“Raise y_our Glass” by HUH YUNJIN
For starters, you may notice that the English in “Raise y_our glass” is pretty-advanced as far as K-pop tracks tend to go. That’s because the vocalist at hand is also part American.
That noted, it ain’t necessarily like all that’s being put forth is easy to understand. But what we do know is that ‘raising your glass’ is an act people usually do, in the sight of others, in recognition of a notable accomplishment. And here, let’s say a tad bit in a confusing manner, what the vocalist is telling the addressee to ‘raise their glass’ to is “the past in the story of” the two of them.
Maybe that kinda terminology is something that English speakers in Korea would more easily understand. But what it appears Huh is speaking to, more specifically, is her come-up. That is to say that the addressee may, to some extent, read like a romantic interest, but all lyrics considered such is may not necessarily be the case.
Instead Yunjin is currently part of Le Sserafim, one of the top up-and-coming girl groups in the game. But her road to success wasn’t easy, as she suffered some notable rejection along the way. So fans who actually have pre-knowledge of her backstory have deduced that such is what “Raise Y_our Glass” is alluding to. That is to say that the addressee would be someone, a faithful friend/fan if you will, that has held Huh down throughout. So now what the vocalist is encouraging him or her to do is celebrate the fact that Yunjin – and by extension the addressee also – has made it, or something like that.
Conclusion
Going back to the beginning of this article, yes, the English in this song may be relatively advanced, but there are some challenges in terms of putting everything together. What it appears Huh decided to do is thread that thin line between making “Raise Y_our Glass” a love song versus giving it a more general applicability.
So let’s conclude by saying that this piece can be interpreted in one of two ways. It may be taken as Yunjin showing love to her supporters, which is something established K-pop artists actually do quite regularly. Or it can be interpreted as potentially being romantic in nature, which is not as overtly common in the K-pop industry, which may explain why the wording is a bit confusing.
Huh Yun-jin
At the time of the release of this track, Huh Yun-jin is better known as part of a South Korean girl group called Le Sserafim, which officially has only been around since May of this same year. Thus far the band has put out one album, an EP called “Fearless”, which fared well in South Korea and Japan (and which is also cleverly acknowledged in these lyrics).
It should be noted that Yunjin, as the singer is also called, appears to be of both American and South Korean citizenship and did spend some time in the United States, with her hometown being listed as Niskayuna, an area in Upstate New York.
To note Huh Yunjin, who was born in 2001, is 20 years old as of this track’s dropping.
“Raise y_our Glass”
The 9th of August 2022 is the official release date of “Raise y_our Glass”.
This song was reportedly written by Yun-jin herself, with its producers being other artists under the Hybe Corporation.
Concerning the underscore that is unconventionally present in the title, what has been put forth is it being meant to spell “Y” and “our” as opposed to “your” per se. In other words the “Y” stands for Yunjin, and the “our” is a collective acknowledgement of Huh’s relationship with her fandom.
