Pinned By The Monster

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"Pinned By The Monster" is the debut single of Dutch-Korean singer Kyler Kim, with South Korean rapper Park Junmi as a guest rapper. It was released on February 3, 2025. The song was written by Isaiah Myung, Kyler Kim, and Park Junmi, and produced by Bong Seoyoung of SYNTHIA, Xavier Luna, and Kim Jungwon. "One And A Half", a piano ballad song he originally wrote and composed in 2022, serves as the song's B-side track.

BACKGROUND[]

Kyler Kim and Park Junmi are former members of project boy group SOLUNEX, formed through the globally-watched Star Maker X 101 in 2022. SOLUNEX promoted until the end of their contract in the first half of 2024, which led to members debuting in new groups, pursuing solo careers, or retiring from the music industry altogether. Collaborations between the members were among the hypothetical outcomes that were anticipated by former fans of SOLUNEX, with the most anticipated pairing being Kyler and Junmi, who were known for being close friends since the show.

Just months prior, Kyler had expressed a lengthy intent to quit the entertainment industry and return to the Netherlands to "bravely take the decision of following where his heart goes", but did not express that this was because of the suffocation he had felt under the idol life, due to factors that are not just external but also internal, or in other words, originating from himself.

Teasers[]

COMPOSITION[]

In the first half of the chorus, Kyler sings: "I'm pinned by the monster that's from the darkness / get along with the voices inside of my head." The monster represents not only the scrutiny that Kyler and the other SOLUNEX members were subjected to during their time in the limelight, but also his self-inflicted imposter syndrome, perfectionist mentality, and anxious thoughts that suffocated his ability to continuously enjoy performing as a singer. In the second half of the chorus, Kyler calls out the actions of unconstructive critics, anonymous netizens, and toxic fans, who mask their vitriol with backhanded opinions and unsympathetic comments, thinking it will strengthen them as a person when it does nothing but tear them apart: "You're trying to tell me, "stop holding your breath" / And you think I'm crazy, yeah, you think I'm crazy / Well, that's nothin"

During his rap verses, Park Junmi brings some of the introspective and poetic sentiments that was previously seen in his critically acclaimed debut album Broadcasting Live From The Spiral. He expresses how he does crave recognition for his art and talent just like any other idol in the survival-of-the-fittest K-pop industry, but still honestly does not want the part where he is overworked by demanding schedules and is under the watching eyes of paparazzis and dangerous fans. Nonetheless, he did not complain about it while promoting, because it has been ingrained in him that sacrificing his personal life and privacy is a necessary prerequisite to receiving love and interest from others. He raps about the times where he had irrational thoughts about wanting to quit or losing his passion for being an idol, but remembers all the people who admire him for who he is and engage with his craft because they connect to it, and thus, he continues to fight for his place within the entertainment industry, no matter how toiling and cutthroat it can be for artists like him.

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE[]

"Pinned By The Monster" debuted at #46 on the Circle Digital Chart issue ending February 8, 2025. The following week, the song leaped to #10, before peaking at #1 on the week ending February 22, 2025. The song charted within the top 3 in South Korea for 20 consecutive weeks, and recorded over 20 Perfect All-Kills (PAKs). Elsewhere, the song earned top 30 positions in Hong Kong and Singapore, while peaking at #80 on the Billboard Philippines Hot 100. In Spotify, the song earned 2,182,232 streams in its first week.

MUSIC VIDEO[]

The music video for "Pinned By The Monster" opens with a narration from Kwon Aheon, who is also a former SOLUNEX member and ex-groupmate of Kyler and Junmi. Aheon delivers a narration about how being under the spotlight is a double edged sword that can both cultivate and demolish one's self-identity and ability to feel human. In the opening scene, Kyler is seen listening to Aheon's voicemail with his earphones on, while slumped on a couch in front of television that sets that are broadcasting past videos of him on survival shows, performing in music shows, and running across an airport terminal while being followed by a mob of fans. As a ticking clock increasingly gets louder in the background and lights begin to flicker, the screens switch to creepy "lost media" videos of a man submerged in deep waters or walking into a dark forest, while being chased by masked figures recording him with their phone.

Kyler wakes up from the nightmare and switches to the main setting of the music video, a dimly lit therapist office in the middle of a winter storm, in which Kyler plays the patient and Junmi is the therapist. They sing their lyrics and verses like they are sharing experiences with each other, interspersed with individual scenes of Junmi sprawled out on a concrete platform that is slowly going down endless floors filled with nothing but crowds who are either blankly observing or aggressively trying to grab him, with a design reminiscent of the 2019 dystopian film The Platform. Kyler is seen in a basement parking lot wearing a black hoodie and seemingly trying to hide from something, before a black van with demonic masked passengers inside pulls into the vicinity and he desperately runs towards the stairs, narrowly escaping a group of security guards before ending up in an auditorium's platform. Behind him, a video of his audition performances from Sol Puzzle and Star Maker X 101 plays, before the closed curtains reveal a crowd of enthusiastic fans, causing his lips to curl into a small smile before the music video cuts to black.

LIVE PERFORMANCES[]

Music show performances[]

February 7, 2025 - Smile Groove Music Show (with Junmi)
February 8, 2025 - Rankdown @ MBS (with Junmi)
February 9, 2025 - Hallyumak (with Junmi)
February 10, 2025 - Beat Bop (with Junmi)
February 11, 2025 - Battleground K: Music Dojang! (with Junmi)

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE[]


Chart	Peak chart position
Global 200 (Billboard)	88
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)	80
South Korea (Circle)	1
Singapore (RIAS)	25

COVERS[]

The song was performed by contestants Hong Jaehyun, Benjamin Castro, Leonardo Chen, and Kim Jeonghoon in the Position Battle round of 2025 reality audition program Into The Spotlight.

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS[]

This section of Pinned By The Monster is currently incomplete or outdated, and may not accurately or precisely reflect the most up-to-date details about the subject of the page.

RELEASE HISTORY[]


Region	Date	Format	Label
Various	February 3, 2025	Digital download, streaming, radio airplay	24D Arts