(INTERVIEW) JUNNY Talks About His European Tour, Music And More!
Meet JUNNY, the all-round musician who exceeds expectations with his versatile skills as a singer-songwriter, composer, and lyricist. He has collaborated with numerous artists, including (G)I-DLE Miyeon, Ha Dong-Qn, JAY B, Chungha, and PH-1, producing hits such as “Charging” by I-DLE’s Miyeon and “Nostalgia” by JAY B. His collaboration with JAY B actually ranked first in three countries and landed in the top 10 in eight countries.
Recently, JUNNY embarked on a European tour. And today, he spoke to us about music, dream collaborations, and his latest song “Optimist”.
I would like to start off by saying thank you for taking the time to answer some questions! It must be pretty exciting to embark on your European tour, can you tell us a bit about all the emotions and excitement you’re going through and what you’re most excited for?
JUNNY: It’s my first time in Europe, and to come here for a tour means so much to me. I’ve always dreamed of performing out here and to finally do that is a dream come true. I’m excited to see all my fans in different cities, being able to give back the love that I’ve been receiving throughout my career. Hopefully I can deliver the best show I can for every city I visit.
What’s the process like in choosing which songs to perform?
JUNNY: As an artist and being connected to my fans, I have a solid idea of what they want to hear and also I pick from the songs that I’m comfortable performing and what I’m most confident in as well. Having toured North America I feel like the Setlist has become more polished and overall it’s all about creating a good show for the fans to enjoy.
Can you tell us the story behind your recent single “Optimist”?
JUNNY: Coming back from my North American tour I was fully inspired to write new songs, and during the session I wanted to talk about staying optimistic, and the importance of looking on the bright side. I wanted to incorporate sounds that I’ve never done before, fusing R&B and house as well as rap (which I haven’t done in a minute).
How would you describe your latest song “Optimist” in 3 words?
JUNNY: Energetic, sexy & fun.
You’ve composed songs for many artists such as Baekhyun, Kai, IU etc. Can you tell us what the process has been like composing songs for these artists as well as your own songs?
JUNNY: Composing for these amazing artists was such an amazing experience and learning so much from an early point in my career I really wanted to focus on my own music, as an artist. It’s a completely different challenge writing for myself compared to writing for others and although it’s always a good time behind the scenes, I love to perform the songs I write so much more.
You have collaborated with amazingly talented artists in the past, are there any artists, Korean or international that you would love to collab with in future projects?
JUNNY: I would love to collaborate with international artists and I feel like that would create a whole new world for me to explore and get inspiration from. In the meanwhile, I’m just gonna keep working hard on my music and hopefully, in the near future, my dreams will come true.
Photo courtesy of Mauve Company
Knowing you are not limited to just one genre of music what’s the next genre you would like to try out for your next song or album?
JUNNY: I would love to continue digging back to R&B, also fusing that with POP, and alternative sounds because I feel like that’s the direction I’m starting to take for my career as an artist and it’s what I would truly love to write.
Did you always dream of becoming a composer/singer-songwriter or did you want to pursue a different career when you were younger? How did this dream to pursue music come to be?
JUNNY: I want to become an artist/ musician ever since graduating high school. This dream happened to be because of the wonderful people that listened to my music and also supported me throughout the years. at a young age, I decided to take a leap of faith and fly to Korea with only big dreams of starting a music career and now here I am touring the world, and everything still feels surreal. Like I said, if it wasn’t for the fans, I wouldn’t be here today and I’m forever grateful and I’m gonna continue to do my best to make them proud.
Lastly, what do you wish your fans to take from this tour? Anything memorable or inspiring you wish fans would take from this tour?
JUNNY: To my loving fans, this is my first ever Europe tour and for you to show so much love and to bring the energy out every night is just incredible. I just wanna say thank you so much and I’m constantly being inspired by the love that you give me and with this energy, I will continue to bring you the best music I possibly can. I’ll always work hard to be a better version of myself every day and to make you proud. Love you all.❤️
Thank you again to Junny!
