The debut of a new boyband from Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE) had been under speculation for a long time before the agency finally announced it in early 2019. Also known as the Younger brothers of BTS, ‘Together X Tomorrow’ or TXT, rose to fame as soon as they debuted, making a splash in the K-pop world. With its five members— Yeonjun, Soobin, Beom Gyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai, the group got showered with acclaim for their super-catchy and chart-topping numbers like Blue Hour and Magic. Their impressive stage performances and attractive personalities did not fail to earn them millions of fans all over the globe within just a short duration of time. The boys, whose ages, then ranged between 16 to 20, went on to snag multiple rookie awards upon their debut.
While Yeonjun is the oldest member of TXT, Huening Kai, born in the year 2002, is the youngest: the maknae of the group. According to most of the MOAs (the official name of TXT’s fandom), Huening Kai is just the right person for the position of maknae. With his innocent and cute looks, his dolphin laugh, his love for plushies and his I-don’t-know-what-to-do face when their leader, Soobin showers his love for him, all of them are enough reasons for us to adore him! As the baby of the band, it isn’t surprising how he does the job of bringing the refreshing and cheerful appeal during the interviews. However, he is also a person who frequently speaks up for his group and plays a role in rescuing his Hyungs from various bugs.
If you are an MOA who is equally obsessed with this giant baby, you might like to know more about Huening Kai— his background, skills and some fun facts. Here we go!
1. Huening Kai is the first international artist of Big Hit ever!
Big Hit Entertainment, which is famous for its global icons BTS, launched Tomorrow X Together as their second ever boy group— the first time in six years! While all the artists of the agency are South Korean, Huening Kai stands out among them as an American-Korean. Born to a Korean mother and a father of American nationality, Huening Kai has Hawaii, United States as his hometown. Moreover, he excels in multiple languages including English, Mandarin, Korean and Portuguese. With parents descending from two different countries, Huening Kai is blessed to have unique facial features and a charming visual that makes him look like a prince.
2. His Vocals can Melt your Heart!
You have been perhaps living under a rock if you haven’t yet heard this guy singing. His vocals have a soft and sweet tone which is enough to make us wonder how talented he is despite his young age. He can sing, he can rap, he can dance and even produce music. Is there anything this guy can’t do! Well, his musical family background has definitely a lot to do with this. Huening Kai has covered a number of popular songs, both from international artists and South Korean artists, some of which has received an exceptional amount of love and praise, including his 5SOS‘ ‘Youngblood’ cover. The high notes of ‘0x1=LOVESONG,’ the manic laugh in ‘Frost,’ and his nearly perfect take on Shawn Mendes’ song ‘In My Blood’ showcase his raw talent.
His rapping skills are worth all your praises as well! Huening and Yeonjun recently performed on BTS‘ ‘Dope where Kai not only rapped SUGA’s god-tier, fast-paced part but also hit Jungkook’s falsetto in the same song. So if someone makes an attempt on doing Agust D’s fine rap and even slays it, it’s impossible to still question his skills.
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3. He is a Master of Musical instruments!
In all seriousness, yes he is! All the cells in his body are composed of music as if he has been feeding on it since young. He can play the drums, piano, guitar, and flute equally well. Not many know but Kai’s father, the Huening senior, had an active singing career in China for about ten years before they moved when Kai was eight. He has tried to make his fans’ day by occasionally playing the piano and guitar on his V lives. Not to mention how he has the perfect pitch, where he can easily point out the notes in a single second— something which none of the TXT members can do. How can someone get over this fact!
Recently, the group covered and performed one of the most popular songs of 2020, BTS’s ‘Dynamite,’ where our Huening Kai amazingly pulls off the chorus parts sung by Jin and Jungkook. So in conclusion, the vocals of Kai is enough to melt your heart, mind and soul and gently hush your mind away to a dreamy sleep.
4. Huening Kai is known as the ‘Diamond Maknae’ of TXT
The MOAs call Huening Kai the ‘Diamond Maknae‘ of TXT following an episode of ‘One Dream’ where he accidentally makes a mess and spills the orange juice. Upon this, the other members ask him to go and get busy with something else but the boy stays back and instead, cheers for his hyungs. That’s how sweet and adorable he is!! This must be why the other members are so fond and protective of him.
5. He can Make You Laugh all Night with his Sharp Sense of Humour
Ever had a bad day and felt nothing in the world can make you feel better? Watch some of his crack videos on YouTube and there you go! There’s no way this guy can disappoint you with his world-class punch lines that he keeps up his sleeve all the time. Being the younger brothers of BTS definitely comes with a lot of responsibilities and expectations. Thanks to the maknae of TXT who never lets the situation get very heated up. Even the other members of the group have mentioned how jolly and cheerful he is, always running around, laughing and playing pranks. It is indeed surprising how he switched into being the attractive K-pop idol while performing from being a quirky little kid. His duality is no joke!
6. Kai’s Entire Family is Iconic!
We have already talked about how his father has been an international singer. However, all of his children seem to continue his legacy, following in his footsteps! While Kai’s older sister Lea is a former K-pop idol, a member of the South Korean girl group, VIVA, now working as a model and influencer on social media, his younger sister Bahiyyih is rocking the stage on Girls Planet 999. Lea is not only an idol herself, but also a multi-stan who not only supports her brother’s group, but also does not hesitate to shower love on boy bands like BTS and NCT and solo K-pop artists like Somi. She is absolutely a TikTok queen and never misses out on any trends, showing off her dancing skills as an idol should!
7. Huening Kai’s Dancing Skills
It is known to every MOA that Huening Kai is not as flexible as the other TXT members and that is completely fine since he can compensate it with his music. However, that does not signify that he is a poor dancer at all! His movements are more powerful than being smooth and that’s what makes him stand out during the stage performances. His tall figure which is almost six feet, and his long legs always make him look ethereal while dancing.
Bonus point:
Our diamond maknae, Huening Kai doesn’t mind being called an Oppa, even if his fans are older than him. When one of his older fans who had attended TXT’s Hi-Touch event, asked if she can call him Oppa, he didn’t get offended at all. The girl points out that anyone who is handsome is an Oppa and Kai loves the fact. That’s adorable, isn’t it?
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