Ten Lee On Going Solo And Growing Into His Many Facets

There are not many people who can claim to be a veteran of their field at just 28 years old. But the Thailand-born, K-pop sensation Ten Lee—known popularly by his first name only—is not like most people. He made his debut as part of the chart-topping boyband NCT in 2016—which is a very long time ago in K-pop years. In 2019, he became part of both WayV, the Chinese sub-group of NCT, and SuperM, an Avengers-style team-up of members from SM Entertainment’s biggest bands. Ten has also been periodically releasing solo music since 2017 with one-off singles. 

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It is in those latter works that the singer and dancer has demonstrated a taste for experimentation and reinvention. While 2021’s Paint Me Naked saw Ten giving upbeat dance-pop, 2022’s Birthday found him in sultry R&B mode. But this past February, the fullest expression of his versatility came to fruition with the release of TEN – The 1st Mini Album, a six-track project that showcased his range as a solo artist. On it, he glides effortlessly between sounds and personas. The dark, pulsating synths of Nightwalker give way to echoes of Latin influences in Water; Dangerous is all R&B-pop slickness, On Ten features hip-hop stylings, while Lie With You is a mid-tempo pop banger. Here, Ten tells us in an exclusive chat about his personal and professional growth, and his constant quest for newness. 

What is something you’ve been into lately?
Recently, I’ve just been walking around a lot and looking at furniture, interiors, objects. I’ve been inspired by a lot of art pieces. And nowadays, I’m just getting back on my feet—just doing a lot of design work and creating art. 

Why do you do what you do? 
What I like about being a singer and dancer is that every time we have to create a new album, there’s always something new for me to discover. And like with art, there’s no right answer. So every time when I get to create something, it’s just me and our team just trying to figure out stuff. It’s like an endless puzzle, and I never get bored of it.

Is there something new you’ve recently discovered about yourself? 
Before, I liked something that is very delicate in terms of movement. Now, I’m more into something a little rough, maybe like hip-hop [-inspired], or say, doing a lot of gestures rather than dancing. I love dancing. But now I also want to just do more of whatever I feel like onstage. 

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You’ve been performing for a long time—are there any moments that stand out to you as extra meaningful?
I would say releasing my solo album this year, because it is the first time I get to officially be a soloist. As part of a group, I get to say my opinions as well. But as a soloist, I have more opportunity to express myself with the choreography, the fashion, or the song I want to showcase to my fans. I am involved a lot more and that has helped me grow a lot as an artist.

What is the biggest difference in your creative process when you’re working in a group vs. working solo? 
As a soloist, I get to figure out what I really want to do or like. I always want to try something that is new to me, like clothes I’ve never tried before. Even if it might look strange or unfamiliar to the audience, but to me it’s important that I do something new. As a group, it’s more of figuring out what kind of choreography or what kind of fashion would fit us as a team rather than for an individual. You have to find that balance between each member and yourself.  

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When do visuals come into your process? Can you already envision the fashion and aesthetics when you start working on a piece of music? 
The visuals come to me when I listen to the demos—very early in the process. I think fashion and music are very similar. When you listen to the little things, like the instruments in a song, you can get a feel for what kind of fashion you want to wear. And sometimes it can be more abstract—like maybe the song and the fashion do not match, but in a way, that can be kind of a match too. I think it’s fun to play with fashion. 

What was the main thing that you wanted to express with this solo album?
My first solo album, TEN, is about me trying to discover myself—who is Ten, what can he do? I’ve been working in groups for a very long time, and I have been exposed to a lot of different music genres. But as a solo artist, what kind of songs or genres do I really want to do? I haven’t figured that out yet so I’m just experimenting with myself. 

How do you think you’ve grown as a person?
Lately, I’ve been inspired to just do the best I can for today, and not to think too much about the future. In the past, the things I’ve experienced would worry me all the time. But starting from this year, I kind of stopped thinking about the past and I also don’t think too much about the future. I just want to try and do my best day by day. I think it’s just a waste of time to think too much, especially before things even happen. Instead of spending an hour thinking about what’s going to happen, I can be doing a lot of stuff in that hour. 

Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Goh
Photographer: Joel Low
Stylist: Jeffrey Yan
Hair: Nam Daeun / Overmars
Makeup: Kim Hyebeen / Overmars
Personal stylist: Sihyek You
Photographer’s assistant: Eddie Teo
Stylist’s assistant: Raeanne Cheong