Have you ever chosen to hide your feelings, just because you believe that it will never bring a happy ending? Have you ever questioned yourself, asking why you lie to yourself and put on a poker face every day? Indeed, you don't have to tell the world your answer, but at least you can admit it to yourself. “Slowly” is self-written and self-produced by Kingsley Mak as the lead single from his upcoming EP. “Slowly” is the first song from the trilogy “He, She, and I” in the EP, talking about an experience of the “He”’s. The song marks the beginning of a certain chapter of Mak’s life, even though it was not his own experience.
Mak wrote this song almost three years ago, based on a real story of his friend. The song starts with a question, “who do you wanna spend your time slowly with?”, which is the most touching part of the story that inspires him to integrate the underlying emotion into a song. Although it is based on a real story, in the song, he conceives an alternative ending that is different from reality. In reality, the main character never had the chance to confess his love. He could only stand next to the person he loved, watching that person seeing someone else, while he was trying to hide his feelings by flirting with others. This move of the main character provoked more and more stories in the future, which led to the inspiration of the other two songs in the trilogy. At the end of the day, the real ending might not be the same as wished, but hopefully, the fictional one can offset the regrets of the story.
Mak has chosen “Slowly” as the opening of the EP which consisted of a series of stories. It is because he says, everyone believes that the stories of others could enrich our growth journey. The background story of the song passively triggers him to question the world and human nature. However, on the other hand, it offers him an opportunity to reflect on his life and learn from it. In the short run, Mak will be sharing the remaining stories in the form of an EP, and later in an album, he will be telling the stories from his perspective and sharing his growth journey.
Mak hopes you will have a deeper understanding of him and "Slowly" after reading this article. The theme of the upcoming EP is about growth, and he would like to take this opportunity to invite you to share the song with your friends, hence including more people in this chapter of a life-long lesson. If you are interested in “Slowly”, you are welcome to check it out on all music platforms as well as StreetVoice. Moreover, the music video of “Slowly” is already on YouTube. The MV is directed by Kingsley Mak and May Chan, and there are a lot of Easter eggs and symbols that are waiting to be found inside the MV. If you want to know more about the notes behind the video, please follow Kingsley Mak on Facebook and YouTube (Link: https://lnk.bio/u2G5), and you can get the most updated news on the MV breakdown and music release in the future.
Written by: Kingsley Mak, Yoyo Chan, May Chan
Fig. 1: The single cover of “Slowly” drawn by Kingsley Mak
Fig. 2: A illustration for “Slowly” drawn by Kingsley Mak
Fig. 3: Note 001 of “Slowly” music video – when “he” enters the room, it is like “he” enters a relationship again.
Fig. 4: Note 002 of “Slowly” music video – “he” is flirting with somebody, but actually “he” is thinking of someone else.
Fig. 5: Note 004 of “Slowly” music video – “he” wants to hold the person he loves, but that person is longer by his side.
Fig. 6: Note 006 of “Slowly” music video – “he” cannot leave the room, meaning that “he” is deeply in love with that person. After facing his true feelings, “he” is thinking the next move in this relationship.
