Entertainment

K-pop group CIX are proud 'reliable' music makers, ready to rock the world


CIX, or Complete in X, was formed in 2019, and has five members: leader BX, Seunghun, Younghee, Bae Jinyoung and Hyunsuk.

They may not be the biggest act in K-pop, but are growing a global audience of dedicated fans (known as FIX), with 2021’s single Cinema winning over critics and FIX.

“Reliable” is a word that shows up a lot when fans are talking about CIX on social media. The band has been consistent in its musical development, with a taste for euphoric synth-pop and groovier, trap-fuelled dance tracks, which are featured on their latest album, August’s OK Episode 1: OK Not.

“This is actually our comeback after almost a whole year without new Korean music,” BX says. “So we wanted to really show perfect performances and how much we have grown… we are confident that we can grow more and we can prepare ourselves much better and we are confident that we can improve.”

“We had that break but I think we did a lot, touring internationally and sharing international releases, so I think we really improved and we’re proud to perform and present ourselves in front of FIX again,” says Hyunsuk. “We did so many performances in the past year, I really think we levelled up our showmanship especially.”

Fronted by the boisterous, Ferrari-inspired “458”, the EP is only four tracks long, but it still provides CIX plenty of space to show off their skills as vocalists and rappers.

The video was inspired by Dante’s Inferno , and features a darkly angelic, and devilish, descent into hell.

But as intense as it looks and sounds, there’s some sweetness to “458”, explains BX.

“458 is like a representative car of Ferrari,” he explains. “Also, if you type it on the keypad it means I love you.”

CIX’s OK album series began with August 2021’s OK Prologue: Be OK LP, and the latest EP continues to explore what being OK is all about.

“OK – that word is so simple, but it can be like so many different things,” says BX. “Regarding this album… Personally, even though things may not be OK, I usually just take it in and try to just live with it. Sometimes it’s hard, but I feel like it’s harder to avoid it, so it’s better to face it, fight it and just move forward.”

Moving forward is on the minds of CIX’s members, with constant references to growth and improvement in their music and performances when they talk.

“I think we know [that] the style of music we enjoy and want to produce is more towards pop music rather than typical K-pop idol music,” says Bae Jinyoung. “I think that’s why we are continuously trying to produce more unique songs compared to the other groups. That’s the goal.”

“I think I’ve grown up so much since our debut,” says Hyunsuk. “I used to like to think about things simply, I didn’t think too much about things. But nowadays, I think more complexly about situations, and I think it shows how I’ve grown, and is a reflection of just generally how we as CIX have grown.”

After spending most of their career in South Korea because of the pandemic, it is time for CIX to look beyond the country’s borders. They’ve already been touring and holding numerous events with fans in the US, the world’s biggest music market, and released their first Japanese EP, Pinky Swear, in March.

“Actually, the first time we got to hear our fans cheer for us was during the US tour,” says Seunghun, referencing South Korea’s anti-cheer pandemic policy. “Hearing them cheer so hard, and dance and sing with us? It was very pleasantly shocking. We had a great experience.”

With the new album and everything else to come, they’re hoping to continue introducing more fans to CIX.

“ We want to promote our style of music and our group name to more people around the world,” says BX. “I hope more people can enjoy our music together.”

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.



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