After helping shape songs for BTS, SUGA, Jung Kook, and IU, EL CAPITXN is turning to a story he knows more intimately: his own. The producer and artist has released ‘Don’t Say Love’, a rock-driven collaboration with Los Angeles band Beauty School Dropout, ahead of his debut full-length album, WHO KILLED EL?, arriving on 6 November.
Released on 23 October, the single explores the frustration of having something to express but being unable to give it voice. For EL CAPITXN, that feeling comes from his experience of losing his singing voice and finding another way to make music.
“Even after losing my singing voice, I never stopped wanting to express love and sing in my own voice,” he shared. “‘Don’t Say Love’ captures the frustration of wanting to express something but being unable to—and the desire that remains despite it.”
That experience also runs through WHO KILLED EL?, which spans rock, orchestral music, gospel, classical music, and pop. The record traces his path from singer to producer, holding his longing for what he lost alongside his determination to perform his own material.
“For the first time, I’ve brought together my story in one album, from starting out as a singer, to losing my singing voice, and building a life as a producer,” he said. “It holds both my longing for what I’ve lost and my desire to keep taking the stage with my own music.”
Born Jang Yi-jeong, EL CAPITXN first gained attention on MBC’s Star Audition: The Great Birth before debuting as HISTORY’s main vocalist in 2013. After stepping away from singing, he built a songwriting and production career with credits including Agust D’s ‘Daechwita’, BTS’ ‘Telepathy’, IU’s ‘eight’ featuring SUGA, and PSY’s ‘That That’. He also founded Vendors Production and has amassed a catalogue of more than 100 songs.
Earlier this year, he introduced his solo material with ‘Breaking Through’, featuring TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Taehyun and Jeremy Zucker, and embarked on his first global tour.
A music video for ‘Don’t Say Love’, directed by Carnivald, will follow on 26 October at 8AM PT (11PM SGT). Its black-and-white imagery takes the song into a theatrical, gothic setting, exploring the tension between the sacred and sinister.
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