Changmin says lyrics of ‘Devil’ were inspired by COVID-19 pandemic

TVXQ member Changmin has spoken about the inspiration behind his latest solo single ‘Devil’.

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Yesterday (January 13), the K-pop veteran made his return with his second solo mini-album ‘Devil’ and its lead single of the same name. At a press conference on the same day, the singer shared the inspiration behind the release.

Changmin shared that while working on the mini-album, he had decided to use the “devil” motif to represent the fear felt by people during the pandemic. “I thought that the devil I express could instead be the devil that exists inside us,” he said.

“The ‘devil’ here doesn’t mean ‘evil’, but more so the discomfort caused by the pandemic and the stress coming from the current situation, as well as the fear towards something,” added the singer.

He also revealed that the lyrics to the original demo track had spoken of an “intense” devil, which he later borrowed when penning his own lyrics. “I thought the intense energy [of the idea of a devil] could actually go well with the idea of moving forward without giving in to the devil’s whisper, which is the messaging I wanted to express.”

Elsewhere during the press conference, the idol also reflected on his debut solo album ‘Chocolate’, which he had released in 2020. He compared the recording processes for both releases, remarking that he had much more time to work on ‘Devil’.

“Once I finished working on ‘Devil’, I went back and listened to [‘Chocolate’] to see if there’d be any difference,” shared Changmin. “I was actually surprised to find that there were a lot [of differences], especially in my vocals. I had improved a lot, and noticed what I lacked back then, which made me embarrassed.”

The release of ‘Devil’ the mini-album marks the idol’s first domestic comeback as a soloist in almost two years, after he made his solo debut with mini-album ‘Chocolate’ in 2020. That record had included a lead single of the same name, as well as a track titled ‘Lie’ which featured soloist Chung Ha.