“My growth is truly ‘Sinabro’.”

Ken of group VIXX, who debuted in 2012, defined his past 12 years of activities with a single word, ‘Sinabro’.” Although the pure Korean word meaning “little by little, slowly” may seem to be an odd fit for him, who has freely enjoyed the K-pop stage, Ken laughed, saying, “There is no better way to describe me, who has grown by breaking down walls one by one.”

He named the title song of his second solo mini-album ‘Puzzle’, released on the 26th after a full 4 years, ‘Sinabro’, which is “a word that resembles me”. This is because the process of filling the album with five tracks, including the title song, ‘Dear Little Star’, and ‘Even After This Night Passes’, was also done “slowly, little by little”.

“After being discharged from the military in 2022, I immediately jumped into musical activities, and since I changed agencies in July of this year, it took me 4 years to release another solo album. Maybe that‘s why I’m really nervous. I‘m even more nervous because it’s the first time I‘m singing a title song with a band sound since my debut. I wanted to show a new side of myself, so for ‘Dear Little Star’ I recorded my voice after waking up from sleep, and for ‘Even After This Night Passes’ I tried a ‘one take’ (recording in one go without editing). It was hard because it was all new to me, but it was really fun.”

Ken looked back and said, “I also gained the confidence that I could sing for a long time” while changing his singing style for ‘Sinabro’, which is based on a band sound.

“As I learned how to make sounds without straining my vocal cords, I thought, ‘Wow, singing can be this fun.” My experience in both K-pop and musical stages definitely helped. I was able to discover more possibilities for myself.”

He said that he is “still close” with N, Leo, and Hyuk, and confessed, “I’m envious of the third-generation groups that were active around the same time recently making comebacks as a full group.”

“Once Hyuk, the youngest, finishes his military service (January 2026), won’t we be able to do group promotions right away? The members are also really longing for group promotions. I often talk to the members these days about things like, “I wish we could all get together soon,” and “The fans would really like that.”

He plans to solidify his position as a “solo artist” before making a comeback with VIXX. He is also scheduled to have his first solo concert since his debut on January 4-5 next year at the Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Seoul.

“Next year, I want to try more diverse acting. Of course, I also have a desire for variety shows. I’m ready to appear on ‘Excuse Me’, ‘Running Man’, ‘I Live Alone’, etc. Oh, I haven‘t gotten permission to appear on ‘Point of Omniscient Interfere’ with my manager, but I’ll try to convince him. Hahaha!”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com