Shownu Describes His Reaction To MONSTA X's Promotions During His Enlistment, Upcoming Unit Debut With Hyungwon, And More

May 22, 2023

MONSTA X’s Shownu has looked back on his enlistment hiatus, teased his unit debut with Hyungwon, and more with Vogue Korea!

In the interview accompanying his latest Vogue Korea pictorial, Shownu talked about how it felt to look upon MONSTA X’s promotions from a fan’s perspective as they released three different albums during his military enlistment and dropped numerous solo releases. “I was curious about their performance and my members’ conditions but it was all incredibly cool,” Shownu shared. “Since I know that the first week [of promotions] is the hardest, I watched while assuming they were exhausted but also thinking ‘this is interesting!'”

He continued, “I did slightly miss the anticipation of preparing an album from the perspective of a singer but it was fun watching from the perspective of a fan.”

Elaborating on how MONSTA X approached their five-member promotions without Shownu, he revealed that Joohoney had shared with him, “The goal of our five-member reorganization was to not show your empty space. We thought that was right so we did our best.” Shownu commented, “I told him that I really did not see an empty space at all. From where I was and from where my members were, we all did what we had to do.” Shownu added that Joohoney and Kihyun were at the core of making up for his absence, but he will now be responsible for the absence of Minhyuk, who enlisted last month.

A key aspect of MONSTA X’s music is the signature sound that comes from the members personally writing many of their songs. Shownu shared this helped with his own immersion and explained, “At first, I inevitably didn’t know the vibe when my members brought me songs, but now that they show me songs every time, it’s become easier for me to gauge each of their moods. Although a different song is released every time, they each have a distinct color.”

Shownu elaborated, “Joohoney’s songs are very pure for starters. Even the powerful songs are pure in a straightforward way and the soft songs feel soft in a pure way. I.M’s songs have a strong R&B vibe. They feel both rhythmical and sexual. Hyungwon also has songs that exude a sexy vibe. He releases a variety of music that captures various genres like EDM, pop, and more, but they have an overall modern charm. It’s quite fascinating. How a sweet friend can write such songs.”

Early this month, Starship Entertainment confirmed that Shownu and Hyungwon were preparing to debut as MONSTA X’s first-ever unit this summer. Regarding the songs Hyungwon has written, Shownu commented, “They’re all good. When I ask for song recommendations, he sends them through KakaoTalk and he mainly listens to songs he could’ve written. Good and modern music.”

Touching on their close bond, Shownu shared, “What’s great about when I’m with Hyungwon is that I’m comfortable. The reason we hang out often is just because it’s comfortable. We don’t speak much and don’t bother each other. Good synergy can be created when you’re uncomfortable, but since we have a comfortable relationship I’m not sure what kind of chemistry will come out. We’re both not the greedy type and have similar body types. I have a desire to showcase good performances and visuals but nothing’s been decided yet.”

While reflecting on the happiest moments of his career, Shownu touched on the small things. “Moments we were practicing, fighting, and goofing around,” he shared. “Going to eat with our choreography team is the most enjoyable.” When asked which stage of their performance preparation he enjoys most, Shownu answered, “Right before our first stage, after we’ve learned all the dance and filmed the music video. The feeling of letting loose a bit while practicing? I really like that phase.”

Shownu also chose fans as the group’s driving force, sharing, “I feel happiest when I feel our fans’ energy. When we go overseas, there are so many fans and there are so many unbelievably happy moments. I think I continue doing this work even while facing a wide mix of emotions. These days especially, I think quite a lot. I even think, ‘If the album doesn’t too well or if someone doesn’t like it, I must not have too hard of a time.’ Instead, I think, ‘But I should not act half-heartedly.'”