Chinese superstar LAY Zhang released the second part of his LIT album on July 21st!
Six new tracks are featured on the second half of the LIT album to finally complete the twelve-track collection that the singer has painstakingly prepared for the public. The pre-release single, entitled “Boom,” boasts tropical and hip-hop elements and was revealed earlier this month to give eager fans a taste of what was heading their way!
Co-composed, co-written, and co-arranged by LAY himself, each item on his studio album is crafted to effectively deliver his stories. Being hands-on during the production process also guaranteed that his vision of connecting two separate cultures and two different sounds remained firmly intact.
LIT is LAY’s fourth studio album, a project that symbolizes his growth as an artist and the transformations he went through in order to become who he is now. The Chinese character “蓮” that translates to “LIT” stands for a religious belief about the duality of life and death. The same symbol also stands for the “Lotus Flower,” something which is culturally recognized as something that later blossoms out of the dirt or mud.
As such, these two symbols mirror the duality found in LAY’s album, as well the emergence of a new musical style amidst his signature artistry. Through this new sound, the singer studies concepts such as solitude, arrogance, self-confidence, loyalty, resolution, and courage.
To help conceptualize and materialize his ideas, the singer sought out Grammy Award-winning producers and songwriters Scott Storch and Murda Beatz to create an album that presents a seamless blend of Hip-Hop and Mandopop.
LAY, real name Zhang Yixing, started out in the music industry as part of the idol group EXO in 2012. He eventually branched out as a soloist with “Lose Control” in 2016 and gained brand new recognition for his art. The singer then established himself as the highest-ranked Mandopop star on Billboard 200 with NAMANANA in 2018, making him the first Chinese artist to enter the iTunes Top 60.
He stirred up much attention with the release of his music videos for “Jade” and “Lit” back in May and was also involved in an earlier team-up with equally talented music icons Steve Aoki and will.i.am for the collaboration track, “Love You More.”
Listen to the full album on your favorite streaming platform or check it out below on Spotify!
Let us know your thoughts on Lay’s new song by tweeting to us @whatthekpop1!
Katherine has been an ELF since 2010. She reads just about anything and is raising a pride of demanding cats. She’s been cold and sleepy these past few days, wondering if she really needs to go to work. Being poor and asleep sounds more and more appealing by the moment. But there are cats to feed so too bad for her.
Photos and Lead Image: Courtesy of Zhang Yixing Studio