Few artists in the world have mastered the art of conveying a message as well as Jackson Wang did, and his album Magic Man 2 proves that in every way. Filled with songs taken directly from Jackson’s diaries and MVs that connect to one another and tell a story from beginning to end, MM2 doesn’t just talk about growth, it shows it in every aspect.
Storytelling Through Song
Jackson stated multiple times that this is a self-serving album, it was what he wanted to say, the way he wanted to say it and with the exact words he wanted to use. Pulling inspiration from his diaries made each song feel deeply personal in a way that claws at our heartstrings and makes us relate to the album that much more. Showing the recovery process after a difficult time in his life from feeling like everything is lost in ‘High Alone’ all the way to the healing found with ‘Made Me A Man’ falls perfectly in line with who Jackson has always shown himself to be: driven, determined and open about who he is and what he goes through with his audience.
The songs divided into four chapters, “manic highs,” “losing control,” “realization” and “acceptance” reflect the grieving process and how the only way to get past it is to go straight through and face your feelings (be it anger, sadness, love, regret, etc.,) traumas and scars in order to heal from them.
‘High Alone’ and ‘Not For Me’ start off the album showing Jackson’s lowest point, full of doubts, anger and insecurities. Then songs like ‘Hate to Love’ and ‘Everything’ show a frustration with the fact that no matter what we do, some people will never see it as enough. And then the ending trio, ‘Dear:,’ ‘Sophie Ricky’ and ‘Made Me A Man’ come showing the calm after the storm, having voice notes from his parents, his answer to all their support in form of a song and finally the acceptance that everything he went through (good or bad) made Jackson who he is today… yeah, that got us and we may or may not have cried a little bit over it.
Jackson Calls Them MV’s, We Call Them Masterpieces
Beyond the lyricism we all fell in love with, Jackson Wang is also known for his visual work, and boy does that show in the MVs for Magic Man 2. Each of the music videos connects to the next from the powerful and dark metaphor of the water tank in ‘High Alone’ and the traitorous squid from ‘GBAD’ all the way to the shedding of the Magic Man persona at the end of ‘Made Me A Man’.
The songs themselves already convey clear messages about each moment of the grieving process Jackson went through, but seeing those lyrics and melodies combined with these insanely detailed and powerful visuals? That elevates the experience of Magic Man 2 even more.
Also, if you’re a nerd like us who enjoys seeing how things get made, we highly recommend checking out the behind-the-scenes for these MVs on YouTube. It gives each work even more depth and in our opinion, enhances the viewing experience even more.
The Message Magic Man 2 Leaves
Finally, we can’t leave without mentioning what we took away from this album. Aside from being a masterclass in storytelling through music, MM2 is also the type of album you go back to when you need a pick-me-up on a hard day. It reminds us that we can face whatever hardships life throws our way even if we need to just feel angry about them at first in order to process the rest of our emotions later.
We also have to highlight our takeaways from a couple specific songs. Such as ‘GBAD,’ we’ll never get tired of saying how much this song helped make clear that as much as we want to help others, we also have to prioritize ourselves, even if that means being the villain in someone else’s story, or simply “life is great, just gotta be a d*ck sometimes.” Another line that has stuck with us for ages is ‘High Alone’s “people only judge you for your past, but no one knows what’s in your mind until you actually do it,” which acts as a reminds us to just do it. Even in the midst of chaos, we can still find the strength to keep going for what we want.
Now we want to know what are your thoughts on Magic Man 2? Tell us at @TheHoneyPOP on Twitter, or come find us on Instagram and/or Facebook. We’d love to have a chat!
Want more K-Pop content in your life? We got you, honey!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JACKSON WANG:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEIBO | YOUTUBE
