Our next Ode To The Artist is none other than Kang Daniel. If you’re looking for guaranteed bops and great performances, keep on reading.
Debut
Kang Daniel was a participant in the survival show ‘Produce 101’ where he ended up winning the second season. Because of that he was able to land a spot in the temporary group Wanna One. If you were into K-pop at all during 2017, you probably have heard of the band as they were insanely popular.
Their debut single ‘Energetic’ still is a bop and I won’t hear anything against it.
After a very successful one and a half years with Wanna One, Kang Daniel debuted as a solo artist after a couple of months of hiatus. He established his own entertainment company; KONNECT Entertainment.
Solo Debut
He released his first solo EP in July 2019. The title track of ‘Color on Me’ was really well-received. The song, ‘What are you up to’ is a catchy, summer track with a fun layering.
A couple of months later, he released the single album ‘TOUCHIN’’ with two singles.
Those two were also featured on his 2020 EP ‘CYAN’.
He released the special single ‘Refresh’ with Zico for the brand Pepsi
Again in 2020 he released his next EP ‘MAGENTA’ with the title track ‘Who U Are’.
My favorite of that EP is the track ‘Waves’ featuring Simon Dominic and JAMIE. That song is such a vibe.
His first release in 2021 was the EP ‘YELLOW’ with the title track ‘ANTIDOTE’ and the pre-released single ‘PARANOIA’.
The last single released by Kang Daniel is ‘Outerspace’ featuring Loco which we wrote about here.
Overall
I find Kang Daniel’s trajectory very fascinating. His discography leans closely to R&B and blurs the lines between EDM and pop. He has a distinct sound that is easy to look out for and has writing credits on almost all of his tracks. I really recommend diving a bit deeper into his discography beyond the title tracks. It’s well worth it.
He also has a great performing style with clean choreos and great charisma. The man is an all-rounder and I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.
You can find the link to his Instagram and his Spotify here.
