Style Chatter: Jaehyun’s “Smoke” Music Video Kept Us Chatting All Night Long
On August 26, South Korean singer Jaehyun unveiled his solo debut album. Titled J, the anticipated release was composed of eight new songs, led by the title track “Smoke.” In the lead single’s music video, Jaehyun sings about love — comparing it to the smoke rising from a boombox — in a hazy mysterious atmosphere.
Jaehyun painted his official solo debut from conception. Throughout August, teaser photos, track videos, and pre-released singles pushed back the curtains of what to expect from J. In fact, Jaehyun was involved in the writing of six of the eight tracks and named the album as a nod to his habit of scribbling his initials on his belongings.
As so happens with everything he does, Jaehyun’s official solo debut has been a hot topic of discussion. Considering that his star power has expanded beyond music, reaching the fashion and entertainment scene, it couldn’t be otherwise.
ICYMI, Jaehyun has built a recognized and well-loved association with the fashion powerhouse Prada, leading campaigns, fronting magazines and regularly attending brand events. Just this past Milan Fashion Week, the K-pop star was responsible for the top post (worth $1.3 million in MIV®) at the five-day event despite being physically absent. Further proving his status as a multifaceted artist, Jaehyun also landed a lead role in the upcoming Korean thriller You Will Die After Six Hours, slated for release in late 2024.
With Jaehyun showcasing his impact in many fields — including fashion — team EnVi had to check out what he had in store for his solo debut. Ahead, EnVi’s style team offers a look into their Slack chat and their first thoughts on the fashion and beauty featured in “Smoke.”
Davonna Gilpin (senior editor): I’m excited to see how this turns out, I know Jaehyun and his team put a lot of thought into it.
Mel Simmons (beauty writer): Yes, me too! I’ve been loving the story they’ve been painting.
Mayra Peralta (fashion and beauty editor): Sorry, I’m late. I just woke up. Literally, out of the blue and without planning it.
[Team collectively presses play]
Davonna: Oh this is interesting.
Mel: Jaehyun’s hat! It’s very preppy.
Davonna: Is it Jaehyun if he’s not in a tie or some type of formalwear?
Mel: You’re so right. Wow, he took slicked-back hair to another level… Wait, is he covered in goo?
May: But also notice the old-school fashion and styling during the black-and-white scenes versus the modern styling in the color scenes.
Davonna: Did I spot an ascot?? Okay we might have to watch it a few times.
May: I think the back and forth between styles encapsulates Jaehyun’s aesthetics and personality very well.
Mel: Yes, I love how the choreography and song liven up the more serious formal wear.
Davonna: I felt the video went by so fast.
Mel: Yes! So fast!
May: Yes. I am still processing. And just some random thought, in this day and era, songs last nothing. Wdym this is only 3:23 minutes?
Davonna: It’s wild but I guess it makes sense with society’s shortened attention spans.
May: Sometimes things deserve to last longer and this is one of them.
Mel: I want 30 more seconds to process what’s happening.
Davonna: Though I will say I think an additional story element would’ve made this music video even better. I need backstory. Is he just an incredibly well-dressed criminal on the run or just paranoid? @Mel, didn’t you say the video was based on the story of Narcissus?
Mel: Yeah, it’s supposed to be based on Greek mythology. [Sends a quote from Google, explaining the Narcissus myth] Narcissus is a man so handsome that he falls in love with his own reflection.
Mel: Can we discuss the usage of black and white vs. the colored shots in this music video? What do we think they are trying to communicate to the audience through the color choice and fashion?
Davonna: Hmm I think when it switched to color, it seemed like he was in a dream? He jumped off the building and floated down into a dance number. I think it could represent who this character Jaehyun is portraying wants to be. As put together as he looked in the all-black outfit, there’s a certain level of messiness or effortlessness with the look. The multiple chains, the unbuttoned shirt, the fringe/straps of the pants. The slick back hair too.
Mel: I can see that because his outfits are much more flowy and stage-appropriate vs. the fitted formal wear of the black and white clips. The structured formal wear could represent the constraints he feels in his everyday life. The flowy black outfit represents freedom, and how he views his inner self.
May: I think Jaehyun gets absorbed into the world he sees in his reflection, in the color scenes. (Is this a metaphor for him getting lost in his own world thinking about himself?) This transition is very Prada-esque. Whatever he is covered by reminded me of the slime dripping from the ceiling in the recent Prada shows. Though it probably has a deeper meaning.
Davonna: I wonder if the end means that the character has found a mix between the two identities? It’s back to black and white, and he is now in an all-white suit, white shoes, but sans shirt. The suit has more room and doesn’t look as stuffy (besides the ascot) and he’s dancing.
May: [has never typed this fast] Yes! Thissss!
Mel: Yessss
Davonna: Anytime I see an ascot, my brain immediately goes to Fred from Scooby Doo.
May: I was typing something along the same lines haha.
Davonna: Do either of you find yourself trying to assign colors to something you see in black and white or is it just me? Also, the silk robe — or is it a two-piece pajama set? — I need to see more details of that.
May: It looks like a jacquard set and it was the first thing that caught my attention in our first watch. Feels like a middle ground between loungewear and tailoring.
Davonna: I love it.
Mel: I love how they used the robe to communicate what comes next. They almost prepared the audience to go into his dream state. It was the perfect formal, but relaxed fit.
Davonna: I also need more details on the leather jacket he’s wearing at the start of the music video. We barely see it. I find it interesting that he starts off in four layers of clothing and ends sans shirt lol.
May: Add yet another shirtless moment to the list of best NCT sans shirt fashion through the years. Now that I think about it, that should actually be an article.
Mel: Yes! you should write that lol. This one has such a different vibe too. I like how they used the wet hair trend, but not in an obvious way. At the beginning of the music video, he’s wearing a hat and it’s almost too rigid. Then, once he gets comfortable, it’s the trendy, sensual piecey look that’s popular on the runways. It added to his untamed energy. Once he’s in the dream state he’s drenched in the shiny liquid (it almost reminds me of the Pat McGrath Maison Margiela skin and other runway looks). Then he comes back to the normal world with a refined look, but not shielded by the hat. I don’t know if I just read way too much into his hair, but they truly executed four solid looks in under four minutes.
May: Absolutely thought about that Pat McGrath Margiela makeup. This video has the potential to start a beauty challenge on TikTok.
Mel: Yes!! a TikTok challenge would be cool. I want to know what they used on his skin at 1:48.
Davonna: The more I watch the more I do not understand what’s going on. But it’s a great video, impeccably filmed and styled.
Mel: The more details you notice, it’s more confusing. Did you notice at 2:37 real world Jaehyun knocks on the door and then notices dream Jaehyun’s shoes on the ground? I thought they became one person but maybe they co-exist? And dream Jaehyun is kept behind closed doors?
May: Okay so I made a conscious pause to read what people say in the comment section. They have theories he’s leaving his old self behind — thus the abandoned shoes. But my best friend pointed out that at the beginning of the video, he kind of looks ashamed so he is trying to hide what he’s doing in that room but by the end, he is embracing it. The styling accompanies this journey.
Davonna: But also at 1:16 there’s a knock at the door. Is it the other Jaehyun? It’s a hand with a white sleeve like the other Jaehyun has at the end. And since this is rooted in Greek mythology, the black outfit, dream Jaehyun is giving Icarus vibes? He tries to get close to the sun but falls off the building instead. I’m just so confused.
Hmm thinking about everything we know about Jaehyun I think old Jaehyun is so paranoid about what people think of him and he’s kind of obsessed with keeping his self-image clean? Hence the tape covering everything up and the narcissism? But in his dream world, he imagines a world he can be a little more free and unrestrained. I can’t decipher the end though.
May: Davonna your mind >>>>
Mel: “Smoke” is pleasant and nice to listen to, but the music video has disturbing and suspenseful imagery in the first half when he’s struggling with self-image. If this dissonance between the lyrics and the imagery was purposeful, the writers and producers probably aimed [to present it] this way to make the viewers sit back and ponder the song’s meaning.
In the NCT documentary, the director mentioned that Jaehyun has weird humor off-camera. Sometimes he’d do things that were funny, but hard to understand. So I could very well see him wanting to create this off-kilter artsy atmosphere at the beginning of the music video. This concept is so different than what we see in K-pop.
Davonna: I agree! I also think the video serves as a good bridge to his upcoming movie role. So it won’t be as jarring to see him as a serial killer.
May: To wrap up on a fashion note, let’s talk about our favorite looks in the video.
Davonna: The all-black look is so sleek with the slicked-back hair has to be my favorite look in the music video. It just fits Jaehyun really well and what he was going for in the video. He’s portraying two Jaehyuns and this one really does seem like a completely different person than the first.
Mel: My favorite fashion moment had to be the jacquard robe he wore in the first half of the video. Besides being a complete serve, I think it was playful and communicated the point in the music video without being so literal. It matched his personal style very well. If I could touch upon beauty, my favorite look had to be his super glowy, runway-inspired look. It really surprised me at first watch because we don’t really see this type of look in K-pop. I even saw someone on social media relate his look to the Tanghulu trend.
May: I’m having a hard time picking just one. It’s between the all-black look and the closing outfit (yes, despite the ascot). I love a well-executed and refined sans-shirt moment and we know NCT always delivers on that front. I will go with the white suit. For some reason, this image of the double breasted-suit and pointy white shoes is taking me back to 1) Old Hollywood, 2) it is channeling the handsome devil trope — he’s cheeky, bold and looks like he did something bad — and 3) makes me think of a long list of white suit moments in pop culture like Humphrey Boggart in Men & Style, Alain Delon in Plein Soleil, Christopher Lee in The Man with the Golden Gun and now Jaehyun in “Smoke.”
Interested in more fashion content? ARTM’s JinSoul shares her favorite hair era and travel essentials in our EnVi-exclusive series, Style Profile.
