Ahn Hyo-seop, right, and R&B singer Khalid / Courtesy of Musicow, Roc Nation

From an early age, Ahn Hyo-seop always had a burning passion for music. After school, he would always talk about music and would even produce tracks with his friends for fun. This passion led him to train under JYP Entertainment with the hopes of becoming a K-pop idol.

However, Ahn decided to follow a different career path as an actor and became a household name with performances in "Dr. Romantic" (2016) and "Business Proposal" (2022).

After starring in movies and shows for over ten years, Ahn recently surprised fans as he announced his solo music debut in a collaboration with U.S. R&B star Khalid.

The unexpected duo will release "Something Special" on May 22, a cross-cultural track which blends K-pop and U.S. R&B seamlessly with a summer-infused sound.

“Music has been a hidden passion for me for a long time. This project came to me very naturally. It was a good opportunity to be part of a fun project with a very creative team. And of course, Khalid, I’ve been listening to his music for a very long time. To be able to make music was a great honor,” said Ahn.

Ahn has previously performed soundtracks for the film "Kpop Demon Hunters" (2025) and K-dramas "A Time Called You" (2023) and "Top Management" (2018).

However, he admitted that he feels both “nervous” and “thrilled” about releasing solo music and sharing this with fans because he is baring personal experiences and showing a new side of himself creatively.

“Music needs to have a message. Everyone has personal experiences that they want to share and I was doing that through acting. But, this time I got the right opportunity and I’ve always had a passion for music, so I wanted to [pursue this] at some point in my life,” said Ahn. “Music connects to people on an emotional level globally. It doesn’t have to have language barriers; it cuts across cultures, so I wanted to send my personal experiences and messages through my music.”

He added: “It’s pretty nerve-wracking to think that something I love so much is going to be out in the world. I’m very curious to see what people will think. But, at the same time, I don’t care what people think because I’m doing what I love.”

Source: Korea Times News