Rapper to transcend BTOB with solo album, ‘Hutazone’
Lee Min-hyuk, the rapper of K-pop boy band BTOB, debuted as a solo artist with the album “Hutazone,” Tuesday, making him the fourth member to go solo (after Seo Eun-kwang, Jung Il-hoon and Lee Chang-sub). This is his first solo album since he debuted with the band seven years ago.
Regarding the album title, Lee explained “Huta is actually a Chinese expression that means ‘to hit in mid-air,’” during a media showcase held at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul, Tuesday. “Like a baseball player who swings his bat in mid-air countless times to become a better player, I want to build up myself in the same way.”
The 29-year-old discarded his sweet, friendly image to show off his masculine, sexy side. “I wanted to seek an image makeover. I wanted to stand out and look like a celebrity so I pierced my ears for the first time and bleached my hair,” he told reporters.
On becoming the fourth BTOB member to go solo, he said “I was really worried that I needed to fill the stage by myself, after filling it with other members. But after doing it more, it was fun to be able to perform onstage what I had been practicing.”
The studio album consists of 11 tracks including the lead track “YA,” written by Lee himself. In the PBR&B future bass genre song, Lee shares candid conversation with his beloved ones, wishing they could be young, free and wild. Its lyrics include verses like “You make me high, stay where you are. I’m flexin with ya.”
Some of other tracks include Nu Disco/future house inspired “You too? Me too!” featured by (G)I-DLE’s Soyeon, an electro dance pop track packed with groovy base lines “Fallin’” and two lovely fan songs “Tonight (With Melody)” and “Waiting for You.”
Back in 2017, as part of BTOB’s solo single project series “Piece of BTOB,” Lee already surprised fans not only with his rapping skills and powerful vocals but also his talent as a producer by coming up with his own song “Purple Rain.” This single is also embedded in his new album. Lee is scheduled to start his two-year mandatory military service as a conscripted policeman in the first quarter of the year. The rapper will be the third of the seven BTOB bandmates to enlist, following former group leader Eun-kwang, who enlisted in August last year, and main vocalist Chang-sub, who began his service Monday.
“I think it is one man’s duty to join the army. I’m just grateful for being able to release a solo album, which is packed with my personal tastes, before the enlistment,” Lee said.
On the sidelines, Lee’s bandmates Eun-kwang and Yook Sung-jae were stripped of their university degrees earlier this week.
According to the Ministry of Education, the two members’ former alma-matar Dongshin University provided preferential treatment to the celebrity students and marked them as being present even if they did not attend class. As a result, the ministry concluded that the attendance of both students invalid.
BTOB debuted in 2012 and rose to stardom with the digital single “It’s Okay” that gave the band its first top honor in 2015. The group received much success with other hit-songs such as “Way Back Home,” “Remember That,” “Pray” and “Movie.”