let the kids stay raw

Q: There are several accounts of you singing since you were very young and through high school but didn’t decide to pursue music until when you were twenty. What’s the most accurate representation of your journey into music as a full-time career? Dean: I loved painting and writing ever since I was a child, but I always had a hard time staying focused on one thing for a long time. When I started recording music at home, making beats, and rapping I knew that I must really like it because I could do it all day. So, I started writing songs. A producer heard some of my music and suggested we start working together and that was the start of my music career.

Q: You named yourself after James Dean and your EP, 130 Mood: TRBL after the number on his Porsche Spyder. How long have you be interested by him and do you see in him something you see in yourself? Dean: My mum was a big fan of James Dean. Even though I couldn’t watch all of his movies I really liked the strong, rebellious spirit in his eyes. I thought his attitude is just like my motto when I create music. I want to make rebellious and experimental music rather than common or stereotypical music. That’s why I chose the name Dean as my stage name.

Q: Your EP contains a track entitled Bonnie & Clyde and they, alongside James Dean, had precarious lives and died young, violent deaths – is there a particular mystique about them that you’re drawn to? Dean: I was looking for the right concept for the EP album TRBL, which is short for ‘trouble’. I wanted to create my own original story in trapsoul music, which has become quite common these days. As a kid, I really liked telling stories with paintings or articles and for Bonnie & Clyde I wanted to create my version of the story of a fatal couple.

Q: You’ve worked on some amazing collaborations, particularly with Heize on And July. What do you as an artist get from working closely with someone who is also new to the industry? Dean: It doesn’t matter to me whether that artist is new or a veteran, Heize has an interesting voice and she was new. So I thought it would be fun if I made her some trendy music and gave her a new image. I’m always looking for collaborations that will be fun, like that.

Q: On the other hand, what can you learn from working with a hugely experienced artist like Taeyeon? Dean: That was also fun for me. I was still a newer artist from the underground at that time. I thought the collaboration between a subculture oriented artist and a mainstream artist would be fun.

Q: On 130 Mood: TRBL, you tell a love story in reverse. What was the idea behind this? Why was it important that the listener ended up at the point where love begins? Dean: Actually, there are a lot of stories in TRBL, I have a lot of regrets from that time because I was a troublemaker. I made TRBL by cutting out my heart for everyone to see. I wrote about a lot of my personal experiences in that project and TRBL means many things. I also love to do things differently and kind of in the opposite way. This was my first album so I wanted to make the project like me. For example, if you check my Instagram you will see a lot of the pictures are upside down – I always like to see things from different perspectives. I wrote a lot about my personal experiences and gave the project my personality in a lot of ways. I thought TRBL could explain a lot about me.

Q: What’s the meaning of the name FANXY CHILD, your project with Zico and Crush, and who came up with it? Dean: Zico came up with it, I’m actually still not sure what it means. Maybe it just stands for us.

Q: Between you, Crush and Zico, there’s a lot of individualism and strong personalities – how do you guys balance that out when you’re writing and producing as a team? Dean: We express our opinions in a very active and instinctual way. It’s always natural and comfortable though, because we have similar tastes and feelings.

Q: OK, random question, who would you rather be stuck in a lift with for 6 hours – Crush or Zico? Dean: Well, if I say Zico, Crush will be disappointed. And, if I say Crush, Zico will be disappointed. [laughs] But really I would prefer to be stuck with a girl rather than either of them.

Q: As more and more artists and producers experiment with bringing together different genres, yourself included, how do you keep pushing forward sonically? Do you continually tinker with music programs, do you listen to a lot of new music or old music? Dean: Yes, I’m always digging through old and indie music. I try to listen to ‘good’ music rather than trendy music – there’s no special reason for that. Doesn’t it make you happy when you listen to really good music? I get new ideas and inspiration from great music, and it makes me feel good.

Q: You’re working on new material… what can you tell me about that? Is the sound a continuation of the mix of elements found on EP, or have you been working on something markedly different? Dean: I would call it an alternative hip hop/R&B album. I want to make sure it has great quality of sound for both Korea and internationally. When I was younger I thought I could try to understand US culture by listening to N*E*R*D. It would be great if people from other countries wanted to try to learn and understand more about Korean culture by listening to my music. I want to make that happen.