Kim Woojin’s Inspiration for Becoming a K-Pop Idol: Revealed!

During the interview, Kim Woojin revealed that he had always dreamed of becoming a member of an idol group, which was influenced by a senior.

On May 10, an article was released by OSEN featuring Kim Woojin, who has officially debuted as a solo artist after departing from Stray Kids.

On April 22, the artist made a return with his 3rd mini-album titled “I LIKE THE WAY,”marking his first release in 8 months. With this comeback, the idol signifies a fresh start and expresses his growth from immaturity to adulthood with a positive and vibrant energy.

Kim Woojin Reveals THIS Boy Group Influenced Him to Become K-pop Idol — (Photo: Kim Woojin (News1))

The album contains the message of “breaking free from all that held him back and forging his own path,”and it held even more significance as Woojin was personally involved in choosing, creating, and writing all five tracks centered around the theme of “My Story.”

During the interview, Kim Woojin discussed his aspirations to become a K-pop idol and mentioned a group that greatly inspired him to pursue his dream.

Despite always wanting to become a musician since he was a child, he admitted that the idea of becoming an idol was sparked by EXO.

“I wanted to become a solo singer, and if there was a chance to become a really good idol, I wouldn’t rule it out, so I was singing hard. A really good opportunity came to me so I started. I don’t think I would have started if it wasn’t for that good chance.

The team that made me think that idol groups could be fun is EXO. I happened to watch their ‘MAMA’ stage when they debuted and thought it was really cool.”

Ever since then, Woojin has been undergoing training to become an idol. In 2018, he was successfully chosen as one of the final members of Stray Kids, which was formed by JYP Entertainment.

Reflecting on his time as an active member of a team, Woojin remembered what motivated him to keep pushing forward, stating:

“If there was anything I felt more about while being a singer, it was when I was on the team. One day, I was at a fan signing event when a fan said, ‘I gained a lot of strength after listening to your music. I was hiding at home but I mustered my courage to come out.’

I felt really good and beyond proud, I realized, ‘I should live like this.’ I thought I should be a person who brings happiness and spreads positive influence. This became my goal, to deliver a positive message to people who listen to my songs.”

Despite the disappointment of Woojin’s departure from Stray Kids in 2019 due to personal reasons, his fans continued to show their support as he embarked on his solo career.

After being a soloist for four years, Kim Woojin was questioned about any changes he had experienced, to which he responded:

“When I first started my solo career, they accepted the direction that I wanted and listened to what I wanted to say, making everything with care.

This time, since the album would not be released in haste, I said I wanted to try something new, so we set aside the direction we wanted to go and had a discussion.

We shared a lot of opinions and discussed before selecting the song and the lyrics became personal. I wanted to make a difference.”