If you let him have his creative freedom, K-Pop GOT7 member Jackson Wang is full of diverse ideas, different concepts and knows how to execute them beautifully. Not one song and music video that I have seen of his solo work is like the other. Combined with the punchy powers of Swedish electronic dance music duo Galantis (consisting of Christian Karlsson and Linus Eklow) and you’ve got their latest collaborative release, ‘Pretty Please’.
The song speaks of romantic pursuits, but more so, the very first spark of what could be an epic relationship. Jackson Wang sings, “Don’t hate me, give love a chance. Don’t need your heart, just need your hands.” Perhaps affectionately, intimately, playfully, with a desire of wanting to dance with a partner or… all the above? This is all open to interpretation, but for sure is it damn romantic and sexy as hell. Jackson continues, “Knew from the start that this won’t end. Don’t you tease me, please? Pretty, please?” The song is extremely catchy, captivating and generously showcases his surprisingly impressive vocals. Honestly, he’s never sounded better. His falsetto is so impressive in this song. And with Jackson asking so politely – how can you resist? I really do hope that this isn’t the last time Jackson Wang and Galantis work together because the song is so unbelievably good.
The visuals also add another dimension to the song. The music video for ‘Pretty Please’, which Jackson Wang was also creatively behind, is nostalgic, stylish, romantic and practically a short film. Considering that I thoroughly enjoy film, Asian cinema and I am a film critic, I LOVED this. The music video has very reddish and yellowy tones, reminiscent to old photographs and wonderfully pays tribute to classic Hong Kong films that Jackson Wang was inspired by and that many, like me, grew up watching as a kid. This nod to Hong Kong cinema is even stronger by the tiniest gesture of Jackson Wang quickly hiding behind a bin when trying to pursue his love interest. This made me laugh and specifically reminded me of legendary Hong Kong martial artist and actor Jackie Chan because of Jackson’s comic timing, as Chan is universally renowned for combining marital arts with humour. While Jackson doesn’t do any marital art tricks in the music video (because not every Asian can do this, seriously), he makes up for with extremely mesmerising choreography, not to mention dancing in the rain. My jaw may have been hanging while watching just a little…
For dedicated Jackson Wang fans, you will notice that actress, Joni Liu, from Jackson’s previous music video and single ‘100 Ways’ is back again in ‘Pretty Please’. Perhaps Jackson is hinting at continuity between the two music videos and stories? Is there really a connection? Was the previous single’s music video showcasing the characters in a past life?
While the digital single of ‘Pretty Please’ does actually include previous single ‘100 Ways’, we really can’t be too sure what it all means, apart from the fact that Jackson Wang’s multiple talents are undeniable. What we can be sure of is that ‘Pretty Please’ is a banger and you need to listen to it now.
