RESPECT. Review: Zion. T Knocks on Hearts with "Knock"

Cover of Zion. T’s latest single “Knock.”

Zion. T, a successful South Korean R&B singer, officially released the single “Knock” or in Korean(쿵) through the South Korean hip-hop survival program Show Me the Money. Many of the songs he has released or featured in rank high on the music charts with longevity including his most well-known song, “Yanghwa BRDG (양화대교).” As usual, he has released a song that fits with his usual style of story-telling while mixing the musical styles of hip-hop and R&B.

The song begins with the sound of rain drizzling that disappears once the somber piano melody enters, entrancing listeners immediately. After the piano, a violin begins to play creating a dramatic and emotional mood. This intro is rather long as it continues for about a third of the whole song. However, it provides impact because it thoroughly sets up the atmosphere of the story that Zion. T shares through his lyrics. Once the intro is finished, there is a strong single snap that begins Zion. T’s singing. He continues to show off his versatility, not only as a solid R&B singer, but also as a rapper. This is similar to his other release “Machine Gun” where he includes rapping as well.

In his lyrics, there are smooth transitions between each line as he does well with rhyming and playing with the rhythm. Moreover, like his song “Yanghwa BRDG,” where he sings about his memories of his family, especially his father, who worked as a taxi driver – in less than three minutes, Zion. T retells the narrative of the beginnings of his music career, when he was seventeen and eighteen in “Knock”. He describes how his neighbors, who hated him, used to knock on his door due to the noise he was making – telling him to stop playing games and study instead. However, he wasn’t playing games – but singing and producing music.

The meaning of “Knock” as Zion. T describes in the song, signifies three things. One, the knock literally means the knocks he received on his door when his neighbors had thought he was being too loud. The knocks are also the sound of the applause he gets when he performs, which he feels even now, is “awkward.” Finally, the knocks are also the sound of his heartbeats, possibly because of the weight of fame and stardom. He sings, “My glasses feel heavy/ These lights are too bright/ Everything is too much/ Don’t look at me like that.” However, despite all of this, he is still the same and continues to record and make music in his own room.

This song is meaningful as he makes it personal. He refers to his crew VV:D, praising the members – Gray, Elo, Crush, and Loco, who have all become successful too. He mentions the struggle of staying in contact with them. Zion. T also shows off his humility as he sings twice in the song that he “still has a long way to go” despite his current musical and monetary successes. He points out how even after all these years, he has continued to stay true to himself as “nothing’s [really] changed.” This song ends on a strong note as Zion. T scat sings and vocalizes alongside the piano melody, creating an optimistic outlook in contrast to the melancholy climate in the beginning.

I would recommend this song because Zion. T successfully and skillfully paints a succinct but impactful story of one moment of his youth and compares it to what it means to him now and how it has affected him. It is something that listeners can relate to as they may remember those harsh and seemingly insignificant moments of their adolescent days that positively impacted their future. Despite the song being short, it was inspiring and touching as Zion. T painted another moment, from his younger years, that may have seemed inconsequential at the time. However, those knocks of his neighbors against the door have altered into loud applause from audiences and has influenced him to produce a popular song like this. Despite those moments of discouragement, he persevered and transformed into a famous and talented singer.

Zion. T is currently signed on to The Black Label, an independent sub-label of one of the biggest entertainment agencies in South Korea, YG Entertainment. The live performance on Show Me the Money has over seven hundred thousand views. The song is currently ranked number three on the Melon Music charts, one of the major online music providers, which is constantly updated in real-time. Since its release, it has peaked at number one on the charts and consistently ranked in the top five since its release last week. For international fans, this single is also available for download on iTunes.