Kevin Bronson on April 3rd, 2019

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Trick question of the day: The second single from L.A. pop singer KO — the knockout abbreviation for Kaitlyn Olson — has already been on the charts, yet it hasn’t been released yet. How does that happen? Follow along …

Olson, whose solo debut “Just Take It” came out in February, first embarked on the song that would become “Mood” after she met producer Dakari Gwitara (G Eazy). “He started sending me beats to write to,” Olson explains. “This was the first track he sent me, which I wrote and recorded with my friends [Tyler Shamy and Trevor Klaiman] out of my bedroom studio over the course of a couple hours. Soon after, we heard that a huge KPOP star, Yuri from Girls’ Generation, wanted the song for her debut solo album.”

Yuri’s version of the song, “Illusion,” appeared on her album “The First Scene,” which hit No. 2 on the South Korean charts.

KO’s breathy “Mood” is a come-hither look set to a rubbery beat and soft-to-the-touch melody. Produced by Richie James Follin of Guards, it trades the coquettish feel of the Korean single for the oh-so-sultry, direct needs of someone who implores her lover to “leave your clothes at the door.”

Although Olson has released but two singles, the Los Angeles native already has quite a catalog of songs. She’s written with Dakari (G Eazy, Sam Smith, Tove Lo), Jerry Wonda (Fugees, Shakira), Jason Hill (the Killers, Empire of the Sun) and Jeff Kite (The Voidz), Dallas Austin (TLC), Chris Cester (JET), CC Sheffield (Deadmau5’s “Raise Your Weapons”) and Stacy Barthe (Miley Cyrus’ “Adore You”). While attending Columbia University, she recorded a country album with producer Richard Perry. And in 2017, she co-wrote and was featured on DJ Dash Berlin’s song “Home.” So she’s got more punches to throw.

||| Stream: “Mood”

||| Also: Stream “Just Take It”