"Antidote" is a song by South Korean singer

Kang Daniel Kang Daniel (; commonly stylized as KANGDANIEL; born Kang Eui-geon []; December 10, 1996) is a South Korean singer-songwriter, actor, and businessman who rose to fame in early 2017 as the first-place winner of the Produce 101 Season 2, second ...

. It was released on April 13, 2021 by

Konnect Entertainment Konnect Entertainment (; stylized as KONNECT Entertainment) is an independent South Korean entertainment company founded on June 5, 2019 by Kang Daniel. The company is based in the Gangnam District of Seoul in South Korea. As of September 2021, ...

and distributed by

Sony Music Korea This is a list of record labels owned by, or associated with Sony Music. According to Sony Music official site, the main labels are Columbia Records, RCA Records, Epic Records, Arista Records, Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Latin, Sony Masterworks, ...

. The song serves as the lead single from his fourth EP ''

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

''.

Background and composition

With the single being inspired by Kang's personal experiences, he was asked what his

antidote An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...

was during the difficult period he drew inspiration from. He expressed gratitude for the people around him who created "a great sense of stability" in response to this and specifically noted his manager, Konnect Entertainment's company staff as a whole, and his dance team. "Antidote" is an

alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, hipster R&B, dark R&B, emo R&B and left-field R&B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and came to pro ...

song with

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

elements that blends

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

guitar riffs with

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland TR-808, a drum machine * ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artist Kanye West * ''808'' ...

beats. In an interview with fashion-industry trade journal WWD, Kang revealed that he drew inspiration for the various tracks on ''Yellow'' from his personal experiences during a difficult period in his career and is credited as the main lyricist for lead single "Antidote". When asked how it connects to the pre-released single "

Paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

" that was included in the same EP, Kang explained that "if "Paranoia" represents the period going from happy to sad, "Antidote" represents the period from sad to happy". Lyrically,

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pointed out that the song highlights the hardship and heartaches Kang has experienced throughout his career and his desire for a magical cure-all that would make them all disappear when he sings "I'm begging for the Antidote / Wipe my slate clean".

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Antidote" was directed by Rigend Film and premiered on Konnect Entertainment's

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channel at 18:00 ( KST) on April 13, 2021. It was preceded by two teasers released on the same platform on April 7 and 12. Konnect Entertainment noted that the storytelling in the video was connected to the previously released single "Paranoia". In connection with the lyrics of the song, MTV News pointed out that the visual continues that search of

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

, juxtaposing scenes of him performing in front of a crowd with him curled into a ball, hiding from the world. It exceeded 10 million views in 12 hours, besting Kang's previous record and later becoming his first solo music video to exceed 30 million views, doing so in four days.

Commercial performance

"Antidote" is Kang's first domestic number one single on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

for the chart issue dated April 11–17, 2021. According to the Korea Music Content Association, Kang achieved his first Gaon quadruple crown during the sixteenth week of 2021 in part due to "Antidote" ranking first in the digital, download, and BGM charts. The song won a total of five music show trophies including his first ''

Inkigayo ''Inkigayo'' ( ko, 인기가요; English title: ''The Music Trend'', previously ''Popular Song'') is a South Korean music program broadcast by SBS. It airs live every Sunday. The show features some of the latest and most popular artists who p ...

'' win since debuting as a solo artist.

Critical reception

"Antidote" was included in a hand-picked selection of songs under the name "Bop Shop" from the team at MTV News with the single being included as the only

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

song among eight selections. Writing for MTV News, Emlyn Travis stated that the single was "raw and honest" and highlighted Kang's "artistry and humanity". In an in-depth review of the "10 Best K-pop Albums of 2021", ''

Rolling Stone India ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cove ...

'' described the lead single as "the absolute masterpiece of ''Yellow''". ''

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'' also noted that the song had "mesmerizing choreography and lyrical references".

Live performances

Kang performed "Antidote" on

the Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

's ''Press Play At Home'' as the first K-pop solo artist and third overall K-pop act to appear on the series. Famous for its

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, the Recording Academy noted that "K-pop singer/songwriter Kang Daniel delivers a mesmerizing performance ..complete with colorful lights and fierce choreography."

Charts

Accolades

Music program awards

Release history

Notes

References

{{Kang Daniel 2021 songs 2021 singles Kang Daniel songs Korean-language songs Gaon Digital Chart number-one singles Sony Music singles