EXO are getting ready to up the tempo with a brand new release finally on the way but that does not mean that the boys haven’t been busy. Several members have been continuing their own activities and no one has been as busy as remaining Chinese member, Lay; releasing two solo albums this year, “Sheep” and his new drop, “NAMANANA”.
Fans were treated to a Chinese and an English version of the full album and especially for the music video release, we received the English rendition of the title track. The music video is intriguing as there is an equal distribution between Lay’s trademark smooth moves and a “story”. Mainly based around Lay beginning in squalor and rising to become a royal as prophecy seem to have foretold.
The world appears as a strange utopia; complete with airships and Lay as a young nomad, travelling with mail in the back of a pick up truck. Over time, the people around him react to his arrival; freezing in place when he dances or follows his movements as loyal subjects. The confusion on his face seems to note that Lay has no clue why this is the case but as he travels on his make-shift bed of parcels; other strange figures appear as if a regal order by carrying flags, torches and baring marks across their own skin. Even the airships and mechanical creatures within this world respond and even shut down completely.
This is where the video does take a mythical turn as the destroyed “eye” transforms into a looking glass, showcasing a chart of the lunar phase and also Lay taking the throne as leader of what appears to be a mystic rebellion. Several tarot figures do appear during this sequence, including the Devil, the Page of Cups, a symbol of strength (mainly the eye in previous scenes) and the Hanged Man. The meanings do range depending on how they are combined.
The Devil often means that the person is seduced by the material world or being restrained in that world. The Page of Cups offers the option of opening up from a closed mind and embrace any opportunity and finally the Hanged Man often depicts sacrifice, letting go and going through a personal metamorphosis. The Tarots are depicted differently in relation to other card figures but with the previous events, and also Lay shedding most of his travelling home, it may be that he is embracing power – depicted by the strange orb that is packaged carefully – and taking his place as a leader and now continuing his journey.
