Welcome back #SoundLovers! In collaboration with Kyoo Live Entertainment, we are able to introduce you to two incredibly strong talents -- JUN0 and AIDEN. JUN0 and AIDEN are two talented musicians who are part of the DIPBLU crew. They discussed their start in music, creative process, and their recent collaboration on the song "U&I". JUN0 shared that he was inspired to start music after seeing his relative rap in middle school. AIDEN, on the other hand, first encountered music through dance and later realized his passion for music. Both artists are working on upcoming EPs and are excited to share their music with their fans. Check out our interview with JUN0 and AIDEN below as they emphasize the importance of staying motivated and positive as independent artists, and share advice for aspiring musicians to keep pursuing their passion.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us here at K Fuse! Some of our readers may be meeting you for the first time, could you take a moment to introduce yourself?
JUN0: Hello, I’m JUN0. I usually do K R&B and band music in Korea.
AIDEN: Hello, I am AIDEN, a singer-songwriter. Nice to meet you!
Could you tell us about your start in music? Where did you find your inspiration?
JUN0: I think I started simply because my relative looked cool when he rapped in middle school. The reason I started music properly was when I met DIPBLU at the age of 22.
AIDEN: Actually, I first encountered music through dance. I have been interested in dance since I was 12 years old, and have been active as a dancer and choreographer for over 10 years. Through this, I naturally started to incorporate music into my life and realized that I also love dancing to music. This made me realize that I started to pursue music later than most people.
For Aiden: You’re not new to the entertainment industry. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey before joining DIPBLU? Were there any memorable moments?
AIDEN: As a dancer, I naturally became close with Jaejun, who was also very interested in dancing, while I was active as a K-pop idol. We then came up with the idea to create a crew together, and thus DIPBLU was born. Although we started out as a dance crew, we wanted to set ourselves apart from others and create an ideal picture within the crew by producing our own music and videos. It all happened so naturally that I can't even remember, and now music and videos have become the main focus of our crew, with me being deeply immersed in music. This has been going on until now.
For Aiden: You made your solo debut in 2023 with “DNN.” What inspired this song?
AIDEN: Actually, this song was not written with any inspiration. As a matter of fact, I started music late and felt a lot of shortcomings in myself, which made me afraid to release my work to the world. So I promised myself not to release it until I thought it was perfect, and I have been working hard to present it to the world in a perfect form. However, while I was striving to do so, I heard from many people and seniors that "it would be more ideal to share even the imperfect parts of yourself with the world, receive feedback, and continue to research and improve." That gave me the courage to release this song. Of course, I am still working to break free from the thoughts that are holding me back.
You just collaborated on “U&I.” What message are you hoping to convey to listeners?
JUN0: Rather than sending a message, I wanted to tell you that AIDEN and I can express the genre of POP with our own color.
For JUN0: You made your solo debut in 2023 with “Honestly, I don’t need love anymore.” How would you compare your debut track to “U&I?”
JUN0: "Honestly, I don't need love anymore." is a band sound-based song that contains the emotions I felt at the time, and "U&I" was the main theme of expressing our own colors rather than emotions and messages, so it's not easy for me to compare them because the genre and timing are completely different.
Could you walk about us through your creative process when writing lyrics or composing music?
JUN0: When I write a song, I think I work by deciding on a theme and imagining a situation that fits that theme. Sometimes I work with what I've experienced and felt, but usually, as I said above, I work by imagining that situation.
AIDEN: I am not the type to put my story into a song, but I usually rely on my imagination to work on a song. I grasp the atmosphere and flow of the track and then draw the melody line on top of it. After that, I listen to it repeatedly and imagine my own music video in my head, finding keywords and then proceeding with the lyrics.
How would you describe your musical style to listeners?
JUN0: If you listen to my music, I think I'll tell you that I'm a kitschy and sometimes comfortable style. I think a lot of people feel the same way as me, and I think I'll tell my listeners that it's the right direction for the music I'm thinking of.
AIDEN: K-pop or K R&B
Are there any genres you’re currently exploring, or would like to explore?
JUN0: These days, I'm studying the HIPHOP genre that I've been doing for a long time, and I'm also trying the genre called DNB, which has a richer sound than the minimalist sound I used to do.
AIDEN: I am addicted to Garbage these days, I am doing a lot of digging.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
JUN0: The reason is that PH-1 is an artist that I've always liked, so I really want to do it with you if I have a chance. JUNNY, WOODZ is an artist who knows how to release the R&B genre that I'm working on in a trendy way, so I really want to work on it.
AIDEN: I know it doesn't make sense, but Justin Bieber is my favorite star and singer :)
What goals are you currently pursuing this year?
JUN0: I'm thinking of making an EP around November, but there are some genres that I'm trying for the first time, so my current goal is to make an EP that has a certain degree of completion
AIDEN: I am working towards releasing an EP album within this year.
How do you go about promoting your music and building a fan base?
JUN0: We are promoting online on social media. If you look at the artists that are emerging these days, most of them are successful using social media, so we are promoting them through social media and communicating with our fans.
AIDEN: I don't think I have a fan base yet, but I am promoting myself by simply sharing on social media because I don't know how to promote myself.
Have you experienced any obstacles as an independent musician, and how have you overcome them?
JUN0: I don't think I have one yet. I still enjoy working on it, so I've never experienced such a problem :)
AIDEN: I don't think it exists yet.
How do you balance your passion for music with other aspects of your life?
JUN0: Actually, I've never thought so deeply about this question. I don't think I've ever set my life apart from music because there are times when I'm suddenly inspired by music. I think music was always close to me in my daily life.
AIDEN: I don't try to balance things separately, I just live my life as my heart desires. Usually, I am filled with passion for music and I live my life with the joy of learning and improving.
What advice would you give to other aspiring independent musicians who are trying to break into the industry?
JUN0: It's a bit embarrassing to answer this question, but dare I say it's helpful to keep a positive mind when doing this musical thing. If you always prepare and prepare for an opportunity that you don't know when it will come, the opportunity will surely come, so don't be disappointed that you can't do it once, and keep the positive mindset mentioned above.
AIDEN: I am still on my way to becoming an independent musician, so I would love to just have someone to cheer me on rather than give me advice.
How do you stay motivated and inspired as an independent artist?
JUN0: I think I usually think positively. Music is a difficult job for me to succeed easily, but I still get new energy by exchanging positive stories with my team members who are working together.
AIDEN: Sometimes, as a human being, I lose my motivation, but whenever that happens, I look at my family and friends who support me and regain my strength.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations that you’re excited about?
JUN0: I think the upcoming EP is the biggest project for me. Please look forward to it.
AIDEN: I am also looking forward to my EP, not knowing how it will turn out.
Before we wrap up, is there a message that you would like to leave for your fans?
JUN0: I want to say thank you to all of you who listen to my music. I'm planning to release more songs until the EP is released. So I hope more people listen to it and we'll try to make music that you can enjoy in a variety of ways, so I'd appreciate it if you could support it until the end.
AIDEN: Thank you so much for listening to our music and always supporting us as we continue to grow. Please keep watching over us!
K Fuse would like to thank the team at KYOO LIVE ENTERTAINMENT for such an exciting opportunity to speak with two unbelievably determined and motivated artists.
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