Back in March of this year, Kihyun, the golden vocalist of K-pop group Monsta X, embarked on his first solo venture. Single album ‘Voyager’ was a swift introduction to his world, where each of its three tracks portrayed a different destination: sizzling rock guitars in ‘Voyager’, breezy pop in ‘, (Comma),’ and moody yearnings in ‘Rain’. However, for a man filled with wanderlust, that short of a trip would never be enough.
Seven months later, on October 24th, Kihyun went back on the road with ‘Youth’ — his first EP. For him, singing is a passport to freedom: “I try to escape by creating and involving myself in music,” he revealed in a past interview. The album revisits feelings and experiences that colored his life so far, and the 28-year-old travels through alt rock, synth pop, and soaring ballads that highlight his arresting vocals. Little by little, he unravels a world of his own — each song a new terrain to explore.
Since his debut in 2015 with Monsta X, Kihyun has carved a spot as one of K-pop’s most distinct vocalists. Now, he rejoices in exploring more of his distinct colour, sharing with the world the discoveries of his meanderings along the way. A few days after the release of ‘Youth’, Clash caught up with Kihyun and his omnipresent leather jacket over Zoom to discuss his past, present, and future.
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Your first album ‘Voyager’ took you on a journey, and ‘Youth’ once again makes you travel, but to your past. Are you a nostalgic person?
Kihyun: I won’t say that I dwell on or think about things that happened in the far past, but rather that I try to learn from my more recent mistakes.
So what inspired you to release an album themed on your youth?
Kihyun: This is my current reflection on youth. I expressed my personal feelings and stories, and I asked myself questions about what I would tell my younger self.
Your title track talks about the joys of being young, but all the other songs are very specific about love and relationships. How are those themes related for you?
Kihyun: I would not connect youth with love because I think they’re both separate from each other. Love is something that you live with someone else, while my definition of youth would be something that I go through in my life. I don’t like to put any special meanings between those two.
If love and youth aren’t related for you, what was the deciding factor for each song to be in this album?
Kihyun: The album title can best be described through the title track, but for all the other songs, I didn’t really focus on the meaning or the lyrics. I rather focused on the genre and songs that are really different from each other, so I could include a variety of musical styles.
In the music video for ‘Youth’, you appear on a stage that is built like a playground. Is performing your way to experience those feelings of childhood again?
Kihyun: Yeah, it’s true. But in the music video, that scene shows my youth. And after that, the dark [scenes] show my adult side.
What do you miss the most about your childhood?
Kihyun: There was no fear. At that time, I didn’t have money, but I didn’t think of myself as unfortunate. I was really confident and just felt like I could do anything. I guess that’s what I miss the most.
It feels like we get more scared as we grow up indeed. Now that you are almost entering your thirties, how do you feel about that? Are you in a late-twenties crisis yet?
Kihyun: Actually, I’m 30 in Korea now, but I don’t feel any different. Age is just a number. I didn’t have much time when I was younger, but now that I do, I want to explore more of my personal interests, like surfing, travelling, and playing games.
What would the young Kihyun think about present day Kihyun?
Kihyun: Ah, wow. I thought [being] 30 was really old, but I’m still young now. Fortunately, the younger Kihyun would think of present day Kihyun as a successful middle-aged man. [Laughs.]
Your bandmate Hyungwon wrote two songs for you on this album, ‘Bad Liar’ and ‘Where Is This Love’. Was it different to work with him as a soloist, rather than as a member of Monsta X?
Kihyun: It was very easy to work with Hyungwon as a producer, he gives me a lot of freedom because he fully trusts me when it comes to singing. It was easier than working with other, outside producers. He knows me so much, and he wrote those two songs with me in mind, specifically for me.
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What are the best parts of working solo for you?
Kihyun: As a solo artist I can show my true musical colours. I can be more free, not only in terms of music, but also on the stage I feel more liberated. Also, I can choose which songs I would like to include in the album, and I don’t need to adjust that or have any talks and discussions with the other members.
You wrote ‘’Cause of You’ for this album, which is considerably brighter than ‘, (Comma),’ which you wrote for ‘Voyager’. Do you think you are discovering new sides of yourself through that creative process?
Kihyun: It’s a funny story, because ‘‘Cause Of You’ was actually the first lyrics I have ever written. So when I listen to ‘, (Comma)’ and when I listen to ‘‘Cause of You’ now, I don’t feel like growth [happened]. Instead, it’s like looking at a more youthful side of myself.
What do you think that you have learned since the release of ‘Voyager’?
Kihyun: I felt that being on stage by myself is not an easy task. At the same time, I could find out how to enjoy [it] through ‘Voyager’, because I could fully express my colours without having to go through a complicated process. That’s the reason why I released this album not too long after the first [one].
When did you decide to release ‘Youth’?
Kihyun: Around June or July? It was three months after the release of ‘Voyager’. When I was touring with Monsta X, I felt like I needed to have more songs, and in order to do that I needed to release a new album. Also, during my solo performances on the tour, I really felt that rush of adrenaline of being on stage, so that prompted me to release this album.
Do you want to go on a solo tour now?
Kihyun: If I can, yes. If I have the time to do that! But it will be really hard being without the members.
What’s your favourite part of this album?
Kihyun: In my title track, the last sentence of the lyrics: “That I was already doing well”. And a sentence in the hook… What was it? [Kihyun looks up and mumbles the melody in an effort to remember.] I forgot the lyrics. Ah! “I want to be happy without trying so hard”. On YouTube, I saw some fans’ reaction videos, and [during] that sentence, they were crying. So yeah, I like that. That sentence contains my life story.
Why?
Kihyun: The lyrics overall are just my story, and that sentence is something that I wanted to tell not only to myself, but to the listeners as well.
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‘Youth’ is out now.
Words: Tássia Assis // @_tassia_a
