For this SOTW, we’ll be looking at D.O’s (or also known as Kyungsoo from the group EXO) collaboration with Yoo Young Jin – ‘Tell me What is Love’.
At first, when I gave this new version a listen, I could tell straight away that it wasn’t just Kyungsoo singing. Perhaps it’s because I listened to the original way more than I should have, speaking of which, if you haven’t you can listen to the older version here. I’ve always thought there was potential with this piece of music and wondered why it was such a short version. Then, it was finally released as a full song, much to my surprise and delight. For those who aren’t familiar with Yoo Young Jin, he’s listed as a singer-songwriter and made a significant contribution to a number of SM entertainment’s artists throughout the years as a record producer.
There’s something about this song that can instantly enchant the listener. D.O’s crooning vocals combined with the was simply just a match made in heaven, to put it simply. Add in Yoo Young Jin and it becomes even more a powerful and beautiful song, the pair give a chilling performance. The harmonies are so blended well together, you forget that it’s supposed to be a duet. There are times when I think it’s just one person singing. The flow of the music is mellow and relaxing to listen to. It seems to be effortless. The two individuals each bring something to the song, their own unique colours and talent which created a spellbinding song.
This MV for this song was most likely used to promote S.M’s digital music channel, so there wasn’t much of a story to dissect. However, the main theme seemed to circulate around black and white photographs, this could point towards the memories of singing and composing the song. The journey in which this song was made, the long hours in the studio to get it right and perfected, it could have highlighted the efforts and hard work of putting a song together as a team.
