In March 2025, it was announced that A.C.E. would not renew their contracts with Beat Interactive, their home since their 2017 debut. It was also announced that the group could continue to use the name A.C.E for future promotions, which suggests hope for a comeback. However, since then, the members have signed on to different companies. KANG YUCHAN (the focus of this post) signed on with WAY BETTER: the home of from20, Hello Gloom, Lim Se Jun (formerly of VICTON) and YYJ. Following this, he made his solo debut after eight years active in KPOP with the single, Champagne Poppin’.

A full English song is on-brand for WAY BETTER. I just didn’t expect an all-English song to be the first out of the gate for KANG YUCHAN. Is it a bad move? Not at all. I really liked the song. Champagne Poppin’ is a sleek and groovy number, with the synth work being the song’s strongest asset. In addition to being sleek and groovy, it also exudes elegance and maturity. I really appreciated the smoothness of the chorus, thanks to KANG YUCHAN’s vocals, the tight synth production and melodies. Though I would have liked something more pronounced to give the chorus something stronger to remember Champagne Poppin’ by. And while I enjoyed the smoothness, it made Champagne Poppin’ feel overly consistent and neutral. The R&B-influenced vocals throughout the song were one of the creative choices that I mentioned before. I really liked this approach, but I also think they add to this issue. KANG YUCHAN’s vocals simply glide over the instrumentation and don’t really anchor itself in it. While the rapping in the second verse was also a neat surprise, I can say the exact same thing about it. Overall, it is a decent debut track. But Champagne Poppin’ just needed something more.

KANG YUCHAN plays a bad boy in the music video for Champagne Poppin’. At the police station after being arrested, KANG YUCHAN runs into the lead female character played by PARK HEE JUNG, who has also been arrested. They end up establishing a relationship in the short time they are held in the police cell, before somehow escaping and overpowering the officers. They then go on the run, taking an old storekeeper hostage in her shop and stealing money from the bank. Essentially, they become a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. In the end, they celebrate their spree and their capture by the police. I liked the story, but thought the ending was pretty tame. I think more of their spree and them running off together would have been a good story (though it doesn’t fit the Bonnie and Clyde story).

Unfortunately, Champagne Poppin’ was not promoted on music shows, and a dance practice video didn’t drop until the middle of his 1st mini-album promotions in November 2025. From that dance practice, the performance was more freestyle than structured. That being said, the performance was laid-back and chill, whilst also cool and smooth.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10