Teen Top's Niel has embarked on a new journey as the head of a one-man agency and a solo artist. Having completed his military service, he has hinted at meeting the public with a variety of looks that he hasn't shown before.

Recently, an interview with Niel, who returned with his fourth solo mini-album 'SHE', was held at a café in Gangnam, Seoul.

On this day, before the official start of the interview, Niel directly shared his stance on the military issue. He said, "I actually received the social service agent assessment in 2021 and was waiting to enlist, but I was exempted as a wartime laborer last year."

According to the Military Service Act, those living in areas with many enlistees compared to the demand for social service agents, or in remote areas, are designated as wartime laborers to guarantee social advancement after waiting a long time for enlistment. Therefore, those designated as social service agents who have waited three years are exempt from military service. Niel received his final exemption as a wartime laborer last year, three years after being designated as a social service agent in 2021. However, regarding the reason for being classified as a social service agent, he stated, "The reason I became a social service agent is a personal matter, so I can't speak about it."

'SHE' marks Niel's return about two and a half years after the release of the EP 'A to Z' in November 2022. Niel explained, "I have a lot of pressure coming back with a new album after a long time. Since this is the first album after establishing my company, there is a lot of pressure associated with it, and while preparing this album, I tried many new things. I worried a lot about how it would be received by fans and the public who already knew me."

This album, which completely departs from the traditional Korean R&B style, consists of emotional tracks based on neo-soul and groove pop, expressing a deep reflection on love and emotions that are overwhelming. When asked about the reason for attempting such changes, Niel said, "The music I originally wanted to do was this kind of music. I wanted to make a big change. I think about the direction I want to go in the future, and that's why I prepared this kind of song. I will also do popular music that fans like and make various attempts. In the future, I want to establish myself as an artist who does diverse music."

As he has always done popular music, he struggled to show a new side, but the advantages of a one-man agency allowed him to make this choice. Niel announced the establishment of his new agency EL&D Entertainment after the end of his contract with the former company, New Entry, last month. When asked about the reason for embarking on this solo journey, he explained, "I really wanted to participate 100%. In previous albums, while my opinions were reflected, we had to adjust together, but this time I decided to try it 100% myself, which is why I established a one-man agency."

Niel said, "In fact, there are aspects of me that fans have liked, so I couldn't completely abandon that. The path I want to take is to show a new side, but I couldn't ignore the fans. After contemplating this, I decided to do what I like this time." He added, "Looking at the finished product, I feel relieved. I think it came out very well according to my intentions. However, I'm concerned about how it will be received."

Before establishing the one-man agency, he sought advice from seniors who had previously started their own companies. He said, "Most advised me not to start. Many told me that trying what I want to do would be a great help in life. After much thought, I decided, 'When else would I do this?'." He went on to say, "The album preparation process was not easy. I started with the notion that 'I can do this alone', but it was very different. I had to pay attention to everything from meetings to concepts, approvals, and various tasks, which was quite difficult. There were so many more tasks than I expected, and it made me realize how hard the company worked before."

The title track 'SHE' features a groovy rhythm and soulful guitar, capturing the essence of love that lingers in one's heart forever. Niel shared, "The song expresses the emotions of a man trapped in the time of love and parting. There are many scenes in the music video. It portrays a man whose thoughts are tangled and cannot escape that line, and the final scene of him letting go of the line and dancing solo expresses a breakdown." He remarked, "The music video shoot was quite difficult. We filmed for nearly 26 hours. It was exhausting as I shot almost without any breaks since I was alone."

When asked why he chose 'love' as a theme, he explained, "I discussed the concept first. I thought about what kind of aspect fans would like to see from me, and it seems they enjoy seeing me on stage when I'm desperate, exhausted, and breaking down. So, starting from the concept of using makeup for wounds and developing it little by little, it led to a breakup song. I thought immediately after hearing 'SHE' that this should be the title track. It was the song that best expressed my story and the music I wanted. It was also a stage I wanted to show, so I decided on the title track as soon as I heard it, without any modifications."

Regarding the choreography that incorporates contemporary dance, he explained, "When I initially requested the choreography, I asked them not to think about challenges. While challenges are everywhere these days, I wanted to express a raw feeling this time without considering them. I asked the dance team to express it as much as possible in a raw way, which was difficult. I had never danced like this before, and that caused me a lot of trouble." He added that the recording wasn't easy either, saying, "I received a lot of direction to exclude the singing style I used to sing and make it sound different, so it was difficult to convey the vibe without the vibrato."

When Niel was asked how he wanted fans and the public to perceive this album, he said, "I hope this album lets people know that there is such a side to Niel as an artist. This is a new attempt for me, and the music video itself is different from when I was an idol; there are no close-ups of my face or lip-syncing. I don't know how those aspects will connect with the fans, but I hope it comes across as 'This is a friend who makes music in this way.'"

Regarding the desired results as an artist and company head, Niel frankly stated, "To be honest, I hope I just don't incur a loss as a representative. I don't mind if there's no revenue, as long as there are no losses, I can prepare for the next album." He expressed a desire to work hard without getting tired or giving up.

Having made his debut as a member of Teen Top on July 10, 2010, Niel celebrates his 15th anniversary this year. He stated, "I didn't feel it initially, but when I hear the ages of new idols, I realize it feels real." He further shared, "Our member Changjo will be discharged in May. There have been discussions about meeting to prepare an album since last year once he is back. We plan to discuss it together if possible."

When asked about the members' reactions to the establishment of the one-man agency, Niel revealed, "Actually, I didn't tell the members about it." He surprised his audience by saying, "I announced the establishment of the one-man agency almost after everything was ready. The members have been very supportive. Ricky told me later to make sure to take him with me, and I promised, 'I'll be sure to succeed and bring you along.'" He added, "My ultimate dream is to bring all my members to this company."

Having reached 15 years since his debut, Niel has faced numerous crises and difficult moments. He remarked, "Honestly, starting around 2019 to 2020, I was experiencing burnout. I thought a lot about wanting to let go of it. It was tough back then, but the fans' encouragement to see me performing motivated me to return to the stage." He recalled, "That was before the pandemic. I think the timing aligned with my burnout, which made it challenging at times. I wasn't going out much, which increased my time at home, and it was hard, but now I have overcome a lot and am trying to be happy. I try to find happiness in little things."

The time he wanted to praise himself was during that period. Niel shared, "At that time, I honestly thought about not pursuing a career as a singer. But I endured that moment, which allowed me to release this new album and take on challenges. I want to tell my past self that I endured well. I wasn't quite sure what I would do if I quit singing. I thought I might be fine as long as it wasn't this work. I was very happy, but it also wore me out, and I think there were parts of my personality that clashed with it. In those times, fans would often ask me to 'sing for them,' and when I imagined being on stage, I felt that was the happiest moment."

Niel, who has overcome burnout and embarked on a new start, was asked if he has any other challenges he wants to take on. He said, "Honestly, I don't think there are many activities I've never done. Reflecting on the past, I lived very diligently. There’s nothing I haven’t done, but if I were to do it again, I would like to try variety shows. I’ve enjoyed filming many variety shows in the past, and when I did them, I looked happy, so I want to try doing them again."

Regarding his activity plans after the release of 'SHE', he stated, "I won't participate in music broadcasts. I'm still afraid, and it's hard to coordinate since I'm also doing a musical. But since I've invested a lot of my heart into this album, I feel like it would be disappointing not to show a stage. I think fans would feel the same way, so I've created my own music broadcast. I will set up a stage and cameras on the album release day and invite fans for free, creating enjoyable content like a music broadcast. I also plan to have a signing event and visit Japan and Taiwan to greet fans."

Meanwhile, Niel's fourth solo mini-album 'SHE' will be released on the 22nd at 6 p.m.

[Photo] EL&D Entertainment

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