SAAY “Domino” Review
Written by Breanne Gill
“Can’t you see me?” K-Pop soloist SAAY asks as an opening to her latest single DOMINO. Despite her doubtful questioning, the listener can see her message and unique musical colors as a crystal clear image. After her participation in the K-pop group EvoL and its eventual disbandment in 2015, SAAY ventured into the soloist world. Now, with multiple EPs, albums, singles, and OSTs under her belt, DOMINO emphasizes how her experiences have prompted an evolution of her artistry and musical capabilities. With her hands-on approach to song creation, SAAY is credited on the track as an artist, composer, and producer. By utilizing this intimate artistic process, she has been able to break the stereotypes and broaden the reach of the K-pop genre. DOMINO further expands her international reach with its all-English lyrics and opens a new chapter for both her career and the genre.
Set to an R&B beat, the track explores the complex emotions and struggles SAAY has experienced throughout her career through the lens of a love song. The single’s namesake “DOMINO” is used as a metaphor for the paralleled delicacy of life in the spotlight and relationships; one small mistake or decision can cause everything to come crashing down. The sonic arrangement of the song mirrors this theme with an echoey and empty start that has a sharp change-up into a melodic rhythm with intermittent percussion beats. The song devolves into a faster pace and continues to layer instrumentals and electronic textures before ending with hauntingly beautiful isolated vocals. As the chaos comes to a close and the dominoes are all fallen, the listener is left in limbo about whether it is worth failing to pursue a reward.
DOMINO is a testament to SAAY's artistic vulnerability and her ability to confidently express her innermost reflections. The single takes the listener through a journey that is both intimate and universal, making it easy for listeners to connect with the emotional depth of the song. Just as the song’s theme is rife with interpretation, the song’s sonic tapestry is colorful with threads from K-pop, R&B, pop, electronic, and more. This universality makes it a song anyone can, and should, enjoy.
