Touchin'

"Touchin'" (stylized "TOUCHIN'") is a song by South Korean singer Kang Daniel. It was released digitally by Konnect Entertainment on November 25, 2019 and was later included in his second EP Cyan on March 24, 2020. The digital single included a second track "Adulthood" with lyrics co-written by Kang.

"Touchin'"
Single by Kang Daniel
from the album Cyan
B-side	"Adulthood"
Released	November 25, 2019
Recorded	2019
Genre	K-pop
Label	Konnect Sony Music
Composer(s)	Laurent Wilthien Jean-Noel Wilthien Matthieu Tosi Nick McKerl Logan Lee Turner Ryan S. Jhun Noday
Lyricist(s)	JQ Shin Sae-rom Kang Eun-yoo
Producer(s)	Royale Avenue Ryan S. Jhun
Kang Daniel singles chronology
"What Are You Up To" (2019) "Touchin'" (2019) "2U" (2020)
Music video
"Touchin'" on YouTube "Adulthood" on YouTube

Background

On November 13, 2019, Kang Daniel posted a surprise teaser image on social media and announced news of a digital single release on the 25th at 6pm KST, marking his first comeback after releasing Color on Me four months prior. The single is said to be his first step towards a broad musical spectrum.[1] An image of entwined hands, which would serve as the single's cover picture, was posted on the 18th and also revealed the title track name.[2] The first set of black-and-white noir-themed concept photos was posted on the 20th, and a second set of photos featuring Kang in a suit was uploaded on the 21st.[3][4]

Composition

"Touchin'" is described as having an '80s to '90s pop sound that combines characteristics of various genres, including EDM, rock, and dance, highlighting a strong bass in the chorus. The song's motif interprets the first encounter between a film's main characters.

The second track “Adulthood” expresses thoughts about becoming an adult but not wanting to grow up yet. Lyrically, there is push and pull between the ideal free-spirited adult self and the tired and lonely adult self in real life. The song has a lively melody and features a soft synthesizer.[5]

Music video

The "Touchin'" music video teaser was revealed on November 22, 2019, and the full music video produced by FantazyLab was released on November 25, 2019. The video features Kang in a casual setting approaching an old CRT television and selecting a VHS tape labeled "Touchin'" to watch. A black-and-white film runs, and one of the characters is portrayed by Kang himself.[6][7]

Promotion

Kang debuted "Touchin'" at his Color on Seoul fan meeting held at KINTEX on November 23–24, 2019 prior to the official music site release.[5] He then performed "Touchin'" at awards shows Asia Artist Awards on November 26 and the 2019 Melon Music Awards. He also made radio and variety appearances, guesting on Cultwo Show and becoming a special MC for KBS2 shows Happy Together and Fun-Staurant, where he performed the choreography.[8][9][10] He was able to promote on music shows KBS2's Music Bank, SBS's Inkigayo, and SBS MTV's The Show. His return to music shows occurred nearly a year after his last music show performance in December 2018, and he received an award in person on The Show.[11][12][13] After Kang promoted for a week, Konnect announced he would be taking a break due to health issues, and his scheduled activities were canceled.[14]

Track listing

Digital download[15]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Touchin'"	JQ Shin Sae-rom Kang Eun-yoo	Laurent Wilthien Jean-Noel Wilthien Matthieu Tosi Nick McKerl Logan Lee Turner Ryan S. Jhun Noday	Royale Avenue Ryan S. Jhun	3:05
2.	"Adulthood"	Dvwn Noday Versachoi Kang Daniel	Noday Dvwn Versachoi	Versachoi Noday	3:05
Total length:					6:10

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
South Korea (Gaon)[16]	71

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2020	29th Seoul Music Awards	Dance Performance Award	Nominated	[17]

Music program awards

Program	Network	Date	Ref.
The Show	SBS MTV	December 3, 2019	[18]

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Various	November 25, 2019	Digital download streaming	Konnect Entertainment Sony Music

References

1. "강다니엘, 25일 싱글 발매..4개월만 기습 컴백(공식) 본문듣기 설정". Star News (in Korean). November 13, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
2. "강다니엘, 새 싱글 'TOUCHIN' 커버 아트 공개..수록곡 작사 참여[공식]". OSEN (in Korean). November 18, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
3. "누아르 주인공 된 강다니엘?…신보 TOUCHIN' 콘셉트 포토 첫 공개". SBS funE (in Korean). November 20, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
4. "버건디 슈트 장착한 강다니엘…TOUCHIN' 두 번째 콘셉트 포토". SBS funE (in Korean). November 21, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
5. "더 넓어진 강다니엘의 음악적 스펙트럼…타이틀곡은 "TOUCHIN'"". Xports News (in Korean). November 18, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
6. "강다니엘, 신곡 'TOUCHIN' 티저‥블록버스터급 스케일 영화같은 분위기". Herald Pop (in Korean). November 22, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
7. Ziyong Kim (November 25, 2019). "KANG DANIEL - TOUCHIN' M/V". Vimeo.
8. "강다니엘 '터칭' 컴백 1주차 #성공적 #최고의1분 #4관왕". Star News (in Korean). December 2, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
9. "'해투4' 강다니엘, 새싹 MC로 등장...신곡 'TOUCHIN' 무대 공개". Ten Asia (in Korean). November 27, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
10. "강다니엘, '편스토랑' 스페셜 MC 출격...마성의 매력 뽐낸다". Ten Asia (in Korean). November 13, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
11. "약 1년 만에 업데이트 된 강다니엘 '뮤직뱅크' 무대 영상". Xports News (in Korean). November 30, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
12. "'인기가요' 강다니엘, 한 편 영화 같은 비주얼..독보적 존재감 'TOUCHIN'". Herald Pop (in Korean). December 1, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
13. "'더쇼' 강다니엘, 컴백 후 첫 1위…붕어빵 먹방 공약 지켰다 [종합]". Xports News (in Korean). December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
14. "강다니엘 측 "불안증세 극심, 사실상 활동 어렵다"(공식입장 전문)". Newsen (in Korean). December 4, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
15. "TOUCHIN' - Single by Kang Daniel". Apple Music. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
16. "Digital Chart – Week 48 of 2019". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved December 5, 2019.
17. "Seoul Music Awards 2020 nomination list, live streaming details and more"". International Business Times. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
18. "'더쇼' 강다니엘, 솔로데뷔 첫 1위 "노력하는 아티스트 될게요"[종합]". Herald Pop (in Korean). December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.