Part of his forthcoming album 'Magic Man,' Wang first performed the track at this year's Coachella
Global superstar Jackson Wang is unstoppable. After a successful comeback with his group GOT7 this year, lending his vocals on Minions: The Rise of Gru’s OST and festival appearances, Wang gives us a taste of what we can expect from his highly anticipated solo debut album Magic Man. Titled “Cruel,” the latest release hits streaming platforms three months after the singer-songwriter performed the track at this year’s Coachella.
Similar to the previous pre-release singles, “Cruel” shows us a different side of Wang with the GOT7 member harnessing the power of grunge-pop to accentuate the phenomenal performer that resides within him. While both “Blow” (the March 2022 release) and “Cruel” thrives under the overarching pop-rock umbrella, “Cruel” sees Wang dial up the tension further with crunchy, distorted guitar riffs as opposed to Nineties hard rock riffs we saw in “Blow.” Given the single’s fantasy-esque visual treatment and storyline, “Cruel’s” dark soundscape is a fitting choice for the track. Vocally, Wang doesn’t digress drastically from his signature sultry vocalizations, which for the record, is for the best.
Singing about an electrifying relationship, the protagonist is bubbling with confidence and lust as he declares his intentions out loud; “I’m coming back to you/ So I really hope that you don’t mind/ I know you want me, too/ Even though you’re not mine/ You got that look in your eyes.” With “Blow” exploring a similar storyline, off late, motifs of forbidden love seem to be intriguing Wang.
Visually, “Cruel” sees Wang take up the role of an unconventional wizard, fighting off all dark forces in his way to ultimately face a powerful temptress. After an action-packed sequence of martial-arts-inspired moves and emotive choreographed routines, Wang emerges victorious, gaining control of the dark world.
Following GOT7’s decision to leave their previous label JYP Entertainment in January 2021, Wang has had his fingers in different jars. From music, fashion and more, the Chinese superstar is slowly taking over the world, one performance at a time. Recently, Wang was announced to be part of Indonesia’s We The Fest, where he will be performing this September. He is also scheduled to host a party at the Marquee nightclub in Singapore this August, becoming the first international artist to host a party at the nightclub. The singer-entrepreneur has also launched a new line of summer apparel under Team Wang Designs.
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