CIX is a five-piece boy band under C9 Entertainment, consisting of BX, SEUNGHUN, BAEJINYOUNG, YONGHEE, and HYUNSUK, who made their first appearance on the K-Pop scene in 2019 with the mini-album ''Hello' Chapter 1. Hello, Stranger.'

So far, the band has six mini-albums and one full-length album in their discography, where the members tell their stories as they come together, despite uncertainties, to become together as one, which stands for the meaning behind their group name, "Complete in X."

Now, the quintet made their first comeback for the year 2023 with the sixth mini-album ''OK’ Episode 2: I’m OK,' and it's the final installment in the group's 'OK' series, a story that represents the theme of youth, specifically delving into the period in life that can be considered the most beautiful and possibly the most tragic. Their recent album, ‘OK’ Episode 2: I’m OK,' revolves around the concept of self-discovery and wandering, telling the story of finding oneself after a journey. 

The record features the futuristic bass-style title song "Save me, Kill me." This song conveys the message of love that initially seemed like a ray of light in the dark, but is actually born from a more sorrowful place in their heart and eventually leads to a pain that feels like hell. 

Aside from the title track, the album also includes three other songs, titled "Back to life," "Curtain Call," and "Color."

To celebrate their return, the boys of CIX caught up with allkpop for an exclusive interview, where they discussed ''OK' Episode 2: I'm OK,' youth, world tour, and more. Read on below for the full interview!

Shout-out video to allkpop readers from CIX:

allkpop: Hi, CIX! Congratulations on your comeback with ''OK' Episode 2: I'm OK'! The album is focused on the theme of finding the individual’s oneself or color at the end of each wandering. I wanted to ask, some people still find it hard to find their true selves, but for you, have you found yourself, your own voice? If not, how do you work on it? 

BX: I think I am still in the process of finding my color. I have a lot of worries, and sometimes it’s hard to run toward my dream, but I think it’s an exciting journey. Every moment can’t always go the way you want it to, but there are times when you get rewarded after going through difficult situations. And that’s how I feel like I’m getting closer to my dream step by step.

HYUNSUK: I also think I am still discovering myself and getting to know more about myself. I’m learning more about myself by observing how I think and react while facing various situations. I always think I know everything about myself, but there are times I face myself in not-so-familiar conditions, and that is one way to learn about and find myself.

allkpop: This EP is part of the 'OK' series that represents the theme of youth. As you guys have spent your youth in training, working, being an idol, and all that, if you could summarize or describe your youth, how would you do it? Perhaps it's kind of a difficult journey, but yet so exciting since you're an idol — something that is definitely your goal in life. 

YONGHEE: It is the youth similar to ‘weather.’ There are good days, and there are also bad days. Just as there are various changes in the weather, youth is the time when you experience and learn new things every day, while going through various feelings.

SEUNGHUN: The saying "Painful, therefore it is youth" seems to be right. Just as everyone goes through troubles and difficulties in their youth, I also seem to be having that kind of youth. There are many things I haven’t done yet and many things I want to try, so I also am going through good and painful situations as I challenge and experience new things every day.

allkpop: How did the preparations for this one go? You were on tour for the first months of 2023, then you released this album at a later date. It must be a busy season for you, but could you please tell us about your experience working on this album, from the recording process to shooting the music video? 

BX: While on the world tour, we prepared for the album during our brief stay in Korea, so we necessarily didn’t have a break in between. It was a physically challenging process from recording the album to filming the music video, all while being on the tour, but it was also a worthwhile time.

HYUNSUK: After finishing the tour, we prepared our comeback with more focus and devoted ourselves to practicing hard. As much as we prepared diligently for the comeback, we feel proud of our latest comeback.

allkpop: The album is about youth, and revolves around love and pain. Speaking from your experience so far, if there is this one piece of advice you'd like to give to the youth out there, what would you say to them? 

HYUNSUK: Living the time of my youth, I also go through and feel a lot of things. Even if I face difficult challenges during this time of life, I think it is important to move forward instead of giving up.

BAEJINYOUNG: Don’t be afraid of challenges. If there’s something you want to do, it’s worth trying and experiencing it so you don’t have regrets in the future.

allkpop: You recently went on a world tour, meeting your fans in the U.S. and Asia. Being able to hold a tour is absolutely a thing on an artist's bucket list. Now that you've successfully concluded your 'Save Me, Kill Me' tour, how does it feel to be able to receive that kind of love and support from your fans? 

YONGHEE: Thanks to the support and love of our FIX, we successfully completed the tour. In each city and country we visited, they warmly welcomed us and enjoyed our stage with great passion, which motivated us to present more energetic stages. Thank you so much for always cheering us, and we promise to become a continuously improving team in the future.

BX: FIX enjoyed our stage so much that we were able to wrap up the tour well with the power they gave us. It was a tour full of precious memories, so I will remember the experience for a long time. We will show you a lot of better images in the future.

allkpop: In an interview, you said that CIX has grown up from the first tour to the second one. How do you continue to improve yourselves in various areas like a live performance, singing, dancing, and rapping?

YONGHEE: I want to improve in all areas. I believe all areas such as singing, dancing, and facial expressions are connected to each other, so I aim to grow in those areas and move forward.

BAEJINYOUNG: I have a strong desire to do well in all areas, so I will work as hard as possible to become BAEJINYOUNG, who shows improvement in all aspects.

allkpop: Speaking of tour, you performed in Manila in July at the 'BE YOU 3' joint concert. Could you tell us what is the difference between experiencing a solo world tour and a festival where you're included in the lineup with other artists? 

SEUNGHUN: We participated in a concert in Manila with many seniors, and we wanted to do our best to show our performance with the honor of standing on stage with our seniors. Events with other artists allow us to showcase our stage in front of fans of many different singers, but our own world tour feels reassuring because we perform in front of many FIX who just came out to see us.

HYUNSUK: When we perform at an event with other artists, we are able to showcase our members’ unique charms and CIX songs to the audience, providing them with something new. We think it’s an opportunity to promote what kind of group CIX is to new people who don’t quite know who we are. On the other hand, FIX takes up the majority of the audience for our own tour, and they’re our fans who like us and come to see us. Therefore, there are times when reactions from the audience feel different between an event and our own tour.

allkpop: Do you have any routines or preparations you do before stepping on stage?

YONGHEE: My habit is to eat something to gain strength and to train my image by listening to the song I’ll perform. I also try to relax by chatting with the members.

SEUNGHUN: I don’t have any special habits or preparations, but one thing I do is drink water to keep my throat from drying out for a better condition for singing live.

allkpop: Aside from successfully wrapping up a world tour, you broke your personal record in album sales with 'OK’ Episode 2: I'm OK,' and your music video for "Save Me, Kill Me" currently has over 10 million views on YouTube. Congratulations on your achievements! How do the members feel about achieving all these things in 2023 alone? Also, do you have any short- or long-term goals you'd like to achieve for this year and the upcoming year, or maybe 5 years from now? 

BAEJINYOUNG: We’re happy and proud to have completed the world tour and to achieve good results with an album that we prepared diligently in our spare time during the tour. I have the same goal for my short-term and long-term goals; I hope that I will always be healthy without losing my rookie mindset and getting hurt, and be able to promote steadily for a long time.

SEUNGHUN: A lot of people listened to the album and watched the music video, so it feels rewarding as much as we worked hard to prepare it. Also, we are grateful to everyone who helped us during the process. My goal in life is to promote our songs more to the public. I hope more people will listen to our songs.

allkpop: Before we end this interview, would you like to say anything to your fans worldwide? 

BX: We will continue to visit our fans all over the world often, so please stay healthy until then and continue giving us a lot of love! We love you, FIX!

BAEJINYOUNG: Thank you so much for always giving us so much love and support. We will always work hard to become a group that lives up to your expectations and repays your love. Please continue to support us and keep your eyes on our future activities!

Socials:

Website: CIX
FaceBook: @CIX Official
Instagram: @cix.official
YouTube: @CIX Official
TikTok: @cix_official
Twitter: @CIX_twt