MONSTA X’s I.M Will get Actual on First Solo World Tour and Not Caring What Others Suppose

There’s no course of extra pure for I.M than writing music. 

That’s as a result of the 28-year-old Ok-pop rapper strips away the artificials, like pre-planned lyrics or a thought out message, and appears inward to see what’s beneath. 

Like writing a diary entry with its limitless stream of consciousness, he brain-dumps something and the whole lot. What’s he pondering and feeling within the second is a given. Then, he’ll go one step additional and draw from his senses, like what he’s sporting or consuming. 

What outcomes is a group of songs that seize a time capsule of who he’s in the meanwhile — a solo artist recent off the discharge of his third, six-track EP, Off The Beat, and gearing up for his first-ever world tour of the identical identify. 

Proper earlier than chatting with PEOPLE on a late night, I.M’s ending up a small, sugar-cube infused Korean snack, wearing a traditional black T-shirt with a silver wristwatch. It’s nonetheless a number of days earlier than he makes the world tour announcement, and consequently, his intense coaching course of.

Naturally, he’s excited to meet his followers as a solo artist throughout 18 cities in Europe, North America and Asia. On the identical time, that’s additionally what makes him a little bit nervous — speaking to them by himself, as a self-described “not talkative” particular person. 

Beforehand, when touring as a member of the six-piece Ok-pop group, MONSTA X, the “X0” singer by no means wanted to fret about doing something alone. Each efficiency was a balancing act, a second of sharing the stage. However now, as the only real member of MONSTA X set to journey the globe, all eyes are on him to “LURE” followers together with his rhythmic hip-hop sound.  

As I.M thinks about what this implies for his ever-changing identification, he’s fast to note the way in which his mindset has modified and shifted since his trainee days.

Earlier than becoming a member of the main third-generation group, I.M explains how he needed to battle to safe his place amongst different younger hopefuls. 

“It’s actually like this system identify, ‘NO.MERCY,’” the “MMI” singer says to PEOPLE. “It ain’t mercy. However now, it’s simply me. I can management that point, and it’s not a survival.” 

“In fact, it may very well be a survival simply between myself,” he provides. 

With anybody, an inner battle nearly appears unavoidable. There’s the creeping self-doubt that typically arises, or the inside engine to maintain going into OVERDRIVE. There may also be comparability to a previous model of your self — a DUALITY, which shares the identical identify with I.M’s solo debut in 2021. 

When evaluating himself to that previous music time capsule of his, the singer nearly seamlessly switches between third and first particular person. 

“After I hearken to DUALITY, I really feel what he was pondering and what he was attempting to do at that second,” the singer says. “I can discover some, ‘Oh, he may do a lot better than that proper now,’ however at the moment, I attempted my greatest.” 

“I attempt to put my 100%, no — perhaps 200%, within the music, the second what I’m doing proper now,” he continues, with a nod to his current EP launch. “In contrast with that, to this album? I’m higher than him.” 

Current-day I.M’s avant-garde persona focuses on vogue nearly as a lot because it does music. Each track has a noticeably distinct visible and vibe, and that’s the primary intestine intuition he’ll grasp onto when creating. When he’s not strutting on the runway with a few of the greatest high-end luxurious manufacturers, he’ll put on one thing black — a “easy, however fancy” outfit. 

Although his vogue sense has remained constantly elegant, his existential sense of the “actual” him wasn’t at all times so clear reduce. Again in 2016 and 2017, the “nbdy” performer was nonetheless attempting to outline his “actual” self, all through all of the busyness of debuting with MONSTA X. Now, he’s realized he doesn’t have to establish with any definition exterior of simply himself and who he’s. 

“I simply don’t care about what folks consider me, like ‘Oh, the man from MONSTA X. Oh, the rapper, oh, the long-haired man, oh, big-nose man, the great voice man,’” he says, including in hand gestures that come naturally to him when he speaks. “I don’t actually care as a result of the actual me is each second of me, and I nonetheless don’t know what I’m, however I’m certain that I do know me.” 

“This may sound a bit unusual, however I believe that’s the explanation why I’m doing music — to seek out myself, to put in writing it down myself,” he continues. “As a result of this time is simply this time. Right this moment is simply right this moment.” 

Although I.M’s absolutely in tune with the current and future, he’ll nonetheless sometimes permit himself a visit down reminiscence lane. In actual fact, he may simply strut down that lane as soon as extra when he arrives at his Boston cease on tour — the town that he lived in for 3 years and moved to from Israel. It was there as an elementary faculty scholar when gained a deeper understanding of music and processed the lyrics of what he was listening to, like “What a Great World” by Louis Armstrong, he tells PEOPLE. 

“Musically, Boston means rather a lot to me,” he displays. “And I nonetheless keep in mind the elementary faculty identify, so perhaps if I’ve some break day, I’d like to go to.” 

With any of the 18 cities, there’s one factor specifically he’s wanting ahead to attempting, and he hints at it in a lyric: 

“Sip me like a wine / I’ll deal with you proper / Pour it extra ‘until we slip the ground,” he sings in “LURE,” with a voice simply as suave as wine. 

With all of the wine, beer and meals tasting he’s wanting ahead to, there’s little question that the tour will current plenty of change for I.M on prime of a whirlwind profession. Nevertheless, change is a continuing that doesn’t scare him. 

“I don’t attempt to take it significantly as a result of when the time passes and when you consider the previous, it’s only a tiny factor,” he explains. “I imagine even when there’s a harmful second or that I’m anxious about one thing, I simply take into consideration the long run as a result of I guess I’m going to recover from that.” 

The identical thought course of applies to his age, and at 28, it looks like I.M isn’t planning on slowing down anytime quickly. 

“Properly, the perfect half — I’m the youngest and the one twenty-something man on this group,” he says because the group’s maknae, earlier than a chuckle escapes his mouth. “There’s no unhealthy half. I imply, the whole lot is nice.

“Every part is the perfect to me proper now,” he provides. “I’m having fun with the group, having fun with this second, my day and I’m going to benefit from the tour. I’m excited for the subsequent step, and I’m excited for my future even when I don’t know.”

Off The Beat is now accessible to stream.