The last time Bang Yongguk spoke to NME, in the middle of his 2019 European tour, he was still grappling with a whirlwind of change. After a lengthy lawsuit against his label that stalled the momentum of his former band B.A.P, a hiatus due to mental health concerns in 2016 and the eventual expiry of his contract in 2018, the K-pop multi-hyphenate launched a brooding solo career that reflected the stormy path behind him.
An introvert with a resoundingly deep voice, darkness suited Bang well. He used his music to talk openly about depression, anxiety and the struggles of being a public figure. Anguish was a motivator, until one day he transmuted it: in the four years since that tour, he swapped labels again, finished his mandatory South Korean military service, wrote songs for other K-pop artists, released a full record (‘BANGYONGGUK’) and two mini-albums – 2022’s ‘2’ and May’s markedly uplifting ‘The Colors of Love’.
It all led him to Europe once again, this time for his second World Tour, ‘The Colors of Bang Yongguk’. Speaking to NME ahead of his concert in Lisbon, the 33-year-old singer seems at ease. He is still a little shy when entering a tiny backstage room at Estúdio Time Out, but quickly loosens up. He laughs at his own answers and, while reserved in most of them, there’s never a stutter – he’s ready to step into light again.
How is the tour going? How have you been feeling about it?
Bang Yongguk: “Everything’s so good. Very fun. I’m excited now that I’m meeting my European fans, [since] I’ve been here four years ago. London was very passionate [yesterday]. As I started the show, it had such a good energy that I felt recharged and ready. I feel like this tour will be very good.”
How did you choose what cities you were visiting in Europe?
Bang Yongguk: “The promoter chose the cities [laughs]. But I want to let you know that Lisbon was a place I truly wanted to perform, which I told them.”
Really? Why?
Bang Yongguk: “I’ve never performed in Portugal before, and I had also heard that the interest in K-pop is slowly growing here.”
You have a lengthy body of work behind you, spanning very different phases of your life. What were some of your priorities when choosing the setlist for this tour?
Bang Yongguk: “On the previous tour, I had a lot more slower, relaxed-vibe songs, so we thought ‘Why not choose energetic and fun songs this time?’ and that’s how we decided the setlist.”
Do you have any rituals before you go on stage?
Bang Yongguk: “I’m not very, you know, high tension in general, as a part of my personality. So one thing I have to do to make sure the concert goes smoothly is to try to hype myself up. Just mentally get in the right mood.”
Your latest album, ‘The Colors of Love’, is very straightforward in its theme. What made you choose to write an album about love?
Bang Yongguk: “I’ve been getting invited to sing at weddings, but I realised ‘Oh, none of my songs will fit [these events]’. I think those invites caused me to have a curiosity [about love] and that’s how I ended up writing this album.”
“The reason [it] was so fun to make is because I had never released an album with songs that focused purely around love before. The song ‘Green’ was probably one of the funnest processes of writing a song for me, recently.”
What was it different about ‘Green’ that you enjoyed the most?
Bang Yongguk: “It’s probably the brightest song I’ve ever made [Laughs].”
What else inspired you to write the songs in this album?
Bang Yongguk: “Obviously, I pulled the majority of it from my own life, but I gained some inspirations from movies and dramas, and my dog also inspired me for ‘Green’. There’s a set of lyrics in the song that I would say to the people I love, my fans and also my dog, so I find that very fun.”
Aside from exploring new themes, in what other ways have you evolved since your previous releases?
Bang Yongguk: “I feel a lot more free compared to my previous albums, creativity-wise. Because I get to do what I want [now], I feel like I’m able to write songs that a lot more people can relate to and enjoy.”
Were there any other constraints or challenges that you overcame recently?
Bang Yongguk: “These days, if something hard happens I just take it in, accept it, kind of like how a friend would, and just get over it. I don’t ponder too much or focus on the problems.”
You seem a lot more comfortable and happier with yourself.
Bang Yongguk: “I think it’s because, as I mentioned before, now that I have a lot more freedom, I was able to base my lyrics on my own life. I don’t think I’ll be able to reproduce the same albums, but instead I’ll happily produce whatever I please.”
That’s good. When you look back at your earlier work as a soloist, how do you feel about it?
Bang Yongguk: “They’re albums that I’m very thankful for. I feel like that was exactly what I needed in life, and they made me happier and made my life far more interesting.”
You have been a K-pop artist and producer for over a decade now, and you have seen how much things changed firsthand. What has been your biggest insight about the industry so far?
Bang Yongguk: “Because of K-pop, I have been able to come this far, and I feel like even now, I always consider what can I do to help spread it further, to pay it back [in a way].”
How do you feel about the current generation of K-pop?
Bang Yongguk: “Each generation does their own thing and [K-pop] is becoming more time-relevant. It’s the same but different, that’s the easiest way to describe it. I also acknowledge that the newer generation is very skilled at what they’re doing, and one thing I wish is for them to keep working hard and staying healthy.”
How would you like people to think and feel about you, both as an artist and as a person?
Bang Yongguk: “Rather than somebody who wants people to think I’m like, a cool guy or a cool artist, I’d rather people think of me as somebody who does his best and works hard. Just think of me as a human being, that’s enough.”
“Basically, I don’t want to over-glamourise anything. This is me, this is how I’ve lived so far, that’s all I want you to know me as. This is how I am as a person.”
Bang Yongguk’s ‘The Colors of Love’ is out now. The singer is also set to tour Asia later this month.