IKon attends a press conference for its new album “New Kids: The Final” in Seoul, Monday. (Yonhap)

Despite recent controversy involving one of its members, iKON made a grand return with its new EP “New Kids: The Final” on Monday.

The act’s second EP, fronted by the lead track “Goodbye Road,” is the final installation of the group’s “New Kids” series, which began in May last year with “New Kids: Begin,” followed by “New Kids: Return” and “New Kids: Continue.”

The EP comes after the release of singles “Love Scenario” and “Killing Me” in January and August, respectively.

“It’s also a surprise to us that the new EP is out in such a short period of time. Our new single ‘Goodbye Road’ was actually another lead track candidate that came next to ‘Love Scenario.’ It’s a song that goes well with the fall season,” said B.I, who serves as a co-producer and composer in the group, during a press conference in Seoul on Monday.




Continuing the legacy of “Love Scenario” and “Killing Me,” “Goodbye Road” talks about the feelings of a breakup. With a relatively stripped-down and mellow approach compared to the boisterous
“Killing Me,” the song flits between rhythms and instrumentals as vocalists emotionally croon about how failed love leaves nothing but scars. The song was co-written by B.I and Bobby.

“I think the song has a lonely mood that fits this weather well. We tried to think the opposite of ‘Flower Road,’ and we thought of ‘Goodbye Road.’ I tried to draw a picture of a person who walks his own way after saying goodbye to someone in my head,” Bobby said.

The four-track EP also includes “Don’t Let Me Know,” “Adore You” and “Perfect.”

IKon attends a press conference for its new album “New Kids: The Final” in Seoul, Monday. (Yonhap)

Promoting a new album more than once a year is rare among YG artists, but iKON has dominated charts with three albums this year, beginning with its “New Kids: Return” album in January this year.

Asked about the secret behind such activity, B.I said, “Releasing three albums in a year is still unbelievable for us. I don’t know what enabled us to do so. We just do our best and maybe luck helped us.”

The event also saw Ju-ne apologizing to fans and members for a recent controversy surrounding his Instagram post about a Japanese director.

Prior to the group’s return, Ju-ne had faced backlash after negatively reacting to fans who voiced concerns over the post. The Japanese director he posted about is known here for his disparaging comments about Korea, and fans had suggested that he delete the post.

IKon attends a press conference for its new album “New Kids: The Final” in Seoul, Monday. (Yonhap)

IKon attends a press conference for its new album “New Kids: The Final” in Seoul, Monday. (Yonhap)

In a trembling voice, he also apologized to bandmates.

“I was really ashamed that I couldn’t face my members, and I also told our agency head Yang Hyun-suk that I was sorry. Yang told me to endlessly reflect on myself and be more cautious in the future.”
Band leader B.I also commented, “Since Ju-ne apologized to us a lot, we tried to embrace and encourage him, rather than scolding him. Since we are older than him, we tried to help him grow up and reflect on himself.”

Asked about its next goal, iKON revealed that it hopes to keep maturing while staying humble.

“The last three years have been a long time for us. We experienced a lot of ups and down during those times. I think we should keep making efforts as there are people who’ve supported us,” DK said.
B.I. chimed in, “When people asked us about our goal, I’ve been consistently saying that we, iKon, hope to stay humble and keep radiating our youth. We want to approach fans as ‘human’ iKon.”

iKON will continue its Asian tour in such cities as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta and Hong Kong from October to November.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)