Having debuted as a member of THE BOYZ in 2017, Korean-Canadian artist Kevin Moon’s life has been anything but ordinary since moving from his hometown of Vancouver to pursue K-pop. 

Since then, he and his group have toured worldwide, achieved quadruple “half-million seller” status in 2025, and have secured a massive domestic fanbase, while also achieving global success. After going through several entertainment agencies with his group, Kevin is now making music independently – his debut solo release, FREECHILD, is the result of an artist who’s felt cooped up in a box for far too long and is ready to break free. Now he’s opening up, taking back control of his own life, and rebelling against what the industry thinks K-pop idols should be. Throughout the album’s three tracks, “FREECHILD,” “Manifesto,” and “Focus On Me,” Kevin explores the sonic landscape of 2010s pop-rock, pop-punk, and even gospel, drawing inspiration from the music of his childhood.

“I mean, I always knew I wanted to do something like this,” Kevin tells KPOPWORLD over Zoom. “I was in talks with management, and I didn't know how it was gonna go. But I was sure that I wanted to do something when I was sure I had 100% creative control.”

Since his debut nearly a decade ago, the singer never had the opportunity to flex his artistic muscles in the group or solo – essentially playing the role of an idol who could be molded to fit anyone’s artistic concept except his own. Although Kevin was able to showcase his producing and mixing talents on social media – uploading covers and mashups of some of his favorite songs – neither of his companies took them seriously or asked if he wanted to work on TBZ’s original music. “Within the team context, there was never a time or a space,” he states. “It just didn’t fit [THE BOYZ’s] image.”

However, once he and his members officially ended their latest contract with entertainment label ONE HUNDRED, the 28-year-old knew to strike while the iron was hot and show the world his full potential. “I wanted to prove to myself and to the people I will be potentially working with that this is what I'm capable of – these are my ideas,” Kevin says. “I just wanted to let them know that this is the extent of my capabilities.”

With FREECHILD out and available to the world now, it’s clear there were people who understood and admired his vision on all fronts, and wanted to help make it a reality. So after writing and recording over 20 songs, what prompted Kevin to choose only three (excluding the clean version of “Focus On Me”) for his debut project?

“I have a full-length album ready to go, but to be honest, I don't think “FREECHILD” really fits the context of what I have prepared,” he reveals. “So having the separate release allowed me to build around it because when I wrote the song, everyone thought it was a strong song. I was kind of thinking of selling it. I was thinking of just giving it to someone. But I chose three songs that really represented the start of a new journey.”

Surprisingly, his ballad/gospel B-side “Focus On Me” almost didn’t make it into the record at all. “It was almost just going to be shelved because I didn't love it at the time,” he tells KPOPWORLD. “But I think I put it out because I wrote it when I was on hiatus last year, and I felt like a lot of people could just really resonate with the narrative of, ‘Okay, I've been through all this, but now I'm going to focus on me.’”

With themes of breaking the mold, healing your inner child, and letting your voice be heard, FREECHILD is a freeing, yet vulnerable look into at least one part of Kevin’s psyche and the emotions he’s felt. But it’s only barely scratching the surface of the future project he has planned. “I would say the album that I have prepared – it's very, very true to my experiences and things that I've been through. So it just made sense to group these [three songs] together.”

But it’s not just the musical side that Kevin’s been experimenting with; that extends to his visual concept for the album, as well. In the cover art for FREECHILD, Kevin sports large spiky hair, ring-clad fingers, and painted nails covering his face. While the singer’s been known to play around with fashion, this is his most dramatic era, separating it from anything he’s done thus far. In the “FREECHILD” music video, each of Kevin’s looks is gritty, bold, and avant-garde, driving home the album’s “rebellious misfit” aesthetic.

“I feel like in my time spent with THE BOYZ, all of the stylists and all the creatives, they kind of used me as a guinea pig, which I wasn't mad about,” he says. “I enjoyed it, actually – there were a lot of the different looks that the other members wouldn't really touch, so I just want to be a stylistic chameleon, and just do whatever is best for the story that I want to tell.”

However, even as he was preparing for this album and enjoying the process, there were moments when Kevin internally debated whether anything of it was even worth it anymore. A few days before the release of FREECHILD, the singer revealed on X that he thought about quitting music to return home to Vancouver and go back to school. Luckily, he stuck it out for the love of his craft and to inspire others.

“I'm so glad I put this album out. But I think building all of that for myself and finally releasing it – it kind of made me frustrated because it's so crazy that I have all of this to offer and I have so much to give, but nobody utilized any of it,” he says with a shrug and a smile. “It would have been nice to do all of that within the team context, but it kind of lit a new fire underneath my feet…if the world doesn't give you opportunities, go out and make them yourself.”

For the majority of his career up until now, he could never say what was really on his mind, always silenced by industry politics and executives who deem certain subjects too “taboo” or “risky” to address, just as many fellow idols are. However, on August 28, the singer threw caution to the wind and took to X to express some of those repressed thoughts, including the industry’s transactional nature between idols and fans, the exhausting recycling of music trends, and advocating for Black and queer communities that have continuously been the blueprint for many of K-pop’s sounds and styles, but never get the recognition.

“I would say early K-pop, they were just doing whatever is nice and fun and cool. But in this day and age, there's no way that these big companies don't know what exactly they're doing,” Kevin states. “I think someone needs to splash some water in their face and tell them this is the potential you have to inspire so many people and make them feel seen, and make them feel included.” He adds that, “Music is merely just another tool in the toolbox to make money, and I think that's just so unfortunate because [to the K-pop industry] it's just a part of a business model.”

He also recognizes that the energy K-pop fans bring to the industry does not match what the industry gives back. “I think that sucks because K-pop fans, they're the most dedicated people in pop culture. They have so much to give. They will do anything and everything for the artist. And I think it sucks that that sentiment isn't reciprocated.”

While there was merit to his posts and most were celebrated among K-pop fans, others were misconstrued, with some taking his comments as a personal dig. “Was it a dig? Absolutely,” he replies with a smile. “But I think I was just saying the things that I'm observing. I wouldn't say anything that is damaging. I don't want to say anything that hurts people.”

Additionally, the singer also provides interesting insight into how hip-hop culture is perceived in South Korea. “The vast Korean majority, if they see someone going against the grain, you know, rebellious, outspoken, and whatever, they would say, ‘Oh, that's so hip-hop,’” Kevin explains. “Or if they're just swearing or being a pain in the ass, 'Oh, that's hip-hop.” But it's so much more than that; it's so much more nuanced than that, and people have to look a certain way and talk a certain way to do hip-hop.”

He also credits Beyoncé for much of the Black and queer history he learned through her music. “I actually learned a lot about house music through Renaissance – I had no idea it was birthed by people who weren't given a space. So they made their own underground space.”

Although his online takes were seen as controversial to some, Kevin reaffirms that his problem is not with any specific idol or group – it’s the system that gets under his skin. “I'm all for people messing around with different genres; why not? But I do have a problem with K-pop companies just utilizing that to do something sensational, but not really giving flowers to the genre and communities themselves.”

Black culture has been a major influence on K-pop since the genre’s emergence around 30 years ago, though that influence has not always been acknowledged or handled respectfully. Practices such as wearing Black protective hairstyles or durags, as well as the use of the N-word, may have attracted less scrutiny in the past, but K-pop’s global reach has brought greater attention to how artists and companies engage with the cultures that shape their music. 

While debates continue over whether cultural appropriation stems from ignorance or a disregard for its implications, Kevin confirms that he discusses these issues with other English-speaking idols and creatives in the industry. “Most of us have grown up outside of Korea, so there is a shared frustration. But it's tough because we have these frustrations, but not really the means to correct any of it,” he shares before giving an example of his own experiences.

“In one of [THE BOYZ’s] videos last year, during the fitting, one of our members was wearing a durag, and I said, ‘Okay, maybe let’s not,’” he tells KPOPWORLD. “[The company] had plenty of time to fix it after I told them, but it wasn’t a priority for them – it wasn’t an issue.”

After the label refused to take Kevin’s suggestions seriously, they witnessed the consequences of their actions – or lack thereof. “People started rolling their eyes, saying, ‘Oh, he’s too over the top,’ but lo and behold [the video] was not received well,” he states. “I do feel a sense of responsibility for that… I shouldn’t have to, but I do feel weight because I am aware of these things. But even when I pointed it out, it didn’t fix anything.”

However, the experience hasn’t deterred Kevin from using his newfound freedom to speak up for marginalized communities and the fans who have continued to support him through it all. “I think I've always wanted to be the type of artist that had a positive influence and do something to better the lives of the people that supported the artists, especially for underrepresented communities,” he noted. “It's the bare minimum, but the fact that I'm on this platform – no matter how big or small – people were so grateful for it, and they felt seen.”

Even in this short time since he’s been solo, Kevin is already feeling like his words are paying off in ways he had only dreamed of. “I feel like it's kind of the only thing that really made me feel like I've achieved some part of my childhood dream,” he explains. “Some people might think it’s pandering or I’m doing it for the sales or whatever, but there are people who are so inspired and happy about what I’m doing – just imagine what I could do with a bigger budget,” he adds with a laugh.

For now, he confirms that THE BOYZ is preparing something together that THE B [the group’s fandom] can anticipate for the end of this year. And for his solo journey? Kevin’s next stop is his FREECHILD album release party in L.A.in October, where he’ll be celebrating liberation and new beginnings before officially setting his next project in motion. “I already have a full-length album ready to go. I'm already in talks with people who are very excited about supporting that, and I'm excited for the world to just see what I got going on.”