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The moment 82MAJOR’s music video for “Stuck” begins, viewers are instantly transported into a world reminiscent of classic kung fu films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
The music video plays out like an action comedy, with the six member group acting as secret agents carrying out a mission. In it, they don various disguises and perform choreography in a martial arts school—all while attempting to thwart their enemies without getting noticed.
The release of “Stuck” and its accompanying EP X-82 has helped 82MAJOR break new ground as artists one year since debuting to the world as a band. The EP, released on October 15, entered multiple Billboard charts for the first time, including World Sales, Current Album Sales and Emerging Artist.
These milestones are something 82MAJOR hopes to build on, as well as performing concerts and meeting their fans—known as 82DE—across the world.
“Throughout this album, we wanted to convey that we are confident in our music,” said member YOON YE-CHAN, who hails from Markham, Ontario.
“We focused on expressing our natural honesty, wit, and the attitude we have toward music!”
The band—composed of CHO SEONG-IL, YOON YE-CHAN, NAM SEONG-MO, HWANG SEONG-BIN, PARK SEOK-JOON and KIM DO-GYUN—recently sat down with RepresentASIAN Project to chat about making their new EP, the kung fu films that inspire them and what their first year as a K-pop group has been like.
The video for “Stuck” reminds me a lot of retro kung fu movies. Do any of you have favourites?
YOON YE CHAN: My favourite is Rush Hour 2! I love the Hong Kong feel, and the comedy genre made it really fun to watch!
KIM DO GYUN: I love the movie The Way of the Dragon. I love martial arts so much, I even used to dream of becoming a martial artist when I was a child. So when I was watching that movie, I got really invested in the martial art scenes. I also love actor Bruce Lee so that movie is very special to me!
CHO SEONG IL: Ip Man, definitely! I watched it with my dad once, and I enjoyed it so much that I watched it on my own again.
PARK SEOK JOON: I really like Kung Fu Hustle. I watched it when I was a child. I was amazed by the spectacular action sequences, and that memory is still fresh in my head. It was an experience where I literally could not take my eyes off the screen!
What was the process of shooting the music video for “Stuck”?
PARK SEOK JOON: It was so much fun! I can think of two highlights while filming. The first is the scene where the members wearing various disguises, are walking toward the villains to comb their hair. The scene is very unique, and I remember laughing a lot!
The other highlight is the scene where I comb over my opponent’s hair. The actor and I had just met that day, and he was a lot older than me so I felt cautious about putting my arm around his neck and combing his hair. At first I was hesitant about it, but he told me to relax and do what I needed to do so I was able to focus on acting in that scene!
Director Woogie Kim has worked with many artists like IU, BTS and Crush. What do you like about his directing style when it comes to music videos?
HWANG SEONG BIN: We’ve been working with Woogie Kim since our debut, and we feel that he has a lot of great ideas. I felt that especially with the music video for “Stuck” this time! Everything about the music video, from the story to the set and the props, was new and fresh!
Woogie Kim always tries out different angles to capture our best shots. He explains what each scene is and how it needs to be filmed for the best cinematography, so that we can understand the role and the story and immerse ourselves in the filming.
You are known for showing off different hip hop sounds. What would you say is something you learned in the process of making this album?
PARK SEOK JOON: We began to think more about song progression. In the title track “Stuck”, there is a part after the second chorus where the sound drops, and when we heard it for the first time it gave us chills. The mood of the song transitions into a very different feeling, which makes the music richer. I’m really enjoying the experience of broadening my perspective through music!
All of you also took part in composing other tracks on this EP X-82. Can you tell me about the process of making “Face Time” and “Gossip”?
YOON YE CHAN: We worked in a very free and fun atmosphere! “Face Time” is a song that HWANG SEONG BIN revealed [during] our second concert <BEAT X 82>.
We only spent 30 minutes on it, telling the stories we wanted to tell without a fixed framework. And when we started preparing for this album, we thought, “Why don’t we try working on this song all together?”
HWANG SEONG BIN: “Gossip” is a song that contains the message that we will not be swayed by what people around us say. For this song, a memorable moment was when we were recording. All six of us got into the recording booth and rapped the chorus together, and all of our voices blended so harmoniously! That made the recording even more fun.
CHO SEONG IL: Both “Face Time” and “Gossip” express our upbeat and bright energy really well, maybe because we worked on them in a comfortable way.
It has been one year since you debuted as 82Major. For many getting to know each of you, can you share one fact about yourself that your fans—82DE—might be curious to know?
NAM SEONG MO: My mustache grows only above my left lip! This is something that even the members didn’t know. I’m only telling this to 82DE!
PARK SEOK JOON: Actually…my left thumb is a little crooked!
KIM DO GYUN: That would be the dates for our concerts? (laughs) All that I can say is that we will be doing a concert next year.
YOON YECHAN: My current weight is 57kg!!
HWANG SEONG BIN: My pinky toenail breaks easily.
CHO SEONG IL: Fans probably know that my fingers bend really easily! The truth is that my joints are on the flexible side, so my entire body bends very easily. (laughs)
YECHAN, I grew up around Toronto like you! What do you think of the role Korean-Canadians have in the K-pop industry given its massive growth?
YOON YE CHAN: I think the role we partake in the most is connecting the more western side of the world to K-pop and bringing in more western fans.
YECHAN, your brother (KEEHO from P1Harmony) is also in the K-pop industry. What guidance has he given you as you embarked on your own musical journey?
YOON YE CHAN: He has always told me that I should never give up and keep going down my own path. Always work hard no matter the situation you’re in and make it into something of your own.
What is one thing you have each learned about yourselves as performers in the last year?
YOON YE CHAN: I’ve learnt that the harder you work the more you shine on stage. Going forward, it’s only going to get harder, so do not get complacent with where we are now.
PARK SEOK JOON: I learned that it’s hard for me to do live performances, choreography, and facial expressions well all at the same time. After our debut, as we monitored our stage performances, it really hit me that it’s not easy to do all the things that are necessary for a performance at once. So, I’m spending a lot of time practicing and trying out different methods.
CHO SEONG IL: I have a stronger sense of responsibility now, because of the love from so many fans. As the leader of the team, I try to accomplish whatever task that is set in front of me. I also make sure to stay healthy so I can finish all [my work] in good physical condition!
KIM DO GYUN: I learned how to develop my performances better. When we first debuted, I was really nervous before going on stage so each performance felt like a battle. But after gaining experience and practicing, my feelings toward the stage changed a bit. Now, each stage is not just a battle but a place to have a good time with the fans! I look to the 82DEs below the stage, feel their support through their cheering, and go on stage feeling prepared!
HWANG SEONG BIN: I learned how to show my different charms more dynamically on stage. I practiced gestures and facial expressions that would help make my parts shine.
NAM SEONG MO: I learned that I love our fans very much! When I dreamed of becoming a singer, I dreamed about putting on amazing performances at big venues, but now I have another goal—to create good music for 82DE. Even when practicing late into the night while preparing for this album, I thought about the fans who were waiting for us and that motivated me to work harder!
Also, I do anything 82DE asks of me. I didn’t realize I had so much aegyo (a Korean term for cuteness), but I learned that about myself after meeting the fans!
What are the biggest challenges of working together as a team?
NAM SEONG MO: Honestly, the more time we spend together, the better we understand each other and are able to work together smoothly. We don’t face a lot of challenges working as a team, and even if we do, I’m confident that we can solve any issues through conversation.
But if I had to name one challenge, I would say it’s the fact that we’re too comfortable with each other. Five of us are the same age, and even the youngest member, KIM DO GYUN, is not that much younger, so we all get along as good friends. During practice, sometimes our eyes will meet and then we’ll start goofing around and laughing, and lose our focus for a moment. But that kind of chemistry helps boost the mood, and other members will lead the laughing members back to focus.
Thanks to this friendship, we are able to give each other feedback more comfortably, so I would say there are more benefits than difficulties.
You recently debuted on a number of Billboard charts including World Albums and Emerging Artists. What is it like to achieve that?
KIM DO GYUN: First of all, thank you! At first, I couldn’t believe the news. I checked the charts myself right away and felt so happy. This is all thanks to the fans who listen to 82MAJOR’s music and send us so much love. We will strive to create even better music from now on.
Are there any styles of music you want to try next?
NAM SEONG MO: Rock music! I want to surprise people by doing something new and unexpected. We want to keep experimenting with music styles we haven’t done before, including rock, to show the endless charms of 82MAJOR!
What is your long term goal that you want to achieve together?
HWANG SEONG BIN: Sometime in the future, when the public audience looks back to this generation, I hope that 82MAJOR’s music is the first thing that comes to mind. I want to create a lot of good music so that we can achieve this goal. The reason I wanted to become an artist was because of Post Malone’s music. I was impressed by the messages he was sending to the world through the song lyrics, and I also wanted to send out positive messages through music. Now I want to achieve that goal with 82MAJOR’s music alongside the members!
CHO SEONG IL: Another goal we have is to release a full length album full of songs that we produced ourselves! I want to make a lasting impression with 82MAJOR’s music.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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