[Herald Review] Young K returns to stage with 'Letters with notes' after 2-year hiatus

Young K welcomed fall with his fans through his first standalone solo concert held at a university campus in Seoul.

The concert venue was humble, but accentuated the romantic and youthful vibe that the artist was aiming to convey.

Young K kicked off his solo concert with “waited,” one of the side tracks in his first full-length album “Letters with notes” which dropped on Monday.

“The opening to today’s set list is also the first track in my new album. While working on this song, I imagined the moment I finally stepped on stage to meet you. The first words that came to my mind were, ‘I’m nervous,’ and that’s how I started the lyrics. Then I wanted to ask if you’ve been well and eaten well. I’m so happy to be performing in front of you,” said Young K to his fans who had filled up the last day of his three-day concert held at Kwangwoon University’s Donghae Culture and Arts Center in Nowon-gu, Seoul.

His comeback with a new album and a concert comes after a two-year hiatus due to his mandatory military service.

Young K's explaining of the story behind each song after his performance, and the short distance between the stage and the audience gave the concert a music talk show look and feel.

He performed a set list of 21 songs that not only consisted of his previous hits, but also of all the tracks of his new album, to which many in the audience had already memorized by heart.

His fans held up round white fan lights and sang along to all of his songs.

“Today is Sunday and the album is yet to be released officially, but I confidently passed the mic over to you guys. I’m nervous to hear what you think of my new album. But I have this trust that you would look forward to my new pieces. Because of you, I have a stage to stand and sing on,” said Young K.

The concert was fruitful, with songs of diverse genres that allowed Young K to boast his vocal talent.

He skillfully changed from his natural voice to falsetto and from low-key tones to high notes.

Young K, who is also a member of the world-renowned K-pop boy band Day6, did not forget to include English songs such as “babo” and “Maybe Next Time” in his concert’s setlist.

The last day of his concert was also livestreamed via Beyond Live for his fans around the world.

The artist also took some time to cast the spotlight on his band session by giving them some solo performance time.

He also called out guitarist Kim Ki-yoon from the band session to the center stage to cover three foreign songs.

Sitting on a stool, he sang Maroon 5’s “Memories,” Bart Howard and Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.”

Then, Young K and guitarist Ki-yoon received song requests from the audience and held improvised performances.

The artist’s witty words and active communication with the audience made this part of the concert seem like a radio program.

The last song of the day was “Guard You,” the high-pitched title track of Young K’s LP.

Even after more than two hours of singing, Young K showed off his clean high-pitched vocal talent.

After he went downstage, his fans held up banners that read “We will remember this summer we’ve spent with you, Young K” and called for an encore.

“Like you said, this summer will be forever remembered. I was really worried about preparing for this solo concert because I wasn’t sure if I could make it by myself. But I am so glad that you enjoyed it,” said Young K.

He wrapped up the concert with the single “let it be summer” after going around the venue to see his fans closer up.

Dowoon of Day6 was also in the audience, showing his support for Young K.

Young K’s first standalone concert was held on Sept. 1-3 at Kwangwoon University’s Donghae Culture and Arts Center in Seoul.