While many musicians acknowledge separating their on and offstage persona, KINO breaks his life into three parts and tries to live their truths through his own honest expression.
There’s Kang Hyung-gu, his birth name that represents his most authentic self that friends know. Under his stage name KINO, he’s a member of chart-topping K-pop boy band PENTAGON with Cube Entertainment, and also a soloist under his independently launched NAKED label. Despite the 27-year-old saying he has difficulty sharing himself at all times, the person who asked strangers to rate his single at Coachella last year is the same friendly, determined face walking into a New York City studio before the kickoff of his first U.S. solo tour. KINO quickly shares which photos he likes best, sets up his phone to record b-roll and behind-the-scenes content, and has his outfit and an assembly of accessories selected to reflect the colors and mood of his current musical era.
Released at the top of 2025, KINO’s latest single “Skyfall” is a stirring, string and piano-led ballad with a soaring chorus reminiscent of the stand-still moment of JVKE’s breakout Billboard Hot 100 hit “Golden Hour.” Accompanied by a black-and-white shot of him singing in concert as the cover art, “Skyfall,” and November’s gritty guitar cut “Everglow,” show a noticeably less produced version of the star compared to the electro-pop, viral-ready bop “Broke My Heart” featuring TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart-topper Lay Bankz. But it’s all part of showcasing the person he is right now and the styles and sounds accompanying it. KINO says it’s all leading to a project that “will be the most honest album in my life.”
KINO’s I Think I Think Too Much Tour is an insight into his mind, naming the trek — which hit eight cities in 12 days for its U.S. leg — off what literally keeps him up at night. Alongside the personalized name, KINO says he was confident that audiences needed to experience his new music live. “The theme of this concert is emotion,” he tells Billboard. “When I want to express my emotions to the audience, I have to be in front of them, so it’s very important to meet them in person.”
KINO’s choice to close the concert with the unreleased, racing rock-pop anthem “Back in Time,” complete with a call-and-response bridge perfect to singalong to on the radio or at music festivals, feels like his intuition at work. This final impression KINO makes during this intimate concert feels like the first steps in sending him down a path to procure a global pop hit of his very own — one he’ll be able to say was a true expression of himself.
You named this tour I Think I Think Too Much and your album If This Is Love, I Want a Refund. These aren’t typical titles. Are these all things you’ve personally thought about?
That’s right; that’s the biggest direction of this company, too. Because as a solo artist, I could not help but not to share my story. It’s very important to me that I’m showing myself and showing my mind within. So, I was looking for the thoughts I’m thinking about the most recently and found that “I think I think too much” is the one. After I launched this company and debuted as a solo artist, I’m always thinking things over and over till the night, so I Think I Think Too Much is connected from a conversation I had.
The reason why I wanted to bring this concert to another country and more cities was because I think my music is very good to listen to, but I believe my music is not complete with only listening. My music is complete when people listen and watch the performance together. The theme of this concert is emotion and when I want to express my emotions to the audience, I have to be in front of them, so it’s very important to meet them in person.
You released “Everglow” and “Skyfall” with softer and more emotional tones than If This Is Love, I Want a Refund. What are you sharing now?
“Skyfall” is a breakup song that captures the regret of love taken for granted. And it’s perfect for this season, so, if listeners can relate to this story, that would be amazing. And “Skyfall” was also inspired by the 007 [James Bond] film. “Skyfall” was a place where loving memories and regrets linger, so when the idea came up, I thought it would be the perfect word to describe the sound. So, Billboard, I hope you like it. Please invite me to another interview when I’m on the Billboard charts.
But I don’t want to show KINO the celebrity. I want to show the human Kang Hyung-gu. I think that I cannot be defined by one person: I have a lot of emotions and personality in my mind. But I’m just like a human like everyone: I fail, I regret, I fear, I cry, I smile. All those emotions and all those personality aspects make me and completes me, right? That’s why I don’t want to define myself as a one-genre artist. I have many music genres and emotions for the different music in me. I’m changing every moment, every single day! And I’m going to change in the future too.
Are these singles leading to a new album?
We’re planning a lot of things for this year, but the most important thing is, of course, the album. I’m writing the songs, and as I told you, I am still figuring out who I am. I think this will be the most honest album in my life. It’s very hard to be brave, but I’m challenging myself to be an artist who can explore and reach the next future. It will be totally different [in terms of] the genres and styles of music. I have some tracks I want to spoil, but nothing is set at this moment. I’m working with a lot of different artists at this moment — maybe some who fans might know, some from totally different scenes — but one spoiler is “electronic sound.”
Why was it important for you to launch NAKED? You could have easily stayed where you were for longer.
One of them is to differentiate from my work in the band and as a solo artist. And then I have another reason, which is to challenge myself. I love to challenge myself and I believe that will bring me to another kind of better future. If I don’t challenge myself or stay in a comfortable job, I feel like I’m dead. It’s hard to explain, but if I stay in my comfort zone, I feel like I won’t be able to change or grow. But I also didn’t start this just to take the risk itself, right? I feel like by taking these risks, something will come out of it in return. I don’t know what it might be, but that’s also the reason why I’m doing it.
I went through your music before the tour and found “POSE” from 2022. That was the first time I remember seeing you solo. I’m curious what you think of that song today?
I have two different purposes as a member of PENTAGON and as a solo artist. At that time, I was only a member of PENTAGON, so I wanted to be successful because that’s your goal as a member of a team. But after I launched this company and debuted officially as a solo, I want to talk about personal and individual things through my solo music. So, it’s totally different. At that time, I was making “POSE” just for the success.
What are your goals or successes today? What do you want to manifest to happen in 2025?
Honestly, um, I want to be on the Billboard charts. For real, it’s not like I’m not joking. While trying to be myself, that’s also my biggest goal because I’m making music with my 100 percent honest feelings. I feel like I lost myself for a long time, so I’m looking for the real me and figuring out who I am. So, after I’ve found that and made some music with the honest KINO, I want to be on the Billboard charts with that music. That’s my goal.
When had you felt like you had lost yourself?
It was after the I Think I Think Too Much show in Seoul in September. Around that moment, I was wondering, “What do I have to show for myself to the world?” And then I realized that I’ve never shown myself 100 percent. Of course, I’ve shared some stories, but I don’t think I talked about myself fully. After I realized that, I wanted to be honest. It’s very hard to be brave to show myself, including the parts I didn’t want to show.
You said it’s also important to keep your purpose with the group intact. Can you share more about including PENTAGON in your mind?
I think I exist because of them. Because I have a team and members of a team behind me, I can still exist for 20, 25 [years] as KINO. Of course, it’s very important to me to be my own artist, but as I mentioned, I have a lot of purposes. PENTAGON is very important in my life. They kept me alive and that’s how I keep going mindfully. It’s about loyalty and friendship, but actually, for me, it’s more like a “family-ship.” They’re always next to me, the biggest supporters, and I can lean on them. We always meet up, talk on the phone, and, of course, have a group chat, even if we’re just sending a meme or GIFs.
Beyond your band mates, I really like your How I Met KINO series on YouTube and seeing new sides and these unexpected friendships. Where did the idea come from?
Before we launched the show, I wondered, “What KINO have I not shown to my fans yet?” All the people around me tell me, “You’re very Kang Hyung-gu when you’re with your friends, the real you.” So, I’ve never noticed that, but after, I realized, “Oh, it’s perfect to show my moments of friendship to the audience.” And I feel like all my fans really love the moments when I’m with my friends. I’m so sick of the camera turning on and needing to sit up and be perfect. I became more comfortable in front of the camera and that was an amazing change.
Photography and Creative Direction by Lauren Nakao Winn
Assisted by Jovita Tedja
