At a press conference ahead of the release of his second solo album Peaches, EXO’s Kai talked about his evolution as an artist.

Safe to say, after the massively successful run of Kai’s first solo album, KAI (开), all eyes were on the star to see what he would do the second time around. While Peaches did not disappoint, the EXO member said that working on the album certainly wasn’t a ‘relaxed’ process.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the release of Peaches – hosted by fellow-member Sehun – Kai said: “It took some time because we needed constant evaluation in order to make good songs and a good album.”

“The tough thing was the conflict between not having enough time despite all the things I wanted to do. We had to keep negotiating what to make our main focus. I think that I achieved a balance between something new and what I wanted to do.” he continued.

The star also revealed that he took the entire year to choose the songs he wanted featured on the album.

“I wanted to express everything with that key word, ‘peaches.’” he explained.

“It’s in the song, the dance, and the concept. When I heard this song, I could feel the wings of imagination take flight. The overall atmosphere and vibe of this song was what I really wanted people to hear. There is also a lot of fun choreography. There is a peach tree, picking peaches, moves like that. The song is calm and gentle, but the dance is powerful.” Kai – one of K-pop’s most beloved dancers – said of the title track ‘Peaches’.

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Already, Peaches has begun its reign. Shortly after release, the album soared to the top of iTunes charts in 58 countries.

You can read more about this topic over at the Asia Pop Observer.

Check out ‘Peaches’ by KAI:

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