BamBam just finished his promotions for his solo debut “riBBon” and the interviewer asked him if he had as much fun as he thought. BamBam replied, “It was as expected. As it was the first time promoting with the music that I always wanted to do, I enjoyed everything. I also had no expectations about my chart performance or view count. Seeing positive results gave me confidence“.
Referring to the lack of expectations, BamBam said, “I have to admit that we have achieved a certain amount of popularity. So I thought it would make more sense to show my own color and enjoy it.
Fortunately, a lot of people liked it.
You know how they often play songs that rank high on convenience store and supermarket charts? For the first time, I experienced hearing my own song there.”
BamBam also talked about the unexpected reactions he encountered while monitoring fan comments for his solo promotions. He explained, “My title song,’RiBBon’ is a happy song, but my fans said they were in tears after listening to it.” He continued, “I thought about why they might have reacted that way“.
“I debuted as a member of GOT7 at 18 and was called ‘Baby BamBam’ once. Now, seven years later, I am getting the spotlight and being alone on stage. I figured seeing that must have excited them. The song title also has the meaning of ‘Reborn’. My mom said something similar, that she got emotional as soon as she heard the song for the first time.”
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Regarding the kind of growth he hopes to see from himself, BamBam shared, “I want to show a real idol image. When people start out as a group and then go solo, I think they usually want to be recognized as an artist, but I like being an idol better.” When asked what that means to him, BamBam replied:
“I think you must have a lot of different talents and be able to adapt well to any concept. In addition, you have to give it your all not only in front of the camera, but also behind it.
I’ve seen cases where people promote for a long time and then over time forget the passion that drove them to start this job. They don’t want to do this, they just fake their personalities. That saddened me, because a lot of people want to become idols“.
To keep the initial mindset of him from the beginning of his career, BamBam explained, “It’s important to do well, but I also try to have fun and have a good time. If you are doing something that you like but don’t enjoy it, it doesn’t make sense“. BamBam’s full photoshoot and interview will be available in the August issue of GQ Korea.