K-pop stars Ten and YangYang of WayV on their single Low Low, how it turned from ‘heavy hip-hop’ into a carefree summery song, and the fun they had making it
- Low Low wasn’t meant to be such a cheery song, the K-pop pair confess, having intended to put out a hard hip-hop number, but they like how it turned out
- YangYang liked having more input and more lines to sing than when performing as part of WayV, a septet, while Ten compares it to his own single Paint Me Naked
When WayV’s Ten and YangYang began working on what would become their August duet Low Low, they thought it would be really different. Forget about the cheery feel of what they did release, they wanted hard hip-hop.
“Before Low Low, the A&R team asked us about what songs we wanted to do as a duet,” Ten reveals over a video call, referring to the artists and repertoire team in charge of helping the artists find tracks to work on. “I was like, ‘We want to do something very hip-hop, very strong’.”
YangYang and Ten passed on a lot of ideas, including some songs for reference, and were excited to hear what the A&R team had for them. Then they heard the opening notes of Low Low.
“‘Oh, that’s heavy hip-hop?’” Ten says with a laugh, recalling his response to hearing the song’s opening up-tempo beats, which he hums for emphasis.
Since being a pop star is a business, the A&R staff ultimately convinced them that the summery, upbeat feel of Low Low would be the best direction for them for the moment.
“‘Since WayV’s releasing heavier songs, is it OK if you two do some carefree, happy hip-hop now as a trial run, and do something else later?’” he recalls the conversation going.