JOOHONEY of MONSTA X unveils “Push” with REI of IVE, establishing himself through subtlety.
Hip-hop, energy, freedom, rebellion. These are familiar keywords long used to define JOOHONEY of MONSTA X. But this time, he sets those images aside. Instead of a rough and intense rap, JOOHONEY slips in quietly, like snowflakes on a winter night, with a low, whispered voice. Breaking habits, JOOHONEY returns once again with a face that is both unexpected and captivating.
JOOHONEY released the digital single “Push” (feat. Rei (IVE)) on December 22 at 6 PM KST across all music platforms, along with its music video.
Following his first solo album “LIGHTS” released in 2023, JOOHONEY will present his second mini-album “光 (INSANITY)” after an absence of two years and eight months. The pre-release track “Push” (feat. Rei (IVE)) is an R&B song that delicately captures the fluctuations of a relationship made up of attraction and rejection. Over warm chords, JOOHONEY’s emotional voice blends with the soft tone of REI of IVE, leaving behind a subtle warmth even in the heart of the cold season and sincerely expressing a wavering heart searching for the center of love.
The lyrics of “Push” (feat. Rei (IVE)), “From the very first glance / an unexplainable attraction was born / even if it seems dangerous, I’m fine with it”, “Have we become closer? / or farther, far, far away / the more you push me away, the more I want to move toward you”, may sound like those of a simple love song. Yet JOOHONEY uses this moment of “push” to confirm his own center, translating into music the human rhythm that subtly oscillates between love and identity.
The music video also visually illustrates the message JOOHONEY wishes to convey. Set against the backdrop of a subway, a familiar and cherished space for the MONBEBE (fandom name), JOOHONEY faces another version of himself. The “woman” who appears before him (Shin Eunsu) symbolizes a crack in reality as well as another self. Like the creaking of a chair, a change born from a small vibration sets a frozen world back into motion. The very essence of the word “Push”, stoppage and vibration, the boundary between reason and emotion, is made visible. In the final scene, JOOHONEY moves toward his inner self, like a being breaking out of its shell.
The search for the “true self”. This message echoes his previous work LIGHTS. After subtly announcing his new album through “Push” (feat. Rei (IVE)), anticipation grows for the story JOOHONEY will tell with 光 (INSANITY).
光 (INSANITY) combines the character “gwang”, meaning both madness (狂) and light (光). The album depicts the collision between the impulse and passion of a young man who first grasped music, and the weight of the artist on stage, ultimately merging into a single light. The release is scheduled for January 5.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS MONSTA X
