KEY’s first mini album BAD LOVE is finally here – but don’t be surprised if your entire universe begins to revolve around it!
It’s been over two years since the SHINee member released a solo album, but he often reassured fans that his new project would be worth the wait. KEY had tons of ideas for the mini album, some having been on his mind for years. As a matter of fact, KEY had the concept for the mini album in mind for 14 years. BAD LOVE was truly a long time coming, but it’s something to talk about for an even longer time.
Now… how do I say this without sounding uncivilized? (Not that I should be worried about that, since my bank account will look uncivilized after buying every version of this album.)
From the first teaser image to the moment BAD LOVE dropped, KEY proved that mediocre isn’t part of his vocabulary. Retro inspired concepts have been a huge trend in K-Pop over the past year, but KEY went all out for a retro space concept that truly belongs in a league of its own. He developed his own original characters for the concept photos, designed unique packaging and inclusions for each version of the physical album, and made sure each song reflected his array of tastes.
The six track mini album includes two songs that KEY wrote himself, “Saturday Night” and “Eighteen (End Of My World).” For “Saturday Night,” KEY thought of how it might be like going through a breakup during the pandemic, and how to get over it. Meanwhile on “Eighteen,” KEY had his younger self in mind, reminiscing upon old memories with his bandmates.
As for the title track “Bad Love,” KEY ended up making quite a few modifications while working on the song with producer Kenzie. Initially, the song had a completely different chorus. Out of all the songs on the mini album, “Bad Love” took the longest to record.
(But was it worth it? Oh, you bet.)
Watch the “BAD LOVE” music video below, and click here to stream the mini album on your favorite service!
