KickFlip Are Back And Bursting With Energy in My First Flip
Photo: JYP Entertainment
Energetic and infectious, KickFlip’s third mini-album My First Flip was released on September 22, under JYP Entertainment. Heralded by the title track “My First Love Song” (처음 불러보는 노래), it contains seven tracks, all written and composed by the members themselves.
KickFlip (킥플립), the boy group that includes finalists from J.Y. Park and PSY’s survival show LOUD (which ended in September 2021), debuted on January 20, 2025. The members who emerged from that show were Kyehoon, Amaru, Keiju, and Donghyeon, while Donghwa, Juwang, and Minje were added later to the lineup.
My First Flip arrives after their debut album Flip It, Kick It! and the follow-up Kick Out, Flip Now!, which contained a few self-penned tracks. In all the songs from those previous albums, the boys declared they wouldn’t be bothered by the nagging of home and school, choosing instead to walk their own path. Here comes My First Flip, entertaining the fans with the clumsy yet heart-fluttering story of first love gone slightly askew. And this time, the names of the members appear in every single one. Here’s the tracklist.
“My First Love Song” (처음 불러보는 노래)
“Band-Aid” (반창고)
“Crush” (특이점)
“Tiki-taka” (다시, 여기)
“Gas On It”
“404: Not Found”
“Secret Nightmare” (악몽을 꿨던 건 비밀이지만)
As Korean news outlet EToday reported on the day the album was released, Minje said: “I took part in composing the pre-release track ‘Band-Aid’, and I’d give it a satisfaction score of 10 out of 10.” Kyehoon, who participated in writing and composing “Crush”, added: “It’s about feeling butterflies toward a friend and finding charm in their uniqueness. I’ll humbly give it 9 out of 10”. Donghwa commented: “I was grateful to be involved in track four of this album. I also filmed the title track challenge with senior NiziU’s Maya, and she told us ‘The song is so good it makes me want to keep dancing,’ which meant a lot.”
My First Love Song
The title track, “My First Love Song”, is an energetic mix of pop punk, where synth layers are woven between guitar riffs, portraying the trepidation felt when confessing one's first love. In the official description of the album, this song is captioned as “A boisterous first love story from KickFlip, the group that brushed off both Mom’s and their teachers’ nagging.”
The youngest member, Donghyeon, personally participated in writing and composing the track. The singer reflected: “Being able to work on the title track for both the second and now the third mini-album was possible because I had amazing composers and producers with me. I learned so much. Hearing the song moved me deeply, and I thought I must share it with my hyungs first. When they told me they loved it, I was truly happy.” He added: “I wanted to try a new, different concept from our past albums, so we decided on a love song. Thinking of WeFlip [the name of the fandom] made the lyrics come easily. When asked, ‘What kind of lyrics could a student write?’, I pictured a confession after school, under the setting sun.”
Keiju, instead, recalled: “When I first heard the title track, I felt like I’d become the main character of a youth romance comic.”
The music video for the title track stars all the members, who were very excited about acting. Keiju said: “It was my first time acting, so I watched a lot of youth comics and tried to show both embarrassment and bravery that fit a first love story.” Minje explained: “In the video, Keiju and I both like the same person, who represents WeFlip. I chose the path of friendship in my acting.”
KickFlip: Stars in the making
Just a few months after their debut, KickFlip were already performing on global music festival stages, including Lollapalooza Chicago. In the same interview mentioned above, Donghwa said: “I think our live performing skills have grown a lot. We were blessed with many festival opportunities, and those memories came flooding back on stage.” Minje agreed, adding, “Festival stages were memorable because we grew while enjoying the music, connecting with fans from many countries.”
The boys, of course, are hungry for more. Kyehoon, in fact, stated: “Our goal is to win first place on music shows. I think our team’s strength lies in live performance. Being able to deliver bright, energetic stages live is our advantage.” Minje then emphasized: “What sets us apart is our freedom and our refusal to be confined. We’ll continue to show our unique, free-spirited individuality.” Finally, Donghwa concluded: “Beyond being known as a ‘stage powerhouse’, I want us to also be remembered as an ‘album powerhouse’. The tracks on this album are truly excellent, so I hope many people will listen.”
Amaru takes a break
On September 17, Amaru announced he would go on a temporary hiatus from activities due to psychological distress. As such, he couldn’t join his band members on the day the album was released, nor did he appear in subsequent promotional activities, which will be carried on by the rest of the group. Regarding his absence, Donghyeon stated: "It's such a shame we can't do the activities for the third album with Amaru, and we're all just waiting for Amaru hyung to return in good health. [...] We'll fill Amaru's absence with the energetic presence of the six of us."
We send our heartfelt wishes for Amaru’s swift recovery, hoping he’ll soon be back with his members to share their bright, infectious passion for music with fans everywhere.
Edited by Sandy Ou