MONSTA X TRULY IS ONE OF A KIND

MONSTA X ARE GAMECHANGERS IN THE KOREAN MUSIC INDUSTRY. THEY’RE A FORCE TO RECKON WITH, HAVING ACHIEVED BONAFIDE GLOBAL STARDOM. AMBIKA MUTTOO SAT THEM DOWN FOR A BEAT TO DISCUSS THEIR INCREDIBLE NEW ALBUM, BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW THEY’RE DOINGa

Five members of the iconic Korean group, Monsta X, are seated side-by-side, on the receiving end of a Zoom call connecting Mumbai and Seoul. The room is minimal and bathed in stark, white light. It’s midnight and they’re on a juggernaut of activity leading to the release of their ninth mini-album, One Of A Kind. They’re all casually dressed, emanating a relaxed charisma, which is a trait usually found in people who are very comfortable in their own skins. It’s to be expected of a band that is prominent in a music industry that is on a competitive, reigning streak worldwide, and dominant in pop-culture consciousness. The power of their presence, however, even buffered by the chasm of the internet, is indisputable.

One Of A Kind illustrates a quality that is distinctive and unique, as both a phrase and an EP, in the case of Monsta X. Consider their discography, built over the six years since they debuted in 2015. They’ve released eight excellent albums, spanning Korean, Japanese and, as of last year, English, with the ground-breaking All About Luv. Interspersed between this almost daunting number are eight EPs, with liberal tracklists. Fantasia X was the last, in May 2020 – a power-packed essay on liberation.