Photo = Starship Entertainment

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] MONSTA X KIHYUN teased a vocal challenge for his solo comeback and shared heartwarming episodes with his fellow artists.

 

KIHYUN met with Hanteo News at the Starship Entertainment building in Seoul on the 1st to talk about his second mini album, “BORDERLINE.” On this day, KIHYUN teased a challenge with MONSTA X member SHOWNU, drawing laughter as he said, “SHOWNU said he would take moral responsibility and do it.”

 

This challenge is taking the direction of a vocal challenge instead of a dance challenge. KIHYUN said, “A lot of people said the song is not easy after listening to it,” adding, “Aside from the level of difficulty, I think many people are thinking a lot about how to express it, so I plan to do it more as a vocal challenge.” He also personally stepped up during the casting process. KIHYUN said, “A lot of requests are made through the staff, but I personally called Director K.WILL,” adding, “I said, ‘Hyung, your younger brother has one wish,’ and I was grateful that he gladly accepted.” He continued, “I am preparing a lot by making use of the good connections I have built around me throughout my life.”

 

He also suggested the challenge to the MONSTA X members, but their reactions were different from what he had expected. KIHYUN explained, “I thought this song might not really blend that well with JOOHONEY’s tone, our youngest member I.M is serving in the military, and the range is too high for HYUNGWON, so I eventually thought the ones who could do it would be MINHYUK or SHOWNU.” He continued, drawing laughter, “I sent a message in the KakaoTalk chat room saying, ‘SHOWNU, MINHYUK, one person on a first-come, first-served basis for my vocal challenge,’ but there was no reply for quite a while, and it seemed like the two of them were watching each other’s reactions.” In the end, SHOWNU was the first to raise his hand. KIHYUN said, “Since I did the challenge during SHOWNU X HYUNGWON, SHOWNU said he would take moral responsibility and do it,” adding with a laugh, “As soon as SHOWNU replied in KakaoTalk, within a minute or two, MINHYUK suddenly came in too and said, ‘Hyung, tell me if you’re too busy,’ so I was like, ‘Look at this guy.’”

 

With many teams making comebacks in July, he also spoke about what sets KIHYUN apart. KIHYUN said, “I was a bit worried myself that this song might not really match the current trend in the music market, but I also think that could be what makes it different,” adding, “When I did ‘VOYAGER’ or ‘YOUTH’ before, the band members came on stage with me, but this time, what is a little different is that I will be showing the stage with just my vocals, without any dance performance.” He continued, “I think if I really sing well, those parts will all be made up for, so I plan to manage myself diligently and show good-quality vocals.”

 

He also honestly shared his concerns about the seasonal feel. KIHYUN said, “When it was decided that ‘So Good’ would be the title track, I thought a lot that it might not fit the season,” adding, “Even so, I first thought that a good song is not limited by the season, and I also thought that if I sang it that much more refreshingly, listeners might be able to feel a sense of freshness.”

 

Toward the end of the interview, KIHYUN also expressed his desire to hold a solo fan meeting and concert. KIHYUN said, “I think I should do at least one solo fan meeting or solo concert that the fans want,” adding, “I am building up experience by participating in many festivals right now, and I see that as experience for it.” As for his goal for this promotion, he said, “I personally think this album is an album with a level of completeness that is almost close to No. 1,” adding, “I see it as an opportunity to enjoyably introduce more of who I am as a person, so I will work hard.”

 

KIHYUN’s second mini album, “BORDERLINE,” will be released today at 6 p.m. through various music streaming sites.

 

grace@hanteo.com