EMOTIONAL ORANGES TEAM UP WITH SOUTH KOREAN SUPERSTAR JAEHYUN ON NEW SINGLE “CALL IT OFF”

Critically acclaimed R&B/pop duo Emotional Oranges return with Call It Off (ft. JAEHYUN), available now on all streaming platforms via Avant Garden Records, distributed by The Orchard & Colture. The track arrives alongside the announcement of their highly anticipated debut album, Orenjii, out May 16, 2025.

Continuing their streak of standout collaborations, Call It Off features South Korean superstar JAEHYUN of NCT, whose soulful vocals add cross-cultural depth to the duo’s signature smooth sound. With Orenjii drawing heavily from South Korean and Japanese influences in both sound and aesthetic, the track blends Azad and Vali’s groove-laden style with JAEHYUN’s soaring vocals to create a dreamy, genre-blurring song that bridges K-pop and R&B. The single was co-produced by Azad Naficy and Yonatan “xSDTRK” Ayal, and written by Naficy, Ayal, and Kelly Valentina Porter.

Azad Naficy of Emotional Oranges shares, “JAEHYUN and I met back in 2024 when we linked to work on his song “Flamin’ Hot Lemon“. It was iLL to get to know someone who grew up on the other side of the world but influenced by similar things. He was inspired by a lot of the same boy bands, both R&B and Pop, that came out of the 90’s so I thought of him when V and I were working on “Call It Off”. This one is giving Popstar Papi 2stepping in Seoul energy LOLLLL. Sending lots of love to my boy and can’t wait until he gets out of the army so we can celebrate!”

The word “orenjii” means “orange” in both Korean and Japanese, a nod to the album’s core theme of juxtaposition, blending worlds that don’t typically go together to create something new.

Speaking on the album, Emotional Oranges explain, “The time we’ve spent in Seoul and Tokyo over the past few years have had a strong influence on our overall taste and helped inspire the album title and concept. That coupled with how they embraced our music and art, sometimes faster than other cultures, is something we always took note of. With that said, lyrically this is a record rooted in love of self and love for others. When it came down to it, we just wanted to make a collection of music that would give the younger versions of ourselves hope.”

Call It Off follows the success of recent releases CANDY GUM and Out The Blue, both of which received widespread acclaim and strong editorial support, including placements in Spotify’s R&B Weekly and Channel-X, and coverage from top outlets such as Rolling Stone, Entertainment Tonight, Wonderland, UPROXX, The Line of Best Fit, TMRW, and Hunger.

Next up, the duo will head to Asia for live performances at Greenroom Festival in Japan and Seoul Jazz Festival in South Korea at the end of May. With Orenjii on the horizon and a stacked list of powerhouse global collaborators, Emotional Oranges are setting the bar high. As anticipation builds, the duo continues to prove why they’ve become a beloved force in global music, bringing people together through sound, style, and culture.