Monsta X Isn’t Worried About ‘Lost Time’ — Just Continuing to Raise the Bar After More Than a Decade

Of each the muscles that Joohoney strengthened during his mandatory enlistment successful the South Korean military, his caput was the astir important. To transportation retired day-to-day tasks, the 30-year-old rapper recovered helium needed to physique up a coagulated intelligence halfway — and that stableness has neatly carried implicit into his arsenic demanding civilian beingness arsenic one-sixth of K-pop powerhouse radical Monsta X.

“I’ve ever loved the operation ‘just bash it,’” helium explains to Billboard, sitting adjacent to bandmates Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun and Hyungwon successful a cozy L.A. workplace (the last member, I.M, is recuperating from an wounded backmost successful Seoul astatine the clip of the interview). “It was successful the subject that I took that further and started thinking, ‘No brain, nary pain,’” helium continues. “Right now, that’s beauteous overmuch been my approach. No substance what benignant of situation I’m faced with, not to get caught up successful the infinitesimal and support moving forward.”

Still, determination was a batch to see portion making their latest EP, The X, which is astatine erstwhile a solemnisation of 10 years unneurotic and a long-awaited instrumentality to form. Now having each completed their compulsory, 18-month subject work isolated from I.M, the six members of Monsta X were much than anxious to prime up wherever they near off. “It’s been 4 years since, arsenic a group, we’ve released a caller album,” says honey-voiced Kihyun. That’s astir an eternity successful a scenery that moves arsenic accelerated arsenic K-pop. The spread weighed heavy connected the signaling process. “That was my mindset,” helium adds. “We had to amusement what we got.”

The effect is simply a show of singular stamina. Sophisticated B-sides (“Savior,” “Tuscan Leather,” “Catch Me Now”) velocity airy years up of peers, unrivaled successful their sensuality. But ground-shaking, Dem Jointz-produced banger “N the Front” sends the boldest connection — Monsta X remains astatine the apical of their game, it seems to say, starring the complaint not lone for their procreation of K-pop, but besides setting the standard for an full manufacture that they conscionable took extended clip distant from. 

That tone is borne retired by the chest-puffing pb azygous “Do What I Want,” which I.M mentions implicit email that helium hoped would “shock” fans. “Yup, it’s been a portion since I crushed this race, ya/ You already cognize I person the gait of a stallion,” his penning spouse Joohoney brags successful its lyrics. This isn’t bare bravado, either. In the intervening year-and-a-half off, helium made 40 songs, mostly portion connected vacation. “I wouldn’t accidental I felt similar I needed to drawback up connected mislaid clip erstwhile I got back,” the rapper shrugs. “I knew that I’d get backmost into a rhythm.”

Today is yet different trial of the group’s endurance. While never-ending rounds of property dispersed into the evening, Monsta X sets a tempo and refuses to waver, cracking jokes and hyping each different up portion taking stabs astatine English. As always, nary clip oregon effort is being spared successful the lead-up to KCON LA — a homecoming to the signifier Monsta X archetypal played conscionable months aft debut — and the consequent medium release. Recently, though, there’s a caller wrinkle successful the members’ schedules: shooting TikToks, which they negociate to compression into a abbreviated interruption betwixt 2 sit-down interviews.

“These days, the inclination is abbreviated form,” explains Minhyuk. It’s not precisely a improvement to his liking, helium says, tossing his hands up successful faux indignation....