A3Day Extended Commentary: Jackson Wang "MAGIC MAN 2" (2025)

How pain beget artistic triumph.

DISCLAIMER - An Album a Day is my exploration into the Korean music scene. This blog, just like my podcast, will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.

Credit: Jackson Wang

I’ve waited to share this because it’s not a secret that I’m a serious fan of this entertainer. However, the antics expression of my support over the last decade have matured. I’ll likely never land an interview with him or the collective of him and his bandmates, as I’ve hoped to do for years, but all of our EQs have changed. (Please don’t mistake this as an attempt at any acknowledgment — I’m already known as a/their fan — but an acknowledgement that the Internet and netizen’s opinions rarely die. Especially so, when it comes to authenticity, which will get more into.)

That aside, I can justifiably say as a music critic that MAGIC MAN 2 is an uncomfortable listen that we, the audience, have had coming to us for years. He didn’t owe us a damn thing. If “what’s understood doesn’t need to be said,” was a person, then Mr. Wang clearly knows that some don’t understand.

88Rising backed the label support for this project and Jackson set out to create his magnum opus — the pain that led to a triumph.

Since his pre-debut days until now, Jackson has captured my intrigue because of his authenticity. What’s pained me as an observer is seeing the light of youthful zeal escape him… the openness that he had for most everyone and everything, diminished… as he’s matured into a man who’s still an open book but with some pages intentionally clipped together.

We, the outsiders/fans/industry/haters et al, will never be able to get as close to Jackson Wang as we once did and it’s for everyone’s own good. MAGIC MAN 2 illustrates the reasons behind this survival move and where we can go from here.

This album is exposed like a scab that was picked off too soon — purposeful, well-executed, and stinging.

High Alone - “Can’t you see me f*ckin’ DROWNING?!?”

Jackson kicked this era off with a music video on February 12, 2025, for this song that induced a mild panic attack for many viewers. He embraced a falsetto delivery which I found difficult to understand at some points. All these months later, however, I believe it’s an intentional touch. Listening in headphones and without the pressure of the music video, it’s clear that he’s whips with emotion as he calls out to be saved… but the visuals remain.

Need you to save me
Oh-ooh, ooh, I'm fading (I'm fading)
I'm losing air
Can't be in this world alone

As the audience watches him fight for his life in the video, his inner self is screaming at the darkness within him. Jackson’s on one end of the mirror, crying out in agony, while Other Him taunts him by screaming back and widening his eyes. “That’s it, slip further. Succumb to me.” What the hell have we done to him, this is his perception of us?

The production is crisp and paces well but the tone’s set immediately that this will be a rough 11-song ride.

Not For Me - This is what bleeding out sounds like

Now that we’re on this crazy train, the hypothetical bleeding from the first song runs onto the tracks of the second. Cocooned by a guitar, Jackson laments about how he feels incapable of receiving rest and respite despite his efforts.

The music is somber and soundtrack worthy. Evening drive, the hues of blue in the sky, as the memories of a failed experience collapse upon the terrain in one’s mind. It’s peak.

His vocal coaching is evident. He’s aware of the sections that benefit from wispy vocals just as much as he knows when to elongate his notes. For those deep in longing or able to hear the music without the regrets of the lyrics, I can imagine it’ll make it on an intimate playlist.

Access - Word play for what you can’t directly say

On this track, Jackson got liberal with a smattering of metaphors, similes, and double entendres to blend swagger with seduction. I approve, I approve, I approve. “Come and ride, I’m your chauffeur”?!?!? Boyyyyyy….

The song rests on him talking a big game that I’m interrupting as more of a promise than a cocky threat. There’s not much to say about this song except that Jackys are going to lose their shit over it with fanning out over his big, throbbing… ego.

This man’s been taking us through The F-ed up Feels.

BUCK (feat. Diljit Dosanjh)

The video. THE VIDEO. I’m sure on the right speakers this song bangs but the video pushes it for me. We can’t get enough of seeing Jackson’s choreography choices, ya know? “Buck” wants you to let loose and go after the craving! Bringing Diljit on for a feature is the positive continued effort of showing the amazing work of all of Asia, not just the usual “globally recognized” opportunities — that “Asian State of Mind”— to the forefront that I’m loving. (This is an entirely different topic worth exploring later. Just remember: Kpop, anime, Bollywood, and C-dramas ain’t all there is.)

We’re also witnesses to Jackson obliterating The Octopus (or squid/Squidward-like entity) at the beginning of the video. This character is illustrated better in the video for the song below.

GBAD - A Slick Rick-esque playful delivery on some real shit

“Gotta Be a Dick” is delivered in a simple rap over a simple track and is a proper message to those who meant it for. The video for this song shows him slinging BDE all over the place to help others as they incorrectly give the thanks and praise to a person responsible for none of the support.

Yeah so, the sea creature, right? In some accounts of Team Wang’s depiction, this creature personified the slickness and hidden danger of trusting someone with ill intentions. I’m grateful that they went with this instead of something reptilian, honestly… seems cliched at this point. Nonetheless, the creature was first able to hide its true form from Jackson but as more opportunities to claim Jackson’s hard work and successes for itself increased, the mask was too hard to hold on to.

Hate to Love - And now, we’re sinking…

Words

One Time - And still sinking…

Words

Everything - And drowning, low-key…

By this point in the album, Jackson’s flat-out telling us that where he is in life has some lonely moments. Some super, unyieldingly, lonely AF moments. I mean, he could be speaking abstractly or from the point of view of someone else, but this man’s been taking us through The F-ed up Feels for two consecutive tracks. This is his journal entry leaked out, as far as I’m concerned.

Dear: - Oh, thank goodness, a life raft!

Faaaaaah we’ve gone so far into the doldrums that the abrupt transition from the English language to his mother tongue takes a moment to register. Even Jackson knows he’s been unraveling as he pivots back to English and says to his mother and father — the “dear” people this song’s for — to not let him drown.

WE ARE OUT HERE WITH YOU LIKE THIS, JACKSON.

The life raft appears. We clammer onto it, succumbing to the realization that the performances on stage with alcohol wasn’t ambassadorship but alcoholism… the departure of his vitamin-like energy wasn’t solely exhaustion but escapism… that comments like mine, where I’ve said he’s the Beyonce of my beloved GOT7, really didn’t help a damn thing. The pressure of it all had become too much and he was going to snap. I felt like an accomplice to a screwed up movement driven to drive him to his edge. It felt icky… and it was a wakeup call that I wish more artists had the audacity to throw at their fans.

Sophie Ricky - last words to his parents

I’m worn out at this point. He wants and needs to be loved. I can’t elaborate more. I’m stepping away from this to emotionally regroup.

Listen to it on your own and make your opinions about the music or whatever. This made me want to cry.

Made Me a Man - Out of the storm and into the light

Acoustically enwombed with the love of a son to his parents, Jackson takes us through the final shedding of the makings of his Magic Man self. He’s acknowledged that he was moving at a pace that would dim his light for good and decided that enough was enough. It was time to embrace a new light, a new way of thinking and being. He’s grown up tremendously, burdened with the pressure of doing so in the limelight, but has come out on the other side as a “man,” in his understanding of the word.

He’s bared it all (birthday suit included). In an interview that I can’t find again for the life of me on YouTube, he shared that he knows he’s made an album that some wouldn’t want but damnit if it ain’t about his healing and not us, then I don’t know what to tell those folks. He gave us a story of his triumph, fans/media/and family alike. It’s raw enough and for who it’s for. And as Genius pointed out, “The last three songs from MAGICMAN 2 can be read as: Dear Sophie and Ricky, you´ve made me a man (Track 9 – Dear:, Track 10 – Sophie Ricky, Track 11 – Made me a man).”

MY OFFICIAL RANKING

K-pop fans, on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5′s essential listening and 1′s not worth mentioning, the A3Day ranking of Magic Man 2 is 5. Although down in the doldrums with nice musicality, I can’t diminish this project. 88Rising backed the label support for this project and Jackson set out to create his magnum opus — the pain that led to a triumph. May the chapter of his life that provided the context to this album be forever closed and he is free.