Kai on freeing himself from his legacy in new album Rover (2024)

In the run-up to the release of his third albumRover, Kai released a set of promotional images dressed as an angel, complete with a pair of plump, white feathered wings. With signature abs on show in low-slung jeans, the 29-year-old's angular features are softened by frosted glitter and his dark hair is combed down over his forehead in a boyish mop. The next day, he dropped a second lot of pictures in the same ethereal garb, but with an altogether eerier vibe. Less youthful, his gelled hair, sunken eyes and bleached eyebrows gave the appearance of something unearthly, like a fallen angel haunted by his own demise.

“It’s not easy to show two sides of myself within one concept," Kai, whose real name is Kim Jongin, says over a video call from Seoul. It's typical of the softly-spoken star, whose eyes often get lost in the corners of the room as he answers questions, though ironic considering the concept of duality has followed him like a shadow for more than a decade. Since his debut as the lithe dancer of record-breaking group EXO in 2012, it’s a term that's been used to describe his ease in inhabiting a whole new personality on stage.

“I really like the image [of] the wings,” he reflects, adding that the core theme of the album is about being unburdened by pressure and seeking a freedom that “depends solely on those wings”. Rather than leaning back on the past, and all the ways that he has been split apart,Rover is a re-introduction of Kai as a multifaceted whole.

To know Kai now is to know Jongin, who, to anyone who was only aware of him as a performer (first in EXO, then later SuperM and as a solo star), might feel more like his alter-ego than the other way around. Where Kai can oscillate effortlessly between an intrinsic sensuality, Herculean power and threatening intensity, Jongin remains steadfast in his gentle demeanour. When we speak, his hair is dyed icy blonde and he sits in the meeting room of his record label, SM Entertainment, with the slightly curled-in posture of someone still not totally used to being alone in the hot seat. “I didn’t want to be too stubborn about a specific genre”, he says about the 6-track album, adding, “I thought about portraying varying genres, performances and music through Kai.” He speaks of Kai less like the stage persona he’s inhabited since the age of 18, and more like a vessel, the ornamental shell that houses him as an artist.

Through the music video for the record’s eponymous, reggaeton-tinged lead single, he explores that idea literally. He acts out a spy-like scenario that sees him burn through fake IDs with false names and headshots of past eras, before landing on one in the here and now with the pseudonym Elliot Billy. It’s a pointed reference to the inspiration of his childhood ballerino ambitions, the first stepping stone in his lifelong love of movement. In a final set-piece, like some multiversal glitch, his backing dancers cut between balaclava-ed breakdancers and tutu-ed ballerinas, a glimpse of Jongin through Kai.

“I have always felt that, especially with a job like this, I do tend to pay attention to how other people see me, and to what they talk about," he says. "But even within that, I make an effort to find what I want to do and what I like. And doing this, I think, really is freedom." Letting go of preconceptions may not seem like a radical act, but in an industry as cutthroat as K-pop, forging your own path requires an enormous amount of self-belief.

“These days, through social media, it’s easy to look into people’s lives right?” he continues. “We keep doing that, and then one day, instead of focussing on what you truly treasure and like, you start worrying about how other people think and start following what others like. So I worked on this album with the hope that, by breaking away from such things, I would find true freedom. And I think I want to be like that [in real life] as well.”

What does freedom in real life look like to Kai? It starts, first and foremost, with being present. It’s dedicating time to the things he enjoys, and the mundanities that form his daily rituals. “Happiness can be considered trivial,” he says. “It’s just doing what you like. [But] I do think that feeling happiness within the smallest of things might betrue happiness. But just to feel that little something, I think you need to put in a lot of effort.” He admits that the goalposts move each year in terms of what brings him joy, but right now, it’s simplicity. “These days I use public transport a lot, or I walk a lot. I try to just let time pass by.”

Over the last decade, Kai has become one of high-fashion’s biggest players, going from brand darling to official Gucci muse, complete with a 2021 capsule collection designed around his signature teddy bear motif, in just a few short years. Despite the osmosis of curation, however, he personally prefers to go with the flow. “I really change my style often according to my moods – my hair colour, my mood that day, or even just the order in which my clothes were hung [in the closet]. So even when I go out, I never plan my outfits beforehand,” he says. The closet he casually mentions is, conservatively, about the size of a small flat (as well as a separate wardrobe in his bedroom just for pyjama sets: “I also think that’s one of the best things I’ve done,” he chuckles proudly) and packed to the rafters with designer goods he refuses to take the tags off for fear he might need to sell them one day.

For Kai, the upcoming milestone of 11 years in the industry with EXO is momentous, considering so few of their early contemporaries have reached it. The unit is still one of the most successful groups in history, amassing an early and lasting fandom that is exceptional even in the current era, where standom reigns supreme. Still, 2012 looks a lot different to 2023, especially when that t spreads from early adulthood to the advent of your thirties. So would Kai, knowing what he does now, give his younger self any advice? “You’re doing a great job. So just keep doing what you’re doing”, he says after a moment of shy consideration. He takes the task seriously, speaking in hushed tones to be gentle with his former self. “This is what I want to tell him because I am quite satisfied with how things are now, and I feel like the past 10 years are what made the Kai of today.”

After a brief pause, he nods as if proud of being able to say it. “I really like the Jongin that I am right now.”

Rover is just the start of a busy 2023. Next comes a long-anticipated reunion with EXO. While the group have maintained a mercurial structure of sorts, this year offers a brief reprieve where none of the members are in the military. “All the members are gathering after a really long time, so we are really looking forward to the fact that we can put out another album too,” he says, revealing that prep work has already begun.

“We are not that worried about what the results of this comeback would bring, or what goal we need to achieve," he says. "I’m really looking forward to this year. I think that there will be more happy memories that will remain, so much so that we may even forget the older [happy] memories. I want the fans to know this as well.”

While EXO's return is at the forefront of his mind, he's got other adventures on his mind, too. “One of the biggest goals in my life is living in London for a year. It’s my main goal,” he says, echoing a statement he’s repeated for years now. “The weather is bad,” I tell him as I point to the gloomy view out my window in possibly the most glaring example of British pessimism I can inadvertently muster. But even before the translator can jump in he shakes his hands and says he doesn’t mind. What it is about the city that’s captured his fancy for so long is unclear. Maybe it’s the culture, steeped in musical history like his icon David Bowie, whose portrait hangs pride of place in his home. Or maybe it’s his beloved Chelsea FC, the football team he devotes his time to and, by his own admission, helps him understand the nature of his own fandom. “I believe that you’re a true fan when you’re supporting them even when they’re not doing well. I’ve learnt from how my fans have shown me love. So as a dear fan, I will cheer for Chelsea,” he says, sighing and downtrodden. He cradles his head in his hands to stifle an embarrassed giggle, a gesture instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever longed to be asked to talk about their obsessions but simultaneously dreaded that they might actually have to do it.

If the first 11 years of Kai as an artist have been about figuring out how much of himself to give the world, the release ofRover and beyond kick off a future where those boundaries hopefully hold less importance. Kai is happy for the world to know Kim Jongin, especially as that exterior softens over time. “My dream is to do all this as much as possible,” he says, his eyes fixed firmly on the camera like the rituals of a pact. “And for as long as I can.”

Rover is out now. Additional translation by Neha Cariappa