​At the end of February, Kim Jaeho from the unfortunately now disbanded group History made his solo debut with the song Forever You and I under the pseudonym NANO. The song has a pop beat mixed with retro electronic elements. Jaeho's voice glides smoothly over the melody and reminds us why he was one of the vocalists of the band. Unpretentious, but very fresh and cheerful, the song highlights the romantic side of Jaeho and his beautiful voice. In the lyrics, he tells of the little things that make him fall in love with his girl over and over again. The music video is minimalistic, but manages to perfectly combine bright colors, small symbolic details and Jaheo`s romantic smile.

​If while History existed you missed the fact that Jaeho is a strong vocalist with a wide vocal spectrum, it's not too late to catch up. Most of History`s songs are fast paced, while his strength is in the slower and more sensual vocals. You can clearly hear them in songs like Blue Moon, Easy and Liar. His rapping is also not to be understimated - his parts in their last song Queen and their Japanese comeback Lost are an example of his excellent skills.

With the release of the song Jaeho also revealed the meaning behing his pseudonym NANO. It comes from the sentence 나는 노래 하는 사람 입니다 or "I am a person who sings". He took 나 ("NA" - meaning I) and 노 ("NO" - the first syllable of the word 노래, meaning song).

If all this information came out of the blue for you because you didn`t know what Jaeho was doing after the disbandment of History, I will fill the gaps for you. Some months before History disbanded Jaeho deleted all of his previous Instagram posts and after a long absence from the social medias, he returned with a new name - nnano92. Until then, his account in Instagram was named jaehogram (similar to the ones of two other members of the group - Kuyngil and Sihyoung, respectively ilstagram and sihyoungram). Then it was not clear whether it was a new artistic nickname or just a new name for his account that would no longer associate him with the band.

Although not very active, he occasionally treated us with short covers, such as those of the song Two Melodies by Zion.T and Friends by Justin Bieber. He continues to uplaod such covers so if you do not follow him at Instagram, quickly correct yourself @nnano92.

In the middle of 2017 Jaeho released his first mixtape in Soundcloud. With a total of three songs, [!] shows Jaeho as a producer with a wide range of influences. The first song from the mixtape Bubbly Girl is made in collaboration with the korean-american singer Yaeji, popular with her distinctive combination of country music and hip-hop. The song is an energetic pop song, and while you listen to it you will unconsciously start to shake your head in tact. The second song so so so is in the genres of jazz and blues, which we hear for the first time from Jaeho. Undoubtedly, however, he feels perfectly comfortable in these genres and even raps confidently along. The third song Don`t go is a successful mix of RnB and Soul and also has a very rich sound. Its weak part is in the fact that at some places his voice is modified for a stronger effect, but to me it is unnecessary and does only harm to the song.

PS. These are actually not Jaeho's first independent projects... Even before the disbandment of History and before choosing the name NANO, he was involved in the first digital single of the singer 달(D.A.L) under the pseudonym Bignose. Various sources claim that the rest of History's members gave him this nickname because his nose was very large and plump after sleep. I would have been pleased even if he kept this nickname, but as he NANO seems much more aware of herself and the direction he wants to follow in his career.

♥

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Author: Emilia Kircheva

In his interview for Jing Talk Show, the musician reveals the hardships his family has faced in the past as well as the hardship he faces now as a complete artist. While he talks and smiles ever so subtly I can't shake off the feeling that he is completely honest. His urge to create music out of the k-pop box that has the main audience of young adult girls shines through. Okay and Papillon are connected almost by a plot line in this order. In Okay we see the backstory, the roots to all of his nuanced emotions. In the video for the song, we witness strong symbolism and elements that connect with the video for Papillon. Jackson reveals that both MVs are made with thought and everything in them (especially in Okay) can be food for interpretation.

Both songs I loved immediately. They are just so true to him as an artist and a creator. Music that is made with love and a need - as if it just needed to be sang. The moods in the two songs are completely different and both of them as a whole is absolutely tremendously different than his Wang Puppy alter ego from the past. Jackson Wang used to be just a funny guy. Now, he is a brilliant artist which I come back to not to get a laugh but to get good music.

I told myself that I'll be okay - is a dominant line throughout Okay. Makes me wonder how often all of us need to repeat it to ourselves just so we don't fall apart. Makes me wonder how often he said it to himself? So much, it needed to be sang to the world. 

The official Instagram of Jackson Wang
The songs by Jackson Wang in iTunes

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