Life Listens: New music from Taeyang, JJ Lin, Nick Jonas, Calvin Harris and Lady Kash

In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Ace Album: Taeyang – Down To Earth

Following his pre-release hit single Vibe in January – a collaboration with BTS’ Jimin – K-pop star Taeyang has unveiled his six-track EP. This is his first solo project since the 2017 album White Night.

The 34-year-old, a member of boy band BigBang, includes elements of trap, soul and R&B in his new material.

Aside from Vibe, the big number on the EP is no doubt the heavily promoted Shoong!, which features rap by Blackpink’s Lisa. It is a simple yet trendy mid-tempo R&B trap dance song elevated by the charisma of its performers.

While dance numbers are no stranger to Taeyang, his solo career has always been distinguished by his prowess as a balladeer. His 2014 number Eyes, Nose, Lips remains one of the most famous K-pop heartbreak ballads of all time.

In Down To Earth, Seed is the ballad outing. While nothing quite lives up to the raw heartbreak of Eyes, Nose, Lips – written by Taeyang during a brief separation from his now-wife, South Korean actress Min Hyo-rin – Seed is still a good showcase for how he effortlessly injects emotions into every offering.

That same ability shines once again in closing track Nightfall, featuring Korean-American rapper Bryan Chase, as Taeyang lets himself belt out the high notes on a powerful chorus and bridge.

For a change of pace, however, check out the romantic saxophone-backed Reason, which he sings with the cadence of someone sweet-talking a lover. – Jan Lee

Must-See MV: King x Nick Jonas – Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife)

Five years after American singer Nick Jonas mar­ried Indian actress Priyanka Chopra, for the first time, fans can watch him singing in her mother tongue, Hindi.

His newest music video, Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife), is a collaboration with Indian singer-rapper King and is a remake of the latter’s 2022 hit Maan Meri Jaan.

King made history with the original tune as the first Indian artiste to have a song break into Spotify’s global Top 10 charts.

While the member of American boy band Jonas Brothers sings only one line in the remake’s chorus in Hindi, it sounds pretty smooth. The rest of his lyrics are in English.

Jonas and King share one scene together in the music video, but it looks like they filmed their scenes separately and had the shots put together during post-production. In their solo scene, Jonas is placed amid a desert landscape, while King sings in a majestic, palatial building.

The dance-pop number is quite a catchy bop too, lifted by the creamy blend of vocals from the duo.

The real test would be to see if Jonas can pull off the Hindi lines live. But he will probably be busy with the imminent release of Jonas Brothers’ new LP, simply titled The Album, which drops on May 12. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Chart Champ: Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding – Miracle

Scottish electronic music star Calvin Harris and English pop singer Ellie Goulding’s song Miracle has achieved what their previous collaborations could not – top the mainstream British song charts.

The terrific trance tune, a strong throwback to 1990s dance tracks, is at No. 1 for the fourth non-consecutive week.

In comparison, I Need Your Love (2012) peaked at No. 4, while Outside (2014) reached only No. 6.

Miracle has all the hallmarks of an electronic dance music (EDM) classic – a Eurodance beat that does not quit, strategically placed build-ups and drops, and shimmery piano chords and synths. Get ready for it to become a staple at clubs and EDM festivals.

Goulding’s sparkling voice floats above it all, exhorting the listener to believe in miracles.

The song’s success is especially sweet for her, as her recently released fifth album, Higher Than Heaven, went to No. 1 on the British album charts.

Harris has been on high-profile projects too. In April, he played the closing set at this year’s edition of famed music festival Coachella in California, United States. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Singapore Scene: Lady Kash – Running In The Same Space

Home-grown rapper Lady Kash’s newest single is an assertive track that rejects servitude and celebrates perseverance and tenacity.

A seamless blend of modern and classical Indian music, the hip-hop song includes Carnatic singing in the production.

It is the first new song in more than a year for the hip-hop artiste, who made her name as the first female Tamil-English rapper.

With songs that clock half a million streams a month on Spotify alone, she is best known for her work with Oscar- and Grammy-winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman on the soundtrack of the 2010 science-fiction Tamil film Enthiran, which topped iTunes charts in the United States and Britain.

The founder of music label and creative house Akashik, Lady Kash shuttles between India and Singapore and is reportedly working on her debut album. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Stream This Song: JJ Lin – Dust And Ashes

Should one get worked up over the petty issues of life if everything eventually fades into nothingness?

This seems to be the crux of Singaporean superstar JJ Lin’s latest single, which reflects on life’s impermanence.

Released on April 14, the contemplative track comes less than a month after the singer turned 42 on March 27. It also follows

the death of Taiwanese lyricist Eric Lin

in December 2022

,

who was instrumental in launching JJ Lin’s career in the region.

The first single from Lin’s 15th album Happily, Painfully After – released on April 21 – Dust And Ashes also comes on the back of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sombre, bittersweet number, which features lyrics by Singapore’s Xiaohan, has poetic lines such as “Lovers go from waving to holding hands/to letting go/to waving/that should be enough”, and features a philosophical depth not often seen in Mandopop numbers.

Expressing both grief and acceptance, Dust And Ashes takes a sanguine approach to painful moments, and aims to see a glimmer of light in the darkness. – Benson Ang