From a boy for whom the intense energy of rock music got his heart racing, to an idol onstage making every heart in the audience race—that’s TAESAN. We chatted with the BOYNEXTDOOR member about the rock music that shaped his world and what it’s like to be a refreshingly open voice for Gen Z through his own songs.
Getting sucked into rock
TAESAN: I always felt rock music was incredibly cool, with its unique way of openly expressing yourself and your emotions. I’m blown away when I watch videos of old rock bands performing and see how effortlessly cool and free-spirited they are onstage. I’m really into music with a clear sense of progression and songs that build up to the chorus, so rock songs really have a way of sticking with me. I think there’s no better music than a song that can move people, so when I want to listen to some good music, a lot of the time I turn to rock. It’s also a genre with a lot of different subgenres, so I feel like you get a different kind of energy from the songs depending on what kind you listen to. I feel chill when I listen to rock with a dash of old pop song vibe to it, and then alternative or heavy metal gets me excited and gets my adrenaline pumping.
TAESAN’s taste in rock music
TAESAN: I like most rock bands, but my favorites are the Beatles, Nirvana, Oasis, and My Chemical Romance. As far as Korean artists go, there’s no one I love more than Shin Hae-chul. My dad would tell me stories and background info from that time and give me song recommendations, which led me to explore N.EX.T’s music on my own. Their song “Fly, Chick” stands out to me in particular since I performed it for one of my monthly evaluations. I couldn’t get over the way the music’s able to capture how it feels when a baby bird you raised as a kid dies. I think I’m drawn to music from before my time because it’s more than just love songs—it’s got a way of capturing the rebellious, whirlwind emotions of youth in an open, honest way and through an array of different topics. I like hearing their guitarists play, too. Watching Steve Vai playing in his 40s and 50s, I think there’s a certain sexy and cool vibe that only someone with experience has. The electric guitar can sound bright or grungy depending on the effect pedals you use, or it can even sound tender. It’s got a really wide range. I think it’s especially cool at a rock concert when there’s a guitar solo and the crowd goes absolutely wild. I’d love the chance to try a performance like that someday.
How TAESAN listens to rock
TAESAN: I love hearing about how music’s produced and seeing behind-the-scenes videos, so I look stuff like that up a fair bit. There aren’t many behind-the-scenes videos of old rock bands, though—only interviews. So what I do instead is, I read interviews where they said something like, This song was inspired by this event and it’s about this theme. Then I like to listen to the song and imagine how they might’ve felt when they were making it. The Beatles have a lot of stories like that, which was really fun to dive into. And anytime a singer’s music pops up on my algorithm, I try to listen to all of their songs. Personally, I think a band’s most well-known songs tend to be mainstream sounding, so I start there and then dig deeper into their lesser-known tracks that show more of what they’re really about. First I listen to the music to get a feel for it, and if I like it, I look up the lyrics and then I always look up one of their live shows. Live videos have that way of capturing something unique about the vibe in the moment itself, you know? Wow—I might even know more than my dad does when it comes to rock now. (laughs) Oh, and I’ll listen to rock when I’m in the car, and I’ll put on my headphones and absolutely blast it, or I listen to it over speakers when I’m at home.
More than just music: the fashion and spirit of rock
TAESAN: When I’m doing my styling, I pick out my clothes based on what best reflects who I am as a person, so my love of rock tends to get reflected in my fashion choices, too. I think the whole energy rock as a genre gives off and its way of expression are cool, so I feel like I’m influenced by rock concepts and the image of it. Kurt Cobain from Nirvana is my favorite rock star, and he had a really cool style, so I’ve bought clothes that feel grungy, like striped t-shirts and ripped jeans. I also have a lot of t-shirts with rock band logos on them, which is less of a style thing and more because I wanted to have cool printed shirts of the bands I love. (laughs)
Performing at Summer Sonic
TAESAN: For performers who are rock fans, the Summer Sonic rock festival in Japan is a dream stage. It was the same for me, too, so I was really excited when I was practicing for it. And I was performing with session musicians, so I got really detailed with my rehearsals so I could sing in a way that worked with the vibe of the band. BOYNEXTDOOR has a lot of hip hop or R&B-flavored songs with a lay back rhythm [where you’re slightly behind the beat on purpose], but with a band, you sing right on the beat of the drum so you’re in sync with all the other instruments. Performing with that band made me feel like I had a whole team of allies with me and made the concert that much more exciting. I’m not much of a sweater usually, but I was absolutely soaked from the heat at Summer Sonic. (laughs) I felt like I really put on a good show after moving around that much and sweating like that, and I stepped off the stage with no regrets.
Fanning out at rock shows
TAESAN: I haven’t been to many rock shows, but as someone who loves watching videos of them, I can tell you that there’s something uniquely special about being there in person. I saw HYDE perform at Summer Sonic and it was incredible. It was without a doubt the best show I’ve ever seen. All he had was this one tiny mic and yet the way he sang, it was like a lion roaring. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, How can a sound like that come out of a person’s mouth? I was like, This is how you completely bowl over an audience. It was flat-out epic. (laughs) I heard about Oasis going on a reunion tour, too. I learn a lot from watching rock bands perform, so I’d like to see as many concerts as possible.
Making rock songs
TAESAN: When I was a trainee, sometimes I’d make songs by studying whatever music I was most into at the time and my favorite artists. I once wrote a song after I was really impressed by the way rock stars can sing in this way that’s practically like they’re roaring but at the same time sounds straightforward and almost relieving, for example. I felt like I’d be limited in the emotions I could express if all I did was a cover, so I thought, Why don’t I just make a song like that but putting my own twist on it? (laughs) I need a lot more experience still, but at least now I can make songs that capture my own emotions in my own style, regardless of the genre, without having to reference others.
Gonna be a rock (thrower)
TAESAN: “Gonna Be A Rock” off our album 19.99 was written to evoke the nostalgia of 2000s rock music. Usually, before I write any lyrics, I come up with a character that fits in with the idea of the song. When I wrote the lyrics for “Gonna Be A Rock,” I was looking for a way to depict the most pathetic, melancholy character after a breakup. There’s a part in the chorus that goes, “I’m gonna be a rock and break your boy, your love.” It’s probably my favorite line because it really captures this pathetic sense of not being able to get over someone—to the point where they’d rather just be a rock and smash up the next person their ex falls in love with.
Music connects the past and present
TAESAN: The reason I love old rock songs so much is that it really makes you feel nostalgic for the mood of that era. It’s like how songs from really tough times have messages of hope in them for everybody back then. And in the same way that I now listen to old rock songs today, I like to think that maybe people in the future who like BOYNEXTDOOR will come back to our music and think, Oh, I guess this is what the 2020s were like. People talk about Gen Z a lot lately, which I see as meaning that people my age are free-spirited, have their own opinions, and don’t have any problem expressing them. I think that also expresses what the 2020s are like, and that’s why I try to express the way I think and feel openly throughout BOYNEXTDOOR’s music.
If BOYNEXTDOOR were a rock band
TAESAN: First off, you need someone with a ton of energy on drums, so I think WOONHAK would be a good choice there. Drums are there to make the music more exciting when you’re performing onstage. For keyboards, I think JAEHYUN or RIWOO would be pretty cool. It’s important to follow the flow and support everything else, so they’d probably be good at that. I think SUNGHO or LEEHAN would be good on bass. Bass has an image of being cool, and that’s them. You don’t really hear the bass at first, but it’s really obvious when it’s missing. It’s a key part of the musical foundation. And as for the electric guitar, it’s best to leave that to the person with the most love for rock in their heart. So I’d be on guitar. (laughs)
Dear. My ONEDOOR
TAESAN: It doesn’t have to be rock—I’d love to talk with ONEDOOR about all kinds of music. I’ve seen tons of music questions from ONEDOOR on Weverse. I’ve even replied to questions about songwriting, although I’m no expert. I want to keep sharing questions and issues around music with ONEDOOR, and I think it’d be fun to try and write a song together someday. I’m also curious what kind of feel ONEDOOR thinks BOYNEXTDOOR’s music has. For me, I’ll listen to upbeat music when I’m happy, and it makes me feel even happier, and then when I feel sad, I want music that’ll really make me feel it, so I purposely listen to downer songs. That’s the massive power that music has, I think. I’ve also got this playlist, My Favorite Music, that I only put songs I like into, and I listen to that whenever I need an energy boost. I’d love to find out what kind of music ONEDOOR likes and what songs make them feel better.