only is the beat addicting, but his words are precisely and intentionally executed. This can be heard when listening to the way Samuel extends out the words while saying them in the pre-chorus to emphasize what he is saying is so properly executed that you catch yourself trying to copy the way he sings it with him. Next up, we have a track titled “Who We R,” which resembles a song that you would hear at a club, and doesn’t stray away from that sound. This is the second track where Samuel encapsulates an R&B sound as it teleports the listener to a scenario of being on the dance floor -- where everything starts moving in slow motion as if watching a scene from a movie. You find yourself dancing on the dance floor with everyone else around you moving at a slower speed than you, feeling as though the spotlight only shines on you as you dance without a care to the vibe of the song playing around you.
The fifth track on the album, titled “Shawty,” is the third R&B track on this EP, and continues the theme of love songs. In this track, Samuel switches from singing at the beginning to showing off his rap skills in the second verse -- which you can’t help but nod your head along to. This switch and flow of his rap bars allows him to perfectly capture the essence of the song by making the message behind the lyrics very clear. He once again talks about being so in love with someone that he can’t help but constantly smile when he sees. He also expresses how she makes him want to love her back just as hard as she shows her love for him.
The last track on this no-skip album is the title track, “YEH! YEH!” This track strongly puts into perspective this new Samuel era we’ve been shown from start to finish. From the catchy beat and choreography to match the vibes of this song, this track is an instant hit! Listeners will catch themselves -- without even thinking -- pressing replay on this song. From the opening to the drink transition in the middle of the song, this track shows a refreshing spin on how a simple everyday sound can be used in a song to perfectly fit and match the essence of the song to where it didn’t feel out of place when put in the song.
After such a long wait, #Garnets received one of the best gifts anyone could receive -- seeing your favorite artist come back after so many years. With so many already beyond proud of him, Samuel did not disappoint fans with his self-produced album as he continued to showcase his many talents for the world to see.
Like many, we are excited to see what endeavors and upcoming songs Samuel has prepared for the world to listen to next.
Written by Nina
Edited by BR
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