Review: Ethan Low Releases Anticipated Debut Album, ‘GEMINI’
On July 31, Canadian based Malaysian-Singaporean singer-songwriter Ethan Low released his debut album titled GEMINI. The 23-year-old released his first single “BUBBLY” at the end of February, marking his official debut onto the Toronto music scene. Now, five months later, “BUBBLY” has garnered over 9 million streams on Spotify thanks to Ethan’s online influence and support, especially on TikTok, where he has been able to promote a lot of his music and collaborations with other artists.
Design by Fernanda Orozco
GEMINI consists of seven songs, five of which have been pre-released during the last five months, and two unreleased songs. All of the tracks have been entirely written or co-written by Ethan himself, portraying his different sides and styles as an artist and a songwriter.
“HIT THE FLOOR”
The album kicks off with one of two unreleased tracks titled “HIT THE FLOOR,” a quintessential R&B/pop song produced by Florida-based producer isaac. The song seems to have the stylistic influence of The Weeknd, specifically his 2015 single “Can’t Feel My Face,” which you can even hear a small nod to said song in “HIT THE FLOOR” as the backing vocals repeat the ‘But I love it’ motif in the last pre-chorus of the track. It is a nice little easter egg for the listener or a complete coincidence, but regardless of which it is, Ethan Low strongly opens his debut album, setting a confident and exciting feel of what’s to come.
“UNREQUITED”
Following up from the opening up of the album, “UNREQUITED” is the second unreleased song within the record. The track is a slower-paced breakup song about trying to move on from a situationship while navigating through the fact that the other person might have already moved on. Still keeping its R&B roots, “UNREQUITED” definitely has a more pop feel to it, providing the perfect balance. Lastly, for any people who love listening to music while driving with the windows down, this is a must on your driving playlist!
“BOUJEE”
This song was originally released back in June, produced by David Lee and co-written with Justin Trash from the Canadian-Korean duo CLUB BOYBND. “BOUJEE” can be described as an R&B and house mix, quite unusual but extremely catchy from the first listen. The lyrics tell the party girl narrative that we all know; however, the song’s lively and upbeat instrumentals make you feel like this could be played at any club and it would most likely get everyone up on their feet dancing. Though, if the club isn’t exactly the place for you that’s okay. For all my gym people who like to strut to fun songs on the treadmill, to pass the time, or even if you need an energy boost, here’s a new one for you!
“NWYK”
Taking a somewhat darker and grungier turn within the album, “NWYK” which stands for ‘Not Who You Know’ stands out from all the other tracks we’ve heard so far. Originally written and pitched for a K-Pop group, the track possesses more pop/punk tones, some of which Ethan hasn’t really experimented with until now. However, these definitely work out in his and the album’s favor as it shows a new side of the singer while also showing to the listener that there’ll always be something new within his music. The track’s catalytic and self-reflective lyrics give the feel of some of DPR IAN’S work, giving you that same comforting thought that we all have a darker self at times. So if you’re a fan of DPR IAN, “NWYK” is most definitely a track you’ll enjoy.
“SKINTIGHT” (featuring. Jimmy Brown)
Featuring seasoned Korean R&B singer Jimmy Brown and released back in April, “SKINTIGHT” is the only feature song on this album. Delivering a more sultry R&B sound, it seems to be something different from what both artists have presented so far, proving that their chemistry is one of a kind. A music video was uploaded a month after the song’s initial release—this being Ethan’s first official music video for any of his songs. Uploaded by creative agency LAB0916 and produced by fellow Canadian artist Koven Wei, the music video is a perfect reflection of the song and its vibe.
“GEMINI”
Released as his second ever single and going viral on TikTok even before its official release, “GEMINI” has amounted over 5 million streams on Spotify in just under four months. The track feels like it could be a continuation to “NWYK,” giving that same dark and broody feel but definitely going a more R&B route with it. “GEMINI” encompasses the entire feel of the album. It's a song that can be added to any late night playlists while also maintaining that chill vibe of a rainy day. It has a perfect duality which could be why the song was named after the album or the other way around.
“BUBBLY”
Closing off with the song that started it all, “BUBBLY” opened an entire new chapter for Ethan Low. Right from the beginning, the track has that essential R&B feel that the artist hoped to convey, and the production is so well done and polished for a first release. “BUBBLY” was the perfect choice for Ethan Low to introduce his sound to the world as it's a catchy yet very smooth song that will keep everyone listening to it over and over again, and the 9 million streams on the song being exact proof of that. He was able to showcase a live version of the song at the beginning of March, which was published onto the LAB0916 YouTube page as part of its LABLIVE series.
Overall, GEMINI is a well constructed first album for Ethan Low. It stays true to its name, GEMINI, just like the multi-faced zodiac sign, with the capacity to showcase many different sides of him. The album gives the listener something new in each track, exploring different genres and sounds while keeping a cohesive feel all throughout and making it his own.
With songs like these, it's no surprise that amazing opportunities have been offered to him, such as being one of the opening artists for South Korean rapper GEMINI at the Toronto stop of his tour. Now gearing up for his participation at the Los Angeles EXPO SHOWCASE on August 15, we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next and all of the amazing opportunities to come.