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Kai - 201209 Esquire Singapore magazine, December 2020 issue

Credit: Esquire Singapore.

[201130] “ Kai is ready to take on the new decade “, Esquire Singapore, December 2020 issue

201130 esquiresg: "I am working hard towards the next stage," #Kai tells #EsquireSG. "The goals will always be different, but in the end I’m doing the work that I love and maintaining my best physical and mental health.”⁠ Read the full profile of the #EXO and #SuperM member, as part of our December 2020 issue, at the link in bio now.

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201130 Kai is ready to take on the new decade

Nearly a decade since he was introduced as the first member of Korean band EXO, and a year since the formation of supergroup SuperM, Kai is ready to step into 2021 with his debut solo mini album.

“I think fashion is a way to show your personality,” offers Kai, Esquire Singapore’s December cover star and arguably the most popular member of one of South Korea’s best-selling music groups, EXO. “With clothes you can show who you are—fashion is the simplest and probably the coolest way to express yourself.” While he admits to favouring a more classic style than  the fall/winter runway looks of Gucci , for whom he’s an ambassador, showcased on these pages, in his day-to-day life, he believes that fashion is transformative, and it’s his personal style—“sometimes bold, sometimes more simple”—that has led to his name on the top of international best-dressed lists. “I think it’s important to dress according to your situation, so when I’m standing on stage or taking pictures I really can be bold, like with these looks, and feel good about myself.”

At 26, Kai has been in the public eye for nearly half of his life,  having been the first EXO member to be formally introduced to the public back in 2011 . And since, there’s been seven studio albums (and four live) and some 52 music videos, though this doesn’t take into account his additional creative output with SuperM, a supergroup in which Kai joins six more talents from three of SM Entertainment’s other male bands—Shinee, NCT 127 and WayV—and with whom he released a studio album this September. “A lot has happened,” says the performer humbly. “It has been a long time and a lot of work—a lot of work indeed—but my heart is in it just as it was at the start. It was fun back at the beginning and still is.”

While the output is significant, Kai’s happiness stems from the fact that, quite simply, and as corny as it may sound, he is doing what he loves and has always done, even as Kim Jong-in, his name by birth. “I’ve loved dancing since I was very young,” he explains. “My father always said that even if it was raining or snowing, or even when I was meant to have days off, I always wanted to dance, and when I was in school my friends recorded videos of me dancing in the street.”

That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s not impacted by the pressure. “I cry when I’m having a hard time, and lean on my family and friends,” Kai explains. Eking out time for life outside of work has been key to finding mental balance. “I’m almost always with family or friends when I’m not working, and I like spending time alone, too. On days off I still exercise, I still practise singing and dancing, but I also watch TV, build Lego, read books… I like fantasy, mystery and comics. Whenever I go to the airport I’ve got a book in my hand. It’s important to me to have some separation between work and my family life, because if you focus too much on work when you’re not working, it can stress you out and make you come to dislike it. I don’t want that.”

Earlier this week, Kai released his debut (and much-awaited) solo mini album: a project comprising six tracks including the title track 'Mmmh', an R&B pop song with an addictive melody. Having racked up close to 9 million views on YouTube within a day of its release, there’s no denying that he’s entering the new decade with as much momentum that’s seen him propelled to global superstardom. “At the beginning of my career my image was very much that of a boy, but I think it’s time to show a more mature character now,” he offers. “I don’t believe I have had my heyday—I try not to get caught up in that. I am working hard towards the next stage. The goals will always be different, but in the end I’m doing the work that I love and maintaining my best physical and mental health.”

Interview by Hyunyu Kim Photographs by Jungwook Mok Styling by Donghui Ko

Source: Esquire Singapore

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201130 esquiresg: Our December issue is here, and it's covered by none other than #Kai, the #Gucci-clad member of music group #EXO. At the link in bio we look at the performer's phenomenal career rise and what he has planned for 2021.

Kai - 201209 Esquire Singapore magazine, December 2020 issue

Credit: Esquire Singapore.