MONSTA X's I.M Gets Real on His First Solo World Tour, the Present Moment and Not Caring What Others Think (Exclusive)

There is no more natural process for IM than writing music.

That’s because the 28-year-old K-pop rapper strips away the artificial elements, like pre-planned lyrics or a contrived message, and looks inside to see what’s underneath.

As if writing a diary entry with his unlimited stream of consciousness, he rejects everything and anything. What he thinks and feels at this moment is a given. He will then go a step further and draw from his senses, such as what he wears or eats.

What results is a collection of songs that capture a time capsule of who he is at this moment – a solo artist who has just released his third six-song EP, Out of rhythmand is preparing for his first world tour of the same name.

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Sony Music Entertainment Korea Inc

Just before a late-night chat with PEOPLE, IM finishes a small Korean snack with sugar cubes, dressed in a classic black T-shirt with a silver wristwatch. There are still a few days until the announcement of the world tour, and thus his intense training process.

Of course, he is excited to meet his fans as a solo artist in 18 cities in Europe, North America and Asia. At the same time, it’s also what makes him a little nervous — he’s talking to them alone, as a self-described “non-talkative” person.

Previously, when he toured as a member of the six-member K-pop group, MONSTA X, the “X0” singer never had to worry about doing anything alone. Every performance was a balancing act, a moment of sharing the stage. But now, as the only member of MONSTA X to travel the world, all eyes are on him to “LURE” fans with his rhythmic hip-hop sound.

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As IM ponders what this means for his ever-changing identity, he quickly notices how his mindset has changed and shifted since his internship days.

Before joining the third generation leading group, IM explains how he had to fight to secure his place among other young hopefuls.

“It’s really like the name of the show, ‘NO.MERCY,’” the “MMI” singer tells PEOPLE. “That’s not mercy. But now it’s just me. I can control that time and it’s not survival.”

“Of course, it could be survival just between me,” he adds.

With anyone, an internal battle seems almost inevitable. There is a creeping self-doubt that sometimes arises, or an internal drive to move on OVERDO. There may also be a comparison with a past version of yourself — a DUALITYwhich shares the same name as IM’s 2021 solo debut.

When compared to that past musical time capsule of his, the singer switches between third and first person almost imperceptibly.

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“When I listen DUALITY, I feel what he was thinking and what he was trying to do at that moment – says the singer. “I can find some, ‘Oh, he could do a lot better than that now,’ but at the time I did my best.”

“I try to put my 100%, no – maybe 200%, into the music, at the moment I’m working now,” he continues, nodding to his recent EP release. “Compared to that, with this album? I’m better than him.”

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Today’s avant-garde IM personality is focused on fashion almost as much as music. Each song has a noticeably clear image and vibe, and that’s the first instinct he’ll pick up as he creates. When she’s not strutting down the runway with some of the biggest high-end luxury brands, she’ll be wearing something black — a “simple but classy” outfit.

While his fashion sense remained consistently classy, ​​his existential sense of the “real” him wasn’t always so clear. In 2016 and 2017, the “nbdy” artist was still trying to define his “real” self, throughout the busyness of debuting with MONSTA X. Now, he’s realized that he doesn’t need to identify with any definition other than himself and who he is.

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“I just don’t care what people think of me, like ‘Oh, the guy from MONSTA X. Oh, the rapper, oh, the long-haired guy, oh, the guy with the big nose, the guy with the nice voice,’ ” he says, adding hand gestures that are natural to him when he speaks. “I don’t really care because the real me is me every moment, and I still don’t know what I am, but I’m sure I know myself.”

“This might sound a little strange, but I think that’s why I do music — to find myself, to write it down myself,” he continues. “Because this time is only this time. Today is just today.”

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Although IM is completely in tune with the present and the future, it will still occasionally allow itself a trip down memory lane. In fact, he might just walk down that alley one more time when he arrives at his tour stop in Boston—the city he’s lived in for three years and moved to from Israel. There, as an elementary school student, he gained a deeper understanding of music and processed the lyrics of what he listened to, such as Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” he tells PEOPLE.

“Musically, Boston means a lot to me,” he reflects. “And I still remember the name of the elementary school, so I’d like to visit it if I have a day off.”

In any of the 18 cities, there’s one thing he’s especially excited to try, and he hints at it in the verse:

“Shoot me like wine / I’ll treat you / Pour more until we slide off the floor”, he sings in the song “LURE”, in a voice as smooth as wine.

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With all the wine, beer and food tastings he’s looking forward to, there’s no doubt the tour will bring a lot of change for IM at the peak of his tumultuous career. However, change is a constant that does not scare him.

THEM

Sony Music Entertainment Korea Inc

“I don’t try to take it seriously because when time passes and you think about the past, it’s just a little thing,” he explains. “I believe that even if there’s a dangerous moment or I’m worried about something, I just think about the future because I bet I’ll get over it.”

The same thought process applies to his age, and at 28, IM doesn’t seem to be planning on slowing down anytime soon.

“Well, the best part – I’m the youngest and only twenty-something guy in this group,” he says as the group’s maknae, before a laugh escapes his mouth. “There is no bad part. I mean, everything is good.

“Right now, everything is the best for me,” he adds. “I’m enjoying the group, I’m enjoying this moment, my day and I’m going to enjoy the tour. I’m excited about the next step and I’m excited about my future even if I don’t know.”

Out of rhythm is now available for streaming.

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Source: HIS Education