One of South Korea’s most beloved R&B artists, DEAN, has left his fans riled up after a prolonged absence from the music scene for a while. But many feel that this wait is about to come to an end soon!
| You.will.knovv
After debuting in 2016 with the 130 Mood: TRBL EP, DEAN swiftly rose to fame thanks to his addictive voice. Though he released many successful singles and collaborations in the following years, his biggest hit came in 2018 with “Instagram.” The song topped all South Korean streaming platforms and is still considered one of the most iconic tracks in the Korean music scene.
“Instagram” was followed by some more singles, including “Dayfly” and “Howlin’ 404.” But the latter turned out to be the last single released by DEAN, who since hasn’t released any new music of his own, save his collaborations with other artists.
IU ft. Dean – 돌림노래 (Troll)
THE COLLAB OF THE YEAR!!! Love it..their voices blend so well!!pic.twitter.com/5ZLCLvPkbU
— mi원우지 (@miwon17_) March 25, 2021
“Howlin’ 404” came out in 2019, marking this year as the fourth one since the singer’s “disappearance.” In the meantime, fans tried to come up with multiple theories to understand what might have caused such a long hiatus. Most were convinced that DEAN’s perfectionism made him take longer than usual to put out new music; others theorized that he might be finishing his mandatory military duties.
You may feel disheartened by the fact that they’re not releasing albums at the pace you want but this is ain’t it. Dean is a perfectionist + Meco talked about anxiety he developed from ppl’s demands. If you love them, just have a modicum of respect that’s all they’d ask for pls. https://t.co/47QFslYsDH
— hoemi (@penonpaperrr) January 26, 2019
Dean enlisted about 15 months ago and kept it a secret
— San (@fanxy___child) December 27, 2021
Though there were anxieties around DEAN slowly retiring from music, the singer has suggested multiple times that he is working on a new album. In fact, in September 2021, he shared several pictures on Instagram hinting towards a new album called 130 Mood: RVNG.
Though he didn’t specify any time frame, he did address fans’ concerns in a short statement.
My team and I have built, destroyed, built again, only to destroy again. We rode this out so many times and went through so much trial and error since 2019.
Dear fans, please hang in there just a little longer. Love you all.
Let me show you how I’m different.
I’m just a workaholic.
— DEAN on Instagram
Since then, his fans have been waiting for more updates, but nothing significant came up until October 20.
That day, some fans noticed that a popular stylist, Dohee Kim, had posted a few stories directly hinting at a new album from DEAN. Kim is also the singer’s stylist, which solidifies his validity as an inside source.
The first picture he posted showed a computer folder named “DEAN.” It was followed up by another picture saying “DEAN Album Cover.”
The final post was a picture of Kim with DEAN, which seemed to be taken recently. He also tagged the account of a music director under the same label as DEAN, You.will.knovv.
Since the Instagram stories are so direct, fans are getting their hopes up for good news soon!
Everyone, the time might have come !
Dean has been cooking for a while now, and seems like his comeback is coming sometime soon
Are you all ready ?#DEAN #KRNB pic.twitter.com/pkL7GDglyv
— Seoul Therapy (@seoul_therapy) October 20, 2023
I see Dean, I come back to life pic.twitter.com/emNc4xrd66
— you.will.knovv updates (@youwillkn0vv) October 20, 2023
aw___boy ig story |
dean album tease 🫣 pic.twitter.com/VxaTDGFuaf
— dean fan account (@deansintro) October 20, 2023
GUYS??? DEAN IS BACK!??!! pic.twitter.com/8gAItP4AkQ
— DEAN IS BACK (@YE0RIDER) October 20, 2023
The world is ready for another DEAN masterpiece!
The spoilers came from a trusted source.