#manifesting more rock band TXT ✨

[goldennika]

Thoughts on Hueningkai's Lee Mujin Service Episode

aka fangirling over his vocals and rambling about the songs/genres we need to hear more of from him/TXT

In case you've missed it, TXT's Hueningkai appeared on the Lee Mujin Service series as part of their promotions for minisode 3: TOMORROW!

Although TXT has no official roles in the group (aside from leader), Kai and Taehyun are commonly regarded as being the "main vocals" of the group. That said, we don't really see a lot of group or solo activities for them to seriously show off their singing prowess so it's a welcome development to have them both star in Lee Mujin Service!

As an aside, I do adore the setup of Lee Mujin Service as it allows idols to showcase their vocals in a non-idol song or context. It's an opportunity for them to demonstrate their vocal range and their personal styles and tastes. I also like how they rearrange their title tracks to bring a new dimension to it, and the duet covers at the end are refreshing as we get to hear them sing with other artists (in this case, Lee Mujin)!

In this piece, I'll be reacting to the songs he performed in the episode and touch on previous covers and performances that highlight his perceived strengths. I'm no music expert so this could be a bit ramble-y and not very technical but I just wanted to highlight what I enjoyed about his feature and what I'd love to hear more of in the future. Let's get into it!

Deja Vu

The episode starts off with Kai's solo rendition of their title track, Deja Vu. If you've read through my earlier posts and reactions to TXT's music before, you'd know I love a good acoustic and/or band arrangement. I think it really allows you to focus more on the lyrics and the vocals. Kai has such strong vocals and with a stripped down arrangement, you get to better appreciate the power and emotions he pours into a track!

Ghost Town cover (originally by Benson Boone)

Mujin captured it perfectly when he described Kai’s voice as “far-reaching” because as I was listening to this cover, I thought that his voice was really carrying through my earphones.

I love hearing Kai singing in a lower register as I think his voice sounds so deep and rich, and what’s great about this track is that it also has moments wherein he goes in a higher and lighter tone and the contrast is so so beautiful, it's almost haunting 🥹

Mercy cover snippet (originally by Shawn Mendes)

Kai using his lovely lower register again. His voice really does carry and fills the entire room and that gravitas makes him a delight to watch.

A Flying Butterfly cover (originally by YB)

This may sound weird but when he was singing this, musical theater came to mind and I mean that in the best way possible!! I don’t speak Korean but it sounds like he enunciates so well, each and every word is so clear and there is palpable emotion in every line.

He makes those high and prolonged notes seem so effortless and powerful at the same time. And that last line?? Just... wow 😳

Mommae cover snippet (originally by Jay Park)

Kai before and after singing Mommae 😂

I'd have to agree with Mujin when he said that it wasn’t that Kai doesn’t suit the song, it’s just that he as being awkward about it!! If Kai had committed to the bit,Ii honestly think he’d have us all sweating over that Mommae cover 🥵 

Gravity cover (originally by John Mayer)

I enjoyed the contrast between Kai’s fuller voice and the airy quality of Mujin’s vocals. They bring such different energies to the song but it works out well.

Idk how to explain it, but Kai's vocals in Gravity are so college band heartthrob coded 🙈

So it makes sense that before the Gravity cover performance, Kai mentioned that if he would debut as a soloist, he’d like to go the rock band route and recruit the rest of TXT to join him 😂

On a more serious note, I would really love if Kai got to use his lower register and powerful belts more, and if got more rock/rock-inspired tracks from TXT as I think it suits their voices so well! Let’s look at the evidence, shall we?

0X1=LOVESONG

We can't talk about (pop) rock TXT without mentioning the queen, 0X1=LOVESONG 👑 The energy, the growls, the emotions. It's all here 😩

Endless Rain 

Everyone remembers where they were when Kai hit (and sustained!!) that chills-inducing high note at 6:39 😵‍💫 When he mentioned his vocal strength was in "screaming" (idk how accurate the subs were in Lee Mujin), this was the performance that instantly came to mind. I'm never moving on from this stage.

Good Boy Gone Bad 2022 KBS Song Festival

Love this guitar-heavy treatment of GBGB! And 4:51 marks the growl heard around the world. Around this time, there were lots of rumors about them lipsyncing so they said, let's show them our mics are always on.

I can't find the live or behind footage where they talked about this year-end stage performance but I recall Kai saying that he was playing around with his vocals even more for that adlib (note change and all) but decided against it bc it would have been a bit much 😅

And have you seen them do tiktok dubs/lipsyncs? They're hilariously bad bc they can not lipsync for their lives 😭

Skipping Stones

Couldn't decide on which version to include so I placed both bc the vocals and instrumental talent deserve to be highlighted!!

When the live clip of the maknaes dropped, best believe I was screaming bc wdym my fave track from Freefall is getting a promotion?? and we have beomkai on guitar and bass??? THEY DID THIS FOR ME

And then the Tiny Desk Korea video dropped and it was like everything was right in the world again. The vocals and live band were immaculate, I tell you 😩

And all the members love this song and that was evident during the ACT: SWEET MIRAGE Finale shows where you'd see them singing along to the song even when it wasn't their turn 🥺

Youngblood cover

Kai wanting to form a rock band is perfect bc can you see/hear the vision???? I also loved the OT5 cover of Youngblood they did during Freeze era. This cover was recorded in 2021 I think, so imagine how it would be if they redid this now that his voice has matured, their skills have improved even more, and they're more confident too 😵‍💫

Quarter Life

I have mixed feelings about this track but firmly believe this should have been Beomgyu's song if he had more lines bc are we all hearing him???? The growl and the emotion reminds me so much of 0x1=LOVESONG (wherein it was Taehyun's raspy vocals that got me in a chokehold) so when I say that TXT can pull off a (rock) band concept, I mean all of them!!

Anyway that's all I have for now. If you've read everything, thank you so much for taking the time to appreciate Kai's vocals and explore rock TXT with me!

If you have other performances you'd love to add or any thoughts to share, please reblog or leave a reply!