MONSTA X’s Kihyun Taps Into The Power of Rock For His Official Solo Debut ‘Voyager’

After a string of OST releases for popular K-dramas, MONSTA X’s vocalist Kihyun makes his official debut as a solo artist with “Voyager.” Leading the singer’s first singles album of the same name, the track is accompanied by a breezy music video that sees the singer cruises through several sets, living up to the title of the track.

Composed by Ryan S. Jhun, Parrish Warrington, Vaughn Elsas and Hudson Thames, “Voyager” is a classic pop-rock single packed with soaring guitar riffs and crunchy percussion sounds. Kihyun’s textured vocal performance adjoins the track’s energetic production, dialing up the gruff and rebellious meter in the track. While the guitar-percussion arrangement remains omnipresent through the track, the bridge ropes in a playful piano melody which gradually picks up its pace to match Kihyun’s ascending vocalizations. Like many other K-pop artists before him, Kihyun joins the growing list of K-pop acts embracing the resurgence of rock in the pop culture space. 

Lyrically, “Voyager” contrasts love to the feeling of liberation and freedom a voyager experiences. Contrary to what others may perceive love as, Kihyun negates the narrative of ‘love is a prison’ and portrays it as a serene realm, where familiar emotions of fluster are experienced again: “Feeling like a voyager, I’m free/ The relaxation of my red-hot life/ I can feel the fluster I’ve been forgetting/ The paradise I’ve been dreaming: so beautiful”

Inspired by the literal definition of the track, the music video has Kihyun switch between different locations. From a press conference to a diner and highway, the vocalist travels to different spots before meeting joining a live band in a warehouse-like setting. 

Kihyun’s Voyager has two additional singles-the R&B number “,(COMMA)” which he co-wrote and “Rain.”