CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa Cuts an Illustrious Title Track of His Second Mini Album, ‘Your City’

The title track of Jung Yong-hwa’s second mini-album, Your City—his domestic solo album six years following his debut mini-album, Do Disturb in 2017—heralds the return of Yong-hwa, the leader, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of the famed Korean rock band CNBLUE.

“Your City,” the title song, an alternative indie music piece, opens with a simpatico whistle setting the mood before Jung affirms it with his singing preceding the subsequent chorus section. It has a low riff and a seductive rhythmic groove from the electric guitar. Its lyrics express a sense of letting go of a loved one who has undergone a radical change: “Every day out of the blue / Your mind changed in a hurry / Gotta let you go / No more room for me.”

The song is an episode of grieving a painful romance, leaving the glitzy city of the loved one while feigning indifference. It’s akin to being simultaneously happy and sad following a breakup. A chic Jung in the music video is rocking a blue shirt paired with a white suit. The colors, I imagine, are an excellent analogy for a melancholy spirit, together with the ease, calm, and comfort that comes from releasing the burden of the past. Jung’s powerhouse R&B vocals—he is one of my favorites in the Korean music scene—resonate throughout the video, as does his presence. He emerges as a sharp cut against the cityscape, with an ascending, arresting vocal range.

There’s no turning back/So long, baby/I’ll leave your city, girl.” Jung cries as the MV progresses, fretting his resolve to dissolve this relationship. He takes a step forward, yanks off his blazer, picks up the guitar, and begins fervently strumming. The accompaniment gets more and more intense, in keeping with the swelling melody. His heartfelt urges ripple like surges, growing into the gorgeous number that it is. As the melody crescendos and rain begins to pour in, Jung reiterates, “I’ll leave your city, girl,” letting go of his umbrella and standing still soaking. 

I see “Your City” as the resurrection of Jung Yong-hwa in K-pop. His voice—entirely, intrinsically effortless, invariably beautiful—is one that fluidly modulates, oaring from low to high notes, evoking the gravity and significance of his songs.