Baekhyun Talks First Solo Tour, Next Solo Album, & Starting New Company INB100
Courtesy of INB100
There’s a moment about two-thirds of the way through K-pop singer Baekhyun’s solo concert that every fan is waiting for.
After kicking off the setlist wearing a structured, all-white look for a run-through of some of his biggest (and most sensual) hits, and then changing into a similarly dramatic all-black leather fit for the moodier numbers, he transforms. He emerges in a brand new outfit, one full of color and texture. Animal ear beanies, vibrant, pop-arty knitwear, plushy characters clipped to his belt, graphic tees, tons of glittery face stickers — all have been fair game during each night of his current tour across 27 dates in Asia.
This is the fun section, the part where he plays his boppiest songs, like the 2020 single “Candy” and the 2019 smash b-side “Betcha.” Fans keenly monitor his new looks and the way he riffs on choreo with his dancers; he gives every performance a cheekily different spin. The changes are subtle, but they’re enough to send fancam filmers and enthusiasts into chaos, so it’s no surprise that this part of the concert is what’s gone viral since the tour kicked off back in March. There’s a sense of joyful levity and freedom to Baekhyun in these moments, which feels fitting for what this first-ever solo tour means to him.
“I would say it’s a new step, and in a way, it’s been my first [solo] offline concert,” the EXO singer tells Teen Vogue, having spent much of the last three years away from performing. We’re backstage at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo, where he’s about to play his second of three concerts in the city. Dressed down in a baggy tee and sweatshorts, he’ll soon be whisked away to the glam chair to begin his metamorphosis. “In the past, I would say my concerts were more focused on me showing something through my performance. But during the concerts this time, it felt more like [my fans and I] were performing together.”
The Lonsdaleite Tour, which is a whistle-stop tour of his three mini albums, is aptly themed. It’s named after a meteoritic crystal that’s sometimes referred to as the “hexagonal diamond,” and it runs deep in Baekhyun’s lore. He debuted with the record-breaking group EXO in 2012, which started with a cosmic concept that saw them born from an exoplanet beyond our solar system. The crystal also references the superpower — light — that he was allocated as part of the group’s theatrical formation, which he plays on in the first song of the show, holding two glowing gems during a performance of the group’s song “Diamond.” Diamond is often considered the hardest material on earth, but lonsdaleite is its even rarer astrological cousin, thought to be even stronger and able to withstand almost any pressure pushed against it.
It’s not difficult to see why Baekhyun called on the mineral to define this period of his life. This tour is the first time he’s performed as a solo artist outside of Korea and Japan and also marks his first solo venture under his new company, INB100, which he established last year after leaving his longtime label, the K-pop behemoth SM Entertainment. (He founded the label for his solo work and has been joined by fellow EXO members Chen and Xiumin, though the trio continue their activities with EXO under SM.)
“The feeling that I have to handle everything from start to finish, this feeling of responsibility in itself feels like huge growth,” he says, pinpointing the decision to have more autonomy over his and others’ work as the next stage of his career. “I have a lot of years’ experience. I’ve also had a lot of performances/concerts. Since the moment I started working on my solo [albums] I’ve been establishing almost all the [different] styles that I personally wanted to try. With my first tour coming to an end soon, at this point there’s a sense of assurance that I can conduct the next tour more effortlessly. I feel like I’ll keep getting new ideas for my other performances.”
The founding of INB100 and wrapping up this first tour (which will end with an encore show in one of Seoul’s biggest arenas in July) comes at a serendipitous time, as he hits the five-year anniversary of his solo debut with 2019’s sultry City Lights. He jokes that, at 32, he feels a lot older now than he did back then, though you wouldn’t know from the two-hour choreo-heavy production of Lonsdaleite. “I had the kind of stamina to do anything and everything if I wanted to,” he says. “But now, I first try to think about how I can utilize time more efficiently.”
With a thriving solo career running parallel to his work as a member of EXO, arguably one of the most successful groups of all time, Baekhyun has racked up more than 14 years in the gruelling K-pop industry, kicking off his career at the age of 19. It’s a rare feat, with many male artists tapping out or slowing down after completing their mandatory military service. (Baekhyun was enlisted between 2021 and 2023). “My hair & makeup staff are all quite young,” he says. “[And they’ll say] ‘When I was young, I would watch EXO’ and ‘I saw EXO when I was in elementary school.’” An embarrassed grimace flashes across his face. “When I hear this, I truly get the feeling, ‘Wow, it really has been a while, huh?’ That elementary school kid is now someone who works with me.”
But there’s no hint of slowing down for Baekhyun. If anything, he’s itching to do more, happily spreading himself between solo work, group work and his new role at the head of INB100. He’s already hinted at more EXO music to come this winter, with further releases and concerts planned for when the group’s youngest members, Kai and Sehun, complete their military enlistment in 2025. “Moving forward, with new albums or when we have concerts, or when we meet our EXO-Ls, I know for sure that there will always be more interesting things to come,” he says. “I look forward to them.”
And then there’s a new solo album on the near horizon, which will be his first since 2021’s pre-enlistment record Bambi. In the short breaks between Lonsdaleite stops, Baekhyun has been preparing his new work, and on the day we meet, he’s just finished recording its final pieces. “It’s just at that stage of filming the music video and other production-related activities,” he says. “It was refreshing and very enjoyable to work with new staff for the first time, and personally, I really like the songs.”
Known for velvety R&B jams that mercurially bounce between the euphoric and melancholic, Baekhyun says this new record doesn’t deviate too far from his past music, though he took the opportunity under his new company to communicate more openly about how to evolve his sound. “I feel like you would at least get the feeling that I wanted to try something new this time,” he says.
“I think the biggest advantage was being able to create something based on what I like, whatever mix I want to request, and most importantly that I can express a song in the way that I understand it,” he adds about whether the process of making this album was different compared to previous ones now that he has the final say.
His shift in priorities isn’t just about carving out a space where he has more control, but in understanding what fuels his energy, what drains it, and how to best balance the two. In the past, he says he was more competitive about the outcome, but now, he feels value in the creation itself.
“It’s not an easy job. I’m in a position where I need to take responsibility of the people working with me,” he says. “But still, instead of working under someone else, I for one am the kind of person who has always preferred it being just [us] sitting together, coming up with ideas, and then creating something. I’m someone who enjoys this process.”
Then, it’s time for him to prepare for the concert; first for an intimate soundcheck in front of fans and then for the main event. Casual backstage Baekhyun will make way for sultry Baekhyun who’ll then make way for playful Baekhyun (tonight in a denim co-ord covered in colorful iron-on patches) All the while, boss Baekhyun already ruminates on where to go next. It calls to mind the different sides of a diamond, all separately pieced together to build something dazzling, sturdy, and enduring.
“It’s a great honor to be able to continuously show the various versions of myself,” he smiles.
Additional translation provided by Neha Cariappa.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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