The Gen Zer's guide to TXT songs that'll help you go through the feels of growing up
Tomorrow X Together, or TXT for short, aren’t known as the Gen Z 'It' boys of K-pop for nothing.
Their music has become the standard for adolescents today and is appreciated by fans of all ages. And why not? Their songs reflect their growing pains and we’ve all been there, so we sing and dance along with them.
Debuting as teens in 2019, TXT’s concept was to create music that represents their generation. In an interview with Korean YouTube channel Mobidic, the five-member boy group said that their goal was to express their feelings, including on how they grow up, in their songs.
If you're a Gen Zer who's also a MOA (TXT's fandom name), here's your guide to the most relatable TXT songs that should help you go through the feels of growing up and being in love.
It'll be best to get your vocal cords ready, too, just in case your idols would sing these bangers during their "ACT: LOVESICK" concert happening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena until Oct. 28—who knows!
On embracing growing pains
Growing up is hard but doing so under the scrutinous public eye is even more difficult. Teenage angst is real and even K-pop idols go through them. In CROWN, from TXT's album The Dream Chapter: STAR, the group sings about embracing the changes that come with adolescence—both the good and the bad.
Its lyrics, "There's a horn rising up in my head/But I love it/You become my crown," could serve as a lesson in turning one's challenges into stepping stones to becoming a better person.
Maze in the Mirror, from the album The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY, was composed during their trainee days, reminding the group of the days old past. The struggles and insecurities that they felt as trainees are reflected in the lyrics, "I still feel small and small to fit me into a big frame."
On coping with feelings of alienation
Loneliness and feelings of alienation are quite common while growing up. TXT talks about this in the angsty track Can’t You See Me? With its lines, "Can't you see me? Friends don't understand me, understand me anymore," the famous boy group is telling MOAs that, hey, it's alright to be sad at times.
Meanwhile, Eternally uses the switching and contrasting styles of singing to reflect the struggle of growing distant yet still wanting to keep a friend or loved one. It comes with the lyrics, "Please stop/This recurring nightmare every night/Your hand that’s just out of reach."
On being young and in love
Who hasn’t been in love while they were young? But we also know how young love almost always turns out to be a heartache. TXT’s 0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You) captures the passionate feelings of falling in love and wanting to run away with your loved one.
Staying in love can be tough, especially when everyone around you is telling you you're to young to do so. In LO$ER=LOVER, TXT tells you that sometimes, fighting for that love no matter the odds could make you feel like a winner above all else.
On heartbreaks and moving on
Like the stages of grief, TXT talks about heartaches in three different phases. The emotional track Opening Sequence is asking someone to stay while memories of their time together linger on.
Meanwhile, the very angsty Good Boy Gone Bad, reflects a more jaded view of love after a heartbreak: "Put that nail in the coffin over the word forever/You completely changed me when I was fragile."
In addition, TXT's track Thursday’s Child Has Far to Go is a song about moving on and being hopeful that you will be okay as “splendid days await.”
On enjoying the thrill of youth
You’re only young once, they say, and that time flies swiftly. TXT, whose members are now in their 20s, reflect on the moments that they’ve missed because of the pandemic in We Lost the Summer: The song goes, "Soccer cleats, chatter and heat/Earphones that we shared in secret/Popular songs, classroom concert/We lost the sunset, now don’t know what to do."
In Blue Hour, they happily sing about their youth and those special moments that they want to freeze forever: "The day we danced as if it were for eternity/Turn around and stop/We danced all night/Freeze this moment. I wanna stay (can you feel the rush)"
There is no doubt that TXT’s music, with their signature sound and empowered, confident lyrics, is a journal of today’s Gen Z.
