After first entering the music scene in 2014 with his K-pop boy band GOT7, Mark Tuan has finally released his first full solo project with his introspective album The Other Side.
While Mark was one of the designated rappers in GOT7, the Los Angeles native gets the chance to showcase his true range across the 20-song project. Tuan boasts songwriting and composition credits across every track with most songs spotlighting Mark’s singing abilities front and center. While five vocal-focused singles previewed the album through the past nine months — “last breath,” “my life,” “lonely,” “save me,” and “imysm” — The Other Side also sees Mark return to the rap tracks fans first heard during his time with GOT7 on braggadocio-heavy cuts like “my name” and LP standout “change up.”
Beyond musical elements, the most striking part of The Other Side is the raw introspections the star shares. Through his lyrics, he explores the topics of self-doubt (“hard 2 love”), toxic friendships (“exhausted”), unfaithfulness (“broken”) and the pressure to be perfect (“only human”). The album’s straightforward, lo-fi production also better shines the light on these challenging topics.
While not explicitly clear, Mark also describes what appear to be all-too-relatable mental health struggles like when he sings, “I sink down way into the floor/ You pull me up, but I’m too far…I’ve never been this low” on “at my low.” Another striking lyric comes in “I’ll just get f-cked up instead, it’s easier this way/ I found a way to escape the evil thoughts inside my head” on “lonely.”
The Other Side was released along with the music video for album closer “far away,” a kiss-off track where Mark finally rids himself of a toxic lover. The song is told through a melancholy music video, reminiscing back at the tender moments and photographs from the relationship: “I gave you one last chance, and you f-cked it up/ Now you’re far away / And I hope, that you know, that it’s where you’ll stay.”
While The Other Side is entirely a project created and crafted by Mark and his DNA Official team, GOT7 is also showing support. Fellow GOT7 member BamBam shared a photo of his signed copy of The Other Side, writing, “me and IGOT7s will always support what you do bro,” referencing the group’s devoted fanbase.
Watch “far away” music video below:
