Singer Kangta, a former member of ’90s K-pop group H.O.T., will release a new album in January, local news reported Thursday.

The 35-year-old singer, who has been busy with acting projects in China, will return to the local music scene with the upcoming album.

“He started recording the new album with a January release date in mind,” an industry insider was quoted as saying in the report.

The upcoming album arrives eight years after his “Eternity” EP from 2008, which was released right before he began his obligatory two years of military service.

During the hiatus, Kangta composed and produced songs for SM Entertainment artists and also released an album with his friends Shin Hye-sung of Shinhwa and singer-actor Lee Ji-hoon under the project group “S.”

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)