Get To Know MONSTA X’s Kihyun Before His Solo Debut
Image credit: Starship Entertainment
If we’re talking about the best male vocals in K-Pop, I’m pretty sure MONSTA X’s Yoo Kihyun will be included. His powerful voice is one of the reasons why the group’s songs are almost always a hit – and his solo debut is something that MONBEBEs are looking forward to for the longest time.
Kihyun’s first single album entitled “VOYAGER” will come out on March 15th, and will include three new songs.
And while there are still a few days away from its most awaited release, here are 7 facts about the idol to make you love him more!
He appeared in MBC’s King of Masked Singer twice
In 2016, Kihyun joined in King of Masked Singer as “Tell Them I’m Dragon Kim”. He performed Kim Gun Mo’s “Seoul Moon.” Unfortunately, he lost to his opponent who sang Baek Ji Young’s “I Don’t Love You”.
Artist Eric Nam was able to guess his identity, since he was familiar with Kihyun’s voice when he sang an OST for the drama “She Was Pretty”. He also has a difficulty in pronouncing the letter “s”, which was an additional clue.
Last year, he came back in the show with label mate Jeong Se Won and performed a rendition of Heize’s “And July”.
He is considered the “mom” of the group
Fans have given him the nickname “eomma” since he is easily one of the most responsible members of the group. Kihyun loves to cook, and he has showed it many times in their variety shows.
There are a lot of instances where he will wake up earlier than the rest, in order to prepare meals for the team. He is also a clean freak, and would “scold” members when they’re being messy.
In fact, he loves to tidy up so much he even cleaned the confetti in one of their concerts to prevent anyone from slipping on it. What a caring guy!
He is good friends with BTS’ Suga
It is common for idols to have close friends outside their own group and for Kihyun, it is BTS’ Suga. The two artists have constantly proven their close friendship whenever they get the chance to see each other on events.
Even without interactions, Kihyun and Suga showed support to each other through their cute reactions whenever each of their groups are performing.
In 2017, Suga also sent a flower wreath to Kihyun for their showcase and the latter expressed his appreciation by thanking the BTS member on air.
He once performed with a fractured rib
Last August 2019, Kihyun was brought to the hospital due to some chest pains. He was then diagnosed with a rib fracture. Because of this, he was advised to not join their concert, which was the “We Are Here” world tour in Los Angeles.
However, Kihyun still wanted to perform for his fans. Thus, his doctor allowed him to participate provided that he sings while seated.
Talk about dedication!
He is notorious when it comes to giving finger flicks
Variety shows are famed for giving “punishments” whenever the guests loses a game and common penalty is the “ddackbam” or using the middle finger to hit the forehead.
Kihyun’s finger flicks are so powerful they are described as “something that hurts so much it can cause a lump”. According to the idol community, he is in top three alongside SHINEE’s Onew and BTS’ Jimin.
Watch the clip to see Kihyun do it!
He is talented in photography
Aside from his talent in singing and cooking, Kihyun has also showed off his photography skills a bunch of times.
In 2018, he held a 3-day photo exhibit featuring his works of arts including special pictures of MONSTA X’s members. Initially, the event was supposed to last for only 2 days, but the tickets were sold out so fast, his company decided to extend it.
Check out his Instagram account to see some of his recent captures!
He can play the guitar and piano
Another addition to Kihyun’s talents is his ability to play instruments specifically the guitar and piano.
Although he was more active in playing the guitar during his pre-debut days, he has shown his skill in using it in some occasions. Meanwhile, Kihyun played the piano more recently.
In 2020, he performed a piano version of their song “Find You” for their concert.
Now that you know Kihyun a little bit better, make sure to look forward to his solo debut! Watch the concept film below: