Singer Kang Min shared his feelings about making a comeback around the same time as the group BTS, which inspired his dream of becoming an idol.
On the 23rd, Kang Min held a press interview to commemorate the release of his first solo album Free Falling at the Jellyfish Entertainment Co. building in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
In the interview that day, Kang Min repeatedly sought "love," bringing smiles. When asked how much of the unquantifiable love from fans would satisfy him if he was trying to receive more love, he said, "I don't know that. I don't know how much I wanted to be loved when I started this."
Recalling the time he first dreamed of becoming an idol, Kang Min said, "At first I saw the senior group BTS and became ambitious about being an idol. I want to be that level. But still I want to be more, and although I might be anxious, I feel greedy."
When asked if he had a target performance level he hoped to achieve with this solo album, Kang Min trailed off, saying, "There are so many people who come out together who are really cool.." He said, "Rather than wanting high numbers, I think it would be enough if people read an article saying a singer named Kang Min is releasing a solo, listened to the album and reacted, 'Not bad,' and then looked forward to the next one."
Coincidentally, BTS is among the singers making a comeback around the same time. Kang Min said, "It feels so, so amazing. So I even asked, 'Are the activities overlapping?' I once happened to see them from afar when it overlapped exactly before. I hope the seniors would happen to see it this time and think, 'There's that kind of singer too; the junior is growing,'" and he added, "I have a crush," his eyes sparkling.
The new release Free Falling is an album that captures Kang Min's time standing between boyhood and adulthood, calmly unpacking the anxieties and wavering he encounters as he takes steps forward without having found the right answer, rather than a finished form or a confident future. On the title track of the same name, Kang Min participated in the overall production process and expressed his thoughts and feelings. Both the music and visuals avoid relying on a specific setting and focus on the subject's attitude and mood to naturally reveal the emotions and time Kang Min is experiencing now.
When asked what message he conveyed after participating in writing the title track, Kang Min said, "The thing I lacked the most courage for during team activities was songwriting and composing. This time, because it was about me, I think I mustered the courage to try writing." He added, "But I'm still lacking, so not all the tracks contain my stories, but they reflected a lot of my story in the intro track. I am a small person, but they see me as bigger. There's a narration part, and writing those parts reminded me of a lot of things."
When asked to score his satisfaction, Kang Min said, "My level of participation is high, but I don't have the ability to completely include only my story. I felt that was a shortcoming. Still, considering it's my first album, I'm fairly satisfied," and he added, "About 80 points?"
When asked why the remaining 20 points, he said, "I think time issues were big. We said it would have been better if we had more time. But people at the company were also eager to show it to fans quickly. They said it was right to deliver it quickly so the wait wouldn't be long for fans. So I think we stayed up nights and worked harder."
How is Kang Min preparing for his solo stage? He said, "The biggest worry this time was, 'Can I fill three minutes by myself?' So I tried not to be bored for three minutes alone. Now practicing is hard mostly because of loneliness. When I'm with the hyungs, we chat and talk," showing his adorable maknae side.
When asked how he tried to keep three minutes from being boring, Kang Min said, "I have quite a few role models. I watched senior Taemin's performances a lot. Our activities overlapped during the Want album, and what I felt then was, 'If you're cool for the entire three minutes, there's no way to beat that. An artist should be like that.' My big goal was to be inherently cool and make people want to watch."
Asked what he thinks "cool" is, Kang Min said, "I think there is a coolness that can be emitted uniquely without reason. I think I have that too. I don't know how to be cool, but I research it, and if I'm satisfied, that's enough. I don't know the answer, but I think I'm looking for it."
[Photo] Jellyfish Entertainment Co.
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