There are few artists who live up to the mystery they project on camera. I can say unequivocally Colde is such an artist. It’s more than just the signature cap he pulls over his head (a seeming trend among artists of this new wave of R&B crooners from Korea).
He’s completely wrapped up in the persona. His aura is tinged blue, thus the deep purple hue he emits under the harsh red stage lights. As the third act of ERR;OR NYC’s showcase at SXSW, the mood of the night changed completely when he stepped up to the mic.
Enigmatic Energy
Colde is one of the least insistant artists I’ve ever seen perform live. That is to say he comes on to the stage quietly, without much fanfare. He slides up to the microphone, gripping it in one hand while he uses the other to anchor himself to the stand. As understated as his entrance, his voice is even less insistent. His is a cool tone, something as heavy doused in blue as the man himself. So when he begins to sing, the smoothness of “Shhh” lulls the audience into a dreamlike trance.
Of course, this wouldn’t be the case for the entirety of his set. But then that’s the whole point of who he is, isn’t it? This artistic duality. He enters into your psyche like a whisper on the breeze. A memory flickering in your mind of something warm and comfortable. But everything changes when he removes his jacket.
Revealing what appears to be a pink-ish velvet shirt underneath, things start to literally heat up (probably as much for Colde as for his captive audience). He launches into more of his rap-focused fare.
Colde & KHAKII
He brings on to the stage a young man by the name of KHAKII, one of the hypest of hype men I’ve ever actually seen from South Korea. He’s totally invested in the audience, perhaps slightly more so than the man he’s there to support. Of course, Colde can’t just let that slide. He gets more involved with the music, the audience, the entire experience as his set progresses. Thus KHAKII did his job: hyped everyone up, including the main act.
For 40 minutes, Colde and KHAKII exchange lyrics like they’re having their own cypher right there on stage. They dance like they’re out on a Saturday night at one of Itaewon’s hottest clubs. While they don’t really stop too long between songs to have much of a rapport with the crowd, that doesn’t take away from just how energetic everyone is throughout their entire set. After all, the point of the show is the music, not having long conversations with the crowd, right?
When they get to my favorite song from his “WAVE” EP, “SPACE,” the audience are beside themselves with the thunderous energy Colde and KHAKII have brought out in each other.
It’s All About the Music
The music is the driving force this night. Though Colde’s set starts with the softness of a lover’s caress, it ends with the stage rocking. The speakers vibrate with the residual bass still left lingering long after they leave the stage.
Colde seems to be more at home on stage nowadays than he perhaps was just a couple years ago. There’s a confidence there that has nothing to do with ego. It’s all about knowing that he is enough as an artist. The audience is with him. It will follow him wherever he goes, and he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder to make sure someone’s there. The way he handled the stage during the ERR;OR showcase there’s no doubt fans will follow him to the ends of the earth and back.
