EXO’s Lay Gets Real About Debuting In A Group Before Becoming A Solo Artist—And Whether Or Not He Regrets It

He’s now active as a soloist.

EXO‘s Lay is currently one of the hottest solo artists around.

EXO’s Lay (Zhang Yixing) | @layzhang/Instagram

The Chinese singer made his name known in 2012 as a member of SM Entertainment‘s boy group EXO. He was acknowledged far and wide for his incredible dancing skills and eventually for his all-rounder capabilities as well.

The latter was emphasized when he debuted solo in 2016 with “what U Need?” With other songs like “Sheep,” “NAMANANA,” “Honey,” and “Veil” being released over the years, he grew as an individual performer.

In a recent interview with the Zach Sang Show on YouTube, Lay was asked about his thoughts on debuting as a member of a group and if he would have preferred to go solo straight away instead.

The artist in question replied in the negative, saying that even back then he knew that the future was not set in stone. His mindset was always to do his best in whatever situation he is put in.

I don’t know the future, you know? I don’t know what’s gonna happen. So I just make sure to do what I can do and trust [in the process].

— Lay

Rather than thinking he would have had a brighter future if he debuted solo, he said that his present is a result of his past. He was confident that he could have reached the same level of success no matter where he started.

If you try hard and work hard and practice hard, you will get the same result.

— Lay

In the end, Lay said that he has no regrets about starting his career as a member of a K-Pop group.

It doesn’t matter if it’s [in a] group or solo [or if you’re going to] debut or not debut. Just go for it.

— Lay

Lay (fifth from the left) in 2013 with the original EXO lineup | SM Entertainment
Lay in 2022 as a solo artist | @layzhang/Instagram
Source: YouTube

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