The phrase behind from20’s most talked-about song started as a joke between friends over drinks.
“We were joking around and complimenting each other, saying things like, ‘Oh, look at you, big boy,’ ‘No, you’re a big boy,’ we just kept calling each other that and at one point I thought, ‘Wow, ‘big boy’ really conveys a great message,’” the Korean singer-rapper-video director says via translator. “It’s not just about gender, it’s about confidence. Isn’t it great when someone calls you a big boy? It has nothing to do with whether you identify as a man, how you look, your race, or your sexual orientation. You’re a big boy because you have that energy — because you’re confident and feel like you can do whatever you want in this world. That’s the message I wanted to share.”
“BIG BOY” is the title track of Rated R, released June 26, the second full-length album from an artist who has spent five years rebuilding on his own terms.
Before he was from20, Kim Raehwan was known simply as Raehwan and the main vocalist of BIGSTAR, a boy band under hitmaker Brave Brothers’ Brave Entertainment agency that slowly fizzled out after years inactive. He officially went solo in 2021 and now runs WAY BETTER, the label he co-founded with the collaborator HELLO GLOOM (another former boy band member) and where the two serve as co-CEOs and constant creative collaborators. In fact, from20 shares how “the phrase ‘BIG BOY’ actually came about when [SKY720 CEO] Jin Choung, HELLO GLOOM, and I were having drinks together.”
In a leadership position at an independent label focused on male soloists, nobody at his company can veto a lyric. But Korea’s public broadcaster can — and KBS ruled that seven of Rated R’s thirteen tracks were ineligible for broadcast airing, citing profanity, vulgar language and sexually suggestive content. The main single “BIG BOY” itself was rejected twice for “excessively sexual lyrics” before a third, further-revised submission finally cleared review.
Meanwhile, his listeners are largely elsewhere with from20 citing the United States and Latin America as top listenership, as Spotify currently notes Bangkok, São Paulo, Singapore, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur as his five biggest cities — none of them in his home country.
“Certainly, the biggest response has come from international audiences,” from20 reflects, able to quickly pull statistics even while taking the interview from inside a car ride due to a schedule shift. “Even when I look at my Spotify statistics, the U.S. and Latin America consistently rank as my biggest markets, and that’s where most of my listeners are. That said, this album is about diversity. There’s a lot of diversity throughout the project, especially in ‘BIG BOY.’ Even though people often associate these conversations with international audiences, LGBTQ+ communities and many other diverse communities also exist in Korea. They’re engaging with the music and supporting what I’m creating as well. There has definitely been support from my home country, too; however, when it comes to television and mainstream media in Korea, these topics are still approached quite carefully. It’s a more conservative environment, so I think they’re still warming up to conversations like these.”
In fact, any of the album’s perceived provocation is deliberate — not for clicks.
“Message-wise, I wanted this album to be controversial but not for the sake of being controversial,” he explains. “The real message is: gossip about me all you want. You can judge me, but you can’t change who I am.”
He adds, “The reason ‘BIG BOY’ became the title track [single] is because I’ve always admired artists like Michael Jackson. Songs like ‘Heal the World’ and ‘You Are Not Alone’ carry such positive messages and I’ve always respected artists who create music that reaches people and truly resonates with them. I’ve always thought that for from20 to become a great artist it would be incredible if I could also share positive messages with my listeners and anyone who might come across my music.”
After releasing his single “Eye Candy” in April 2025 featuring a music video where he spends half the video shirtless in playfully sexy scenes ranging from a football team locker room to a fruit cart where from20 seductively chews on peaches and bananas, the star absorbed a wave of online criticism. Instead of being broken down by it, he built it into the record as an interlude co-narrated by queer Taiwanese-American indie pop singer sora.
“People would say things like, ‘Stop being half-naked on Instagram,’ or, ‘When the music isn’t selling…’ there was just a lot of negativity directed at me online,” he recalls. “I took those comments and turned them into a skit. In a way, it felt like I was getting revenge on all the hate I had received. I remember that after I wrote the script and assigned the lines, we were in the recording booth with the actors who were playing the people gossiping about me. I kept telling them, ‘More. Give me more!’ I wanted it to feel real — as if they were actually talking shit behind my back and spreading rumors about me. When I released the album medley on X, it included a preview of ‘Skit 1 (They All Gossip About Me).’ I quote-posted it and wrote, ‘Thank you for giving me inspiration, guys.’”
The accompanying “BIG BOY” music video applies the same instinct for “more” when it came to casting.
from20 directed and cast the video himself, deliberately filling space with “different body types, different genders, different skin tones – just as much diversity as I could bring together in one video,” a concept rarely applied in a K-pop visual. From Korea’s first openly gay celebrity, Hong Seokcheon, to a diverse array of romantic interests, when asked whether assembling the cast was difficult for a Korean production, he first questions the overall premise.
“First of all, is this music video really that diverse?” he asks with a smile. “I don’t know, but hearing that makes me realize how conservative the K-pop scene still is because you really don’t see things like this in K-pop music videos. To me, I just thought, ‘I’m going to have a big girl in my music video.’ But the reaction has been incredible. I remember seeing a post on X that said, ‘Wow, someone who looks like me can kiss an idol. From now on, I’m really going to support from20.’ Reading that made me realize there really hasn’t been anything like this before. It also made me think that I should keep doing more of this to show people that they have a place in this world just like everyone else. More than anything, though, it reminds me that K-pop is still very conservative and that there’s still a lot of room for change…it definitely wasn’t easy, but it was a very meaningful project for me.”
While conversations around allyship to the LGBTQ+ and other minority communities are becoming more commonplace, from20 wants to push the media and fans to rethink questions about the bare minimum of being an ally.
“When you asked that question of whether I’m an ally, my first thought was, ‘Do we really have to support people who simply exist?’” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, we all live in the same world, and they could be my friends, my children, my colleagues, my neighbors, but do I need to express special support? That’s what I ask myself because they’re already by my side. We’re all the same. We’re all human. Sexuality shouldn’t determine how we see or treat someone. Ever since I was young, my parents taught me to love everyone regardless of how they present themselves or who they are. Someone in the LGBTQ+ community may simply love a person of the same gender, but that doesn’t make them any different from me.”
In fact, that perspective proved itself in part through error. When from20 drew criticism for wearing a durag in an earlier album’s photoshoot and accompanying music video, rather than issue a company-derived PR-safe statement, he quickly looked to learn from bringing in local Black men and women living in Korea to a set and film an educational conversation.
“My entire perspective changed,” he shares. “The two hours I spent with them were extremely important and meaningful. Looking back, I think people can make mistakes simply because they don’t know. But this experience taught me how important it is to take the time to educate yourself about the things you don’t know, so you don’t repeat those mistakes. I wish more people in this industry, and people in general, would take the time to learn about things they’re unfamiliar with — or at least watch my video because I learned so much and the way I look at Black people’s hair completely changed. I realized it’s part of their daily lives and lived experiences. I also came to understand that the way their hair looks can affect how they’re perceived by others; it’s not simply about style or looking cool. Now, whenever I travel abroad, I notice those things. I hope people can be a little more open-minded and willing to admit when they don’t know something.”
Yet for as forward-thinking and progressive as a record Rated R is, its musical conversation reaches back rather than pushing into new territories.
“It’s the music I grew up listening to the R&B of the ’90s and early 2000s,” the 34-year-old shares of the LP that boasts clear inspiration from the Neptunes, Scott Storch and StarGate. “I loved that music so much growing up and it still holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve been making music for a long time now so that sound feels very nostalgic to me. At the same time, I think it feels fresh to younger listeners because they didn’t grow up with it. We experience the same music differently depending on when we first hear it. When I was a trainee, I practiced to a lot of R&B songs so I feel very connected to this genre.”
For all of Rated R’s different aims, goals and inspiration points, opening track “Celebration” is from20’s most straightforward declaration of belief in himself.
“For me, it’s like opening the door to a new beginning,” he says. “While I was making this album, I had so much faith in it. I wanted to create something that felt incredibly confident, something that says, ‘Right now, you’re witnessing the success of from20. You’re witnessing the birth of a star.’”
Currently in the midst of a Europe tour with his WAY BETTER label mate Kang Yuchan, from20 will continue Rated R’s global push with multiple performances during KCON LA in August and a slot at the 2026 Atlanta Korean Festival in September, adding that he and his label mates “have a lot happening internationally, I’m beyond excited…touring gives me the opportunity to share them with people in person. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Yet for as much as from20 is looking forward to connecting in person, he also has come to recognize the importance that his work does for helping those feel safe and seen.
“You mentioned that I showed support for the LGBTQ+ community in the ‘BIG BOY’ music video, but honestly, I just wrote a few lyrics that came straight from my heart,” he reflects. “I read all the DMs and comments on my music videos, and when people tell me, ‘You created a safe space for us,’ it really warms my heart. At the same time, it also makes me a little sad, because to me it was just a few honest words, yet they became something so meaningful to so many people. If my music, my concerts, or anything I create can become a safe space for someone, then I feel like I should continue to show them even more appreciation and love.”
