Client: Metro UK (2018).
Since debuting in 2015 with swaggering rap and melodic harmonies on Trespass, Rush and Hero, Monsta X’s five vocalists (Shownu, Kihyun, Minhyuk, Wonho and Hyungwon) and two rappers (Jooheon and I.M) have gone on to reconfigure genres from RnB to EDM, to anthemic rock to fit their boisterous style and fierce choreography.
The progression is evident on their recent EP, The Code, with seven diverse tracks that traverse funk to trop-house to ballad. It propelled Monsta X on to receive a first-ever win on one of Korea’s weekly chart music TV shows, while in January they took home gongs from the country’s prestigious Golden Disc Awards and Seoul Music Awards, which Wonho said, ‘feels great, because it’s like a stepping stone for what we want to achieve in 2018.’
Taylor Glasby 