Though SUNGHO says he’s looking for his unique romantic sensibility, it was already all around him—in the way his eyes shimmered when thinking back on how hard he’s worked, the way he so sweetly offers ONEDOOR a shoulder to lean on, and how he’s always thinking about how to become a better person.
You performed “Actually Pt.2” at the recent WHY.. comeback show, BOYNEXTDOOR 2NIGHT. A lot of people were curious why you chose to do part two—the one from the boyfriend’s perspective.
SUNGHO: Really? (laughs) It was our first show with that big of an audience, so I really took my time choosing the music. I wanted to choose a song that would give me a chance to show off my vocals, and one that a lot of people would know and that would resonate with them, so I went with “Actually Pt.2.” And it felt like the lyrics were perfect for expressing my feelings to the fans, since they’re from the boyfriend’s perspective. (laughs)
A lot of fans found it funny that the song has the line, “You know I don’t play video games,” since you actually love the FIFA series.
SUNGHO: Ah—I think it’s more about becoming the character in the song than being that person for real, though! (laughs) I don’t think I was gaming much at that time, actually. After promoting WHY.., I realized how important it is to have a hobby, so I started branching out from gaming and trying different things.
You’re really into sports, right?
SUNGHO: I absolutely love sports. Soccer’s my favorite of all. (laughs) I like watching the matches, but what I love most about it are the stories. I mean, there’s teamwork both in soccer and in K-pop. Watching sports videos gives me ideas on what kind of mindset I should have both personally and for good teamwork. I focus on how teams like FC Barcelona, Tottenham, and Manchester City foster teamwork and the ways they communicate within their teams. I learn a lot from seeing how the players get along, which is why I keep following them. Soccer’s more than just a pastime or a stress reliever to me—it’s like a reference book for life.
What message has resonated most of all with you?
SUNGHO: “Nothing’s more important than the team.” I probably think back to that quote more than anything else.
You take charge of situations and back up the other members in your own group.
SUNGHO: Not only have I been with KOZ the longest, but we’ve known each other a long time now, so I have a good sense of how to talk to each of them. I feel like my role’s to hold the group up from behind, and to keep morale up by saying things like, “We can do this!” and, “Let’s focus!”
Does that mean you pay close attention to the needs of the people around you? In episode eight of WHAT? DOOR! you kept checking on the fire by yourself, and in episode four, you bought something to drink for the video crew with the mission hearts you earned.
SUNGHO: You could say I am attentive, but I would also describe it as being sensitive. That helps me with picking up on what’s going on around me, including the other members. I usually notice right away when someone has dyed their hair or even gotten a trim. (laughs) When we’re filming something, it’s not just us working hard. There’s lots of people with us working hard too. And since they were probably just as tired as us, I wanted us all to be able to have something to drink together.
No doubt you’re a caring, considerate person, but in an interview with Men’s Folio, you mentioned wanting to show people “more cool-headed, perhaps even coldhearted sides” of yourself as well.
SUNGHO: I used to want to come across as chic and cold—both in the way I look and in personality. (laughs) I actually stopped myself from talking about sports or soccer with fans for that reason. I guess I was worried about just being seen as some excessively bubbly person. But since we’re a team, we need to stand together and cheer each other on, you know? It wasn’t easy to change my personality, no matter how hard I tried. I felt like being cold and aloof wasn’t a good look for me, both within the group and with people in general. I guess my natural personality is something I just can’t get rid of. (laughs)
You’re also known for being the one in the group to take the lead in cleaning up. In an interview with ELLE, LEEHAN said you “come back home and clean, even when we can only get an hour or two of sleep.”
SUNGHO: I mean, I’m human, too. I still get some rest. (laughs) I never get straight into cleaning the second I get home. It's more like, I walk through the door, and if I see something left out, I just pick it up as I make my way to my room. From the others’ perspective, they probably think, “How does he have any energy left to clean after running around all day?” To me, it’s just something that has to be done, so I do it without really thinking about it. I guess I’m the weird one, though.
You were actually frying an egg for real in the trailer for HOW?, right? You were voted the best cook of the group as well.
SUNGHO: I don’t get much of a chance to cook these days, but when I was a trainee, I used to make ramyeon or fried rice and share it with everyone. I guess they remember that and now they think I’m a good cook. (laughs) ONEDOOR might not think I’m very good, though, since all I can cook are the relatively simple things that you don’t even need a recipe for.
In your previous Weverse Magazine interview, you mentioned you’re “more enamored by the cinematography rather than the plot.” How did you feel about the recent trailer, then?
SUNGHO: The new trailer had a lot of scenes featuring the perspective of somebody’s boyfriend, so I tried my best to get the viewers immersed and get them to think, I’m dating this guy, and these are moments we shared together. The director also helped me work towards a more natural performance so I could convey feelings of love. I think it came out really well. I’m so glad ONEDOOR liked it. (laughs)
All those dating scenes were reminiscent of the stages of a relationship explored in “OUR.”
SUNGHO: ZICO, our producer, both made “OUR” and directed it himself. He asked me to sing the line, “Us two beneath the tree,” in a way reminiscent of Bren Joy or Moses Sumney. ZICO already had me practice singing songs by both singers when I was a trainee, so since I already had practice in that style, it was easy for me to picture how I would sing it. And he gave me the OK right away, too.
The way you move through the climax of “Earth, Wind & Fire” with all those high notes is incredible. I could hear a lot of change in the way you hit them.
SUNGHO: Right? My part was in that high range, so I practiced a ton. (laughs) It’s harder to sing a word like “you” at such a high pitch than sounds like “uh” or “ah,” so nailing that part was the biggest challenge I worked on. It feels a lot easier now after having practiced it over and over while dancing at the same time. And my part in “So let’s go see the stars” goes up to a higher key, which makes the song that much more exciting, so the real challenge was less in the technique and more in how to get the emotion across. It’s a romantic song, and I actually smiled for real while singing to capture the nervous elation of asking someone to go stargazing with you.
It sounds like you were really ambitious as far as your vocals went for this album.
SUNGHO: All the tracks off HOW? put my vocal strengths to good use, and for that reason, I felt ambitious. There’s usually a specific direction set in place when recording for an album, and I do my best to follow that, but this time around, even if I stuck to the producers’ directions and they said they liked it, I kept asking things like, “What if I did this for the ending?” or, “Would it sound good if I breathed like this?” I think every song off HOW? is top notch, personally. (laughs) I was determined to work even harder on this album. I wanted everyone to have faith in BOYNEXTDOOR and give it a listen.
On Weverse last October, you said this: “I started thinking recently that maybe I should be a little bit more adventurous. Maybe not as much as back when I was a trainee, but still, I felt like I want to do something more. I want to keep on reaching for more.” Was the vocal practice you underwent between albums a part of that?
SUNGHO: Yes, I got into vocal training quite seriously at that time. Anytime I could, I’d get into the recording booth and record covers repeatedly to listen to my voice, just like I did back when I was a trainee. It helped me improve a lot. I think becoming so deeply immersed in myself like that helped deepen my knowledge of singing, and I started to be able to speak more convincingly the more my theoretical knowledge grew. Being able to express my interpretation of songs through my voice gave the producers a reason to trust me with my parts.
Is there anything new you’d like to try moving forward?
SUNGHO: There’s so much I want to do for ONEDOOR, but I feel like I’ve mainly been focused on my singing, so they might think I’m not really interested in dancing. But I actually love to dance. (laughs) When I was a trainee, I spent more time learning hip hop choreo than I did learning the kind of choreo BOYNEXTDOOR is doing, but they haven’t really seen that side of me yet. I’d love to do a performance where I can both sing and dance if the opportunity arises.
With all the effort you’ve put in leading up to the comeback, you must be experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.
SUNGHO: The preparation for HOW? was very emotional. But, naturally, it also served as an opportunity for us to grow stronger as a group. On the one hand, we felt grateful to ONEDOOR but also sorry they had to wait around for us. I hope that feeling comes across. I had a surge of emotions swirling inside me right before we performed “Dear. My Darling” for the comeback show. Seeing ONEDOOR right in front of me like that reminded me once more just how important they are to me.
The affection you feel toward your fans is clear in “400 Years,” the first song dedicated to your fans and your first time writing lyrics.
SUNGHO: The group talked again and again about doing a fan song for a long time. We started out by writing whatever came to mind under the theme of “saying what we wanted to say to ONEDOOR.” The specifics of what each of us wrote were different, but when we put them all together, we ended up with a love song for ONEDOOR, basically. (laughs) It made me realize that we may all have different styles but what we wanted to communicate was the same. Since the song’s for our fans, we didn’t want it to be overly metaphorical or follow a fictional narrative. We wanted to write about the things we really wanted to convey to ONEDOOR instead. So, we took the memories we’ve made with ONEDOOR so far and sprinkled pieces of them here and there.
In “But Sometimes,” there’s the line, “I widened my shoulders so you could lean on me.” Then, in “400 Years,” it’s, “Here's a shoulder you can lean on.” It seems like shoulders have become a recurring symbol.
SUNGHO: As you say, it’s a metaphor for a place where ONEDOOR can feel relaxed, take a rest, and rely on us. It’s along the same line of thinking as when I said on Weverse that my shoulder is perfect for sleeping on. I wanted to make it sound like my shoulder is a premium-quality cushion. When they think of my shoulders, I want them to feel more secure and feel flushed with excitement, too.
You also post a lot of scenic photos on Weverse, like you’re allowing fans to see things through your eyes.
SUNGHO: That’s right. When I was a trainee, I used to adjust the saturation and brightness on the photos I took, but now I just adjust the exposure a bit before taking them, and I don’t make any adjustments after. I want to share the beautiful things I witness exactly as I see them with my fans. Adjustments like that can give them a different vibe, obviously, but now, even when my pictures aren’t perfect, I think it’s important to fully capture the raw atmosphere of the moment. (laughs)
It sounds like you want to be more honest about the way you are to your fans.
SUNGHO: Looking back now, I guess I was overly focused on everything being absolutely perfect right after the debut and trying everything to avoid making any mistakes. I was showing myself off to the world for the very first time, but I guess I was just too stiff because of that. So it probably comes off as a complete change of character to people when they see me being klutzy. Nobody’s meticulously perfect at all times, and it looks like I have my own oopsie moments, other than when it comes to cleaning. (laughs) It’s natural to put yourself out there and let people see your imperfections when you’re young, but I’m starting to think maybe I missed out on that key part of my own youth back then.
Then, when people look back later on who you are today, what kind of young person would you like to be remembered as?
SUNGHO: I hope someday people can look back on who I was now and think of me as having been a romantic. I’m trying to make that happen through my actions. The moon emoji in my Weverse nickname is a similar idea—the moon is used as a romantic symbol in music and in other areas. I might seem cold or chic on the outside, but I want to hold onto my unique romantic sensibility. (laughs) I’m making a serious effort to try and live like a romantic now.
How would you explain your romantic side to ONEDOOR?
SUNGHO: I want to say, “I’m sorry, but I also love you.” I should’ve come back sooner, so I’m sorry to make you wait so long, but I love you lots. And, most importantly, I hope you know that every BOYNEXTDOOR song is dedicated to you.