[Exclusive Interview] 82Major talks their new album, World Tour, and more!
Meet 82MAJOR, a six-member group from South Korea that is quickly making a name for themselves in the world of K-pop. Their name, (82MAJOR) is inspired by South Korea’s national telephone number, +82. The meaning behind it is that they aspire to become a major public figure in South Korea. Today, we spoke to the group about their latest comeback, their upcoming tour, and more!
But first, check out this message they left for you!
Can each of you describe yourselves in 3 words so our readers can get to know you a bit better?
NAM SEONG MO: Monkey, First child, Dialect
PARK SEOK JOON: Rock, Taekwondo, Carbonated Drinks
YOON YE CHAN: Lyric writing, Songwriting, Star
CHO SEONG IL: Energy, Badminton, Water
HWANG SEONG BIN: Cats, Dogs, Attitude
KIM DO GYUN: Martial arts, Singing, Cute
You recently released your 1st mini album โBeat by 82โ, can you tell us a little bit about the concept for this album?
KIM DO GYUN: We expressed the confident attitude of 82MAJOR in a basketball concept. We wanted to interpret confidence and the hip-hop genre in our own style. Among them, we thought the rapid pace and dynamic image of “sports” fit best, especially basketball, which we believed matched well with us. We interpreted basketball in our own style. What do you think? Haha, I hope you like it coolly.
What was your favorite song in the mini album and why?
NAM SEONG MO: Choke / I felt envy for the members who had the chorus part on our debut album, โFirst Class.โ I felt the happiest to take on the chorus for this title track. I pondered a lot on how I could do better, taking on the responsibility of singing the chorus for the title track. 82DE! Did I do well? I worked hard!
CHO SEONG IL: Illegal / It’s a song we worked on with the members before debut, and I participated in the choreography with YE CHAN, so I like it the most. We released a performance video of the 5-member version before debut, but I want to shoot a new 6-member version video with YE CHAN someday. I hope our fans would like to see it too, right?
PARK SEOK JOON: Birthday / It’s a song that always uplifts my mood. I especially love the choreography, as it captures our usual playful interactions and jokes among the members.
HWANG SEONG BIN: Illegal / It’s my favorite song because it’s the first song 82MAJOR made together. Before debut, when we released it at Rare House, I think it symbolizes the beginning of 82MAJOR.
YOON YE CHAN: Choke / I love this song so much that my heart races when I listen to it. It’s so addictive that after listening to it once, the members and I kept humming “Choke choke choke.”
KIM DO GYUN: Birthday / It’s a song for easy listening that soothes my heart. Also, I like it because the members’ voices come out smoothly, giving it a different charm from other songs.
If each member could describe each song using three emojis what would they be?
NAM SEONG MO: ๐ฐ๐ทโฌ๏ธโ/ The track “82” represents both South Korea and 82MAJOR, and the second emoji represents the lyrics “์์ ๊ณ ์ ์๋ก” (eyes fixed upward) from “82.” The last one signifies the moment when “Choke” hits you when you listen to it!
HWANG SEONG BIN: โ๏ธ๐๐ / It’s a V sign symbolizing 82MAJOR’s victory! And the victory sign for 82MAJOR! Lastlyโฆa teasing expression for saying “82MAJOR won!”
YOON YE CHAN: ๐๐บ๐ต / 82MAJOR is continuously running! It represents 82MAJOR’s fantastic performance! And the expression of 82DE deeply immersed in our music~
CHO SEONG IL: ๐๐ทโฝ / All three emojis represent the track “82.” Thumbs up for 82MAJOR being the best, a camera for the lyrics mentioning Director Bong Joon-ho, and a soccer ball representing Son Heung-min!
PARK SEOK JOON: ๐โ๏ธ๐ญ / I also expressed the track “82.” Thumbs up represents the lyrics “์์ ๊ณ ์ ์๋ก” (eyes fixed upward). The cloud signifies that there are clouds above when you raise your gaze. Lastlyโฆ an emoji representing the lyrics “๋ฉ๋ฆฌ๋ด ์ฐ๋ฆฌ๋” (We look far ahead), like looking through a telescope, as 82MAJOR always looks far ahead. Haha!
KIM DO GYUN: ๐ฅฐ๐ถ๐ / It’s the love and appreciation we always have for our fans. Our fans are always in our hearts! The second one represents the album name itself, . And lastly! It symbolizes the power and coolness of all six of us. Haha, we poured all our coolness into this album!
You recently debuted in 2023 and have already announced a world tour for later this year. How exciting! Could you share some thoughts about reaching this milestone early in your career?
YOON YE CHAN: First of all, it’s truly an honor to be able to go on tour, and I’m so grateful to the fans who made it possible for us to tour so quickly! It’s all thanks to the fans who love our music. Thank you all so much!
HWANG SEONG BIN: Honestly, it still doesn’t feel quite real. It’s amazing that there are people who recognize us and listen to our music. I’ll strive to continue showing good music and performances to repay the immense love towards us. Please look forward to our concert!
Looking back from October 2023 to now weโve seen how far you guys have come, how has your life changed since your debut to now?
KIM DO GYUN: It seems like my mindset before stepping onto the stage has changed. During our debut song “First Class,” I always felt nervous. To suppress that feeling, I approached it with a mindset of “battle ready!” and “ah, I must conquer the stage!” Now, not only do I have that attitude, but I also have the feeling of being together with the fans on stage. I started thinking, “I hope they’ll be happy to see our stage,” and it made me wonder how I could show the fans an even more impressive performance.
What can we expect for 82Majors, first world tour?
PARK SEOK JOON: Our impressive performance? New songs and performances? Haha, actually, while promoting “Choke,” we’ve been intermittently discussing tour stages with the members. We’ve been consistently working on new songs and giving each other feedback. From 82DE we’ve met before to the new 82DE we’ll meet, we want to create a stage that captivates everyone.
YOON YE CHAN: 82DE~ We’re really working hard to prepare, so please look forward to it a lot!
We want to give a special shout out to Reels Corp, and GREATM entertainment for giving us this opportunity
Follow 82MAJOR!
TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@82major_official
Instagram: https://www.instagam.com/82major_official
Twitter: https://x.com/82major_officia
