Zico is back and making quite the statement!
On July 12th, the Block B leader and solo artist made his comeback with a new mini-album and MVs for his double title tracks. Although the genres of the songs seem quite different, they actually go hand-in-hand together and deliver quite the message.
Although “Anti,” a track featuring G.Soul was released second, it actually appears to come before “Artist” in chronological order. The emotional song portrays the thoughts of an anti-fan towards Zico, seething with hatred and jealousy as it expresses the bitterness of anti-fans who can’t understand why stars are famous. The lyrics then go on to make the bold statement that it’s not hate comments but a type of fan mail and that celebrities should accept it because it’s part of the price that comes with the career they choose.
The video itself is dark and eerie, perfectly capturing the toxicity that comes along with such targeted and bitter hatred towards another human. The set is filled with fire, snakes, rotten food, and spooky imagery as the anti-fan sits on his couch and judges Zico on TV. The most powerful moment in the MV comes when it shows how anti-fans’ words start to get into the minds of the celebrities when Zico takes off a mask and reveals the anti-fan is none other than himself.
The first video released is entitled “Artist” and is a total 180 in terms of delivery and aesthetic. It does continue with its theme of the anti-fans versus artist concept, however, it does so in a completely different manner. A retro-style TV gives a glimpse of the anti-fan from the previous video, but Zico switches the TV off before talking about being lonely and bored. He then talks about wanting to go back to a blank canvas and essentially prove everyone wrong by painting it brightly and boldly, leading everyone to see he’s an artist.
The MV for this song shows other artists as well, including a group of young school girls who show off their impressive dance moves in what seems to be a nod to all the kids who dream of becoming idols and musicians too. Even Block B member U-KWON makes a cameo appearance as Zico flippantly brushes off the haters and starts focusing on making art for himself, thus ending things by making it a powerful and positive statement that he is going to keep on doing music and enjoying every minute of it.
The tracks are off Zico’s newest mini-album, Television.
Make sure to check out the music videos below, and let us know what you think!
Media: Seven Seasons Entertainment