If you enjoy Korean ballads and the more melancholic side of K-pop, you are likely familiar with Kim Hyung-soo, better known as K.Will. Since making his debut in 2007, the artist has established himself as a singer with one of the most powerful voices in the Korean music industry. K. Will is also affectionately referred to as the “Prince of OST” thanks to his contributions to K-drama soundtracks.

Vocally, K. Will demonstrates an impressive range, maintaining a lovely tone while displaying extraordinary control. His ability to project emotions through his music is exceptional. The singer’s voice blends together strength and finesse, and whether he is performing solo or collaborating with other artists, he distinguishes himself with his distinctive vocal tone and impeccable delivery.

Since his debut, K. Will has been active in the music industry, occasionally pausing to focus on his life. His first EP, Dropping the Tears, dropped in 2009, and later that year, he revealed his second album, Missing You. In 2010, he released the hit single Present, and the year after, he gifted his fans with the single Amazed. His second mini-album, My Heart Beating, became his first number-one single on the Gaon Digital Chart. 

In 2012, K. Will released his third mini-album, I Need You followed by The 3rd Album, Part 1, featuring the hit single Please Don’t.… The song received international attention, especially for its music video, which featured an unexpected romantic twist. Although I could continue to highlight the singer’s impressive musical achievements, I want to focus on his latest release, No Sad Song For My Broken Heart, which connects directly to the themes and narrative style of Please Don’t…, both lyrically and visually. 

No Sad Song For My Broken Heart, the lead single from K. Will’s seventh mini-album, All the Way, explores themes of heartbreak, emotional struggle, and the difficulty of moving on after the end of a significant relationship. Similar to Please Don’t…, many fans enjoyed interpreting the meaning of the music video (featuring Ahn Jaehyun and Seo In-guk), especially its LGBTQIA+ references. As a member of the community, I would like to first analyse the song from a general perspective, focusing solely on the lyrics and my personal feelings. However, I will also briefly add my opinion on the latest music video, based on visuals, later in this article.

“Today, you’re leaving me again / I still feel like I’m saying goodbye / Hoping that maybe it’ll get better / But when I open my eyes / Nothing has changed”. I would like to think that these opening lyrics depict the singer’s or the characters’ experience of a repeated sense of loss and farewell, with each day feeling like a fresh goodbye, indicating that the pain of the breakup is ongoing and persistent. Despite hoping that things might improve over time, whoever the protagonists of the song are, they wake up to find their situation unchanged, emphasising a sense of despair and unrelenting sorrow.

While many K-pop artists or groups shy away from expressing real emotions through their music, K. Will brings a great sense of emotional depth. Although we can’t always discern if the emotions are entirely his own, the way he delivers the lyrics is truly incredible. This is seen in the pre-chorus as well: “I want to cry out loud for you to see / But even that’s not easy”. Here, the narrator expresses a desire to openly show grief and pain, hoping that the other person might understand the depth of the feelings. However, he finds it difficult to express his emotions, suggesting an internal struggle with vulnerability or perhaps a fear of appearing weak.

K. Will then moves into more powerful words: “There’s no breakup song for me / One that hides my feelings when I sing / I want to say that it’s killing me / But maybe that kind of breakup doesn’t exist”. In the chorus, the narrator “cries” over the absence of a song that accurately reflects an experience of heartbreak. It feels like he wishes for a song that can both conceal and convey his emotions, indicating a need for privacy and expression at the same time. The idea that “maybe that kind of breakup doesn’t exist” suggests the narrator’s pain and the difficulty in finding something that echoes completely with his characters’ situation.

The second verse, “I feel like something’s broken / When people laugh and cry, I just have a blank stare / Maybe I was too confident / Since I didn’t even try to hold on to you”, goes deeper into the narrator’s emotional state, describing a sense of being broken and disconnected from the usual human experiences of joy and sorrow. It feels like he reflects on his past behaviour, questioning whether his confidence led to complacency in the relationship. This self-examination reveals feelings of regret and self-reproach for not fighting harder to maintain the connection.

The repetition of the chorus, “There’s no breakup song for me / One that hides my feelings when I sing / I want to say that it’s killing me / But maybe that kind of breakup doesn’t exist anymore / There’s no other person for me / I can’t be as honest as I was with you / No matter how much I hit everything, I have / It doesn’t hurt more than your name”, strengthens the central theme of searching for a relatable emotional outlet when it comes to heartbreak. K. Will masterfully conveys every word of the song, and his voice captures you from the first seconds of it.

No Sad Song For My Broken Heart, brings up the intense emotions connected with a breakup, including the difficulty of finding closure, the sense of ongoing grief, and the longing for a way to express these complex feelings. The lyrics articulate a universal experience of loss and the struggle to move forward, echoing anyone who has faced a heart-breaking separation. And when you look at the MV itself, these lyrics become even more powerful. 

K. Will’s music video is a must-watch; it is a powerful piece of filmmaking that will leave you in tears by the end. While we are all free to interpret the visuals, many agree that, like the singer’s 2012 hit Please Don’t…, this video might reflect LGBTQIA+ themes. Although I don’t like assuming or pointing out direct interpretations, it’s hard to overlook how beautifully that love is expressed and depicted in the music video. Whether it’s aimed at those struggling to come out or those already in a same-sex relationship, this should be left for the artist to clarify. The music video itself focuses on the emotional journey of two young men sharing a special bond, exploring themes of love, loss, and, I would like to think, the challenges faced in LGBTQIA+ relationships.

As you watch the MV, you gradually start to understand the possible meaning behind the lyrics. It shows that one of the characters, with K. Will as the narrator, wants to express his pain openly but finds it difficult, possibly due to societal pressures or personal reasons.

Hearing the phrase “maybe that kind of breakup doesn’t exist” made me feel like these words suggest a resignation to the fact that the experience of the main characters is commonly unrepresented in music or culture. And when it is represented, it often feels more like queerbaiting than genuine expression.

Looking at Please Don’t… and its continuity in No Sad Song For My Broken Heart, both MVs portray a subtle narrative of unfulfilled love, deep regret, and, in my opinion, the search for representation and understanding in the context of LGBTQIA+ relationships. The singer’s struggle with expressing the characters’ emotions and the sense of isolation in their pain reflects broader themes of societal challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals. While we could analyse the video in many ways, only K. Will knows the true narrative behind it. However, I love it when artists give us the freedom to interpret their work, as this allows them more opportunities to create stunning music in the future.

K. Will has been in my heart since 2007, and every time he releases a new album or single, I never know how to handle my emotions. His music is sustenance for my soul, and it always will be.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Starship Entertainment

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