NI-KI is turning his long-held dream into reality. And in the process, he’s discovering the unique style of singing, dancing, and everything else that defines him.

Your ASMR’s becoming really popular. (laughs)
NI-KI: Really? That’s good to hear. (laughs) I honestly didn’t expect it. I’m glad it’s not just ENGENE but ASMR fans who enjoy it, too. I never thought it would get such a good response. (laughs)

You use items from around your room when you do ASMR that reflect your personal style. Is home decor something you’re into?
NI-KI: I’ve always liked decorating things. Once I got my own room, I picked out the furniture and decor, and spent some time researching designs to try and make it a comfortable place to hang out. I don’t really like bright spaces, so I bought a lamp with a warm light to make my room feel darker. It makes watching movies a really immersive experience. (laughs) I always watch movies that line up with our concepts whenever we’re about to have a comeback. For the latest album, I watched 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days to explore the emotion of love.

What about it resonated with you?
NI-KI: The female lead speaks Japanese, and the male lead speaks Mandarin, and there are times where they struggle to communicate with each other because of the language barrier. I had similar issues communicating when I first came to Korea since I’m Japanese. I could relate to the challenge of getting to know someone under difficult circumstances, too.

On that note, what do you see as the message behind your new single, “No Doubt”?
NI-KI: Being in love can make you worry or feel anxious, but when you’ve been together a long time, there’s trust there, too. I approached it with that sense of trust in mind. Even though we have no choice but to be apart from ENGENE at times, we trust each other after coming this far together. When I was practicing, I had my mind on that reassurance that we love each other. I tend to sing in this really breathy way, so it felt natural expressing those emotions. The song’s also got a lot of low notes, so I felt like it was a good fit for me. (laughs)

Where do you place your focus when recording vocals to really bring out your vocal strengths?
NI-KI: I spent a lot of time thinking about how best to bring out my voice when singing in the low to mid-range. I don’t like it when my voice sounds even the tiniest bit like it’s not me, so even if they say it’s okay, I still ask to do it again. Every one of us has to find our own signature sound. I’ve become determined over the years to come up with my own style for singing and dancing that nobody but I can do. I might not be great when it comes to high notes, but being able to hit low notes like I do is a plus by itself. It means my voice sounds soothing when I sing ballads and things, and I can also add a lot of oomph to harder ones like hip hop songs, which is another strength of mine.

You also brought your signature carefree vibe to the “No Doubt” choreography.
NI-KI: The song has sexy, stylish, sophisticated choreography. I believe a song’s message should always be reflected through facial expressions and movements. I put a lot of thought into the facial expressions, like how I frown on the words, “you’re my answer,” and I focused on dancing softly at a controlled pace since it’s a chill track. ENHYPEN’s going into our fifth year now, and I hope people can feel the difference in how much sexier we are after five years. (laughs) Everyone in the group brings something unique to their parts, so I hope people enjoy watching it.

What’s the most important point to consider for a perfect performance?
NI-KI: Personally, I find what I do with my head is super important. It’s what makes the performance feel dynamic and energetic. I practically use a full can of hairspray to hold my hair in place for concerts. Even if I use that much spray to give myself bankkan bangs [down over one side of the forehead, slicked back on the other], by the time we get to the end, it’s turned into deommeo bangs [covering the whole forehead]. (laughs)  And when ENGENE cheers really loudly or gets me excited, I start ad-libbing without realizing it, which is really weird but cool. I don’t even plan it in advance—it just comes to me on the spot, like, How about I try this? Moments like that are so amazing that they make me think I was born to do this.

You did some old-school hip hop for the STUDIO CHOOM Artist Of The Month series, and it was really fascinating to see a different side of you from when you’re with ENHYPEN.
NI-KI: One of the backup dancers was my hip hop dance instructor back when I was a trainee. It was a little weird. I wanted to show how much I’ve improved since my trainee days, and all the feelings I had when I first fell in love with dance came back to me—like I was a trainee again. (laughs) Back then, I was absolutely determined to debut. It was do or die. So I approached Artist Of The Month with the same kind of determination, looking at it like my first and last chance—like I couldn’t not take the opportunity to show people an image that’s uniquely me. And anyway, I was there representing ENHYPEN, so I felt I had to do a good job. That’s why I insisted on doing hip hop. Thankfully, everything I wanted to do was incorporated into it, and I’m truly grateful and happy with the high-quality result.

I heard you had a lot of input on everything from the outfits to the choice of song, choreography, camera angles, and lighting.
NI-KI: I always watch a lot of videos of dancers doing choreography and at competitions. Not only are they amazing at making choreography, but they have great fashion sense and even work on the lighting. Watching stuff like that made me want to get actively involved in making content. Actually, I was busy with so many different things when the request came in, so part of me was worried, but once I got started, it was a ton of fun. I reviewed my dancing so much because I wanted everything to be perfect right from the outset, so now I have tons of videos of me practicing on my phone. We shot 14 hours’ worth of footage—long enough to fly to the US and back. (laughs) But it was so fantastic that sometimes I fantasize about going back to that time. I still watch that video.

You have a well-documented interest in fashion, and your old-school 1980s fashion in that video is really attention-grabbing.
NI-KI: I thought it was a good fit for the choreo. There’s so many styles of dance from the ’80s and ’90s that are still legendary even today, so we talked a lot about wanting choreography that would fit the outfits while getting ready for Artist Of The Month. I gave them some ideas on how I could dress in a way that would both make me stand out and look good with dancers dressed in the classic ’80s matchup of baggy jeans with Timberland boots. I was in constant talks with the visual team and I think we managed to find a good style.

Your outfit at the ‘WALK THE LINE’ IN GOYANG sound check got people talking, too. You seem to be good at pulling off unique fashion choices.
NI-KI: At some point, I started wanting to dress well at sound checks and places like airports, even when I’m just wearing regular clothes. I wanted to show ENGENE that I can dress well, so I’ve been studying up on my own and talking it over with the styling team. I search through popular magazines and fashion archives for fits and tones I can pull off. But finding clothes I truly love is hard. (laughs) I’m really into clothes with patches lately. What I’m wearing right now has patches. I searched really hard to find it, so I love it all the more. I love it.

There are many points in your concerts where teamwork shines through, like at the ‘WALK THE LINE’ IN GOYANG show, where you playfully teased SUNOO during “Your Eyes Only,” and encouraged JAY with a “you can do it!” during the encore.
NI-KI: When I’m at a concert, I lower my guard. I bounce around when things get exciting, feel close to the rest of the group, joke around when I feel like it. (laughs) I’ve had ENGENE tell me lately, “All you want to show anymore is your cool side!” But that’s not true. I want to be a cool guy, obviously, but I don’t like forcing a fake look. ENGENE seems to like it more when I’m emotionally open during our own concerts. They still see me as a little kid. Oh well. Can’t be helped. (laughs)

But you do have a serious side. After the FATE PLUS tour, you wrote on Weverse, “Thanks to the rest of the group, the seven of us can overcome anything. I’m extremely thankful for them.”
NI-KI: I want us all to do a good job and make it together. I think the reason we’ve made it this far is because we all make up for each other’s shortcomings. I have a lot to be thankful for. There was plenty to worry about when we first started getting ready for concerts and tense moments, but the more we’ve worked together, the more things seem possible. They’ve all been a huge source of strength for me just by quietly taking care of me and being there by my side. I felt too embarrassed to say it out loud, but on the inside, I depended on them. I want to do whatever I’m able to and help them out whenever they need it. I’m really proud of all the hard work we put into our concerts and what we make in the end, and I’m glad ENHYPEN loves it just as much.

Come to think of it, you’re the same age now as HEESEUNG was during the Mnet series I-LAND and as SUNGHOON, JAKE, and JAY were for BORDER: CARNIVAL. (laughs)
NI-KI: Heheh… At the time, I wanted to hurry up and be an adult like them so I could pull off every concept like them. That might just sound like I was saying “I wanna grow up!” but what I really wanted was to have a competitive edge as an artist. (laughs)

You became an adult this year. How have things felt different since then?
NI-KI: My personality’s changed a lot. Even as recently as the year after we debuted I was still really extroverted, but I’ve calmed down a lot since then. And I feel like I’ve really grown since I can assess different situations with an objective eye. I used to follow along with whatever other people wanted me to do, but I’m a lot more driven and proactive now. I’m happy with that since who I am now feels like the real Nishimura Riki. I’m in the process of showing my true colors.

In your debut interview, you said that being onstage at the Tokyo Dome for a SHINee concert made you determined to “be the one on that stage someday.” What was it like returning to the Tokyo Dome?
NI-KI: I got really emotional. Riding the lift by myself and looking out from the stage, I saw the same view from when I was a kid dancer for SHINee. I could even see my parents looking at me and smiling. I tried to hold it in all the way to the end, but once I got to “BLOSSOM,” I couldn’t hold back anymore. It confirmed to me that all my hard work had been worth it, and that was extremely moving for me. I was overjoyed. It was one of the single most memorable performances I’ve ever put on. It made me hope that ENGENE feels the same way as I do at all our concerts. I still get sentimental when I watch videos from that day.

Is that why you’re always saying that you want to repay ENGENE by putting on even better performances for them?
NI-KI: Yes, because performing onstage is, in my opinion, the most important part of my job, and what I strive to do best at. I believe that doing my very best onstage and sending good vibes their way is how I can return the love ENGENE gives me.

You can’t see love with your eyes, but I think it’s visible to ENGENE thanks to all your effort. Are there moments for you, too, where you almost feel you can see ENGENE’s love in concert?
NI-KI: While on tour, I saw deaf ENGENE in the audience signing with their friends. They might not be able to hear our music, but they still came to enjoy our concert. And isn’t that true love? That’s something I was able to feel and experience because we had the opportunity to meet so many ENGENE, and that made touring even more special to me. It was like my heart was singing from that moment on.

After the FATE world tour, you wrote on Weverse, “One long journey comes to an end, only for a new one to begin, so I hope you’ll come find us again soon.” In your original Japanese, why did you describe your concerts not using the more common term “tour” but instead using the word “journey”?
NI-KI: For me, that whole experience added up to a journey. Visiting all those cities, regions, countries, feeling the culture unique to each place, trying the food only available there, breathing in their air, meeting all the people… That’s what makes tours so exciting. I had such a wonderful time getting to see so many ENGENE during that, so I wrote “journey.”

What kind of “journeys” do you hope to have with ENGENE in the future?
NI-KI: A journey held together by a strong bond. (laughs) I want to work hard at what I love, take good care of ENGENE, and be with them for a long time. And I want to stay true to myself—not put up a facade, just be genuine. So I’m living my best life and giving it my all so I won’t have any regrets later on. Even if I can’t change the past, I can still shape the future through my actions.