Taeyong for me is an artist in every sense of the word. He lives, breathes, dreams creativity and artistry and he expresses it with his dancing, singing, rapping, performing, writing, etc etc. He might not be everyones cup of tea but the tea quality is undeniable. the rest of the album is just as amazing if not more! its so personal and beautiful. I recommend you watch first Definition of Taeyong so you understand the backstory of every song because its basically a deep dive into his life up until now. My favorites are 404, Virtual Insanity and Ruby and Shalala is sooooooo catchy, I dont get tired of it. BTW! I recommend you react to his Studio Choom!! its so good. also he just got signed as Loewes Global Ambassador BECAUSE of his artistry so hopefully it will provide yet again another venue for him to show how amazing he is!

“a lot of nct sound is bcs taeyong exist” omg agree. he is the most neost neo! taeyong is really nct brand itself! thankyou for your reaction 💗

It goes actually deeper than "just flexing". The message he's trying to tell through it is simply that "no matter where you're from, no matter what situation you're in, you will always find a way to shine". It's just encouragement to not care about social labeling and stereotypes, to be yourself, adapt, and shine. That's why you can see the knight doing well in the advertisement company and getting the employee of the month award even though he wanted to fight his boss at the start, the antisocial gamer taeyong found new challenges with the yetis and started socializing with them, competing and winning, the yeti found himself in the gamers' world and had to overcome the difficulties too, everyone was scared of him but even he at the end learned how to win (pizzas :D). The hacker is constantly trying to mess with God (the stereotypes set by media and people in our world), by messing up the metaverses. Even though at the end God wins by deleting the worlds which the hacker messed with, and "winning", you can see at the very end that this is "take 1 of many", which means that Taeyong(hacker) never stops. Basically, never stop being yourself, shine with your own light and don't let peoples' opinions and stereotypes mold you. Taeyong's artistry is genuinely impressive, his lyricism is well thought through, as you can see on EVERY song on the album. This whole album is composed, written, made entirely by Taeyong (and his close producer friends) and it shows. It's so genuine and even raw (b-side lyrics). Enjoy the album, I know you will!

Taeyong is not just an idol, but more like an artist. His ideas are wild and creative. I am really happy for him to publish his creations. Thank you for your reaction to Taeyong😍😍😍

As a STAY I wanted to help out Taeyong because his fans helped us in a win and I remember one of the music show winner clips in which he looked super sad yet insanely cute.. when I first watched the video I was shocked by his VISUALS like daamnnnnn and his raps and effortless dancing too goodd...been non stop listening to Shalala .... guys suggest me some of his songs pls..

You almost made me cry. You saw and said everything I have had to repeat and fight about with naysayers for weeks. So from now on, when someone comes at me with nonsense...I will send them a link to this reaction and let YOU handle it. Taeyong is in a class by himself on so many levels that some people can't even SEE him. You see him perfectly. Blessings upon you!

i think ty is like the essence of neo. you can take nct out of ty but not ty out of nct if u get it. he is the MAIN attraction. his creativity and artistry is just so uniquely neo. its uniquely taeyong. he is so talented. i am just so happy he got to put this out and truly give everyone a taste of taeyong. you might not get it but you cannot deny the insane pure talent. the drive and the passion that he puts into every aspect of his craft

Love how this song showcases Taeyong’s range of vocal colours and how he can manipulate his voice 💚 thanks for reacting to this

He's a true artist. He embodies this song so perfectly, and it suits him a 100%. I feel like we need more of this in the industry, just letting go and being free, doing whatever the hell you want. Also, this largely reminds me of Hyuna's style, is it just me? Especially Ping Pong.

"The most neo songs of all neo" hahahah I cackled at this because I love how 'neo' has become so descriptive that we all sort of get it. But truly, Tyong is such an artist. If you listen to his full album it's just a RANGE to digest. He's now a producer, leader, vocalist, rapper, great at dancing, has such versatility/individuality and those visuals - no one does it like him! And I gotta say SM really just let him do this thing for this debut solo man like Shalala is not commercial at all, it's not everyone's taste. It's really just establishing who Tyong is. I hope he releases another album before he enlists, I feel like I need more!

yes taeyong is the NEOS of NEO

Shalala as a song an as an album was one of my biggest surprises of the year, Ty is so magnetic as an artist, he DEMANDS your attention. This MV is his entire art persona in a tangible way, and am completely obsessed by his line delivery

Seeing your reaction made me so happy. Taeyong has been my ult bias since SM Rookies and it's been so nice to watch him grow into a solo artist with extremely unique styles in rapping, singing, dance and fashion. This definitely is the most NEO thing I've ever seen but he is literally the epitome of Neo. He also composed and wrote all of the songs on the album. Can't wait for you to react to the bsides!

the neo song, charisma, strong character is just there. this man is unstoppable. it might not be everyone cup of tea but you can't evasive when it comes to talent. neo king after all

So so so underrated. He deserves more recognition.

This concept is so TY and so Neo at its core, I enjoyed everything about his solo debut! Shalala is the perfect example of kpop for me and what makes this music genre so fun and entertaining, and TY IS that entertainer and he KNOWS IT! Thanks for the review, PD!

performance vid was epic too

You get it, you get him. And that's because you look at him from a lense of a creative looking to see what boundary he's stretching/ breaking as a creative himself.

I also didn’t expect him to debut with a song/mv like shalala but it makes sense. It’s a solid first solo debut from nct!

i really love his bsides like gwando, move mood mode, RUBY❤, and 404 file not found HE REALLY GOT ME IMPRESSED!!!!

This is the level of concept and artistry I expect from a true kpop artist. Fantastic album!

duuude I waited so long for this review I KNEW PD WOULD LOVE THIS It truly love taeyong and his artistry he's amazing

THE YELL I LET OUT when I saw this in the recommended

i really recommend giving the rest of the album a listen, RUBY is really emotional and 404 file not found honestly spoke to me in a way i needed rn. very personal, emotional, raw, but also fun and explores so many facets and emotions

Im waiting for taeyong album reaction

I loved it so much. The beat from the teaser already got me hooked before the whole song dropped. The video was so much fun, it was so entertaining to figure out the message as well as visually mesmerizing.

I love his album so much! TY hits different ^^

Thank you so much for taking the time to understand and appreciate both the song and MV! So many people dislike this and write it off without truly giving it a chance, but when you do, it's so fun and clever! There are so many little easter eggs too, both sonically and visually! I love the way Taeyong manipulates his voice and adds so much character to the song! And the rest of the album is incredible! My personal favorite is "404 File Not Found." Btw, you mentioned being familiar with some of Taeyong's other solo tracks, but I only see one other reaction for "Long Flight" on your channel. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see your reaction to any of Taeyong's other solo works or content that you haven't heard yet, whether it's SM stations like "Love Theory", his KZfaq channel videos like "Ghost" and "Lonely," his SoundCloud songs, or even dance practices, behind the scenes, or whatever. I love your analyses! Thank you!

Only Taeyong can do this! All about this Shalala, bcoz he is Taeyong! You know Sir, you are the the best reactor! I couldn't agree more, everything you said is totally literally 100% correct! THANK YOU!

15:42 'he's always been such a tasty performer' That is exactly what it is! The perfect adjective to describe his style. I always respect NCT and Taeyong so so much for comitting to making music that is FUN and entertaining. That really seems to be goal Nr. 1 when it comes to their output and I endlessly appreciate it. I feel like a lot of kpop that tries to be serious and hardcore kind of falls into the middle category of veing neither really all that deep or all that fun and so I respect everyone who COMMITS to being either extremely serious or extremely silly in the name of entertainment. NCT is one of my favorite groups because they're not afraid to be a little goofy with it

This official industry debut was incredible! I'll be honest that I didn't get it at first because I was overstimulated, but various lines throughout the song hooked me in right away that encouraged me to give it another try. After giving the MV another try, I was blown away by how visionary this really is. In the fact that only Taeyong can pull off this type of rap, this dance, this fashion, and this crazy MV. Literally, no one is doing it like him!!! I'm such a fan of him and this song!! I can't wait for you to react to the rest of the album, I love the b-sides so much!!

Thank you for a real and compelling review. I was a bit anxious before the album got out. I am a fan of TAEYONG for many reasons, some you have noted in your video but mostly because he is more than a Kpop idol. He is a true and talented artist whom I would not classify in the Kpop box. No offense to genre intended, but I would put TAEYONG artistry in the indie, alternative genre. His SoundCloud catalogue, really gives you TAEYONG true artistic colours and sounds. He adds his unique signature to the NCT brand, which would not be the same without him. I love his first album, 404 file not found, Back to the Past and Shalala might be my top 3. But then, I love all the tracks. The Bsides are truly a journey into TAEYONG's story and creativity. Thank you again for another great reaction video.

A whole album is really good,

I leave for the full camp many artists go to right now. It was something that people had left behind at some point because they tried to appeal to the West, and even though they are still trying, many of the releases are CAMP and goofy and I love it. (Edit: many releases were camp actually, but they tried to pass it as a serious and cool thing, SuperM says hi, but now they turned back to when KPOP was silly and knew it to the point that is fun and clever and not cringy).

Enjoyed every moment watching your review & loved it Thank you so much for appreciating Taeyong for the brilliant artist that he is.

Thank you for your reaction! It was so much fun watching you❤ Im glad taeyong got to participate in creating both lyrics and composition for every song however the difference between bsides and the title track is huge. side tracks actually more personal and closer to his soundcloud sound! i didn't know what to expect from shalala but when i first heard i was like "oh yeah it makes so much sense" enjoyed it from the first listen

Listen to the full album it's amazing

Please review taeyongs album...please, all the songs are so so good

If you admire the MV .. the story of the song... it's just really a definition of Taeyong.. thats it😊❤

So happy you enjoyed Taeyong’s solo debut!!! And I do hope you enjoy the rest of the album - because it is really an amazing debut. ❤

Yesss finally taeyong.

woah finally taeyong!!

Just when I thought I couldn't love Shalala even more, here comes your reaction PD. Love seeing people's reactions to Shalala!!!!!!!! Thank you for the appreciation and the breakdown of Shalala and Taeyong!

Loved your appreciation of everything put in place. I agree, the mv was perfect for the song. Between the sound, lyrics and mv it was so much fun and addictive! I have been listening it a lot haha Ofc the live stages are insanely good haha

Album review next please

Yes u got the point what about the MV it is😍 so tearful seeing u enjoy so much, thankyou for ur reaction and thankyou for ur adoration to Taeyong🥺 10/10 its so perfect😍

Honestly at first i didn't really get shalala when first see the MV.. Its song make me lost.. Maybe i more like the bside than shalala.. But after see the performance shalala the next day.. Shalala really hit me.. Like "damn this really good".. And after that i think shalala really in my mind anytime...

Thank you so much for this reaction! Likewise I absolutely loved this MV and the metaverse concept and plot in there. When you listen to the B-sides, Taeyong did mention that Gwando was originally meant to be the title track of this album and that's more in line with the sound I expected from his Soundcloud, but I really appreciated Shalala as a title track overall , especially the MV and seeing the choreography and performances.

omg, i thought everything nct related will come out next month and i was patiently waiting, pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the reaction 🤧 shalala is probably like my top 5 among the all the songs in the album, but like i surprisingly really love shalala, but i think i’m connected to the other songs bcs of lyrics and the delivery

I am obsessed with this instrumental at 1.25x 🖤💜

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. MY FAVORITE KPOP DROP DURING JUNE!!!!! 😩

Thank you for reacting to Taeyong SHALALA

Its so Neo of him

He’s really good at entertaining 😉

finally someone who watch video second time and understand it perfectly

Thank you for the overflow of ✨TAEYONG praises✨ That's right, this music video and the song shows a lot of Taeyong's color because being the idea bank that he is, he was there planning and executing it with his team 💚 Also, yes TAEYONG really is outright NEO, he is the neo-est neo who has a very huge influence of how unique the NCT brand is. He's very versatile and a once in a lifetime kinda artist because he's highly talented and that his individuality is really strong 🔥it definitely shows whether he's doing his own stuff or group activities - but he knows how to match it with whoever he is with. Anyway!! Just wanna say that he's just soooo original! He is his own brand. 🌹✨THE LEE TAEYONG✨🌹

Like you said, seeing this music vid and looking at some of his earlier solo stuff, it really made me realize how much of NCT, especially 127, is from Taeyong. He has SUCH a strong voice and personality in his work that's honestly inspiring to me, even as a visual artist.

I thought he'd go with his soundcloud songs but shalala is way beyond my expectation! my fave song in this album is actually still virtual insanity, but shalala, gotta say it fits its purpose as a title song

I was dying to see your reaction to this song and Marks Golden Hour, so happy you could finally check it out PD! Tayeongs album is a perfect showcase of his talent, hard work and his range and Ive been listening to it nonstop since it came out so I am even more excited for your listening party.

YESSSS you fucking get it

yo im happy and proud to stand NCT 127... their musicality is sth else. i love how they sing, love how they dance, love their confidence yet still humble and social 🥰

its so taeyong and nct style it just makes sense and suits him so well

Shalala let's go

Was waiting for this one! You are definitely right. Imo, Taeyong is the definition of neo. And his talent and artistry is just incredible. This debut has him all over it in every aspect. He was very hand-on during the entire planning and execution and it really does show. They released a video called Definition of Taeyong, where he talks about the entire process and the story behind the songs included in the album. The entire album is fantastic. Would love to hear your favorite tracks off of it!

I am so so so so thankful that i got to be in 3 of shalala pre recordings in korea and I must say this man is not only the definition of NEO but also the definition of ART!! the way he expresses himself through art is just so beautiful and when I went to the pre recording for the first time on mcountdown I cried soooooo much, he is such a talented person and a pure soul, I am very proud of him, I just hope people would appreciate him more for his talents and not only for his visual.

loveddd the reaction! u took the words right out of my mind he just so neo and his mv is so entertaining visually and lyrically! cant wait for you to check out his bsides! he self-produced his own album aside from shalala!

thank you for raection this sooo detail n complete mr, yesss he is neo of neo. truly artist to be. bside all the trac so nice too

Taeyong is the definition of the word Neo

Good luck on your songwriting journey! Taeyong’s album is full of gems and I love how he’s also very transparent with his own journey (sharing demos on SoundCloud, the meaning of his bsides, etc.)

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO GETS IT! Taeyong is an artist through and through. He puts his own flavor into anything he does! I hope you do an album review too! I'd love to know your thoughts on his songs. :)

Yeeeeessssss!!! 💞🌹💘 Taeyong IS my cherry on top!!! 🙌 Loved watching you break this down & hold it up as deserved! 💯

9:29 - damn right! 😄

I LOVE TAEYONG

this is exactly what i thought taeyong’s debut would be like, it’s perfect for him!

thank you PD for this.

I love shalala more after the perf and live

i think center 4 (dedicated to neos) started to utilize every nct units/members' sound and artistic production more now that they have their own team

Taeyong é um artista incrível 💚

Thank you so much for your video😊 i really like it, i agree with you everything

He is true neo... No other can pull the concept like he does in Nct...

Shalala shows taeyong as NCT but his bside tracks are all about taeyong as a SOLO

This is awesome! Wow! Thank you!

Thank for your reaction

Thankyou for the reaction.

I Love how you changed your rating of the song to a 10 😂 because I can Totally relate! The first time I heard this song I wasn't sure, but then I listened to it 10 times and I am obsessed with it now. It is so beautifully Taeyong! I recommend checking out his live performances of this song, he absolutely kills it. I have no idea how he hits every line and move without losing a beat.

Love love love teayong ❤

Taeyong is the NEO brand and the NEO himself 💚

The music production blew me away more than the song and mv. Ofcourse I love everything about it. The music production is just so.... 🤙🤙🤙. My face looked like I tasted something sour the entire duration of the song. (It means, it's really good.) There are some NCT songs that I also listen to it's BGM often too. Shalala is added to that list. NCT in general just have some music productions that are just so..... tasty. (Don't know how I can explain it better. 😂)

We love you Taeyong

TAEYONG is so neo coded fr fr!

I found the video confusing at first, but the song itself I liked.

Will we have a listening party for this album🥺🥺🥺

Thank you for reaction Boss TY 💯

loved this review!

Taeyong❤

Just 1 sec into it and PD be like “I am loving this already” SAME PD SAME

It’s only right that NCT Papa Taeyong is first up~

I loved every minute of it!!! And every time I hear it the chorus gets stuck in my head. I always appreciate your reviews because I know you will be honest if you like a song or not and you also deep dive into each video and point out things most people might miss. I’m so glad you liked it and I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. NCT would definitely be a lot different without Taeyong and because he does have some input in a lot of their music (along with Mark) it helps make NCT so unique. I’m so happy he went this route and made it so neo because thats what made me a fan in the first place. I’m tired of a lot of mainstream music especially here in the US and so many songs have similar vibes or sounds which is fine because its what sells and is popular with most people, but for my personal tastes I prefer something different which is why I love NCT 127 music because its so unique and different and I love that they stay true to that regardless of how many people don’t like that style. I also agree with what you said about how this song really shows what Taeyong adds to the group since it definitely has NCT 127 neo vibes just x 10 since he was able to make it completely how he wanted. He really is a unique and talented man from his crazy dance moves, songwriting, producing, rap flows, to his vision and concepts and so much more. Really hope he gets some recognition for his first solo album because he truly works so hard and is extremely talented and I feel like he doesn’t get much credit from the Kpop world (outside of NCT fans) I could be wrong though. Thank you for a great reaction, always love your videos and exited to hear your thoughts on the album because it’s amazing!

💚

thank you so much, your reaction to him is very precious for me(丿°ˇ°"))