Joohoney’s schedule has been insane, which makes sense as he’s been promoting his new album, INSANITY, since its release on January 6.
The MONSTA X member worked hard on his second album, spending nearly three years developing it following his last EP, Lights, in 2023. It’s found success on the Korean charts, with his lead track, “STING,” hitting #1 on the K-Hip-Hop charts, followed by other songs on the album, “광 (Gwang)” and “Bite,” landing in the Top 5. The album itself debuted at #23 on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart. Music critics praised the rapper for his powerful beats and sharp lyrics, calling his song, “STING,” which features a snippet from the great boxer Muhammad Ali, “one that packs a punch.”
Joohoney is really happy with the reception from the charts and the critics for his album, but his main priority is how his fans, a.k.a. MONBEBE, feel about it.
“Are the fans going to be happy with my album?” Joohoney says over Zoom, during a quick break from his busy schedule, from Seoul. “I’m happy right now, but there’s a lot in my schedule. I’m really tired, but MONBEBE will be happy [to see me], so I’m happy.”
Joohoney calls INSANITY a continuation of his first album, because after the lights are turned on, they need to shine – and what better way to shine than to go crazy, causing it to flash. He explains that 광 (Gwang) has a dual meaning: to shine and to be crazy, “I was able to put both of those meanings into one word, that’s why it became crazy to shine.”
He references his music video for “FREEDOM,” the title track to Lights, in which he wears a suit made of mirrors, and how the lights reflect off him as he moves. The more extreme and crazier the moves are, the more the light shines and spreads.
“I want to build my Lights world,” he says. “Joohoney’s Light World. Lights push the darkness to become bright, then [with INSANITY], we have to go crazy to shine. I’m an artist and the star, and my fans are my light.”
The seven tracks on the album tell Joohoney’s personal story, all written, composed, and produced by him: “광 (Gwang)” focuses on light and insanity; “STING” is about identity; “Push (Feat. REI of IVE)” navigates imbalance within a tumultuous relationship; “Bite” centers desire; “Touch the Sky (Feat. Tiger JK)” is about limitless determination; and, “NO BRAIN NO PAIN” closes the album with the “strange calm that remains after every emotion has burned away.” Each song represents a trial and tribulation he faced or felt before, and he wants to showcase a side of himself that K-pop idols are afraid to show.
“Through this album, I wanted to show the more personal and honest side [of myself],” he says. “Show the reason I have a living and [my need] to keep going is more honest, and that’s what I need to do as an artist.”
He hopes that more K-pop artists will share their personal stories, and that it will eventually become a genre centered on honesty.
“I hope we can all be able to be more honest, and I hope that more and more artists will be able to do so as well,” he shares.
With over 10 years of experience working in the music industry, he admits that being a K-pop idol isn’t as amazing or grand as people perceive it to be. He believes the only reason idols become great is the fans who love them, and that artists can only become bigger because of their fans.
“Honestly, in the beginning, I wasn’t making music for my fans,” he admits. “I just wanted to show the kind of music that I was really good at and show off my skills. But now, in my 30s, I’ve realized how important it is to make music for my fans. I only exist because my fans are there now. This has become a big factor in my mind as I’ve been changing as an artist.”
Joohoney put a lot of thought and care into the entire INSANITY production beyond the music. He knew he wanted certain elements and concepts that fit and flow alongside the music. His song “STING” was inspired by Ali, who said the famous line, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Joohoney wanted to showcase his fighting spirit and always loved and respected boxing. So he asked his company, Starship Entertainment, to request to use Ali’s famous quote for the song. He also loved that the bee part was related to his name – JooHONEY.
“I always thought about the fans saying [my name and emphasizing] JooHONEY,” he laughs. “JooHONEY like a bee. [The quote] inspired that.”
“STING” is one of his favorite songs from the album, along with “Bite” and “NO BRAIN NO PAIN,” because they are his truths. “Bite” is about the industry and what many K-pop idols think, and “NO BRAIN NO PAIN” is all about the idea of “just do it.” He explains, “These days, too many people have so many thoughts and are overthinking, so if they have a goal, they can’t really achieve it. So, just do it!”
His face lights up at the mention of Tiger JK, with whom he collaborated for “Touch the Sky.” Tiger JK has been Joohoney’s role model since he was young, recalling buying his CD and hoping they’d work together one day. That dream came true when Joohoney sent Tiger JK the track and verse, and he said, “Bro, let’s go! Let’s do this!”
“It was like ‘Whoa’,” Joohoney recalls. “When I sent him my verse, he added his own. He was surprised by my verse. It’s such an honor to [have him] on that track.”
With INSANITY, Joohoney goes hard with the rap and beats, as expected from MONSTA X’s main rapper. Yet, when fans watch his content and lives, there is another Joohoney, one that fits the sweetness of his name – very soft and cute. In fact, he was the K-pop idol who branded the babyish phrase, “kukukaka” – even before KPop Demon Hunters’ character, Baby Saja, used it.
He says all of the Joohoney people see is all him, just different sides of him. He explains, “It’s all Joohoney, but I wanted to express the real Joohoney in my first album, Lights. INSANITY is stage Joohoney. He got mad skills, strong spitting rap, and then there’s the cute Joohoney. Maybe it’s gonna be in the next album.”
Joohoney already has many plans for his next album. He wants to continue the themes of light, calling it his own canon universe, where everything is connected. His “light universe” began with his song “Smoky” from his 2020 mixtape, PSYCHE, and has flowed well with his other main tracks: “FREEDOM” and “STING.”
“As it continues, now that I’ve gone insane/crazy, I can be really excited and super happy,” Joohoney reveals. “I can be so excited that you’ll want to dance and see the cute Joohoney side with the “kukukaka” – and just feel happy. I want to come back to that.”
Joohoney’s INSANITY is available on all streaming platforms. Physical albums are available at select retailers.
