What emerged from that hesitant reappraisal was a track that would resonate deeply across continents. With its hazy synths and melancholic undertones, “Blue” captures a mood many listeners find difficult to put into words. “People always tell me it feels like falling in love,” Kai says, “or like remembering something you’ve never actually lived through.” The song’s dreamy, nostalgic quality taps into a universal ache; a longing for a moment that might never have happened, but feels vividly real all the same.

As “Blue” began to take on a life of its own, so did the calls for a remix. Fans flooded Kai’s messages with suggestions, and the buzz grew too loud to ignore. When the idea of collaborating with a K-pop artist was floated, Kai immediately jumped at the chance. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next: Minnie of I-dle, one of the genre’s most beloved voices, agreed to join the project.

“She’s my bias,” he says, laughing, still a little stunned. “I used to watch I-dle religiously back in high school. I never imagined I’d even meet her, let alone collaborate with her.” For Kai, whose journey began with late-night writing sessions in his bedroom, stepping into the studio with someone he once watched through a screen felt like crossing into another reality. “Seeing her record live—it was surreal.”

Despite his initial nerves, the collaboration came together effortlessly. Still, Kai doesn’t downplay how overwhelming it was at first. “I’d only ever seen her on screen. Standing next to her, working together, it was hard to process” he reflects. The moment marked a turning point, not just professionally, but personally, as a reminder of how far he’d come from that quiet night on Discord when “Blue” was just a rough idea and a feeling.

Kai’s music doesn’t just sound cinematic, it’s intentionally crafted that way. Every chord progression, lyric, and melodic choice is filtered through a visual lens. He constantly imagines how each track might accompany a moment on screen, building entire emotional scenes in his head as he writes. “I think, ‘could this play during the first time they hold hands? Or the first kiss?’” he says. “If I can’t picture it, I scrap the song. If I can, I keep it.” It’s a method that’s deeply instinctual, and it gives his music a distinct emotional arc. I like to describe it as the soundtrack to a story you didn’t know you were living. It’s no surprise, then, that Kai hopes to eventually bring that sensibility to the screen in a more literal way. “A hundred percent, if I get the chance to do a soundtrack for a drama, I’m in.”

Behind his unique sound lies years of quiet study and deep admiration for artists who’ve mastered emotional storytelling through music. Kai credits Keshi, Lofi, and especially Wave to Earth as formative influences. “They’re literally my biggest influence,” he says. “The way they write—it’s poetic. Their lyrics read like poetry, even without the music.”

Determined to understand what made their work so affecting, Kai spent years deconstructing their songs — analyzing structure, internalizing how they layered instruments, how they let space and silence speak. “Of course I’m not copying,” he adds. “But I’m learning.” That learning process has become part of his signature: an evolving blend of intimacy, nostalgia, and cinematic longing that feels both deeply personal and universally felt.

Having grown up in both Shanghai and Vancouver, Kai’s perspective is shaped by contrast. “Shanghai is a big, busy city. But Vancouver?” he pauses, smiling. “You land and the air just smells different. You see the trees, the ocean, the lakes—it’s peaceful. That’s what inspires my music.” just had to agree with him. As soon as he said it, how the air in Vancouver just smells different, I knew exactly what he meant. It’s something you can’t quite explain until you’ve felt it yourself. There’s a calm that wraps around you the moment you arrive, like the city itself is taking a deep breath and inviting you to do the same. The contrast with Shanghai, with its fast pace and nonstop energy, makes Vancouver feel like another world. The trees, the water, the space to think, it all just clicks. Listening to him talk about how it inspires his music, I could only nod. He wasn’t just describing a place. He was describing a feeling I knew all too well.

Despite his meteoric rise, Kai remains disarmingly down to earth. “It’s still hard to process, honestly,” he says. “But I try to stay humble. I’m living the same life as last year—just with more people recognizing me.” He credits his friends for keeping him grounded. “They’ve been there from the beginning. They’re a huge part of how I stay sane through all this.”

When asked about dream collaborations, Kai doesn’t hesitate. “Wave to Earth, obviously,” he grins. “But also maybe NewJeans. I’d love to work with them one day.” As for advice to his younger self—the kid just making songs for fun? “Trust your gut,” he says thoughtfully. “Don’t force it. If the music’s meant to happen, it will. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”