Kingdom's 'History Of Kingdom: Part IV. Dann': A track-by-track guide

In your previous mini-albums, some of the members participated in writing and composing the songs. Is this something that you plan to do for your future releases as well? What have you learned from participating in writing and composing your music?

DANN: I promised our fans that I’ll include a song that I compose, write, and arrange, and I’ll definitely keep that promise! Songwriting requires more consideration as I try and learn more. The process is challenging, but I got to learn how to destress myself by expressing my emotions through songwriting.

MUJIN: Besides writing lyrics, I also want to try composing and arranging. I can’t tell you everything now, but I’m sure there will be a song filled with KINGDOM’s colour. As I was working on a song, I was concerned about how to express so many different ideas in my head. Now I’m learning how to specify and bring each idea to life every day.

What have you learned while preparing for this comeback?

JAHAN: This album’s concept was focused on the beauty of Korea, so we got to learn more about our own culture and how to effectively showcase it. It was a very meaningful process.

As each mini-album follows the story of one particular member and their kingdom, how do you prepare for each of your albums? How is it different from preparing for the other members' albums?

CHIWOO: Even though every album has a key member, all albums are KINGDOM’s albums, so I don’t necessarily differentiate one album from another. We always prepare each album together, following each concept.

ARTHUR: I think it is a must to give our fullest potential to each album because all albums are all members’ albums. For me, I especially had a lot of pressure because our debut album was about Arthur’s album. I was the first member to announce our team to the world, so I stayed in the practice room until late nights and made detailed gestures.

What are some goals you hope to achieve by the end of the year?

IVAN: Before this year ends, we want to win first place on music shows.

Let's talk about the new album. Tell us the stories behind the songs. 

'Intro : 宮 (Palace)'

DANN: I think ‘Intro : 宮 (Palace)’ was the most empathetic song. The track contains broad emotional themes of this album, including peace, determination, sorrow, and sadness. It was also helpful when we filmed emotional scenes. When I listen to it, I really feel like I’m a king.

'승천 (Ascension)'

IVAN: I have an episode to share about our title track ‘Ascension’! In our debut track ‘Excalibur’, one of my parts was “open the gate” which is a very high note. For ‘Ascension’, my part’s note got even higher so I had to pinch myself to keep a stable note while recording.

LOUIS: One of my parts was “deep shadow”, and I was supposed to use falsetto to sing that part. But I just sang in my natural voice because it was more comfortable.

'Blinder'

ARTHUR: It is a fresher-sounding track that KINGDOM has never shown, so I imagined a lot about making choreography for this song and performing it. I still listen to it a lot, and I hope we can perform this on the stage one day.

'Illusion'

LOUIS: When I was recording, I had to sing “inside the hidden side of me” in one breath so that part was especially breathtaking.

MUJIN: When I first heard this track, I thought our international fans would love this. I focused on a dreamy impression that I got from this song when writing lyrics.

'Appetite'

CHIWOO: I loved this track as soon as I heard it because it’s so fun! But at the same time, I felt pressured because the melody seemed very hard to sing.

'단심가 (Promise)'

LOUIS: I have a shameful episode. I cried while singing ‘Promise’ because it was so sad.

JAHAN: I remember singing this song with an aching heart because it was really sad. I’ve never sung a song with such strong emotion. It’s a truly beautiful and sad song.