JOOHONEY of MONSTA X has officially made his solo debut with his mini-album, LIGHTS. With his hard-hitting rap abilities and genius lyrical skills, JOOHONEY has an amazing six-song mini-album that rocked our world. He has already shown his talent with the many songs he has worked on for MONSTA X and this mini-album was the icing on the cake.

LIGHTS consists of six songs in total;

1. “HYPE ENERGY”

2. “Voice”

3. “FREEDOM”

4. “진화 (Evolution)”

5. “독백 (Monologue) (feat. G.Soul)”

6. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”

Each song is either written, composed, or arranged by JOOHONEY himself. In most songs, it's all three. The debut track “FREEDOM” is as JOOHONEY as we can get. The song holds a powerful message of being set free. The different scenes in the music video were so beautiful. The way each scene went along with the lyric at the time was an amazing work of art. He was able to capture the true essence and definition of being free with his brilliant lyrical work and with the production of the video.

This album includes five other songs that showcase his skillful lyrical abilities. The mini-album began with an upbeat hype song literally called “HYPE ENERGY.” This song makes you want to jump out of your seat and dance. The whole aura of the album changed the moment the last three songs started. He was able to change the emotions of all, the moment the fourth song on the album titled “진화 (Evolution)” began. The pop-punk sound of the song is definitely a game-changer that gets you excited for the rest. Included on the mini-album, there is a song featuring solo R&B artist G.Soul titled “독백 (Monologue).” This song has a smooth jazz sound and tempo. One moment you are raving to a track as powerful as “Voice” then the next you are tapping your feet to the soothing sound of “독백 (Monologue).” The last song, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is an amazing way to end the album. This bright, light-hearted song brought smiles to many faces, and probably tears to many eyes. It is a beautiful track with a lovely guitar accompaniment and a sing-along at the end. I can imagine it now; this song playing while excited Monbebes with smiles on their faces wave their Mondoongies in the air for him to see.

This mini-album will for sure go down in history as an iconic debut. JOOHONEY’s undeniable talent was shown from beginning to end. You can hear the passion and love that he has for his music throughout the whole mini-album. From this debut, we were able to hear more of his amazing vocal and rap skills as well. As a Monbebe, I was super excited to hear from JOOHONEY, and I am even more excited for other projects from him in the future.

Edited by Aleena Faisal