Evan, Formerly Enhypen's Heeseung, Bets on Rock With Solo Debut 'Ride or Die'

Heeseung has a new name and a new sound. The singer had announced he was leaving Enhypen about three months earlier, and he started his solo career as Evan with Ride or Die, a two-track debut, Rolling Stone reported on June 22.

The project pairs the title track "Ride or Die" with "Overflow." Evan worked on both from the first idea through the topline. Rolling Stone framed the release as a reintroduction to an artist fans have followed for seven years.

He had an audience before he had the music. Evan reached 1 million Instagram followers within three hours of opening his account in April, and his count was around 5 million when the story ran. He has used the account to post covers of songs by SZA and Justin Bieber.

The Zoom conversation was the first interview he had ever given. He said he plans to keep promoting as Evan. He chose the name because he wanted the music to come across with authenticity and purity.

The title track grew out of an interest in rock that he picked up while preparing it, he said. It was also the first song to come out of a song camp session held specifically to make a digital single. He pushed so hard for one section to sound intense that the producer kept calling the team "crazy guys."

He worked with new collaborators including Apro and Ian Jeffrey Thomas, and said the project gave him a new appreciation for the artistry of a live band sound. His process has also sped up: a song that once took him three months, or as long as a year, now takes three to six hours.

"Overflow" comes from a darker place. Evan said he wrote it during really hard times, when he was emotionally exhausted, and that the message of its hook is to have hope.

He described that as part of a larger goal:

"I've given a lot of thought into becoming an artist who can provide messages of hope and love."

When he gave the interview, Evan had performances lined up at the Busan One Asia Festival and KCON LA. He said he had to make a strong impression with just two songs.