For those who follow the K-pop music scene, the fact that Jay Park originally debuted in a 7-member idol group 2PM under JYP Entertainment is common knowledge. As is the public controversy that erupted, as netizens and local media discovered and sensationalized his past MySpace posts (where he describes his initial culture shock and frustration adjusting to the Korean lifestyle), which angered fans (who read his comments as an insult to Korea) and resulted his expulsion from the group and return to his hometown in Seattle, Washington.

During this time, despite not being able to work in the Korean music industry, Park was able to maintain his popularity and garner international interest with his song covers and dance videos on his YouTube channel.

"There are so many people worldwide that enjoy watching YouTube stars present various skits, covers, and other performances," Park says in an email interview with Asia Pacific Arts. "It has created a great opportunity for anyone to express themselves in front of potentially millions of people. I recognized this opportunity and decided to take advantage of it by creating videos."

Park's first YouTube video, a cover of BoB's "Nothin' on You" went viral and received over 1,500,000 views in less than a day (His first original YouTube account, jayparkaom, has been deleted, so the original video cannot be viewed). Since that video, the term "Jay Park effect" has been coined for his seemingly ubiquitous and explosive popularity. As if paying homage, he also created his own Korean rendition of the track titled, "Count on Me (믿어줄래)."

Prior to his official return as a solo singer in Korea, Park put on a number of performances throughout the U.S. such as the International Secret Agents 2010 concert and the Korean Music Festival 2011.

Park thinks the reactions he gets from American audiences versus Korean audiences are similar. "The energy is really good everywhere I go. The only difference is maybe I sing a lot of [English] pop songs, and in America they can really understand what I'm singing."

After the April 30 Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Park quickly returned to Korea to promote his solo debut album, Take a Deeper Look. 

"When naming this album, I really wanted to portray the idea that things aren't always as they appear and often you need to dig deeper to find out the truth about something or what a person is really like," Park says. "I was very involved in the production of this album, writing the lyrics for all seven songs and composing six of them. Take a Deeper Look suggests working past the exterior in all aspects of life, and I tried to show this through my songs in this album."

Despite not promoting his album overseas, he affirmed the power of the "Jay Park effect" as he topped the iTunes and international foreign charts in several different countries, including the US, Japan and Norway.  It may have initially been seen as a risk for the mainstream K-pop entertainment industry to debut a solo artist who insists on writing and composing his own music, but Park's rookie attempt is a mighty good one. 

The Take a Deeper Look album cover feastures a masculine, gritty photo of a shirtless Jay Park, and the focus is clearly on his perpetually-discussed physique.  (Take a deeper look? Okay, will do.) When asked how he keeps in shape, Park says, "Just be consistent and don't overdo it."

In the seven tracks of latest album, Jay Park showcases various aspects of his musical style, from rap to pop to R&B, and features established rappers, such as Dok2 and The Quiett. His tracks are laced with his native English language, which perhaps adds to Park's appeal for international listeners who can easily understand the gist of his songs.

The album kicks off with "Touch the Sky," a retro jazz-influenced track, sampling light and subtle female vocals. With a characteristic hip hop confidence, the song expresses how easy his fresh skills come to him. One of my favorite tracks, it's a great way to introduce listeners. 

The title track "Abandoned" is an interesting blend of slow jam and fast tempo pacing. The song begins slowly, using water drop sound effects, but once it picks up, more instrumentals chime in to create a unique, more complex effect. However, despite the novel take on a classic technique, the transition is uneven. Even so, after a few listens, I couldn't stop hearing the catchy echoes of Where did you go oh oh oh oh?. 

Jay Park showcases his rapping talent (which he became known for his his YouTube videos) in "Level 1000" featuring Dok2. In a few words, the track is fierce, cocky, hard-hitting, and most of all -- swaggerific, with the usual hip hop ego stroking and heavy beats. Although Dok2 is known as a rapping extraordinaire, Park does a pretty decent job holding his own. 

Moving onto the R&B tracks, the first of the two is "Can't Be Without You (너 없이 안돼)."  The song open with a piano instrumental and clapping beat which continues for the rest of the song, a spare use of intrumentals that compliments his vocals. It is a rather atypical slow jam, as it jumps pitches in a jarring manner, but the experimentation makes it one of my favorites. On the other hand, "Don't Let Go" follows the classic R&B form with its sleek vibe, both in his smooth vocals and in the sensual guitar riffs. 

Not forgetting his pop element, Jay Park kicks up the energy with "Tonight (오늘 밤)." It's a fun electropop track about forgetting an ex and partying it up all night. Every line tells a piece of the story in rather simple and elementary lyrics. With the quick and consistent hi hat beat saturating the song, it fulfills the requirements of a electropop song and frankly, I just can't help but dance along with it. 

Jay Park wraps up the mini-album with "Bestie," his first released single composed by fellow B-boy, AOM member Cha Cha Malone. It's like going full circle back to where Park began. Malone knew exactly how to highlight Park's vocals in this pop track. The song is upbeat and dynamic, and it closes the album with a strong finish.

With Take a Closer Look, Jay Park reinvents himself as a solo artist, showing the world that he can stand on his own two feet. Although his Korean delivery has room for improvement, his enthusiasm and passion makes up for it. 

Park plans to release more singles and albums in the near future. In addition to the film Mr. Idol, which will be released later this year, Jay Park is also acting in Hype Nation, a dance film in which he plays "a dark, bad guy dancer and basically fights with a group of American dancers throughout the movie."

"You will have to see it when it comes out to find out more," he teases.

For more information on Jay Park, check out his official website, YouTube channel or Twitter.