KEN
The singer KEN of the group VIXX realizes his comeback with a second mini-album entitled «PUZZLE» on this Friday, December 27.
It is in a café not far from the district of Gangnam, Seoul, that KSTATION TV meets the artist during an interview round with other journalists. The singer begins by defining this comeback at the request of KSTATION TV the opportunity to show his musical spectrum that is very varied, like a puzzle that would be assembled in order to constitute the recognized and accomplished vocalist that he is. The title song is called “Gradually” and the album features five tracks that accurately highlight KEN. KSTATION TV then asks where the shooting took place:
“The clip was shot in the abandoned amusement park Yongma Land. It allowed me to dive into movie sets, as if I was shooting a film.” – KEN
The concept is mainly rock, allowing to highlight the vocal power of the singer. It is underlined by a message of love; how do feelings manifest themselves gradually? The Korean name, “시나브로” makes it more suitable for cinematographic concepts, and reminiscent of the concert he gave to fans to show his love for them and his willingness to introduce proximity with them.
He hesitated between several concepts, but the one that was filmed in the clip is the one that suits him best. He has been wanting to try out songs with a rock band for several years, although he was able to do so in the past via OSTs. Performer with a band is therefore a first for him, having wished to give himself a challenge for this comeback. In addition, it allows the singer to come back strong after the army, which he started in 2020. During his service, he met many people, but especially one who became his close friend, and with whom he forged strong ties that later gave him inspiration for this comeback. When KEN talks about this anecdote, a smile breaks his face, despite the difficulty of performing military service.
Contrary to what he thought before making a song with a band, it was not so complicated to switch to a rock concept in group, within VIXX, to in solo. This experience allows him to discover a new facet of his singing profession. He dissociates the performances that he gave at concerts, because it is easy to alter songs to integrate a band, while in solo, the identity of his album is based on. He is therefore grateful to all those who were able to encourage and support him for this comeback.
Initially, he wanted to include his friends from the army in the clip, but after talking with the agency, he realized that unfortunately the timing of each schedule did not coincide. He has, however, redoubled his efforts to ensure that the quality of this comeback is up to his expectations, working tirelessly to find what best suits him. He also took the time to listen to a lot of rock songs to really immerse himself in this atmosphere and be sure to fit the album. It was the most complicated part of this comeback, his main goal being to show another side of himself.
In addition, after meeting other artists older than him, he has discovered what he wants to do or not, and even if the preparation time for the comeback did not exceed a year, he is satisfied with the result presented today. Some meetings were not the most productive for him, but all were enriching in one way or another. As for his routine as an artist, he would wake up in the morning and take time to drink glasses of hot water to soothe his throat, and when he could not achieve a desired result, he would call these artists for advice. It’s hard to get into a routine, because he tends to change his habits for each album or production. So he took two years to train in other vocal techniques.
One can discover a voice that may seem different from his previous productions, whether solo or in a group. He then talks about another song from the album, “이 밤이 지나도,” a song that he recorded only once, a title that he took time to study to find out what feeling to instill in the song. Thinking he couldn’t do better in a second take, he is proud of this song. It speaks above all of the fact that when one is with the person loved, and that we protect him from adversities, the moments lived together will be most beautiful. The word that symbolizes this title is therefore «confidence», towards oneself, towards the other, and even if the melody is sad, the words are actually beautiful.
When recording sensitive or sad songs, he thinks about his family and the messages he would like to tell them. In addition, he admits to being very active on the application «Bublle», which allows artists using it to communicate with their fans. Thinking about fans gave birth to «Dear little star». He continues to talk about the title, revealing that every time he looks at the stars, he thinks of the family he misses, like his parents and grandparents, and hopes that like a star in turn, he can bring comfort to his fans. He also recalled happy memories to help convey particular emotions during recordings.
On this album, three songs are made with a band, including the title «Bye my only universe». Finally, the last track that makes up for this album is «Make me strong» also in a rock atmosphere. As for the date of the comeback, just after Christmas, it was after discussion with the agency that the choice was made on this date for its family and comforting significance. Revisiting the title song, “Gradually”, he recalls an old concert he gave that had the concept of “Alice in Wonderland” where a blue butterfly appeared. He wanted to incorporate this butterfly in the MV to create a link between his previous work.
The artist has a very complete schedule, alternating between concerts, comeback and also musical musical. Indeed, KEN is currently on the screen of the musical «Ghost maker» where he is one of the main singers, an aspect of his career that began in 2015 at the age of just 25, and where he is very prolific. Working in the musical scene allows you to learn a lot about him as a singer, the work being different from with an idol career Kpop. It also allowed him to meet many artists, and try out different styles, the other members of VIXX also have solo activities, some of which are musicals such as LEO.
Participating in a musical allows to work on two key aspects: the singing, and acting, to put themselves in the shoes of the characters he interprets. This double-sided work does not leave him much time for himself, but the fact that he receives help from both sides makes him happy. The fatigue felt is therefore a positive and rewarding fatigue. He is very fond of this world, and the comments he can hear fill him with joy. Idols that are launched in musicals are more and more common, but to get to last in the industry is difficult. You have to be able to transform your voice according to the character played, but he does not forget his roots as a singer of Kpop. He is also aware that work, whether in a group or in a musical, comes from everywhere and from every person.
Regarding his industry role models, he says that he has several by category, idol, musical, etc., but it is difficult for him to establish a connection with them, even if he has their phone number for some of them for example. When he first entered the musical theatre industry, he refused to be categorized as a “kpop singer making musicals”. He prefers to dissociate the artist from the stage as a member of VIXX and in musicals , remembering one of the first musicals in which he participated, «Dracula». So he particularly redoubled his efforts in his early days to catch up with other more experienced singers, in order to break away from the idol image.
As he matured, he had to accept that he would always be an idol in musical and that he had to prove his passion for the business and his hard work to get where he is today. Changing theme, he discusses his future concert to be held in February. He admits to being stressed out by being on stage alone, without the group members, and that he will continue the preparations for the concert by going to rehearse just after the interview. The years he spent on stage in VIXX have helped him gain confidence in his singing skills, but holding a solo concert will be a first for him. He is very happy to be able to meet his fans.
Even if it’s not perfect, he wants to please his fans, who know that he works hard to get where he is now. He wants to prove that he is getting better over time, and hopes to hear compliments saying “KEN is a good singer, I’m a fan of him, I’ll see his musicals etc.” and fun, conveying positive feelings. Give a smile to the people around him and success for him, and he does his best to develop that aspect of himself. For example, he wants to be able to show that he is happy to be on stage and that he enjoys singing. Returning to the application «Bublle», he admits that he has to post every day on the application in particular because fans pay to have access to this service, but also because it makes him happy to chat with. However, the financial aspect makes him feel a little guilty, and he says that he should post even if it is late at night.
He then recalled that he wrote the lyrics for “Dear my little star,” making it even more symbolic to fans. This is the second time he has been involved in writing a song for fans, doing his best to convey his sincerity and love for them. Approaching the filming of “Gradually”, KSTATION TV asks the singer about a potential shooting anecdote:
“The cold weather made it difficult for me, I was only wearing a sweater and had to lie on the floor. To support me, the staff told me that I was beautiful, that I was getting back on camera, and that I was doing my job well, while applauding” – KEN
«Make me strong» is a song he wrote with a friend he has known since he was twenty, a close friend with whom he even appeared on the radio. To thank the journalists who came for the interview, he prepared a perfume he had made during a fan concert to give to fans. The perfume became like a trademark for him, repeating the experience for this comeback. As for a goal he would have set himself with this album, it would be to receive positive comments about his risk taking by making a comeback with a rock band. Knowing that he did well to test this kind would bring him a comforting feeling, and know that he did well.
Our reporter’s words: “Being a fan of VIXX, it was very intimidating to meet him but his kindness made me feel comfortable immediately. I wish him good luck on his comeback!”
Journalist : Pillet Anaïs
Photo : S27M ENTERTAINEMENT
Sources : KSTATION TV
