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First-generation K-pop idol Kangta of H.O.T. talks about past glories, new start

October 31, 2016

SEOUL, Oct. 31 (Yonhap) — For one of the first-generation K-pop stars Ahn Chil-hyun, better known by his stage name Kangta, this year is particularly meaningful as it marks the 20th anniversary to make a debut as a member of H.O.T. in the K-pop scene.

In a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, the former leader of the boy group, which was sensationally popular in the 1990s but disbanded in 2001, said S.M. Entertainment felt like a home that he can always come back to.

This undated photo provided by S.M. Entertainment is of Kangta, former leader of once popular boy group H.O.T.

“When I’ve just started working at S.M., it was located inside a small house. Now it feels as if my father’s business took off and we’ve moved into a bigger house,” he said. “There are times when you just want to run away from your home and family, but it is always a place I come back to and from which I start out again.”

On Thursday, he will release a new solo album “Home” in more than eight years. The cover song “Diner” was written by himself. Tickets for his upcoming concert early next month were all sold out. To accomodate his fans’ requests, he added two more shows to make it a total of five in what proves his on-going popularity.

Recalling 16 years ago when H.O.T. held a concert in front of 10,000 Chinese fans, he said it felt amazing and unreal to see the 80,000 seats packed at a concert by a group of S.M. Entertainment acts three years ago.

“I felt tears prickle my eyes. Most of them were not my fans, but I was so proud just standing on the stage.”

A poster of Kangta’s solo concert on Nov. 4-6, 2016. (Courtesy of S.M. Entertainment)

Since the members went separate ways in early 2000s, Kangta has been actively working in China, appearing in 10 television series and two movies, and releasing two albums there. He also starred in a variety show.

“Working in the rapidly changing Chinese market for 12 years, I feel responsible to share what I’ve learned in China with my company and serve as a mentor and guide for those who come behind me.”

He refuted some criticism that S.M., Korea’s biggest entertainment company, has been churning out mostly manufactured, similar dance music and somewhat stood in the way of the Korea music scene becoming more diverse.

“We have expanded the spectrum of the K-pop market. We didn’t mean to set the trend. We had no choice but to grow the market by ourselves and did what we did best. The K-pop market was born along the way,” he said.

Recently, first-generation K-pop groups including S.E.S. and Sechs Kies, have been regrouped to bring back past glories by releasing an album or planning to do so soon. But H.O.T. wasn’t one of them, disappointing some ardent fans.

“Honestly, I tried not to think about the past because I had to live for today and invest in the future. When I was asked ‘what have I been up to lately,’ I felt hurt,” he said. But he was completely lost in the memories of the golden days while he was watching the recent episode of MBC TV’ “Indefinite Challenge” which broadcast on the return of Sechs Kies to the K-pop scene.

“I was wondering what other members (of H.O.T.) felt while watching the show and the memories of the past came washing over me.”

This undated photo provided by MBC shows Kangta, former leader of once popular boy group H.O.T.

Compared with 20 years ago when H.O.T. was leading the fledging K-pop market, he said the training system for K-pop singers has become very professional under which they become much more versatile and have more chances to perform overseas.

Although today’s K-pop stars work and perform in a better environment than before, they have to work harder to offer more high-quality performances that live up to the higher expectations of the fans, he said.

He said that today’s groups are more manufactured and standardized, which makes it harder for them to distinguish themselves and survive in the fiercely competitive market.

“Some juniors ask me if it wasn’t tough to be followed by a swarm of fans all the time, I say to them, ‘You should live with the constraints on your private life that come naturally with a rising popularity because that is what you desperately wanted in the first place.’”