The 10 best CIX songs, according to the boyband themselves
Since their debut in 2019, CIX – comprising BX, Seunghun, Yonghee, Bae Jinyoung and Hyunsuk – have put out an extensive discography that’s proving to be one of the best in K-pop, characterised by their distinctive blend of pop, R&B and hip-hop. With numerous hits to their name – debut single ‘Movie Star’ and crowd favourite ‘Cinema’, just to name a few – CIX show no signs of slowing down anytime soon, with the recent release of ‘0 or 1’ just last month.
In anticipation of their fifth anniversary, CIX took time out of their busy schedules to speak with NME about their diverse discography and rank their 10 best songs. “It’s really exciting to go over our discography and pick out our favourite songs, yet it also had challenges,” BX admits, adding that the group had a hard time narrowing their top picks because of all the various aspects that come with their music – choreography, production and performance.
Yonghee, however, has an important disclaimer for fans: “It was really difficult for us to rank these songs, because to us all of our songs are like our babies”. He adds that the tracks are “all special in their own ways” and that “it was a very tight competition”, saying that the group felt that “this was the best way to rank them”.
Honourable mentions:
‘Save me, Kill me’ (2023)
‘Without You’ (2022)
‘Lovers or Enemies’ (2024)
‘그림자 (My name is shadow)’ (2024)
‘WAVE’ (2021)
‘Revival’ (2022)
BX: “I think the biggest charming point of ‘Revival’ is the choreography using bandages.”
Seunghun: “[The bandages] ended up making for a very attractive song and performance.”
Bae Jin-young: “It’s my favourite Japanese song from [our discography], with a melodic and lively chorus.”
Yonghee: “It’s a song with a dim and pure vibe, and it makes your heart tingle when you listen to it. We all love this song, and it really fits our group’s energy and overall vibe.”
Hyunsuk: “The use of bandages [in the choreography] for the song expresses its emotions and storylines well.”
‘Jungle’ (2020)
BX: “We performed this song with many dancers, which made it especially fun every time we performed the song.”
Seunghun: “The song is magnificent as we were able to create a splendid performance with dancers.”
Bae Jin-young: “This song has one of the coolest performances in terms of our choreography. It’s a very conceptual song that leaves a strong impression. [In the music video], there’s a scene where I’m running through the forest and acting by myself, without the members. As I was filming the scene, I felt so immersed in it. I almost felt like someone was actually chasing me. I think I was really able to feel that ‘jungle’ vibe and helped me with the overall music video.”
Yonghee: “The 5-person version is good, but the stage with the dancers feels much more full and cool. The track’s intro truly gives off the ‘jungle’ vibe.”
Hyunsuk: “It is an attractive song with a performance that highlights the overall picture of the track.”
‘Imagine’ (2019)
BX: “This song is one of our favourite songs because it goes well with the bright atmosphere from the melody to the lyrics.”
Seunghun: “It is a very exciting song when all five of us sing it together. It is especially a great song to share with fans on stage.”
Bae Jin-young: “It’s an attractive song that [grabs] your attention with a break in the middle with a guitar sound!”
Yonghee: “[We] chose this because [we] like the song’s bright vibe and hope that everything will come true as you imagine.”
Hyunsuk: “It’s a song with a lively and strong charm! We really focus on our performances and we tend to choose darker [songs] to show the hard-hitting performances of CIX. [In this case], we also like to include lighter and very fun moments [like this], so we can communicate and just have fun with our fans.”
‘Cinema’ (2021)
BX: “This song is probably the most popular track among CIX songs. I think its charm lies in that it is easy to listen to and sing along to.”
Seunghun: “I think it’s the most addictive song out of all our songs! The chorus is catchy and easy to sing along to.”
Bae Jin-young: “I think it’s the most popular song to the public and one that gives you a very good feeling when you listen to it.”
Yonghee: “It has a good melody and is addictive, making it a song that anyone can listen to and be satisfied with. Listen to this song when you go to the movie theatre!”
Hyunsuk: “It carries highly addictive lyrics and chorus melody.”
‘Curtain Call’ (2023)
BX: “Every time I hear this melody or recollect the meaning behind the lyrics, I feel emotional.”
Seunghun: “This is the first song that made me cry after hearing our song. The lyrics bring back a lot of memories for us. When I first heard the [demo] for this song, it was just very emotional and sentimental. I could just picture every single moment since we debuted [as if it were] in front of my eyes. I think the lyrics really express what we’ve been through as a group, I think it captured our own story.”
Bae Jin-young: “It’s an easy-listening song that is suitable as an ending track for a show, just like its title.”
Yonghee: “I like the lyrics and the melody, and whenever I hear the whistle in this track, it makes my heart flutter. The lyrics are very honest and expressive – I think it tells a very genuine story.”
Hyunsuk: “It’s a song that gives off the same feeling as the title suggests.”
‘Rewind’ (2019)
BX: “I think this song has an unexpected charm because it raps in a dark mood in the verse and then changes to a bright melody in the chorus.”
Seunghun: “It carries quite trendy elements. I enjoy singing this song while feeling that hip, trendy vibe.”
Bae Jin-young: “It’s the only song with hip-hop elements mixed in with the rhythmic chorus.”
Yonghee: “The addictive chorus is attractive and the rap part is also very cool.”
Hyunsuk: “It’s a style we would rarely try, but we were able to express it in CIX’s own stylish way.”
‘Black Out’ (2019)
BX: “Among CIX’s songs, I think it is one of the most trendy songs and has many highlights in the choreography, making it an impactful song.”
Seunghun: “This song is also one of my favourite dance songs. I have one part where I sing as if I am rapping, even though it is not particularly a rap part.”
Bae Jin-young: “The song itself is good, but the choreography is wonderful so I love it!”
Yonghee: “The performance is great and the beat is addictive.”
Hyunsuk: “This song emphasises rapping and performance as well as its signature sound.”
‘What You Wanted’ (2019)
BX: “This song also has a good beat along with the stomping and kicking choreography. It actually was a coupling song to ‘Movie Star’. While ‘Movie Star’ ended up being our debut title track, ‘What You Wanted’ came in very close. It was a very tight competition between those two songs and we all agreed that if we were to debut with ‘What You Wanted’, it would have made for a great debut track as well. We just collectively really love that track. This song also has a good beat along with the stomping and kicking choreography.”
Seunghun: “This is my favourite dance track among our songs. The chorus choreography is very cool as well.”
Bae Jin-young: “This song has a very strong beat and a strong impact throughout the song.”
Yonghee: “The choreography is powerful and sexy, and the intro to this song is also very catchy.”
Hyunsuk: “It is a song that clearly shows the point choreography and movement line in the chorus.”
‘Movie Star’ (2019)
BX: “When we go on tour, it’s our fans’ favourite song, so we can never leave it out of our concert setlist.”
Seunghun: “If you want to know what CIX’s music is like, ‘Movie Star’ would be a perfect example.”
Bae Jin-young: “It is a song that can show CIX’s uniqueness, sexiness and decadence. ‘Movie Star’ is very special because I think it really captured and set a guide for us to really focus on CIX’s colour. I think it really encapsulates and defines who we are.”
Yonghee: “It’s our debut song, so we have a lot of love for it. In addition, we were able to promote CIX’s colour with this song.”
Hyunsuk: “Overall, ‘Movie Star’ carries a sophisticated vibe!”
‘Bad Dream’ (2023)
BX: “I think the beat in the chorus of this song is very impactful. This is a song that fans like a lot in terms of choreography!”
Seunghun: “We think it’s one of our most powerful performances, and our universe story is mixed into the lyrics, making it more enjoyable to listen to.”
Bae Jin-young: “I personally like the performance and we can put on a great performance with this song.”
Yonghee: “I like it because the intro part is powerful and the choreography is sexy and cool.”
Hyunsuk: “It’s an impressive song with a strong beat and performance!”
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Carmen Chin
NME
