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Kang Daniel‘s last trip to the U.S. took place in February 2020, just as COVID-19 concerns were truly taking hold worldwide and would soon put live-music experiences on hold for the foreseeable future. The K-pop superstar was preparing the second EP of his solo career—one of his four color-themed EPs he released from 2019-2021—sharing that there was “so much [he] prepared this year to show people.” Even if a global pandemic slowed travel, it didn’t affect the star’s ambition. 

Daniel pushed on into more music, acting and hosting these past years while balancing duties as CEO of his KONNECT Entertainment. Only in 2023 was he able to finally come back stateside with a show that finally saw his long-awaited concert dreams coming true.

“It might sound a little silly, but when you lose something you understand how precious it is, right?” Daniel says during some downtime after touring the Empire State Building in New York. “For me, it was the performances and my shows. I really wanted to do a tour and I really wanted to get to my fans overseas.”

After releasing his first full-length album, The Story, and touring it through North America, Europe and Asia on his First Parade world tour, Daniel kickstarted a new era with the surprise, Mad Max-esque “Prequel” trailer that showcased a cinematic story as a backdrop to the K-pop star’s upcoming album. Combining his music with an epic, blockbuster production is another example of the ambitious, multifaceted artist he strives to not only be in the K-pop industry but recognized as such around the world.

“There’s a long history of pop culture and such diverse performances and shows in the U.S.,” he explains. “Everybody knows it all over the world. I want to be recognized as an artist through my shows in the U.S.”

After finally bringing his shows to America and beyond, Kang Daniel’s forthcoming album REALIEZ drops on June 19. Led by his first original English solo single, “Wasteland,” and its intensely eerie “Music Sequence” visual, the superstar’s ambition and goals seem on track to be recognized by his biggest audience ever. Read on for more from Kang Daniel on “Wasteland,” his reflections from his world tour, his personal advice and more.

Congratulations on the release of “Wasteland” ahead of your REALIEZ album. Why was this the right song to start your new era?

I think “Wasteland” is a song that expresses the betrayal of a firm faith and the moment of realizing it. The lyrics are all in English, signaling the beginning of a new narrative to more people and it seems that people can be more immersed in the cinematic concept, so it was released as a pre-release single.

This is your first music since your First Parade world tour that hit Europe, the U.K and U.S. Going back for a moment, tell me about your mindset when you were touring the States for the first time as a soloist?

The most important thought I had was, “I must do a show.” In my career as an artist, the most important part is being on the stage because that’s where I belong, that’s where I have the most fun and I want to share that with my fans. So, I’m very excited to have been in the US, we visited a lot of cities across the nation and it required a lot of preparation internally and for my stages as well. And it’s not only about the tour, but I get to explore these new cities and I get inspiration from that.

Do you like exploring the different cities or do you need to rest at hotels during touring?

I love to explore new places. For example, after checking into the hotel [in New York], I just went out by myself—went to a local restaurant and had dinner. Nowadays, I’m really into workouts so the gym is where I spend most of my time. So it’s like, “Okay: explore then workout.” Balance.

The tour centers around your first full-length album, The Story. Before officially moving from that era to REALIEZ, how do you reflect on such a significant project?

I think: “Finally, I was able to publish my first full-length album.” You know, it’s something we can hold onto as an artist; it’s a lifetime experience. For some artists, it might take, like, up to 10 years, right? But for me, since my debut, since I started collecting the music even, I really wanted to do, and just the fact that I was able to have my own [full-length] album in my lifetime was meaningful enough. 

A title like “The Story” reaches very wide. What does it mean to you and does it still hold the same meaning as when you first titled the album?

When I had to come up with a title, I had a lot of pressure and I had to give a lot of thought to it because it’s almost like a collection of different dramas, with various genres, like, “How am I supposed to put everything into one word?” And in terms of genres, we describe it as “various,” but we can also say it’s kind of all over the place at the same time. So I just thought, “Okay, so far the life I’ve lived, and the music I’ve listened to, and it all comes into the word ‘story.’” it’s the story that I can share with my other fans and it’s just another story I can share with everybody and I story that I can love. And that meaning has stayed true even now. 

There are some great lyrics to songs you wrote for The Story. “Parade” feels like a mature and empowered mindset behind it. What’s the s sentiment behind these lyrics?

So, you mentioned the word mindset and I just wanted to express [myself], not in an overly expressive manner but calmly. I mean, people might think I have a special life just because I’m an artist but I’m just a human being like other people, you know? So, rather than working so hard to come up with “cool lyrics,” I just wanted to be honest with my feelings.

People can work all through the night and when you see the sunrise, you know, “Oh, yes, I’ve worked really hard,” and then you go back home. That’s the feeling that I wanted to share.

That’s your vibe, I think—larger than life on stage or on camera but humble and friendly in person. So, what’s the meaning behind a song like “Loser” where you’re almost speaking to yourself like a main character in a movie?

When I was young, I didn’t have a lot of friends, and once you fight with one of your closest friends, you don’t have anyone else to play with, you know what I mean? You can play with other friends, but they’re not the same. Even if you go to the playground or play games, something is missing. So, in the song, I am the main character per se, and I wanted to look back at it as an adult. Childhood is also still part of your story.

The lyrics in “How We Live” featuring sokodomo are really powerful. Where or from what experience did that inspiration come? 

Beer pong. [Laughs] So, the behind-the-scenes story is kind of based on conversations I had that night over drinks had with friends You know, if you’re watching people play beer pong at an Irish bar—some people are drunk, some are throwing up, but they’re all ultimately fine and it’s just their life. But I think the story’s point is that I fell asleep while my friends were drinking, but I woke up because they were so loud. I was like, “Hey, stop…” and they told me, “It’s not that bad, just have your drink.” Just trust yourself; trust your situation.

“Parade” was the name of the world tour, and to me is like an anthem for all individuals, freaks, losers, all kinds of people. You say, “Leave us alone and we’ll be fine.” Was that the idea you wanted to base the tour around? 

The lyrics of “Parade” have a deep connection to my life. For me, happiness is the most important, and work, money and life are all separate. But in Asia, and especially Korea, everyone is overworked—I have to overwork myself too sometimes—and it’s not like you get paid overtime. There’s not really overtime [in Korea] but there’s so much pressure. So, you have to finish your work even if they don’t pay you extra and sometimes I’m like, “What the heck? You know what, it’s not that important.” It’s my life and it’s not my life to just work…happiness is what’s important and rather than trying to convince people by a basic message, I just wanted to give them a suggestion. So how about this [“Parade” theme]? That’s why the music video is in an office.

You re-released the album as The Story : RETOLD with the new single “Nirvana.” What does that word mean to you?

Kurt Cobain. [Laughs] Yeah, Kurt Cobain because Nirvana is one of my favorite rock bands. When I was working on the track, I tried other words on the topline, but nothing really worked out. And “Nirvana” really fit well. But once I said, “Okay, this is going to be the title” then I finished the rest of the song.

What’s your favorite Nirvana song? 

“Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Classic.

You’ve done a lot of great collaborations recently: Jessi, pH-1, Chancellor, 220 KID and Willim. What do you look for in a collaborator these days?

I guess you are kind of asking about the motivation, but I’m not really sure. It’s not about the outcome that I’m looking for, but I just enjoy the process—it’s fun. For example, Jesse, I, her let’s together, you know, and K one was recommended by the team. And then I was like, “Okay, it’s a good fit and I wanted to give it a try.” So, in terms of collaboration, the most important thing is that I need to have fun. Yeah. And when I’m having fun, the song comes out really nice. So, I’m not looking to have a big plan of “I’m gonna show this part” or “I want to do this concept with this person,” it’s the fun during the process and the song itself.

You’ve also been doing so many things beyond music lately, like acting, your first Japanese release, and hosting shows as the MC. Was there any big lesson you took from the opportunities?

Actually, I learned a lot from those experiences, so it’s not possible to take one word or lesson to describe what I learned, but I think the main keywords are about diversity within myself. Take, for example, this table, I only used to see the top part of it, but now I can also see the legs and the other parts of it. So I can apply that to my music. I was working on my new album and it was really fun. I haven’t said this yet, but I think a lot of people are really going to like it.

What can you tell us about the new album REALIEZ that we haven’t seen yet through “Wasteland”?

The album is about the process of realizing the truth hidden in lies on the theme of a dystopian world in a cinematic form. There are a total five songs, including “Wasteland,” in this album and it’s a story of gaining enlightenment through uncovering truth from lies and a story about the realization to face our whole self. Depending on the listener, different endings can be imagined, so, I’m looking forward to it.

Your KONNECT Entertainment has grown greatly since you last visited America with several great artists signed. I always ask K-pop company CEOs if they have professional plans or any reflections on their artists.

So, I don’t take care of their schedules, but when they need help, I try to set up a separate meeting with them so that I can refer somebody they need or make sure they have better connections. I’ve been having planning conversations with different companies and collaborators, some that are unexpected.

To wrap up, I always really admire your mindset, and you seem in a good place right now. Do you have any words for those who may be having a tough time or how to keep yourself physically, mentally and emotionally healthy?

Oh, thank you. Emotionally, let’s say, we don’t really know what’s behind the door until we open it. I’ve been in that place in my dark times and, actually, what scares us is not what’s behind the door, but it’s the action we have to take to open the door, you know? Because once we open it, there’s nothing really scary or severe. And I really hope it’s the same for everybody else, but happiness is ultimately most important, and that’s what I want to share most.