\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Key\"](\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-wwd-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tKey<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLexie Moreland\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201c\u200aIt sounds like a very long time, but I know of course my fans waited such a long time,\u201d says the 34-year-old musician of finally making it to the U.S. as a solo artist. Between starring in regular variety shows in Korea, album releases and touring across Asia, the timing never felt right. \u201cNo one forced me for this, and I didn\u2019t force myself for this,\u201d he adds. \u201cI was waiting for the right timing \u2014 and he gave me the right timing.\u201d Key points a finger toward the sky, beyond the ceiling of a photo studio green room. \u201c\u200aBut you know, nothing\u2019s late, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe U.S. tour has been an emotionally and creatively fulfilling experience for the K-pop<\/a> veteran. Key mentions Soundcheck, a VIP fan event held before each concert where he can interact directly with his fans, as a highlight of the tour. He\u2019s also grown comfortable speaking onstage in English, and offstage conversation flows easily as he answers interview questions at length, only pausing once or twice to clarify specific words through a translator.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was like, are they really laughing [along] with my English?\u201d says Key of the crowd\u2019s reception to his onstage banter. \u201cIt was a heartwarming moment. They were so open-minded and they were ready to accept everything. It was very pure.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tKey<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLexie Moreland\/WWD<\/p>\n \n\tKey honed his creative voice through his latest album \u201cHunter,\u201d which was inspired by horror films and urban legends. He\u2019s described the album as his most personal solo project, and the tour is also a reflection of his distinct vision, with Key playing an integral role in crafting the visual identity of Keyland.\u00a0The tour pays homage to the theatricality of \u201980s music<\/a> videos, and his costumes reflect his childhood interest in visual rock bands, defined by elaborate outfits, hairstyles, piercings, and makeup. \u201cMy fashion is part of the expression of my music<\/a>,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tKey performing onstage at the King Theatre in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/p>\n \n\tThe day after his Brooklyn concert, he\u2019s dressed in his own clothing, a keychain of New York-coded charms \u2014 gifted to him by a fan the night before \u2014 dangling from his belt loop. It\u2019s a tangible memento from his time in the city, a concrete reminder that the career he\u2019s built over the last two decades is real and solid as he enters his mid-30s. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u200aMaybe I can look around the city,\u201d says Key, asked how he planned to spend his limited free time in New York before heading on to his next tour stops in Chicago and Seattle. In reality, he was more likely to enjoy his downtime inside his hotel, focused on staying healthy and maintaining his energy for the last two stops of his tour.<\/p>\n \n\tHis goal for the remainder of his time Stateside is to continue to perform at the same level. \u201cI have to take care of myself very well. That is my very simple goal,\u201d he says. \u201cDon\u2019t get sick. Don\u2019t get exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAlso, \u201cI don\u2019t want to cry. At the last concert, actually, I got so emotional,\u201d he says, continuing to reflect on the long journey that brought him to the current moment.<\/p>\n \n\tLooking ahead to 2026, he\u2019s continuing to create new music, both for himself and with SHINee. The group members are in the process of recording and preparing their next comeback, working around their collectively busy solo schedules. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna come out soon. Not soon \u2014 but definitely we\u2019ll come back for next year. And I love our new music,\u201d he says, describing the group as his \u201chome.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u200aI\u2019m pretty sure personally nothing\u2019s gonna change really next year,\u201d he adds. \u201cKeep on doing what I can do \u2014 that\u2019s the most important thing in my life these days.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tKey<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLexie Moreland\/WWD<\/p>\n \n\tHe\u2019s been fielding the question for 18 years: how he wants to end the year, how he wants to start the new year, what his goals are for the year ahead. And his answer remains the same: more music, more touring, more doing what he loves to do.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn my early 20s, I had a \u2018next year\u2019 list or something like that, but no, not anymore,\u201d he says, taking his answer to a more existential space.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI turned 30 in the army. I thought there was a hole here, that I want to fill,\u201d says Key, placing a hand decked with rings (and elaborate nail art) over his heart. \u201cI was so obsessed with filling up that hole. But whatever I do, I couldn\u2019t fill up that hole \u2014 because it was already full,\u201d he adds. \u201cI\u2019m not looking for something new. I\u2019m already happy.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tKey onstage at the King Theatre in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the morning after Key\u2019s solo concert at the historic King Theatre in Brooklyn, and he almost can\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":351612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,344,216],"class_list":{"0":"post-351611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-k-pop","10":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=351611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/351611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/351612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=351611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=351611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=351611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n