. ever since the Atlanta-born musician very first debuted in 2013 under K-Pop label B2M Entertainment, he’s gained the help of scores of lovers, creating audio that talks to audiences from all over the whole world. Over the past decade, he’s turned record labeling, labored on a number of songs jobs, was the star in selection shows, and complete even more. However now, he’s willing to smack the resume option.

“we visited Korea to follow tunes, and I spent 10 years around developing a profession,” the guy tells REPORT . “I positively love Korea. I adore the individuals, my buddies, the opportunities that it gave me and every little thing. The good news is we are coming back again residence. I’m wanting to think of this as like crushed zero again — like we’re reconstructing.”

The theory for his very own reinvention came about throughout pandemic. This period for Nam, since it got for other people, turned an opportunity for refocusing and reflection. The very first time in a bit, the guy didn’t have to get on an airplane to someplace, no hectic schedule, no spots becoming or visitors to read. The whole world is at a standstill, and that offered him plenty of time to appear within and create a whole record which is extremely private to your and in what way the guy lives their lifestyle. It really is known as There and Rear.

“One thing that is method of led to this record album merely this journey of character and like discovering where the audience is and just who I am as an Asian US man,” he clarifies. “And I think [the Asian neighborhood] had a hard history eighteen months made worse by pandemic. Suffering that type of required us to contemplate whom Im, the thing I perform men seeking women, and just why I do the things that i really do.”

Video-calling in from Los Angeles, with a seashore in Cancun as their background, Nam chats with PAPER as to what he’s come as much as, their newly-released unmarried and music videos for “I’m not sure You any longer” and that exciting time in his audio career.

“I don’t have a K-Pop label behind myself anymore, in fact it is something I think I wanted for some time.”

It’s been a rough past year or two for everyone. How did you handle every little thing taking place?

If absolutely a gold coating into the mess that people’re residing in, it could be the company, Dive Studios, that my personal brothers and I receive therefore’ve been building collectively. Therefore lots of time and energy went into getting that to good place. I would work at plunge and carrying out the business issues typically in the day, after which overnight, or like once weekly, 2 times weekly, sometimes I might go reach create. Hence is a lot like my therapies opportunity.

And also you completed a complete record album! Why could you be phoning Here and Back Again your own “new age”?

I don’t have a K-Pop label behind myself anymore, which is things i do believe i desired for some time. But it’s very nerve-wracking to express, “Okay, I’m doing this alone now.” Therefore I believe in this feel, its a time. I think musically, i love to challenge myself personally and my personal producers plus the writers that We use to sort of one-up every record album, or every production. And that I believe the 2018 to 2020 days was like, most, really middle for the lane, like feel great, effortless pop music. And I also consider you will find certainly odds and ends from it contained in this record, but we had gotten much more innovative making use of the sounds and in addition we have pretty experimental in terms of the root and the tunes.

Lyrically, it is not more severe, i recently state it is raised. Here is the longest opportunity I spent writing an album. Typically whenever I might possibly be writing records in the past, I would personally fly in from whatever area of the community I became in, spend 5 days in LA, a day or two in Nashville. And whenever we got out-of that writing camp is the record. Therefore it is most rushed. But now, it had been enjoy from March up to now just creating as numerous meeting that you can and like refining and refining, and refining, and finding out and collaborating. Therefore it absolutely was a rather different process in that way.

You’re starting things down with the discharge of “I Don’t Know You Anymore.” What is they in regards to?

“I’m not sure your Anymore” originated a big, dark colored hole of in which I was, emotionally. I’d like a huge, huge substantial battle. It actually was like a conflation, or a huge accident of myself not being really stressed. I believe I happened to be truly afraid. But in addition like obtaining the folks that i truly, truly dependable. I simply considered most, very misinterpreted. And I feel it’s possible to have battles, or you can have disagreements, or you can proceed through a breakup and you are similar, “If only i did not learn you,” “I am not sure your anymore,” or “you’ve altered in many tactics.” “You’re unrecognizable for me.” It does not have to be passionate. It might you should be family. And it also might be nothing. And so it was those types of circumstances. So I moved on audio composing program, I happened to be thus crazy like, this is the one and only thing I could think about, and so I thought, “Let’s write about this.”