Jackson Wang speaks many languages but doesn’t seem to know the meaning of “taking a break” in any of them. Not that we’re complaining, of course. We love to see his creativity at work, and from what we can tell, his new single ‘Thank You’ is just the beginning of a brand new era we cannot wait for. No, seriously, he’s said in a recent live he already has three albums ready. But right now, we need to talk about Jackson’s thank you letter for his fans and first release after signing with Roc Nation management, ‘Thank You.’
It’s not news to anyone how much Jackson Wang cares about his fans, but hearing all that love in song form brought tears to our eyes. In ‘Thank You,’ we see Jackson at his most vulnerable, thanking his audience for always staying by his side despite the storms and hard times. But we wonder if he knows he’s done the same for us as the audience. From lifting our spirits on the hard days to being the soundtrack of the good ones, Jackson’s music is always there for us, so we hope he knows this is a two way street.
“Wanna meet you like day one
You’re the reason why I become
Zero to a hundred now
Used to talking to the mirror ’cause no one’s there
Hate to say it, but I’m just a product
Among a million others if I’m being honest”
From the very first verse we’re already emotional. The genuine love this man has for his fans is unmatched, and ‘Thank You’ is further proof of it. We will say, though, Jackson may think he’s “just a product” being an artist, but we as the audience see him as so much more than that. He’s one of the most honest and real people we’ve seen in the industry and it’s truly refreshing to see it, it’s one of the many reasons why we admire him so much.
“I can be your weather man
Telling you what’s the day like with no middle man
I wanna be your fan if I could choose again
If you really think about it
Through all of the filters
It should’ve been about us”
Once again, we see Jackson be very clear about the type of relationship he wants with his audience: clear, direct and without filters. We’d say he’s been pretty successful at that so far, and we can’t wait to see what else comes in the future. To quote his heartfelt Weibo update: “I don’t need a middleman, and I don’t need any filtering. Because from day one, this has always been about me and you. […] I hope you can understand me as much as possible. Not through what others tell you about what kind of person I am, not through guesses, or the version of me you imagine. But truly knowing what kind of person Jackson really is.”
“There were heavy storms and hurricanes that might’ve destroyed ya
Got you questioning if you really know me the way that I know ya
I been soaking wet but you’re standing in the rain with me
I know it’s hard to be loyal”
Quick question for Jackson: are you aware that it’s not that hard to be loyal when you keep giving us reasons to do so? The only possible response we could have as an audience to such amazing and dedicated artists is to keep supporting them. All we’re doing is giving back the same energy we receive from Jackson since day one.
In the MV, he appears surrounded by past versions of himself: the student, the gymnast, the fencer, the GOT7 and solo debuts, the Magic Man… It’s like he’s saying “you’ve been there for every version of me and decided to stay, thank you.” On the other hand, we also want to thank Jackson for allowing us to be a part of his journey as an artist and we hope to be around to see what else he comes up with in the future.
Still on the topic of the stunning black&white ‘Thank You’ MV, we have to mention how it was shot with the help of the people the song is for: his fans. The several versions of Jackson that appear around him are all played by fans from all over the world who signed up to be part of a “mystery project” a while ago. Turns out it was one of the best MVs of the year.
Finally, we just want to say this: we’ll always let you be a wild child because you’ve shown us it’s okay to be one, Jackson.
What did you think of Jackson’s new single? What are your expectations for this era? 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 in your life? We got you, honey!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JACKSON WANG:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEIBO | YOUTUBE
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