Seven Years in the Making: Kangmin Steps Out Solo with 'Free Falling'

Seven years is a long time to wait. But for Kangmin (강민), the youngest member of VERIVERY (베리베리), the moment feels less like patience and more like preparation. On March 26, 2026, he steps into his own spotlight with Free Falling, his debut solo single album, and everything from the trailer to the concept photos tells you this was worth every year.

The Album: Free Falling

Jellyfish Entertainment confirmed Free Falling on March 10, 2026 via their official social media channels, dropping a teaser video that immediately set the tone. In it, Kangmin stands still in the rain, wet hair falling across his face, eyes slow and serious. He looks directly into the camera and then away, letting the sound of falling water do the work. The title appears at the end: Free Falling, March 26.

It is a remarkably self-possessed introduction for a solo debut. No flash, no spectacle. Just Kangmin and the rain, letting the image breathe.

Three Moods, One Artist

The concept photos that followed built out the visual world of Free Falling in three distinct chapters: Fidget, Faint, and Fever.

Fidget came first: Kangmin in blue jeans and a short-sleeved knit, casual and unguarded, the kind of photo that makes you feel like you're meeting the real person. Then Faint, which pushed somewhere more cinematic: Kangmin in a white outfit, submerged in a bathtub, the mood serene and slightly unsettling in the best way. And finally Fever, which shattered both: Kangmin with heterochromatic eyes against a dark backdrop, entirely otherworldly.

Taken together, the three concepts sketch an artist who is not settling on a single identity. He wants to show you the full range, the real person and the fantastical version of themselves that only music allows. According to his interview with Singles magazine: "Through this album, I wanted to show the various facets of the person that KANGMIN is. I wish to communicate more closely with the fans through music."

Seven Years With VERIVERY

Kangmin debuted in January 2019 as the youngest member of VERIVERY, the six-member group formed under Jellyfish Entertainment as confirmed by the agency's debut announcement. He was the maknae, the group baby, the one fans watched grow up in real time through fan signs and music show performances and the particular pressure of being the youngest in a group where everyone is watching.

VERIVERY had their moments. They picked up their first music show win in three years with "Red (Beggin')", the title track from their fourth physical single Lost and Found, the kind of win that lands differently when you've been grinding for years without one. Kangmin was there for all of it.

In 2025, he pushed himself further by competing on Mnet's boy group audition show Boys II Planet, a high-pressure format that puts established idol trainees through elimination rounds in front of a national audience. He finished in ninth place per Mnet's official final rankings, one spot outside the debut lineup. For anyone else, that might have read as a setback. For Kangmin, it seemed to light something.

Already Touring, Already Acting

By the time Jellyfish officially announced Free Falling, Kangmin had already been laying the groundwork. At the start of 2026, he completed his first global solo fan meeting tour, "2026 KANGMIN FANMEETING 璨綠 Time: Tainted with Brilliant Light," hitting Seoul (January 31 and February 1), Hong Kong, Osaka, Yokohama, and Taipei according to the tour's official schedule. Five cities, a dedicated fanbase showing up in each one.

He also expanded into acting. Kangmin appeared as Kim Ieon in the premium short-form drama Jump Boy LIVE, which aired on the streaming platform KITS as reported by Soompi. It was his second acting challenge, and the space-hero concept gave him room to work in ways a music video cannot.

When asked about his longer-term ambitions in the Singles interview, Kangmin was specific about what kind of artist he wants to become: "I want to show memorable stages so that, even after a lot of time, people can smile saying to themselves: 'The time when I loved KANGMIN was truly happy'. And I wish to become an artist possessing his own color."

That line is doing a lot of work. He is not chasing a title or a chart position. He is building something meant to last.

What to Watch For

Free Falling drops March 26, 2026 at 6 PM KST on all major music platforms. A physical album is also available. Jellyfish has been rolling out additional promotional content steadily since the announcement, so there is likely more visual material between now and launch.

We've been tracking Kangmin's build-up since the Boys II Planet days, and the trajectory here is clear. The fan meeting tour confirmed his solo audience exists. The acting work confirmed he is expanding, not narrowing. And the Free Falling concept work, across all three photo sets, suggests an artist who has been thinking carefully about how he wants to be seen as an individual.

March 26. Mark it.