He speaks to Rolling Stone Korea about showing new sides of himself through his music, the challenges of survival programme Peak Time, when he misses the B.A.P members most and how the K-Pop scene has changed since the days of ONE SHOT...

Why did you give SOME that title and what does it mean?

The title is called SOME because it shows a part of myself. It is some part of myself. If you look at all the songs, every song feels like a different colour and style. It’s not me as a whole but a different part. It’s all some parts of me. That’s why I chose the title. Going beyond that I feel like this album is also some part of me, it’s just one part. I believe that it also contains the idea that there are endless sides of myself to show to the world, and this album is just one part of it.

How is SOME different from your first mini album US?

US was a medium temp song and it was groovy with a lot of good balance to it. It’s one of those songs that whenever you listen to it there’s a different part to really enjoy. SOME, especially the song X.O.X., is very performance driven, a lot of visuals and high energy with a lot of impactful scenes. I think that’s the difference between the two.

Is there a song on SOME that is most personal to you and why?

I think it’s the title song Common, and there’s also an English version to this song. The English version was definitely a challenge to record, there was a lot of time dedicated to that. Also the whole song is somewhat of a new genre for me, it’s funky pop. It feels the most personal to me. I also enjoy listening to the song myself!

How have you changed your performance style since going solo?

When you’re part of a team, you think I have to show my part and make sure that my part has impact. That is often the focus when you’re a member of a group. However, when you’re a solo artist the idea of filling up the whole stage alone…it’s a different idea. I feel like the balance of focusing on the overall flow of the entire performance, and when you kill it, you’re killing it. There is that balance that needs to be had when you’re doing a solo performance.
 

Are there times where you miss having other members?

I definitely miss having others with me. Sometimes when you’re doing activities alone, or outside the stage when you’re going to schedules sometimes you get bored. It’s just you. Sometimes if there’s pressure, you’re taking the pressure alone and during those times I often think of the members. On the stage there is also a difference. When I was talking earlier about individual members showing an impact on stage, when you’re doing things as a group and you look at the performance, it can almost be said it’s one impactful scene after another when you switch between members. You see the whole group’s energy. And that feeling on stage and off stage I do miss it every now and then.

How did appearing on Peak Time change your career?

I think it did change a lot of things for me. It changed my career. It was in a way an opportunity to get my name out there again. But if you think about it, here I am today promoting an album, because I met a great company and we made a great album, and this was during Peak Time so here I am.

What was the toughest part of Peak Time and how did you overcome it?

A lot of things were hard. When I was with the 24:00 team, there were new people to get synchronized with and you have to work as a team. It’s really hard, and it takes a lot of time. Even when the show was ending, we were still working on that. The thing that might have been a big challenge was the dance contest. We’re competing dancer to dancer and I was the main dancer of BAP and I thought if I don’t show what I can do, I felt like I would have been letting down the B.A.P. name. The only thing I could do to overcome that was practise and that’s the only thing that works, so I kept on practising.

How do you try to maintain a private life?

Honestly I find it’s easier than people might think. I keep my personal life very personal, it’s like a different world. So whatever happens I don’t let it bother me. Even being noticed in the street, I still get surprised.

How has the idol industry changed for you since B.A.P. were active?

I feel like early in BAP’s career I think it was about the image, the message, the energy of the stage and the performance and that was what a lot of people placed importance on. Nowadays it feels different. Don’t get me wrong, the colour is still important – the colour you bring and the style you bring as an artist is very important – but I feel like there are also a lot of trends people follow these days. Being on the right trends at the right time. For example all these short form videos like Reels or TikTok, they are very short yet impactful. It was surprising because when I was in the dressing room of a broadcasting station, everyone was filming a challenge. K-Pop became even more mainstream with a lot of mini performances coming into it.

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We asked Jong Up for his thoughts on some of the newer K-Pop groups and what he thinks makes them stand out…

KISS OF LIFE

I pay a lot of attention to them. They have very modern songs and great performances. Even their style, they have a lot of good elements of pop. These girls make a really good combination. Also it’s true that I’m a friend of theirs and I’m rooting for them.

NewJeans

They always lead the trends. I like their music. They’re the group that you always have to check out their music when they release, because they’re the ones that lead the trend in this industry.

Stray Kids

They have a very impactful performance. They won an award in the US not so long ago, so I want to congratulate them on that. I always look at them for their performance. They’ve always had an impactful performance and even now their energy is still alive and strong. So I cheer them on. I get excited to see the new Stray Kids performance. I also want to mention their choreographer also did my song XOX and US, so we have this connection and I look forward to their performances.

LE SSERAFIM

It’s hard to describe them because they have their own voice and their own style. First, they have this mainstream appeal but they also seem a little bit dark and sophisticated and slick. They’re one of their groups that stand out in a class of their own and they’re one of the groups that I get excited to see what their comeback is like.

Any other boy groups you like these days?

B.A.P.!

SOME is out now.

Photographs by M.A Entertainment