EL CAPITXN is turning the spotlight on his own story.
Released on 6 November, the artist and producer’s debut full-length album, WHO KILLED EL?, brings together 12 tracks spanning rock, orchestral music, gospel, classical music and pop. Having helped shape music for BTS, SUGA, Jung Kook and IU, he now explores his journey from singer to producer, the loss of his former singing voice and his determination to continue taking the stage.
“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 shares. “It holds both my longing for what I’ve lost and my desire to keep taking the stage with my own music.”
Focus track ‘Sing This Song For Me’ features Jagwar Twin and The Social Reject Choir, with its dramatic development and Jagwar Twin’s vocal expression central to EL’s vision. He approaches choosing collaborators much as a director casts actors, seeking out the individual phrasing and imperfections that give each voice its character.
The album also features BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT, Jeris Johnson, Bohnes, Rence, Muni Norodom, Cautious Clay, Samuel Harness and Aidan Laurent Kim.
On ‘Damage’, featuring Jeris Johnson, EL revisits the anger and hurt that success as a producer could not erase. The song returns to a period when he was told to find another path, questioning whether those watching his transformation understood him or were simply drawn to his adversity.
Meanwhile, ‘Don’t Say Love’, featuring Los Angeles band BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT, explores how a fear of abandonment can lead someone to push love away. Released on 23 October, the single draws on the band’s raw delivery to convey that conflict, alongside the frustration of having something urgent to express but feeling unable to do so.
EL’s approach extends beyond the recordings. His dark, cinematic imagery and theatrical presence are conceived alongside the music, with the artist imagining how each song will look and feel onstage while producing it.
Born Jang Yi-jeong, EL debuted as HISTORY’s main vocalist in 2013 and featured on IU’s ‘Friday’ that same year. After losing his singing voice, he redirected his work towards songwriting and production, building a catalogue that includes Agust D’s ‘Daechwita’, BTS’ ‘Telepathy’, IU’s ‘eight’ featuring SUGA, and PSY’s ‘That That’.
As the founder of VENDORS PRODUCTION, he has continued developing his own music alongside his work with other artists. For this project, his collaboration with EMPIRE supports his ambition to retain creative control while reaching listeners internationally.
WHO KILLED EL? follows ‘Breaking Through’, featuring TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Taehyun and Jeremy Zucker, as well as EL’s first global tour. His shows across Europe, North America and South America, including London, Los Angeles and São Paulo, introduced the project to audiences ahead of its release.
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