A boy, cautiously feeling out his future, stood before a “decision that could change the course of” his whole life. He passed up the safe path, instead choosing to boldly throw himself into worlds unknown, where he’s now on a journey to find out who he really is. This is the story of JUHOON, the idol whose calm, rational exterior hides a drive and determination that burns like a firecracker.
How do you feel these days, with your debut coming up?
JUHOON: It was only a year and a half ago that I was still in school. It’s hard to believe my debut’s right around the corner. It feels surreal how much and how quickly everything’s changing, but it’s amazing at the same time. (laughs)
You turned on the professionalism the second the photoshoot started!
JUHOON: (laughs) I guess I’m fairly comfortable with photoshoots since I’ve been doing them since I was little. I mean (laughs) it all started when I was discovered and became a child model back in first grade. My mom explained it to me and asked me if I wanted to give it a try but I still didn’t fully understand what it was, to be honest. It just sounded like fun, so I gave it a shot. And I just ended up doing it more and more frequently, all the time.
You were a child model since you were young, so I imagine you’re pretty familiar with being on a set.
JUHOON: There were usually other child models there, so a lot of the time it felt more like just hanging out than work. I actually liked going to those shoots since at least I wasn’t studying like my friends were! (laughs) It could’ve just been because I was so young, but the staff there would always pay me compliments. At the time, I didn’t have any big dreams of getting into showbiz, but them saying all those nice things to me probably had a positive influence on me at a subconscious level.
It must’ve been a unique experience balancing school with being a child model.
JUHOON: I wasn’t super talkative, so I didn’t have tons of friends, but I prefer having a small group of close ones anyway, so it was all good. Naturally, most of my school time was taken up by studying, but looking back, the best memories I have from being in school were all the times I spent hanging with my friends during lunch and on breaks, and going out for snacks all together after school let out.
I heard you were really into soccer and even went to Spain for a training camp. Is the soccer ball in the Scene 3 concept photo the same one you used back then?
JUHOON: There’s actually a story behind that ball. When I was little, my dream was to be a soccer player, but around third grade, I had to decide whether to keep pursuing that or to focus on school. In the end, I decided to keep soccer as a hobby and concentrate more on my studies. Some of my friends decided to keep with soccer, but the team we had been in disbanded and the coach handed out a ball to each of us as a parting gift. That’s why this ball means more to me than any other ball. I didn’t think too much about my decision to stop playing soccer since I was so young, but I do remember feeling a bit sad about it anyway.
What was it about soccer that you liked?
JUHOON: What really drew me in was how freeing it felt running around on that big field. It was like it emptied out my head of all other thoughts. Winning felt great too, obviously, but unless it was a really important game, I was more interested in just enjoying myself than the actual score. I used to watch a lot of matches when I was younger, but as I got older, I found it more fun to play soccer myself than to watch it.
You’ve been involved in a lot of arts and sports since you were young, but you also graduated from an international middle school.
JUHOON: I planned to focus purely on academics originally. There were so many talented people around me that focusing on studying seemed like the safe bet, but around the time I graduated from middle school, I realized there was another path I could take—the path of an artist. I considered that my dream from then on.
If you were planning to focus on academics, what made you choose your current path instead?
JUHOON: First I got scouted, and then I saw the amazing artists under the agency, and the rest of the group had a big influence on me too. I took a few classes from the agency before signing on, sort of like a training trial run. That’s when I saw the other members and thought they were so cool. Even their music was something completely different from what I’d ever imagined. It felt so fresh and new. Choosing to focus on becoming an artist at such a young age is a decision that could change the course of your whole life, in a way. I asked myself which I’d regret more, and I felt like I’d regret it more if I didn’t seize the opportunity. There’s lots of reasons, but the biggest one is the other members of the group. (laughs)
It seems like the other members really mean a lot to you. What were your first impressions of them?
JUHOON: KEONHO was really kind. We hadn’t known each other long and he made an effort to really look out for me. I could tell that SEONGHYEON did too. At first, I didn’t have many opportunities to really connect with JAMES. There’s an age gap between us, so he felt very much like an older brother and came off as a little distant. (laughs) That actually made me more curious about him, though. I always asked him what he was watching or eating. And just like that, we got closer, faster than I expected. (laughs) MARTIN helped me more than anyone else when it came to bringing out my hip hop side. Honestly, it was all so new to me, so it didn’t come easily. (laughs) MARTIN would always be like, “Skill is important, but so is style.” Those words had a positive impact on me.
Did you have any tricks for getting closer to them?
JUHOON: I tried to spend as much time with them as possible. For example, if they said they were going to work out late after practice, I’d tag along to work out with them. Stuff like that. (laughs) I wasn’t overeager about it. I just tried to create lots of opportunities to naturally get closer with them.
It sounds like you put in a lot of effort to get to where you are with the other members today.
JUHOON: When I first became a trainee, everything was so new that I sort of felt out of place. It was my first time singing and dancing. I only started learning after becoming a trainee. The biggest thing was that I was living with other people for the first time, I had to commute every day, and I didn’t really know much about the other members. Plus, when you’re in a group, if one person makes a mistake, it becomes everyone’s problem, you know? Since I was the last one to join the group, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could quickly bump up my skills. Now that we spend almost 24 hours a day together, we influence each other a lot. I’ve learned so much about performing from them, and get a lot of inspiration from them even on things like fashion.
Looking at the lyrics for “FaSHioN,” it’s clear the members of the group have some less-than-typical tastes. (laughs) What kind of influence have you had on one another?
JUHOON: I honestly didn’t care much about fashion before coming to the label, but the way I first got into it was seeing how the others dressed up. I thought, “If I do that, I could look cooler too.” At first, I was just wearing the same things the rest of the group was wearing, but as time went on, I wanted to find my own style. And from then on, I started putting more effort in.
What kind of style did you land on?
JUHOON: My taste changes pretty regularly, but right now, I love the fits made by the designer Hedi Slimane. That’s the vibe I’ve been going for.
Since fashion is a means of self-expression, what are you hoping to say about yourself with your fashion choices?
JUHOON: That I’m composed… but rebellious. (laughs) They wanted a rebel vibe for the photoshoot today, so I tried to bring that side of me out as much as I could.
That reminds me of “JoyRide,” the lyrics to which are about breaking away from norms.
JUHOON: “JoyRide” might sound really poetic at first listen, but I actually think it has a serious rebellious streak. That’s why I tried to infuse the lyrics with a bit of a defiant attitude when I was writing them.
“JoyRide” is a really good display of your vocal style. JAMES and SEONGHYEON stuck with a chill vibe in the chorus, whereas your softer singing brings out a different kind of emotion.
JUHOON: Since I was singing the ending to “JoyRide,” my vocal coach suggested I sing it in a way that would really leave a lasting impression, so during practice, I thought a lot about how I could make that part linger in people’s minds. I feel like I was focused as hard as I could to really get that across while recording. (laughs)
You helped write the lyrics for the album. Which of your lines is your favorite?
JUHOON: There’s a line in “FaSHioN” that goes, “Vintage Jesus, came alive.” “Vintage Jesus” was already in the lyrics, and I needed to come up with what would come after that. I was talking with the producer and the other members about what would be good when “came alive” suddenly popped into my head, so I said, “How about ‘Vintage Jesus came alive’?” and everyone was happy with it, which made me happy, too. (laughs)
It’s impressive how everyone in CORTIS actively contributes to not only the music but things like the visual content, too.
JUHOON: Aside from the music itself, we have meetings and brainstorm together for things like the music videos, so everyone’s ideas are represented in the final product. In the music video for “Lullaby,” for instance, there’s this part where the camera’s attached to a can of cola while someone’s drinking from it. I’m pretty sure that was my idea.
You’ve had a good variety of experiences ever since you were young, from your academics to sports, modeling, and the world of music. You’ve also demonstrated an eye for photo and video editing, considering you contributed ideas to the camera angles used in the music videos. Even though you’ve got a talent for a wide variety of things, it’s clear you’ve given a lot of thought about what you really want to do.
JUHOON: Honestly, I think I’ve just been really lucky. I’ve been given so many opportunities to try different things, but at some point, it made me start to wonder what I’m really good at, that it sets me apart from other people. That’s why it felt even harder to settle on just one thing. But I believe everyone is blessed with a unique talent, so I’ve tried to have as many experiences as possible so I could figure out what mine is.
You’ve made huge strides in a short period of time. You can now pull off challenging moves like dancing on treadmills in “What You Want” and bending over backwards in “FaSHioN.” What’s your secret to building on your strengths?
JUHOON: I’ve always tried to be as efficient as possible with training. I analyze to find where I’m currently lacking the most and focus on improving those weak points through dedicated practice. At the end of the day, all that practice is about making myself into someone even more impressive than before. Since I’m going to be singing and dancing for the rest of my life, I’ve been working harder at them than anything else I’ve ever tried to do. I think my stamina level’s improved compared to when I first started learning how to dance, and I’m starting to feel a bit more confident with it, too.
It’s just like the line in “What You Want” that goes, “What I want is something to make it race again / I mean my heart.” It’s like you’ve always been chasing after the things that make you most excited.
JUHOON: Sometimes, practicing day in and day out makes the days blend together, but even then, I always try to find that special little spark within the ordinary. It’s like it’s the driving force behind what keeps me going and allows me to keep enjoying what I do.
When do you feel the effects of that spark over the course of a regular day?
JUHOON: I tend to watch a lot of videos of international artists. One of my favorite artists is Lil Tecca, so I watch his videos a lot. I’m also into rock bands like Nirvana and Radiohead, and I watch a lot of Justin Bieber’s performances too. They’re all so cool. (laughs) Whenever I see them, I want to be more like them. At one point I found myself not quite in a rut but sort of stalled out, and I snapped out of it by watching interviews and performances by my favorite artists. It got me thinking how I wanted to be as cool as them and it motivated me to pick myself back up.
What does being “cool” look like to you?
JUHOON: I think being cool is about being true to yourself. When you’re true to yourself, instead of hiding who you are or pretending to be someone else because of what others might think. That’s what makes you truly cool. I think CORTIS’ coolness stems from our honesty, as does the rest of the group. That’s why we want to be completely genuine with our audience.
What’s the reason you want to be so genuine with how you present yourself?
JUHOON: I’m normally the type of person who’s only really open with his opinion when the situation absolutely calls for it. So it was hard to take what I was thinking and put it out into the world at first, but it turned out to be pretty fun for me. (laughs) My main contribution to the album was writing lyrics, and even when I had something I wanted to convey, turning those thoughts into words required a whole different skill set, so it wasn’t easy. But the actual process of getting those thoughts across was incredibly fun.
So, as far as being genuine goes, what is your goal?
JUHOON: I want to show people who I really am… but I want it to be something they’ll never see coming. (laughs)