![\"[JOOHONEY]](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769178073_951_0x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
JOOHONEY’s “INSANITY”<\/p>\n
Starship Entertainment<\/p>\n
Joohoney\u2019s schedule has been insane, which makes sense as he\u2019s been promoting his new album, INSANITY, since its release on January 6. <\/p>\n
The MONSTA X<\/a> member worked hard on his second album, spending nearly three years developing it following his last EP, Lights, in 2023. It\u2019s found success on the Korean charts, with his lead track, \u201cSTING,\u201d hitting #1 on the K-Hip-Hop charts, followed by other songs on the album, \u201c\uad11 (Gwang)\u201d and \u201cBite,\u201d landing in the Top 5. The album itself debuted at #23 on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart. Music critics praised the rapper for his powerful beats and sharp lyrics, calling his song, \u201cSTING,\u201d which features a snippet from the great boxer Muhammad Ali, \u201cone that packs a punch.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Joohoney is really happy with the reception from the charts and the critics for his album, but his main priority is how his fans, a.k.a. MONBEBE, feel about it. <\/p>\n \u201cAre the fans going to be happy with my album?\u201d Joohoney says over Zoom, during a quick break from his busy schedule, from Seoul. \u201cI\u2019m happy right now, but there\u2019s a lot in my schedule. I\u2019m really tired, but MONBEBE will be happy [to see me], so I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Joohoney calls INSANITY a continuation of his first album, because after the lights are turned on, they need to shine \u2013 and what better way to shine than to go crazy, causing it to flash. He explains that \uad11 (Gwang) has a dual meaning: to shine and to be crazy, \u201cI was able to put both of those meanings into one word, that\u2019s why it became crazy to shine.\u201d<\/p>\n He references his music video for \u201cFREEDOM,\u201d the title track to Lights, in which he wears a suit made of mirrors, and how the lights reflect off him as he moves. The more extreme and crazier the moves are, the more the light shines and spreads. <\/p>\n \u201cI want to build my Lights world,\u201d he says. \u201cJoohoney\u2019s Light World. Lights push the darkness to become bright, then [with INSANITY], we have to go crazy to shine. I\u2019m an artist and the star, and my fans are my light.\u201d<\/p>\n The seven tracks on the album tell Joohoney\u2019s personal story, all written, composed, and produced by him: \u201c\uad11 (Gwang)\u201d focuses on light and insanity; \u201cSTING\u201d is about identity; \u201cPush (Feat. REI of IVE)\u201d navigates imbalance within a tumultuous relationship; \u201cBite\u201d centers desire; \u201cTouch the Sky (Feat. Tiger JK)\u201d is about limitless determination; and, \u201cNO BRAIN NO PAIN\u201d closes the album with the \u201cstrange calm that remains after every emotion has burned away.\u201d Each song represents a trial and tribulation he faced or felt before, and he wants to showcase a side of himself that K-pop idols are afraid to show. <\/p>\n \u201cThrough this album, I wanted to show the more personal and honest side [of myself],\u201d he says. \u201cShow the reason I have a living and [my need] to keep going is more honest, and that\u2019s what I need to do as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n JOOHONEY’s INSANITY<\/p>\n Starship Entertainment<\/p>\n He hopes that more K-pop artists will share their personal stories, and that it will eventually become a genre centered on honesty. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope we can all be able to be more honest, and I hope that more and more artists will be able to do so as well,\u201d he shares. <\/p>\n With over 10 years of experience working in the music industry, he admits that being a K-pop idol isn\u2019t as amazing or grand as people perceive it to be. He believes the only reason idols become great is the fans who love them, and that artists can only become bigger because of their fans. <\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, in the beginning, I wasn\u2019t making music for my fans,\u201d he admits. \u201cI just wanted to show the kind of music that I was really good at and show off my skills. But now, in my 30s, I\u2019ve realized how important it is to make music for my fans. I only exist because my fans are there now. This has become a big factor in my mind as I\u2019ve been changing as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n Joohoney put a lot of thought and care into the entire INSANITY production beyond the music. He knew he wanted certain elements and concepts that fit and flow alongside the music. His song \u201cSTING\u201d was inspired by Ali, who said the famous line, \u201cFloat like a butterfly, sting like a bee.\u201d Joohoney wanted to showcase his fighting spirit and always loved and respected boxing. So he asked his company, Starship Entertainment, to request to use Ali\u2019s famous quote for the song. He also loved that the bee part was related to his name \u2013 JooHONEY. <\/p>\n \u201cI always thought about the fans saying [my name and emphasizing] JooHONEY,\u201d he laughs. \u201cJooHONEY like a bee. [The quote] inspired that.\u201d<\/p>\n Joohoney’s INSANITY<\/p>\n Starship Entertainment<\/p>\n \u201cSTING\u201d is one of his favorite songs from the album, along with \u201cBite\u201d and \u201cNO BRAIN NO PAIN,\u201d because they are his truths. \u201cBite\u201d is about the industry and what many K-pop idols think, and \u201cNO BRAIN NO PAIN\u201d is all about the idea of \u201cjust do it.\u201d He explains, \u201cThese days, too many people have so many thoughts and are overthinking, so if they have a goal, they can\u2019t really achieve it. So, just do it!\u201d<\/p>\n His face lights up at the mention of Tiger JK, with whom he collaborated for \u201cTouch the Sky.\u201d Tiger JK has been Joohoney\u2019s role model since he was young, recalling buying his CD and hoping they\u2019d work together one day. That dream came true when Joohoney sent Tiger JK the track and verse, and he said, \u201cBro, let\u2019s go! Let\u2019s do this!\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIt was like \u2018Whoa\u2019,\u201d Joohoney recalls. \u201cWhen I sent him my verse, he added his own. He was surprised by my verse. It\u2019s such an honor to [have him] on that track.\u201d<\/p>\n With INSANITY, Joohoney goes hard with the rap and beats, as expected from MONSTA X\u2019s main rapper. Yet, when fans watch his content and lives, there is another Joohoney, one that fits the sweetness of his name \u2013 very soft and cute. In fact, he was the K-pop idol who branded the babyish phrase, \u201ckukukaka<\/a>\u201d \u2013 even before KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 character, Baby Saja, used it<\/a>. <\/p>\n He says all of the Joohoney people see is all him, just different sides of him. He explains, \u201cIt\u2019s all Joohoney, but I wanted to express the real Joohoney in my first album, Lights. INSANITY is stage Joohoney. He got mad skills, strong spitting rap, and then there\u2019s the cute Joohoney. Maybe it\u2019s gonna be in the next album.\u201d<\/p>\n Joohoney’s INSANITY<\/p>\n Starship Entertainment<\/p>\n Joohoney already has many plans for his next album. He wants to continue the themes of light, calling it his own canon universe, where everything is connected. His \u201clight universe\u201d began with his song \u201cSmoky\u201d from his 2020 mixtape, PSYCHE, and has flowed well with his other main tracks: \u201cFREEDOM\u201d and \u201cSTING.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cAs it continues, now that I\u2019ve gone insane\/crazy, I can be really excited and super happy,\u201d Joohoney reveals. \u201cI can be so excited that you\u2019ll want to dance and see the cute Joohoney side with the \u201ckukukaka\u201d \u2013 and just feel happy. I want to come back to that.\u201d<\/p>\n