The Boyz’s Kevin Moon Makes Free-Spirited Solo Debut with “FREECHILD”
Photo: Kevin Moon Official X
The Boyz have been through a lot this past year, but the future is looking bright. The group intends to continue their career under a currently undisclosed company, after winning a legal battle to suspend their contracts with their former management, One Hundred. With the past contract ended, the members have begun pursuing solo activities while gearing up for their full return. Following JACOB’s solo debut in June, Kevin Moon made the second solo debut of the group on September 2.
Released independently, FREECHILD contains all of Kevin’s unrestricted thoughts and feelings he previously could not express years ago. The EP hopes to comfort one’s inner child. Its theme asks, “Would your younger self be proud to call you [a] role model?”
FREECHILD TRACKLIST:
“FREECHILD”
“Manifesto”
“Focus On Me ( E )”
“Focus On Me ( C )”
Career in The Boyz
Kevin debuted as part of The Boyz on December 6, 2017, when the group released their debut title track, “Boy.” Kevin is one of the group’s main vocalists and one of the group’s Canadian members, hailing from Vancouver. Across their discography, Kevin has given various songwriting and composition contributions towards songs such as “Awake” off [BE AWAKE] and “Passion Fruit” off [PHANTASY] Pt.1 Christmas In August.
Kevin has been an independent artist after the group left One Hundred. Though it is unknown when The Boyz will come back, that does not mean a lack of exciting news. Various members have since signed to other companies for their solo careers: Younghoon joined Namoo Actors, Hyunjae joined Management SEESUN, Juyeon joined ACE FACTORY, Q joined PEACHY, Sunwoo joined AT AREA, and Eric joined GRID Entertainment.
The Title Track: “FREECHILD”
Kevin has been vocal on X about his complicated feelings about the K-Pop industry and its limitations on creative expression. In May, he also posted that he wanted to “make honest music that feels like sanctuary to an unexpected listener.” With this independent release, he has been able to speak his mind and provide the comfort he hopes others feel rejuvenated by. Inspired by Queen, “FREECHILD” is a pop-rock song about going against the norm. Kevin calls out to those feeling restrained and pressured by expectations to follow their heart, saying, “They'll treat us like we're vandals / So let's make art.”
The FREECHILD music video has a grittier aesthetic quality, likely to reflect the harsher realities of feeling trapped in a societal cycle. This aspect shows through the video’s labeling of individuals as part of a wash cycle. Singaporean filmmaker Choānn, who directed the video, revealed that the first concept for the video involved showing “pink socks staining the clothes when they got mixed in with the laundry.”
The B-Sides: “Manifesto” and “Focus on Me”
FREECHILD comes with two B-sides, “Manifesto” and “Focus On Me.” In “Manifesto,” Kevin lays out his declaration to keep living how he wishes. He will no longer sit back as “an empty shell.” Much like “FREECHILD,” “Manifesto” thrives on using a positive-sounding instrumental to illustrate its bittersweet message. Inspired by DNCE, “"Manifesto" is a funky, carefree track with an upbeat bassline.
The song “Focus on Me” comes in clean (“C”) and explicit (“E”) versions. As Kevin describes in a behind-the-scenes video, he channels inspiration from LAUV, John Mayer, and the Hereditary soundtrack for this gospel-style ballad. He wrote this song during his hiatus from The Boyz’s group activities, from November 2025 to January of this year. As the song’s title implies, “Focus on Me” centers Kevin’s mentality back on himself, highlighting what makes him happy and what he wants to achieve. The song also features a hometown connection with musician Christopher Wong, Kevin’s friend and former schoolmate, contributing to the song’s outro guitar solo.
Overall, Kevin’s FREECHILD introduces a refreshing perspective into the direction he sees his creative future taking. It is rare to see someone so outspoken about how constrained they felt in the K-Pop industry, and to turn that experience into such a personal and emotional EP. This doesn’t mean that Kevin has left the K-Pop industry, as he is still part of The Boyz, but hopefully FREECHILD means he can engage with music and his community in a healthier and more authentic way.