Groups BTS, SHINee, and DAY6 have finally completed the ‘solo puzzle’.

Jin, Minho, and Sungjin, who were the last regular solo artists from each team, have released their first solo albums in succession, making the three teams stand tall as ‘groups where all members have solo albums’. Jin, Minho, and Sungjin, who have inherited the team‘s final solo baton, are showing their determination to freely challenge themselves with new genres that they have not shown in their team activities so far and make a ‘dominating star’.

SHINee Minho and DAY6 Sungjin, who released their first full-length solo albums one day apart on the 4th and 5th, have also transformed their images with their new albums.

With his first full-length solo album ‘Call Back’, released 16 years after his debut, Minho temporarily put aside the modifier ‘fiery charisma’ and brought out a new ‘boyish’ charm. Having mainly showcased dance genres suited to intense and restrained choreography for both group and solo activities, he “escaped his predictable image” and brought out a refreshing and lyrical atmosphere with the title song of the same name, ‘Call Back’.

Sungjin, who was loved for his cheerful and powerful music as a member of the band DAY6, showcased a sentimental and heavy ballad tone through his first full-length album, ‘Thirty’. Including the title song ‘Check Pattern’, he composed and wrote the lyrics for the 10-track list himself, candidly containing stories of entering his 30s.

In addition to releasing the album, Sungjin held a solo concert, ‘30’, for three days from the 8th to the 10th at the Donghae Culture and Arts Center of Kwangwoon University in Nowon-gu, Seoul. At the concert, he received an enthusiastic response by performing not only the new song stages but also various ‘reverse hits’, such as DAY6’s ‘Happy’.

Minho will also be holding his first solo concert since his debut, ‘Min: Of My First’, on the 30th and December 1st at Korea University‘s Hwajeong Gymnasium in Seoul. At the press conference to commemorate the release of the album held earlier, he said, “Watching the other members’ great solo activities, I felt a pleasant sense of burden as ‘the last solo runner’,“ and expressed his confidence, “I will pour out all of my solo songs at the concert.”

Meanwhile, Jin will be releasing his first solo album ‘Happy’ on the 15th at 2PM and begin full-fledged promotions. He filled the six-track list, including the title song ‘Running Wild’, with his favorite band sounds. Last month, he heated up his overseas popularity with the digital single ‘Super Tuna’, which boasted a B-movie sensibility, and the pre-released song ‘I‘ll Be There’, which challenged the rockabilly genre combining rock and roll and country music.

Foreign media is already paying attention to his achievements. The American economic magazine Forbes predicted that BTS’s undying heat would be reflected in Jin‘s solo first full-length album performance, saying, ”According to the Luminate Report, sales of the full version of ‘Super Tuna’ increased by more than 12,200% in just a few days.“


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com