[Dispatch=Reporter Jeong Tae-yun] "I put everything into this album!" It was said with a somewhat exaggerated and playful expression, but there was clear sincerity behind it. A solo comeback after 2 years and 10 months. He wrote songs while cutting back on travel time, waiting time, and even sleep. "There are 15 tracks, but actually there were about 10 more. I thought that's the extent needed to show you the process of finding the answer to who Kang Young-hyun is, not just Young K," he said. DAY6's Young K has returned with an album that is most Young K-like while also being very Kang Young-hyun-like. How was the album, written as honestly as a diary, completed? ◆ Young K = Kang Young-hyun His second regular album 'YOUNGEST' is an album that conveys current answers to numerous questions he has posed to himself over the years. It captures every moment that makes up Young K. Young K said, "Over the past 10 years, I always wanted to separate Young K and Kang Young-hyun. The more I tried to refine myself as Kang Young-hyun, the more honest emotions that were churning inside would burst out." "If Young K aims for perfectionism, then Kang Young-hyun is a friend with many shortcomings. There are times when I have bad feelings, and I'm less refined. I wasn't confident about revealing that side. But now I think it's okay to show an imperfect side." In the end, he admitted it. That Young K and Kang Young-hyun are inseparable. He confessed, "You may see Young K with a cheerful image, but I also cry and get hurt. I learned that this time. For 10 years I wanted to separate them, but now I realize they are intertwined." This album contains those two faces that have come together. It shows Young K and Kang Young-hyun, imperfect as they are. He said, "A lot of my fear has disappeared. I learned that no matter how much I fool around, MyDay supports me." ◆ YOUNGEST About 2 years and 10 months passed between his first regular album 'Letters with Notes' and the next solo album. He emphasized, "Since I don't know when I'll be able to release another one, I did my best while looking ahead." For this album, he participated directly from start to finish. He attended meetings for all departments including planning, marketing, and production. Young K said, "I've done various activities, but I was happiest when producing as a producer." It was his first time experiencing full production. He said, "I've never thought of myself as purely producing, so I wanted to get involved like this. But it turned out I needed more group chats than I expected," he laughed. "As I started touching parts I didn't know well, I came to understand my current limitations and my capabilities better. Of course, I also felt where I've grown. I also learned how the world works." He also prepared a challenge for the first time. He said, "I'm planning a challenge. I'll be posting Reels and showing formatted challenges. I'm preparing with various people like Jung Seung-hwan and Paul Kim hyung." ◆ Written like a diary The new album contains a total of 15 tracks. In his words, it's a 'chunky album.' He participated in writing and composing all songs. The title track is 'Shut The Door.' It's his most sincere song. Young K introduced it by saying, "I expressed the idea that when you close the door to your heart and go inside, you actually feel liberation and freedom." Young K said, "It's an album written like a diary after being hurt and bruised here and there," and added, "I actually turned an experience of being caught gossiping about me with friends into lyrics." "Still, I have fun when I'm with my friends, so I expressed my hurt feelings through music. And I played the lyrics to my friends. They cried and apologized." Perhaps because it contains real experiences, the lyrics are particularly direct. Lines like "It's starting again, you can't catch me again" and "It piles on, I'm tired of the irritation, these humans" contain unfiltered emotions. Meanwhile, the song's atmosphere is bright and lively. Particularly, the "Shut The Door" repeating section brings freshness and vintage feel by bringing out the indie synthpop element. He explained, "When I sang sad content in a bright way, the emotion became lighter. I thought it would be less burdensome for listeners. It's a code I used a lot with DAY6 too." "I've also talked about this with Kim Shin-young noona. I think it's the same with comedy. She said that laughter needs sadness to be complete, and we're also trying to balance sadness and joy." ◆ 15 stories Other than that, the album includes 'Marionette,' 'F World,' 'Hair Honey,' 'Cheering Song,' 'Spike,' 'Young Street,' 'Million Reasons,' '100 Reasons We'll Break Up,' 'Driving Into Hell,' 'Whatever,' 'Goodbye, Love,' 'Heading Home,' 'Baby's Breath,' and 'Coffee in the Studio.' Young K explained, "As a group, it doesn't matter who the speaker is, so we put in many blanks in the lyrics. There were many lyrics that could fit regardless of age or gender." The solo album was completed more freely. He said, "I put in stories with my own memories, and even watched a volleyball manga and came up with a song that fit it and wrote lyrics. The approach was completely different." The work method was similar too. Young K said, "The song 'Coffee in the Studio' done with Sunoo Jung-a is pure romance. We were in the studio asking 'what kind of song should we write,' and that song came out. We wrote all the lyrics right there." "The version we worked on that day is in the album. The guide version was better than the recording. The title is an homage to the movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' and it contains my daily life drinking coffee in the studio. I had already decided it as the last track of the album." He also worked with hip-hop producer Groovyroom. He said, "I wanted to try working like a collaboration between a DJ and a band, like Marshmello and the Jonas Brothers. I thought of it as the last song of a concert and made it so we could jump without any regrets." ◆ "Standing on stage for a long time" He also made external preparations. He lost a whopping 10kg. "When I stand alone on stage, the burden of 'I have to do better' is great. So I lost some weight and pushed myself," he confessed. He's already achieved half of this album's goal. He said, "I prepared and presented my best, and I'm satisfied with that itself. I'm grateful to have been able to do this kind of work. Still, I hope 'Shut The Door' does well numerically." Next month on the 14th to 16th, he opens the doors of his solo tour 'YOUNGEST' at Incheon Inspire Arena. He will then head to Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur. Young K said, "From the timing each song starts to when 'scream' happens, I'm planning to put in some devices. I'm preparing a concert that showcases my music well while also being enjoyable together," and urged expectations. In fact, music has been a relationship of love and hate for him. As a child, it was simply something he enjoyed, and he never thought it would become his profession. He confessed, "My nature doesn't align that much. The moment music becomes work, the enjoyment can only decrease, I think." He continued, "It wasn't a purely loving feeling. I did it for survival, and in doing so, my skills accumulated. So I gradually became interested." At the end of that time he's built up, he's come this far. Currently, his dream is to stand on stage as long as possible. Young K added, somewhat playfully but with sincerity, "I want to be remembered as an amazing, good artist."