Okay, not actually 10 years ago today, more like 10 years and three days because “Just” released originally on February 2nd 2015. But close enough, lol. Welcome back to another 10-anniversary series! 🎉 🎉 Last time we discussed 9MUSES and “Drama”. Today we’re discussing “Just” from the single album, Young by Zion.T and Crush.
I don’t remember how I first discovered this song. I think it was likely a Pandora find. While looking for a picture of the album art, this thumbnail is just a screenshot of Spotify’s art on Google, lol, btw. Anyway, I noticed that they got a music show win from Show Champion. But it links to an All Kpop article, which is a big nope for me. But here’s a screenshot of that for proof.
It’s a cute pic of them together. Then I noticed that “Just” charted on 8 different music charts, but the source for that is Koreaboo, who’s another nope for me.
However, I did look at Zion.T’s discog on Wikipedia, and it says went to number one in Korea (probs Gaon/Circle Chart or something). Wiki doesn’t show chart placement in the US, but it did sell over 1.5 million in Korea. I feel like this was really a high point in Zion.T’s career. I remember this being like this man is everywhere at the moment. This wasn’t that long after “Deja Boo” released with Jonghyun from SHINee. And a year after his biggest hit to date, “Yanghwa Bridge” dropped. A classic 🤌🏾.
Then Crush started gaining more traction in 2016, I remember “woo ah” being the first track of his I was obsessed with. Still obsessed with, honestly. It’s so good. But both singers being a part of Amoeba Culture (damn, they hardly have anyone signed there anymore. I remember when they were POPPIN) at the time, this was a perfect match. We have a couple of great Zion.T and Crush songs, but as separate artists, man we’ve got some phenomenal R&B tracks individually. I’m tempted to do a fave songs article on both of them at some point, *adds to article ideas list*.
And that’s why I love “Just” so much. Pure R&B, chill vibes going on. I mean, it’s a sad song, but you can help but to sway and vibe to it. The instrumentals are great. The ‘dododoos’, ‘nanananas’ and other harmonizing going on are catchy and fills in perfectly for moments where there aren’t actual words being sung. You have a piano (done by Yoon Seok Chul) mixed into in the beat.
The beat itself is jazzy, coffee shop vibes. I keep talking about this, but I just love the Korean take on jazz and coffee shop music. It just hits different. There’s a minimalist sound going on, and that just makes everything more pronounced and detailed. Because there isn’t a lot of production going on, the vocals and instrumentals stand out more. I love it. The music video is in grayscale, a favorite style of mine, and it’s filmed during winter. So that just adds to the cozy vibes.
I can’t help but to think about “What 2 Do” by Dean, Jeff Bernat, and ding ding, Crush and the winter R&B vibes going on there as well. “What 2 Do” released a year later. Both should be on the same cozy winter R&B playlist, tbh. But I adore this sound (this applies to both “What 2 Do” and “Just”). If you’ve been in the Kpop/Korean music space and haven’t heard “Just” or “Yanghwa Bridge”, I highly, HIGHLY recommend them if you’re a R&B lover like myself.
“Yanghwa Bridge” is slightly slower paced than “Just”. But if you love a good ballad, it’s right up your alley, coming from a girl who actively avoids them 9/10 times. If you’re looking for something a bit faster paced, but you enjoyed “Just”, then yeah, “What 2 Do” will be your speed for sure.
Zion.T and Crush are two of my favorite R&B soloists, so I had to mention “Just” and celebrate the anniversary of its release. It’s not a song that I reach for a lot, but when it does pop up on shuffle, I crank it up.
So what are y’alls thoughts on Crush, Zion.T, and “Just”? Tell me everything in the comments! I think there might be a Quick Thoughts article next, but it could be ENHYPEN and the start of that deep dive series. February is pretty light content wise (so far at least), so that’ll be a great way to fill the month. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Threads, & BlueSky.
I’ll see ya next article!
Take care,
Ash💫