EVAN channels fear of being forgotten into music on 1st mini album

EVAN, formerly Heeseung of ENHYPEN, released his first mini album, DEATH OF ME, on Monday after hosting a press event in eastern Seoul. He said the album is built around his fear that an artist who stops reaching people has ceased to exist. The eight-track release is his first project where he handled production across the board, and he also addressed fans’ backlash over his departure from ENHYPEN with an apology and promise to repay them through music.

Belift Lab announced EVAN’s departure from ENHYPEN on March 10, and the group has continued as a six-member act since then.

The album DEATH OF ME contains eight tracks, including Ride or Die, Not Enough, Noise, Twilight, Immature, Overflow and Going Home.

In a Weverse Magazine interview published Thursday, EVAN said he was treated for malignant lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, when he was in fourth grade.

He said the title track was co-written and co-composed by him and is built around heavy pop R&B.

He was the first recipient of the Global-K Artist award at the 2026 TMElive International Music Awards in Hong Kong in August and is scheduled to perform in Macao on Oct. 10 and in Bangkok on Oct. 17.

Published Sep 7, 2026 6:31 pm KST

Former ENHYPEN member calls 'DEATH OF ME' a mirror, apologizes over fallout

Singer EVAN poses during a press showcase for his first mini album "DEATH OF ME" at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Monday. He changed his stage name from Heeseung to EVAN after leaving K-pop group ENHYPEN. Yonhap

Six months after walking away from one of K-pop's biggest boy bands, EVAN says the album he has built as a soloist is organized around his anxiety — that an artist whose music stops reaching people has "ceased to exist."

The soloist, known until March as Heeseung of ENHYPEN, dropped his first mini album "DEATH OF ME" on Monday. He hosted a press event just hours ahead of the official release at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyung Hee University in eastern Seoul.

The idea behind the album, he explained, came from a line in the anime "One Piece" about how a person truly dies only when they have been forgotten.

"When my music no longer reaches people, my reason for existing as an artist disappears," he said. "This album carries the meaning that I won't let that happen."

EVAN performs during a showcase for his first mini album "DEATH OF ME" at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Belift Lab

Belift Lab, the HYBE label that announced his departure from ENHYPEN on March 10 and that he remained with as a soloist, describes "DEATH OF ME" as an album about holding onto a tangle of emotions and moving forward anyway. The group, meanwhile, has continued as a six-member act since the announcement.

Asked directly about the exit, EVAN said the decision followed a "long stretch of uncertainty" about what kind of music he wanted to make.

"I shared what I had been working on with the company, we talked, and after thinking about it for a very long time, I ended up taking the solo path," he said.

He also addressed the reaction from some of his fans, and went a step further by issuing an apology before the reporters in the room, many of whom fielded protest messages from fans in the weeks after March.

"I understand deeply how hurt and worried fans have been," he said. "I want to repay that with music and with a sincere path forward."

EVAN performs during a showcase for his first mini album "DEATH OF ME" at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in eastern Seoul, Monday. The eight-track album, which he produced across the board, was released the same day. Yonhap

The eight-track album is the first release he has produced across the board, going beyond merely singing the songs.

"It's like a mirror," he said. "There's fear about what's ahead, but there's also this bare, unfiltered story about wanting to achieve a lot. I think it projects my thoughts exactly as they are."

Part of what that produced was a disclosure he had never made publicly before. In a Weverse Magazine interview published Thursday, EVAN said he was treated for malignant lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, when he was a fourth-grade student.

The singer said the illness belonged in the album rather than beside it.

"The theme running through all eight songs is hope, and I felt my childhood illness ran along the same line, so I brought it out," EVAN said. "It was a moment that had a huge effect on how I think and what I value, and confessing it came naturally."

"If I was going to show what's inside me exactly as it is, it was a story I had to tell," he added. And I'd like to use this occasion to offer a small comfort and a story of hope to people who are living with childhood cancer."

EVAN speaks during a showcase for his first mini album "DEATH OF ME" at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in eastern Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The title track, which he co-wrote and co-composed, wraps that resolve in heavy pop R&B built around the declaration that nothing is going to stop him.

"There were a lot of moments while preparing this album when I thought I had reached my musical limit," he said. "This song is about not giving up when I run into that wall."

Alongside the title track and "Ride or Die," the album features "Not Enough," "Noise," "Twilight," "Immature," "Overflow" and "Going Home."

His live schedule is filling out on both sides of the border. In August, he became the first recipient of the Global-K Artist award at the 2026 TMElive International Music Awards at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong. He is also set to open NBA Fan Day 2026 at the Venetian Arena in Macao on Oct. 10, before performing at K-LIVE FESTIVAL BAND : AGE in Bangkok on Oct. 17.

"My goal is to stand on bigger and more numerous stages," he said, "so that people take an interest in me, in my story and in my album."

His motto as an artist, he added, is to give people hope through music, and to help listeners who are worn down find the strength to get through it.

EVAN（原ENHYPEN成员熙胜）于周一在首尔东部举行新闻发布会后，发行了他的首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》。他表示，这张专辑的创作灵感源于他对“一个艺人如果无法触及听众，就如同已经消亡”的恐惧。这张包含八首歌曲的专辑是他首次包揽所有制作工作的作品。他还就自己离开ENHYPEN后粉丝们的强烈不满向他们道歉，并承诺会用音乐回报他们。

Belift Lab 于 3 月 10 日宣布 EVAN 退出 ENHYPEN，此后该组合一直以六人组合的形式继续活动。

专辑《我的死亡》包含八首歌曲，包括《生死一线》、《不够》、《噪音》、《暮光》、《不成熟》、《溢出》和《回家》。

EVAN 在周四发表于 Weverse Magazine 的一次采访中表示，他在四年级时曾接受过恶性淋巴瘤（一种血癌）的治疗。

他说，主打歌由他参与创作和谱曲，以强劲的流行 R&B 风格为基础。

他于 8 月在香港举行的 2026 年 TMElive 国际音乐大奖上荣获首届 Global-K 艺人奖，并计划于 10 月 10 日在澳门和 10 月 17 日在曼谷演出。

发布于2026年9月7日 下午6:31（韩国标准时间）

前ENHYPEN成员称《DEATH OF ME》是一面镜子，并为引发的争议道歉

周一，歌手EVAN在首尔东大门庆熙大学和平殿出席其首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》的媒体见面会。他离开韩国流行音乐组合ENHYPEN后，将艺名从Heeseung改为EVAN。（韩联社）

在离开韩国流行音乐界最火的男子组合之一六个月后，EVAN 表示，他作为独唱歌手创作的这张专辑是围绕着他的焦虑而展开的——一个艺术家如果其音乐不再能引起人们的共鸣，就意味着他“已经不复存在”。

这位此前名为ENHYPEN成员熙胜的solo歌手，于周一发行了他的首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》。在专辑正式发行前几个小时，他在首尔东部庆熙大学和平殿举行了新闻发布会。

他解释说，这张专辑的灵感来源于动漫《海贼王》中的一句台词，即一个人只有被遗忘才会真正死去。

“当我的音乐不再能触动人心时，我作为艺术家存在的意义也就消失了，”他说。“这张专辑的意义就在于，我绝不会让这种情况发生。”

周一，EVAN在首尔庆熙大学和平殿举行首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》的发布会。图片由Belift Lab提供。

Belift Lab是HYBE旗下的厂牌，他们于3月10日宣布他离开ENHYPEN，但他仍以个人歌手的身份继续与该厂牌合作。Belift Lab将《DEATH OF ME》描述为一张关于如何面对复杂情绪并继续前行的专辑。与此同时，自宣布他离开ENHYPEN以来，该组合一直以六人阵容继续活动。

当被直接问及退出音乐圈的原因时，EVAN 表示，在经历了“很长一段时间的迷茫”之后，他决定退出，因为他不知道自己想创作什么样的音乐。

“我向公司分享了我正在进行的研究，我们进行了讨论，经过长时间的思考，我最终决定单干，”他说。

他还回应了一些粉丝的反应，并进一步在现场记者面前发表了道歉声明。在三月份之后的几周里，许多记者都收到了粉丝的抗议信息。

“我深切理解歌迷们的伤心和担忧，”他说。“我想用音乐和真诚的前进道路来回报他们。”

周一，EVAN在首尔东部庆熙大学和平殿举行首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》的发布会。这张由他全权制作的八首歌曲专辑于当日发行。（韩联社）

这张包含八首歌曲的专辑是他首次全面参与制作的作品，而不仅仅是演唱歌曲。

“这就像一面镜子，”他说。“既有对未来的恐惧，也有想要成就一番事业的赤裸裸的、未经修饰的故事。我认为它如实地反映了我的想法。”

其中一部分内容是他从未公开过的爆料。在周四发表于《Weverse Magazine》的采访中，埃文透露，他小学四年级时曾接受过恶性淋巴瘤（一种血癌）的治疗。

这位歌手表示，这种疾病应该融入专辑中，而不是放在专辑旁边。

“这八首歌的主题都是希望，我觉得我童年的疾病也与此有关，所以我把它写进了歌里，”埃文说。“那段经历对我思考问题和价值观产生了巨大的影响，坦白这件事对我来说是自然而然的。”

“如果我要将我内心的真实感受完全展现出来，我就必须讲述这个故事，”他补充道。“我想借此机会，为那些正在与儿童癌症抗争的人们带来些许慰藉和希望。”

周一，EVAN在首尔东部庆熙大学和平殿举行首张迷你专辑《DEATH OF ME》发布会并发表讲话。（韩联社）

他参与创作的同名主打歌，以强劲的流行 R&B 曲风，表达了他无所畏惧的决心，歌中宣告没有什么能阻止他。

“在制作这张专辑的过程中，我有很多次都觉得自己的音乐创作已经达到了极限，”他说。“这首歌讲的就是当我遇到瓶颈时，不要放弃。”

除了主打歌《Ride or Die》和《Not Enough》之外，专辑还收录了《Noise》、《Twilight》、《Immature》、《Overflow》和《Going Home》。

他的演出行程在美中两国都安排得满满当当。8月，他在香港启德体育场举行的2026 TMElive国际音乐大奖颁奖典礼上荣获首届“全球K艺人奖”。此外，他还将于10月10日在澳门威尼斯人体育馆为2026 NBA球迷日活动开场，随后于10月17日在曼谷举行的K-LIVE FESTIVAL BAND: AGE音乐节上献唱。

“我的目​​标是站在更大、更多的舞台上，”他说，“这样人们就会对我、我的故事和我的专辑感兴趣。”

他补充说，他作为艺术家的座右铭是通过音乐给人们带来希望，帮助疲惫的听众找到坚持下去的力量。