Review

Song Review: Lucas – Renegade

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LUCAS - RenegadeWhat to do with a solo Lucas single in 2024? I’ll let others rant about the moral implications of debuting him as a soloist. I’m very good about separating the artist from the art. As a rabid Michael Jackson fan, that’s become a necessity! As always on this blog, I’d like to focus on Renegade as a piece of music.

This song has been promoted with a pair of music videos, presumably interconnected. I didn’t feel the need to watch both, but I embedded them below if you’re feeling curious. In the past, SM Entertainment gave Lucas a solo of sorts with the 2018 Station release Coffee Break. That track was a pleasant surprise, delivering a potent shot of jazzy funk that fit him surprisingly well.

In contrast, Renegade is a leaden, joyless screed that’s meant to invoke power. It’s anthemic, but in a hollow Imagine Dragons way that feels inauthentic. There are some cool production flourishes here and there, especially during the dramatic bridge. But overall, the chorus is too repetitive and shouty to leave much impact. Given the controversy swirling around the track, its incessant bravado was probably not a smart way to go. It’s solid, but not solid enough to cut through the noise.

Hooks 8
 Production 8
 Longevity 7
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.5

Grade: C

58 thoughts on “Song Review: Lucas – Renegade”

      • idk about me being “weird” when you’re the one who’s choosing to support this waste of space when there are a bunch of other artists more talented than him with better music, who don’t have serious allegations like abusing his power as an artist by dating fans, forcing women to have unprotected sex with him, and dating multiple women at the same time and making them buy expensive stuff and book expensive hotels for him. oh and he admitted to doing “terrible things” on his own documentary instead of going to court to prove that he’s actually innocent of these things, but you believe what you want to believe I guess!

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        • I understand he did all of that but what does that have to do with him now or his album? He clearly apologized in the FREEEZE documentary and said something like that wouldn’t happen again. But like Lucas said in his new song Renegade “let’em sing like the birds in the morning” so talk all you want but hating on him doesn’t do nothing just makes you look like a fool for talking bad about a grown man who doesn’t even know you. But anyways talk all you want at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.

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  3. The “raps”… it felt hella awkward and out of place. Looks like the 2.5 years in the SM basement wasn’t worth it, when it came to improving his skills. But, the instrumental is fire, I will say. If given to, say, Mark, the song would do much better.

    Now, onto Lucas as a person… as a Briize, it frustrates me seeing how despite the shit he’s pulled, he’s getting a solo career and so many opportunities, while Seunghan only did normal teenager things and he’s on hiatus with SM actively erasing him (and I swear to fucking God, if he’s edited out of the full version of Siren…). And it’s funny how SM lost CBX, Sunny, Taemin and Onew, Kyuhyun in hardly a year, with no efforts to manage them better, but are working tooth and nail to keep Lucas.

    My ratings would be 7.25 (7, 9, 7, 6), cause the concept seems too… egoistic (I don’t know how to phrase it), given how it all seems like a weird underdog story on his “redemption arc”, which bugs me a lot, to be honest. And ofc, the personal bias against Lucas. And I might as well give it a 6 (7, 9, 7, 1) for the forementioned bias (just kidding, won’t go too far) 🤭

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    • I grew up in a different age when it was literally and figuratively sex, drugs, and rock n roll. So for me, its all whatev.

      That said, as an ELF, the Sungmin situation – getting kicked out for getting married – has always been a huge WTF moment for me for SM. I mean, really, what the flip. 

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    • I’m the person to say, hey, SM just keeps people who want to stay, like Lucas I guess. Those who are more established, have a proper backing from their solo career, I they want to leave, SM probably doesn’t try much atp and just lets them go. Seunghan unfortunately has a lower hand because he is a rookie, and hopefully our boycott does at least something so he won’t be absent for that long. That’s also the card I present in these arguments.

      But after I pull out all of those, there is still Taeil sitting there, waiting to enlist sometime this year, without a solo debut, while there is this guy, who won’t even serve, having a solo debut. That’s where I run out of cards and start loosing the game.

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      • And the thing is that, Taemin apparently wanted to have a concert outside of SK and Japan, but never got to. While Lucas is out there getting a fan-con in SEA and more to come, and he hasn’t established his fanbase properly yet, especially when half his fans dropped him following his scandal. So you can tell what SM’s priorities are 🥴

        I’m worried about Seunghan, especially when all this is happening while he’s still so young and not even a 3 month old rookie. As a Briize since Sungtaro’s NCT days technically, and a Sungchan ult, I know what it is like to have your fave in uncertainty for years. And Seunghan sort of being my bias in Riize (if Sungchan’s the loml lol), I’m worried about the full version of Siren. I swear if he’s erased out of it, it’s an automatic indicator that he’s never coming back. I hope this actually pushes Briizes to boycott further, cause we aren’t making enough noise afaik.

        How Lucas got a solo debut before Taeil, Doyoung, Kun, and many other talnted idols under SM, who have the skills + fanbase, will always remain a mystery to me 🙃

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        • The more I read about all this the more apparent the “misteries” around the guy.
          I found out about Riize’s debut at their debut time, but I only got to know them better around MMA. I was honestly moved by how happy Sungchan and Shotaro were at the time they got to debut in a new group. Sungchan being also my bias in Riize and overall (or loml as you say lol), the most endearing thing to see in their debut era was how he was litteraly shining, the smile would never disappear from his face at that time. Talk about being freed from uncertainty.
          We’ll see what happens tomorrow, the full song release caught me off guard ngl. Even if someone puts aside the fact that Seunghan simply belongs to the group, they just need him as a singer, and a great all rounder.

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          • Sorry for the late comment lol, but when I found out about the full version and needless to say, my disappointment was immeasurable and my entire day was ruined (it was 8:30 am when it dropped in my timezone). Oh and Briizeville became an even hotter mess and still is a grand dumpster fire.

            (And also, from listening to it from videos posted by Briizes in Twitter, the song wasn’t it. mid-6s-to-low-7s for me. Better off as 7 and one minute.)

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      • How am I dragging down Seunghan? I only pointed out SM’s hypocrisy in giving a man who has serious power abuse allegations a solo debut and several opportunities, while erasing another man who only did normal teenager things from his group, as if he was never a member in the first place. And I also mentioned Lucas as a person in the paragraph. And it also shows how SM’s priorities are fucked up, cause you’re out there losing several talented artists with no improvement in management and still keeping a man with serious allegations and giving him opportunities that other idols didn’t get (like, how does Lucas gets to tour in several countries while Taemin only has SoKor and Japan despite great demands for more countries)

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  4. idk crap about what he did or went through……so I’m able to give an ABSOLUTELY objective view on this lol

    meh. I like the vocal sample, the chorus has a nice, anthemic feel to it – but I can’t help but feel like I’ve definitely heard this song before. The lyrics are actively trying to make me cringe though – come on, man, this is one of the reasons I CAME to K-pop for – and his talk-rap sounds weirdly offbeat fsr……………probably won’t be listening again. 7.25 (7,8,7,7) for me

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    • And personally I don’t feel Lucas deserves much credit for Coffee Break being as good as it was. If anything, he put a blemish on a great Jonah Nilsson performance with that deadpan, soulless rap delivery.

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  7. yall i liked it (mark would do it better tho) I personally am all for the lucas redemption arc so the lyrics didn’t seem out of place to me and the chorus was my favorite part.

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    • Is he really that bad? In my eyes, I thought he improved his dancing and singing skills. There are tons of other K-pop idols who have way worse than him…

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  10. I am into 70s/80s rock music so k-pop scandals mean nothing to me 99.9% of the time though I understand why his groups fans are irked because the group paid for his mess ups. Not all k-pop visuals rest on their looks but I think Lucas did that when he should have been honing whatever skill set he has especially considering he was put in Super M. 

    It’s my understanding he is still popular in SEA so I get SM wanting to make bank if they can. I don’t know if this song is going to help him, but it probably won’t hurt. Also, while a lot of attention is focused on idols leaving SM (I mean to lose Taemin who just wants to tour more…), I think not enough attention is focused on the staff especially YYJ who, with Kenzie, is the production foundation of SM. I think producers are not given enough credit by fans and this is where SM is hurting now.

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  13. I am not much aware of the scandal thing regarding him and given it is Kpop, I know how the term “scandal” is used so out of place over here, so, I don’t care about it, in other words. About the song, sounds like a modern era rap song. Not bad, not good, just nothing worth mentioning.

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  15. This kinda surprised me. The rap suited his tone very well. I don’t think the bravado he showcased was a problem cause let’s be real, people were already going to have a prob with anything he came out with. I respect the “fuck it” mentality. Curious about the stages.

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  16. As someone who once biased Lucas (yikers), I cannot say I have any intentions to listen to this again after initial listen. He says, “I’m a fan favorite” a little too enthusiastically. It’s not a bad song! He’s just not a great guy (apparently). However, he still sounds like Lucas, which means he has a decent tone. Probably a 7/10 from me. The “RENEGADE 👹” at the end of the song did make me giggle. And these comments…are something. I cried of laughter.

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  17. People just love to hate and put a person down. What because he MIGHT have done something so nice in HIS personal life, which is not our business. It’s horrible to see all the hate shot at any human being. Do none of you have any morals or ethics? If you don’t like it move on and don’t spread hate. It’s ok to do constructive criticism but to be mean and cruel… sorry someone stole your fav crayon!!! Be kind.

    I think he did an amazing job considering he is so unsure how people are going to feel about him. People so biased. Give this man a break. Don’t criticize anyone. The K-pop world is hell as it is. Good job Lucas!!! The sky is the limit!!!

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    • EXACTLY!

      They wrote as if they knew the guy himself. Shaking my head.

      Nobody has the actual *guts* to do what he is doing right now. I repeat nobody. Nobody can understand how much pain to be where he is right now. He knows there are still millions of haters out there, left and right, north, east, west, south, AND he’s still want to perform. What mental strength. His situation reminds me a lot of the late Michael Hutchence.

      Kpop scandals are just allegations without any damn proof. If Lucas was a criminal, do they really think SM is really that stupid to let him out there and performing?????????? I’m not even a fan of Lucas (nor will I be a fan of anybody because Kpop fandoms are just one of the most toxic things that’s ever existed. So I just rely on my ears to judge objectively on the music, performance, singing whatever… this is why I came to thebiaslist) and to say he has no talent or stage presence is just ridiculous. I think I can list at least 20 idols who are worse than him.

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      • I agree. Half of these human beings in this comment section hating on Lucas wouldn’t even be able to do what he’s doing or experience what he’s been through I’m really proud of Lucas for coming back strong and not letting them get to him fully cause at the end of the day his music, his talent isn’t theirs. So in my opinion they have no right to hate cause like you stated they don’t know him personally.

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    • I definitely agree with you!! It really made me disappointed to see that people would bring Lucas down now, I get it if it was 2 years ago when everything happened (still disappointing) but now? When he apologized and said he’d never do it again. But I love this song and the rap part is my favorite!!

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  18. its funny how everyone here’s just blabbing nonsense. His songs are good for someone who literally went thru crippling depression and anxiety and someone who received so much hate for protecting his own group. This song proves just how much eh tried and tired but all everyone talks about is that one mistake he did back then and how he’s a dozen? Bffr he did so much better than you could ever do so keep your negative opinions to yourselves

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  21. I train myself to separate the art from the artist (unless the artist is proven beyond reasonable doubt that he’s guilty of the crime, like a certain Polanski). If everybody is going to cancel every artist that has ever done bad things, I don’t think we had any art left in this world. Human beings are flawed, we are capable of doing both right and wrong things. Who the heck as we to judge others’ morality?! Performers do what performers do. Singers sing. Judge the skills objectively. Whether the song is your cup of tea or not. Don’t be blinded by accusations. They are only accusations. And there’s no need to judge somebody as if they were somebody lived near you.

    So what do I think about this song? Not really my cup of tea, but I do think Kpop needs a song like this to shake up the industry. Why? Perhaps it’s too sweet to the point of being pre-diabetic? Regarding Lucas’ skills, I definitely think he has improved a lot. His singing kinda surprised me, considering I’ve never heard him singing this way before. This song reeks sad anger. His aura has definitely changed, from rather cocky/playful to mature.

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  22. I really can’t with these hatefilled discussions. Leave the boy alone. What is it to you if he has been a shitty boyfriend? He suffered alone for nearly three years, lost his friends and members, had some serious depression but still wants to go back out there and do what he loves to do. I can only applaud him for having the guts to do it. And so what he is not the best rapper or singer?

    He delivers his lines in his own unique style. His deep baritone voice is so refreshing with all those tenors around. Nobody sounds like him in Kpop atm and that alone really makes him stand out. If you don’t like the way he raps or sings there is an easy solution….go and watch somebody you like.

    Oh, and if you wanna complain about unfairness towards other SM artists take it up with SM! Don’t make Lucas responsible for SMs decisions!

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  24. Some commenters sound so arrogant. I don’t know much about Lucas or whatever he did that deserves so much judgement, but I looked and at the time it happened he was 21-22 years old. Can we show some kindness to the guy? Hopefully the past 2-3 years have made him mature. If nothing else, I commend his bravery, because he had to know that all this hate was coming and he still put himself out there. 

    About the song, his vocals, his rap, his dance…I’m no expert, and to the my untrained ears, it sounds and looks nice. I find it listenable and unoffensive.✌🏻7.5/10

    PS: wondering how Woojin’s return will be handled

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