Kang Daniel drops 'Blue' while on active military duty

Pre-planned from the start

Kang Daniel dropped the digital single Blue on October 21, 2026. His agency Aira confirmed the track went live through online music platforms that evening.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment move. Blue was fully produced last year, then shelved with one goal in mind: release during his military service. Aira put it plainly: "a track prepared with special care from the initial stage with the goal of release after enlistment."

Daniel co-wrote and co-composed the song alongside BIBLEIN and JUNBEOM, who handled composition and arrangement.

What the song is

Blue sits in R&B territory. Two people sense each other's feelings but neither moves to close the gap—hesitation and excitement layered over a polished melody. An illustrated lyric video dropped with the single, using drawings to map the emotional shifts in the lyrics.

Where Daniel is right now

He enlisted on February 9, 2026. He served as an instructor at the Army Training Center's 25th Education Regiment, then moved into the Army Performance Team (he covered an ATEEZ track with that unit, and the clip spread online). Discharge is scheduled for August 8, 2027.

Daniel debuted as center of Wanna One—the project group from Mnet's Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017—before going solo. Blue keeps his discography moving with roughly ten months of service still ahead.