"Namanana" is the title track on Lay's first English album, which was released in 2018, and it is his American debut as he makes his crossover into the U.S. music industry. ("Give Me a Chance" is also from Lay's Namanana album.) Every Mandarin song on this album has an all-English version, and like everything that Zhang Yixing (Lay) does, it was all wrote, composed, and produced by him, including the English lyrics. Yes, I am sure he had consultants who helped him find the right words in English, but if you know him, you know that he is a perfectionist and there is almost nothing that he is involved in that he doesn't have 100% control of himself. (This was during the time when he began to focus on learning English in order to promote in the U.S.) Before "Lit", "Namanana" was one of the most expensive Chinese produced MVs at the time, costing around $1 million to make. However, Lay broke his record in 2020 with the release of "Lit." He even did a U.S. media tour and held concerts in the U.S. as part of his Namanana album promotions. You should check out his live concert performance of these songs. Because Lay was not allowed to promote in Korea at that time due issues between the Chinese and Korean government, SM found a way to promote him as part of EXO's storyline by partnering with him to release English songs and to tie his MVs in with EXO's story. Everything EXO does, including several of Lay's solo releases -- such as "Sheep," "Namanana" and "Honey" -- all tie into the fact that he is a member of EXO. It's SM's way of making sure that even though he might not be able to work with the members, that they show fans that his storyline and presence as part of EXO is still really important to Lay and SM. The lyrics of "Namanana" actually make a lot of sense if you know the story behind the song and if you follow EXO's storyline. Therefore, with that in mind, "Olay" is a war cry that is supposed to show how powerful he is and that he is in control. He is saying that the negative comments and haters can't change the narrative of his story or make him doubt the path he is on in life. It is also a metaphor for the narrative within EXO's storyline and what he has had to go through as Lay the EXO alien. As a character within EXO's story, Lay is currently trying to figure out how to put a stop to the evil and destruction that the Red Force is causing. So he is also speaking to the Red Force saying, you won't be able to defeat us. I won't let you stop us from accomplishing our goals, etc. Also, fun fact: The pink lake you see in the MV is a real pink salt lake -- the minerals in this lake actually make the water look pink -- and they are dancing on a sandbar in the middle of the lake. The MV was filmed in Australia. According to Lay, Namanana is a nonsensical word that is meant to be used like "Hakuna Matata" from Disney's The Lion King. However, to understand the story in the MV you have to remember that Lay is a member of EXO. So many fan theories believe that the "Namanana" MV is another piece of EXO's storyline and it establishes Lay's connection to EXO's story. In EXO's "Power" MV it is thought that EXO are on Exo Planet and, before their "Obsession" MV came out, we all thought EXO was trying to get their powers back from the Red Force.The original theory was that the robot we see in "Power", which is being controlled by the Red Force, stole EXO's powers and the members had to fight to get their powers back. However, Lay is the only member who is missing in "Power" -- that MV was during the start of when he was no longer able to work with EXO. So, because Lay was unable to participate in "Power," as part of EXO's storyline, he was unable to collect his power orb. Originally, fan theories thought that the other EXO members must have retrieved his power orb for him and they sent him his power orb in the mail. As we see in "Namanana," it looks as though Lay receives a package, and when he opens the box it looks like he finds his power orb inside. Also in "Namanana" you see things like a pyramid, which is thought to be a message sent to Lay from Kai. Kai's power is the ability to teleport and his symbol is a pyramid. We think Kai is sending Lay a message to let him know that he is searching for him and he is coming to take him back and reunite him with the other EXO members. EXO needs Lay to use his power of healing to help defeat the Red Force and to heal everything that is going wrong. The group needs to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace in the world, and Lay is the member who could heal and fix things as EXO struggles to take down the Red Force. Kai means opening, as in door or gateway, so as the center of the group, Kim JongIn (Kai) is supposed to be the one that connects all the members together. And the golden eye symbol you see in this MV is the exact same eye statue we see on the desk in Lay's Grand Line 2 concert teaser videos, which also could be connected to the eye we see in other SM MVs, such as the eye from EXO Kai's "Mmmh" MV, aespa's "Savage" MV, and maybe even the eye symbol and closeup of the dragon's eye in Lay's solo "Lit" MV. And it even looks like it could be connected to the eye we see in SHINee Key's solo "Gasoline" and "Killer" MVs. The eyes all look slightly different, but I think they are supposed to be a symbol that connects something within the larger storyline of SM's SM Culture Universe. The eye might be what the evil forces -- such as the Red Force in EXO's storyline, or the Black Mamba or whomever the new villain is in aespa's storyline -- are using to spy on everyone within SM's SM Culture Universe, which could be a metaphor for how big brother government is always watching and is in control. It also could be why we see the EXO members smashing mirrors, surveillance cameras and TVs, etc. in EXO's "Coming Over" MV. We also see Lay get woken up by a thunderstorm. The thunderstorm is thought to possibly be a message sent by Chen. Chen and Lay are members of EXO-M, and Chen's superpower is the ability to control thunder and lightning. So it is thought that Chen is also sending Lay some sort of message. And at one point, we see how it looks like it all of a sudden turns from day to night. It doesn't just go dark, but it looks like something might be blocking the sun, which is thought to be caused by an eclipse. EXO's powers are controlled by the eclipse. The eclipse is where EXO summons their abilities from and that's why the majority of the stories in their MVs revolve around an eclipse of some kind or something to do with the sun and moon. And that's why a few of their comebacks and MV releases have been on days when we have had a real eclipse, or some sort of real planetary phenomenon, etc. This story also could be connected to EXO's "El Dorado" storyline. Some people point to the fact that in the lyrics of "EL Dorado," one of the lines in the song is "Got to sail, sail sail ... got to find find find ... El Dorado." And like Peter Pan, with a little magic and superpowers, the ship is sailing in the air in "Namanana." So this could have something to do with EXO sailing the world in search of the Tree of Life, etc. Sehun has the power to control wind, so it could be him using his power to make the ship levitate and sail through the sky, etc. And D.O. has the power of earth or dirt, which gives him super strength/force, so when we see those rocks levitating or being blown up in the "Namanana" MV, this could be D.O using his power as he tries to send Lay a message as well. We still aren't sure what the "flying atom" is, but I'm sure it has something to do with EXOs storyline. We just have to wait and see if it gets explained more in the future as more of EXO's story is revealed. Everything that any of the members of EXO are involved in is connected to their storyline, even down to the most minute of details. Therefore, nothing is ever random or done without a specific reason. If you like Lay's dancing, you really need to check out his dance practice video for "Namanana." There's a reason why he is one of China's top dancers and a main dancer in EXO.
13:43 For this one, I’m curious how many noticed that LAY gained back his elemental power orb “UNICORN” [Healing]? 17:19 Thats why he one of the main dancers of EXO along with KAI (if my memory serves me right).
"Namanana" is the title track on Lay's first English album, which was released in 2018, and it is his American debut as he makes his crossover into the U.S. music industry. ("Give Me a Chance" is also from Lay's Namanana album.) Every Mandarin song on this album has an all-English version, and like everything that Zhang Yixing (Lay) does, it was all wrote, composed, and produced by him, including the English lyrics. Yes, I am sure he had consultants who helped him find the right words in English, but if you know him, you know that he is a perfectionist and there is almost nothing that he is involved in that he doesn't have 100% control of himself. (This was during the time when he began to focus on learning English in order to promote in the U.S.)
Before "Lit", "Namanana" was one of the most expensive Chinese produced MVs at the time, costing around $1 million to make. However, Lay broke his record in 2020 with the release of "Lit."
He even did a U.S. media tour and held concerts in the U.S. as part of his Namanana album promotions. You should check out his live concert performance of these songs.
Because Lay was not allowed to promote in Korea at that time due issues between the Chinese and Korean government, SM found a way to promote him as part of EXO's storyline by partnering with him to release English songs and to tie his MVs in with EXO's story. Everything EXO does, including several of Lay's solo releases -- such as "Sheep," "Namanana" and "Honey" -- all tie into the fact that he is a member of EXO. It's SM's way of making sure that even though he might not be able to work with the members, that they show fans that his storyline and presence as part of EXO is still really important to Lay and SM.
The lyrics of "Namanana" actually make a lot of sense if you know the story behind the song and if you follow EXO's storyline.
Therefore, with that in mind, "Olay" is a war cry that is supposed to show how powerful he is and that he is in control. He is saying that the negative comments and haters can't change the narrative of his story or make him doubt the path he is on in life. It is also a metaphor for the narrative within EXO's storyline and what he has had to go through as Lay the EXO alien. As a character within EXO's story, Lay is currently trying to figure out how to put a stop to the evil and destruction that the Red Force is causing. So he is also speaking to the Red Force saying, you won't be able to defeat us. I won't let you stop us from accomplishing our goals, etc.
Also, fun fact: The pink lake you see in the MV is a real pink salt lake -- the minerals in this lake actually make the water look pink -- and they are dancing on a sandbar in the middle of the lake. The MV was filmed in Australia.
According to Lay, Namanana is a nonsensical word that is meant to be used like "Hakuna Matata" from Disney's The Lion King.
However, to understand the story in the MV you have to remember that Lay is a member of EXO. So many fan theories believe that the "Namanana" MV is another piece of EXO's storyline and it establishes Lay's connection to EXO's story.
In EXO's "Power" MV it is thought that EXO are on Exo Planet and, before their "Obsession" MV came out, we all thought EXO was trying to get their powers back from the Red Force.The original theory was that the robot we see in "Power", which is being controlled by the Red Force, stole EXO's powers and the members had to fight to get their powers back. However, Lay is the only member who is missing in "Power" -- that MV was during the start of when he was no longer able to work with EXO. So, because Lay was unable to participate in "Power," as part of EXO's storyline, he was unable to collect his power orb. Originally, fan theories thought that the other EXO members must have retrieved his power orb for him and they sent him his power orb in the mail. As we see in "Namanana," it looks as though Lay receives a package, and when he opens the box it looks like he finds his power orb inside.
Also in "Namanana" you see things like a pyramid, which is thought to be a message sent to Lay from Kai. Kai's power is the ability to teleport and his symbol is a pyramid. We think Kai is sending Lay a message to let him know that he is searching for him and he is coming to take him back and reunite him with the other EXO members. EXO needs Lay to use his power of healing to help defeat the Red Force and to heal everything that is going wrong. The group needs to find the two halves of the Tree of Life and reunite them to restore peace in the world, and Lay is the member who could heal and fix things as EXO struggles to take down the Red Force. Kai means opening, as in door or gateway, so as the center of the group, Kim JongIn (Kai) is supposed to be the one that connects all the members together.
And the golden eye symbol you see in this MV is the exact same eye statue we see on the desk in Lay's Grand Line 2 concert teaser videos, which also could be connected to the eye we see in other SM MVs, such as the eye from EXO Kai's "Mmmh" MV, aespa's "Savage" MV, and maybe even the eye symbol and closeup of the dragon's eye in Lay's solo "Lit" MV. And it even looks like it could be connected to the eye we see in SHINee Key's solo "Gasoline" and "Killer" MVs. The eyes all look slightly different, but I think they are supposed to be a symbol that connects something within the larger storyline of SM's SM Culture Universe. The eye might be what the evil forces -- such as the Red Force in EXO's storyline, or the Black Mamba or whomever the new villain is in aespa's storyline -- are using to spy on everyone within SM's SM Culture Universe, which could be a metaphor for how big brother government is always watching and is in control. It also could be why we see the EXO members smashing mirrors, surveillance cameras and TVs, etc. in EXO's "Coming Over" MV.
We also see Lay get woken up by a thunderstorm. The thunderstorm is thought to possibly be a message sent by Chen. Chen and Lay are members of EXO-M, and Chen's superpower is the ability to control thunder and lightning. So it is thought that Chen is also sending Lay some sort of message.
And at one point, we see how it looks like it all of a sudden turns from day to night. It doesn't just go dark, but it looks like something might be blocking the sun, which is thought to be caused by an eclipse. EXO's powers are controlled by the eclipse. The eclipse is where EXO summons their abilities from and that's why the majority of the stories in their MVs revolve around an eclipse of some kind or something to do with the sun and moon. And that's why a few of their comebacks and MV releases have been on days when we have had a real eclipse, or some sort of real planetary phenomenon, etc.
This story also could be connected to EXO's "El Dorado" storyline. Some people point to the fact that in the lyrics of "EL Dorado," one of the lines in the song is "Got to sail, sail sail ... got to find find find ... El Dorado." And like Peter Pan, with a little magic and superpowers, the ship is sailing in the air in "Namanana." So this could have something to do with EXO sailing the world in search of the Tree of Life, etc. Sehun has the power to control wind, so it could be him using his power to make the ship levitate and sail through the sky, etc.
And D.O. has the power of earth or dirt, which gives him super strength/force, so when we see those rocks levitating or being blown up in the "Namanana" MV, this could be D.O using his power as he tries to send Lay a message as well.
We still aren't sure what the "flying atom" is, but I'm sure it has something to do with EXOs storyline. We just have to wait and see if it gets explained more in the future as more of EXO's story is revealed.
Everything that any of the members of EXO are involved in is connected to their storyline, even down to the most minute of details. Therefore, nothing is ever random or done without a specific reason.
If you like Lay's dancing, you really need to check out his dance practice video for "Namanana." There's a reason why he is one of China's top dancers and a main dancer in EXO.
Lay is amazing, i love him so much. His vocal, his rich music, his dance and body roll aww. Thank you so much for your recation. I really apreciate❤
He had released these around his birthday (if I remember correctly), HAHAAHA 😅 RIP LADIES you gotta need it when you get to his other solo works 🥵👻
Lay is multi talented, he can do so much
Lay just dropped a new collab with Lauv “run back to you”. It’s a bop! Please react to it.
Catching up on your Lay reactions and I'm loving all of them 🤩
13:43 For this one, I’m curious how many noticed that LAY gained back his elemental power orb “UNICORN” [Healing]?
17:19 Thats why he one of the main dancers of EXO along with KAI (if my memory serves me right).
I was so happy when i saw that orb back when the my first dropped. I love that he tied it back to exo and power.
You guys may want to watch Let’s shut up and dance by Lay, Jason Derulo ans NCT127
Been waiting for this! Thank you for reacting to Lay! ❤
Lay music video presentation and production is always different and very well filmed in the the camera transitions and choreography changes
please react to lay zhang,laux new release mv ( run back to you)
My ult of all ults!! 🥰
I'm Hot 🔥 like wasabi that part get me all time 🤭 pls react live version