What Are You Up To
{{short description|2019 single by Kang Daniel}}
{{Infobox song
| name = What Are You Up To
| cover =
| alt =
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Kang Daniel
| album = Color on Me
| released = {{Start date|2019|7|25}}
| recorded = 2019
| studio =
| genre = K-pop
| length = 3:02
| label =
| writer =
- Yorkie
- Thama
- Kang Daniel
- Devine-Channel
| producer = Devine-Channel
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Touchin'
| next_year = 2019
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|_-QY40Reub8|"What Are You Up To"}}}}
}}
"What Are You Up To" ({{ko-hhrm|뭐해 |rr=mwohae}}; stylized "What are you up to") is a song by South Korean singer Kang Daniel. It was released on July 25, 2019 by Konnect Entertainment and distributed by Sony Music Korea. The song serves as the lead single from his debut EP Color on Me with lyrics co-written by Kang and resulted in his first music show win as a soloist on KBS2's Music Bank on August 9, 2019.{{cite news|title='뮤직뱅크' 강다니엘, 방송출연 없이 1위…로켓펀치 데뷔-세븐틴 컴백[종합]|trans-title='Music Bank' Kang Daniel, No. 1 without a broadcast appearance... Rocket Punch debut-Seventeen comeback [Comprehensive]|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/076/0003452730|work=Sports Chosun|via=Naver|date=August 9, 2019|access-date=March 19, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=April 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425170035/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/076/0003452730|url-status=live}}
Background
Shortly after Kang established his one-man agency Konnect Entertainment, Konnect confirmed on June 27 Kang finished recording songs for his debut EP and would finalize the title song and complete promotional content and choreography in preparation for a solo debut in late July.{{cite news|title=강다니엘, '1인 기획사 설립'→7월 말 솔로 데뷔 확정[공식]|trans-title=Kang Daniel 'establishment of one-man agency' → solo debut confirmed at the end of July [Official]|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/382/0000742002|work=Sports Donga|via=Naver|date=June 27, 2019|access-date=April 21, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051831/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/382/0000742002|url-status=live}} "What Are You Up To" was confirmed as the title track on July 19 and is said to be a trendy song as a gift to reward fans who have been waiting.{{cite news|title=강다니엘, '컬러 온 미' 트랙리스트 공개..타이틀곡은 '뭐해'[공식]|trans-title=Kang Daniel reveals the tracklist of 'Color on Me'.. the title track is 'What Are You Up To'|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/109/0004052770|work=OSEN|via=Naver|date=July 19, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051832/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/109/0004052770|url-status=live}}
When asked during a Billboard interview why he did not pick a high-energy K-pop debut, Kang answered that "What Are You Up To" was selected because he wanted to do something he had not done before and wanted it to be different as his first title track as a solo artist.{{cite magazine|title=Watch Kang Daniel Go Deep on Debut Album, React to Billboard Chart Debut & Preview New Music|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8541257/kang-daniel-video-interview-color-on-me-billboard-chart-reaction|magazine=Billboard|date=October 29, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|language=en|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214161808/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8541257/kang-daniel-video-interview-color-on-me-billboard-chart-reaction|url-status=live}} He expressed that it is a song that represents him well and shows what he can be capable of.{{cite news|title=Kang Daniel Embraces Fans with Heartfelt Messages at 1st Solo Fanmeeting in Singapore|url=https://www.hallyusg.net/2019/08/22/coverage-kangdanielcoloronmeinsg/|work=HallyuSG|date=August 22, 2019|access-date=April 21, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051832/https://www.hallyusg.net/2019/08/22/coverage-kangdanielcoloronmeinsg/|url-status=live}}
Composition
"What Are You Up To" has a minimalist bell theme with 808 and synth sounds. At Kang's debut showcase, he stated that the title's phrase could come across as "strong, but also heartwarming" and described the song as having a bright synth sound with a hip-hop feel.{{cite web|title=[Q&A] Kang Daniel makes much-anticipated solo debut|url=http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201907251849524966710_2|work=Kpop Herald|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922182255/http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201907251849524966710_2|url-status=live}} The lyrics contain what he wanted to convey to fans and lingering experiences from everyday life, including instances of waiting for a delivery and small talk from family and friends he had not talked with in a while. Kang added, "Everyone has experiences with waiting for something."
Music video
The music video for "What Are You Up To" was directed by VM Project Architecture and premiered on Konnect Entertainment's YouTube channel at 18:00 (KST) on July 25, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/367193156|title=Kang Daniel - What are you up to|author=Beomjin|publisher=Vimeo|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=May 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516130522/https://vimeo.com/367193156|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title='솔로' 강다니엘, 새롭게 덧입힌 그의 컬러 '뭐해' [쥬크박스]|trans-title='Solo' Kang Daniel, his new color "What Are You Up To" [Jukebox]|url=https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=311&aid=0001023823|work=Xports News|via=Naver|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=February 27, 2022|language=ko|archive-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726034852/https://entertain.naver.com/now/read?oid=311&aid=0001023823|url-status=live}} It was preceded by a teaser featuring colorful sets and outfits released on the same platform on July 24.{{cite news|title='솔로 데뷔 D-1' 강다니엘, '뭐해' MV 티저 공개|trans-title='Solo debut D-1' Kang Daniel reveals MV Teaser for 'What Are You Up To'|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=416&aid=0000246574|work=SBS funE|via=Naver|date=July 24, 2019|access-date=April 15, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051953/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=416&aid=0000246574|url-status=live}} Throughout the music video, Kang is cut off from others but attempts to reach them through different means, such as a disconnected phone, loudspeaker, and typewriter. The video concludes with imagery of a small lit doorway amidst closed doors.{{cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/367193156|title=Kang Daniel - What are you up to|author=Beomjin|publisher=Vimeo|date=July 25, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=May 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200516130522/https://vimeo.com/367193156|url-status=live}} International choreographer Antoine worked on the title song's choreography with Kang's team in three days, highlighting groove and rhythm.{{cite news|title=강다니엘, 25일 솔로 데뷔 확정..월드클래스 안무가와 작업[공식] 본문듣기 설정|trans-title=Kang Daniel confirmed his solo debut on the 25th.. working with a world-class choreographer|url=https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/now/article/109/0004048291|work=OSEN|via=Naver|date=July 12, 2019|access-date=April 19, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051932/https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/now/article/109/0004048291|url-status=live}} The music video exceeded 10 million views on August 2 within a week of the release and later won Best Music Video at the Melon Music Awards on November 30.{{cite news|title=강다니엘, 첫 솔로 '뭐해' 뮤비 유튜브 조회수 1000만뷰 돌파 [공식]|trans-title=Kang Daniel's first solo 'What Are You Up To' surpasses 10 million views on YouTube [Official]|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0004061044|work=OSEN|via=Naver|date=August 3, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051955/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=109&aid=0004061044|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title='MMA 2019' 강다니엘, 베스트 뮤직비디오상‥벌써 솔로 4번째 트로피|trans-title='MMA 2019' Kang Daniel, Best Music Video Award.. already 4th solo trophy|url=https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=112&aid=0003241853|work=Herald Pop|via=Naver|date=December 1, 2019|access-date=April 20, 2020|language=ko|archive-date=June 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620051838/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=112&aid=0003241853|url-status=live}}
Charts
Accolades
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Result ! Ref. |
|---|
| 2019
| Best Music Video | {{won}} |
=Music program awards=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| width="180"| Program
! width="140"| Date ! Ref. |
|---|
| Music Bank (KBS2)
| August 9, 2019 |
Release history
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Region
! Date ! Format ! Label |
|---|
| scope="row"| Various
| July 25, 2019 | {{hlist|Digital download|streaming}} | rowspan="2"| {{hlist|Konnect Entertainment|Sony Music}} |