K-Pop idol Wonho released his first solo single “Losing You” last week, 10 months after parting ways with Monsta X.
What We Know:
- It has been a long and arduous year for Lee Ho-Seok, who goes by the stage name Wonho. He was one of the original members of the boy band Monsta X, but was removed from the group in October 2019 after rumors and allegations surfaced about his behavior and drug usage.
- For months, his career was full of uncertainty, but South Korean police cleared him of any wrongdoing and his comeback was announced in March. Rather than return to Monsta X immediately, Wonho is starting a new chapter in his career as a solo artist with his debut “Losing You”.
- The music video for “Losing You” was released on August 13th. The black-and-white and teary-eyed shots of Wonho set a tender and longing tone which is matched by the lyrics, which are written in English. “Don’t you know that I would die for you / If I knew that you would make it through? / ‘Cause losing me is better than losing you,” he proclaims in the chorus.
- On the surface, the song is a heartfelt piano ballad about losing a romantic love, but Wonho revealed that the single is also about his fans. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he said, “This is a love song, but also I would say it is [about] the love and appreciation I have for my fans as well. I’m here today because of them, and the thought of losing them was the hardest thing I could think of.” After his public departure from Monsta X, the group’s fandom came together to support Wonho and started social media campaigns and mass petitions to have him reinstated.
- The 27-year-old originally joined Starship Entertainment in 2014. In 2015, he debuted in the hip-hop group Monsta X which has become one of the most popular K-Pop groups in the world. From 2017-2019, Wonho had a large role in the group’s songwriting, composing, and arranging. In April, Wonho signed with Highline Entertainment, a subsidiary of Starship Entertainment, to start his solo career. As a solo artist, he already has his own fandom: WENEE. It’s short for We are New Ending, signifying the second opportunity he now has.
“Losing You” is the first track from Wonho’s upcoming mini-album Love Synonym (#1): Right for Me, which will drop September 4th.
