15 years in, NIEL shows he’s just getting started with “SHE"

15 years in, NIEL shows he’s just getting started with "SHE"

NIEL is focusing on his solo career away from TEEN TOP, releasing his latest album "SHE."

SEATTLE - The K-pop we know now started in the 1990s and has gone through multiple generations.

2025 marks the height of the fifth generation groups, but for a lot of fans, the most iconic generation was the second generation, with groups like SHINEE, Girls Generation, and 2NE1.

Another group who was a part of this celebrated generation was TEEN TOP, which debuted in 2010.

With hit songs like "No More Perfume On You," "Rocking," and "To You," the group became a celebrated group that is still around today, 15 years later.

While they might not be as active, the remaining four members last released an EP in 2023 called "4SHO."

Now, member NIEL is focusing on his solo career again after two-and-a-half years, releasing his latest album "SHE," on April 22. 

Speaking on whether he separates the identities of a TEEN TOP member and himself as a solo artist, he tells FOX 13, "I think I tend to separate them. TEEN TOP has a very strong style as a group, so when I am with TEEN TOP members I try to fit in with the team's musical style, but there are sides that I want to show as a solo artist, so when I'm doing solo work I try to focus on showing those sides."

His album, "SHE," comes at a time when he is looking to show a new side of himself as an artist.

"For me, 'SHE' is a word that means a lover who I once truly loved, but had to part ways with. But I hope people who listen to the album will think of their loved one, no matter the gender or form, just someone or something that they have tender feelings for in their own situation. That's how I came up with the title 'SHE'," he says.

"There were certain moods and sensibilities that I've always wanted to show for a long time now, and this album was a perfect opportunity to represent those things. And my previous music was pretty mainstream, so this time I wanted to show what I could do as a solo artist. That's what I focused on while preparing for this album," he adds.

NIEL worked with popular Korean producer DOKO on the album to develop a brand new sound to surprise fans, and says when he first received the songs, he had nothing he wanted to change, and that working with him went smoothly.

He says he has one track he is excited for fans to hear.

"There's a track called 'If you're the ocean', and part of the lyrics are 'Your spring, your heart, your winter, I will share them without holding back'. While I was recording this song, I was thinking of my fans who support me through all four seasons of the year. "So if my fans see these lyrics and listen to this song, I think they would be able to relate to it," he explains. 

With this being his first album in nearly three years, he says he is happy that fans will get to see him working on music again, and one of his biggest goals is to meet them here in the U.S. again soon.

As he promotes this album and ushers in a new era for his music, he hopes to bring in even more fans to his solo activities.

"The music that I've done throughout my career is very diverse, so if you're just discovering me through this album, I'd love it if you would take a listen to my previous albums and think of me as a versatile artist who can do a lot of different styles of music," he says.

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