Xnghan Never Lost His Glow

Through livestreams, a fan meeting and his first mini-album, the singer is showing there is a depth to him that we almost overlooked.

Perhaps the most striking thing about Xnghan’s LET’S GLOW fanmeeting, held last Sunday in Seoul, was how similar the setup was to his intimate Weverse livestreams. The concept for the fan meeting, which celebrated and promoted the release of Xnghan’s first mini-album Glow, featured Xnghan at his laptop, where he shared new music and photos from his trip to America the week before. Along the way, he completed challenges and played deep cuts from K-pop’s past – both trademarks of his casual, often very funny livestreams. ​

Over the past few months, Xnghan, the singer formerly known as RIIZE’s Seunghan, has used Weverse to get rage-baited by fans, play Roblox, and talk—sometimes for hours—about whatever's on his mind. Watching his livestreams, which were sometimes daily this past winter, was a surreal experience. For two years, Xnghan was on hiatus after leaving RIIZE. During that time, we projected many ideas onto him. We saw him as a symbol of injustice in K-pop. Some believed he was depressed and unable to speak up. Others speculated that he wasn’t in control of his future.

Yet since his solo debut last summer with “Waste No Time”, Xnghan has made it very clear that he is the one in control these days. On one livestream, he was quick to refute fans' complaints that his company, SM Entertainment, was blocking him from doing dance challenges. “I’m shy,” he explained, and said that it was his choice not to do them. “Maybe next time.” (This era, he has filmed them with Girls’ Generation’s HYO, WJSN’s DAYOUNG, and CRAVITY’s TAEYOUNG – among many others.)

When fans wondered how long it would be until his next comeback, he reiterated that he was working on music but wanted to get it right. He said he had an album’s worth of music, but narrowing it down takes time. As the comeback grew closer, Xnghan became more tight-lipped as fans asked if new music was coming. “I don’t know,” he’d say, joking that the whole thing might get cut if he revealed too much. ​

Often watching Xnghan’s livestreams, I got the impression that he is one of the happiest idols working right now: With very little pressure to achieve commercial success and without a rabid fanbase, he’s been left alone to do as he pleases. ​

Last week, the music Xnghan has spent months teasing arrived with the release of Glow, his first mini-album. It’s a strikingly glossy, pitch-perfect EP that highlights Xnghan’s light, airy vocals and is heavy on house and EDM music.

What is apparent from listening to Glow is that Xnghan has been given a vote of confidence by SM Entertainment to forge his own path. The music on Glow is some of the best SM has released this year. It is not on trend with much of K-pop’s noise music. It, instead, calls back to the mid-2010s, when groups like SHINee and f(x) looked to Europe’s house music and to LDN Noise's production team for vibey house productions. If I were to compare the title track to any SM group currently, it would be Hearts2Hearts, who are the rare eight-member girl group built with a clear callback to the second generation’s Girls’ Generation. “Glow” does not seem far at all from Hearts2Hearts’ popular single “Focus”, which also uses house music to maximum effect.

Like “Waste No Time”, the lyrics for “Glow” fit the artist well: “Look at you, got your glow back, didn’t you?” Xnghan asks in the chorus. He could easily be talking about himself. Lately, the singer seems more confident and at ease in front of the camera.

The EP is remarkably consistent, too, and Xnghan sounds genuinely enjoying himself on each track: “Light the Fire” is as smooth as the title track and stands as one of my favorites. The song highlights Xnghan’s vocals, which sound a touch like EXO’s BAKEHYUN. “Wishlist”, which he performed at the fan meeting, is also a standout B-side. On many of these songs, like “Wishlist” or the final track, Xnghan has brief moments where he raps, which he does surprisingly well. “Lovin’ On Me”, the EP’s most transcendent track, is smartly placed at the end. That track reminds me of an earlier, simpler era of K-pop, perhaps from the 2010s, thanks to CANTO’s euphoric production, which manipulates Xnghan’s vocals in the chorus for an odd form of catharsis.

I can hear SM’s confidence behind Xnghan on Glow. The EP doesn’t chase trends, and it sounds remarkably like the singer’s tastes from his livestreams. This backing was noticeable at the fan meeting, too. For his debut era, Xoul—a rotating pair of dancers—often felt like a shield for Xnghan. They were featured frequently in content and in the album’s photobooks. Xnghan introduced the new members onstage, but for most of the show, he was left alone. He continued as he does on livestreams: telling stories, playing music he enjoys, and talking with his fans.

Xnghan at the LET’S GLOW fan meeting

Throughout, Xnghan led the show by sharing stories about attending the Boyz concert or his trip to America to host a series of fan signings. He danced to Girls’ Generation’s “Kissing You” and YENA’s brilliant “Catch Catch.” In one challenge, he ran into the audience to shout, “I’m so handsome!” He often seemed mortified by the aegyo challenges. But that was also the point. He’s at his funniest when he’s upset or embarrassed.

Glow is on track to sell over 110k copies in its first week of sales – 20k more than his debut era. It’s a sign that while Xnghan’s fanbase is small, he is still beloved. Xnghan seems genuinely grateful for his fans, whom he calls Mates, for standing by him throughout his hiatus.

The audience was, notably, full of foreigners. I was one of the few from America, but there were dozens of fans from Thailand, China, and Japan. On social media after the show, many of those fans were touched when Xnghan thanked them in their native language. (He thanked me in English and gasped when he saw me. Perhaps it was because I was one of the few guys in attendance.)

This sincerity reminded me of a moment from a livestream a few months ago when a fan expressed concern for Xnghan. “No, I’m okay now,” he emphasized as he replied to the comment. “I come on here so often,” he continued, "because it’s fun for me and I want to let all of you know how grateful I am.” He was smiling when he said this, and it was easy to believe him. He looked, I thought, like he was glowing.