XngHan Steps Into the Spotlight With Superb Solo Debut: 'It's A New Beginning for Me'

Yahoo

3 days ago

'I'm very excited,' K-pop star XngHan tells The Hollywood Reporter about his solo debut. 'My heart swoons.'
The 21-year-old, officially making his solo debut today with his artist project XngHan and Xoul, is equal parts excited and optimistic on a Zoom call from his label SM Entertainment's Seoul headquarters as he speaks of his new chapter as a soloist.
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XngHan's debut has been highly anticipated by much of the K-pop community. Late last year, it was announced that the K-pop star, who previously went by his name Seunghan, would be leaving the boy group Riize, just days after the news of his return from a lengthy hiatus. When it was later announced that he'd be debuting as a soloist, XngHan received genuine well wishes from fans across various K-pop fandoms – somewhat of a rarity in online music spaces these days.
XngHan's first single, 'Waste No Time,' is a pitch-perfect choice for his debut track. As the singer puts it, the 'refreshing' summer song talks of not wasting any time and spreading his 'boundless wings' – perhaps a perfect parallel to XngHan himself, who seems eager to tackle this new chapter head-on. The single is accompanied by a B-Side, 'Heavenly Blue,' is similarly catchy and the perfect soundtrack for a sunny summer day. XngHan contributed to writing lyrics and choreographing for the song.
Below, the XngHan speaks with THR about 'Waste No Time' and 'Heavenly Blue,' his exit from Riize and what his hopes for the future.
I think there are a lot of people who are eager to hear how you're doing these days. How are you feeling ahead of your debut?
I made sure that I worked out. I've been practicing my dance skills and also my vocals, so that I can keep everything rolling and going. My solo debut is just around the corner, so I'm very excited. My heart swoons.
You seem very happy. To talk about your future, I think we need to talk a bit about the past. How are you feeling, looking back on what I assume has been an at times difficult year? How do you feel looking ahead?
I used that time to look back on myself. I think it was a time given to me for more self-improvement, so I was really using that time to make sure that I got better at stuff. I think it was a time where I was trying to get ready for a new start, so I think all the things I learned along the way are definitely going to be something that I can use going forward as a fuel, so I'm very excited and looking forward to my debut as a soloist.
I think there are a lot of people who are really excited to see you debut and have been waiting for it since your time with Riize. Although you're no longer with Riize, you worked and trained alongside them. Do you have any wishes for them? But also what hopes do you have for yourself as a soloist?
I know that Riize is doing so well, and] I'm rooting for them as a fellow artist. I hope they stay healthy and well. [Since] I'm also preparing my new launch as a soloist, I hope people stay tuned [for my debut]. I'm really going to pour my heart and soul into this.
Why was it so important for you to change your stage name? Do you see this as opening a new chapter for you?
Yeah, it's exactly as you said. I think it's a new chapter for me, a new challenge for me, and I'm very much looking forward to it. The reason why I wanted to include the letter X is because it symbolizes infinite potentials, [an] infinity of possibilities. It's also the unknown variable when it comes to mathematical formulas. I think it symbolizes that I am now opening up the doors to all the different potentials and possibilities that I could dig into. I wanted to use this letter X to show that. I think with this new artist brand, I can show you different facets of myself.
How has your training been? What do you feel like you've been focusing on in terms of practicing for your debut 'Waste No Time' the most?
I guess the focus in training for this single was that it had to be fun. It's a very vibing kind of song, so I wanted to give it that refreshing mood and vibe. Especially since it's a summer song. Actually, the good thing was that it wasn't very challenging to get ready for these songs. It was actually a very fun experience for me, especially since I got to work together with Xoul, the dance crew comprised of two people. It was really fun. It was almost like we were just playing around, but we were making something and creating something. I felt very much at ease preparing for the songs.
Can you tell me about your collaboration with Xoul? Do you find yourself feeling a little more comfortable working alongside them, given you've previously worked in a group setting?
Yeah, it's definitely a lot more comfortable [especially] because our interests align. These are two professional dancers, so all three of us are bonded by our love and passion for dance. We would be working [on choreography], but we'd also be having a lot of fun dancing. It just made me feel so comfortable and at home working together with them.
How did this concept that you would have a dance crew with you come about? Why did you feel it made the most sense for you right now?
I thought long and hard about with whom I should collaborate, and I think my top priority was to bring to the table something new, something refreshing, something people haven't seen before. I myself love trying new things and that's how we got to brainstorming ideas. Then I thought my forte is definitely performance, so why don't I start from there and gather a group of professional dancers, and that's how I gathered my first batch of Xoul.
How do you envision this looking like for you going forward in the future?
One of the ideas that I have in mind… I've always had this dream of creating a band, so that could be one idea. But right now I'm going to really focus on the Xoul dancers. We're just going to nail the performances.
I have a lot of time ahead of me, and I think I have a lot of potential, a lot of possibilities. I'm going to open it up to all the different things that I could do.
Do you feel you've had any big changes in the way you work? Did you realize any new strengths during your debut preparation?
When I was working on this debut, there's the B-side track called 'Heavenly Blue,' and I contributed to writing the lyrics for the song. I also created the choreography together with Xoul. It was my first time trying to pen the words of my own song, and I realized that I'm actually pretty good at it. I think I do have a little bit of a forte in writing [lyrics].
I think for any soloist, it's a bit daunting, having to figure out who you'll be as a singer. What was that process like for you?
I'd like to be a soloist who appears the same on and off stage. I changed the S in my name to an X, but it's actually not that different sonically because it's still Seunghan. I want to be a soloist who can really be his true self on stage and show his true colors and essence. That's what I'm trying to go for.
'Waste No Time' is so much fun and a great debut single. Why did you feel like it was the right fit?
The genre of the track is electronic dance, which incorporates a wide range of sounds. That's something I liked about the song, and it was in line with the kind of concept that I wanted to go with. When I thought about performance, I thought this was a song that could really mesh well with the performance that I can show on stage. When I heard the demo of the song, I knew right away that this was the right one. From the very beginning, I really wanted this song to be my debut track.
Can you tell me a bit about working on choreography for this project and what that experience was like?
To be honest, it was quite challenging in the beginning because it was my first time and [Xoul's] first time collaborating. We all had our own style, so it was very hard to come to a consensus in the beginning. But I realized that I was the one who had to lead the debate, so I orchestrated [the process] between us three, and they were very happy to give me a lot of ideas. I was happy to share my ideas, even the very bizarre ones. We had a lot of fun sharing and tossing around ideas and coming up with the choreography.
To look ahead – you're at a new starting line, which can be nerve-wrecking but at the same time, very exciting. What are you hoping the future looks like for you as a soloist? What are your aspirations for the year ahead?
Maybe it's a little early to say this, but my ultimate dream and goal is to drop an album where I creatively contributed in all the different aspects of all the tracks, including the choreography and writing the lyrics and the composition of the songs. That's my ultimate dream. [Also] to have that album drop and perform it live and receive the love and support of the fans. That's my dream.
As an artist, people's perception of you is often out of your control, but you're a human being and an artist. You've put a great deal of work into this debut and likely have an idea of how you want people to feel. How are you hoping to be viewed as an artist?
I just hope that when fans watch my performance and see me performing live, they get so excited and happy. They can't help but dance. That's what I want the fans to view me as. When I'm on stage, I want to be remembered as an artist who just lights the stage on fire and nails every performance.
Speaking of fans, do you have a message to the fans who have been eagerly awaiting your debut and supporting you from afar for a while now?
Thank you for the long wait. Because the wait was so long, I created music that was worth the wait. I hope you stay tuned and really enjoy the music. I'm really going to pour my heart and soul into the promotion for this album. I hope you love the music and love me too.
I'd like to give you the chance to close a chapter for yourself. Is there anything you'd like to add about your exit from Riize and about your debut?
[My solo debut is] a new beginning for me, so I hope everyone can look at me from a fresh perspective. I'm going to try my hardest to burn the soloist XngHan into your brain. I'm going to work hard to do that.
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