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| Singer Eric Nam will release his first English-language album "Before We Begin," Thursday. Courtesy of Stone Music Entertainment |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean-American solo artist Eric Nam hopes to bring diversity to K-pop with his first full English-language album "Before We Begin."
"When people outside Korea think of 'K-pop', most of them expect 'idols' with several members in a group, dancing in sync," he told The Korea Times. "But there are soloists, duos and many other talented artists in Korea, so I hope to be the bridge to introduce (variety) in the global market."
With this first English album, the singer, 30, is pursuing the dream of his career.
"There are two things that I wanted to accomplish when I started my career: making a positive impact on people and becoming a global artist," he said. He said that with the heightened interest in K-pop in other countries, especially the U.S, it was the right time to set foot in the global market.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Nam moved to Korea and made his first media appearance through the 2011 music audition show. Since releasing his first album "CLOUD 9" in 2013, he has become known not only as a musician but also as a TV personality from numerous reality shows.
He said that because Korean was not his mother-tongue, he had a hard time expressing himself and working with Korea lyrics.
"I was criticized a lot when I was singing in Korean," he said. "The producers and people from my agency would point out my accent and tones, and would tell me I sound too American to fit the local market."
Being stuck between two cultures, finding his own color in music did not come easily. For years, he struggled to fit himself into doing music that others wanted him to do until he decided to pursue the music with the message and expression he wanted to deliver.
For his previous works, he had to first work in English and then translate it into Korean, which would sometimes change the context and message.
"When I worked in Korean, there was a lot of things that I need to pay attention to, such as the pronunciation and the tone, which would make me sound unnatural," he said. Eliminating such a process allowed him to express himself freely in a much more comfortable tone for the first time.
The album has eight tracks under the theme of "Love," including the lead-off song "Congratulations," a post-breakup celebratory lyric weaved into vibrant jams and a sweet voice. But the singer explained that the album was about more than just love.
"In-depth, (the songs) talk about my life, career, and anything that I value," he said. The song "How 'm I Doing" asks how he is doing at this point in the career. "I would think about the path I'm on, whether this is the right one, and these thoughts are reflected in the songs I wrote," he said.
For the past couple of years, he has been focusing more on his musical career, setting aside TV shows or commercial works.
"I try to be honest with myself," he said. "I've done commercials and won awards, but I know that this won't last forever. So I wanted to do things that only I can do, the 'Eric Nam' music," he said, adding that he was grateful such an opportunity.
He said his goal was to be accepted as a talented artist, regardless of race or country. "I try to do what I can do best at this moment and consistently to pursue and dedicate myself to my music," he said.
The album "Before We Begin" ― consisting of "Congratulations," featuring Marc E. Bassy, "Come Through," "Love Die Young," "You're Sexy I'm Sexy," "How 'm I Doing," "Wonder," "No Shame" and "Runaway," featuring Steve James ― was released on Nov. 14.
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