The Door: Kim SeJeong Makes A Comeback
A special post for a special someone.
This is a special post for a special someone. An exception. Not exactly Kdrama-related, but not entirely unrelated either because the person in discussion here is both a K-actress and a K-pop idol. A rare combination of talent.
In this post, I’m going to talk about actress Kim Sejeong making her musical comeback with her first full-length solo album ‘The 門’.
The Unveiling of the Album
On 4th September 2023, at 2 pm PST (6 pm Korea time), K-Pop Idol/ actress Kim Sejeong made her musical comeback with the launch of her first complete solo album "The Door (門)" after a two-year hiatus since releasing her mini-album “I’m”.
門 is the culmination of a yearlong hard work of not only writing the songs but also composing the music for 9 out of 11 of them herself.
Sejeong had been dropping hints of her comeback for the past year. She kept talking about writing new songs. At the beginning of 2023, she released a single titled “Between Chance and Fate”. But no one saw this coming.
The unveiling of the album and the announcement of the first concert tour sent fans into a frenzy who eagerly awaited the arrival of the album. When it finally came out, Sejeong did not disappoint.
Background Check
Before talking about the album, I want to briefly mention how I became acquainted with Kim Sejeong and her world.
I have been following Sejeong for almost two years. I first saw her in the Kdrama Business Proposal back in April 2022. Her top-notch acting piqued my interest and I began searching for her online which led me to discover her music.
Almost two years later, here I am – a fan of both her acting and singing skills.
Diving into the Album: My Top 6 Picks
Working on this album, I took a lot of time looking back on my life, from the first moment I wanted to become a singer to the path I'm currently walking on. This album really contains who I am, what I've felt, and which stories I want to tell the world, and I'm really proud of that. - Kim Sejeong
The Door consists of eleven beautiful tracks and has two versions: ‘Lock’ and ‘Key’. And while I love all the songs, in this article, I’m going to list only my top six favourites which is actually quite difficult to choose.
The name of the album symbolizes Sejeong opening a door to let her fans get a glimpse of her life. The 門 is the story of Sejeong’s life. Her ups and downs. Her struggles to reach the point where she stands today. It signals the transition of Kim Sejeong from a young, bubbly girl starting out to a mature woman scaling new heights.
Ranging from the sombre Top or Cliff to the breezy Jenga, The Door is a complete package of pop, rock, R&B, and jazz. Each song tells a story of an aspect of Sejeong’s life.
Listed below are my six favourite songs from the compilation.
Voyage
Down, up, down, up, keep rowing
Down, up, down, up, keep rowing
To move forward it’s still not enough
There will soon be a signal coming
Get ready to go on a journey with the opening track of the album Voyage. Voyage is a pop-rock song and employs Irish fiddles and acoustic guitars. Its upbeat nature makes me think of her songs Skyline and Whale especially when she hits the high notes.
The music video of the song has the feel of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and carries the message that one must leave one’s comfort zone to achieve one dreams which is shown by Sejeong going through a door to enter a different world where the spotlight is on her.
It is also symbolic of how Sejeong herself has struggled to overcome her fears and earn herself a seat at the table with everyone else.
The song speaks of how one must face life’s challenges with a positive attitude while remaining true to oneself until you finally arrive at your destination.
Both the song and video have a very inspirational message, one that I surely need to apply to my own life.
Voyage is a positive song of self-growth and perseverance that you will find yourself listening to daily and wanting to dance along too.
Check out the link below to watch the YouTube video.
김세정(KIM SEJEONG) PRE-RELEASE '항해' M/V
Listen to the song on Spotify:
Top or Cliff
You like easy things
I can see your level
You ever been broken before?
I’m different from you
I’ve been torn, shattered, but I’m still standing here
The next song on my top 6 list is Top or Cliff. The song I cannot get enough of no matter how much I listen to it. Top or Cliff is an R&B song and is the darkest song from the entire album.
And while I love the original version, the acoustic is even more beautiful - that is, to me at least. In the acoustic version, her vocals just seem to hit differently.
In the music video that accompanies this song, we get to see Sejeong channelling John Wick as she tries to escape the mansion she is held captive in and is willing to do whatever it takes to gain freedom.
Check the official MV here:
김세정(KIM SEJEONG) ‘Top or Cliff' Official M/V (Full ver.)
To me, Voyage and Top or Cliff are like two sides of a coin. If Voyage is about Sejeong overcoming her hardships with a smile, Top or Cliff showcases her inner struggles to break free of the stereotypes that a person in her position must adhere to.
Voyage is the open door through which we can see Sejeong, Top or Cliff is the closed door that she chooses not to show us.
Top or Cliff is a very powerful song and one that anyone can relate to.
Listen to the acoustic version here:
김세정(KIM SEJEONG) 'Top or Cliff' Live Clip (Acoustic ver.)
Listen on Spotify:
Indigo Promise
I like everything about you
I'll go with your choices
Follow the held hands
The dream that has reached our embrace
We tremble, standing sweetly
Slowly but passionately
Running towards the end of the night
Coming in at number 3 on my list is the eighth track of the album, Indigo Promise.
Before I even knew the meaning of the lyrics, I was already in love with the song’s melody. The music is calming and soothing. Indigo Promise belongs to the pop-rock genre and is one of several love songs in this album.
And a cleverly written explicit one at that 😆. Sejeong has tried to explain her way out of it by saying the song is about “indigo and blue lights meeting and falling in love” but she probably forgets that her fandom has married adults who understand the meaning of the lyrics perfectly.
Keeping this simple, Indigo Promise is a song of connection between two lovers. And it is wonderful to see Sejeong who was once afraid of falling in love now feels this deep love for someone and is able to write a song about her feelings.
Check out the track video of Indigo Promise on YouTube:
김세정(KIM SEJEONG) 'Indigo Promise' Track Video
Listen on Spotify:
Destiny
One day, you and I
As if drawn by something
Following the path the sun traces
Someday, we'll stop under the moonlight
We'll meet like that
Just as the sky hopes for
Number 4 on my list and the fifth track of the album, Destiny seems to me to be a heavily underrated song because I have not seen anyone talking about this song. Or maybe people have talked about it and I just haven’t paid attention to it 😅
Destiny is a pop ballad and another one of her love songs. This one is dedicated to her fans. In Destiny, Sejeong talks of the connection between two people and wonders what it would be like if they hadn’t met.
This connection is the one between her and her fans which she hopes will always remain strong. With its catchy tune, it is one you would naturally find yourself humming especially the post-chorus “e-ho, e-ho”. I have that part stuck in my head.
Listen to the song on Spotify:
Jenga
Ultimately, the truth
Isn't that important
It's a necessary snack (Mm)
A momentary gossip
A is doing this, and what about B?
I knew that someday it would be like this
Our era, my era, and so on, so on
Now it's the "so on, so on" generation
My fifth pick is Jenga the seventh track of the album.
Jenga, as the name suggests is inspired by the game where you build a tower with blocks while preventing the tower from falling over. In her song, Sejeong compares the game to the futile attempts of those who spread rumours about her - neither side wins.
Jenga is an experimental song that goes from being playful to angsty; it changes pace from slow to fast and is fun to listen to.
Listen to the song here:
In The Rain
The sky hidden behind the clouds
And the unusually heavy air
Whispers that the whole world
Will be painted, probably gloomy for a while
In the Rain, the final song on my list is also the closing track of this anthology.
In this song, Sejeong is looking back to her childhood memories of playing in the rain. She remembers how even in the atmosphere of the rain she was happy to sing and jump and dance. Remembering this, she hopes she can smile no matter what she faces in life.
The chorus of the song has been sung by trainees under Jellyfish which makes the song and its meaning even more poignant and holds a special place in Sejeong’s heart.
In the Rain belongs to the soft rock genre and is an inspirational, self-love song providing the perfect ending to an incredible, emotional rollercoaster of an album.
Listen to the song here:
Conclusion
With The Door, Kim Sejeong has delivered yet another masterpiece and has proven her talent not only in being able to perform different genres of music but also the ability to tell a story through her music videos.
The Door is a complete package of emotions and has something for everyone. Sejeong is an extremely talented artist and the whole world needs to listen to her voice.
She is currently on her first concert tour around Asia. Beginning in Seoul, she has toured the cities of Hong Kong, Manila and Tokyo among other places and will conclude her tour with a two-day concert in Australia visting the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
Before I end this article, I just wanted to mention that Sejeong has dropped a brand new single, My Season, a cover of a Mandarin song and if you haven’t heard it yet, you definitely should check it out.
It’s a beautiful song and feels like the OST of a historical drama. That’s what I thought when I first heard it. Sejeong’s divine voice makes the listening experience even better.
Check it out here:
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Stay tuned for my next post in which I will talk about the Rowoon and Jo Boah starrer “Destined With You”.
See you next time 🤗