Previously, HIGHLIGHT was known as B2ST (BEAST) and debuted with 6 members. After the name was changed, the group only had four members, and they entered a hiatus in 2018 because the members needed to carry out their military service. Is there a possibility that they’ll do a comeback after all the members complete their duties? If you want to know, keep reading this article. Byeol Korea will explore the possibility of HIGHLIGHT Comeback!
Yoon Doo-joon Solo Debut
After completing his military service and returning in April 2020, HIGHLIGHT’s leader released his first solo album. Yoon Doo-joon immediately returned to his activities as a singer. On July 6, 2020, his agency Around Us Entertainment announced that the group leader, who is the oldest member in HIGHLIGHT, will release a solo album.
He released his first solo album Daybreak on July 27, 2020, with the main track “Lonely Night.” The album and the music video were released on the same day, and the song was written by BXN and KEEBOMB. “Lonely Night” is a song in the R&B and soul genres, and it is good to listen to while chilling.
Among the other members, he was the last member to release a solo album. This is because, according to Yoon Doo-joon, he wasn’t interested in debuting as a solo singer. He only wanted to have a career with the group. He explained this during an interview with Esquire magazine. He thought that appearing as a group looked cooler than being a solo singer.
Doo-joon also said that the only member who had not debuted as a solo singer was himself, and he thought that the fans would feel sad and worried about it.
Although he isn’t too interested in debuting solo, he did it successfully! He looks very manly and cool in the music video. Even the song that he released sounded great!
“Lonely Night” is about someone who feels alone, empty, and unable to sleep every night. The music video uploaded by OFFICIAL HIGHLIGHT on YouTube reached approximately 300K views with 33K likes.
You can watch the music video below!
Yang Yoseob Latest News From the Military
Yang Yoseob is the second member from HIGHLIGHT to enlist for military service on January 24, 2019. He served as a police officer in Gangdong area, Seoul. After about two years, in 2020, Yang Yoseob finished his military service, and on August 30, 2020, he officially returned to HIGHLIGHT and will be active with the group again.
On that day, Yang Yoseob shared a portrait of himself waving at the police station where that was his office when he was on duty. Here’s the photo that he posted on HIGHLIGHT’s official Instagram @yysbeast!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEekk5Gj0Uy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Other than that, he also shared a heartfelt message containing moments from his military enlistment. The message that he wrote that has been quoted by Soompi as:
“January 24, 2019. It was a day when there were many people who went through a hard time emotionally like I did… in that large gymnasium at the Nonsan Training Center, I remember my parents wiping away their tears as they waved at me from far away, and I can also still clearly recall the sound of my many fans’ cheers and my emotions that were slightly heightened from being in an unfamiliar environment.
Over the course of one year, seven months, and seven days, there were many difficult moments, and there were also many happy moments. I cried, and I laughed; I felt depressed at times, and I also felt happy at others; I miss [the army], but I also feel relieved… it was a long experience that felt like a cool movie. The many people who belong in the credits of this cool movie were such great people to me. Thank you to the many people who helped me endure during this time, including my fans, who waited together with me for 20 full moons. I will repay you with great music and a slightly improved version of myself.
I was officially discharged from the military on August 30, 2020. Salute.”
Agency Response About Gikwang Sajaegi Issue
On April 8, 2020, a politician in Korea named Kim Geun Tae accused several musicians of sajaegi or manipulating music charts. One of the accused musicians was HIGHLIGHT Gikwang. Reported from Koreaboo, he said:
“Under-marketing company ‘Creator’ has been manipulating music charts using ID’s of ordinary citizens that were acquired through illegal hacking in China and other places. Thousands, tens of thousands of accounts were used to manipulate the music charts. We secured a list of 1,716 Daum and Melon ID’s that were being used to manipulate the charts. The real owners of these accounts ranged in birth year between 1935 to 2004.”
According to Kim Geun Tae, the creators can rent a server and divide it into sections with music streaming site software that plays songs from certain artists.
On April 13, 2020, after hearing the accusations from Kim Geun Tae, Lee Gikwang’s agency (Around Us Entertainment) filed criminal charges against the politician for alleged defamation. They stated that the politician spoke without checking with the agency first, and the accusations were baseless.
A day after the criminal report was made, KEMA (Korea Entertainment Management Association) issued a stern statement and discussed the rumors and accusations raised by Kim Geun Tae. KEMA explained that Gikwang worked with them for 10 years since his debut in the music industry, so the accusations made were completely untrue and made no sense at all. They also said that the politician used the musicians and made an issue as part of his own evil goals.
Lee Gikwang also responded to the issue after his agency filed a criminal complaint. Reported from Soompi, he said:
“I have already submitted a bill of indictment that explains everything about the chart manipulation. There’s nothing I would change about my original statement.”
Dongwoon Appearance in tvN Raid the Convenience Store
On January 13, 2017, HIGHLIGHT’s Dongwoon appeared in the first episode of tvN’s new variety show named Raid the Convenience Store. He appeared along with another HIGHLIGHT member, Lee Gikwang. They performed a parody of a scene from the famous drama Goblin. The scene was from episode 10 when Lee Dong Wook and Gong Yoo go to a market to buy green onions for Kim Go Eun to cook. His first appearance made everyone who watched it laugh. And, here is the parody!
Dongwoon appeared in several episodes on the tvN variety show with other idols and other HIGHLIGHT members such as Gikwang and Doo Joon who became an MC for the program along with Red Velvet’s Wendy.
In the program, Dongwoon had a cooking battle to make Tteokbokki with Kangta in their own version. Here’s the clip!
That’s everything about their activities after military service. For now, it’s not certain that they will do a comeback as a group in 2020, and some of the members are busy with solo projects. Are you still curious about their other news? If so, don’t forget to write your thoughts about them in the comment section!
