Group Monsta X's unit Shownu X Hyungwon returns with Love Me. They sing of various shades of love, promising a deeper sensitivity and greater completeness. As the two members whose tendencies fit together best in the team, Shownu and Hyungwon's meeting raises expectations for another legendary chemistry.
Monsta X's Shownu X Hyungwon will release their new mini album Love Me at 6 p.m. on the 21st and make a comeback. It will be their first comeback in 2 years and 10 months since their first mini album, The Unseen, released in July 2023.
Shownu and Hyungwon said, "It's our second unit release in 2 years and 10 months. After finishing military service, it's a unit returning after a long time, and we prepared to show various sides, so we hope you like it."
During the unit's hiatus, Hyungwon completed his defense duty and returned. After that he met fans while Monsta X promoted as a full group, and in between he prepared for the Shownu X Hyungwon unit comeback.
Shownu said, "I feel sorry to the fans who waited because the unit album took a long time. We prepared hard, so I hope you enjoy it."
Hyungwon said, "Since we're returning after about three years, this album contains various things we felt and wanted to try, so I hope you enjoy it."
Shownu X Hyungwon's Love Me is an album about love. If The Unseen showed a restrained mood and sophisticated performance, Love Me expands that atmosphere more deeply and widely. The way of talking about love has matured, and instead of expressing emotion outright, it delicately captures the gaze and distance of facing love and the subtle differences in the mood that result from emotions.
The seven tracks include the title song Do You Love Me, Superstitious, In My Head, Breathe, Accelerator, Shownu's solo Around & Go, and Hyungwon's solo NO AIR. Hyungwon wrote four songs in total, including his solo.
Ahead of the release of Love Me, we met Shownu X Hyungwon and heard directly about the new record.
Q. Was there a reason the Shownu X Hyungwon unit comeback took 2 years and 10 months?
Shownu: I didn't work on songs separately, but while preparing Monsta X's activities and album, I made plans and took time to work on things in between. Still, I think I concentrated and prepared carefully.
Hyungwon: It was a period when the youngest (I.M) could promote with Monsta X before going to the military. The full group has always come first, so we focused on that. After finishing those activities well, I thought it was best to show individual and unit sides, so we decided to release at this time.
Q. Specifically, what had you wanted to try during that time?
Hyungwon: From the perspective of working on songs, I wanted to show that we're a unit that can do various genres, so I worked hard. Besides musical development, I focused on expressing the various emotions felt as a person. During military service I felt more varied emotions; although I've always felt gratitude toward fans, I wanted to express gratitude for their uncertain waiting instead of taking everything for granted.
Q. This is your second time working as a unit together; are there parts you each feel have changed or grown?
Shownu: After the first album, we didn't stop unit activities completely; we had events and occasional activities as a duo. There was no difficulty in syncing. I tried hard to look better.
Hyungwon: It's the same during group activities, but we have many similar tendencies, so what started then has shone even more in the unit. I think we became freer to express ideas and direction about the album.
Q. Was there a special reason you chose the theme of love?
Shownu: It's about the emotions people change into over time. I just wanted to talk and express a lot about love.
Hyungwon: I think there are many kinds of emotions about love, and this time we tried to show various emotions in the song and the music video. We also tried to express contrasting emotions, the good and not-so-good parts of love. I think those aspects came through in the songs.
Q. Please explain the parts you focused on while working on the songs.
Hyungwon: The first thing was I wanted diverse genres. Because our job is to show and let people hear music, I wanted listeners to feel that we're a unit able to show the variety they might see at a festival, so we worked hard on each track.
Q. Why did you decide on Do You Love Me as the title track?
Hyungwon: Honestly I wanted to do my own song, but you can't decide on personal opinion alone, and there were various opinions, so we discussed direction a lot with the company. Because the paths of Do You Love Me and track 2 were so different, we ultimately agreed that Do You Love Me fit the direction we were going and accepted and chose it.
Originally we had thought of making track 2 the title. From the start of song production I had that idea. Tastes differ and there's no right answer. I don't place meaning strictly on being the title; if people like a song when they hear it, I give it meaning and don't cling too much.
Q. What direction did you discuss with the company for Shownu X Hyungwon?
Hyungwon: We thought performance is our strength, and because there was a long gap after the first album, we decided to imprint what we do well. We agreed with that.
Q. Aside from the title track, which song on the new record do you feel most affection for?
Shownu: I like track 2, Superstitious. The title is hard to pronounce… I listened to the monitor and the recording seemed to come out well. If we perform it, I think fans will like it, so it's a song I'm fond of.
Hyungwon: I also have a lot of affection for track 2. Personally, I like music I can listen to. Tastes vary by person, but since it's a song I made, if I don't like it, how can I ask others to like it?
Q. How did you try to compose the various genres?
Hyungwon: Track 2, Superstitious, has a feeling opposite to the title song. From the start I intended to go a different path. I wanted to show we can do more listening-focused music. I think the overall mood is completely opposite. The solo song NO AIR is one way of expressing love and uses water as its theme. It expresses that thinking of you hurts so much you can't breathe.
Shownu: The solo Around & Go is themed on love. It expresses the messy feelings of trying to break free from a playful kind of love but failing. We tried to express that in the performance as well.
Q. Hyungwon served in the military during Shownu X Hyungwon's hiatus; do you feel you've grown?
Hyungwon: I think I felt gratitude for small things. Inside the structure you do everything within set rules and times, but the freedom you take for granted in daily life isn't guaranteed there, so I thought I should feel grateful. Being able to accept things without overthinking, not having big thoughts—that seems important. I felt that a lot. Many things happened… I learned to let go. I didn't struggle with age differences. I went in with an open mind. I thought that getting older means working harder. I learned emotions felt in a society I hadn't experienced before.
Q. How did the members react to Love Me?
Hyungwon: Overall their attitude seems to be trusting and entrusting. Even when a friend releases a solo, they seem to place meaning on listening with trust. This time they seem to trust and support the things we do well.
Q. When you come back you'll compete with younger juniors; what do you think are Shownu X Hyungwon's strengths?
Shownu: An attraction that isn't young?(laughs) There are so many juniors doing well technically, but I think our weapon is an aura that can fill the stage just by standing there.
Hyungwon: Many singers and concepts exist, but I think there are things only we can do. Being able to show a more mature charm isn't because we're older but because we have experience and strengths since debut. Showing a mature version of those aspects might be our unique attraction.
Q. Do you have any goals for Love Me promotions?
Shownu: I think it would be good to show Shownu X Hyungwon's stage often at festivals. We'll prepare great stages so people come see us a lot. Since the last album was loved for so long, our goal is for this album to be loved even five years from now.
Hyungwon: Since it's an album returning after a long time, we'll show a lot of passion and thought on stage. We're touring, and I hope the unit stages can add energy to the group tour. We want to show a lot of our charm at festivals, so we hope to be invited often.
[Photo] Provided by Starship Entertainment.
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