~ CIX ~

 

Top Row (from left to right): Hyunsuk, Bae Jinyoung, BX. Middle Row (from left to right): Seunghun, Yonghee. 

Who is CIX?

CIX is a South-Korean Boygroup who debuted on July 23rd 2019 with their album "Hello Chapter 1. Hello Stranger" and the title song "Movie Star" under C9 entertainment. The group is composed of 5 members: BX, Seunghun, Yonghee, Bae Jinyoung (former member of Wanna One) and Hyunsuk. CIX stands for "Complete In X", and their fans are called "FIX" standing for "Faith in X". Their latest Korean comeback was on February 2nd, 2021 with their fourth mini album "Hello Chapter Ø. Hello, Strange Dream" and the title track "Cinema". Here are their official accounts:

• Official Website: c9ent.co.korea/c9boyz
• Fan Cafe: OfficialCIX
• Weibo: CIX_CN
• V Live: CIX
• Instagram: @cix.official
• Facebook: CIX
• Twitter: @CIX_official
• Twitter (members): @CIX_twt
• Twitter (Japan): @CIX_JP_Official
• YouTube: CIX Official
• TikTok: @cix_official
  
  

Get to know the members

Stage Name: BX (비엑스) / Byounggon (병곤)

Birth Name: Lee Byoung Gon (이병곤)

Position: Leader, Main Rapper, Vocalist

Birthday: March 5th, 1998

Height: 180cm

Weight: 61kg

Nationality: Korean

Soundcloud: BE:XXX

Fun Facts: BX was born in Incheon city, he trained under YG entertainment for 3 years,  he ranked 9th on MIXNINE and was supposed to debut but the debut was cancelled. BX and Seunghun left YG Entertainment at the end of January 2019 after not making their debut with Treasure. His favorite colour is blue, he doesn't like vegetables and is allergic to flowers. His role models are G-Dragon from BigBang and Mino from Winner. He catches a cold and gets injured often, and Hyunsuk thinks he resembles a lychee because he grows beard fast. 

Stage Name: Seunghun

Birth Name: Kim Seung Hun (김승훈)

Position: Main Vocalist, Dancer

Birthday: February 26th, 1999

Height: 181cm

Weight: 65kg

Nationality: Korean

Fun Facts: Seunghun's hometown is Cheongju, located in North Chungcheong, South Korea. He trained for almost 10 years and is a former Cube and YG entertainment trainee, he was a contestant on YG treasure box but didn't make it to the final lineup. He went to school with Treasure's Jihoon and they are very close friends. The members think that he’s really funny, when he smiles it makes others happy, he makes a lot of funny faces, and the fans call him “sweet Seunghun” because he always communicate with them through SNS. 

 

Stage Name: Yonghee (용희)

Birth Name: Kim Yong Hee (김용희)

Position: Vocalist, Visual

Birthday: February 17th, 2000

Height: 177cm

Weight: 59kg

Nationality: Korean

Fun Facts: Yonghee really loves cereals. After practice he'd eat 3 to 4 bowls of cereals, looking really happy. BX thinks that Yonghee resembles a lemon, because he's so refreshing. He attends the same school as Jinyoung.

Stage Name: Bae Jinyoung (배진영)

Birth Name: Bae Jin Young (배진영)

Position: Lead Vocalist, Dancer, Center, Face of the Group

Birthday: May 10, 2000

Height: 180cm

Weight: 62kg

Nationality: Korean

Fun Facts: Jinyoung was born in Seoul, South Korea. He attended Jangchung Elementary School then transferred to Cheonggu Elementary School. He attended Daekyeong Middle School. He attended Osan High School then transferred to Lila Art High School, the same school Weki Meki’s Lua and Yoon Jaechan attended. Jinyoung participated in the second season of the Produce series and ended up ranking 10th, debuting with the other top contestants as Wanna One.  He has two siblings: a younger brother named Seochan who was born in 2002, and a younger sister name Seojin who was born in 2007. His hobbies are listening to music and singing and his specialties are skiing and playing football. He attends the same school as Younghee. 

Stage Name: Hyunsuk (현석)

Birth Name: Yoon Hyun Suk (윤현석)

Position: Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist, Maknae (Youngest)

Birthday: September 8th, 2021

Height: 186.7cm

Weight: 68kg

Nationality: Korean

Fun Facts: Hyunsuk has 3 younger siblings, fans says he looks like the actor Seo Kang-John, and his nickname is Hyunsik. He eats a lot and his favorite food is Kimchi, his legs are 113cm long, and he loves going to the swimming pool. Some people call Hyunsuk a parrot because he's very talkative. 

How I discovered CIX

I watched the second season of produce 101 a year after it was broadcasted. And even though I watched the show, I never got into Wanna One, and knew Jinyoung only by name. However, when CIX debuted during summer of 2019, the Kpop community kept talking about how amazing their debut song and debut album were. And because I'm really dumb, I waited until Numb came out to really start getting involved with them. So, when Numb came out, I checked the song out and was mindblown by the message this song held. And considering how young they are, it makes the message even more powerful. 

After Numb came out CIX were definitely on my radar, and when Jungle came out a couple of months later, I couldn't lie to myself anymore *inserts a dramatic soundtrack*... I had become a FIX. By the way, that song has the most beautiful music video of 2020 in my opinion.

But that's not where my story with CIX ends (who said it was going to end anyways), because when Cinema came out, cupid aimed and shot his arrow right into my heart. I just fell in love with them thanks to Cinema, because aside from being really catchy, that song never fails to put me in a good mood. Jinyoung ended up being my bias, but BX wrecked me really hard in that song. 

CIX's discography

First Korean mini-album: HELLO Chapter 1. Hello, Stranger

On July 23rd 2019, CIX debut with their first mini-album and the title track "Movie Star".  When I first listened to that song, I thought it was fine. Nothing more, nothing less. However, I listened to it again a couple of months after its release (yes, I'm this type of person who discovers something/starts liking something way after it was a hot topic), and I really liked it, especially for a debut song. The chorus is really catchy, the melody is light (not crowded with heavy instrumentals) and groovy, and the vocals in the last chorus were SHINING. Let's not forget the choreography that's sexy and cool as hell, especially when they performed the song under the rain at Show Music Core, to the point this performance went viral (watch it here). Looking back, I think I was impressed because the members already had some experience due to their participation to previous survival shows. I remember thinking that they looked really at ease on stage and in front of the camera. They had this level of charisma (especially Jinyoung) that usually takes time to acquire. 

On this album, you also have 4 other tracks (b-sides): What you wanted, Like it that way, Imagine, and The One. Let me tell you that, in general when a group debuts, I rarely download the b-sides of the debut album because usually at this stage the group doesn't have a clear identity yet. But CIX is an exception, particularly for "What you wanted" and "Like it that way". I absolutely love the choreography for "What you wanted", and the chorus is really powerful, and has the same sexy/cool vibe Movie Star has. And for "Like it that way", it has this almost reggae/summer vibes, perfect to listen to while watching the sunset with a cocktail in your hands. 

First Japanese mini-album: HELLO Chapter 1. Hello, Stranger [JAPANESE]

On October 23rd, 2019, CIX releases their first Japanese mini-album, including all the tracks that were included in the Korean version of the album, plus a Japanese version of Movie Star and "My New World", a new Japanese song. I didn't really get into their Japanese stuff before "Revival" so I won't give any comment on this. 

Second Korean mini-album: HELLO Chapter 2. Hello, Strange Place

On November 19th, 2019, CIX releases the second chapter of their Hello series (also their second Korean mini-album) and the title track "Numb". When you first listen to this song, you might just want to vibe with it and dance your heart out (that's what I actually did). But then, when you look at the lyrics, you're like "what the hell, the lyrics are so deep!" And yes, they are, as well as the music video. This song talks about the educational system that's very harsh on students in South Korea, and I want to point out a specific line in the song that goes like this: "Busy calculating, closing their eyes and covering their ears, awful pressure to remain silent". This line hits hard, especially when you've been through it (knowing that the members were young and probably went through all of this). In that sense the song reminds me of "N.O" by BTS because both songs have similar messages. And the Music Video translates this heavy pressure perfectly well: the colours are dark, everything is toned dow and the facial expressions are on point.

Concerning the b-sides on that album, you have Rewind, Bystander, Maybe I, and ... Black Out (chef's kiss). I won't say that I like black out more than movie star because there's a bit too much of autotune in my opinion, but the choreography? The performance? Just ... Bae Jinyoung? Just watch that one M countdown stage, and you'll understand what I mean. 

First Japanese single album: Revival

On April 1st, 2020, CIX release their first Japanese single album composed of one new Japanese song called "Revival", and the Japanese version of "Numb" and "Black Out". I usually don't like Japanese songs when the original is in another language, and CIX is no exception. But I really enjoyed Revival as the original was in Japanese so I wasn't comparing it to its Korean version nor was I singing along in Korean when the song was actually in Japanese. Anyways, just to say that Revival is a cute song.

Third Korean mini-album: HELLO Chapter 3. Hello, Strange Time

CIX came back with their third Korean mini-album on October 27th 2020 and its title track "Jungle". To me, this song was worth winning the "Best MV of the year" award, because the music video is breathtaking. The colours (the contrast between warm and col), the lighting, the sceneries, the camera angles, everything is mesmerising. As for the song, I absolutely loved it, especially the intro with the piano and the heavy breathing part just before the first chorus. And in this song, their vocals shined brightly. 

If you ask me which CIX album is my favourite, this one would probably be my answer, for one simple reason: I love all the songs in this album and could play them on repeat for 24 hours straight, especially "Rebel" and "Switch it up". For the funny anecdote, I was spending the afternoon with my friend and we decided to go to a multimedia store where they were selling CDs/DVDs/Albums and so on. I wanted to buy a Kpop album but didn't know which one, and then I thought of this album and got super excited. But then the salesperson told me they didn't have it in stock and that I could order it online. I ended up buying another album, but this one is for sure still on my list!

Fourth Korean mini-album: HELLO Chapter Ø. Hello, Strange Dream

On February 2nd, 2021, CIX came back with their fourth mini-album and its title track (the best of all time) "Cinema". Cinema is, by far, my favourite title track of CIX and in the top 10 of my best releases of the year so far. This song is AMAZING. There's nothing to say about it: Catchy, easy to sing along to, fun choreoagraphy, and most importantly, puts a smile on your face every time you listen to it. It has been on repeat since its release, and I still didn't get tired of it. 

In addition to this amazing title track, the album has really great b-sides, and my favourite has to be "Young". I love this song almost as much as the title track, and I was so happy they promoted it as well on music shows (you can see their performance of "Young" on The Show here).

Second Japanese mini-album: All For You

On April 14, 2021, CIX released their second Japanese mini-album and its title track "All for You". The EP also included another Japanese song entitled "With You" and the Japanese version of "Cinema". They also included the instrumental versions of these three songs, which I was very happy to have (especially for Cinema, the instrumental is amazing). 

More CIX content to check out

The "Movie Star" roller coaster dance on dingo music (it was just hilarious knowing they didn't know what was going to happen, dingo did them dirty lol): watch it here.

The "KK" dance they did on The Show not long after their debut: watch it here.

CIX's cover of EXO's "Love Me Right" on Show Champion: watch it here.

That's it for CIX's presentation! I rarely fall so hard in love with a Kpop group nowadays especially because a lot of new groups are debuting and the market is starting to feel saturated, but CIX is surely one of those rare groups that are still able to surprise me. If you didn't know them before, I hope you give them a chance and check them out because they deserve it. 

Take care and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

Sources: Kprofiles, CIX's YouTube official channel.