EVAN Begins His Solo Chapter With DEATH OF ME

EVAN has released his first mini album, “DEATH OF ME,” marking the first full-length statement of his new career as a solo artist.

Released September 7, the eight-track project arrives six months after the singer formerly known as Heeseung left ENHYPEN and less than three months after he reintroduced himself as EVAN with the digital single “Ride or Die.”

This time, he is taking a larger role behind the music.

EVAN led the production and creative process across “DEATH OF ME,” with songwriting and composition credits on nearly every track. The album moves between pop R&B, alternative rock, UK garage, indie pop and dream pop while centering the uncertainty that has followed him into the next stage of his career.

Its title comes from EVAN’s fear of being forgotten as an artist. Speaking at a press showcase in Seoul on September 7, he described the album as a reflection of his determination to keep making music that reaches people despite the anxiety surrounding a new beginning.

That idea drives the title track “Death of Me,” a pop R&B song built around his refusal to lose himself while moving forward.

The album also includes “Not Enough,” “Noise,” his solo debut single “Ride or Die,” “Twilight,” “Immature,” “Overflow” and closing track “Going Home.”

“DEATH OF ME” also gives EVAN his first substantial opportunity to establish an identity outside the group where he spent more than five years.

He departed ENHYPEN in March while remaining with BELIFT LAB as a solo artist. In June, he adopted the stage name EVAN — a childhood nickname from his years living overseas — and released “Ride or Die” as his first solo single.

At Monday’s showcase, EVAN acknowledged the concern and disappointment that followed his departure while describing the decision as one he made after considering the musical direction he wanted to pursue.

With “DEATH OF ME,” that direction is beginning to take shape: less a clean break from what came before than an attempt to define what EVAN wants his own music to sound like when he is the person steering it.